I've never used an internet cafe but back in the early to mid 00s I would frequently go to the library to use their computer lab.
Despite the lack of privacy and being limited to one hour, it was actually kind of fun because I got to see the local town weirdos and smell their awful BO and breath.
There was this one guy named Will with rotted out teeth, he was always there and then there was this kind of retarded overweight black guy who once tried to trash talk me about Rammstein while boasting about shitty 70s classic rock.
They probably thought I was a weirdo too but whatever.

In 2006 I got a PSP and would go to Barnes and Noble and pay like $5 to use their wifi in the little starbucks they had while I drank coffee, that was a ton of fun.

Yeah public internet is actually kind of nice because it's a communal thing and gets me to take a break from being a hikikomori.
The only downside is there are certain sites and activities I can't do in a public setting.