From #BookTok to celebrity book clubs to blockbuster movie adaptations, it’s safe to say that reading hasn’t been this fun in years. So it’s no big surprise that our favorite pastime has started to make its way into the world of nightlife.
For years, bookstores have had cozy cafés where you could while away shopping with a latte or a cup of Earl Grey. But recently, many bookstores are getting their own liquor licenses and doubling up as bars, each with its own unique concept. You can pair Burgundy with Baudelaire in Paris, sip Irish whiskey as you touch “Ulysses” in Melbourne, or learn about American history over a local cider on one of the most important avenues of US architecture.
Related: The best credit cards for book lovers
Here are seven bookstore bars we’re adding to our reading list this year.
Rough Draft Bar & Books: Kingston, New York
Unsurprisingly, New York City is a major hub for reading and writing lounges, with notable spots including the East Village’s Book Club Bar and Liz’s Book Bar, owned by a black woman in Brooklyn. One of the best examples, however, is travel 100 miles up the Hudson River to the nation’s first capital, Kingston. Rough Draft Bar & Books sits on the “Four Corners” – the only street in America where all four buildings were built before the Revolutionary War.
Rough Draft’s stone building dates back to 1774, and has housed Kingston Academy, a cabinetmaker, a newspaper and a radio station. Now, it falls somewhere between a bookstore and a pub, where you can imagine the Founding Fathers drinking pints while trading editorials on their pamphlets. The rotating list of beers, wines and ciders changes by location and creation, which means you might find drinks like beet-infused rosé cider from Wayside Cider in the Catskills.
Leopold’s Books Bar Caffe: Madison, Wisconsin
Open until midnight seven days a week, Leopold’s describes itself as “the bookstore next to night owls.” Hours are convenient for a store just a few blocks from the University of Wisconsin campus. Travelers will especially love the selection here: The shelves are organized not by genre but by country of origin. For example, Japanese cookbooks share space not with other cookbooks but with novels and poetry collections from Japan to get a full picture of the culture.
That country lifestyle extends to the wine on sale, with bottles from unlikely places like Lebanon, Macedonia, Georgia and India. (Join house sommelier MJ Hecox during Friday “working hours” to learn more and try samples.) The bar — topped with a fun tropical-plant-and-macaw wallpaper — offers a wide variety of cocktails, from Black Walnut Manhattans to in gelato. -Grasshoppers based assortment of $5 smart shots.
Swans Bar at Maison Assouline: London
Assouline’s triple-digit statement coffee table books are a symbol of culture-loving status, so it’s no surprise that the publisher’s flagship London store is something of a phenomenon. Sitting in Piccadilly next to the Royal Academy of Arts and Fortnum & Mason, Maison Assouline occupies a Grade II listed bank hall from 1922 and has a superb Swans Bar.
Daily Newsletter
Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter
Join over 700,000 readers for the best news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG experts
You can order posh classics like the Dirty Gibson (with honey-balsamic-onion garnishes) and the 72 British pound ($96) Eau de Martini, which comes with a caviar bump. There’s also a selection of travel-themed cocktails inspired by places like Italy’s Lake Como and Australia’s Byron Bay, topped with garnishes like edible surfboards and cityscapes.
Buck Mulligan: Northcote, Australia
Named after a character from James Joyce’s “Ulysses”, this Melbourne bookstore bar in inner Northcote has one main focus: Ireland. The shelves are lined with classics, contemporary novels, plays and poetry collections from the Emerald Isle. The Celtic theme continues behind the bar, which aims to have the city’s largest collection of Irish whiskeys – as well as bottles from Scotland, Japan, the US and Tasmania.
If you’re not looking to drink whiskey properly, there’s an eclectic collection of cocktails, including Irish coffee and hot toddy, which you can order with traditional or distilled whiskey. Look for special events, such as a St. Patrick’s Day party. Patrick inspired with a fiddle and a free glass of Redbreast Potstill (with book purchase) on Bloomsday — a day dedicated to Joyce.
La Belle Hortense: Paris
The ancient streets of Le Marais are perfect for flaneurs. If you need a place to recover after all that glorious aimless wandering, you can’t do much better than this “cave/library/bar trash.” Separate shelves display books on top (rare editions, novels, cookbooks, biographies) and wine bottles on the bottom.
The move is to wait for one of the red chairs and belly up to the zinc-topped bar. There, order a glass of whatever the staff recommends next to the charcuterie plate. The place is crowded, cozy and more than bohemian, and you can host book launch parties, art exhibitions, lectures and jazz sets.
Cafebreria El Pendulo: Mexico City
Popular among tourists and locals alike, this small Mexico City chain has branches around the city, several of which have their own cafes. After dark, you’ll want to head to the Zona Rosa (the city’s gayborhood) for a drink at Bukowski’s Bar. It pays tribute to bohemian writers and their relationship – the good, the bad and the ugly – with alcohol. (The unknown poet Charles Bukowski liked to drink alcohol.)
The venue also doubles as an inviting jazz and blues club. Different nights of the week mean music by a house jazz trio, Broadway standards by a piano player or even an open mic night.
Bad Animal Books: Santa Cruz, California
The “evil beast” in question? People, of course. It refers to Dionysus, the Greek god of wine and parties, and his influence on the people of Euripides’ “The Bacchae.” Key references abound at this Santa Cruz bookstore and organic wine bar. It focuses on humanity and in particular “the wild side of the human animal – extreme, psychotic, revolutionary, aggressive, wild, mysterious and uncivilized,” as the website describes it.
Its wine list is natural, organic and small batch, with bottles from Hungary, Greece and Georgia. The shop is also home to a pop-up called Hanloh Thai Food, helmed by chef-in-residence Lalita Kaewsawang. Regulars can join the wine club, which offers two bottles a month, notes on how to pair food with books, discounts on books and free monthly tastings.
Related reading:
