London’s best bookshops that double as cafés (and cafés that double as bookshops)
Coffeehouses are a key component of the literary diet — but you needn’t be a writer to enjoy a novel café. The ambience found in a welcoming room full of books is by far the best motivation to start any reading list.
Whether you’re looking for a place to rest with your year’s must-reads or just want a beautiful room to unwind in, here’s out pick of hybrid book-cafes scattered around London.
London Review bookshop
If you’ve seen all the British Museum has to offer, dig deeper into the history at the London Review Bookshop, not two minutes away. With an extensive choice of genres, read up on history, politics, poetry, science and more. After browsing the roughly 20,000-strong shelves, head to the attached café or the terrace. This tranquil setting gives you the chance to get stuck into your new reads from the best independent bookstore in London.
Holborn 14-16 Bury Pl, WC1, londonreviewbookshop.co.uk
Root/25
This not-for-profit charity café offers both hot cuppas and the warming knowledge that every penny spent helps a worthy cause. Run by Restless Beings, a global human rights organisation, the lush space furnished with oak and greenery boasts its “Friday lates” events, hosting a lively dinner crowd until 10pm for a cosy night out in east London. The expansive project provides a sober alternative to other late-night scenes, with vegan and halal menu options and an in-house faith space for prayer and meditation. Needless to say, books are available to buy.
116B Bow Rd, E3, @root25ldn
BookBar
Social spaces like these should be cherished. Found on High Street Islington, this is a space where you can sense the owner’s love for literature – compounded by her career in the book industry. Live music, readings, and “read-dating” should be enough to tempt new readers and old. If that’s not enough, the “Shelf Medicate” book prescriptions are a stroke of brilliance to get you out of a reading rut. Note the “Literary Fibbers Prescription”, which includes books we all say we’ve read — and really should have by now.
166 Blackstock Rd, N5, bookbaruk.com
Arthur Probsthain & Tea and Tattle
After a century of family bookselling, this store is complimented by the Tea and Tattle tearoom, started in 2010 to help sustain the business. Situated appropriately around the corner from the British Museum and SOAS University, the Oriental and African book collection accompanies a broad choice of brews: Lapsang, Assam, Ceylon, Sencha, Oolong and Kenyan. Quaint with an historical air. Spend your afternoon here browsing or reminiscing — and don’t forget to see the fascinating handwritten Qur’an upstairs.
41 Great Russell St, WC1, teaandtattle.com
Levant Book Café
A haven for desserts. Visiting this café feels like a discovery you want to keep hidden. On visiting, the owners will be more than happy to share the story behind the Syrian dessert parlour, with hand-made ice cream sat alongside translated Arabic texts donated from all over the world. Less of a bookstore and more of a library, this gem, tucked away among the retail parks of Park Royal, offers books out on loan with no extra charge.
26-28 Standard Rd, NW10, levantlondon.com
The Common Press
An extension of Glass House London, this booze-free spot expands the sober mind with its pick of diverse literature and great coffee. Stock ranges from black and queer fiction to literature in translation — everything you could imagine from a Shoreditch book sanctuary. Booths for hire in the back also offer an intimate space for creative projects, taking this spot up to a three-in-one score for hybrid artistic spaces.
118 Bethnal Green Rd, E2, glasshouse.london
Cafe Z Bar
Books aside, the Turkish menu of Café Z Bar holds its own. The wholesome Menemen — a delectable Central Asian egg breakfast — is a must, especially given the price (the city, this is not). On the edge of the high street, this book-scattered, funky-beat-blasting caff does brunch at its best. You only have to follow the spiral staircase downstairs to enjoy a wider array of tempting novels along the walls after your Turkish tea.
58 Stoke Newington High St, N16, @cafezbarstokey
Phlox Books
Resurrected from the original Phlox from 1980s Belfast, the owner brought Phlox Books to London in 2017. With a personal passion for prose, the staff always seem ready to share their recommendations or just chat about books, which gives a familiar feel to a relatively new establishment. Personalised book subscriptions and a wonderful glass of whatever-you-fancy pair perfectly at this community shop.
159 Francis Rd, E10, phloxbooks.com
Maison Assouline
Named one of Gucci’s “must-visit” destinations in 2018, Maison Assouline is a luxurious boutique where books take the stage in the heart of Piccadilly. Dressy books are housed at this cultural epicentre of style and sophistication in Sir Edwin Lutyens’s 1922, Grade II-listed, red brick vision. Your chic factor will rise just by perusing the coffee table books galore. Don’t leave before enjoying a coffee or elegant afternoon tea at Swan’s Bar — and, of course, checking out the “cabinet of curiosities”.
196A Piccadilly, W1, maisonassouline.com
Kioskafe
Kioskafe café specialises in literature of a different genre — print newspapers and magazines. Calling back to newsstands and European kiosks, the eponymous store proves that print is still alive and kicking. You can order in a specific copy you’re looking for or choose from the 2500 print-on-demand newspapers and 150 magazines that adorn the colourful space. An eye-catching stop — see the unmissable zebra striped awning — en route to Paddington station for a morning coffee and Swedish pastry.
31 Norfolk Place, W2, kioskafe.com
Books for Cooks
For all calibres of cooks, this book shop and test kitchen is a heaven for amateur chefs. With a daily menu announced by the owner on Twitter each morning and fresh ingredients bought from Portobello Market, the food on the shelves is brought to life. The liiterature stretches beyond recipe books, and include genres like food fiction, biographies, art, history and chemistry. You probably won’t catch Julia Roberts casually waltz in, but you might imagine Hugh Grant tempting you to stay, with a gentle ask: “Would you like a cup of tea before you go?”
4 Blenheim Cres, W11, booksforcooks.com
Paper and Cup
Another do-good, feel-good establishment for latte lovers, with profits supporting those recovering from addiction and homelessness. The Spitalfields Crypt Trust curates a collection of second-hand books and vintage items at incredible prices – leaving enough in your pocket for an extra donation. Huge mugs of coffee and fabulous cakes make this a sweet spot for reading, writing, browsing or all of the above.
18 Calvert Ave, E2, sct.org.uk
