The best bookstores in NYC

Albertine offers the largest selection of French-language literature in the United States, with more than 14,000 titles from 30 French-speaking countries. The two-floor space is truly an escapist's dream, with a designated reading room with lush sofas and armchairs, all housed in the French embassy on the Upper East Side.

Great for: Francophiles who want to do more than diddle on Duolongo

Independent bookstores are sadly rare in Queens, but Astoria Bookshop delivers a much-needed dose of lit to the neighborhood. Though on the small side, there’s a solid selection of fiction, non-fiction, and children’s books, and staffers are happy to hunt down anything you can’t find. Events like readings, storytelling sessions and book clubs—many of which highlight local writers–prove that Queens is an artsy borough, too.

Great for: Hyper-local titles from area authors and neighborhood poets

If you know your Fuchsia Dunlop from your Irma Rombauer, hoof it to Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks. The East Village store, founded in 1997, is the place for chefs, gourmands and amateur home cooks to find literary inspiration. Slotnick offers a well-curated selection of cookbooks in the surprisingly spacious shop, and you’ll find fascinating, out-of-print relics of New York food history. Oh, and there may be a tasting when you visit, if you’re lucky.

Great for: Rare cookbooks and antique foodie volumes

This beloved Brooklyn bookstore operates two shops in Brooklyn, one in Carroll Gardens and another in Brooklyn Heights. No matter which you choose, expect a cozy, well-stocked shop with great staff picks.

Great for: A top-notch kids' book that will liven up storytime

This used bookstore in Midtown is the NYC outlet of a Japanese chain, and the discounts are particularly deep—check out the selection of $1 books. The manga selection is extensive, and folks interested in learning Japanese can pick up a number of language books or simply immerse themselves in the culture via video games and movies from the island nation. Thrifty sorts can get an even bigger bargain by selling old books and obsolete CDs and DVDs.

Great for: Deeply discounted titles and cool manga options

What does Park Slope's Community Bookstore—Brooklyn's oldest operating bookstore, since 1971—have over most other New York bookstores? First, the shop's a great place to find literary journals. Second, in addition to its knowledgeable staff and well-stocked shelves, it's got a bookstore turtle. Need we say more?

Great for: Thought-provoking lit journals and staff picks

There's a newish bookstore in Bed-Stuy that houses coffee, wine and, of course, lots of books. Gladys officially opened in September 2025 as a "third space celebrating Black queer femme culture through curated literature, natural wines and intentional programming."

Founder Tiffany Dockery built the space to foster community, and it has been known to host literary panels, reading nights, trans spades nights and burlesque revues. It all ladders up to Gladys' core mission: centering Black queer stories and fostering community connections. 

One of New York's most endearing spaces, this two-level Soho shop stocks an ever-changing selection of donated books, records and collectibles, and is also a peaceful spot for reading or meeting friends over coffee or wine. And since all proceeds go to fighting the dual crises of homelessness and HIV/AIDS, every purchase is a good deed.

Great for: Half-price books and home goods

Need a cookbook? Want to sink your teeth into a food-adjacent memoir? How about a sommelier's biography? From history and scholarship to a wide array of food and drink writing, Kitchen Arts and Letters has it all.

Lining the walls of this diminutive storefront are countless cookbooks, culinary histories and even some hard-to-get older editions. Adding to the many reasons why we think this shop is one of the best, it first opened in 1983, and has counted Julia Child, James Beard and Laurie Colwin as its customers. Not bad company to be in! 

Founded by author Maura Cheeks and named for her grandmother Elizabeth Parker, this shop creates an atmosphere worthy of its familial legacy. Its shelves boast 4,000 titles of literary fiction, romance, philosophy, biography, children’s books and more, while the bar part offers coffee, tea, pastries, wine and beer. So grab a book and a bev, and settle in for a cozy afternoon.

Liz's Book Bar also hosts panels, talks and other types of events. Stay up to date on those through its website.

McNally Jackson features one of the city's most thoughtfully curated selections of nonfiction, novels, hard-to-find magazines, children's books and, most notably, poetry. Their staff picks are always impeccable. Gliding through the stacks in the multi-story Seaport location—and getting cozy on one of the couches or armchairs—offers serious main character energy.

Great for: A standout selection of classic and contemporary poetry

The Mysterious Bookshop sits on the border of the Financial District and Tribeca—and it smells like suspense. A beloved literary haunt dedicated to all things crime, noir and detective fiction, it was crowned the top independent bookstore in the country by the 2025 USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards.

Opened in 1979 by publishing legend Otto Penzler—the editor, collector and mystery aficionado behind The Mysterious Press and other imprints—the shop is the oldest mystery-specialist bookstore in the country. Inside you’ll find floor-to-ceiling shelves stacked with everything from Agatha Christie classics to collectible first editions by James Ellroy, along with a world-class trove of Sherlockiana.

While it first opened in Midtown, the shop moved downtown in 2005 and now lives at 58 Warren Street. It hosts regular signings, readings and newsletter updates for diehard fans looking to keep a pulse on the crime fiction world. With a cozy reading couch, rare book displays and a staff fluent in red herrings and locked-room puzzles, the Mysterious Bookshop is a certified shrine to the genre.

Dumbo darling powerHouse publishes its own coveted photo books, but the company's loftlike space and gallery sells everything from cheeky birthday cards to the hottest memoirs. Its built-in stadium seating also provides the perfect venue for readings from authors like Gary Shteyngart and Tavi Gevinson.

Great for: An eclectic mix of fine art books

A romance-only bookstore aptly called The Ripped Bodice is now open in Brooklyn, and it's stocked with scores of books you’ll want to add to your bookshelf. Expect a diverse and inclusive section of romance books, as well as a robust calendar of events with author signings, book clubs and writing workshops.

Great for: Sultry historical romance novels

This shop is Williamsburg’s artsy alternative to big chain bookstores. Much of the stock is devoted to used and new tomes on art, architecture and design—the selection of coffee-table books is especially impressive. A table near the Williamsburg Mini Mall entrance boasts a variety of authors while the magazine racks, likewise, are loaded with cool indie titles. You can also bring in books to sell back for cash or for trade. The store determines each item’s resell value based on the title of the book and its condition.

As the Strand's tagline boasts, this store's got 18 miles of books, almost all at discounted prices. If you spend enough time here, you can find just about anything, from that out-of-print Victorian book on manners to the kitschiest of sci-fi pulp. The original location is near Union Square, but there's also a smaller satellite location in the Upper West Side, too.

Great for: A famously far-ranging selection, from finance to the occult

If you like to delve into your Hemingway with a side of dill pickles, you're in luck: Sweet Pickle Books on Orchard Street aims to provide you with just that kind of experience.  

Founded by then-29-year-old Leigh Altshuler in November 2020, the Lower East Side shop sells used books and jars of pickles as an homage to the neighborhood's history. Books on offer range in genre and scope, as do the pickles!

Floorboards creak as classical music softly fills this cozy bookstore, lined with heavy shelves jam-packed with a skillfully chosen range of titles. Founded in 1978, the shop focuses on literature (primarily fiction and narrative nonfiction). Three Lives also has a dedicated NYC section and an especially large travel shelf. Straight out of a bygone era, the store tracks its inventory by pen and paper, as well as its in-store sales. The incredibly knowledgeable and well-read staff will not only help you pick out your next beach read, they’ll also fulfill custom orders.

Troubled Sleep in Park Slope grew from a collective of street-side book sellers. Troubled Sleep focuses on art and leftist books, along with history and philosophy where "we try to keep it radical," owner Alex Brooks said. It sells both new and used books with a mix of popular titles along with more obscure authors.

Great for: Obscure titles with a leftist bend

This haven carries a wide variety of genres—though owner Adam Tobin namechecks its poetry and philosophy sections as being particularly good—and can satisfy any lit craving. If you’re on the hunt for bargain tomes, hit up the shop's selection of used books, many of which can be found on carts outside the Prospect Heights store for as little as $1.

Great for: Poetry buffs and used-book lovers

You won't mind braving the G train to make it to Greenpoint's friendly literary outpost. With another store recently opened in Jersey City, WORD is living proof that a genuine devotion to good books can defy economical odds.

Great for: Finding a small-press hidden gem

Although focusing on titles tackling social justice issues, The Word is Change in Bed Stuy is a general bookstore that sells both new and used tomes while, according to Brownstoner, supporting "radical social movements."

Great for: Stirring social justice reads

Owned by art dealer Paula Cooper and her husband, editor Jack Macrae, the bright and airy 192 is one of the best places to pick up beautiful books, from art tomes to style encyclopedias and gardening picture books to film studies. Find it in Chelsea.

Great for: Coffee table-ready photography and art tomes