The big Boston bookstore bar crawl
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Trident Bookstore and Cafe in the Back Bay. Photo: Mike Deehan/Axios
Boston's literary crowd could have a new favorite pastime: pairing a bookstore haul with a well-poured drink nearby.
Why it matters: The city's independent bookshops and its bar scene sit close enough together that a browse-then-sip route becomes obvious.
- It's part treasure hunt, part happy hour.
The big picture: Several Boston bookstores have a nearby watering hole within an easy walk, turning neighborhoods like Beacon Hill, Harvard Square and Jamaica Plain into built-in crawl routes.
Beacon Hill: Beacon Hill Books & Café's beautiful Charles Street shop has its own restaurant on premises.
- More importantly for cozy-spot readers, it also sits just steps from The Sevens Ale House, a wood-paneled dive that's been serving pints since the end of Prohibition.
Downtown Crossing: Book diggers already know they can spend hours at Brattle Book Shop's outdoor discount lot.
- Then they can head to jm Curley for burgers and whiskey, or down Temple Place to Democracy Brewing for house-brewed flights.
Coolidge Corner: Brookline Booksmith is one of the behemoths of the Massachusetts book scene. The shop hosts all the top author talks and draws readers in for new releases and events.
- Nearby options include the intimate, French-inspired Bar Lunette or, for a more traditional pub read, Publick House is about 10 minutes away in Washington Square.
Jamaica Plain: Papercuts, a woman-owned indie shop on South Street, would pair well with the dog-friendly Brendan Behan Pub around the corner.
- There's also the low-key Jeanie Johnston Pub, closer to Forest Hills.
Harvard Square: Harvard Book Store is the other big name in author book talks.
- After time in the legendary bargain basement, head straight to another subterranean haunt: Grendel's Den in Winthrop Park. Grendel's has welcomed writers and students since 1971.
- A couple blocks away, the romance-focused Lovestruck Books has its own café and wine bar, and the tiki bar Wusong Road is right around the corner.
Back Bay: Trident Booksellers & Café has long hours and plenty of shelves to make it easy to browse late or just hang at the bar.
- To move the crawl to the next stop, the obvious choice is Bukowski Tavern near Hynes Convention Center for some dimly lit reading and drinking.
South End: More Than Words is a youth-run used bookstore with a wonderful curated selection.
- Even better, it sits nearly across East Berkeley Street from J.J. Foley's Cafe, one of the best Irish-American pubs in the city.
Fields Corner: JustBook-ish opened in 2024 by former Boston Poet Laureate Porsha Olayiwola and Bing Broderick, focusing on marginalized voices and functioning as a community gathering spot.
- Down the block, Acapella by X — which took over the old Blarney Stone space — has an upscale setting for dinner and a cocktail.
Pro tip: These combinations work both ways.
- Start with one too many drinks and end up browsing shelves and going home with several too many new books.
What's next: These nine pairings across the city could be just the start. Let's make the bookstore/bar bucket list something all Bostonians have to do at least once.
The bottom line: Attempting all of these in a single night would be less of a bar crawl and more of a personal challenge.
- So pace accordingly and bring a larger backpack.