Babèlia books and coffee: second-hand books and lots of charm
** + BERNAT :**
It is difficult to move around the Barcelona publishing scene without ending up finding the bones in + Bernat, bookstore, cafeteria, culture store and icon of the cultural life of the city . The followers of Big Brother have heard Mercedes Milá sing numerous times (this bringing together Big Brother and cultural life in the same paragraph does not happen very often) her praises, and the truth is that she deserves them all. Selected books on light shelves, a bar with vices to sweeten the reading , tables that invite the gathering and some seats that more than one would want for their home. In addition to being a perfect place to choose a play or have a homemade cake (they also offer a menu of the day for 10 euros), they have a very active agenda: they organize workshops, reading clubs, at least every Thursday there is a presentation, they do dramatized readings for children and adults in their children's space and They even facilitate the process of publishing and selling to those who want to publish their own book. . Very active and very open, it is impossible not to be conquered by this space. If they even have a piano. (Buenos Aires 6)
+ Bernat, Mercedes Milá's favorite bookstore
BABÈLIA BOOKS AND COFFEE
In the spectrum of influence of the Mercat de Sant Antoni , a traditional second-hand book market on Sundays, this café-bookstore had to be focused on second-hand books. Among these, above all they offer novels, and among these, above all in English, denoting the Anglo-Saxon connection that is a trademark of the house that can also be seen in their **greedy cakes (obligatory carrot cake) ** or in the reading club in English they organize. It is perfect for hungry pockets for its lunch menu at 8 or 6 euros (salad, sandwich and coffee) and for the prices of its books: second-hand jewelery can be found from 2 euros. They have rollaco, they are cozy and their mini-terrace with a sofa is perfect to watch life go by.
Dipping the cupcake and reading at the same time
LAIE
Well known for being the bookstore of numerous museums and cultural centers, its original headquarters occupies a modernist building by Pau Claris with basically any book that can be found. More than a simple bookstore, it is an icon of cultural life of the first order in which presentations, talks and conferences are organized. Its café-restaurant pioneered this concept and continues to be one of the best places in the area to eat or spend the afternoon having a drink in any of its spacious spaces (which it also rents out to groups). They have a menu of the day at 14.80 based on the Mediterranean cuisine, a buffet, takeaway food, good breakfasts and hydraulic tile floors one hundred percent modernist that wonderfully accompany reading, food or coffee (Pau Claris 85) .
Laie: an icon of cultural life
ANTINOUS
A very complete bookstore specialized in gay and lesbian themes that sells fiction, comics, magazines, illustrated books, films and essays selected with care and criteria. It is worth coming to have a coffee, coincide with one of the presentations and events that they carry out or simply browse through their editorial collection just two steps from the Ramblas. (Josep Anselm Clave 6)
Laie: Mediterranean cuisine and books
I LOVE YOU
Books on philosophy, psychology, self-help, alternative therapies and other disciplines that raise the eyebrows of the most skeptical get along wonderfully with the selection of teas offered in this small and quiet place in Gràcia. It is not a place for any type of reader, but he Those looking for works on self-knowledge and spirituality will not find a better environment in which to find them, enjoy them and discuss them. (Torrijos 9)
EXCELLENCE
Here there is no actual cafeteria, but there is a reading area with sofas, Wi-Fi and magazines available to customers who come for its extensive catalog or the various activities offered in its Forum. Courses, conferences, presentations and readings in a diaphanous three-story space . (Balmes 191)
Excellence: clear readings
BLACK AND CRIMINAL
Granted, they don't serve coffee or have a space conditioned for gastronomy, but one of the most original and cool proposals in Barcelona's bookstores comes from the hand of these unrepentant crime novel readers who offer mussels and wine every Saturday morning to those who stop by their local in Barceloneta. It began as a show of solidarity with those affected by the Prestige and has become a habit to cultivate, as is vindicating genre literature as well as its active, open, mythomaniac and dedicated team (Carrer de la Sal 5) .
THE CENTRAL
Of the various Centrals that exist in the city (and that are expanding with great success further afield), the headquarters on Mallorca Street is one of our favorites for its tranquility, silence and above all for the wonderful coffee that it keeps inside. On the second floor, crossing a few mountains of books, you access the bright space that leads to a typical block patio of the Eixample. Daily press, natural light, coffee, snacks and a very careful menu of the day to accompany one of the best possible publishing funds (Mallorca 237).
*** You may also be interested in...**
- Bookstores where you can dip your cupcake in Madrid
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An aperitif at La Central