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Categories: Bookstores, Coffee & Tea [Edit]
Neighborhood: NolitaWe offer free, carbon-free, same-day delivery north of Canal Street, south of 8th Street, east of Hudson Street, and west of Clinton/Ave B.
Spring St-Lafayette St (6)
Prince St (R, W)
Downtown Bleecker St-Lafayette St (6, B, D, F, V)
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Ugh ugh ugh! One of my top 3 favorite bookstores ever. Two floors with a nice cafe. Great selection (periodicals, ficiton, nonfiction, poetry...). And they have events almost every day!!!
Excellent bookstore with well selected books--particularly high marks for the teen reader section (after all, they had all of my favorite authors in stock, and if that is not a sign of good taste what is? hahaha). Clean and well lit shop, with a café to sit where you can get a latté to quietly start reading your new acquisitions.
This shop is going to be on my rotation of must-do places for future visits to New York.
This review is primarily about the cafe. First of all, get here early because it gets busy! The good thing though, is that because McJ doesn't allow cafe-goers to plug in their laptops, those people will eventually be forced to leave, opening up seating throughout the day.
I tried the turkey sandwich which was very good, and the cardamom cocoa black tea was also really yum, as another reviewer previously mentioned! The cafe staff, however, are sort of in their own little universe, so don't expect cheeriness. I would come back here, but only if i didn't need my laptop to do all my work.
Lastly, and it must be mentioned, is the basement level restroom. The combination of backwoods wallpaper images and Homedics nature sounds was very soothing. Thank you.
I stumbled upon this book store and loved it instantaneously. The book selection is great, and interesting books are placed prominently in front. Staff members' reviews are very helpful. The stationary section could have been better, but there are lots of cute notebooks.
$3 for a tea is kind of steep, but I do recommend the cardamom cocoa black tea. The cafe was nice to sit in because the windows were open. The staff wasn't amazingly friendly but not mean, either - I guess just not quite personable.
I'd definitely come to this bookstore again but would probably skip out on the cafe. I think this is a particularly fun bookstore to explore book possibilities.
Love it. One of the things that has broken my heart again and again about our time in NYC is the abundance of chain bookstores and the paucity of interesting, cool, funky bookstores. Finally, we made it to McNally, a store that quickly won my heart. Let me tell you why: the fiction (OK, they call it literature) section, while sort of oddly arranged by nationality, had absolutely, positively no crap in it. I was surrounded by authors I love - Marquez, Marias, Borges, Murakami, Mistry... it was just so, so, so good. What I love even more is that it's a bookstore that has a cafe, not a cafe that happens to have books. Hooray for McNally. It has won my heart.
Everytime I am in NYC I make an effort to come here. The environment is so friendly and lovely. You can tell that everyone who works and is shopping here LOVES books. They have a fabulous magazine and Fiction magazine section, which is a rare find. The art section is great, they even have sales quite often.
There is even a quaint little cafe where book readers and lovers nose dive into stories over a cappuccino or latte. Lovely ambiance, friendly, knowledgeable staff. Worth the trip to the neighborhood too. Love Prince street!
If I lived near by, or better yet, even in NYC I would be here ALL the time.
Oh snap, it looks like from other reviews this place used to be McNally Robinson--- did someone get a divorce?
Yipe. No matter, it's all good. They carry all the latest McSweeny's and many other amazing literary treasures from contemporary authors. Of course, they have the classics but it's really amazing they go out of their way to make sure to represent the writers who are alive and trying to make it happen.
This place is like the bookstore owner's bookstore. It has two floors as well as a cafe but is intimate--- not that overwhelming at all. Comprehensive, inspiring, and relaxing.
This place was just so light and airy I had to buy a book here. Why is it that so many book stores are dark?! Either way this place hits the mark as the best environment to be searching for and browsing books.
While I loved how non cluttered this place was, the selection was a little slim, but I found the book I was looking for so I can't complain!
If I lived nearby I would be in here all the time.
It is literally impossible to pass by this store without stopping in. I mean, how do you ignore a window display of 49 must-read books where the only one you've checked off is a lesser-known Nabokov? Impossible, I say, literally so.
McNally Jackson is a bookstore with pride and personality. The interior is chic, clean, and ever inviting. The space is small but well-stocked, with a strong literature section divided by country of origin. I enjoy this little organizational quirk. It strikes me as smart but not gratuitous. Staff is knowledgeable and friendly, and members enjoy a 10% discount, which means I might even buy books here. There is not a single thing wrong with this place, and there is plenty to love.
I'd actually prefer to give 4.5 stars because of the café, but what the heck. I realize cafés shouldn't determine how one feels about a bookstore, but I do think they're an important component of the overall ambiance. The size of this café is decent for an independent, but I find the selection of food to be rather paltry. The other negative concerned one of the café workers (today); she wasn't at all friendly. Because of that, I didn't put anything in the tip jar - and simultaneously, she looked at the tip jar very pointedly (I was almost expecting her to shove it in my face). A nice thing, however, was their iced tea flavored with peach and ginger (perfectly cold for today's disgusting weather). O.K., enough about the café.
The bookstore itself is wonderful, and definitely my idea of what an "independent" should be like (in addition to the fact that it *thrives*, which is practically a miracle these days). As many people have already mentioned, the (first-floor) space is bright and airy. There's also an impressive amount of seating. The sections that I particularly love are the children's books (the breadth of their selection is really terrific) and graphic art. The bookstore staff seems helpful, although my interaction with them is minimal because I love to browse on my own for hours.
I receive the store's e-mails and they have lots of interesting-sounding events. Unfortunately I've been too lazy to attend anything so far (note to self; try to rectify that).
Much has changed since I last reviewed McNally Jackson. I really do not come here often I just find it too pristine. But when I do they have the hottest book selections out there. Lets just say the look does not suit the material. What can you do this is Soho. The least they could do is add some sofas, if they have I did not notice it.
Its another one of those little diversion areas that is divided and away from the surge of crowds… Read more »
This place kind of freaks me out, because it's slick, big, and shiny like a chain bookstore (lots of clean white angles and neatly stocked shelves), but it's actually an independent. I enjoy browsing here, but it's a bit sceney, and as a result I don't feel as relaxed and groovy as I do at nearby Housing Works.
That said, I dig the weird desks sprinkled around the store: they feature aged-looking books casually lying around next to typewriters, eyeglasses, and other weird props, as if the whole store were Indiana Jones's study or something. You can't actually sit at these, but you can sit near them and enjoy the ambiance.
I come here sometimes to enjoy coffee and get some school work done. However, their wifi has a hard time working for Macs and I can never get it to work on mine. Coffee is very good and free refills if you get it to stay. The bookstore is also very good. I brought some out-of-town book lovers here and it was one of their favorite stops in the city.
*These first few paragraphs are for the cafe only.
Punishment. Pure punishment.
I must have been a real jerk in a past life--I come here and wait twenty minutes for a few lovely European tourists to free up a table after they've long-since finished their drinks, and then those sweet, smart Europeans didn't even bother to pick up their trash (this is America, why should they?). Silly me--I never should be here on a Saturday and expect anything else.
Oh! I have to rush this. My laptop battery is about to die. Since they have free WiFi you can plug your computer in, right? Wrong. Bad customer! "No! [underlined!] customer plug-in's [seriously, it's a bookstore, get a grammar book] allowed". Us lemmings (and by lemmings I mean any of us who aren't one of the ultra cool dudes behind the coffee counter) are even treated like we are jerks for asking if and why.
My watery cafe au lait was disdainfully swallowed and I got no work done, not even a wink of reading. Obviously all I could do was sit like a kid with her nose in the corner, thinking about my wrong actions. I leaped to the door, turned quickly to my beloved Housing Works, and did not look back.
A nice alternative to McNally: The very close City Library: Mulberry Edition; one small block to the north (free card for residents, a fabulous borrow and return system, and a highly appreciated expansive DVD collection).
The McNally store itself is very cute; has two floors, and there are some (and I use this term loosely) credible employees there. If you are going strictly to buy a glossy new book at cover price, I suggest giving them a try.
great selection, and the staff has read every single book in the place, and knows their shit.
that and the bathroom is hilarious and unexpected.
Trust me.
The combo of wallpaper and sound machine makes it feel like I am in the woods....
I was rather impressed with the clean layout and beautiful interior. The cafe was large enough to host the crowd at the reading I had gone to (Nick Laird's). This is definitely a bookstore that makes you want to stay in there and read (which I did with Marilynne Robinson's 'Home'). The lighting and atmosphere is bright. I certainly will be returning, as they seem to have a good events schedule.
Neat bookstore!
I love Mary Ellen Mark's photographs posted up by the stairs.
Service was good. I was interested in seeing Mary Ellen Mark's photograph book. One of the employee led me straight to the book.
The coffee shop section is cool. Very quiet when I was there. The cappuccino was OK.
I ended up buying a postcard for a friend.
Very cozy independent bookstore in Soho. Layout is well plotted out and they have a great selection of books on hand for graphic novels, cooking, politics and interestingly enough authors for fiction are organized by home country in one section. I also love, love that they have books tagged with reviews from staff members a very personal touch if you are looking for something deep, fluffy or funny to read. Ample cowboy stools are placed around the store so one is free to browse the books or ponder even further...There is a also an ongoing book club every month.
The cafe is not bad either, would be a good place to get some work done during a quiet time. Staff here are friendly folks too.
I've only been in here once or twice while passing, and the storefront looked so attractive that I had to wander in. I was very impressed by not only the wide variety of books they had but also the organization in there, which made it very interesting to browse around. The space is very bright and welcoming, there is a coffee and tea area at the front and a downstairs area that boasts a very good poetry section. They had selections that I wouldn't normally find in other bookstores. In short, this is a bookstore that really makes you want to browse around for a long time and then sit down and enjoy a nice cup o' joe while reading.
This is my favorite bookstore in New York. I love the eclectic selection - The staff recommendations always provide 1 or 2 new titles that I would not have previously considered. They have one of the larger en espanol sections that I have seen, which is nice when I want to switch to my other tongue...
The monthly events between meet up groups and authors also provide a reason for stopping by (you can sign up for an email advisory on events). Yes, the cafe could be bigger, but they do have tasty treats, coffee etc..
I've worked in a variety of bookstores in my life: independent new, independent used, big ridiculous big box chains both in NYC and middle America. And I've visited even more in my travels. I'd rank McNally-Robinson near the top in terms of its design and atmosphere. It's got a nice little Nolita-SoHo-esque sheen to it. As for selection it's actually pretty sparse within each section and the size of the entire inventory seems not to match the size of the store; they really know how to make it look as if they have more books than they do. But hey, I 'm really just happy that bookstores still exist so it's cool with me.
They have the usually literature, travel, NYC travel & history and politics sections. And some nice art books.
I have to agree with the complaints about customer service. But inevitably when you have a bookstore in NYC it's going to be staffed by bitter and entitled failed writers. That's how it goes.
Once known as McNally Robinson, the newly-christened McNally Jackson is one great independent bookstore.
I stumbled across a listing for this place by accident - maybe it was in New York Magazine, I don't know - and one afternoon I left my cubicle prison and took the 6 train downtown to pay a visit to McNally Jackson.
Long story short: I was late getting back to work, but it was all worth it. This place has a fantastic selection, and they are not afraid to get the good literature out front and center. The employees are personable and offer assistance, but they don't hover or follow your every move as you navigate from section to section.
And what fabulous sections they are - the quality and quantity of the selection available to customers is quite good. While you will find certain bestsellers of questionable literary value, they are not the norm at McNally Jackson. Instead, you will find an eclectic selection that includes classic literature, quality contemporary fiction, poetry, high-level nonfiction and history, and one of the best travel sections I've seen in a bookstore in some time. I think I wasted at least 15 minutes in the travel section alone.
They also have a cute little cafe, and sport an all-around cozy, warm feeling. This is everything a bookstore should be - it's everything Barnes & Noble and Borders want to be, but aren't.
I came in with a couple of freinds to kill some time and get out of the cold and was pleasantly surprised by the fabulous selection of books. I am on a constant hunt for a book of letters by Chekhov and well as Lion and Blue by Vavre. Anyway...I didn't find them, but it's often the journey that's satisfying (recurring theme in my recent reviews...), not the destination. It was a bit crowded, but I guess it was book-weather.
I don't like useless souvenirs because you always feel guilty not using them and you know the only reason you bought them was to have some momento. Well, I got myself a timeless souvenir: The Brothers Karamatzov (and for only $8, which is a great deal, esp for a new book). This is also a tribute to one of my best friends whose favorite book this is and who lived in NY for a time.
Can't wait to get started on TBK! Woot!
Also, did I see a cafe in the bookstore?
pretty looking bookstore with a good selection of indie and mainstream books. the chairs scattered around the place were surprisingly comfy too!
their coffee is okay... that is, if you don't mind having your espresso pressed out of a pod...
Great independent bookstore and tasty cafe, rolled into one. Some indie bookstores are woefully small and cramped, but McNally's has a good deal of space which it uses well, filling with a broad selection of books on two floors. Fiction, literature, and scifi/fantasy are particuarly well-represented and well-stocked as well.
Their prices are quite good - on par with http://amazon.com's for many titles - and so if you want to save on shipping, you'd do well to get new books here; sadly, they do not offer any used books. The displays - new fiction, etc - impressed with interesting authors such as Vonnegut and Arthur C. Clarke. The magazines available impressed me too; several shelves include many more obscure and indie volumes.
Lastly, the small cafe offers an excellent place to do work or simply read for leisure, and I saw several computers so I suspect they have wifi. They make their espresso beverages with Organic Valley milk, delicious espresso, and copious foam - the latte actually had an almost cappuccino-like volume of foam, and was divine. They offer some interesting and tasty teas, including black, green, and herbal, some of which are organic. I got a black tea flavoured with cardamom and cocoa which was wonderfully unique and rich. While I haven't tried any of their food, the pastry selection looked fresh and gourmet, and the salad and sandwich menu was simple but appealing.
I go to this bookstore at least once a week - I just love it. I much prefer supporting independent bookstores to the giants. They have a fantastic selection of books and magazines and they oftentimes have 20% off deals on a handful of popular fiction and non-fiction books.
They host a ton of great readings and events here - whenever I stop by after work there almost always seems to be something going on. I also like the small store feel inside and the cool bathroom downstairs.
Small side note - they sell the best greeting cards here. I always come here first when looking for the perfect card.
4.5 stars. This is a great place to surf the web free on your laptop if you have a fully charged battery!
Great magazine and book selection, nice coffee shop with lots of seats. And a restroom with chirping birds and such. AND it's got those New York windows onto the sidewalk so you can enjoy the breeze and hear the passersby. Isn't that romantic? I knew you'd agree...
The only gripe I have is that I don't like to buy new books or pay full price! I always check Housing Works (used books & cafe right around the corner) first and then the Strand (cheap/used/overprints?) up near Union Square. Otherwise, I'm happy to support this indie gem.
I've been patronizing McNally Robinson Bookstore almost since it opened a few years ago. A very good independent bookstore, with a varied selection of books and decent cafe. I wish that the Customer Service were friendlier, and less "snooty".
*Check out the bathroom sometime -- it's wild (literally)! LOL.
This is one of my favorite bookstores ever. Every time I walk by, I have to battle the urge to step inside, a battle I always lose. Which is super bad since my grocery store is around the corner.
They don't have the widest selection (which is not to say their selection is bad or anything), but they have the best atmosphere. It's a browser's bookstore. I've definitely plopped down in one of their stools and just devoured bits and pieces of books for over an hour. It's a nice little piece of quite, and there's always something interesting to read.
One of my favorite bookstores in New York. Nice selection of current hardcovers, good selection of magazines, helpful staff. But no way it competes with Borders in terms of selection overall.
I liked:
the independent bookstore atmosphere
the cleanliness
the location
the bathroom
the book selection
the free refill on my large cup of $1.99 fair trade coffee
the adequate selection of loose leaf teas
I didn't like:
the cramped cafe
the malfuctioning WiFi that no one cared to fix
the small selection of edibles
the lack of wall outlets
needing to fight for a seat (i went on a friday afternoon, so go figure)
overall: just an okay cafe with a nice neighborhood bookstore. it's... meh.
Obviously doesn't have the variety and selection of, say, a Barnes n Noble...but for a smaller bookstore, it's wonderful. Upon entering, the tables of "featured" books both new and old will plenty captivate you for a good half hour. I usually don't get far past the entrance without an armload of books.
Seats are bountiful albeit the fact that they are odd, western cowboy looking stools. Seating is seating in a damn bookstore. I'm used to crouching in corners with the edge of a bookshelf digging into my lumbar. Bless McNally's cowboy stools!
I am here all.the.time. It's kind of like my home (especially the lower floor...away from the bumble buzzle of the cafe-frequenters and magazine sifters). So welcome to my underground lai~~r. *puts pinky to lip*
p.s. if you see me, say hello! Unless i'm reading some pathetic "how to find the meaning of life" book. Then I'm better off left alone to fruitlessly ponder my existence X___X
Bookstore: 5 stars / Cafe: 3 stars
I love independent bookstores that rock and McNally definitely rocks. I love their selection and beautiful store and the author events are fantastic. I spend far too much time and money here.
Though the real reason I'm writing this review is for the cafe. McNally has a smallish cafe in the space where the events are held in the front of the store. You can get a nice cup of coffee or tea and there's a small selection of pastries. They have free wifi but--and here's the show-stopper--they don't allow people to plug in their laptops. Very sad!
I would love to be able to come to this wonderful space surrounded by books and write for several hours. Alas, my battery won't allow me to. I'm sure others are in the same predicament. We will, sadly, have to count on McNally only for books and not for lazing about.
Seriously,
IIIII VV
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IIIII LLL OO VV EEE TT HH IIII SS SS TT OO RR
IIIII LLL OO VV EEE TT HH IIII SS SS TT OO RR EEEEEEEEE
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Yes, you can catch some bohemian, batik-wearing women and messenger-bag wielding men at the Strand. But fat chance finding the book you are looking for.
And at Barnes and Noble, you will easily find what you are looking for. But they rarely stock cool books. So if you always find what you seek at B&N, that would probably make you uncool.
McNally Robinson on the other hand is a cozy store with a relatively limited assortment. But the books are cool. So is the staff. And the patrons too. Come here with a uber cool friend, especially if you are like me, and need the complement. Or find a new friend as you browse, if you are into that sort of thing.
Barnes and Noble McNally Robinson Strand
Selection ***** *** *****
Staff * ***** ***
Ambience *** ***** **
Organization **** *** *
Crowd coolness ** **** ****
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Average score *** **** ***
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The fifth star for simply being there as an indy alternative to the bookstore chains.
Reasons why I now love this bookstore:
1. 10 % off books read by book clubs meeting at their Prince street location.
2. comfortable lounge-type leather chair WITH footrest downstairs - I spent an hour in it yesterday
3. cool architectural cut out sky light thing in downstairs ceiling to connect the two floors and create an overall positive feng-shui feel
4. beautiful light wood floors
5. nice table set ups with suggestions/hand picked books
6. stationery section with exciting japanese papers/bookmarks for which I'm a sucker
7. The bird calls playing in the downstairs bathroom - yes, birdcalls. Also, the nature/leafy wall paper to complete bird theme
8. The many many book club meetings, lectures, etc. they host
I agree with Timothy M: I'm in love. I'll have to fight you for my gal.
Come here to do work sometimes...
Free Wi-fi. Yummy teas, coffee, treats. Clean and Bright space.
Only downer is that it's pretty crowded and tough to find seating. Couldn't find a power outlet either.
This is place is pretty pleasant, and you don't feel conspicuous looking at the fiction section instead of the anarchist section like when you go to St. Marks, but I have two little problems:
The steps to go downstairs to the books-no-one-really-wants sections are very hard to manage. I don't think I've ever wondered before about the ergonomic distance between two steps in a stairwell, but someone certainly has this figured out b/c I generally feel pretty comfortable going up and down stairs. It just feels right. Sure, once in a while you're at some weird house in Vermont where someone wants to show you the attic, and you climb some insanely steep stairs that make you dizzy, but that's sort of expected on your way to an attic in Vermont. At a bookstore in SoHo you expect things to be normal and pristine--and again, most of this place is. Except the stairs: and they're not steep, they're just too close together. They're probably only like a centimeter off or something, but it's really disorienting.
Problem two is that the downstairs area smells like the produce section at almost every single grocery store I've ever been to. This is not such a big deal, but it's kind of weird to be looking at reference books and trying to remember where the nearest roll of plastic bags is.
Last night on the way home, I got turned around after getting off the subway at Spring Street. Downtown, I can get lost easily, what with the off-the-grid streets and unclear sight lines to gauge uptown and downtown. Luckily, while triangulating where I was exactly, I came across McNally Robinson and thought, "They'll sell maps!"
They do, and I'm now the proud owner of another Streetwise Manhattan, but that's not all they sell. The local section is excellent. The business section is surprisingly smart. And had I not been in a hurry, I would have spent more time looking around.
I'll have to return to spend more time. Charming.
This is the only 'traditional' bookstore in Manhattan I really like. I say traditional in order to separate them from more specialist shops or used bookstores, of which there are plenty, and of higher quality.
But if you want the classic bookshop experience, this one's probably the best in Manhattan. Good selections in a the usual variety of sections, very swank design/layout, displays that are both visually appealing and informative, and heck, a pretty good cafe, too.
They also have one of the better bargain bins in the city, downstairs.
This is what Barnes & Noble should be, in a kinder and gentler world.
To the coffee shop, thank you for the carefully made beverages accompanied by apologetic smiles.
To the bookstore, thank you for having a selection based on employee interests and peer evaluations instead of best seller lists.
To the bathroom, thank you for the soothing forest sounds you play each time I open the door.
Great staff, fantastic location, good espresso.
Neighborhood: SoHo
Category: Bookstores
Neighborhood: Upper East Side
Category: Bookstores
Neighborhood: West Village
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Neighborhood: Flatiron
Category: Bookstores
Neighborhood: Lower East Side
Category: Coffee & Tea
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