The book lover’s guide to literary London

Hello, my name is Rebecca and I’m a book addict. I love reading books, listening to podcasts about books, piling books high on my bedside table, and discussing books with friends. My interest in literature is one of the reasons why I first moved to London: I wanted to be in the place where so many of my favourite writers lived and wrote their masterpieces. At any one time, I might be walking past the house that inspired J.M. Barrie in Peter Pan, or where Jane Austen came to stay when she visited London. Thankfully, I’m not alone, and there are endless places for book-lovers like me to congregate in the capital – not just Daunt Books or the British Library, but a multitude of bookish coffee shops, literary bars and storied pubs that once played host to the likes of Charles Dickens. To say that I’m in likeminded company would be an understatement.

So without further ado, these are the 11 best places for bookworms to shop and socialise in the capital.

The book lover’s guide to literary London

Reference Point, Temple

Best for: the cool crowd, book and cocktail in hand

The brainchild of Jonah Freud (current beau of Lily Allen), Reference Point has been dubbed the sexiest library-slash-bookshop in London, thanks in large part to the addition of – you’ve guessed it – a fully-stocked bar. Opened at the beginning of 2026, it specialises in visual literature, with a collection of 10,000 photobooks and magazines to peruse at your leisure, and so far has attracted the likes of everyone, from fashion students to a curious Austin Butler. If you’re looking to recreate your meet-cute fantasy of bumping into your true love while browsing the shelves, then this is probably where you’ll do it.

Address: 2 Arundel St, Temple, London WC2R 3DA
Website: reference-point.uk

The Drawing Room at the BFI Bar, Southbank

Best for: an intimate drink amongst vintage books

Secrets doors and hidden rooms are a mainstay of horror fiction, yet there’s nothing scary about The Drawing Room at the BFI Bar. Once you’re inside, you’ll find floor-to-ceiling bookshelves piled high with vintage books, which are more for admiring than actually reading. With a menu of cocktails named after films (this is the BFI, after all) it’s perfect for anyone wanting to discuss the latest book-to-screen adaptation.

Address: Belvedere Road, London SE1 8XT
Website: benugo.com

BookBar, Islington & Chelsea

Best for: oenophiles who want to chat about their latest read

A place where you can wax lyrical over your love of the latest literature, glass of wine in hand? That’s the premise behind BookBar, a wine bar-slash-book-shop that has outposts in both Chelsea and Islington. As well as  a roster of regular events, including author Q&As, there’s also a book club that you can join. Each month, members are sent the book to read, and after discussing it with their peers are also treated to a virtual interview with the author, too.

Address: 166 Blackstock Rd, London N5 1HA; 11 Chelsea Manor St, London SW3 3TW
Website: bookbaruk.com

The Spaniard’s Inn, Hampstead

Best for: retracing famous writers' favourite hangouts

No end of famous writers have enjoyed a pint at The Spaniard’s Inn in Hampstead, including Robert Louis Stevenson, Lord Byron and Mary Shelley. Bram Stoker was inspired by local folklore and ghost stories at the pub in his novel Dracula, while Charles Dickens was a regular and included it in his novel The Pickwick Papers. John Keats even reportedly wrote his landmark poem, Ode to a Nightingale, in the pub’s garden.

Address: Spaniards Road, London NW3 7JJ
Website: thespaniardshampstead.co.uk

Scarfes Bar, Rosewood

Best for: book lovers who want one of the world's best drinks

Lined with over a thousand antiquarian books (hand-selected by a Portobello antique dealer, no less), Scarfes Bar was designed to look and feel like an old gentleman’s club. Named after the famous cartoonist Gerald Scarfe, his work lines the walls, giving it less of an imposing feeling. Indeed, it’s somewhere that you can come for a heated debate about the merits of Austen vs Bronte, without drawing too much attention to yourself.

Address: 252 High Holborn, London WC1V 7EN
Website: scarfesbar.com

Rustique Literary Cafe, Tufnell Park

Best for: whiling away a whole afternoon

Rustique has been luring bibliophiles to north London since 2000, with its distinctive independent neighbourhood charm. Punters are welcome to sit and read for as long as they wish, with no pressure from staff to order another coffee or move on. The menu is no-frills comfort: think jacket potatoes, quiche and soup of the day. In the summer there’s a small garden with chairs and tables to retreat into as well.

Address: 142 Fortess Rd, London NW5 2HP

Hatchards, Piccadilly

Best for: a beacon of literary history

Hatchards has an unmatchable pedigree: first opened in 1797, it’s the UK’s oldest bookshop and has no less than two Royal Warrants. As such, its staff are amongst the most passionate book-lovers you’re likely to find, brimming full of enthusiasm for hunting down that rare first-edition signed tome that you’re desperate to get your hands on. It’s full of literary history too: the desk where Oscar Wilde once signed his books is still here, while Virginia Woolf’s character, Mrs Dalloway, browses its windows in her most famous novel.

Address: 187 Piccadilly, London W1J 9LE
Website: hatchards.co.uk

The George Inn, Borough High Street

Best for: a Dickensian London experience

Fans of Charles Dickens will want to seek out this hundreds-year-old pub, which is the only surviving galleried coaching inn in London. That’s because not only did he frequent it, but it is also name-checked in his novels Little Dorrit and Our Mutual Friend. A stone’s throw from Shakespeare’s Globe, it’s thought that the Bard and his contemporaries were also regular patrons here too – he even mentions it in his play, King John.

Address: 77 Borough High St, London SE1 1NH
Website: nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/london/george-inn

Quo Vadis

Best for: a brilliant meal before you read

There are multiple reasons as to why Quo Vadis feels like a particularly literary spot. Firstly, Karl Marx wrote his famous treatise, Das Kapital, from here. Secondly, it’s become a kind of meeting place for journalists and authors working in Soho since it first opened back in the 1920s. And thirdly, it’s got a Library Bar, a space specifically designed with reading, drinking and talking in mind.

Address: 26–29 Dean Street, London W1D 3LL
Address: quovadissoho.co.uk