This place is amazing. I go in there often and can always find a book. They're super cheap too, I usually get a book for $5 and change or less! The store may not be big but it's surprising how many books there are. They have political, history, new age, occult, and so much more. The workers are also really helpful and nice. They serve amazing cheap coffee as well! read more

Stopped here on the way to back to NYC from the Cape and had a great lunch. Half a Tale of Turkeys and a cup of their homemade chicken and black bean chili. Yum! Added on some chocolate espresso beans, too. Inside the bookstore and café is lovely and the outdoor seating paired with a beautiful day makes this a perfect stop. Thank you! read more

(Only about the book store) It's always pleasant to visit here. They have a very good selection of books. Mostly I went to the business section and almost every time I got a very good book for $3-$5. This is one of a few places I miss after moving out of Yale. read more

I loves the giant red velvet cupcakes. I also like the outdoor patio seating... there's not nearly enough of it in this town. The indoor seating area kind of makes you feel like you're inside a terrarium, in a good, cozy way. The humanities graduate students like to hold their office hours here, so you can eavesdrop on all manner of esoteric conversations. And inevitably someone you know is going to wander down Chapel St, so you can wave and get that small town fuzzy feeling. The book selection can be hit or miss, but for the times when you miss, it's a nice place to just hang out. read more

Love the setting, ample seating, but few power outlets (I saw 2 total, one on each side of the sun room on the bookshelf side). Had an artichoke cucumber breakfast sandwich, which was unremarkable. Staff were friendly read more

So nice to be able to just wander in, get something nice and warm at this time of year (written in November here)... and find a nice little cookie to go along with it... and not feel like you are selling our your soul along with drinking the coffee. read more

The Book Trader Cafe is my favorite used bookstore within New Haven right now. Some books can be surprisingly pricey for second-hand wares, but if you dig and especially if you like old paperbacks, great deals can be found. And luckily, I love old paperbacks. My life revolves around finding natty vintage Penguins. So Book Trader on a good day is really the perfect place for me. To break it down: 1) Despite the four stars I'm giving this place, the coffee sucks. Seriously, Book Trader, why do you do this to me? You would be so perfect if only you had decent f-ing coffee. But you don't. It's terrible and sour and weak and disgusting. Don't bother with it. Instead, buy orange juice, or even better, lemonade. The lemonade is pretty real and pretty sour, so you can even thin it out a little with water and in that case it'll last a long, long way. 2) The food isn't that impressive either. Every time I have had soup, it's been too salty, and the baked goods are, well, made with a clumsy hand. Except for the scones, which I approve of. As for sandwiches, I have not experienced the salvation my friends talk about. I thought the veggie was not bad, but still kinda average. Maybe you should just stick with the books. 3) I once got mistaken for a celebrity here. 4) Nobody has complained about my clacking typewriter (I also haven't brought it in for a while, but hey). Then again, the atmosphere can be pretty chatty in here at certain times of the day - hello, obnoxious unattractive grad students who sat RIGHT NEXT TO ME a few days ago despite the plethora of available seating and blathered loudly about course materials nobody else cares about for a whole hour! 5) Oh right, and I heard they sell these things called books, too... read more

I love Book Traders. I've been going there nearly every day for two years now and it's become a second home. It's just so pleasant: the huge windows, the people watching, the New Orleans-feel treed patio, the silent mornings that melt into chatty lunches and dinners, the book collection, the staff... Love it. Fun book collection. It's not Barnes and Noble, so don't come looking for a particular book. Great regular coffee - though won't vouch for the espresso (and should add: I don't like bitter coffee - I like mine as mild as possible). The sandwiches are phenomenal - especially the Jane Rare - and huge. The baked goods are generally good - the breads (particularly the morning glory bread) are always excellent. I'm not giving it five stars on account of the doughy muffins, the lack of power outlets, and the bizarrely bitter cucumbers on the garden salad, but overall, one of my favorite places in New Haven. read more

I've never had the food at this place, so my review will be solely based on my experiences buying and selling (mostly selling). In this rough economy, it's hard making a dollar, and it is really refreshing to know about any book store that will buy books and give whatever they don't need to charity so that one doesn't have to haul boxes upon boxes of books back to one's vehicle while dodging swarms of Yalies and other New Havenites on Chapel St. Granted, since I've been cleaning out a hoarder house and bringing the hoarder's books here, a lot of them have been rejected for being old and irrelevant, which I can completely understand, since as I said, they probably have people bringing in thousands of books every week. The gentleman whom evaluates the books is EXTREMELY kind though. He usually is fair and he explains in detail why he can't take certain books, and I'm usually happy with his explanations. The books they sell seem to be reasonably priced, and some day when the tides turn and I have disposable income once more, I might just have to buy a few myself, as well as try out some of their food items. read more

Hands down my favorite place go and browse. Prices are amazing..and though they don't have a huge selection of books, i always seem to walk out with something good. My girlfriend knows that any time we're in New Haven, this is the place i want to go. Its become a running joke actually. (Pepe's comes in at a close second :) read more

Book Trader Cafe - Coffee & Tea Near Me - New Haven, Connecticut

This is somewhere I'd go more for the environment than for the food. They have decent coffee and sandwich options, but none of it was strikingly amazing. It's a good alternative to the local coffeeshop for studying or a quite get-together-- just keep in mind they have very conventional, non-study friendly hours (at least for a college seating). They do have outdoor seating. read more

Really fabulous used book store with a pretty wide selection of texts. My partner and I came here to look for university texts and ended up walking out with three unrelated books-- Practical Kabbalah, The History of the Sierra Nevada's, and Dantes Inferno. All of the books seemed to be reasonably priced and although we didn't buy drinks, a cafe is always a plus in a bookstore! read more

Sandwiches are really good the wait is to long to get a sandwich so I settled for a pre made sandwich from the refrigerated area and it was very delicious and fresh. The bread makes the sandwich here for sure read more

I love this place. They accommodate gluten free costumers very well. They go out of their way to make sure everything will be safe for celiac's in a willing and friendly way. The fresh orange juice is delish! They even give kids free books if they promise to read it :) Nice outdoor and indoor seating as well. read more

Love this place. Their scones are AMAZING! Always different varieties available too- I've had almond joy, chocolate chip, and raspberry pear. House blend hot coffee is a nice blend. Iced coffee is a bit weak. Overall this place is great! The staff is friendly too :) read more

Used books and coffee? I could die. Add in yummy sandwiches and I could die happy. This is a great place to browse used books and sit and read them. Whenever we have time to kill before we meet friends, we come here and browse or sit and sip coffee. It even has a nice little outdoor patio though we've never been out there. Like all coffee shops in New Haven it does get filled up with laptop-carrying students so it's tough to find a seat. read more

Day old bagels and bread for $1!! Yummy

Great place to meet. So many old books to spur conversation, and a reasonable dinner menu. The dining area is not at all fancy, but it's comfortable and a good place overall. read more

If your mocha bread is stale as a dog biscuit and you mess up a simple double shot with a splash of hot water twice, you deserve one star. The service was ok so I guess thats something. read more

Booktrader is awesome. Their food is delicious (and they have vegetarian/vegan options), the place to sit down is really open and bright, with lots of windows and natural light. And of course, the book selection is so fun. It's all used books that have been sold back, so you can spend ages just looking through all the different options, and you can often find really great stuff for a really cheap price. Perfect for lunch and hanging around in the afternoon. read more

My rating is based on ambiance and only one sandwich, the BLT. This place is small and different. A book store in one side and cafe on the other. Well more tables and food than cafe. I've only had the BLT because it is so yummy I can never get myself to order anything else. This place is best for a solo lunch or two people because of the set up. It is the type of place people hang out and stare at laptops so it can prove difficult to get a seat. Definitely worth a try if you live in New Haven! read more

This place is like somewhere out of a movie - It's so cute and dreamy! I always tag my friends along here. It's also really nice to get some work done. I love the vegan options btw! read more

This is a nice place to study. Either indoor or outdoor seating, whatever you prefer. Never been to the bookstore section, but I hear it's great! As for food, only have tried their baked goods and drinks. Iced coffee is standard. Had their cranberry walnut muffin. It was quite big and tasted good. I enjoyed the crust part of it. Another day, I tried their ginger bar. The ginger taste was a bit overpowering, and most of the time, I felt like I was eating straight out sugar. Wouldn't recommend it. Hoping to try out their sandwiches; names are pretty creative. read more

The Jane Rare sandwich is a culinary masterpiece. I never thought I would like roast beef-- or goat cheese-- but it tastes SO GOOD. Also excellent: blueberry muffins. The coffee drinks aren't particularly memorable but I think they're a bit cheaper than most competitors. I don't really like the sitting area-- it seems kind of fraught with coffee-spilling-on-laptop danger, but it's nice to chill out with a book. Wish it was open LATER! read more

I've never seen anyone buy a book from Book Trader, but they have excellent sandwiches. To compensate for the lack of book trading most of the sandwiches have literary names, but the only significant question you need to answer when you order is "Turkey A" or "Turkey B"? And if bookstore-cafes were ranked by US News and World Report for employee satisfaction I'm sure this place would rank first--the staff is always so chipper and pleasant. How do they have so much fun serving sandwiches? All Book Trader needs for that fifth star is some wifi. read more

Book Trader is a nice study spot or space to get coffee or lunch in New Haven. The coffee is decent enough and the baked goods I have tried have been pretty good. I also really like many of the sandwiches I have tried, specifically the Tempesto and the Jane Rare. They have a good selection of sandwiches with really fun names that play on book titles. I think the best thing about Book Trader is their seating area, which is covered in windows so lets in a ton of light. This is of the utmost importance in the winter when you haven't seen the sun in months. Do beware though, if you plan to do work, there are no plugs. I haven't ever bought a book or looked at the books here, but it seems like they have a thorough selection. read more

Cute little book store. Not a great foreign books selection (less than one small shelf of a shelf in Spanish). Very busy cafe area. Nice atmosphere. read more

I dont kno if its because I don't "LOOK" like one of their regular customers but everyone working here was just plain old rude! Even to my kid (11 y.o.) so guess what??? my money spends just like the Yalies does!!! Nd I'm taking it to jojos next time! read more

Lots of light- the cheaper alternative to Atticus. an impressive and electic selection of literature.

Great staff, and good coffee. Sandwiches are delicious. It can get a little cramped, not making it the best place to set up your books. Also, their soups are my favorite. Hearty and unusual. Ask for some pumpernickel if you want to do your belly right. read more

Really great atmosphere, friendly service and numerous options. However, after trying the Tale of two turkeys, I was certainly unimpressed. Plenty of turkey, just lacking flavor-- even the cranberry chutney really had no taste. I was disappointed. The coffee was pretty tasty though. read more

I work down the street, so every morning I make sure to head down for my caffeine rush since this is one place downtown where you'll be able to find a great latte along with a mini muffin to go along with it. Their soups are so hearty. The sides that they make daily are also very convenient when you're on the go and need something small. The staff is also very friendly especially when you initiate a convo. read more

Please make the curry chicken salad an option to add to the salads. I am absolutly in love with it but paying 2.50 extra because of the seasoning is annoying. Also less get it yourself attitude please. read more

We had a very tasty lunch here! They offer a lot of very healthy and delicious selections, and the employees are nice, too! Definitely lots of vegetarian options, and yummy sweet treats! We'll be back. read more

I'm living in New Haven for a couple months so I've been scoping out the best coffee/cafe places to sit, read, use my computer, and just chill out when I'm not working. The Book Trader Cafe is extremely inviting - they have used bookshelves out on the sidewalk leading people in, where you find a plethora of shelved books, (all reasonably priced!) and a coffee bar right in the center. To the right, is a perfect, large dining area with skylights and windows all around, so the lighting is perfect for reading. The coffee/bakery items here are very good as well. They are a little pricey, but worth it. The only qualms I have with this place is the staff. They haven't been extremely friendly every time I've come into the store. I say "Hello!" or "Good Morning!", and get a blank stare in response. Today, it was two of the staff members, standing there with no other customers, nothing to do, and they just looked at me and didn't say a word. Now, I've worked in customer service for a long time, and I know that when a customer walks in, they typically like to be greeted, or at least acknowledged. Alas, I can ignore the staff that I have to deal with for only a few minutes to get a cup of coffee, and then retreat to their awesome greenhouse of a internet cafe. read more

Nothing great going on here, at least as far as the food goes. The barista was a bit surly and since I ordered the daily special, you'd think it'd be, well special, but it was poorly put together and not fully warm. I've heard good things, so I'd be willing to give them another shot, particularly given how cute the place was, but not in a rush, that's for sure. read more

For a book store, this place deserves 4 stars but for the cafe, maybe a 3. After checking out the tvfoodmaps app, we decided to come try out The Tale of Two Turkeys which was featured on America's Best Sandwiches. The (A) oven roasted turkey was supposed to come on onion rye which I think would've made the sandwich, but they were out so I got multigrain. Boring really, but what do you do? The rest of the ingredients had good flavor- the turkey, cheese, coleslaw, and Russian dressing were all great but on a sandwich with very thick sliced bread, it was definitely not enough to match the amount of bread. The (B) turkey sandwich came on sourdough which was good, but again- not enough turkey! It had way more greens than was necessary, and the cranberry orange chutney was more of a thin sauce than a chutney of substance. We also got a dream bar which was not dreamy in the least bit. It was dry and crumbly with not a lot of flavor. A waste of calories really. It's unfortunate that the food was no good because the location and environment are perfect . read more

A Tale of Two Turkeys A has been my favorite sandwich for as long as I can remember, but sadly they seem to have changed the turkey. The slabs of real roasted turkey have been replaced with thin, processed, deli turkey. It's still good as a whole because the bread, coleslaw, and Russian dressing are awesome, but it's nowhere near the amazing sandwich it used to be. Please bring back the real roasted turkey!!!! read more

I've never had the sandwiches or soups here so I can't vouch for them. But it's a cute place with free wifi and a little bit of privacy from the front counter, which I like. The blueberry muffin has a great wheat-y natural taste. They have great fresh-squeezed lemonade too. If you can stomach the infamous know-it-all Yale hipsters, this might be your new Internet café. They just really fall short on having enough plugs for laptops. read more

This place is dirrrrrty. And I don't mean that in a good way. You may first be tempted by the display case of baked goods; you may be drawn closer to them by their sumptuous smell. But then, you look closer and realize the case is buzzing with fruit flies. Tons of fruit flies. Look, I understand that when you run a food service business, you can end up attracting bugs. But this is a little ridiculous. Those flies seem to be rent-paying tenants of the baked goods - far too many and far too consistently many. I suppose you get a free maggot protein boost with every baked good? If that wasn't enough, the floor is always dirty, the tables are always dirty, and I occasionally have seen employees not using food service gloves and not washing their hands, and coughing all over them. Fun times. In addition, some (read: some, definitely not all) employees there very clearly seem to hate life, and though I can't really blame them, it would be nice if it didn't translate into treating customers with utter contempt. That said, their baked goods are generally delicious, although I have definitely had quite a few stale ones. Good luck braving the fly storm, though. Their sandwiches, however, are seriously overrated and overpriced - even Atticus down the block seems like a better deal sometimes, and their food is certainly fresher. Even for a sandwich, their sandwiches are quite bland and meh. I do like the atmosphere though - unlike Atticus, where you can either eat or read a book but *not* both (unless you buy it), Booktrader really is a place you can sit down with a coffee or a tea and a good, beat-up old book and relax for hours if you so choose. They do also have a great tea selection, and is so far the only place I've found in New Haven that sells Stash teas. But eat the food at your own risk. read more