One of the neatest bookstores in the US. The Poetry room upstairs is wonderful. So much fun…read morehistory here to learn about. And this bookstores has some amazing staff book recommendations with little tags on the bookshelf telling you why they loved that book so much; found some great new finds that way. Dont forget to get your books stamped with their bookstores stamp on the way out!

An amazing bookstore and so glad I asked chatGPT to give me some ideas for a stroll around SF near…read moreUnion Square. Well, ok, this place isnt close to Union Sq, about a mile away, but it was a perfect delicious end destination for a post dinner stroll! I like bookstores and I like eclectic, unique ones. I'll go to Barnes & Noble if I had no other choice, but my favorite bookstores are independent ones and ones where they carry very unique books you can't find elsewhere. This bookstore made my inner little nerdy self so happy. I immediately got lost up front looking at very recent publication by Ai Weiwei. I then wandered onto the main floor and found an entire section of Asian works, which you will not find at B&N. I also found books from Norwegian writers too which I had never seen before, which thrilled me. I then made my way up to their attic floor which is dedicated to poetry and seems I just missed Allen Ginsberg's Howl centennial celebration. Ugh! I then came back down and then proceeded to their basement section and again I was quite pleasantly surprised by the depth and breadth of Asian themed books they had. They had plenty of the Chinese classics in English and found so many different versions of Journey to the West, I was completely overwhelmed. And then, saw an entire section on Africa and I had to fight hard to not pick up a copy of a book titled Prison Letters, which is a collection of Mandela's letters while imprisoned. I ultimately settled on two books by Ai Weiwei as he has continued to inspire me to be proud, to not conform, to be brave, to speak up, to be authentically and unapologetically me, to honor my ancestry and to push boundaries and to fight for what matters. And it just so happens too that my Chinese give name is also Weiwei. I loved coming to this bookstore and it will definitely be on rotation for me when I am in SF again.

While visiting the city of San Francisco came across Dog Eared Books and decided to stop in to see…read morewhat they had to offer. The bookstore was small and pretty busy with customers reading and selecting books to purchase. I walked around the bookstore to see what would catch my eye and they had so many good books to choose from. Walked over to their clearance section and found two books that peaked my interest. Ended up purchasing, the portrait of Dorian Grey and animal farm. They we're both a steel at a discounted price. These two books were on my list of books that I've been wanting to read, and now they have been added to my personal library. The employees here are welcoming and friendly. They are also very busy, keeping the store while organized and appealing to the eye.

This is definitely one of my favorite book stores I've been to. I loved the way this book store was…read moreorganized, especially the rare and vintage book sections they had. Everything was clearly labeled and the selection was amazing. It was easy to find the books we were looking for, as well as a couple books I had never heard of/thought of reading. The prices were also reasonable for the used books. I spent awhile in here just looking around everywhere and I could have spent even longer. Of course I had to buy the "30 years in business suck it Bezos" sticker lol. Support your local book store!

Finding a bookstore in San Francisco can be a challenge depending which side of city you are and…read morewhat you are looking for as far as subject matter. There are various bookstores which face the street sidewalks of San Francisco and are easy to enter and exit. There is a bookstore in San Francisco which is hidden from the public side walk and accessible through a mall on the second floor. It's located inside the Japan Center in Japantown and it's called Kinokuyina. On a Spring stroll inside Japan Center I landed inside Kinokuyina. In the land of the rising sun Kinokuyina is a bookstore was founded in 1927 in Japan and turns 100 years next year. This San Francisco location is the first in the USA which opened since 1969. They have other locations such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Singapore,Hong Kong, Taiwan,and the Philippines. Inside you will find lots of books in Japanese Kanji and English Manga. They also sell lots of novelties and t-shirts. This a great international bookstore in San Francisco. It's almost Summer say bye to the month of "May" they have a location in San Francisco another down the road by San Tomas Expressway in "San Jose "they have lots books of "display" from manga to "anime" Come visit they have books for any age "group "you can find magazines with the latest "scoop"so you can stay in the "loop" and you can even find a book like some in SF about "poop"

I've visited only two of Tokyo based Kinokuniya Bookstore's seventeen U.S. locations, San Francisco…read moreand Seattle, but because of my affection for Japanese food and culture, it left a strong impression, and I return from time to time. Did you know they have six stores in California and four in Texas alone? I'll gladly reconfigure my thoughts about Texans, that they that can support the existence of four Kinokuniya bookstores. Respectfully. I enjoy browsing the SF store, especially the travel section, cookbooks, and unique magazines. They have all the requisite kawaii stuff including Miffy, Moomin, Studio Ghibli, and Sonny Angels. Having Google Translate at the ready in camera mode, makes exploring some of the Japanese titles even more fun. A unique, immersive bookstore experience.

If your idea of a good time is an afternoon spent among the books, then Green Apple Books is for…read moreyou. What I love here are the carefully curated staff selections. There are always unexpected finds and books you'd never unearth online. The tables of discounted and used books upstairs are worth a browse. The atmosphere is welcoming, dusty, and perfect for wandering. One of my favorite Sunday rituals: browsing until I find something unexpected, and then heading down Clement for dim sum, some thrifting, maybe a Kamei treasure, a strawberry crepe, and some Asian groceries. A Green Apple visit makes the outing complete. San Francisco still has a few good remaining bookstores, and the selection hidden in the winding nooks and crannies at Green Apple, keep it near the top of my list.

I was walking by when I saw the bookstore. First time here. They had several carts with books on…read moresale. It was hard to go over the books as they were not organized. Once you go inside it is a tight place but cute. They have new and used books , two floors. What I liked were the flashcards in front of books giving a little description and thoughts on books. I felt some new books were overpriced. However their clearance and sale books were a great deal. I got an art book for $6. Service was not personable. I was not greeted even at register when I was ready to pay. The lady just charged me. She didn't offer any bag either. It was a little awkward. I love visiting bookstores. However, this one might be the one least friendly I encountered. Overall they have a good selection of books.

Community-oriented cafe in the Outer Sunset district!…read more Blackbird is located across the street from Hook Fish, meaning that parking is packed and hard to find, so use public transit! I have gone to Blackbird a handful of times and have enjoyed the experience each time. Blackbird is primarily a bookstore, but they do have an outdoor window where you can order drinks ranging from matcha (Rocky's Matcha, if you're curious about which brand they use), lattes, and tea. They also carry a good amount of pastries (even mid-day, they have a lot of goodies), which I really appreciated. When you order your drink, you have to enter inside the bookstore to wait for your drink to be called, but you can take the time to stroll around and look at their book selection and trinkets. Heads up: the seating here is limited but very lovely. Inside, there are a couple of community tables, but their outdoor area is absolutely magical, with lush greenery and benches for you to enjoy your drinks. This time around, I got one of their seasonal drinks, a honey lavender vanilla latte, and I paired it with an Earl Grey olive oil loaf. The portion of the pastry was generous and moist, while the icing was not too sweet. Overall, a great pick for a cafe if you're in the area.

I visited Black Bird for the first time because I was attending an author talk. Upon seeing their…read morecafe, I decided to order a few items. Matcha latte with whole milk : It's very savory which is great, unsweetened by default. I thought this was one of the better matchas I've had if you want to be able to taste the matcha strongly. Olive oil spelt cake: It reminds me of pound cake. Not that sweet except the frosting/icing. It was okay but as someone who's not as fond of that kind of cakey texture, I'd probably not get it again. They have a really lovely garden and patio in the back. There is also a bathroom. The acoustics and set up for events isn't great, though. It was hard for me to concentrate on the speaker for the book talk since you can hear the noises from the cafe behind and also the sounds of other store customers all around you. That was the only downside, but I think it's a very charming bookstore otherwise.

This little book shop is amazing. We found it on a stroll after a show down the road and it was…read moregreat. From the moment you walk in, you smell Peet's Coffee. Such a good combo! ;) They have a variety of genres at good prices. Friendly staff too! We will be back.

Books Inc was acquired by Barnes and Noble and it looks like it's an improvement because they…read morebrought back the magazines. You get a limited stock of the magazines a full service B&N carries. They also now accept Apple Pay and you can get your B&N points through here. Still a great bookstore. Drop by and browse!

One of the best book stores in SF! If you're looking for anything fantasy/sci fi/ horror related,…read morethis is the place to go. Amazing selection and even better recommendations (I can't remember the number of times my finance and I have stopped in and chatted with the staff about new releases and recommendations). They also occasionally have events (like the Onyx Storm release party this week)!

Amazing. Just amazing. This is their new location, relocated (a few years ago?) from their old spot…read moreon Valencia. It's immaculately neat, well-lit, super well-organized, and their selection cannot be beat. I don't consider myself a fantasy/sci-fi/mystery/horror buff, but even I found things I knew I'd love to read here. There truly is something for everyone! I found a Georgette Heyer paperback here; she's famously difficult to find in used and new bookstores. The owners and employees are so friendly, and they emphasized that they will order books for you if you can't find it on their shelves. Just ask! I'll be back for all of my mystery needs :)

Located right on Haight Street, The Booksmith is a great bookstore. When you walk into the space,…read moreyou're overwhelmed by all the great titls that they have and are offering. This space is broken up into two main rooms. There's the room you enter when you come in off the street, and then there's the secondary room over to the left. Both are filled with a great collection of literature and/or nonfiction. The focus of this bookstore is really on literature. Though they, of course, have other subjects, as well. This being said, they have a great collection of fiction and poetry. It's really very-very vast. So, if you're in The Haight, and you want to grab a great piece of reading material, this may be your place to go.

The Booksmith was such a charming bookstore. I visited during my SF day trip and wished I lived…read morecloser. There was a good selection of books of various genres, and I left happy with the book I purchased.

Support Independent Bookstores! They are a valuable resource. This bookstore has been our local…read morefavorite ever since Alley Cat Books had the building. The current owners hosted our nephew's High School Spoken Word event, inside the rear gallery/event space. That being said, it is sad to report that the current manager/owners are rude. It's a very passive-aggressive type of rude. They seem to not want to talk to customers. Any eye contact is the evil-eye variety that reads: "what are YOU doing here?" I felt like I'd crashed a party where the hosts were angry at me just for showing up, and trying to get me to leave ASAP. Recently, I was paying at the register, and I attempted a friendly comment on the jazz record they were playing ("Charles Mingus, right? He's the coolest!"). No response; 50-yard stare like I wasn't even there. Gimme your money and leave. Too bad, because it's a great space, good selection of new/used books. But I'd feel gross handing over any more of my hard-earned money.

This establishment prides itself as a "community friendly" space yet I, a Latina native San…read moreFranciscan was not greeted kindly in this store. They are in a predominately Latino neighborhood yet I felt judged in there. Probably performative activists that work here but I'd rather give my money to a large corp where at least their friendly with me than this independent bookstore.

Bookstores come and go in San Francisco. This bookstore located in Potrero Hill has been around for…read moredecades. This bookstore location became famous in the movie "Sweet November". The Charlize Theron character lived Nextdoor on the same block as the Christopher Bookstore (featured in the movie). Inside there a good selection of variety of books from different perspectives. The decor has a feel of historic and modern San Francisco. This bookstore has a diverse book collection that are insightful and creative A bookstore is great for tourists, transplants and even for a San Francisco native

I LOVE small bookshops! This one on the corner in Potrero Hill (SF) is adorable! We hadn't…read moreplanned on it, we had dinner at the French Restaurant across the street. ( Chez Maman -also sublime ). Anyway, after dinner we decided to check out Christopher's Books. . It was kind of busy for a weeknight, which is so cool. Love that people like to peruse books, actually feel books in their hand and turn pages. you are my people. So I walked the whole book store, they have a tiny children's section, my sister who is a teacher, and a new grandma , settled there and bought a few books. I saw a book that I had heard about (All Fours) and heard the author interviewed on the radio, I picked it up and settled on it. I love that they have little handwritten cards describing some of the books and that there are employees picks, and what they liked about the book. When we went up to make our purchases, that is when I learned of Jimmy Carter's death. ( he had died that day and I hadn't yet heard ). There was a little handwritten card with his books at the counter and the card said, Jimmy Carter - 1924-2024. I said, "Oh my God did Jimmy Carter die?" We chatted about what a wonderful man he was, dignified, honest, his service to the people, the Habitat for Humanity legacy. His love for his wife who had preceded him ..... I digress. Anyway, if you're in the neighborhood, and you love books, and quaint spaces, check it out!