What a wonderful bookstore to stumble upon! I was in the area for a food event and afterwards decided to walk around and do some early Christmas shopping. This was one of the places I decided to check out. I couldn't believe the size of the store. The appearance from the outside was a little deceiving. So to my surprise walking in and seeing the space and all the books. What I liked was that they carried other items than just books. They had stationery, toys, calendars etc.. The customer service was friendly and helpful. They employee was able to point me in the direction, in my search for a gift item. The store was well stocked and organized. I would definitely return to shop or just browse. read more

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This is the best bookstore in NCSD without a doubt. It is located in the Del Mar Highland shopping center. We almost always begin here on the crawl for Independent Bookstore Day. They set up a special display at the storefront to promote local authors and featured selections each April. The center has many great places to eat, drink and be entertained, even places to sit and read and it is dog friendly!! #Diesel #DelMar #IndependentBookstore #BobRoss read more

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Great selection of books and helpful staff. Didn't go in with a specific book in mind but left with a book I had been eyeing for a while. Store was super clean and very beautiful! read more

DIESEL, A Bookstore - Bookstores Near Me - San Diego, California

Gorgeous store! Absolutely full of amazing books, cozy kids section, artisan paper, and more! Staff are always super friendly and helpful! I really love their diversity- I can always find the latest cookbooks from my favorite chefs as well as find unexpected surprises. Can't wait to come back next weekend for the book crawl! read more

Cute store, nice layout and very helpful staff. Easy to get back into reading with a place like this to guide the way

A great selection of books, friendly staff and a wonderful asset in our community. I read more

What a great new bookstore! They are so well laid out and they feature lots of books I hadn't heard of with interesting index card recommendations from the staff. They have a lot of fiction, and some very interesting history books, not just boring trade press biographies of the usual suspects. The staff was also extremely nice and offered to help a few times. I didn't buy anything today, because they did not have books by the authors I was looking for (or I hadn't read by certain authors They did have). Instance, I enjoyed reading Abby Waxman's the bookish life of Nina Hill, And I would have bought her earlier books if Diesel sold them but they only had Nina Hill. Still, it was wonderful to be able to see the real books instead of just peeking at opening pages on Amazon, so I will definitely come back when I am on the hunt for something new to read! Lovely to have this adorable independent bookstore here in North County. read more

Bugs in both books with eggs very un healthy and no concern for us she was so rude and tried to shame us by gaslight we have been very loyal customers for years and own over 75 books from them but i will say their staff is always odd and not friendly at all infact very very rude this lady was so mean to my 12year old son he was traumatized by these large bugs that came in our home read more

Terrible customer service, clueless staff , terrible selection, better value online,

My children are starting school tomorrow via virtual learning. We've been prepping for a few weeks, making sure all the pencils are sharpened and the dry erase boards are in tact. BUT the detail I totally forgot was BOOKS...like real books for them to read. Diesel is right around the corner and I love supporting local book stores but I also had no desire to drive to Mira Mesa or Carmel Mtn to a bigger store. This store is so lovely. While you have to wear a mask (duh) and they ask you to sanitize your hands upon entry (again duh in the time of COVID), it's a beautifully welcoming experience inside. The store isn't huge but there's plenty of room for cookbooks and history books and books woke folks wanna read. For our purposes, we headed to the back kids' section. The women working in the store were super helpful to us and both of my babes (3rd and 6th grades) found cool books to help them kick off the school year. Afterwards, we went to Handel's because everybody should have ice cream on the last day of summer break! Thanks Diesel! read more

I loved seeing an independent bookstore in my neighborhood! It was a beautiful store with a good variety and wide selection of books, primarily newer releases. There are different shelves separated according to new releases and genres. They have sections for penguin classics, and they even sell a few penguin cloth bound books which I was happy to see! I picked up this adorable copy of Little Women published by puffin classics. I will definitely be coming back here soon to support this store. Definitely check them out, especially during this time of COVID which hasn't been easy for independent booksellers. read more

DIESEL, A Bookstore - shelves in the interior - Bookstores Near Me - San Diego, California

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small and may need to special order a title, but for the size the selection is great. novels, poetry, biographies, art, non-fiction best sellers and staff recommendations a classic old school bookstore shop here and not online read more

Love this bookstore. They've got a curated selection of excellent books. The people working at this store are kind and very helpful. I buy all the books I can at diesel versus online to support them. read more

Late review! Not sure if they are open now during the Covid19 crisis. I wanted to splurge on my preschooler and took her to DIESEL one weekday afternoon. They have a cozy kids' section with books for all ages. I especially liked their beginning readers selection a lot. I ended up buying a paint with water book. I also found some amazing Mudpuppy brand puzzles. I believe they have a story time on Sundays. Would love to check it out. Costumer service was okay. The cashier at checkout was friendly. But apart from that no one really helped us out. Great spot for kids! read more

What an absolute gem of a bookstore. Both my kids and I discovered tons of books we wanted to read. And the kids reading section is adorable with a great seating area and a fireplace! Much better than sitting on the ground at Warwick's with the kids :) I'm really excited to come back here and buy more books! read more

Diesel is my latest favorite bookstore. The staff is friendly and happy to offer suggestions and give recommendations. Went in looking for a book they didn't carry and they had a copy ordered and ready for me in three days. read more

Cool place, clean and well organized. I loved finding some books I normally would not find elsewhere. I expect to stop by anytime I'm in the area. read more

Got really excited to go to an independent bookstore considering it feels like there aren't any very many in this area and immediately felt dejected by how small a selection of books there were on Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia. Not to mention, most of these books were about wars in these areas and also written by white authors. Seems like they could use some more diversity in their choice of book picks. read more

Absolutely love this little independent book store. I emailed to inquire whether they had a specific book and they responded quickly saying they had one copy and asked if I wanted it put on hold. I went down and bought it with a few other books. Love supporting the smaller businesses. Really didn't want to do the Amazon route, so this worked out great! I'll be going back for sure as I want more books. read more

I did not feel welcomed here at all. I was here about a month ago and had stopped by and I felt like they were just staring at me but thought it was just in my mind. I ended purchasing two books. I was visiting San Diego again and stopped by this bookstore since batch and box does not open until 11am. There were three people standing by the register and just stared at me when I came in. I just went straight to browsing. I noticed that the people standing by the register would say hi to every other individual coming in. I would not come back here again and do not recommend. read more

Diesel Bookstore is everything you would want in a neighborhood bookstore! In the past month, this has become our go-to place for new books and gifts, as their online store is easy to use and prices are either the same or within a few dollars of amazon... and even for a few dollar difference, I would much rather my money go to a local bookstore! They can ship to your home, but we have opted for curbside pickup as it is easy and free, plus a great excuse to say hi to the wonderful staff (from a distance). Pre-pandemic, it was a favorite weekend destination to bike over with our preschooler -- their kid's section is adorable, and they are so welcoming. If we could time it with Noel's story time, that was always a highlight. Now we watch her story time on their website/youtube instead, but it is no less appreciated! Thank you to all at Diesel for being such a welcome and kind presence in our community. read more

Cute new bookstore next to jimbos. Has a lovely kids section in the back with places to sit and a great selection. Joined their email list. Not really any coupons/discounts, moreso for events. Love their monthly newsletter too with recommended reads. My only qualm was this afternoon 3/15, the petite, brunette manager lady was very obviously coughing loudly on everything without covering her mouth, WTH ?! Is wrong with her. With the virus going around, was she intentionally trying to shoo us out? We were so disturbed and confused. She was strangely near us in the back (perhaps bc we were only ones with store) with the kids books and loudly coughing again and touching the books without any effort to stifle her cough into her hand or elbow. Idk what is wrong with her! The other sales ppl we've encountered are helpful enough, and they pick up the phone and answer any question you have about a book very efficiently. Overall very happy with this beautiful, new, physical bookstore in the neighborhood. They just need to learn some hygeine protocol. read more

I went in here yesterday and ordered two books that they did not have as well as purchased a book that they had recommended. The store had two men working there and they were very knowledgeable and everything was very neat and organized. I was very content ordering through them because it's a quick arrival for orders done by them. I thought the prices were extremely competitive to online. read more

Great little bookstore right in Del Mar Highlands Plaza. I heard there was a Barnes and Noble in this area about five years ago, and people had been yearning for a replacement. The customer service was great, and they have a good selection of books. If you're looking for them to have everything you can find at B&N or Amazon though, please don't expect that. Think back to 20 years ago (if you're old enough), and just remember how bookstores were back then. The only thing I would love is a little cafe or seating right outside the store (which I know is difficult, because of its location). One of my favorite pastimes is to go into bookstores and just browse, which can be so much more fun than shopping online. You never know what you could stumble across! read more

I love local bookstores! There is usually something interesting to find here, and that is what makes it fun and unique. They are not a Barnes and Noble with a massive selection. They are not Amazon with cheap prices. But it is a wonderful place to meander through and see what books you may not have considered in the past. I've found a few and I look forward to finding many more in the future. read more

This place is awesome! I searched books on a whim in my area and found this gem. I was low riding and couldn't spot it at first, so I called to get the exact location. The lady on the phone, came out of the store to wave in the air, just so that I could find the spot, right next to Jimbos. Then when I came in she recommended 2 books that fit my criteria and I left a happy camper. It was a great way to wrap up a stressful Saturday. I'll be back :) read more

Super cute local bookstore! They have unique books that other stores don't have! I'm really looking forward to their book club and story time they should be doing in the new year! read more

Awesome to see an indie bookstore open in the shopping center. Everything is carefully curated and if you spend some time and do some digging, you'll find some real gems of titles that you won't find in corporate retailer or a bloodsucking, no tax paying conglomerate like Amazon. So what are you waiting for? Go! read more

Such a GREAT bookstore! I'm so glad this area has a bookstore that isn't a giant chain. The staff are lovely, attentive but not pushy, overall a great atmosphere. read more

Love this new indie bookstore in the neighborhood. Small but mighty! Really like their selection and layout, and appreciate the notes & suggestions on books around the store. Also they host a fun monthly bookclub. read more