The staff are incredibly helpful. They'll look up a title you want to purchase and take you to the shelf. In the children's section, the staff ask the kids what they like (funny or serious, make believe or real, etc) until a perfect book is found. If you like a certain author, they will recommend "similar" authors. Love it. read more

Such an interesting laid out bookstore with friendly staff and a restaurant right there on site. Prairie Ink

Staff was rude, not helpful. Asked for specific titles and they brushed me off and made insulting comments. Not sure, maybe because I am a visible minority. Please skip this place. read more

Last night, I was looking at photos taken during my trip to Winnipeg back in July 2016. I realized that I had visited a number of places then, but didn't write any reviews. I didn't have a well-oiled review groove like I do these days. Yes, it took me nearly two years to get my act together! Anyway, I visited this McNally Robinson Booksellers store while on vacation. This location is at Grant Park Shopping Centre, which was roughly a fifteen-minute drive from where I used to live. McNally Robinson hails from Saskatoon. It is Canada's largest independent bookstore. When I still lived in Winnipeg, the bookstore branched out east. It had opened a store downtown at Portage Place. I used to work next door and would often drop by after work to browse. It has since closed. There are only two locations left in Winnipeg: Grant Park and The Forks. There was plenty of parking when I dropped by. I parked and walked in. You have the option of entering through the bookstore's door or through the mall. I love this bookstore. It is cozy if you want to sit down and curl up to a book. There are two floors of books, music, and merchandise to peruse. There is a huge tree in this store. It has always made me wonder what happens when it hits the ceiling with all that growth. I was mesmerized by the colourful ukeleles that were on display. I had a wooden one that my parents had bought for me when I was in elementary school. I would have loved a pink or purple one. They are real ones and not toys! This store has a decent selection of books. I tend to visit the fiction, music, and cookbook sections the most. I do enjoy browsing around. The second floor is where you can find music and DVDs. I spent a ton of time up there. If you are an educator, you get a discount on all your purchases. So, take advantage of that nice perk if you are in that profession. This location has an eatery called Prairie Ink Restaurant. I have eaten here a couple of times. I got a croissant one time. During another visit, I had quiche with salad for lunch. The food is excellent. You can dine in a separate section away from the books. Staff have always been friendly and helpful whenever I have stopped by. It is one of my favourite bookstores. These days, both the bookstore and restaurant are closed due to COVID-19. However, you can still make purchases from the bookstore online. Shipping is $8 if your order is $30 or more. It's pretty good considering how heavy books can be. I do miss Winnipeg. I am due for a visit when it's safe to travel again. (127) read more

McNally Robinson Booksellers - Colourful, dangling ukuleles - Bookstores Near Me - Winnipeg, Manitoba

This store doesn't even deserve one star. Tried to return a kettle a few days after purchase, with receipt, and completely unused. Claimed they couldn't return it due to damage on the box. Wow. Tried to support local this Christmas... I guess it's back to Amazon and other online companies who actually care about their customers and provide great service. Never shopping here again - suggest others do the same. No shock why they didn't succeed in other locations in Canada. read more

What a wonderful bookstore! A huge space with tons of books (including a great bargain section), lots of magazines, and tons of gift items. Can't wait to tevisit this store next time I'm in Winnipeg! read more

McNally Robinson Booksellers - Bookstores Near Me - Winnipeg, Manitoba

See all

Pre-ordered a book for myself and two friends, which I never ended up getting because they did not receive enough stock. I totally understand things happen, but at no point did anyone contact me to tell me I was no longer getting the book. Had to reach out and then I was told that they were canceling my order because they did not receive enough copies. Just wish the communication had been better because I then missed out on getting the special edition anywhere else just disappointed read more

There's a lot of reasons to love this place but here is a few: 1) largest independent bookseller in Canada; 2) large selection of local/Canadian authors while hosting great events supporting their work; 3) great discounted books section from all subjects ranging from philosophy to the latest fiction; 4)great cafe (albeit pricey) featuring local ingredients; 5) live music in the cafe. I was wholeheartedly saddened by the demise of their store in Polo Park. I'd love to spend hours there wandering around and checking out the local treasures to be discovered at every corner of the store. Such great trinkets - purchased some cute wallets and fun handbags in the past. Still the Grant Park outlet has it's own charm. You really can't beat that wonderful staircase decorated with the large Winnie the Pooh mobile to the children's section upstairs. My favourite section is the discounted books section. I usually make my purchases here. From the "Foie Gras Wars" to the latest Phillipa Gregory novel, this section really has it all with fantastic prices. The other great thing that McNally does well is the arrangement of their books. Shelves are not outrageously towering over you (ie, you can reach everything)and the sections of books are clearly labelled. There`s actually a place to sit and peruse your purchases. This is definitely more conducive to browsing through their collections compared to larger booksellers such as Chapters. Prairie Ink Cafe (another review in the works) is a great addition to the bookstore. It has hearty offerings as well as snacks. I love their loose leaf tea selection which is something you can`t find in most bookstores (who needs another Starbucks latte... that is so passe!). I could easily just wander around the store and kill a couple of hours. read more

McNally's is a great bookstore/restaurant/giftshop...I actually prefer it over Indigo. There's something more inviting about this place. It's really too bad that their Polo store closed as I really enjoyed that location too. The only reason I take a star away from here is for their kids book section. Most of the children's books are located in a small section of the second floor which I think it accessible via a windy staircase (I didn't notice an elevator). Anyhow, the children's book section is terribly organized. They don't seem to place the books in any order; the best order would be by age. Books for 8 year olds are near books that are for 3 year olds. How does that work?! Plus, there is no clear section that tells you this is for babies, toddlers, pre-school etc. Whereas Chapters does a great job at labeling the children section by labeling the section of books that are appropriate for specific ages. I wasn't the only person who was perplexed by the setup as a bunch of older ladies asked me which books were appropriate for a 9 year old boy. LOL...how the heck am I suppose to know that? I referred them to the staff but it was kind of hard to find them on the second floor. Oh well....overall the store is great but I really hope they can just organize the children's section a bit better. Otherwise, great selection of local authors and best sellers, great restaurant (Prairie Ink Cafe) and now with an expanded take out bakery near the giftware section. read more

Manitoba used to be a book desert. Remember Coles (the bookseller?). Pulp romance novels and Harlequins with the rest of the store filled in with magazines and their abbreviated study guides. Things were bad. Then a little bookshop arrived near Kenaston. Real books, Canadian authors and staff that loved books. That love of books has not changed and is the core of this business. We could go on about the quality of this store and their awards, but it is not necessary. This is one of those "Must Visits" when I return. If you live in the city and do not go here, I wonder what the hell are you reading? Step away from Amazon and go meet some people that share your literary passion in place where wonderful books can be found. read more

Friendly and knowledgeable staff. Great book selection for kids and adult. Magazines from all over the world. An outstanding restaurant. A fun place to hang out. read more

Independent and family is only good thing about this "business". Th store is too big for family business, it packed with leisurely hanging employees. read more

A brilliant bookstore. There's always interesting stuff here, and I appreciate that the literature and genre fiction are separated into their own sections, so I don't have to sift through a wall of garbage to find the good stuff. I always end up spending too much money here. read more

As a book store mcnally's has a decent array of books and some cute gifts , jewelry and cards that you would see in many bookstores . Also a small record selection with the expected big artist names. It is noteworthy that they are the largest independent bookstore in Canada but they look somewhat like a chapters so if you are expecting the small quaint or quirky characteristics of independent bookstores you won't really find that here. Where they really shine for me is in the amount of events , lectures and authors they bring in. From anti poverty to Pop culture the event staff work overtime to curate an interesting selection of topics. As a plus there is a restaurant on the premise where you can grab a good cup of coffee, latte and some bakery treats before sitting down to lecture. Oh ya did I mention that they are entirely free. !!! The lectures that is. :) One tip if you go there for dinner you pretty much need a reservation at peak hours 6 pm onwards as many people are either going to the lecture or to the movie theatre which is located down in the mall. read more

I absolutely adore McNally. Their book selection is fantastic and if they don't have something in stock their staff is so helpful and willing to order in whatever it is that you need. There are very few stores I can say I'm at ease in but no matter the volume of people in the shop there is a certain peaceful aura about the atmosphere of McNally that makes browsing for books perfect. Unlike other books stores that I sometimes visit, McNally truly feels like a book store. Customers can get lost in the search for a good read. They carry lots of local talent both in writing and music which I also love. If I'm ever looking for some sort of indie music CD or local artist I can almost always find it here. The Prairie Ink Restaurant is also fantastic they serve great fresh food that I can rarely find elsewhere in the city. I am in love with the Curry Potato leek soup and their pizzas. I love that they often have events with speakers, artists and even have live music playing on the weekends. It is just a great atmosphere over all. Their books can be a little pricier than a box store but I am a big fan of supporting local business so I can't really complain about that. You wouldn't even know you were in the centre of a mall once you step inside, it is like it's own little world and it is so inviting. I used to attend several midnight book releases and adored what they did with the Harry Potter release parties, it was always so much fun and felt like you were truly submerged. Over all McNally is just a great place to shop. read more

Prairie Ink? Great Food! Awesome music! Great Events! McNally Bookstore? The best selection of books in Canada! The friendliest people working there! A diverse destination for any and all! I'll be back! read more

This is the number one bookstore in Canada. I travel across the country back and forth and it's always good to have a great book to read during the flight. I can always count on McNally Robinson booksellers to point me out the best read in whatever area of literature I'm interested in at that moment. Thank you Book Sellers and thanks McNally Robinson for housing the great little restaurant in the corner! A good nosh can always be enjoyed in there and airline food can get pretty boring for a guy like me who yearns for homemade freshness! read more