The Cafe A Books & Books

I feel compelled to share this review as a warning for anyone with food allergies. I have visited Books & Books Cafe many times and used their study space. Service is usually slow and inattentive, but last night it was unacceptable. I asked my server if the carrot cake contained nuts due to my allergy. His response was “No, it has chocolate chips.” It arrived to my table very clearly containing nuts, so I asked the person that brought it to me about the nuts and a third person came to my table to help. I asked which nuts were in it (because there are a few I can have) and was told almonds, but it looked like walnuts maybe, so I decided I didn’t feel comfortable eating it and declined the carrot cake. My server returned, didn’t mention the mistake, and asked if I wanted something else. I said no. When I went to pay the bill with a fourth person, the carrot cake was still on it. I explained the situation and was told that the pastries are made somewhere else, so they can’t guarantee any cross-contamination. I understand this and that outsourcing pastries is common practice, but this information should have been provided to me when I first asked about the allergy. The cake was removed from my bill, but no apology or solution was offered. I did not receive an apology from anyone and will not be returning due to safety concerns and a lack of accountability.

I stop by the cafe here every now and then when I'm in the area, and always love the ambience, the food, and the fact that you can browse or buy a book or few (while supporting a family-owned local business). I had lunch at the bar yesterday, and had a particularly great experience thanks to the bartender Gabriel, who not only provided me with exceptional service, but I watched while he handled what could have been a bad situation with grace and diplomacy beyond what I'm sure I would have been capable of. A woman came in with a group that was stopping in the area part of a bus tour, and they were trying to get a quick bite. In spite of the woman clearly acting entitled and trying to push to get food out right away, he calmly explained that he didn't want to promise something he couldn't deliver and disappoint her, and that the cafe was full, it's a small kitchen, and the staff in back was already dealing with a 12+ long line of orders in process. He offered her some solutions like grabbing dessert which was already made etc. but she clearly was just upset that she wasn't getting special treatment and having her unrealistic expectations met. I have no doubt that if he had responded in anything less than the impeccably professional manner that he did, she could have easily caused a ruckus, but instead she and her friends left without further issue once it was clear that it wasn't going to be feasible to get food out in their tight timeframe.

It’s a very pretty place and I love supporting the bookstore, but the cafe is not great. I ordered an iced matcha and it was all milk—basically a barely even light green color. It wasn’t drinkable and I left the whole drink. I also ordered the labneh starter because I really enjoy labneh, but it was just a few simple cherry tomatoes and the cucumbers had no oil or seasoning. The labneh was very plain and it had extremely little seasoning so it did not pair well with the pita. This was both $30 which I feel was not worth for the quality of the food I had. It’s a cute place to eat with friends, and I’d get a baked good or sweet treat, but I don’t recommended their starters or drinks. My friend had a latte that was also all milk. But, her pie was good. The service was also mid as it AT LEAST took 30 minutes every time to come check on us to take our order or get the check.

Coffee, lunch, working. Good food great atmosphere and books all around. My favorite ❤️ lovely spot!

I was looking for this exact vibe tonight and this fabulous find popped up! The atmosphere is fun, inviting, filled with all sorts of books on various subjects. There’s a room where authors come to read, indoor & outdoor courtyard seating, and live music on Saturday nights. I came with a friend. Olivia was our gracious & lovely waitress and she took very good care of us. There was live jazz & Italian music. She got a cappuccino, mahi mahi sandwich, & cheesecake. I had a GF brownie with ice cream and a spicy Mexican hot chocolate. I was so thrilled that there was live music with jazz music and then old classic Italian music. I highly recommend this place!