A Good Book and a Good Coffee

There are few better ways to spend a slow afternoon than with a good book and something good to eat or drink.

Luckily, Joburg has a few bookstores that give you both. These are the places where buying a book does not have to mean heading straight back home. You can browse the shelves, order a coffee, sit down for lunch and give yourself a little more time to find your next read.

From independent bookstores in Melville and Marshalltown to restaurants tucked inside one of the city's biggest bookshops, here are some of Joburg's bookstores that double as a café, or at least make it very easy to grab something while you're there.

Love Books and Service Station Café, Melville

Love Books is one of those bookstores you can easily lose track of time in.

Located in Melville, the independent bookstore is filled with a carefully selected mix of fiction, non-fiction, children's books and local titles. But the best part is that you don't need to leave the building when hunger kicks in.

Love Books shares a door with Service Station Café, so you can move between browsing for your next book and sitting down for coffee, breakfast or lunch. It makes for an easy afternoon out, especially if you are the kind of person who believes choosing a book should never be rushed.

Bridge Books, Marshalltown

Bridge Books at The Barbican is worth the trip into the city.

The bookstore specialises in African literature and carries both new and pre-loved books. It is also part of Joburg's growing Literary District, putting it right in the middle of the city's rich bookselling culture. Bridge Books is based at 89 Helen Joseph Street in Marshalltown and is surrounded by the energy of downtown Joburg.

You can grab a coffee while you're there and take your time exploring the shelves. If you're making a day of it, there are also cafés and food spots nearby, making it an easy stop for anyone looking to combine books, coffee and a walk through the city.

The Commune, Braamfontein

The Commune is a little different from your traditional bookstore experience.

Located in Braamfontein, it brings together books, ideas, culture and community in one space. It is the kind of place where you can spend time browsing, sit down with a drink and get pulled into a conversation you weren't expecting.

If you are already spending the day in Braam, The Commune makes for a good slower stop between the galleries, cafés and everything else happening around the neighbourhood.

Exclusive Books and Olives & Plates, Hyde Park Corner

Exclusive Books Hyde Park might be one of the best examples of this list.

Inside the bookstore, you'll find Olives & Plates, which means your bookshop visit can easily turn into breakfast, lunch, coffee and cake. You can browse the shelves, pick up your next read and then settle in for a proper meal without ever really leaving the bookstore.

Olives & Plates is an all-day Mediterranean restaurant located inside the Hyde Park Corner Exclusive Books, making this one of the easiest places in Joburg to turn book shopping into a full afternoon out.

Exclusive Books, Rosebank Mall

Exclusive Books Rosebank Mall is another easy stop if you're looking to combine books and coffee.

The store is in the middle of Rosebank Mall, with coffee options close by, so you can grab your book and take a coffee break without having to go far. The mall also regularly positions Exclusive Books as part of its wider lifestyle offering and author-event programme.

It is a simple combination, but sometimes that's all you need: a new book, a good coffee and nowhere urgent to be.

L'Elephant Terrible Bookshop, 44 Stanley

L'Elephant Terrible Bookshop is another one that works perfectly for a books-and-coffee kind of day.

Located at 44 Stanley, the bookshop sits inside one of Joburg's best-known lifestyle destinations. That means you can browse the shelves and then step straight into the wider precinct for coffee, lunch or a drink.

It is a good option if you want to make more of an outing out of it rather than simply popping in to buy a book.

The Bottom Line

Joburg's bookstores are becoming more than just places to buy something and leave.

Some have cafés built right into the experience. Others sit next door to restaurants or inside neighbourhoods where you can easily spend an entire afternoon moving from books to coffee to lunch.

So next time you're looking for a slower way to spend a weekend, skip the usual coffee date. Find a bookstore, order something good and give yourself enough time to discover a book you weren't planning to buy.