Love book trader. One of the best cafes in New Haven. To the reviewer complaining about rude staff, consider getting over it. The staff are working super hard through a global pandemic and doing the best they can. They deserve a tip not complaints about tone 👍👍

Quick ship. Book is in excellent condition as advertised. Thanks ✌

Wonderful selection, polite staff that let us come back after closing to purchase a book that the owner had just set the price of. Reasonable prices, but beware that the huge inventory could easily cause you to drop a grand. Will be returning!

Yale campus, nice and welcoming to the public.Its very warm. Like, hot inside. Not complaining... I like the warmth but... It was 65 out.. And it was like 75 inside... It was a small room too.Its homey, comfy, an eating area with a mini Cafe. Its like Starbucks menu with unique foods/drinks etc.But umm... Yeah. Its like those rooms in high school, that are mad cramped, and the teacher is like a 90 old dude who shoulda retired half a century ago. Like their senses for smell are so dulled, that a kid who just had taco bell, ripped one, and it was all wet... That like blended with the heat, and caused the next stink of the 22nd century sort of scenario, yk?But 5 stars cus i like these places due to the comforting and welcoming atmosphere.Also! East Rock isnt too far, so go on a hike there after u visit this little book Cafe.

I stopped in here after hearing that they had a great assortment of used books as well as a decent coffee house. There were definitely a lot of books to view from fiction to non-fiction. There were so many to look through it was almost overwhelming but there was a good variety for anyone looking to browse. They had a lot of coffee and food options and all were very reasonable in price, it was only $2.50 for a coffee! Id recommend a stop in!

One of my favorite places in new haven. Part coffee shop, part used book store, part (human) greenhouse. Theres no type of room I like more than one that has windows for walls, so I might be partial to this building. The staff is really nice, they have hundreds and hundreds of books on everything- I love to come in and browse before working. Food is pretty good, good variety of options and can fit your dietary needs.

I like the idea of this place and I used to like going here, but the past few times I’ve been the staff were rude to me. The atmosphere is tense and the way the staff has spoken to me is unprofessional. They’re not helpful, they can be condescending at times, and it’s over all just not a good experience. I always try to tell myself “everyone has off days” but this has been five times in a row that I’ve visited and felt uncomfortable leaving.

Quick service, and super honest sellers. Sent me a book in excellent condition that I ordered on abebooks for $1, even though they had meant to list the price at $10! Would give 6 stars if I could!

Yummy breakfast sandwich. Decent selection of used books to sort through. Nice staff. No indoor seating right now due to covid.

We need more bookstores! Open one in Palm Springs, please.

Great drinks!!! I love the snacks they have in their fridge.

Love the ambiance, used books at very affordable prices and delicious pastries and sandwiches! I especially love the Jane Rare!

I was sent a gift from Book Trader Cafe--not sure which storefront. It arrived well-packed and in perfect condition, and the item was a real find. Thanks!

I ordered from this retailer for the first time. My order was perfect, expedient, and in the conditioned advertised!

I just walked in and looked around

Great place to sell and buy books. Nice staff.

Quiet, great for conversation. Interesting books to gaze at. Coffee was yummy. Baked goods were hit or miss.

One of my favorite places in new haven. Part coffee shop, part used book store, part (human) greenhouse. Theres no type of room I like more than one that has windows for walls, so I might be partial to this building. The staff is really nice, they have hundreds and hundreds of books on everything- I love to come in and browse before working. Food is pretty good, good variety of options and can fit your dietary needs.

This is a lovely little cafe book store, and has so much character! The food is great and the staff is amazing 😁 Not only do they have a great selection of teas and drinks, they bake fresh goods every morning and have an outstanding amount of vegan and vegetarian friendly options! Can’t wait to go back when the state opens up! Recommend to everyone!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This place is awesome! The food is so good, especially their Lox sandwich and soup. Their baked goods are made fresh everyday and their special soup of the day has been on point (particularly the lentil soup). The tea is good there. The one drink you absolutely must have is the orange juice (as basic as that sounds). Its so fresh and it tastes REAL (unlike those super sugary orange juice brands). The vibe is nice there and its so relaxing to be surrounded by books (as nerdy as it sounds). Its a great environment to work in, especially outside during the summer months. I would 10/10 recommend!

Their scones and muffins are BIG like in Grandmas day, the biggest in New Haven, thankfully unlike the shrunken ones found everywhere else. The scones are baked in oven right behind the counter and often with flavors like Turkey / Jalapeno / Scallion, some of which are really good. Sometimes odd, never boring! If you want to experience the real New Haven, this is a real local business serving New Haven for 20+ years.

Cozy place with an eclectic book selection and decent coffee. The food made to order is good, and there is a rotating selection of baked goods at the counter to choose from. The staff is friendly and helpful to the customers and the community.

I love this little shop! Staff is friendly, parking isnt too difficult, carry my favorite teas, and have tons of books to browse or buy while you wait/hang out. Atmosphere is open but inviting a d usually quiet.

Love Book Trader Cafe! Their drinks and baked goods are always yummy. The peanut noodles from the cold case are one of my favorite items. They often have gluten free and vegan options. Its also a great place to go and study or to shop for used books!

Cozy place with an eclectic book selection and decent coffee. The food made to order is good, and there is a rotating selection of baked goods at the counter to choose from. The staff is friendly and helpful to the customers and the community.

Excellent food, latte and great staff. Oh, and there are books and DVDs too :)! You gotta check it out. You may find a treasure you never thought you would! Outdoor and atrium seating sets a great vibe with its cool exposed brick. Many star sightings as well! A favorite stop of actors performing in the New Haven area!

I did not try the food here but it looked delicious. Giving 5 stars for the coffee and the atmosphere. Love the concept!

This place gives off great vibes. My snack was delicious and the coffee was exactly the pick-me-up I needed. The books were also interesting, especially the pulp fiction section. Its just your typical college cafe, and it fulfills its role perfectly. Although some people like to work quietly there, they wont kick you out for being way too loud.

Great location and the atmosphere is very inviting and relaxing. The iced coffee I ordered was rich and not watered down...the service was very friendly...I tried the scone as well, earl gray flavor and I dis enjoy it. Would definitely recommend this place...last time I was here it must have been at least few years if not longer...

I love the environment and the coffee. Blueberry muffin which the server heated for me was fantastic. The only problem I saw was the hazardous condition that the long extension cord the establishment provides for the clients to charge their laptops. It will be a bad fall onto the tile floor with a flying hot coffee catching the corners of the wooden table going down.

Great selection of drinks and the best coffee in this location!

The Book Trader Cafe has used books and a sandwich shop with coffee, muffins, soups, and seating under a greenhouse wing. You can sell your books here as well. Because of its proxmity to Yale University the are looking for books as academic as possible. The used books are strong on foreign languages, history, art, travel, paperback fiction but not real big on computer books or math and science. They have excellent blueberry muffins. The coffee is strong. The pea soup can be very good. The sandwiches are named after famous writers such as the Melville, Hemingway, Jane Rare etc. If you buy $100.00 worth of books you can get a 10 percent off discount. I have done this four times so far. If you are a book junkie this place is for you.

I hate that Im writing this, because I used to really love this place. Its been one of my favorite study spots the past few semesters, so the first few times I left with a bad taste in my mouth, I was quick to chalk it up to an off day & dismiss it as a fluke. Which wasnt hard, because the space itself is quite charming, the atrium is gorgeous, and up until that point all my interactions with the staff had been pleasant. In fact, last year it would have been the first place I recommended to someone looking to grab lunch. However, its slowly gone from a generally pleasant spot with a few sub-par experiences, to somewhere with an atmosphere so tense and employees so utterly unkind and pretentious, no amount of quirky charm (or misplaced loyalty on my part to my local spot) can make me want to go back.

They generally have a daily gluten free soup & to-go salads (ex. curried chicken salad), which are very good. They occasionally have gluten free bars or muffins too, which tend to be decent but not amazing. The place is often pretty packed so I suggest going at off times or just picking up lunch to go.

This coffee shop was just across from my hotel in New Haven. A cute, cozy shop with great coffee. The staff are friendly, professional, and fun to chat with. Would highly recommend it here.

There are two kinds of used bookstores: Those that will take anything, and those that attempt to curate their wares to a certain degree. The Book Trader Cafe definitely feels like it fits into the second category. Ive found some good, unexpected, books here on multiple occasions. Just dont come here hoping to find a specific book, its a better browsing store than somewhere youll find exactly what you want.

I discovered this place after I went for a that message next door and in so thankful I did! This is very close to me and so worth it! The price points are GREAT and the shrimp dumplings in chilli oil are my favorite item! The pork buns are also amazing and the soup dumplings. You really cant go wrong here but this has definitely become my staple go to dumpling place and Im sure it will become yours too!

This place is never a disappointment.

Fine establishment. The book store is a nice feature but I come mainly to hang out and drink coffee. Love the outdoor sitting area 👍

Great coffee, delicious sandwiches. Cozy and friendly atmosphere. So glad we took a chance and stopped in...

Atmosphere was quiet and comfortable.Stopped in to study and get something to eat. Soup we had was delicious. Definitely a great place to eat and study!!

They have a great selection of media. I especially love the variety of books. Its like a mini library. The prices are amazing. Not concerned with some of the rude patrons, its a great place. Bring your own energy.

Cute bookworms dream. Tons of books, easy access to cafe treats, and ton of quiet corners for reading.

Great little place! Coffee, food and books! The selection of used books is awesome. A little bit of everything. Very organized. There is a great place to work, read and have coffee. Lots of tables. I do wish there was better parking. This is a great book shop! :)

This place has an amazing selection of books! Really well curated used books, great deals, even hardcover books are often $5.Great selection of novels and literary non-fiction, not so much genre fiction and other areas.Coffee is good, and they have some yummy cleverly-named sandwiches (Ernest Hamingway, etc). Lots of seating in a really nice well-lit indoor area, as well as an outdoor patio when its sunny out.

Excellent place to study/work/chat. Friendly staff and great book collection. I see myself returning here weekly if not more often.

Good vibe, nice staff. its a good place to meet a friend or get some work done. im not much of a coffee drinker, but i love their lemonades. the book selection is good — they have a variety of genres & a decent foreign language section.

Cute little cafe that doubles as a bookstore. Great outdoor seating area. Great location, right next to Yale and downtown New Haven

Definitely a good place to work. The atmosphere is cozy. They propose many books you can take, and if you love them, you can buy them.I definitely love this place

Easily my favorite place for coffee downtown. They have a great selection books spanning every genre you could think of. Also a great place for pulling up a chair and getting some work done!

I love puttering through the ever-changing array of books on my lunch break. Perfect for picking up everything from a beach read to obscure academic texts.

I like this cafe with its selections of affordable prices for mostly, gently used, and some new books, CDs, and movies, ranging from fiction to nonfiction, including literature, reference, Caribbean, Native American, and Black/ African American. In my experience, I notice that many Black American/African books go out of print, mostly. So, I try my best to purchase the selections whenever I can I still have books from college from over 20 years ago! My daughter is an African American Studies major, and is a culinary chef in the making, so this will one of the place where I will be making many printed book purchases. This place has treasures of fiction and nonfiction books for one to build a personal print library. For those of us who still love to hold a book, read a book, this is the place to browse and buy gently used and new books and CDs at affordable price.Also, the cafe lingers in the morning with breakfast from the kitchen including toasted bagels and varieties of hot tea. There is an ample, cozy seating area to eat, read, and relax with your new finds from the bookstore. Its really a relaxing environment.Also, there is a buyer at the store who consigns books, CDs, and dvds.

Food is not good. Eggs seems to be liquid from a box. Bread is good though and waiting time. Coffee is good, I drink it black with sugar.

Place is nice and cozy. I didnt get to try any of thier food items. But I like the book selection they have. And prices seem very reasonable for used books.

Great Capuccino and vegan chocolate cake. Sip and read. Ideal place for book lovers.

Their book selection isnt huge, but everything seems fairly priced, and youll certainly find a novel to read. The ambiance is great--in a beautiful neighborhood in New Haven, coffee and books and art--definitrly worth a stop!

The table space is pretty small but stuff are nice and coffee is good😊

Live this place ; The simple menu has never disappointed me. Great sandwiches, bake goods, soups, coffees and teas. If youre a lover of 2nd hand Books, DVDs, and Music, youll love to take at look, and see what surprises you might find.

Nice, cozy, sort of busy (visually) shop. Good place to stop in on a brisk day.

Food and service was excellent. Food was very fresh and made to order. Coffee was delicious and the service was fast and very friendly. Nice place to sit and enjoy the city.

Wonderful sandwich and coffee in the courtyard. Peaceful and away from the sidewalk and road traffic.

Great sandwiches named after famous literary works. Fantastic vibes.

Down to earth and alternative venue. Tasty, healthy cakes with gluten free options. Good place to study.

Great used book store! Manager was super friendly and welcoming to my kids and I. Tasty treats, too!

Great coffee, very friendly customer service. They also have a vast selection of books, DVDs ands CDs. Great place to sell used books, DVDs and CDs. They offer either store credit or cash for your used itiems .

Good for studying, reading but the coffee and food were pretty bad. The coffee was too burnt. The latte foam is non-existent. Grape tomato&fresh mozzarella wasnt too bad. They are just how they are. The homemade pesto sauce was really plain. No favor at all.

Great place for lunch and chat over coffee. Wonderful place to browse and purchase used books.

Great coffee shop and used book store. More vegan options would be great!

Its a nice place to enjoy books and sit down and eat definitely will be coming back again

I absolutely adore this place! The setting is wonderfully welcoming with a nice home feel to it! The service is always fantastic, everyone is always so polite, smiling and making sure they do their best to help you in any way they can. The food is without a doubt delicious. My personal favorite is not only the wonderful wide variety of books and DVDs they offer but the fact that everything is more than fairly priced...I truly consider this place a true New Haven gold mine!! I would also like to thank Dave for doing such an amazing job with always coming through and helping me find any and every book or dvd I need..in store or not he always finds it! Thank you, Book Trader Cafe! ❤Love,A very happy customer

The big windows and ample natural light make this a great place to study. I also love their patio when its nice out. Their bagels are brought in from New York and outstrip other poor New-Haven excuses for bagels. For lunch, definitely try the house-made veggie burger.

Great book selection -- its actually organized and alphabetized! Lovely staff. Delicious treats and coffee.

The coffee is nice. But the atmosphere is great. I fell in love with the cafe at first sight.

Love this place! Great food, friendly staff!

Always a clean and welcoming space. Excellent collection that changes constantly. Delicious soups and cafe drinks!!

The egg sandwich I had (kale, grape tomato, and bacon) was delicious. Great bakery items and yummy side salads.

The staffs are very friendly. Great place to meet with a friend. Or to get some reading/homework done.

Really cute coffee shop filled with all sorts of stuff.

Its a nice cozy bookstore and sit-down cafe. If you ask, you can get great book recommendations from Dave.

Amazing bagels! Had the lox and it was super yummy

Great Coffee. They do bagels right. I can get lost in the books for hours

A wide variety of unique sandwiches all served on fresh bread -- with lots of books all around. Amazing service! My favorite place to have lunch in New Haven.

Nice place, great outdoor seating. Sandwiches were STACKED, and came very quick. Soup was also good. Lively place, also great book browsing!

Cool little cafe thats part cafe, part bookstore, and part community library. Good place for a coffee and quick bite

Good food. Great service. A large variety of books showcasing diverse genres in a quaint, small space. A cute, en plein aire patio garden. Lovely atmosphere. Try the soups and sandwiches. Read a book. Buy a book. Stay awhile. Enjoy the atmosphere in this urban city oasis. A book lovers haven! Affordable prices.

Great selection of books, sometimes obscure ones, for cheap. It would be nice if they could enlarge their science/math section. Otherwise, a very, very special place.

Nice place to work, good coffees and A LOT of interesting diverse books. I like to work in my afternoons there. Internet is super fast.

Best deals on books. Love to visit when Im in the area.

The staff are always friendly and efficient, the coffee and food are great, and browsing for books is an adventure.

Terrific spot to catch up on some reading, surfing, texting over a delicious coffee.

A great place to peruse a great selection of used books, then grab a bite at their small café, then sit, eat, drink (coffees), and read in the nicely airy table room before checking out at the friendly register. The books are arranged by topic, and they also have a nice and expanding selection of CDs for sale at very inexpensive prices. The staff is also very friendly and knowledgeable. Highly recommended as a destination, or just to sit a spell with a snack and a good book.

Quiet nook in this crazy new haven cranny. Great books. Some semi-rare finds. A bit overpriced but comparable. You can also get food and drink here as well. If u love hardcopy and not ebooks or if u owe your library$$ and cant get card this place is the next best thing.

Awesome coffee and snacks while shopping for a good book. Right next to Yale and Gateway Community College.

Great for geting a From common public librarys or even school areas for studying

The staff is always super nice. I love their Lemon Bars. My friends love their vegan lunch options.

Great food and friendly staff, excellent to sit outside on a good summer day

Great used book variety, organized but not too organized, decent coffee, and tasty sandwiches with an outdoor eatery. Enjoyed my time there.

Rocky road latte was sweet but perfectly tasty at the same time.

Always friendly staff. Great quick food!Lots of varieties changes daily!

Cozy atmosphere, great deal on used books, love their tuna salad on bagal.