Molasses Books

Okay yes I fell in love with this place the moment i walked in. A bookstore a cafe AND a bar?? Every queer’s dream. I loved the collection of radical books they have 🫦 the music is excellent and the space is so dreamy. IN LOVE. PERIOD

This combination bookstore, café, and bar leans a little more towards the latter. A great deal of space is taken up by the bar, so there aren't many seats or much standing space. They offer a mix of new and used books spanning literature and fiction, gender studies, art, children's books, zines, and more. The selection is a bit limited to make for a truly satisfying browsing experience, and the café menu is a bit limited to make for an exceptional coffee break, so the experience languishes somewhere in the middle for me. The atmosphere is cozy though, and I appreciate the amount of space dedicated to poetry alone. Note that laptops are not allowed after 8pm.

Peaceful used bookstore cafe with an excellent collection of great titles, especially for a relatively compact space. Selection compares to Unnameable Books in Prospect Heights. Studious crowd of hipster types. Dedicated if somewhat laconic service. Fun, pleasing atmosphere for the book-lover.

Stopped in to get a coffee. Watched the guy making the coffee empty the coffee out of the portafilter, and without rinsing the portafilter of the old grounds, simply pour in fresh grounds to make the espresso for my order. Will never return for their coffee. Books were genuinely interesting though, and if you are a performative reader this is definitely the spot for you.

This review is about sustainability! By 2050, there will be more plastic in ocean than fish. Which is why I was thrilled to see this lovely bookshop and café serving beverages in real, reusable mugs. As a customer, it means a lot to me to be able to support businesses that align with my value of caring for my local and global environment. So thank you for giving me the choice to live more sustainability while supporting this awesome shop. Keep up the great work!