2025’s Top Book-Cafés Transform Global Communities with Literary Charm

In a vibrant testament to the enduring power of books and human connection, the 2025 One Thousand Libraries Awards has unveiled the world’s most innovative book-cafés, crowned by an impassioned global vote of 200,000 book and café enthusiasts from May 15 to July 15. Selected from 16 nominees, these 10 extraordinary venues redefine bookstores as essential “third places”—captivating social havens where communities coalesce, ideas ignite, and the simple act of sipping coffee amid shelves fosters cultural bonds. In an era of digital disconnection, these book-cafés stand as luminous beacons, blending literature, ambiance, and community spirit. Here’s a vivid portrait of the top 10, as celebrated by a worldwide community of readers, urbanists, and dreamers:

Minoa Pera, Istanbul, Türkiye

Voted the pinnacle of innovation, Minoa Pera dazzles with its sleek stone floors and minimalist elegance, a modern literary cathedral. Its shelves brim with over 45,000 Turkish and English books, from chart-topping bestsellers to obscure indie gems, complemented by curated stationery and chic home décor. The second-floor café, reached via stairs embedded with books, envelops patrons in a warm, intellectual embrace, where coffee and pages weave an enchanting escape.

The Used Book Café at Merci, Paris, France

Tucked in Paris’s Marais district, this intimate haven wraps visitors in a cozy cocoon of thousands of books, predominantly French with a generous English selection. The café’s rustic charm shines through plush armchairs and a menu of buttery croissants, velvety pumpkin soup, and decadent cakes, inviting readers to lose themselves in literature over a steaming latte or a leisurely lunch.

Halle Saint-Pierre, Paris, France

A cultural jewel in Montmartre, Halle Saint-Pierre pulses with creative energy within a 19th-century iron-and-glass market hall. Its bookstore specializes in outsider and contemporary art, while the café tempts with vegetarian pastries and rich coffee. Rotating art exhibitions, accessible with a fee, infuse the space with avant-garde vibrancy, making it a magnet for artistic souls.

Péniche L’Eau et les Rêves, Paris, France

Drifting along the Canal de l’Ourcq, this barge-turned-book-café is a verdant paradise, its shelves laden with books on botany and gardening amid cascading vines and potted plants. The glass-walled café, bathed in sunlight, offers serene canal views, inviting patrons to savor coffee or a meal in a tranquil, nature-inspired retreat that feels like a literary oasis.

Cafebrería El Péndulo Polanco, Mexico City, Mexico

In Polanco’s bustling heart, this two-story book-café bursts with vitality, its Spanish and English book collection interwoven with lush greenery that breathes life into every corner. The second-floor restaurant, overlooking a vibrant interior, serves a sophisticated menu, blending urban elegance with a natural, forest-like allure that captivates readers and diners alike.

Ampersand Café & Bookstore, Sydney, Australia

A three-story literary treasure in Sydney, Ampersand houses over 30,000 used books, from gritty crime novels to rare antiquarian tomes, set against a backdrop of eclectic, vintage furniture. The café’s menu dazzles with Turkish-inspired labneh eggs, miso-glazed salmon poke bowls, and warm pastries, creating a homey sanctuary where book lovers linger in cozy comfort.

Ler Devagar, Lisbon, Portugal

Housed in a repurposed printing warehouse in Lisbon’s LX Factory, Ler Devagar mesmerizes with soaring shelves, a preserved printing press, and a surreal flying bicyclist sculpture suspended mid-air. Beyond its vast book collection, it offers vinyl records, art, and a lively café serving aromatic coffee, transforming an industrial space into a pulsating cultural hub.

Maison Assouline, London, UK

Nestled in a former bank, Maison Assouline exudes opulence with its curated collection of art, fashion, travel, and lavish coffee table books. The Swans Bar, an elegant enclave within, serves refined cocktails and light meals amid sumptuous sofas, rare antiques, and curated art, crafting a literary experience steeped in timeless sophistication.

Bibliotheque NYC, New York, USA

In SoHo’s chic heart, Bibliotheque blends a stylish book-café with a wine bar, its sleek walls lined with books and bold modern art. By day, it tempts with artisanal teas, specialty coffees, and light fare like sandwiches; by night, an extensive wine list elevates its sophisticated allure, making it a haven for urban intellectuals.

Livraria Funambule, Petrópolis, Brazil

This independent gem radiates cottage-like warmth with soft white and green tones, potted plants, and a serene outdoor terrace. Its curated book selection pairs seamlessly with specialty coffee and delicate pastries, creating a soul-soothing retreat where nature and literature intertwine to nurture the spirit.

These book-cafés, heralded by a global community, reimagine bookstores as vital cultural lifelines, proving that the alchemy of a book and a coffee can forge enduring human connections in a fragmented world.