The Best Bars In NYC Where You Can Read In Peace
Sept. 14, 2017, 2 p.m.
Some bars are too loud and dark for book-reading, but others are inviting and quiet enough that you can enjoy literature in peace.
Bars are fun with people, but they're also fun alone, especially when no one talks to you. To keep people from bothering you while you drink away your life, though, it's best to bring a book, either to read or to look like you're reading. Some bars are too loud and dark for book-reading, but others are inviting and quiet enough that you can enjoy literature in peace. Here are our favorite NYC reading bars; as always, leave yours in the comments.
Courtesy Sycamore
SYCAMORE: Tucked into a dimly-lit space on Cortelyou Road, you'll find Ditmas Park's darling watering hole, Sycamore, abundant both in whiskey and charm. Known for its front-facing flower shop (returning at the end of the month!) and its verdant patio, Sycamore checks all the boxes for a place that feels peaceful and far away. Or, in other words, it's a spot with perfect reading vibes. If you go during their earlier hours (Sycamore opens at noon on the weekends and at two during the week), you'll likely find ample room at their no-fuss bar to dip into a book and enjoy a glass of local bourbon. Just avoid weekend nights: Sycamore, like many great bars for introverts, becomes louder, busier, and less approachable during popular hours. (Fraylie Nord)
Sycamore is located at 1118 Cortelyou Road between Stratford and Westminster Roads in Flatbush, Brooklyn (347-240-5850, sycamorebrooklyn.com).
VBAR & CAFE: As the name suggests, VBar & Cafe is one of those hybrid coffee-booze places, and also a very nice spot to sit with any sort of drink and a book. It's got a big oak table, comfy enough stools, and a happy hour that starts promptly at 4 p.m. "Productivity in the daytime, promiscuity in the nighttime" reads the sign outside, though it's fine to get promiscuous for LITERATURE at any point during the day.
You're also right by Washington Square Park, which is really the ideal place to sit and read. But soon it'll be freezing and dark most the day, and you'll be want a cozy spot with hushed music and a $4 pint, so you can read, I don't know, vampire novels. (Jake Offenhartz)
VBar is located at 225 Sullivan Street between Bleecker and 3rd Streets in Greenwich Village (212-253-5740, vbarandcompany.com).
(Scott Heins / Gothamist)
BIRDY'S: Bushwick bar Birdy's opened up in 2015, and over the last couple of years it's cemented itself as the neighborhood's go-to no-frills old man bar hang. Though, like most entries on this list, Birdy's can get a little too rowdy for the casual reader at night, during the day you can post up at its big, long bar with your book of choice, imbibing a $7 Dark-and-Shandy and nibbling on free cheese puffs. As a bonus, there are a few pinball machines and dope punk music to enjoy if you get bored of looking at all the words.
Birdy's is located at 1215 Myrtle Avenue between Bushwick and Willoughby Avenues in Bushwick, Brooklyn.
GEORGE & JACK'S TAP ROOM: The best thing about George & Jacks is the free popcorn, which you can pour at your convenience and top with butter, garlic and Old Bay. The second best thing is the ambiance, which is quiet and unpretentious and lends itself to silent lone boozing with or without some literature in hand. Snag the booth by the window and you won't even notice how dark the bar is as you dive into the latest Jennifer Egan or Zadie Smith or Twilight spin-off. Note that though the bar won't stop you from eating six cartons of popcorn, your stomach does rebel at some point.
George & Jack's is located at 103 Berry Street at the corner of North 8th Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
MISSION DOLORES: Mission Dolores's set-up manages to serve simultaneously as an outdoor/indoor bar, which means it gets lots of natural light and a good cross breeze, even when the weather turns sour. This large drinking foyer of sorts is a particular bonus for bar readers, who benefit from Mission Dolores's glass skylight and lack of blaring music during the day and night. (Missions Dolores is always pretty chill, except maybe late on Saturday nights). Bring your book, get one or ten of their many beers on tap, and be sure to pet some of the bar's visiting dogs during reading breaks.
Mission Dolores is located at 249 4th Avenue between President Street and 5th Avenue in Gowanus, Brooklyn (347-457-5606, missiondolores.com).
BAR GREAT HARRY: Carroll Gardens' Bar Great Harry is owned by the same folks behind Mission Dolores, and here too they've made use of indoor/outdoor space. When the weather's good, the bar opens its doors, so lone drinkers and group boozers alike can enjoy the natural light and air. This makes Bar Great Harry an exceptionally good place to bring a book—the bar is pretty chill during the day and early evening, and the sunlight/breeze makes it even more pleasant. Pull up to the bar, grab a beer, and stick around until closing time if you wish.
Bar Great Harry is located at 280 Smith Street between Degraw and Sackett Streets in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn (347-457-5650, bargreatharry.com).
Via Facebook
THE LOBBY BAR AT THE ACE HOTEL: The Ace Hotel is notoriously hip, having turned its strip of 29th Street into a sea of swanky stores and Stumptown. But the lobby bar is surprisingly unpretentious, catering to a fairly casual Midtown post-work crowd in the rear of the room. Friendly bartenders whip up a number of tasty specialty cocktails, and readers can enjoy them while reclining on the bar's plush leather couches. When your eyes get tired, you can people-watch rock stars and poseurs heading in and out of the hotel.
The Ace Hotel is located at 20 West 29th Street between Broadway and 5th Avenue in Flatiron (212-679-2222, acehotel.com/newyork).
DTUT: DTUT is more of a coffee shop than a bar, but in the evening they bring out the beer and wine, and things can get pretty lively. Not so lively, though, that you can't pretend to read Infinite Jest once folks start swapping out espressos for Shiners, since even with the booze the place sticks to its cute little cafe vibe. Post up on a couch or at a communal table, and feel free to bring your laptop, should you prefer to do your reading online, since DTUT offers free wifi for customers on weekdays.
DTUT is located at 1744 2nd Avenue between 90th and 91st Streets in Yorkville (212-410-6449, dtutcafe.com).
LIBRARY AT THE NOMAD HOTEL: Where better to read than a library?
You don't have to be a bibliophile to appreciate the NoMad Hotel's spectacular library bar, but if you happen to be one of those people who wander through The Strand just to smell the old books (it's not weird) you might as well just pour yourself a sherry and move in for good. Two levels of bookshelves stacked with real books and journals line the bar from floor-to-ceiling, and leather chairs, small tables, plush couches, Persian carpets and spiraling staircases get the library look down to a T. For refreshment, the bar offers a wide variety of wines, beers, snacks and cocktails curated by Death & Company alum Jessica Gonzalez.
The NoMad Hotel is located at 1170 Broadway at 28th Street (212-796-1500, thenomadhotel.com).
LIC BAR: LIC Bar's both a great outdoor bar and a great indoor one, boasting one of the best backyards in the city in addition to a fireplace. So it goes without saying, then, that this romantic little Long Island City spot doubles as a boozy reading room, rain or shine. Enjoy a few pints with your lit (skip the cocktails) and be sure to bring cash, since this place has a cruel $20 credit card minimum.
LIC Bar is located at 4558 Vernon Boulevard in Long Island City, Queens (718-786-5400, licbar.com).
EASTWOOD: Reading at a New York City bar is almost always a kind of performance, so the trick is to find a place where you can brandish a book and blend in as part of the scene while the real action unfolds around you. Ideally, the place is bright, serves food, and isn’t deafening. In other words, Eastwood. The two-for-one drafts and $2 off tap wine happy hour ensures that the place buzzes from 5 to 8, but the lack of liquor wards off the bachelor party pre-gamers and those who might give you a wedgie with their eyes at the sight of The Power Broker. When the crowds file out, you might be inclined to order a giant bowl of french fries and finish that long chapter. Or, sick of your internal monologue and restlessly buzzed, ask the friendly bartenders if they’ve read anything good recently. (Christopher Robbins)
Eastwood is located at 221 East Broadway between Clinton and Montgomery Streets on the Lower East Side (212-233-0124).