I was drawn to this building because of the light fixtures and marble and brickwork. The inside was also very interesting with huge columns and high ceilings. It seemed to mainly be a DePaul University bookstore as they carried all kinds of T-shirts and other school items as well as lots of books. There is also a Barnes & Noble Cafe where you can grab a quick coffee or light breakfast. read more

See all

It says they close at 10 pm on Google so I walked all the way here, got here at 6:10 and apparently they close at 6pm, which was made known no where online. read more

While in town i decided to check out my favorite store..absolutrly incredible aechitecture for a book store. Great to see a Starbucks located in here. Same great coffe drinks and food. Great selection of books. This place is worth the visit. read more

Definitely more of a campus store as it's a pretty barebones bookstore. Also FYI - NO WiFi. The cafe is decently priced but all the food appears to be prepackaged. For example, the advertised $5 pizza is simply Di Giornos warmed up. The venti latte did come out to about $7 with tax which is a pretty good deal for the city but all in all I would recommend you spend your time and money elsewhere. read more

Barnes & Noble are generally a favorite stop to browse books and pickup a beverage at their coffee bar. Unfortunately, this location has the absolute worst in-store Starbucks that I've ever encountered. Walking up to the counter, my friend and I overheard the large man working there complain "I absolutely hate working here." His poor attitude showed in his interaction with me, especially the rude manner of informing me how "they don't take Starbucks cards" at this location. They also forgot to make one of the two drinks we ordered and when it didn't come out I asked about it he was again rude. Finally he admitted they forgot to ring up the drink and went back to make it after I paid for the drink. The woman working with the crabby guy was very pleasant and helpful and rang up the missing drink for me. As far as crabby guy goes, my advice is that people who don't like people should not be in the customer service business. This is the type of behavior that puts people off from coming into the store let alone buy a beverage. Completely unacceptable attitude. AVOID. read more

Barnes & Noble - Bookstores Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Terrible selection of books, hard to find staff, and everything is overpriced. Will not be coming back

Is a really nice book store when me and my friends went there we had a fun and enjoyable experience reading manga and chapter books

This store is the worst. I've been here many times and during none of my visits did the staff seem willing or able to be very helpful. Most recently this evening the sole cashier was talking to the customer she'd finished checking out about how maybe she should go on Atkins or keto, how she can eat gelato daily in Europe and still lose weight, how everything is so fresh in Europe... meanwhile I am waiting in line over a minute and a half (clocked it) while she's continuing the conversation. The other customer even looked over and saw me and said "oh; I'm sorry!" and started to move away, but the employee said "that's ok" and continued talking to her for about 30 seconds. O...k... appreciate the customer trying to show a sense of urgency, but the employee was pretty disappointing. read more

See all

This location doesn't accept B&N membership discount or B&N deals. You don't know until you check out. There should be a sign. Lost my business. I'll go in to look, but not buy. read more

So I go in as I have not been to this store in two years and wanted to look around and purchase some books. Now when I used to go here a lot they had another bunch of book sections down stairs. So I went down those stairs like always only to see there is nothing down there anymore. As soon as I saw that I went back up. When I got to the top a security guard was all over me about going down there! I explained I used to go down all the time and was surprised they no longer have anything down there. And again he acted like a committed a crime or something! How am I supposed to know they downsized so much and got rid of the books down stairs? And if they are so worried about people going down there then gee maybe have a sign there or a chain across the stairs so people KNOW not to go down! Then another guard came over giving me even more grief about it! My god all I did was go down some stairs as I had done a million times before as there was NO way of knowing there is nothing there now and here I was being treated like a thug! So I left instead of buying anything. Now I can see why they are downsizing and closing stores if this is how they treat customers! read more

I m a fan o books. I read all kids of genre including novels, romance, fantasy, fiction, mystery, thriller, westerns, and contemporary. I spend 3 hours of searching and choosing what I bought. I can't find the Volume 3 of the books that I read. Staff said that it is already sold yesterday and if I went here early its possible that I can get 1 copies of it. It is limited edition thats why its sold already. Lot of fans read and buy those books. Since I haven't buy those Volume 3 I just choose the books with a romance genre. My sister said that its really good and the ending was so beautiful. I highly recommend this bookstore. read more

I love to come here during cold or rainy weather. This bookstore also has Starbucks inside. You can buy a book or bring your laptop and just enjoy their college-bookstore atmosphere. They also sell my favorite Harney & Sons Tea. Cons: Fire your security guards or at least teach them some basic manners. It seems like that they are there not to protect, but just to bark on people when you did a simple mistake and used the wrong door. read more

Location, location, location! I had an extra hour to kill before an appointment and thought of going to the HW Library or Borders. But I stumbled upon Barnes & Noble before I could even finish my thought. It's easy to forget about this store! They've got a big cafe and magazine section, which is great as a bookstore oasis. But the store is pretty high traffic and gets messy. It's a smaller B&N, as half of the store is devoted to DePaul textbooks, but I had no trouble finding a few things I was interested in. The display table devoted to Chicago had some nice finds, including the NFT Not For Tourists Guide to Chicago, and Chicago for Cheapskates guide to Free things and happenings in Chicago. This definitely isn't a destination bookstore for me. I'm a Borders Rewards holder, and I like their music section, whereas B&N has none. But for the quick pop in when I'm in the area it's not bad. read more

You can't beat this store for location: when you are downtown and need a book ASAP, this is your best bet. (There's also the Borders at Randolph and State but I am brand-loyal to Barnes and Noble). Now, this doesn't happen to me too often but both times it has been a travel book, and both times they have had exactly what I wanted. In yesterday's case, that was a Top Ten Toronto guidebook; they had precisely one on the shelf. Hurrah! In general, their travel section seems more robust than other Barnes and Noble stores, even ones which are bigger overall, such as the one in Evanston. Keen sales data analysis? Just a quirk? Unknown. It aggravates me to see college kids camped out in bookstores but like I said, I'm not coming in here too often and it's only ever for a specific desired book. So live and let live, I guess. read more

My kids have a mini house project using paper. We don't have any hard paper and materials in our house so I went to this place. They are organized in their inventory. I bought cardboard, acrylic paint, glue, glue gun, stick, scissors, cutter, chalk, velom board and paint brush. I spent an hour finding those materials. Some staff are busy so no one will answer and tell me the section of the material that I bought. It's my first time here so I don't know much about every selection they have. Luckily some customers are kind and help me with the location. They have school supplies and art supplies so you can find anything that you are looking at. I highly recommend this place. read more

The former Crow's Nest record shop has been recently revamped into a college bookstore under the name of the nationwide Barnes & Noble chain. So it serves the needs of the DePaul students as well as the general public, and that is actually good marketing. read more

Barnes & Noble - Barnes & Noble - Bookstores Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

A small corporate bookstore in a city of plenty. I can't find great books here. A key from the cashier is required to go to the bathroom. It seems like the selection is not much larger than that of a grocery store. I'd rather go to the many independent options in Printer's Row or around the city. read more

The hidden treasure trove in this store is the downstairs books' section. I found there a slew of titles I'd been thinking about for ages--on seeing them on the shelf, they moved from the back of my mind to front-row! Example: Henry Marsh's Do No Harm; I'd lost my copy while half-way through & there it sprang up again (in this memoir, Marsh tells us about a checkered life spent as a brain surgeon--I know, unusual, but all the more compelling for that). On the main floor, don't miss the sections on world politics: you can range easily past the popular (WWII, the Civil War) and delve into colonialism and esp. important, neo-colonialism. At the customer service center, they're incredibly prompt and conscientious despite being overloaded with work. Support bricks-and-mortar businesses who pay local taxes! read more

First of all, your bathroom policy...it's the worst. In order to use the restroom you have to obtain a key from a customer service clerk who will not give you the key without an exchange of your ID. The ID that you produce, it remains at the counter while you use the restroom. Secondly, your bathrooms...disgusting. I really gave up my ID in exchange for a key to hell. From no toilet paper in stalls, blood and fecal matter on the seats, to the smell of over marinated poon in the air. If I'm giving you my ID in exchange for a key to your restrooms at least give me a clean place to squat in. That is all. read more

So, I forgot my Barnes and Noble card at home in Florida. I told the cashier if I could still get the discount. She said yes and then I said ok, thanks it's the educators discount. She then told me , oh if it's educators discount, I can't give it to you. I said, ok, can you give me the regular discount and she said no, SINCE I ALREADY TOLD HER I WAS AN EDUCATOR..WHAT???? Customer service sucked!! read more

Disclaimer: I am reviewing this Barnes and Noble as a study place rather than as a book store. As a book store I would rate this Barnes and Noble as 4 stars. It is clean, the staff seems friendly, and while it is small, you can still find the items any other Barnes and Nobles sells like headphones, popular board games, and holiday/birthday cards. However, I came here to study and was disappointed to find that the only study area was the cafe. I had expected a few study tables located throughout the Barnes and Noble that were spacious enough to allow me to put down my books, notepad, and computer down in front of me, much like at a library or at other larger Barnes and Nobles. However, most of the tables were small allowing space really only a laptop and a notebook, the chairs weren't very comfortable, a number of people kept moving through the area, and it was a little noisy. To be fair though, there are two long tables with outlets available and the bar seating against the window all had outlets. So getting an outlet shouldn't be much of a problem. Also, this seating serves as a place for cafe drinkers to sit down and talk and that's the reason for the noise and smaller tables. All in all, if you're coming with just one friend to study, studying at this Barnes and Noble isn't too bad. Anymore than one friend, and you all might end up not sitting with each other. I would also bring headphones or work that doesn't require deep concentration. read more

So, after being told that I couldn't use the BN coupon I received in the weekly email, and being told "it says right out front, dude", I have sworn off Barnes and Noble entirely. Never will I shop there again. I called the manager, who was very apologetic, and told her that I realize it's the holiday, and people are assholes, but I really just wanted to buy my two books, and had I known the the DePaul site was not "really" a Barnes and Noble, I would have went to North and Clyborne, or State Street. Also, I think it should be said that retail is a shitty gig ... I get that, but clerk Michelle, if you're gonna be a bitch, make sure people deserve it, because then you have a better chance of explaining yourself to the manager, after your upset customer calls and complains. Furthermore, I told Lilly the manager, that when you're treated like this, it really makes you wish that it was BN that went under and not Borders. I told her that I'd just shop at Amazon, or Books a Million, because the latter is basically the only discount bookstore left in the city of Chicago. read more

On one hand, we are so bloody lucky to have access to giant bookstores full of every kind of book you could want. On the other, we have bookstores like these which are so spread out and numerous, that the books we really want aren't in stock and when we do find some we want to test before buying, there is nowhere to do so but popping a squat on the floor of the giant, vacuous stores. I tend to check B&N's website before going, just in case they are out of what I want and that has proven useful in the past. The staff are also pretty useful and the supply fairly well organized. Check out the stack of classics and the bargain bins. Every now and again, you can find something great. And for tourists and new arrivals, the travel section is excellent for maps great and small. They also have a pretty great selection of Chicago-specific books for nerds like me that make it their amateur historian business to know all the minutia a particular intersection may possess. The minus stars are for lack of seating and a bit of a confusing layout. read more

This place gets very busy with the lunch time loopers and college students, but they handle the crowds well. We came for a snack and ended up getting a really rich and delicious Godiva chocolate cheesecake. Yummie!!! They have all sorts of stuff in the cafe, even vegetarian friendly options! (They had bbq tofu when we were here). Lots of table seating or window seating if you want to sit and read/eat. Lots of great books as well!!! read more

Gave a 5 to B&N because half of the reviews so far are wrong. Mainly regarding the bathroom policy and the 1 about the cooking section. Also the ones regarding the membership discounts, The Cooking section is HUGE and is downstairs. Along with science, Religion, Art, Music, Text, etc... The Bathroom policy: The bathroom policy is the policy of Depaul University. Not Barnes and Noble. The building is a historic landmark and CAN NOT BE CHANGED! Barnes and Noble has no say, and trust me, I'm sure the employees have better things to do with their time then to talk to 10,000 people a day about having to pee. And the membership policy. This is a College bookstore. Your discount is at a regular Barnes. They can give you the discount just can't use your card. RELAX. You won't die! How do i know, they did it for me. read more

3 things. 1. Limited selection. I'd say it is maybe 40% of a regular B&N 2. Large volume of people browsing. Not a reason for removing a star, but it is annoying given the aforementioned small area 3. The reason for such a piss poor review, terrible TERRIBLE wi-fi. This is 2014, ppl. I literally spent 8 minutes connecting, then the signal was so poor I couldn't load: Gmail, Imgur, or YouTube. I promptly left and will absolutely under no conditions return. read more

This is a review for the text book rental service. Avoid renting from them at all costs. Rude and unprofessional staff, the return process is very complicated and seems to set you up to fail. even if you try to return your books, odds are you will end up charged for doing something wrong. I'm sure it's great as a book store, but the textbook department gets a 1 star. The least they could do is pretend to be polite read more

Definitely worth the visit, it looks great and is in the center of tourist activity, but the layout confusing and the staff is rude and obnoxious. Although this place looks large, it's mainly for the college students in Chicago, you're better off ordering on Amazon or finding another bookstore elsewhere. There are many tourist books and educational text books, and those seem to be their primary focus. The Starbucks is decent, but the staff is a bit caddy and you get the vibe that they don't enjoy their jobs. The staff at the front register is equally disappointing. If you'll be downtown due to other attractions, this place is worth a visit, but don't expect more than you should. read more

The most relaxing lunch hour one can spend during the day. With the DePaul students, tourists, residents, the homeless and loop employees all converging on this book store, it can get quite crowded though. They have a nice cafe for coffee and lunch (flat screens) and I do enjoy the basement (no cell connectivity) which really shows how big this place is. The kids area is big with a seating area. My favorite sections are history, travel, crime and sports. They also have nice lounge chairs and tables to make yourself comfortable. The employees are very helpful and friendly. DePaul merchandise and posters can be found throughout the store. I love this store even more so than the ones at Village Crossing mall and Westfield Old Orchard (both in Skokie). You can also find yourself getting lost in a time warp in the bargain book section. There are just way too many great deals! read more

Every once in awhile, I need a break! A break from the office, a break from the hustle and bustle, and most of all a break from people. This Barnes & Noble is a great place for that break. Stroll downstairs to the under-paid-attention-to section and grab a comfy chair to read a book. Or, go in the front section upstairs where no one is sitting to relax. Unfortunately, this place is much smaller than your average Barnes & Noble and they don't carry a whole lot in the sections I usually shop in. However, they do have books (oh wait, they are a book store). Okay, they also have a cafe, games, cards, and knick-knacks to enjoy. And, if you're a DePaul student, there's also a textbook section. I just can't warrant giving any bookstore under 4 stars since I love books. Plus, with great customer service and a fabulous location, this Barnes & Noble makes me a fan! read more

Reviewing the kids section. Good selection and cute stuff to do in the middle of the city. My boys enjoyed the train table and toys and books. Bought two books and they were not marked up and in fact their bargain books section is very nice. We will be back read more

Barnes & Noble - Kids section - Bookstores Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I imagine most people reading the review already know what a Barnes & Noble is like, so I'll leave that part out. But the cafe part is worth reviewing, because it is the biggest one in the area. It is also open later than many businesses in the loop, until 10 pm on weekdays. There is usually plenty of seating, and it's a great place to sit next to a big window and read a book. The store is frustrating though. First, the bathroom policy. Your store serves coffee, but I have to go to the desk for a bathroom key and then walk far, far away to get to it? Seems like someone would have figured out that was a bad idea. Second, they don't take B&N giftcards, and the Starbucks doesn't take Starbucks giftcards (yes, I know, you're a "Barnes and Noble cafe"). So overall, I'll go there, mostly due to the lack of competition in the "coffee & place to read" area, at least in the loop. Cafecito is way better if you're ok with a smaller space. read more

I really like supporting small businesses and am a huge fan of buying used books....but this B&N is practically inside my office so I usually end up buying most of my books here on my lunch hour. It is smaller than other locations, but I really like the layout. Bargain books (buy with caution - you can find some deals but often a book is $4 for a reason), new releases, and bestsellers are all prominently displayed. I'm usually able to wander around, pick up a few books that pique my interest, and walk out with 2-3 titles for about $25. I've found service here to be really good as well. The cashier line is never very long and when I have needed help finding a book the staff has always known exactly what I was talking about and was able to lead me to it in under 60 seconds. read more

I am very sad this is my first review under 3 start and it bum's me out as I love to read that it would be a book store I would give a less than stellar revue too but this location sucks monkey balls !! I hope being connected to the University helps enough for you to not care about the general public, and to just say F customer care/service we are part of De Paul University First the lay out of this store is all messed up you really should hire one of De Paul's students to help you bet lay out this store Secondly I am B&N member I pay for this damn discount card so to be told they don't take it here WTF ? is not Barnes and Nobles ? oh I see you but you are not, you are attached to the University so the big sign out front that says Barnes & Noble means nothing OK got it...... wont be back to this location any time soon if my membership isn't good at all Barnes and Nobles maybe its time to see if Borders would rather have my Business read more

Let me first say that with the abundance of GOOD used and independent bookstores *cough*Open Books*cough* in the city, the only reason to go to somewhere like Barnes and Nobles is because you're not worried at all about your finances, you hate supporting small and local businesses, or you desperately need a book. I fell into the latter category today, faced with a dinner alone and long train ride home and having just finished my last book. The setup of the store makes finding things pretty difficult, so I stuck to the middle tables with the bestsellers, new releases and the classics. I ended up finding a book after looking up some of the titles on good reads (that's the other plus of independent bookstores, they usually have readers picks/reviews to help you pick something new), but paying full price for a book at a place like B&N kinda kills me inside.... Especially because this place is much less Barnes and Noble and much more "Depauls University Bookstore" (Don't let the name on the building confuse you). Anyway, after finding a book I realized I had left my headphones at work, so I went to pick up a new pair. They were locked, which is understandable given it's the loop, but it took me 10 minutes to find someone to unlock it. I gotta say though, the most disappointing thing had to be the lack of conversation and the checkout counter. Like that's the best part of bookstores, is the conversation about the book you just bought/what the clerk is reading/general conversation between two people who like to read. So. Its okay, I guess, if it's a book emergency, bur otherwise I'd recommend making a trip to your friendly neighborhood bookstore. read more

I really hate dealing with this textbook store. Last year I had nothing but problems, this year I'm having nothing but problems. Apparently, college kids want jobs...they just don't want to do them until you ask for a manager. I understand it's chaotic down there, but there is no reason a conversation between 2 employees about outside matters should be finished before deciding to help customers. Especially when they switch the set-up from a "find it yourself" one to one where the employees have to get the books for you. We're trying to get out of there as quick as possible so you have some downtime, I promise. The changes they seem to make every quarter only reinforce how ridiculous I think DePaul is. read more

I don't think I will ever feel the same way reading a book from an ipad/nook/kindle as the way I feel from reading an actual book. The sensation of flipping the pages, and the ease of flagging pages, highlighting verses and making notes is too convenient to forsake. I am thankful that B&N is still around, although the business model might need some changes. This particular location, as with others, thrives on the addition of a cafe that proudly brews Bux coffee. It is convenient located on the DePaul loop campus and within walking distance from stores and more important, office buildings in the south Loop. I, like many other professionals, find peace and quiet and a little bit of wisdom hopefully by coming here after work. Because it is in the heart of the city, and it serves as a great shelter in event of snowing, raining and just on a daily basis, there are some questionable visitors in the cafe. At times it smells a little bit bad. I also hereby petition to the building manager to please either a) add a noticeable sign of where the restrooms are located (for which you will need to ask the B&N employees for the keys) or; b) add two more restrooms! I think that's a pretty reasonable request given that you serve diuretic beverages here. Many thanks! :) read more

Man, I think it is so cool that the DePaul bookstore is a Barnes and Noble. I wish MY university's bookstore had been a Barnes and Noble. That would have been awesome. Anyway... I really like Barnes and Noble. Even though it's a big corporate chain. Obviously I love adorable little independent bookstores, and musty old used bookstores, I really really do. But the bottom line is that I love bookstores, period; therefore I love Barnes and Noble. And I love that I have an excuse to hang out in one every week doing nothing except browsing and having an excellent asiago cheese pretzel at the B&N cafe while my boyfriend is in class upstairs. (As noted in my Borders review, I don't actually buy a lot of books at B&N. They rarely have special deals, discounts, coupons, etc. The Borders Rewards program is just plain better if you're looking for a good deal.) read more

When I worked nearby, I would bring my lunch to their cafe and read magazines. They have plenty of tables, but finding one is difficult during regular lunch hours, of course. Most of the books are downstairs, where there are only 2 or 3 seats available. The selection is small compared to other bookstores (like Borders), but they do have a nice section of discounted books on the first floor. The cafe also offers sandwiches, snacks, and coffee, plus there's seating outside when the weather is nice. read more

A few years back I had a painful racist experience here, I never went back after I ordered my books on Amazon. I was a student at DePaul and I went to the basement where the textbooks are to pick up books for my classes, not sure of the reps name but it was an Asian guy maybe in his late 20s, early 30s, he followed me around the store was rude and didn't want to answer any questions, I couldn't checkout at the register downstairs so I had to pay upstairs and he radioed in and said "I have a sketchy black girl coming up make sure she pays" I hope he doesn't work there anymore, very racist and bias. Honestly, I'm ALMOST sure I had more money in the bank than him and to treat me like scum and a potential thief was disheartening. I was scared to speak up but I finally got the courage to do so. He was a monster for how he made me feel and I hope that if he is there he receives some sensitivity training to learn tolerance and to not perpetuate stereotypes into customers he knows nothing about! They lost my dollars for sure, and I told other black students about my experience. read more