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    Omnivore Books

    4.8 (145 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 6:00 pm

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    Kristina Cho and Jon Kung
    Ashley C.

    This bookstore has so much heart. How wonderful and special it is to have a bookstore specializing in food in our community. I am grateful to have met the authors behind Woks of Life, Kristina Cho, and Jon Kung and get signed copies of their cookbooks! They have all events listed on their website and I could encourage anyone who loves to cook or likes cookbooks to check them out! I am grateful to have them in the city!

    Cecilia M.

    Such a DELIGHTFUL shop: an entire bookstore for books about FOOD. This delicious stop will sure make you salivate as you dive into beautifully curated collection of printed pages from all around the world! Ever want to find a specific culinary topic, chef or food -- this is the place! They also host lots of author in-person events. Make sure to check their website for listings. This independent bookstore is a MUST visit.

    Book in packaging
    Karen W.

    I saw a post from one of my favorite chefs that his newest book had signed copies available at this store. They offer shipping throughout the US so I placed an order. The price was the retail listing so bear in mind that popular releases will probably be cheaper at Costco and Amazon but hey, I figure I'll pay the extra cost for the signed copy. I received updates on the order and a notification when it shipped out. Shipping for my large cookbook was $7 through USPS media mail. It arrived in a timely manner, well packaged in packing peanuts and bubble wrap. They even included some cute stickers on the cover of the box :). The book is in superb condition and I can't wait to try some recipes from it. Thanks to Omnivore Books for the great service!

    Mitzi W.

    An adorable store devoted to food. It's so cutely organized with new and vintage books. The owner says they do buy books so I hope to get organized and email her photos of books that I have. I love that they are not books from all of the popular chefs but a huge variety of books from all regions. Cookbooks. Books related to food. Vintage books are protected by clear covers. I saw a formerly $1 cocktail book selling for $60-looked like a treasured book that a cocktail aficionado would love. I plan to make my holiday shopping list and return to do my holiday shopping!

    Reema P.

    The cutest little bookstore with the sweetest employees! I went to pick up Palak Patel's book and they were able to find our order super fast and let us know when the signing might be. Will definitely be coming back!!!

    Reed B.

    An exceptional niche bookstore if you have any interest in cooking, food or restaurants. I could spend hours going through their selection of books about food, old menus and so much more. Exceptionally curated and the folks who work there are incredibly knowledgeable. Can't wait to visit again someday!

    Jen T.

    Haven for book lovers and cooks! Located behind the pet shop, they definitely use all the available space - bookshelves to the ceiling! And the selection is mind-boggling. Any topic you want, there's a book for it, along with vintage, signed, and one of a kind books. Also, check out the website for sale books. So much history in this little space: The back room is a converted freezer for possibly a deli or meat market. Also Luv luv the mural painted outside - can't miss it.

    Genevieve Y.

    Date & Time: Sunday December 6, 2009 @ 3pm Event: Legendary Thomas Keller Introduction & Book-Signing Crowd: Packed w/ Well-Heeled Foodies: 20-30 Something Ladies in Cashmere Sweaters, Scarves, Hudson Jeans, Tory Burch Flats or Knee-High Boots w/ 2 Carat Diamond Studs Accompanied by Bored Husbands Lugging Around 5 Pound Thomas Keller Books Atmosphere: Cozy Music: Ella Fitzgerald Decor: Charming Little Bookstore w/ Sunny Yellow Walls & White Bookshelves Filled w/ Cookbooks Service: Friendly Knowledgeable Ladies Imbibe: Chai Cart Must-Haves: French Laundry & Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller Total: $109.50

    Tiger in Kitchen author Cheryl Lu-Lien Tan
    Jana C.

    A foodie bookstore, right in Noe, off a quiet little corner, tucked away? Small, cute as a button, and sporting some really great authors associated with food in some way. Never knew it was here; thanks to Tiger in the Kitchen's author who made a guest showing this afternoon (so personable, so pretty), I now know about this adorable independent... and though I wasn't planning on buying yet another copy of the book, I did. Wanted to show my support and appreciation. If Yelp reader, you are in any way into the art and appreciation of food, culture, artistic embodiment in this form, please come and spend a wee bit of time here. You won't be sorry I recommended it!

    Directing towards the storefront...

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    1 year ago

    Amazing bookstore fully dedicated to food and cookbooks. Friends and family specifically ask to visit when coming to San Francisco

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    3 years ago

    Something out of a movie, this quaint corner bookstore is a gem - I'm in love with everything about this place!

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    8 years ago

    Best book selections. Best staff! Best programs of guest writers.

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    13 years ago

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    5 years ago

    My new favorite store! I'll never go anywhere else for a cookbook. They were extremely friendly and had great recommendations.

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    Page 1 of 4

    Ask the Community - Omnivore Books

    Review Highlights - Omnivore Books

    I found everything from German toasts (as in making a toast, not bread) to a fab modern encyclopaedia of cooking.

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    City Lights - The staircase leading upstairs to the main floor.

    City Lights

    4.4(817 reviews)
    3.6 miChinatown
    $$

    One of the neatest bookstores in the US. The Poetry room upstairs is wonderful. So much fun…read morehistory here to learn about. And this bookstores has some amazing staff book recommendations with little tags on the bookshelf telling you why they loved that book so much; found some great new finds that way. Dont forget to get your books stamped with their bookstores stamp on the way out!

    An amazing bookstore and so glad I asked chatGPT to give me some ideas for a stroll around SF near…read moreUnion Square. Well, ok, this place isnt close to Union Sq, about a mile away, but it was a perfect delicious end destination for a post dinner stroll! I like bookstores and I like eclectic, unique ones. I'll go to Barnes & Noble if I had no other choice, but my favorite bookstores are independent ones and ones where they carry very unique books you can't find elsewhere. This bookstore made my inner little nerdy self so happy. I immediately got lost up front looking at very recent publication by Ai Weiwei. I then wandered onto the main floor and found an entire section of Asian works, which you will not find at B&N. I also found books from Norwegian writers too which I had never seen before, which thrilled me. I then made my way up to their attic floor which is dedicated to poetry and seems I just missed Allen Ginsberg's Howl centennial celebration. Ugh! I then came back down and then proceeded to their basement section and again I was quite pleasantly surprised by the depth and breadth of Asian themed books they had. They had plenty of the Chinese classics in English and found so many different versions of Journey to the West, I was completely overwhelmed. And then, saw an entire section on Africa and I had to fight hard to not pick up a copy of a book titled Prison Letters, which is a collection of Mandela's letters while imprisoned. I ultimately settled on two books by Ai Weiwei as he has continued to inspire me to be proud, to not conform, to be brave, to speak up, to be authentically and unapologetically me, to honor my ancestry and to push boundaries and to fight for what matters. And it just so happens too that my Chinese give name is also Weiwei. I loved coming to this bookstore and it will definitely be on rotation for me when I am in SF again.

    Photos
    City Lights - Downstairs

    Downstairs

    City Lights - The upstairs location of the bookstore.

    The upstairs location of the bookstore.

    City Lights - The bottom floor that you have to go downstairs to.

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    The bottom floor that you have to go downstairs to.

    Dog Eared Books - Interior

    Dog Eared Books

    4.3(322 reviews)
    0.8 miMission
    $$

    While visiting the city of San Francisco came across Dog Eared Books and decided to stop in to see…read morewhat they had to offer. The bookstore was small and pretty busy with customers reading and selecting books to purchase. I walked around the bookstore to see what would catch my eye and they had so many good books to choose from. Walked over to their clearance section and found two books that peaked my interest. Ended up purchasing, the portrait of Dorian Grey and animal farm. They we're both a steel at a discounted price. These two books were on my list of books that I've been wanting to read, and now they have been added to my personal library. The employees here are welcoming and friendly. They are also very busy, keeping the store while organized and appealing to the eye.

    The coolest bookstore I've ever been to!…read more My friend and I were on a mission for books to add to our "to-read" lists, and found this really cool store via google. It's nice to see small business bookstores doing so well, because it was really busy here! I wish we had more businesses like this where we're from. Small inside, but room to navigate around. I loved the Staff Picks and science fiction sections the best. There's also a decent fiction selection as well. At check-out, we ended up getting 4 books each! So there are some really great finds here. We'll definitely come back! This was such a fun shopping experience.

    Photos
    Dog Eared Books - Come on in

    Come on in

    Dog Eared Books - Inside (2/2/25)

    Inside (2/2/25)

    Dog Eared Books

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    Medicine for Nightmares - Front counter

    Medicine for Nightmares

    4.3(82 reviews)
    0.8 miMission
    $

    Support Independent Bookstores! They are a valuable resource. This bookstore has been our local…read morefavorite ever since Alley Cat Books had the building. The current owners hosted our nephew's High School Spoken Word event, inside the rear gallery/event space. That being said, it is sad to report that the current manager/owners are rude. It's a very passive-aggressive type of rude. They seem to not want to talk to customers. Any eye contact is the evil-eye variety that reads: "what are YOU doing here?" I felt like I'd crashed a party where the hosts were angry at me just for showing up, and trying to get me to leave ASAP. Recently, I was paying at the register, and I attempted a friendly comment on the jazz record they were playing ("Charles Mingus, right? He's the coolest!"). No response; 50-yard stare like I wasn't even there. Gimme your money and leave. Too bad, because it's a great space, good selection of new/used books. But I'd feel gross handing over any more of my hard-earned money.

    This establishment prides itself as a "community friendly" space yet I, a Latina native San…read moreFranciscan was not greeted kindly in this store. They are in a predominately Latino neighborhood yet I felt judged in there. Probably performative activists that work here but I'd rather give my money to a large corp where at least their friendly with me than this independent bookstore.

    Photos
    Medicine for Nightmares - Outside

    Outside

    Medicine for Nightmares - Books on religion

    Books on religion

    Medicine for Nightmares - Art gallery

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    Art gallery

    Christopher's Books - Outside

    Christopher's Books

    4.7(134 reviews)
    1.9 miPotrero Hill
    $$

    Bookstores come and go in San Francisco. This bookstore located in Potrero Hill has been around for…read moredecades. This bookstore location became famous in the movie "Sweet November". The Charlize Theron character lived Nextdoor on the same block as the Christopher Bookstore (featured in the movie). Inside there a good selection of variety of books from different perspectives. The decor has a feel of historic and modern San Francisco. This bookstore has a diverse book collection that are insightful and creative A bookstore is great for tourists, transplants and even for a San Francisco native

    I LOVE small bookshops! This one on the corner in Potrero Hill (SF) is adorable! We hadn't…read moreplanned on it, we had dinner at the French Restaurant across the street. ( Chez Maman -also sublime ). Anyway, after dinner we decided to check out Christopher's Books. . It was kind of busy for a weeknight, which is so cool. Love that people like to peruse books, actually feel books in their hand and turn pages. you are my people. So I walked the whole book store, they have a tiny children's section, my sister who is a teacher, and a new grandma , settled there and bought a few books. I saw a book that I had heard about (All Fours) and heard the author interviewed on the radio, I picked it up and settled on it. I love that they have little handwritten cards describing some of the books and that there are employees picks, and what they liked about the book. When we went up to make our purchases, that is when I learned of Jimmy Carter's death. ( he had died that day and I hadn't yet heard ). There was a little handwritten card with his books at the counter and the card said, Jimmy Carter - 1924-2024. I said, "Oh my God did Jimmy Carter die?" We chatted about what a wonderful man he was, dignified, honest, his service to the people, the Habitat for Humanity legacy. His love for his wife who had preceded him ..... I digress. Anyway, if you're in the neighborhood, and you love books, and quaint spaces, check it out!

    Photos
    Christopher's Books - Inside

    Inside

    Christopher's Books
    Christopher's Books - The sign outside Christopher's Books

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    The sign outside Christopher's Books

    Omnivore Books - bookstores - Updated May 2026

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