If you're a brick-and-mortar bookstore and you're still alive I take my hat off to you. Its…read moreimmediate respect, in fact - given the swift move to e-books and online purchasing all around the world. I really enjoyed my experience at Dymocks in the Junction. It is situated just below the cinemas and I popped in to find some childrens books for my nieces birthday. Not only did I find what I was looking for - books written by the one and only Enid Blyton, my idol as a child, but they beautifully gift wrapped it for me too! I'm not sure how they do survive and remain competitive, but it will be a sad day if a place like this does close down one day. There are some that say book stores are a dying breed. I'm not one of them.

I had just come out of the "other" Westfield centre at Bondi Junction and was walking along the…read morefootpath back to the station when I spotted a sign plastered on a curved window a few floors above the "opposite" Westfield centre declaring "Harry Hartog Bookseller". I was intrigued - the font it was written in was that of the fonts used by old antique shops but with a modern slant. I couldn't resist - damn it if I miss that train but damn it if I don't find out what was behind that window. I glad I missed my train (and the next one and the one after that). If you like fresh, airy and light-filled bookshops with room to move and to wander from aisle to aisle and stack to stack I highly recommend popping into Harry Hartog's. It's a beautiful (and slightly quirky) store that not only has a wonderful collection of books - including a terrific children's book and puzzle collection but gifts, bags, cards and stationery. The store also proudly promotes in-store events for all ages (there was a kid's event happening that weekend), and there are lounges and seats scattered around so you can sit quietly and thumb through that potential purchase. There are well dressed displays in the store windows and throughout the store that entice the visitor to inquire. Staff are friendly, helpful yet unobtrusive. If you like that famous Japanese bookstore in the city -you'll like find Harry Hartog with similar style but with more sophistication and relaxed.

OMG! I accidentally found this bookstore today! How long I haven't noticed such a lovely bookstore…read more I fall in love with this bookstore and I think this is the best bookstore I have ever visited. It's not the huge store but size is good enough in the shopping centre. I have been to this shopping centre millions of times but until today I have never noticed this. It's amazing! Let me explain, well, it is really organised display and looking very attractive, and not only books but also some good qualities of gift items such as wallets, bags, briefcases, mug cups, coffee beans and tea bags, some gift items for children, all sorts of cards and so on. On top of those, there is lounge area outside of this bookstore. Please take a look at my photos. There are more bookshelves and comfortable couches there. Some people are reading books there, some are just having a chat and I just sit and feeling the happiness to find out this oasis. Nowadays, we tend to not reading a book and instead of reading books we watch internet items. However, I realised we still have nice bookstores out there and we really should go and feel how fantastic feeling and how we can relax being just there. So cool. Gold! 本日とてもうれしい発見を致しました。とても素敵な素晴らしい書店をたまたま見つけた事です。このショッピングセンターは今まで何年も通い続けていた建物なのですが、なぜかこのフロアーのこの角地には行った事がありませんでした。なぜだか、このフロアのはずれにあるエスカレーターを使う事となりブラブラ歩いてフロアの最後のテナントまで来たのですが、そこに見つけたのは通路にディスプレイされた書棚のいくつかと古いレザーでできた４セットのソファでした。うわー、くつろげる場所があるし、本も読める！と思ったら目の前に新しい本屋さんがあったのでした。 今年の初めにこのビル内でなぜか水浸しになってしまった本屋さんに遭遇した友人がいたり、その模様をニュースやネットでもチラッと見た事はあったのですがあれがこの本屋さんであった事が本日判明しました。多分そのためにこんなに新しい内装なのだなと思いました。書籍の内容はもう全て揃っています！赤ちゃん用から大人用まで。多種用のカード、おもちゃ、素晴らしい素材のお財布、バッグ、ブリーフケース。ギフト用のカップ類、お料理本がディスプレイされている書棚の上方には何とお料理用のお鍋とかまで。ホント、録画で世界中の皆さんに紹介したいほどです。 でも、日本とかイギリスロンドンにはこの手の素敵な本屋さんがありそうですが、私が今まで出会ったなかでは一番素敵な感動した本屋さんでした！

Stopped in for a quick breakfast while strolling around Bondi Beach in an effort to beat jet lag…read moreafter my flight in from the USA. The Mexican Eggs were an unexpected treat! Nice place, great food. Highly recommend!

This is an adorable shop with friendly staff. The coffee was good and my kids enjoyed the iced…read morechocolates.

As an American exploring Paddington for the first time I came across this awesome cafe on Oxford…read more My flat was close by and the purple exterior was a happy purple that made me curious. Then I saw things that sparked joy. Coffee, books, art, food, Australian wine. And the outside tables were occupied by chill patrons of the intellect hip kind. My kind of people enjoying the warm Sydney weather. Add to this 3 floors to explore. I loved this place so much I came a few times. I loved looking through all the books and trying items off their menu. Rose' excellent. Flat white perfect. Chai very nice. The food is made from scratch so I cannot give this place enough Yelp stars. It would be 5 stars for each category. Their wifi works great too. I tried to order things I wasn't familiar with. They also have specials of the day so give that a go if you find your way here. I tried a Caramel Slice coz I've never seen that before. It's a posh layered dessert snack type a thing. So glad I ordered and would order that again. This cafe / bookstore encourages you to grab a book and relax. So I found a few and ordered the Tapas board. Keeping with a variety theme. I had a variety of books and paired it with a variety board of food. They serve breakfast lunch dinner and good Aussie vibes. Mel M Yelp 22:10

As you walk down Oxford St, Sydney in Paddington, you'll find yourself passing by Ampersand cafe &…read morebookstore. Downstairs, it looks like a familiar cafe, with indoor and outdoor seating, but make sure you head upstairs in one of the three levels and find a seat amongst the floor to ceiling bookshelves. Set into three rooms, consisting of books aplenty, organised into their themes with comfortable seating, this is somewhere you could absolutely sit for hours. Order your food at the front, and it will be delivered to you as you immerse yourself in the books. Whilst it is only a small menu, the food is interesting and they also have some daily salads, sandwiches and pastry goods. A couple of options using black rice, we chose the brekky bowl with Bircher and sticky black rice with figs, cinnamon and fresh fruits. We really liked this as it was quite different to your normal Bircher. French toast is an option, baked or poached eggs and smoked salmon is on the menu but we opted for a familiar favourite - the eggs Benedict with crispy bacon and creamy hollandaise. We were hungry so we also shared one of the fresh Reuben Bagels. It was filled with a super flavoursome pastrami, cheese and sauerkraut and this was the winner on the day. For those wanting lunch, there's a burger, steak sandwich and even a black risotto or polenta chips. Coffee is by Little Marionette and the mocha was a good drop, complete with Lindt chocolate. We also had a cold drip which we certainly enjoyed. Smoothies and teas are also available. Pop in for a nice meal and a good read.

Basement Books is a dangerous place on many levels…read more Danger number one: It's in Central. It is right in Central. Central is a place you meet people, so you might say, meet you in central at 4pm and then you get there at 3.30pm and you have to wait. So what do you do? You go to Basement Books and peruse their countless books with bright yellow stickers advertising their low and affordable price. Danger number two: Because these books that you're perusing are cheap, you can justify the price even if you're not sure whether you even need the book. 'Oh, a history of Physics' I've always been interested in Physics, and it's only $9.95 I should probably buy this and learn about Physics. Danger number three: Their range is gigantic! I almost said 'ginormous', but that's not a word. What I meant was Hugantic! There are literally thousands upon thousands of books and they're always receiving new stock. They have art sections, computer sections, history, film, personal growth, science fiction, literature, even books like the dictionary, which, had I purchased a copy last I was in, would have saved me the embarrassment of using a non-word like 'ginormous'. So beware of Basement Books. You have been warned. The bookshop is in a great location, the titles are cheap and the range extraordinary. I have a pile of books in my room almost as tall as I am that I have yet to read, opportune purchases that came at me as I strolled amidst the aisles killing time. A book on deadly diseases for $4.95, I'm not going to find that bargain again. Buy! Buy! Buy!

In this day and age of Kindle and Kobo and Nook, a solid read (and I mean one that you can…read moreliterally hold and turn pages beneath your fingers) comes pretty cheap. You really do need to head in to see what they've got because I find their online catalogue lacking and sometimes the staff don't even know what they're stocking. The outside disguises how big this place really is, as it has sections for anything from classic fiction to travel books and bios. It has a pretty decent selection of art supplies as well (I'm no art student, but it does cater for scrapbooking hobbies or the amateur artist if you're after it). Right in the back corner they have a little children's section which I found perfect for my six year old sister who's going through her first reading phase. I bought her a collection of these tiny Winnie the Pooh classics, and a special anniversary edition of Beatrix Potter's Peter Rabbit and Friends stories which averaged around $4 and $12 respectively. They have tons of different hard cover books (some of which are pop up!) which were surprisingly cheap, but more importantly, were invaluable in keeping kids (of all ages) entertained for hours.