If you’re looking for a cozy spot to relax or nourish the brain after a wild night of partying in Buenos Aires, check out Libros del Pasaje in Palermo. This is a charming bookstore and café with high ceilings and dark wooden bookshelves displaying carefully chosen literature.

In Spanish, you can find highbrow genres such as Eastern philosophy, poetry, Argentinean literature, and film theory. The store has a modest section of literature in English, equipped with an ample amount of classical novels, various types of dictionaries and travel guides. Books range in price from reasonable to jaw-droppingly expensive. This family-friendly place also has a substantial children’s literature section.

The store staff of young and stylish porteños is friendly and accommodating, so if you can’t reach that book you want, someone will climb up on a ladder and grab it for you. Upstairs, there’s a cozy nook, well stocked with literature on art. There are always good tunes playing in the background here — a nice cherry on top of a great ambiance. Most of the music played is available for purchase in the store’s music section.

After browsing, take a seat on the antique couch positioned in front of the store’s centerpiece: a large white wall with graffiti and clever expressions doodled on it by visiting authors throughout the years. To find out about store events, such as author lectures and gallery nights, you can check out the large-sized calendar at the front of the store, along with a variety of flyers that advertise interesting happenings around town. Information on store activities can be found on their website as well.

To get some work done or to flip through some exciting literary finds, slip into the store’s sunroom and settle in at one of the many tables with a good cup of coffee or tea.

The bar also has a well-priced but basic alcohol and food menu. This attractive area showcases some carefully selected local art for sale to maintain the hip vibe of Libros del Pasaje. Take in some good people watching here, as artists work on their Apple laptops and students discuss radical politics while chain smoking. As for the less hip, have no fear! There are all ages and types of patrons here, so even if you’re not up on your lunfardo, you will feel comfortable in Libros del Pasaje.

Be sure to stroll down Russel Street on your way out to see some of Argentina’s more impressive street art, or better yet, book our graffiti tour to get the back story on the artwork.

— by Avery White

Libros del Pasaje
Thames 1762 (at Pasaje Russell)
Palermo
Tel: 4833 -66 37

Store hours:
Mon-Thurs: 10am-10pm
Fri & Sat: 11am-11pm
Sun and holidays: 2pm-10pm

• Major credit cards accepted.