Restaurants & Cafés — By admin on October 18, 2007 at 12:00 am

Bacchus International Bookstore: Snug, Simple and Sociable

Named after a wine, there is nothing…umm… to whine about at Bacchus. A second hand bookstore and coffee shop, the place is warm, friendly and just plain comfortable. With its earth tones, cozy sofas, dim lights, great coffee and home-made (vegetarian) tostadas, its one of those places you just want to take off your shoes, and curl-up with a book or your laptop – yes, it has wireless! If you feel like something refreshing and not out of a bottle, ask for their home-made fresh lemon ice-tea – it’s one of their simple specialties.

Downstairs they have a large reading area with myriad second hand English books from all genres – to read or to buy. If you have any books you want to sell, feel free to take them over and they will give you a third of the price they sell it for.

Open only for the last 4 months, the place is new on the block and mainly attracts an international English-speaking crowd – a great place to get to know other expats who are vagabonding in Madrid. If you are looking for accommodation or want to know where the English-speaking crowd hangs in the city, their notice board is full and constantly updated with relevant information.

Located between metros Moncloa and Arguelles, Bacchus is in the vicinity of local universities and language schools, and is gradually being discovered by young Spaniards. Tuesday nights they have a language exchange from 8pm onwards, making it undoubtedly the best way to spend a quiet, yet not too quiet, week night.

All in all, although slightly outside the centre, it’s definitely a place to get that book you’ve always wanted and hang out! Check out their MAP Guide Advertisement for more info.

Bacchus Bookstore and Coffee Shop
Calle Donoso Cortes, 58
Metro: Arguelles or Moncloa
Open Tuesday-Saturday from 12 noon – till late (depending on the crowd); and on Sunday and Monday from 5pm- till late