So you’re headed to (or thinking about visiting) the City by the Bay. San Francisco is such a literary city, the SF Chronicle even has a super cool “SF Bay Area Literary Map” that’s worth checking out. Browsing SF’s independent bookstores is one of my favorite things to do. Having called SF home for the past 10.5 years, I’ve definitely developed a list of special spots to revisit over and over again.

Unfortunately, not all of SF’s bookstores survived the trilogy that was 2020 (RIP Chronicle Books’ super cute SOMA store). But, here are my absolute favorites you must visit on a trip to San Francisco.

And don’t miss the first in this series of literary cities–you’ll find my Edinburgh picks here.

Dog Eared Books

900 Valencia St. | Mission District

I cannot go to the Mission without visiting Dog Eared Books. It has an incredible selection, and the staff are always so nice. They have a ton of used fiction–I once got a second edition of Franny and Zoey there, so you never know what gems you might find. They also had Crescent City Two: House of Sky and Breath in the children’s section the last time I popped in, which I kindly informed them was an extremely adult book, and we all had a laugh.

Borderlands

866 Valencia St. | The Mission

A bookstore dedicated entirely to Fantasy, Sci-Fi, and Horror, this store is a dream. They also have a great used book selection. I still cry over the fact that my friend’s little sister found an incredible hardcover boxed set of The Lord of the Rings from the 1970s for $25 and snagged it before I saw it! BTW, I’m still on the hunt for this so if you ever see one in great condition… #ProTip: check the cart in the back for the latest used book stock. And if you’re looking for vintage mass market paperbacks, there are so many to choose from.

Green Apple Books

506 Clement St. | The Richmond

What can I say? This is a fan favorite, and a San Francisco institution (founded in 1967). Boasting over 100K titles of new and used books, this bookstore is a winding maze of shelves over several levels. It’s also super close to one of my favorite Burmese restaurants, and Blue Danube is close by if you want to grab a coffee and read. I will say it’s on the more expensive side of used books, but still very affordable.

City Lights

261 Columbus Ave | North Beach

San Francisco is also known for its progressiveness, and many of those thoughts have passed through City Lights first in the form of literary works, LIVE readings, and Beat Poetry. City Lights also has a Reading Room complete with a rocking chair upstairs, along with its poetry collection.

#ProTip: if you walk North on Columbus, you’ll come across one of my favorite bookish permanent art installations in the city. It’s called “Language of the Birds” by Brian Goggin and Dorka Keehn, and lights up at night.

Books, Inc.

601 Van Ness Ave | Civic Center

For some reason SF doesn’t love chain stores, but this bookstore does have a number of locations around the city, and refers to itself as “the West’s oldest independent bookseller” saying their roots date back to 1851. My favorite location is on Van Ness. No used books here, but they do have some great discount tables, and the staff is always super helpful when you’re looking for a title.

The Booksmith

1727 Haight St. | Haight Ashbury

If you’re visiting The Haight, this is definitely worth a visit. It’s also the bookstore I first purchased A Darker Shade of Magic in when it came out, so I have fond memories here. Not to mention, the neighborhood is an iconic stop when visiting San Francisco.

Browser Books

2195 Fillmore St. | Pacific Heights

Green Apple Books now owns this store, but it’s been a PacHeights institution, and I mostly remember it being filled to the brim with barely enough space to walk around other people browsing (I had to LOL). Candidly, I haven’t been to visit since the pandemic, so I’ll be curious to see how the new management has changed the store–I’m sure for the better.

If you’re visiting the City by the Bay, I hope you stop in at one or two of these spots! Let me know if you do.

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7 Independent Bookstores You Must Visit on a Trip to San Francisco