Clayton Fine Books

I stumbled across this place by accident with a friend as we were trying to get a bite before going to the Walters. It's located farther south than we thought we wanted to wander, but we chanced to scope it out and realized that we had found something special. It's primarily a bookstore, secondarily a cafe with light lunch fare. We got coffee and soup for a reasonable price, then ate and talked in the comfort of book-covered walls. This is the sort of place I would go to every day if I lived nearer to it, and if it were open every day -- it only operates Thursday through Sunday. But you could certainly do worse than to spend a weekend afternoon here -- Sundays get there reputation for being restful from places like this.

(By the way, I think the other person who reviewed this meant to give it more than one star. It certainly deserves a better rating.)

I have been to your store and love it! It reminds me of old time Baltimore days- the 40's or 50's. I wish other people in DC would come over to find you. Go to the Walter's Art Gallery for free.Did you know it is free now!. And by the way, did you know the Walter's was rated one of the top 5 quality small museums in the world for the quality of Mr. Walter's collection. And it was an Englishmagazine that said it. Then a stroll through Mt.Vernon Place and end up at your store for a cup of good coffee and a bit to eat. And finally see all the rare books you have covering two floors.Plus you are not far from one of my favorite memories from my childhood . The "landmark" arcade that reminds me of the gallerias in Paris....just across the street. Thanks for being apart of a pleasant day.