Insider Pages Reviews for Trident Booksellers & Cafe

3 Stars: Great independent book store and cafe (by SouthEnder Z.)

SouthEnder Z. — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 17:53:00 GMT

Being at Trident allows you to break out of the box on the chain bookstores and the chain coffee houses. There's a wide range of people who come here, from college students, to locals, to families in the city for the day. It's a great place to spend any of the day's meals. The breakfast burritos are particularly good and the fresh juices (as in, they juice it) are a great pick me up for the day.

4 Stars: Great Place to Browse (by Patricia M.)

Patricia M. — Fri, 04 Aug 2006 09:16:00 GMT

Trident Booksellers has a wide selection of periodicals and books. It's a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon browsing through the books. They also have a cafe if you get hungry while browsing.

2 Stars: Great ONLY for magazines! (by Barbara c.)

Barbara c. — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 09:05:00 GMT

The place is good only for magazines.and If you prefer not giving your money to the Barnes and Noble alike,yes go ahead and purchase books.But, It is Not very clean and I have seen creatures running around.food is way too high!! You can get better food in other coffee shops around and much cheaper.They need to renovate the entire place,hopefully they wont get eaten alive by another giant corporation on Newbury st.

PROS: great for magazines and books!
CONS: The place needs to be cleaned!

5 Stars: Great Little Bookstore with a Cafe (by Michael G.)

Michael G. — Sat, 24 Sep 2005 01:00:00 GMT

Trident is one of the last bastions of the independent bookseller with megabookstores such as Barnes and Noble and Borders taking over the brick and mortar landscape. Here, you'll find a nice selection of books crammed onto shelves. It won't be cheaper than what you find online, but you can tell that they definitely put thought into their inventory. Then, there's the cafe, which serves a wide selection of food at decent prices. They don't frown on people just sitting there and having tea or coffee, and you'll oftentimes find a number of students sitting there studying. It's also open late, so it's a nice stop after a dinner date or if you need a late meal but don't want to put up with a loud bar.

5 Stars: best bookstore in beantown (by amanda s.)

amanda s. — Thu, 15 Sep 2005 14:56:00 GMT

God, I miss Trident. (I miss Boston, in general) I miss the wonderful selection and the knowledgeable staff and the hot white chocolate on cold Boston days. Do yourself a favor. Go. You can get groovy magazines that you've never heard of from all over the world. Check out the books recommended by the quirky and literate staff members. You can take the books into the small foodie section and peruse and enjoy. Take you time deciding if you want to make the purchase or just treat it like a library (don't spill!). Go. And get a white hot chocolate moustache for me.

3 Stars: Nice atmosphere, but pricey (by Jennifer W.)

Jennifer W. — Tue, 16 Aug 2005 20:26:00 GMT

I've kicked back here a few times with friends, and while the conversation and atmosphere were nice, the food/drink was a bit pricey for the quality. The books are great and fun to browse, but it was always a bit busy when I'd go in. Great location on Newbury Street though, if you're willing to pay a little stop in here, grab a coffee, read up on astral projection or alternative lifestyles, then head back down Newbury for some funky shopping.

PROS: Funky books, cool atmosphere
CONS: Pricey

4 Stars: Trident Booksellers & Cafe (by Deana C.)

Deana C. — Tue, 02 Aug 2005 10:11:00 GMT

I am a die hard magazine enthusiast so this is definitely my kind of store. The well choosen mix of popular publications and obscure journals such as The New Yorker. There is a cafe inside where readers can sink into chairs and savory a story over a hot cup of java and a delicious gourmet sandwhich.

4 Stars: Trident (by Amanda O.)

Amanda O. — Thu, 28 Jul 2005 10:42:00 GMT

The sandwiches and salads are delicious, there is a good selection of teas to choose from and the atmosphere is cozy, as the cafe is located inside a bookstore. Trident is a great place to go have a leisurely lunch by yourself, grab a book, order a sandwich and stay a while. My only complaint is that the tables are small and crowded together so it's hard to have lunch with friends there if it's busy, and it is a little pricey.

PROS: location, food
CONS: price, table space

5 Stars: I love this place! (by Michael N.)

Michael N. — Tue, 19 Jul 2005 06:40:00 GMT

I work on newbury street and when it is time to get lunch I usually end up eating here! What is not to like? You get to read books and magazines while eating their delicous food. I'm vegetarian and they have plenty of options for me. Try it for a relaxing time and a delicous snack on Newbury!

4 Stars: Eat and read at the same time (by Jesse L.)

Jesse L. — Thu, 14 Jul 2005 21:55:00 GMT

Trident Bookseller and Cafe is another one of those hip cafe / coffehouse places with wireless. You see alot of people typing away at their computers at these sorts of places. But Trident is better than your standard cafe because it also sells books! This means you are free to read and eat at the same time. They have a pretty good selection of vegetarian food there too!

5 Stars: Books and Food (by Sara H.)

Sara H. — Tue, 14 Jun 2005 17:57:00 GMT

This is one of my favorite places in Boston. I've had so many good brunches here with friends and I love the atmosphere. There's something about an independent bookstore. Book selection is great despite relative size. If you're in Boston this is a place to stop.

4 Stars: books with pie -- yeah (by Emma F.)

Emma F. — Tue, 14 Jun 2005 09:37:00 GMT

Trident's book inventory strikes me as a little arcane, overly heavy on irreverent impulse-buys and books about occultism and things. However, it's solid in basic sections like Fiction and Travel and keep a very good magazine selection. The real reason I keep coming in, though, is it's the only bookstore (Borders doesn't count) where I can take any book, hang out at a table for a few hours, and eat a really big piece of pie and drink some kind of elaborate coffee drink. The staff always seems a little distracted, but I'm usually paying more attention to the food and the book than to them, anyway.

4 Stars: Funky selection! (by Emily S.)

Emily S. — Sat, 04 Jun 2005 09:14:00 GMT

Basically, Trident sells everything you ought to be reading. From the latest Dave Eggars to glossy publications you can't find anywhere else, Trident gives you so much to read in such a tiny place. A great date location, to find so much thats new and so much the two of you have in common.

4 Stars: Obscure Titles - Great for Browsing (by Audrey H.)

Audrey H. — Wed, 25 May 2005 20:07:00 GMT

Unassuming storefront on Newbury St (is there such a thing?) Hard to find but once you do you won't forget it.

The first thing I saw when I walked in was a rack of literary magazines that you can find in the cities they're published but nearly never anywhere else. They had them from everywhere.

The sections of bookcases are divided clearly but in a cramped and comfortable 'old bookshop' kind of way where it's incredibly easy to get lost in the 'travel' section when really all you came in for was a copy of "Crime and Punishment."

I haven't had the food there, though, got lost among the books. You'll have to read someone else's comments about that.

PROS: selection, atmosphere
CONS:

5 Stars: The Book Revolution (by Claire M.)

Claire M. — Wed, 25 May 2005 08:42:00 GMT

The Trident Bookseller is a Boston fixture. After browsing in the small bookstore, which has one of the best magazine displays around, pull up a seat at the long bar or at a table in their cafe. The Trident's food is devine and you will find that healthy food choices abound! Their selection of teas, specialty juices, and smoothies make sitting there all day a definite possibility. Try the Backache, a ginger fizzy drink with apple undertones, or a wheatgrass shot to clean the body. All the juice is freshly squeezed right there at the bar. Breakfast is served all day (the French toast is heaven) and their specials are always worth checking out. Their location (right on Newbury) is accessible to the T.

PROS: service, location, reading material
CONS: limited street parking

5 Stars: many fond memories here (by Sean S.)

Sean S. — Wed, 25 May 2005 04:29:00 GMT

It's been over a decade since I set foot in Trident, but I have the utmost faith that it would feel just as much like home if I went in tomorrow. My favorites were the vegetarian cashew chili and the sense that at any moment you could start a great conversation with the literate stranger at the next table.