The 10 Best Library-Themed Bars In The World

There’s a secret in Covent Garden: Tiffany’s Library, a private room with wood-paneled walls in the Covent Garden Hotel. Books? Check. Chair? Check. Fire? Check. This theatre-district treasure is so intimate that it features an “honour bar” — an unattended station where guests are “on their honor” to record their drinks. Because, there’s posh. And then there’s Tiffany’s.

Soho House’s Electric House is centered around the famous Electric Cinema—which, established in 1910, is one of the oldest cinemas in London. The exclusive club’s focus on the arts is also demonstrated in the library-themed bar, where cocktails are mixed with chapters from 1984 by George Orwell (who was once a resident of Portobello Road).

The two-floor library at the NoMad Hotel is accoutered with an antique, spiral-shaped staircase. Thatcher Wine, the owner of Juniper Books, curated the collection with an emphasis on France (380 books) and New York (300 books). These works are best consumed between first-edition bites from chef Daniel Humm. Our recommendation: the radishes (butter-dipped with fleur de sel).

This book-decorated bar in the heart of Amsterdam’s historic center is named for the owner, Peter Pulitzer—a descendent of Joseph Pulitzer, who established the Pulitzer Prize. The theme of excellence in the arts continues in the Book Collector’s Suite, where a book is the best bed-fellow.

Bar and Books is, by definition, a bar with books: a crimson-colored den that caters to the blue-blooded. Here, the well-heeled chase Fantasia cigarettes with Sancerre — a scene that would have, in another era, attracted Edith Wharton. Bar and Books, established in 1990, now boasts five addresses: 636 Hudson Street and 1020 Lexington Avenue as well as two in Prague (Mánesova and Týnská) and one in Warsaw (Podwale).

The Rittenhouse’s library-themed bar is as “storied” as Rittenhouse Square. (Curious? Browse The Rittenhouse’s collection of Pennsylvania-related books.) This historic establishment is famous for its caviar service (which includes The Rittenhouse’s own brand) and its selection of whiskies. Then, on Thursday–Saturdays, there are jazz performances.

The exclusive Saint James Paris — a Relais & Châteaux in the 16th arrondissement — is an academic’s dream. This neoclassical-style estate was, once, home to the Thiers Foundation and its scholars. Now, the multi-floor Library-Bar boasts 12,000 volumes and almost the same number of cocktails (thanks to the creativeness of barman Judicaël Noël).

Located inside the Rosewood London, Scarfes Bar is named for the famous cartoonist, Gerald Scarfe. This multi-colored gem is decorated with the artist’s caricatures, which are matched with clever-named cocktails, e.g., a Harry Potter–themed “Polyjuice Potion” and an Oliver Twist–themed “Just One More.” (Charles Dickens, who wrote Oliver Twist, was from Holborn.) The assortment of books on the shelves was sourced from Portobello Road.