Buying a cookbook is a pleasure best enjoyed in a real bookstore, where an unexpected discovery can be every bit as exciting as the title you came to find.
From Vancouver to Vancouver Island, the Okanagan and the Kootenays, independent BC booksellers offer new discoveries, special orders and sometimes an elusive secondhand classic. Availability varies by shop, so check before travelling for a particular book.
Vancouver & Lower Mainland
Hager Books — Vancouver
Independent Kerrisdale bookstore; ask about special orders.
Massy Books — Vancouver
Indigenous-owned bookstore offering new and used titles.
Pulpfiction Books — Vancouver
New and used books, including potential older editions.
Iron Dog Books — Vancouver
Independent bookstore with a curated selection.
Wendel’s Bookstore & Café — Fort Langley
Book browsing and a café in one stop.
Knifewear — Vancouver
Specialist shop with a curated cookbook selection.
The Gourmet Warehouse — Vancouver
Cookbooks alongside culinary equipment.
Vancouver Island & Gulf Islands
Munro’s Books — Victoria
Independent bookstore with a wide-ranging selection.
Bolen Books — Victoria
Family-owned bookstore with cookbooks and food writing.
Russell Books — Victoria
New, used and collectible editions.
Okanagan & Shuswap
Mosaic Books — Kelowna
Independent bookstore with new releases and regional titles.
Kootenays
Otter Books — Nelson
Independent community bookstore.
Huckleberry Books — Cranbrook
Regional bookstore worth exploring.
We Still Miss Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks
And while we’re celebrating independent cookbook stores, I have to say how desperately I miss Barbara-Jo’s Books to Cooks in Vancouver. Barbara-jo McIntosh created so much more than a bookshop. It was a gathering place for food lovers, chefs, writers and visiting cookbook authors, with shelves that encouraged you to linger and events that brought the culinary community together.
Founded in Yaletown in 1997 and later located on West 2nd Avenue, Books to Cooks closed its physical doors in February 2017. It remains an important piece of Vancouver’s culinary history and a reminder of why these specialist independent shops matter. Read this 2014 interview with Barbara-jo.
Cookbook Bookshops Around the World
When I travel, I love looking for bookshops devoted to food. These culinary destinations deserve a place on any cookbook lover’s itinerary. Some host cooking classes and author talks, while others are especially good for rare books and international editions. Here are a few worth knowing about.
Canada
Appetite for Books — Montréal, Québec: A specialist cookbook bookstore with cooking classes and books in English and French.
Good Egg — Toronto, Ontario: A lovely independent shop with cookbooks, food writing and kitchen gifts.
United States
Book Larder — Seattle, Washington: A dedicated cookbook store with a kitchen counter, classes, author conversations and culinary community events. A natural stop on a trip south from Vancouver.
Omnivore Books on Food — San Francisco, California: Celia Sack’s beloved culinary bookshop, specializing in new and vintage books on food and drink.
Kitchen Arts & Letters — New York City: A landmark shop for cookbooks, food writing, scholarship and professional culinary books from around the world.
United Kingdom
Books for Cooks — Notting Hill, London: The legendary London cookbook shop on Blenheim Crescent, with a café where recipes from the books are actually prepared. Exactly the sort of place where a cookbook lover could lose an afternoon.
Europe
Librairie Gourmande — Paris and Dijon, France: A culinary book specialist with an extraordinary range of cooking, food history, pastry and wine titles. Its Paris location is now at 50 rue Vavin.
De Kookboekhandel — Amsterdam, Netherlands: A dedicated cookbook shop on Haarlemmerdijk with Dutch and international culinary titles.
Australia
Books for Cooks — Melbourne: At Queen Victoria Market, with new, vintage, out-of-print and antiquarian books about food, wine and cooking.
The Cookery Book — Sydney: A specialist culinary bookseller in Northbridge, serving home cooks and hospitality professionals.
These international shops make wonderful stops when travelling, but always check their current opening hours before visiting. And if you have a favourite cookbook shop anywhere in the world, please tell me. I clearly have more research, and possibly more shopping, to do.
How to Find an Older Cookbook
Try used-book shelves, ask about special orders and check the edition before purchasing. For more BC booksellers, see Read Local BC.
Looking for inspiration? Explore 40 Essential Cookbooks That Changed How We Cook. For the rest of your culinary shopping, see our BC cooking-supplies guide and BC gourmet-food shops guide.
