6 bookstores to visit in Buenos Aires
a very incomplete list
Last month, I went on vacation to Buenos Aires, which had always been at the top of my bucket list. Even still, I traveled like a true Sagittarius with very little in the way of plans or agenda, planning to simply walk around and eat a lot of food.
What I did want to do, though, was visit some of the many bookstores that the city has to offer. Buenos Aires has more bookshops per person than any other city, according to The Guardian, which called Buenos Aires "the bookshop capital of the world." Most also have cafes or bars so that you can linger and enjoy the spaces themselves, well past the business hours we’re accustomed to in the U.S.
I only made it to a handful, so I am extremely not qualified to be writing this, but here we are.
What makes me even less qualified is that I don't speak Spanish! I might be technically above a beginner level, but none of it is conversational. Buenos Aires is not one of those cities where everyone looks at you sympathetically (and a little judgmentally) the second they realize you're an ignorant U.S. tourist and switches to English. Though some people definitely tried, I mostly had to concentrate very hard to understand 50% of what anyone was saying and then respond like a two-year-old. And I respect them for that! Don't cater to me, someone who has been failing at learning the language for literally years!
But this does mean that bookstores themselves don't tend to have large English language selections, if at all. I found it so fascinating to see which books had made it — some that you'd expect, like books that were buzzy in the last couple of years, but also "airport book" type novels and nonfiction.
I was specifically keeping an eye out for Argentine literature that had been translated into English — Argentine authors have a strong foothold in the English translation market, particularly among South American lit, and I perhaps ignorantly assumed that the many translated-to-English books I see in U.S. bookstores would exist in Argentine bookstores as well.
By the end of my trip I had made it a game to check each store's section for titles I recognized and ones that I'd expect to see based on what's been raved about in the U.S./U.K./Australia book markets. Sally Rooney, for example, had copies of Intermezzo translated in the bigger bookstores, and I saw several Conversations with Friends, but not one copy of Normal People. Also, because translation is incredibly detailed work, most of the buzzier books I saw were published in English in 2023 or 2024. Intermezzo and Martyr! By Kaveh Akbar were the newest English titles I spotted.
Also interestingly, there seemed to be just as many books translated from Japanese as there were from English.
pointed out when I yapped at her about this that it’s interesting because it feels like Japan and Argentina dominate the English translation market.And the bookstores I visited did have large Argentine and South American literature sections both, just in Spanish, obviously. Even Jorge Luis Borges, the most translated author of all time, didn't have many translations to English available. The ones that did were nearly all through Charco Press, which is beloved, but that meant authors like Samanta Schweblin and Borges, who haven't been published through Charco, were noticeably absent.
But I saw the newest Schweblin, El buen mal, which will be published in English this fall, and Claudia Piñeiro's La muerte ajena, the original Spanish version of which won't even be available in the U.S. until the fall, and I can't find evidence of an impending English translation. Like a glimpse into the future!
None of this is to say that visiting bookstores in Buenos Aires isn't worth it for non-Spanish speakers; I’d argue that a lack of understanding is all the more reason to immerse yourself. The beautiful architecture and shelves alone makes them well worth your time, but any book lover can get swept up in looking at books regardless of whether they can actually read them. You're not going to read 90% of the books in languages you can read anyway!
So, if you ever find yourself in Buenos Aires, take the time to stroll through one or ten of the many, many bookstores — some of the most beautiful I’ve seen! — and report back on your favorites.
Eterna Cadencia
Eterna Cadencia is a charming space, complete with a chandelier and bar, which is probably why they host events most days and are active in the literary scene.
They had a large selection of classics (I got a copy of The Great Gatsby in Spanish because it is one of the few books I know well enough to muddle through doing my own translation). I also found a small English translation section here, including a few Charco Press books (I bought A Little Luck by Claudia Piñeiro — my review will be in my June Consumption Diaries!).
Also, they're a publisher! Eterna Cadencia Editora is a publishing house that focuses on essays and out-of-print texts. I wish I could read some of the books they publish because I think this as a concept is so cool.
El Ateneo Grand Splendid
Perhaps the most famous of Buenos Aires bookstores, El Ateneo Grand Splendid is a massive shop that Nat Geo called the most beautiful bookstore in the world in 2019. Once a theater for opera and ballet, it now holds over 100,000 books and is, according to Pinterest and my fellow tourists lining up to take photos, an influencer's dream. I can't really blame them; the space is so striking.
You could probably guess that this bookstore also had the largest collection of both South American and Argentine literature that I came across. None of it was available translated into English, but viewing the shelves, the scale of South America's influence on global literature is obvious without picking up a book at all.
The selection of English translation books was also predictably the largest here, though it was perhaps the most random assortment that I came across, and it almost felt like a Hudson News at the airport. Assuming this is based on sales etc., I think it's so interesting to see what apparently sells well to English-speaking readers. I assume they're catering to foreigners more than the average bookstore is too, since this is such a tourist attraction.
Libros del Pasaje
I loved Libros del Pasaje, and not just because they had the most robust Charco Press collection and an otherwise thoughtful selection of English books. The space is gorgeous, with high ceilings, classic dark wood, and very tall shelves that need to be accessed via ladder (and via employee, not patron), which every book lover will always find charming. The cafe seemed cool as well, but I was running on like four coffees by this point.
I liked that they had a really varied selection of books to browse; at some point, probably because I can't read Spanish all that well, I started noticing a lot of patterns in book displays, but Libros del Pasaje was the most unique. They also had the largest children's section I came across.
Also, all of the employees were young and hot and kind of intimidating, mostly just because they all looked very cool and smarter than me. I'd be willing to bet they're very knowledgeable and helpful if you're, you know, not illiterate like me!
Yenny
Yenny is a chain, and their website says they have 48 stores, some of which are free-standing and others in malls and airports. I stumbled upon several during the week I was traveling and stopped in two (one in a mall on a hunt for an umbrella during an actual flood, and one in the airport upon departure) and all were carrying very similar stock — quite a random assortment of English translations, but a heftier selection of Latin American literature and literal stacks of Claudia Pineiro’s latest novel. Charles Dickens next to Ali Hazelwood next to 48 Laws of Power next to John Green … okay, sure. Range!
Most notably, though, is that Yenny and El Ateneo merged in 2000, which does somewhat explain why the English section at El Ateneo felt more like an airport selection than some of the others. Sometimes you just need a quick and easy bookstore.
Magia Libros
The name is quite literal: Magia Libros contains all the usual books, but also a dedicated section to magic and the occult. It’s mostly astrology and tarot, so it’s magic of the cute variety. If you read Spanish better than I do, their website and books available there lean into the magic theme. They also specialize in horror and science fiction, which I think is cool — as romance bookstores pop up throughout the U.S., I’m waiting for specialized stores for other genres.
Charco Press came through for me here and I bought a book (The Wind That Lays Waste by Selva Almada), which I’m glad for because I got to watch the clerk charmingly hand-stamp the paper bag. Also, the bookmark they included with my book says “ama los libros, odia el fascismo” and I will cherish it forever.
Borges 1975
We discovered Borges 1975 almost on accident, as it was attached to the restaurant we were grabbing dinner at. I’m so glad we didn’t miss it because it was one of the more beautiful that we visited. It’s billed itself as more of a cultural space than simply a bookstore with a bar attached, and that’s immediately apparent in the ambience. Somehow, the noisy bar and quiet bookstore, separated by a wall of glass doors, didn’t feel at odds with each other and instead created a vibe-y atmosphere altogether. They also have live music.
As far as books go, they had a wide selection of international literature and I saw a lot of titles I recognized translated to Spanish, and some I did not but am now curious about. I love the idea of browsing a bookstore while waiting for a table or before grabbing drinks — bookstore/cafe combos aren’t uncommon, but I see bookstore/bar venues much less frequently.
And because I know this list is severely lacking in depth and length, here are a few that I would definitely have visited had there been time to do so and will definitely prioritize should I visit again:
La Libre, a cooperative bookstore that also edits and distributes books
Mandrágora Libros y Cultura, which has a good women’s studies selection
Céspedes Libros, owned by author Cecilia Fanti
Walrus Books, for second-hand English books (I know, I should have prioritized this)
Tell me what I’ve missed!
These bookstores looked so beautiful!!
The theater bookstore 😍😍