There’s nothing more comforting than settling in with a good book and losing yourself for a while, especially during the cold winter months in New England. Though it’s easy to stay home and nest, Boston has several special places that tempt any book lover to come out and soak up the literary atmosphere. Well-crafted beverages and delicious bites don’t go amiss, either. So, grab your reading material and beeline to these cozy spots.
Coterie at Four Seasons Hotel Boston
Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star Four Seasons Hotel Boston, which overlooks the Boston Public Garden, is a luxurious hotel with an unbeatable location. Coterie, its exquisitely decorated lobby-level bar and restaurant, is an inviting place to linger with a book on plush couches and armchairs.
Order the Destruction of Tea, a mountain berry tea-infused gin cocktail with lime, thyme and prosecco that’s served in a teapot and poured into beautiful cups. Shrimp cocktail, escargot or oysters on the half-shell make great accompaniments. Larger dishes are also available on a New England-leaning menu that has an unapologetic French flair. You could easily while away the afternoon here with a good novel.
The Last Hurrah at Omni Parker House
Head to the country’s oldest continuously operating hotel, opened in 1885, and lounge in a comfortable leather armchair with a drink at The Last Hurrah. This cozy whiskey bar is just one of the spaces at the historic hotel that embodies Boston’s rich past.
Once upon a time, during the 19th century, the titans of America’s Golden Age of Literature gathered at the hotel’s Parker Restaurant to talk at the Saturday Club. The regulars included Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. In fact, Longfellow drafted Paul Revere’s Ride here. The idea for The Atlantic Monthly, a publication that now simply goes by The Atlantic, was birthed here. Even Charles Dickens stayed here when he gave his first American reading of A Christmas Carol. You couldn’t ask for a more inspired setting to read.
Folio at the Boston Athenaeum
While you’d get in trouble for eating or drinking inside the gorgeous and historic Boston Athenaeum, a private library founded in 1807 that non-members can visit for a fee, you can nibble and sip at Folio, the library’s adjacent restaurant. The small but charming spot offers whimsically named cocktails like the Down the Rabbit Hole (vodka, carrot juice and lavender) and the Wilde Espresso (a take on an espresso martini). There are plates to share, too, such as a local cheese board and focaccia with Mediterranean spreads, and larger dishes like the croque monsieur and duck confit. In the morning, choose from gourmet coffees and pastries. The café is an ideal place to recharge before or after a visit to the library.
Courtyard Tea Room and Map Room Lounges at Boston Public Library in Copley
Eating and drinking in Boston’s central branch library — the nation’s first free library, which began circulating books in 1854, is in a magnificent 1895 Renaissance Beaux-Arts Classicism building — is a no-no. Fortunately, the library is home to two unique spaces for partaking in refreshments. In the bright and beautiful Courtyard Tea Room, a full afternoon tea is served with style in a formal setting. Or opt to relax with a glass of wine and cheese fondue in the warm Map Room Lounge.
Whatever you decide, don’t miss a visit to the stunning 218-foot-long reading room with its 50-foot-high barrel-arch ceiling and John Singer Sargent’s mural series, Triumph of Religion, on the third floor. You also won’t regret walking through the Renaissance-style courtyard, a replica of the one in Rome’s Palazzo della Cancelleria.
Beacon Hill Books embodies a bibliophile’s dream. This multistory bookshop, which opened in 2022, is everything a book lover could want: intimate nooks for page flipping, whimsical spaces to browse and a café to unwind in with a recently acquired hardcover.
On Charles Street in historic Beacon Hill, the store feels like you’ve stumbled into the home of a friend who wears T-shirts with Eudora Welty’s likeness on them. There’s a working fireplace on every floor and a magical children’s room with a model train you can activate with a button on the wall. The café offers a prix fixe menu for dinner and a delightful Sunday afternoon tea, with an à la carte menu for breakfast and lunch. Author readings, signings and talks are offered regularly, too.
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