Mandolin Books & Coffee Company

Been frequenting this place for over 6 years. There is a lot going for this quaint little place and then there’s not. Great selection of beverage but food isn’t that tasty. Charming atmosphere however it can get crowded fast. There seems to be a lot of books to chose from but then once you take a closer look, the selection is meh. All around though I would have given this place a 3.5 out of 5. What I haven’t been a fan of recently is their service. They certainly don’t go out of their way to treat everyone fairly. They seem to have favourite customers and then the rest get mediocre to subpar service. Never been a fan of this type of behaviour. I think I’ll stick to The Carrot Community Coffee House for now. It’s time for a break.

Love this place. Great coffee but they should definitely invest in custom cups– nothing fancy but even a white cup with there stamp. There food is yummy. The book selection is great and beautiful store. Love it!

So lucky to have this in our neighbourhood. Reminds me of Whyte ave. Looking forward to using the back patio more now.

A friendly local shop with geat coffee and lots of books. Some quite rare books. Staff are friendly and it seems like a nice place to go to enjoy a bit of quiet or conversation

I don’t know about the books, but the coffee is great! A little pricey if you go with espresso, but the brewed stuff is a good price for really dark, great stuff.

Mandolin has my two loves in one place.
First there are book. Lot’s of books. This is a used bookstore and they have a good variety of fiction and nonfiction for kids, teens, and adults.
Second it’s a coffee shop, and while there are not a lot of tables there’s a nice variety of drinks (coffees, teas, lattes, soda, etc) and food (baked goods and lunch foods like chili, which was nice a spicy).
Books and coffee (or tea, I’ll take either) is wonderful. I only wish there was a little more space to sit down and have a coffee (there is outdoor seating, but that doesn’t last too long). This is a lovely little spot to come to in The Highlaands.

Charming little place. Nice place to sit down for a coffee and grab a book.

Mandolin Books & Coffee is an all around great place to spend some quiet time or hang out with a friend, find some pre-​owned treasures and have a tasty drink and snack.
The store itself is quite small, but the shelves are packed with high quality books. I’ve seen a lot of new to very new titles for extremely reasonable prices ($ 7.50-$ 11) that are in great condition. There is also a range of books in different topics with something for everyone, from gardening to pets, politics to humour, classics and Canadian and more.
It seems like there are quite a few coffee drinks available, but I usually go for a hot chocolate, in the cold months at least. Teas, juices and pop also available, of course. A small but nice selection of sweet and savoury treats are in a case at the front. I’ve had some sort of curry pie with homemade ketchup that was quite nice, and a couple of the desserts.
A big perk to Mandolin is the price they pay for taking your used books off of your hands. I think their official position is 15% of the cover price, but I’ve never compared what they’re given me to cover price. I can say that whenever I’ve sold them books I’ve been very pleased with how much I’ve gotten.
The staff are friendly and helpful, and I’ve noticed them being quite chatty with a few people who are presumably regulars.
The only downside to Mandolin, since it is so small, is that the tables are mere inches apart, so if you’re on a coffee date you might feel a bit awkward that the person next to you can hear all that you’re saying, or on the other hand if you’re there to get some work done and there are chatty people beside you, that might be a bit of a bother, too.
Overall, a great place that I’m happy to have in my neighbourhood!

Love this little place. It’s not very big, but has a great selection for its size. I’ve found a couple interesting gems here, and they make a MEAN chai in one of the ballroom sized cups. Get a stamp card, and you get a freebie drink after you’ve gotten a few stamps (10, I think?).
That’s always worth coming back for. When we’ve finished a few books, we always bring our used ones here, as they seem to give one of the better trade rates in town.

This is everything you want in a neighbourhood book store — interesting mix of books, great coffee and baking (the lemon squares OMG) and a deck to read in the sunshine.

I love the Mandolin Café! It is a charming little coffee shop with excellent coffee from Catfish Roasters. They also have a great selection of snacks. My husband LOVES their sausage rolls. I am addicted to the ginger cookies. Combine this with a selection of quality used books and it makes for a great little afternoon break! or swing by for one of the open mike nights featuring a local musician. Skip the big chains come to the Mandolin Café.

A true gem! Cozy, friendly, great coffee and pastries, as well as Pinocchio ice cream. The best place to hang in the hood!

A neighbourhood treasure. What a lovely discovery, tucked into the same block as La Boheme and Sabrina Butterfly Designs, the used book/​coffee shop is everything I’ve been missing on a lazy afternoon. Local roast coffee and comfy chairs to snuggle into while you sample a new-​to-​you book. This place wins me on ambiance.

A real treasure chest of used books, recent and old. A coffee shop featuring Catish Coffee Roasters (located just a few doors down) and a variety of edible goodies. Mandolin Book is two of my favourite things combined into one. My only complaint is that the place is so small, that if it is busy you are always in someone else’s personal space. There is not a lot of seating areas for coffee, so you may have to get your goodies to go.

Chapters has everything. There is no mystery or adventure left in shopping for books at big chain stores. That’s why shops like Mandolin Books are such a treasure trove. When I entered this shop, I was delighted to see there was a tiny café, free Internet service and several visitors chatting politics with the owner. How refreshing! I will have to come back with my laptop in tow. I’m always looking for new places to write. The book selection is also very eclectic. There’s everything from film theory and feminism to poetry and historical fiction. I noticed a box of sheet music for piano and guitar and there was a special section of vintage books. I didn’t have as much time as I would have liked to browse, as I had an appointment to get to. So I have to return for a coffee and bookworm session. There are few things better than that, for nerds like me.