Books and Beans
Quick info
About Books and Beans
Books and Beans is a breakfast restaurant and second-hand bookshop on Belmont St in Aberdeen, with shelves of used books lining seating spread across the first and second floors. Orders are placed downstairs at the counter, and customers then head upstairs to tables, which sit close together. The menu runs to smashed avocado on toast, served on four triangles of bread, alongside pancakes and scones offered plain or as a cheese version. An afternoon tea option includes tuna mayo, ham and cheese, and egg mayo sandwiches, crisps, scones with jam and butter, mini red velvet cakes, brownies, and macarons. Coffee, including cortado, is served alongside the food, with fair trade coffee among the drinks on offer. It operates on a walk-in basis, with no reservations needed. The room mixes cafe seating with book browsing across its two floors.
Good to know
“Quirky cafe with leather armchairs and shelved used books on sale, for fair trade coffee and snacks.”
- ReservationsWalk-in only
- AccessibilityWheelchair: entrance, restroom, seating
Reviews
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention afternoon tea, scones, second hand books and smashed avocado.
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention afternoon tea, scones, second hand books and smashed avocado.
Customer Review Summary
Afternoon tea draws the most enthusiasm, with reviewers describing warm, freshly baked scones, sandwiches like tuna mayo and thick-cut ham and cheese, and mini red velvet cakes alongside a standout chai latte. Close behind, regulars single out the pancakes and the smashed avocado on toast, and the second hand bookshelves and cozy, fire-lit seating come up again and again as reasons to linger. Coffee, including a cortado, is consistently praised. The recurring complaint centers on inconsistency: one reviewer found the scones dry and oversweet, another called the menu creative but the execution disappointing, and one diner detailed a smashed avocado missing its listed lemon zest and parsley, calling the £27 bill for two not great value. Staff are repeatedly described as friendly and polite, with one reviewer noting a brief mix-up over a delayed scone that was simply being warmed. One visitor left with a stack of secondhand books to take home to Canada.
Customer Review Summary
Afternoon tea draws the most enthusiasm, with reviewers describing warm, freshly baked scones, sandwiches like tuna mayo and thick-cut ham and cheese, and mini red velvet cakes alongside a standout chai latte. Close behind, regulars single out the pancakes and the smashed avocado on toast, and the second hand bookshelves and cozy, fire-lit seating come up again and again as reasons to linger. Coffee, including a cortado, is consistently praised. The recurring complaint centers on inconsistency: one reviewer found the scones dry and oversweet, another called the menu creative but the execution disappointing, and one diner detailed a smashed avocado missing its listed lemon zest and parsley, calling the £27 bill for two not great value. Staff are repeatedly described as friendly and polite, with one reviewer noting a brief mix-up over a delayed scone that was simply being warmed. One visitor left with a stack of secondhand books to take home to Canada.
Featured reviews
- Google user
“Great music and absolutely fantastic value for money. Food was phenomenal and fresh with great ingredients. Friendly staff and nice and cheap :)”
- Google user
“Love the vibe in here, lots of books if you would believe it. Always get the pancakes but the other food always looks so good also.”
- Google user
“Lovely cozy space in aberdeen! I will say the scones are a bit dry and a touch too sweet but otherwise everything is perfect 👌 I'd reccomend this place for a cozy, quiet reading date or just a simple hangout with family or friends. It's a bit small but there's a second and first floor. The place isn't small in a suffocating way, it actually just adds to the cozy vibe! Would come again but I'd skip the scones unfortunately”
- Google user
“We both went for the smashed avocado. Generous helping on four triangles of toast, but the bread was pretty standard sliced brown. There was no evidence of the lemon zest listed in the ingredients. The herb was coriander, not the listed parsley. Overall, a bit dry. A drizzle of oil would have helped. Good coffee. At £27 for two, not wonderful value.”
- Google user
“It was nice to be back in Aberdeen and to revisit Books and Beans. We ordered downstairs and sat upstairs. I love the selection of second hand books, they have an enormous selection. It was really quiet for a Friday morning, I am not sure why. My friend and I enjoyed our time here. This cafe/bookshop has survived a long time and I hope the quiet day was a one off. Great to be here once again.”
Amenities
- Wheelchair accessible entrance
Show more amenities
- Accessibility· 2
- Wheelchair accessible restroom
- Wheelchair accessible seating
Location
Restaurants near Books and Beans
- Wild Goose4.62890.1 miReservations
cocktails, hummus, langoustines
- Mr Laws4.6431 mi
special kung po, sticky thai prawns, portion sizes
| Place | Rating | Distance | Mentioned in reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| Books and BeansWheelchair accessible | 4.3815 | — | afternoon tea, scones, second hand books |
| Wild GooseReservations | 4.6289 | 0.1 mi | cocktails, hummus, langoustines |
| Mr Laws | 4.643 | 1 mi | special kung po, sticky thai prawns, portion sizes |
The 2 nearest restaurants by distance. Ratings, hours and review terms come from public business profiles.
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