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Trident Booksellers & Cafe

Shops
 Boston, 02115

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Call: +1 617-267-8688
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About

Trident Booksellers & Cafe has shared 338 Newbury Street between books and a kitchen since Bernie and Gail Flynn opened it in 1984, when, as the shop tells it, putting a bookstore and a café under one roof was still unusual. Four decades on the café has grown into a full-service restaurant and the shop remains independent and owned by the Flynn family, now led by Bernie’s daughter Courtney and daughter-in-law Kim.

It suits a reader who wants to browse and then stay for a meal, a solo traveler looking for a table with a book, and anyone doing Newbury Street who needs a break from boutiques. It sits at the Massachusetts Avenue end of Newbury Street in Back Bay, with long daily hours that make it an early breakfast or a late-evening stop.

A building with a past

The shop has researched its own address. The building went up in 1886 as the Newbury Stable Company, a club stable where members kept horses and carriages; by 1910 it housed the Motor Car Service Company. Later it held offices and an alternative education program, and from 1989 parts of it were home to the Boston Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center and other LGBTQ+ organizations. The 1886 date is still carved into the brick front.

Books and the café

The bookstore keeps its own bestseller lists in hardcover and paperback fiction and nonfiction, plus a shelf of staff picks, and sells gifts alongside the books. In-stock titles and preorders can be shipped or held for store pickup through the shop’s website. The café serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, with coffee, cocktails, beer and wine; takeout and delivery orders go through the café’s online ordering page.

Events and The Stacks

Book clubs, trivia nights, lectures, craft nights and author talks are part of the regular program, and some events are ticketed through the website. For the shop’s 40th anniversary in 2024 it took over the whole second floor to create The Stacks, a 1,350-square-foot room among the bookshelves with an original brick wall and exposed pipes. It hosts public programs and private parties from birthdays to weddings, with in-house catering, a bar and an event coordinator.

Sources: Trident Booksellers & Cafe, Our Story, private events, café menu. Checked September 30, 2026.

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Contact Information

Company Name
Trident Booksellers & Cafe
Phone Number
See Phone Number
Call: +1 617-267-8688
Location
338 Newbury Street
Boston, 02115
Visit Website Shop Online

About Trident Booksellers & Cafe

Quick answer: Trident Booksellers & Cafe is a bookstore at 338 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 02115. Independent bookstore and full-service café on Newbury Street since 1984, open daily from 8 a.m., with author talks and The Stacks upstairs.

Last updated

Trident Booksellers & Cafe has shared 338 Newbury Street between books and a kitchen since Bernie and Gail Flynn opened it in 1984, when, as the shop tells it, putting a bookstore and a café under one roof was still unusual. Four decades on the café has grown into a full-service restaurant and the shop remains independent and owned by the Flynn family, now led by Bernie’s daughter Courtney and daughter-in-law Kim.

It suits a reader who wants to browse and then stay for a meal, a solo traveler looking for a table with a book, and anyone doing Newbury Street who needs a break from boutiques. It sits at the Massachusetts Avenue end of Newbury Street in Back Bay, with long daily hours that make it an early breakfast or a late-evening stop.

A building with a past

The shop has researched its own address. The building went up in 1886 as the Newbury Stable Company, a club stable where members kept horses and carriages; by 1910 it housed the Motor Car Service Company. Later it held offices and an alternative education program, and from 1989 parts of it were home to the Boston Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center and other LGBTQ+ organizations. The 1886 date is still carved into the brick front.

Books and the café

The bookstore keeps its own bestseller lists in hardcover and paperback fiction and nonfiction, plus a shelf of staff picks, and sells gifts alongside the books. In-stock titles and preorders can be shipped or held for store pickup through the shop’s website. The café serves breakfast, lunch and dinner, with coffee, cocktails, beer and wine; takeout and delivery orders go through the café’s online ordering page.

Events and The Stacks

Book clubs, trivia nights, lectures, craft nights and author talks are part of the regular program, and some events are ticketed through the website. For the shop’s 40th anniversary in 2024 it took over the whole second floor to create The Stacks, a 1,350-square-foot room among the bookshelves with an original brick wall and exposed pipes. It hosts public programs and private parties from birthdays to weddings, with in-house catering, a bar and an event coordinator.

Sources: Trident Booksellers & Cafe, Our Story, private events, café menu. Checked September 30, 2026.

Shops Bookstores Shopping Back Bay Newbury Street shops
Phone: +1 617-267-8688

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Where is Trident Booksellers & Cafe?+
At 338 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 02115, in Back Bay near the Massachusetts Avenue end of Newbury Street. The phone number is +1 617-267-8688.
Q. What are the opening hours?+
The shop lists its store hours as 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday through Saturday.
Q. What does the café serve?+
Breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with coffee drinks. The cocktail, beer and wine menus are available when you dine in, and the food menu can be ordered online for pickup or delivery.
Q. Can I order books online?+
Yes, for books that are in stock or on preorder: the shop will ship them or hold them for pickup. For other titles it points customers to its Bookshop.org storefront.
Q. Does Trident host events?+
Yes. The shop runs book clubs, trivia nights, lectures, craft nights and author talks, and lists upcoming events, some ticketed, on its website.
Q. Can I book a private party there?+
Yes. The Stacks, a 1,350-square-foot room on the second floor, takes private events such as birthdays, showers, graduations and weddings, with in-house catering and a dedicated event coordinator. Larger events can reserve the entire second floor. Inquiries go through the Private Events page.
Q. How old is Trident?+
Bernie and Gail Flynn opened it in 1984. The building itself dates from 1886, when it was built as a stable.

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