BookshopGeorge Street

Waterstones

Chain bookshop with a surprisingly good café

6.6/10

Local score

No. 14 of 43 shops on r/brighton, from 24 locals across 24 threads.

95% would send a mate. Still recommended in 2026.

Most love for this branch is really for the upstairs café (Café W) on George Street/North Street: quiet, decent coffee and cake, and a solid remote-work spot. It also hosts a monthly book club and watercolour sessions, though one commenter feels it "isn't exactly a friendly neighbourhood book store" compared to indie shops.

Go for
A quiet coffee while browsing books
Heads up
Feels corporate, not a cosy indie bookshop

What locals say

…Presuming Ed's is nice for a vibrant drink, or coffee, if solo a good place to chat with others/a group quite likely to be open to including you. There's a little solo game room with an old school console in there I believe you can play on - Waterstones (by the Clocktower) can grab a book, also a coffee/cake/toastie - Preston Park is nice for walking around (when it's not raining)- it's not far from London Road Open Market which is small/dainty but generally people find it work looking…
u/AncilliaryAnteater, 202413 upvotes“In Brighton for a couple of days - arriving today.”
This is a great shout. I'm not sure if Waterstones have restarted (moved a little while ago) but they used to give literally bags of rolls and pastries for a few quid if they had a lot needing to be removed. Also FCB at the train station always were good value.
u/EchoAzulai, 20233 upvotes“Expensive rent and the increasing cost of living. I’m struggling.”
Presuming Ed's if you want hustle and bustle, Al Campo is spacious but also a little loud. Waterstones and Jubilee Library a little…
u/AncilliaryAnteater, 20245 upvotes“Best cafe/s to work remotely in Brighton?”
A book shop with a community and social life? I’d go for that. Evil Amazon gets too much of my business because of prices and Waterstones isn’t exactly a friendly neighbourhood book store. I know I should go to City Books in Hove more but I am rarely in that part of town. Long way of saying I would pay a premium to support a local book shop with a community around it, esp with book club and ‘membership’ benefits of some sort. Frankly I’d…
u/whatwhenwhere1977, 20247 upvotes“Business research”

Ranked from 21,200 r/brighton comments. Summaries are written by AI from what locals said; quotes are word for word. Not affiliated with Reddit. Back to the guide