Glebe is Sydney’s forgotten, quiet, bookshop-heavy village, which the locals like. It’s a short Uber or taxi from the centre of the city, or you can take a half-hour walk.

Sappho is the secondhand bookshop with 30,000 titles and a bar.

Sangria in Summer, Wine in Winter

Sangria in summer, mulled wine in winter and tapas all year round make this a destination bookshop.

You never know what you’ll pick up on the shelves, but the Happy Hour is pretty reliable, from 5pm to 7pm on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.

Live music in the courtyard is either your thing (or not) but if you don’t want to stay for another drink, you can find some good pubs nearby. The Toxteth is at 345 Glebe Point Road and the Nag’s Head Hotel at 162 St. John’s Road.

Sappho has a poetry night and open stage night too. And of course, they have a resident cat.

The Menu

Glebe is University of Sydney student and professor territory. It’s also heavily vegetarian, thus Nachos and Dal Makhani (both under $25) are on offer. Their Croque Monsieur is excellent with coffee. (There is a café service as well as a bar).

The Ghosts of the Past

Sappho dates from 1880. So could that be the odd ghost sitting in an armchair in one of its many back rooms?

There is a nod to Sappho’s past with its focus on music. Owner Meredith Baillie’s mother Patricia began a rare out-of-print music bookshop in Sydney. De Capo Music bookshop is Sappho’s sister.

Sappho was of course the lesbian poet who immortalised love between women.

Needless to say if you’re Sapphic yourself, this is a good place to meet other women. On a comedy night, even.