Barbóék

Barbóék opened in 2015 on Schrijnmakersstraat, in a tastefully renovated former printing works, combining an independent bookshop with a coffee bar rather than treating either as an add-on to the other. The shop pours coffee and tea from Blanche Dael, a local roastery, alongside espresso drinks and specialty lattes, wines from Convento, and food built around soup and bread plus pastries made in-house or sourced locally - described by the owners as running the place like a second living room, somewhere to browse and linger rather than move through quickly. Staff are self-described book enthusiasts who give personal recommendations, and any title not in stock typically arrives within two days. In summer 2022 the concept expanded to a second site, Barbóék in M, a museum shop and café inside M Leuven, the city's museum for contemporary and classical art on Savoyestraat. That location leans its book selection toward art titles tied to the museum's exhibitions, hosts author talks and reading-club evenings on Thursdays, and runs a seasonal weekend brunch - a plate of quiche, yogurt and granola, and coffee cakes for twenty euros. Between the two addresses, Barbóék has built a single identity around books and coffee shared in the same room, rather than a café that happens to sell books on the side.