It’s amazing how gorgeous spots hide in plain sight, and such is the case of El Péndulo, a bookstore located in Polanco, one of the prettiest and trendiest neighborhoods in the city. 

You enter the bookstore through a narrow archway and once inside, you discover it keeps some elements of the original architecture of a house built around the 1940s, such as the spiral stairs and arched windows.

Being a Harry Potter fan since very young, I have a thing with books arranged in a certain way, and so, El Péndulo is one of my favorite places to buy a book. With a hall that has two walls covered in books from floor to ceiling and decorated with a mix of natural and artificial trees, this place is the closest I’ve been to experiencing the Hogwarts library. 

Along with the emotional part, El Péndulo is a perfect place to buy a book, either recently published or classic. Here you can find books in English and Spanish, coffee table books, movies, TV series and pop culture collectibles.

To add to the magic, El Péndulo is a very busy bookshop, as it offers a cafeteria service with delicious food such as fruit salads and chilaquiles, as well as live music afternoons from Thursday to Saturday, “Musical Breakfasts” during the weekends and special book presentations about once a week. 

El Péndulo is a perfect spot to spend the afternoon, either with company or alone. It always delivers a relaxing time between books.