Joanne Hendricks Cookbooks

I’ve been meaning to write this review. Last year, I was in NYC and Whenever I travel, I have a few non-negotiable stops, whether it's my first time in a city or not. Among these are visiting a bookstore and an antique shop, always in search of specific books or unique items. By sheer chance and luck, I ended up at Joanne’s, and it turned out to be the highlight of my visit to New York City. From the moment you step in, Joanne’s warmth and knowledge draw you in. Hearing the story behind the shop and having her guide you through the selection of a book is an absolute joy. She is not only a good host but also an incredibly fascinating person. The shop itself is nothing short of magical, offering the best of both worlds. If you're passionate about gastronomy, culinary arts, and their history, this place will leave you daydreaming. For me was inspiring! I’ll be returning every time I’m in NYC.

This is, as others have said, a hidden gem in Greenwich. The charm is in its size; the joy is in the incredible selection of historical and collectible cookbooks you'll discover. For a period of time on a Friday afternoon in late April, I had Joanne all to myself and it was pure pleasure. The only thing missing in our visit was a spot of hot tea and a few biscuits. I will be back to visit every time I'm in the city. I could have stayed for hours talking culinary shop with her. She is a delight and a wealth of knowledge!

This place is so cool! The perfect place if you are enthusiastic about cooking. Definitely not cheap, all the books are special. Perfect spot for a nice gift for a chef or friend who loves to cook. They have a large variety of food writing books, really anything related to food or entertaining. It’s a small and cozy shop so just say hi to Joanne and you can spend 15 minutes to look through pretty much every book. Never know what you are going to find!

I recently had the pleasure of visiting this wonderful rare cookbooks shop run by the amazing Joanne. Her shop is a hidden gem for food enthusiasts and collectors. Joanne's wealth of knowledge and deep understanding of culinary culture is truly remarkable. Her collection is a curation of lifetime passion. She was incredibly helpful in guiding me to find the best cookbooks to gift friends and family (and her exquisite taste in music made this visit truly a delight!). The shop is a must-visit for anyone passionate about cooking and exploring the culinary world thru rare, unusual and interesting books. Text her before you come, and she will give you the best timing to visit the shop.

My daughter chose this book store as date for us since I was visiting from Ft. Lauderdale. One of my great loves is books and then book stores. She thought it would be nice yo explore cook books from the past. She is becoming a great cook herself. We loved the selection found great books to expand our cooking. The owner is brilliant and just lovely. Walking into this book shop is walking into a picturesque painting ot history.

This is a charming one room bookshop which has been curated with love and attention. Would be a lovely place to take the favorite cook in your life to look around. Be mindful that this is also a private residence on the upper floors-please be courteous and ask permission to take photographs.

Lovely shop if you’re looking for unique or rare cookbooks. For those complaining about rudeness, I did not experience any of that. Have fun browsing and buying! Will definitely come back if I need to purchase a cookbook!

I stumbled by the cookbook store accidentally and found joanne. I asked her if she had my Grandmothers cookbooks as She was Karen Hess. The lovely woman said I knew her and went to her talks many times and she many many opinionated on everything. A hidden NYC gem. I will definitely be back.. So glad stores like this exist still. Anna Magdalena Hess

What a wonderful place -- and an interesting unique guide -- who has been treated unfairly, I think, on this site. I loved the stories that she was willing to share. But why would you demand more -- the way some of these reviewers have -- clearly looking for some kind of bizarre validation from going to an antiquarian bookshop? Go in. Be respectful. You are essentially a guest in the front room of her house. Marvelous inventory; 1000s of unique treasures.

I discovered this wonderfully quirky shop reading an article about cookbook stores. I sent Joanne a text asking about a particular title I'd been searching for and she quickly responded that she had it in stock. The price was reasonable, shipping fast and the overall experience great. I can't wait to visit in person next time I'm in NYC. Thank you!

Incredible place! so excited to stumble upon this total gem. Joanne was super helpful as I took foreverrrr browsing. I finally found the perfect book to add to my collection and Joanne even hand wrapped my book which was awesome because then I let my husband open it when I got home so he could feel the same excitement. I definitely recommend if you're looking for something special.

The owner is jaw-droppingly rude. You couldn't make this person up. She clearly loves books - the collection is a labor of love. But it's obvious she would be happier if no one ever came into the shop, and passes up opportunity after opportunity to engage in conversations about her collection. So, in a perverse way, she's the most interesting thing about the store. We made the mistake of asking the origin of her shop. Whoops! It was a friendly gambit to break the ice after minutes of being ignored in a tiny room. She irritably replied, "Donald Trump owned it." We didn't know what she could possibly be getting at, but she let us know in a completely mirthless way that "That was a joke. It was a joke. You didn't get it. I was joking." Now we were in trouble for not getting the passive-aggressive humor. Were we supposed to be Trump supporters? What was her point? To salvage an awkward moment, we reframed the question about the beginning of the collection. "I love books," she said. Obviously, we weren't asking if she loved books. She knew it. We knew it. I can't imagine going in there with a child or small animal. Stand clear.

QUELLE DOMMAGE!!!! Having long admired this seeming treasure trove, I was delighted on a sunny summer day to find a sandwich board out front. Alas, the romantic fantasy ended as soon as I got past the sticky front door. Joanne Hendricks is a heinous old maid (pun intended) selling stale musty books about cooking. Imran and Alex both said it best. Spare yourself, as a visit to this hole in the wall will leave you feeling sour. Photos are not welcomed, conversation dismissed and one must not touch a thing.

This woman is so incredibly rude. I have never been treated so badly by a store owner in the 10 years I've lived in NYC. There are so many other places to spend your money, why bother with such a miserable person?

Very rude owner. Went in here with my family today on a whim- and was snarked at. I'd say there are so many places in New York... why deal with a complete lack of customer service?

We were on a nice walk downtown yesterday and stumbled upon Joanne Hendricks Cookbooks. She has a wonderful collection of painstakingly curated cooking guides from all over the world. What's even more intriguing is how you are instantly catapulted back in time after walking through that 'distressed' door. In addition to severely epicurean curios she has a treasure of a cookbook collection, and being personally interested in global cooking, I would definitely like to return. Unfortunately, what was also starkly on display was an impersonable attitude and a poor disposition. As any normal person might be - we were curious as to how she had created this little antiquated jewel in the rough - we asked polite questions about how long she's been collecting and where the books originated. I hope she was just having a sad day because her answers were "Just like anyone collects anything: art, antiques, etc". Sorry to say, collecting used cookbooks is NOTHING like collecting art - last I remember art was collected at galleries...auctions...by paying good money! When asked if she owned the whole building and how long her store had been there, she tersely shot back "That's the last of the questions, OK ? No more questions." and she left it there. I hate to have to break it to you lady - but our curiosity was purely borne out of a genuine interest and appreciation for what you do. Creating something special, something you love - without regard to place and time. We enthusiastically support your zeal and commitment to preserving these treasures of old, but your sourness totally curdled our experience. It's natural for people to acknowledge your efforts and politely solicit some history - too bad you weren't up for it. You need to work on dusting off your attitude, its almost as musty as that tea-cozy sitting in your case.

I wandered into Joanne Hendricks Cookbooks several years ago before I moved to NYC, and couldn't believe such a place existed. I live in the city now and work as a chef-- I have a professional and personal interest in cookbooks and food writing. I had some time to kill recently and figured I should revisit the idyllic place from that memorable trip. Some things are better left to memory. Is this store charming and full of great finds? Yes. However, my experience at Joanne Hendricks this week left much to be desired. I picked up many books and, get this, looked at them. After about thirty minutes looking over my finds I was shaken out of my excitement with a question. "Are you going to buy anything, or not?" I was planning on it, I told her. She then began to inform me how delicate everything was and that I should not just be picking up the books and looking at them. Fine. I get that, but these were books on bookshelves, not in protective covers or behind glass, and there were no signs not to touch or pick up books. She said that the store "wasn't a library," and she said she wondered why I was going from section to section, looking at all the shelves. I told her that if there were books I shouldn't touch she should just say so. I wanted to buy something, and I mentioned a book I was considering getting. She responded, "Well, I wouldn't want to force you." Joanne ignored me for twenty minutes, mostly on the phone. When I was able to ask her questions about the cookbooks she seemed annoyed to have to answer. I left without buying anything, despite having seen several books I would have purchased if the experience had gone differently. It's a shame that such a charming place could be so uninviting. Fortunately there are other food-dedicated bookstores with kind staff willing to engage their customers.

I can't cook nor do I try, but my friend who is practically a gourmet chef brought me in here once, and I ended up really liking this store. It has such a nice old-fashioned-used-book kind of feel to it. You will love this store even if you have no intention of buying anything, but be sure to bring a food enthusiast, because my friend was really giddy when she saw some of the books here.

Five stars because no one seems to know about this place, so it feels like a genuine discovery when you walk in. Located in between the happening spots on Greenwich (there are some prime spots both north and south, but this is a sort of wasteland of UPS and FedEx warehouses) you will notice it because of the battered old sandwich board just outside the door. The window display is always nice, too, with good attention to color and light. Inside you will find all the classic cookbooks you could ever desire--many in hard-to-find first editions. Alice B. Toklas, Laurie Colwin, Julia Child, Alice Waters, Elizabeth David, and James Beard are only a fraction of the authors of note. Also a lot of funky, funny, racy cookbooks from the golden olden days. This store deserves loyal customers.

One of the finest rare book shops in the the City. I am also a book collector and my husband and found this place on a hunt for cookbooks. The place is one of the oldest remaining buildings on Manhattan, and has seven lovingly restored. The collection is excellent and diverse. While some reviews here say the proprietor is difficult, my experience was completely different. She was welcoming, patient and eventually excited to talk to us, also she happily shipped our books so we didn't have to worry about damaging them on the rest of our walk. Highly recommended.

Other reviewers on here seem to agree with me that this place is a work of art, and yet complain of the the artist's demeanor. What gall, and what an immediate defense of Mrs. Hendricks to in the same breath praise her store and then insult her for being unpleasant. Not to feed into anything-but it must be said to Meg especially... if the work is as beautiful as you seem to be able to percieve, you must forgive the artist for being guarded against shit such as yourself, streaming in to the door, demanding more than the deep, historic soundness and quality of her work, true beauty, but also "pictures" "touching" and "romantic fantasy". I apologize for adding to any vitriol but I was looking up the hours and felt compelled to applaud Mrs. Hendricks for her hygenic vigilance against the swine infestation, and since its not usually the brightest people who review works of art on yelp, Joanne Hendricks Cookbooks is a work of art, a national treasure, and I highly reccomend a visit to anyone interested in true beauty. Wipe your feet.