Introduction
Board game cafes, are great places to spend time with friends, try new (or old) board games, snack and generally have a fun time. You'll find that most board game cafes charge an hourly rate, usually inclusive of the use of their board game library, though some will allow you to rent a table by the hour to play your own board games.
Board game cafes also usually host events, from Warhammer painting workshops, to Magic the Gathering Tournaments, Dungeons and Dragons one shots run by their own game masters, community events and more!
How do board game cafes work?
Disclaimer: We've attempted to cover the basics of what most board game cafes offer, but do note that every board game cafe does its own thing!
Board game cafes create a community and space for board game lovers, where people can come together to play all sorts of board games. Board game cafes have their own library of board games that you can rent from.
Some board game cafes may offer you the choice between being able to rent a table and play your own board games, or, renting a table and having the option to rent from their library of games. These costs may be for the hour or by the day depending on the cafe.
Board game cafes are also great retail spaces to find new board games and buy a copy!
They also often stock accessories, minis, models, paints, dice and everything else that you might need to enhance your board game experience. This extends into card games and gachas to collect cards. If you're lucky, some will stock plushies too!
Most board game cafes offer their own food and drink that you can buy when at the cafe. This depends from cafe to cafe, and we've heard of some board game cafes working together with other local businesses to supply food to their venue. It's a win-win for everyone involved, except maybe you wallet, depending on how much you enjoy your snacks.
And that's not all! Lots of board game cafes hold regular events to bring communities together. This could be through events or tournaments for Trading Card Games, organizing community painting evenings, kid friendly events and more. Some board game cafes also hold events to bring together the community by asking people to bring and share their own games!
Looking for workshops around Warhammer? Dungeons and Dragons or more?
Many board game cafes hold workshops around painting, lore and running sessions for all sorts of Table-Top Role-Playing Games. They're a great place to start if you're looking for more structure, inspiration and community!
How long can you rent a space at a board game cafe?
This usually depends from cafe to cafe - we've usually only rented a few hours at a time, and extended the hours if the cafe isn't too busy, and is an option that is offered to us.
Also, games may run long, but people have places to be too, so keep the hours within the cafe's business hours, yes?
Some cafes will even let you rent out the space for the day for corporate events, birthday parties and other events with enough time, thought most often, they do have a private room that is big enough to host a party.
Why do we love board game cafes?
Hm, a space where we have a table that's big enough, can accommodate many friends, AND has delicious snacks?
Sign us up!
This is why we love board game cafes - you get to try all sorts of board games you've never heard of before, sometimes different from the friend group's go tos, and they've always led to everyone having a great time.
If we had less adult scheduling problems, we'd love to spend more time trying out all sorts of board games at board games cafes!
Why go to a board game cafe?
Well, apart from being highly cost effective in terms of renting of space, and not to mention being able to play a wide variety of games for a great price, board game cafes are a great place to come together with the community.
Some board game cafes like The DICE Box, have evenings where individuals can come in and get matched up with those of similar attitudes to play games. Its a neat way to meet people and talk about the kinds of games you love and bond over shared victories and defeats.
Another great reason to visit a board game cafe is tournaments and workshop days. Some board game cafes run painting workshops, others run one-shot Tabletop campaigns, and tournaments are also often held in board game cafes, from, One Piece, and Yu-gi-oh, to Pokémon and Magic the gathering.
In essence, anyone who enjoys board games, is sure to easily find a community here!
Board Game Cafes we've been to!
The DICE Box
The food's great too, with vegan options available across the menu!
The Games Den
The Dice Cup
The food was on point, as were the selection of board games they had in stock. They've got a pretty big place and great prices by the day.
We hope to see this list of board game cafes we've visited grow over time. In the meantime, if you'd like to know more about different mechanics and genres of board games, look no further than our board game articles that you can read right here.
If you're looking for our thoughts on board games we've played, have a look through our reviews!
