Dungeons, dragons, and coffee – oh my!

Seemingly overnight, a new board game café sprouted up next to the Heights. This establishment is a testament to opposites. It’s an odd, irreconcilable mix of hipster coffee and nerdy décor, of gift shop and cafe. We sent Bwog babies Jenny & Hyonju to check it out. 

Upon first entrance, we were greeted by a wall of neatly stacked, packaged board games available for purchase, which struck us as jarringly gift-shop-esque. Opposite of this wall was the coffee bar, in which customers could order a range of drinks and baked goods. One of us bought a medium iced coffee with milk, priced at $3.50, while the other took advantage of the free iced water dispenser – a polite gesture that we appreciated. It only got more interesting from here.

As we ventured deeper within this pseudo-café, the most striking feature was the medieval (a la 21st century) décor. Indeed, scattered around the spacious seating areas are full, rusted suits of armor, paired with decals of various board game paraphernalia on the paneled walls. Beyond the décor, the inside of this café contains shelves stacked with endless piles of board games, free to play while you enjoy your drink. Our own Back of the Envelope calculations estimated that these shelves contained around 300 individual sets of games.

Although there was a large variety of games, we had a difficult time finding childhood classics such as Monopoly and Operation. The majority of games were fantasy/medieval themed, with a focus on magical elements. Where was Guess Who? Where was our Shoots and Ladders? The target demographic of this café (?) is definitely consumers of medieval board game culture.

Pros:

  • They do have free? Wifi (check on this)
  • Spacious – 20 tables in here
  • Medieval décor, if you’re into that kind of thing
  • Perfect atmosphere for trying out a new game or two
  • Definitely a place for nerds

Cons:

  • Not for your average board gamer – good for some people
  • Not really any organization to the game selection
  • Definitely a place for nerds

Coffee:

  • Brooklyn Roasting Company
  • Columbia’s coffee is also from here? Bad coffee – kind of bitter
  • “It gets worse every time I drink it,” says Karen.
  • $3.50 for medium iced coffee
  • Selection is kind of confusing

Other observations:

  • Our game of monopoly was quite an average game, save for the included T-Rex mascot.
  • Employees help clean up
  • Very average, save for included T Rex
  • Selection of baked goods

Image courtesy of the West Side Rag