We had so much fun here! The drinks were great, the only mistake we did was trying to play risk yet never having played it before lol! If you're a bigger party make sure to book a table or come early. Food looked great but we didn't try any. read more

Draughts - Bars Near Me - London, XGL

I visited Draughts in a group of six people on a Friday evening- we were all aware of London's new board game café through word of mouth and its highly publicized quirkiness in blogs and social media. The primary concern was that we could guarantee getting a table for a group, as lengthy waits and snaking queues are to be expected with this ilk of trendy London venue. Draughts only takes reservations during the week, so we ditched our original plan to meet up for a Sunday afternoon of retro games. Instead, we made the latest possible reservation on a Friday, which was at 19:00. We had a table waiting for us and we remarked that there wasn't an empty table for the duration of the evening, so I would avoid chancing it. The café actually can't sit that many large groups- maybe about 20 in total- and the nature of the activity on offer encourages people to arrive and stay until closing time. The café is open and there's a fair amount of space between tables, which is advantageous for groups who opt for games that require concentration. However, we did remark the strange tone in the room for a Friday night, as there were many groups who had committed themselves to role play/strategy games that were not as social as the games that we happily engaged in (yes, there were no fewer than three rounds of Hungry, Hungry Hippos and Moustache Smash respectively). Our revelry was met with stern expressions and disgust from one table of very serious looking hipsters. The café works like this: there is a wide selection of board games, ranging from tried classics to esoteric curiosities (Salmon Run or Cards Against Humanity- tough call). Games are displayed on shelves in the back of the café, categorised under sections such as 'family', 'strategy' and 'group-friendly'. The staff mingle around and will offer to help you find exactly what you're after- a board game crack dealer if there ever was one- and they bubble over with boundless enthusiasm over each game. You pay £5 as an entry fee (our fees were just applied to our table's tab) and there is a bar with some good local beers- Camden Brewery and Meantime are represented and Crate cider was a nice local touch. There are small dishes- mostly compact but appealing sandwiches for about £5 each or a meat or mezze sharing board that looked appetising. Be aware, though- between entry fees and about three drinks each, we managed to spend about £50 between two people! It was novel and we did have a great time- the nadir was the fact that the version of Mousetrap on offer was alien to our entire table and looked like a cheap knock-off of the version we played as children. We were very curious about the games that other groups were playing and I feel that a second group outing is warranted for more adventurous choices. It's maybe not as cheap for a night out- outside snacks are discouraged, for instance- but everyone should spend a soggy afternoon here. If they could improve the Friday night ambiance, it would be even better for a bit of silly fun after a long working week. It's just a shame about weekend reservations! read more

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I've been to board game bars in other cities and it's wonderful to finally have an equivalent in London. Draughts has a huge selection of games, probably well over 100 different titles. Some of these games you've heard of, but there are guaranteed to be new titles you can discover and test out here before buying them for your home game nights. They even have expansion packs for some of the larger games, providing additional variants of gameplay for your favorite games. The game gurus who work there are friendly, helpful, and super knowledgable about all of the games. Sit down with a new game and they'll walk you through the game dynamics and some basic strategy. The flat fee for all-you-can-play is awesome and a superb deal! The food, snacks, and drinks are tasty and reasonably priced. The decor is fun and hip. I'll be coming back here often! read more

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My wife, son and I were visiting from the San Francisco Bay Area and decided to drop by Draughts this Tuesday. I am a huge board game nerd and was looking forward to trying a board game cafe during my London holiday. None of us were disappointed! The cider, juice and brownies were all very good! My wife marveled at the architecture of the place. My son and I did a bit of research ahead of time and started out with a gateway game, Survive! With some great help from Ezra the game guru, we were off to the swimming, conniving, boat flipping and meeple-eating wonders of that particular game! I was suitably trounced by my son and wife as many of my meeples were consumed by the creatures of the depths! We played Survive twice, and Khet 2.0 once. Both games were in great condition and believe me - I've been to a pub where this wasn't the case and it put a damper on the evening... We all enjoyed London during our stay, but I ADORE Draughts! Take note, Snakes and Lattes (Toronto) and the soon to open EndGame Cafe (Oakland) - this is how you do a board game cafe RIGHT! read more

Draughts - Game of Survive! at Draughts London! - Bars Near Me - London, XGL

Over priced and underwhelmed We arrived 75 minutes before the evening closure so was only charged £2.50 each, good job as if I had been charged £5 I would have asked for my money back. The service was awful all they wanted was to upsell their DRINKS and food asked about help for a game nobody could help!! Then to add insult to injury they added a 10% service charged. AVOID AT ALL COSTS. Only after I asked was we offered a games list. Money money money seemed to be all they were interested in. read more

I've never seen myself as a boardgames connoisseur, partly because Monopoly and Cards Against the Humanity were easy and everything else seemed to difficult to pick up. That's until a friend introduced me to Dixit and then I realised that boardgames can be much more fun. We (5 people) headed there on a Tuesday evening and the cafe was busy - we had to wait for a table for a short while, so recommend going there either earlier than 8.30 (6pm would be good). Spent about 1.5 hours playing Jamaica - a round would take you about 45-60 minutes, an excellent game! I also devoured the salted caramel brownies they are delicious and you should try them. Service is excellent. The staff would come up and teach you the game rules if you're unsure. Draughts located in the arches of the Overground bridge - so it's spacious, albeit dark (which adds to the ambience) The cover charge is £5 per person and you can stay as long as you like, playing as many games as you like. I'm definitely going back there again! read more

We came here for a Yelp event and it was an awesome night. There are SO many boardgames. Probably the best thing was the game gurus who teach you rules to new games and can recommend games based on what you're in to. I really like what they've done with the space; it's under one of the Haggerston railway arches and they've made it look pretty cool. Large space too. When I found out it was £5 entry I was a bit miffed but actually when playing games for hours you can easily forget to replenish your drinks, or not want to leave the game to go to the bar. So the guys have to make their money somehow! There are some snacks and sandwiches on the menu. We got tasters of the two food boards at the Yelp event. They were good but you'd need a few to share to get full. Drinks prices were quite expensive. BUT it's clean and tidy inside, and the games are well looked after. Nothing worse than sticky boardgames that smell of stale beer! I want to say that I will definitely come back again but from the looks of their reservation system it may be a long time... - Bookings are available on weekdays BEFORE 7pm for groups up to 8. - On Sat and Sun it's first-come first-served. - There are a small number of unbookable seats which are filled on a first-come first-served basis. This places gets REALLY busy, really fast so I imagine it'd be a queueing situation which, let's face it, does not look too good with games such as Dominion and Settlers of Catan which can last for hours... If you can get a table, go for it!! read more

It's about time London got a board game cafe! There have been a few places that have had some games (e.g. Loading bar), but none that were dedicated. Draughts only opened about a month ago, and seems to be off to a strong start. We went at 1300 ish on a Saturday and the place was already full. We were told there were 2 groups ahead of us and that the wait was likely to be a couple of hours as most people had just started. We decided to stick around anyway and got lucky and were seated in around 1.5 hours or so. Location: - located under Haggerston arches, it's a fairly cavernous yet cozy space Concept: - £5 cover charge per head and you can sit and play board games for as long as you want - The staff know the rules so you don't need to spend ages staring at the manual working it out. They'll help you pick a game, teach you the rules, and stick around to ensure you've got it Food/drinks: - fairly limited food menu (some sandwiches, some snacks - e.g. olives, nutes) - great beer list - nice teas, some soft drinks, some pastries Overall: Only went last weekend and I'm dying to go again. I do wonder about their business model in that people probably play for 5-6 hours and if you aren't drinking, they don't seem to sell enough other stuff to make enough money off of you. That being said, given their seeming popularity despite just opening, they're clearly on to a winning formula. read more

Wow what a gem! I absolutely love this place. I visited for the first time earlier today and can genuinely say it's one of the funnest 6 hours I've spent in London. So what's good about it? The choice of games is amazing, there's so many to choose from. There's literally something to suit everyone. The staff are really friendly and are on hand to advise you of which game to go for. There's a cover charge of 5 pounds per person, which may seem excessive, but when you consider you'll spend a good few hours there, seems quite reasonable. Drinks and snacks are standard coffee shop prices and water is free. All in all, it's a must visit for anyone who wants something fun to do with friends, that involves being indoors and isn't too pricey. read more

This place is full of win! I missed out on a Yelp event here due to work commitments, so when Gaz; one of my board game-loving pals came to London I was determined to finally give it a try! We arrived just after midday and were seated at one of the last remaining tables they had. This place really gets busy quickly! Ben, our friendly games guru spent a good hour of his shift with us, finding out what type of games we like, recommending new ones for us to try, and then explaining in depth how to play them. In the 5 HOURS we were there, we played Five Tribes (my new favourite) and two other games that I can't pronounce, let alone spell. It costs £5 per person to play for as long as you want, which is really quite reasonable if you make a day of it. The food choices are limited but good, we shared a mezze platter, (falafel, humous, tzatziki, pitta bread and sundried tomatoes), and each had a sandwich; my salami, cheese and rocket was nice enough, but lame compared to Gaz's pesto and haloumi bad boy! We also had a few beers each throughout the afternoon, and once they sorted our bill out, (they mistakenly tried to charge us just shy of £90 for all sorts of stuff we didn't have) it all came to £45. £9 per hour for fun times with a pal is good value in my book! read more

I loved this place. I'd heard good things but it really did live up to its reputation. A good selection of beers, nice food and most importantly a massive range of games ranging from Jenga to Magic. I found this place while looking for a social activity for work peeps after a day of 'team building' which required some distraction and drinks! It couldn't have been more perfect! Playing a game of snake oil, for which we had a short tutorial from Games Master (not Patrick Moore) Mike! and scoffing pumpkin beer and various small plates. Great stuff. Highly recommended. read more

This was a cool venue if you could actually get in! We were waiting outside for sooo long in the cold. They really did not make use of their space at all, the tables are really very far apart and there are too many big group tables when most people came in small groups or pairs. Saying that, the choice of boardgames was good and the game gurus were a great idea. Food was pretty limited and a bit underwhelming. I had some kind of meat toastie? Question mark intended. I had a really fun night at this venue and probably would go back, but I would aim to go during a grey day rather than as a evening activity. I should mention I become ratty if I attend a venue that doesn't serve spirits and this has probably influenced my review, but so should it in my opinion! read more

This place is like a toy shop where you get to play with all of the toys. Which all happen to be board games. And where you get to get slightly drunk at the same time. With table service. If that sounds good, you will not be disappointed. The range of board games is impressive, as is the level or organisation. They games are arranged by 'style'. There are sections for the serious games, arranged by level of seriousness, and then other areas like two player games. They have silly games like Hungry HIppos, there are a few types of Jenga, and there is probably everything in between. It's set in a railway arch and there is a fair amount of space with lots of tables for playing games on, it's a good setup. I have to admit that I didn't take much of a look at their drink selection because I saw that they have Yakima Red and I needed to look no longer, but reading it online now, it seems to tick all of the boxes well. I didn't eat, but I looked longingly at the mezze and charcuterie boards and would have definitely indulged if I wasn't totally absorbed by the games. The keen staff are on hand to recommend games for you and to explain the rules, which is much more fun than studying them yourself. I learned about a few fun games in just a couple of hours. I have no criticism of this place. Apparently it gets very busy and you can now book - take a look at the website. read more

Loved it! Went with a large group of friends and stayed all day and it was all it was hyped up to be. They have a great selection of games, including most of my favourites, sorted by type and amount of players. Their tables are purpose built with space underneath to store the boxes and personal stuff that has no room on the table. The staff is mostly very friendly and knowledgeable about the games and the atmosphere is great. I'm only deducting a point for their food choices. There's not a lot to choose from apart from snacks, so if you're planning a long gaming session, you better come prepared with a full stomach. A few substantial meal offers would be nice. Other than that it's a great place, definitely recommend it for gaming fans! read more

I love love love this place! If you want a really fun and chill evening out with your friends, or alternatively an evening of mad competition trying to ruthlessly crush each other (ideal!) this is the place to go. For £5 you have a day to use their massive collection of awesome games to compete with your friends and have a blast. Their collection is amazing and it's really great to get to play so many and try them all out. As a gamer, it is really nice to do that instead of buying them first and finding out you might not like them. The tables here are comfy, the food is a small selection of simple things but nicely done (brownies are good), and the vibe is relaxed and fun. The staff here is really good about answering any questions you have about the game which helps cut down time spent staring at a rule book and they are super nice. I think London needs a place like this and I'm so happy it's finally here! read more

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Board games, beer and decent food. Came with a few mates (I recommend at least 4 of you to maximise board game utility) and its epic. Really don't know why there is only one! Games are REALLY FUN. Drunk Rich, my alter ego treated me to snake oil cos it was so much fun to play (ever tried selling someone a corpse beach? I've seen it done). The drink is good too. I really like meantime and they have a good range of it. Others too but I would be lying if I said i could remember what they are... The food is also decent. Quite light. Kind of perfect for the situation... I 100% recommend coming here for drinks with mates, family, dates... It's just good fun. read more

So glad to have found this place! It's awesome and there really isn't much of a credible way to dispute that. £5 to play whatever board games you like - and there are hundreds of them - for however long you'd like, with recommendations and lessons included if you want. We went on Saturday around 11:30 am because they don't take reservations on the weekends and we didn't want to risk going later and waiting around. There were several tables still available at the time. We stayed until 3 pm (they have a 4 hour limit when there is a line) and it was full by then. Ben helped us out after we grabbed a table. He spoke with us about what types of games we like generally and what we feel like playing and gave us some recs for things we'd never heard of. He even thought us how to play them (because we wanted him to). Then he left us to play, checking in once or twice to see how it was going. They also have food and beverages. We got a crushed avocado open-faced sandwich, but swapped the ham for halloumi which they were cool with. Sandwich was good - lots of avocado. Got two coffees as well, one flat white the other an American with whole milk. Tap water upon request. They bring the food to you and will also take your order at the table as well. No need to go up to the counter. They also serve beer, wine and a few cocktails if you want. The room is spacious and they have two comfortable sized bathrooms for use. Will absolutely be back! It's a fun time for two people or a whole group. read more

Didn't even know this place existed, wow, a massive collection of games along with guided knowledge from the staff, couple that with great looking/sounding food food 'and' Gentleman Batista coffee, what can I say. Socialise with a beer/wine/coffee, bite to eat, playing some game you thought was extinct, even saw Kerplunk! Blast from the past. Quite a few tables, £5 each per session for gaming, not compulsory to play though. Worth a visit. read more

Draughts - Massive collection of amazing board games - Bars Near Me - London, XGL

We came here as a big group that had been organised a few weeks back. We had 20 people in the booking, and the guy who called had asked what would happen if more came, and were told to just pay the extra on the day. When we got there we were allocated three tables. That's 6-7 people per table (plus the extras). Games are generally about 4-5 people. Not ideal, but not a big deal. Certainly not the reason I'm rating it 2/5. One of the guys who worked there was incredibly rude, and really disliked our tables, and gave us attitude. We asked for advice on the board games, and he said "we can get to that later, I'm only taking drink orders now", when we tried to pay for drinks we were told we couldn't pay as we go, and when someone at my table suggested we just go to the bar to buy drinks we were flat out told that we couldn't order from the bar (though anyone else in the bar who wasn't part of our group was more than welcome to). A couple people in my part pressed it, and he just kept saying "well how do you do it in *literally every* restaurant. As he walked away he did the 'wanker' hand symbol referring to our group... Every other staff member we dealt with was great, and the night ended up being very fun, but it was a really crappy start to our night. I would maybe consider going back in a group 4 or 5, but not in a big group. read more

We went here on a Saturday night with 4 people. It took us about 1.5 hrs to be seated from about 4:30. It's to be expected though and I'm from Toronto and these places all get really busy there too. They have a good system of dealing with it. It would be good if they had a telephone so you could call them though. It's 5 pounds and you get to stay as long as you like. It could use some more games in my opinion or maybe a bit more variety. I love Ticket to Ride and I discovered it at a boardgame cafe but it's interesting to see how popular it was there and how many versions they had in comparison to the north american cafes where no one seemed to be playing it when we went. Their seats are way too low for the tables. Their brownies and nuts are really good albeit overpriced. The service is pretty terrible though, we waited ages for anyone to notice that we needed a drink. Everyone was friendly though that worked there so they just need to pay a bit more attention. The atmosphere is cozy and we had a great time. Oh and the beer is delicious. It's a pricey evening just to play games but it's fun and we'd go again. read more

This place is amazing. I had such a great time here with my brother. Great staff, really friendly and knowledgable. I loved the selection of beers that they had. I didn't really try the food but it's all designed to be eaten alongside playing a game so I wouldn't say that it's the main event here. The selection of games is fantastic and they're well equipped to offer a service to causal audiences and hardcore players alike. They also offer a loyalty system which I'll be getting involved in the next time I go. This place is the best, I cannot recommend it highly enough! Me and my girlfriend are currently looking for flats in Haggerston. I'm going to try and convince them to open for breakfast next time I go... read more

We now want to move to Haggerston to be closer to this place. All the staff were really, really lovely and helped us pick new games to try (as why would you come to play a game you have at home?!) We had the Honey Beer, which I'd really recommend and also a platter of meats, which was easy to munch on while gaming. I'm such a fan of this place and really think there needs to be more venues like this, I think it would really help cut down on our binge drinking culture (seriously!) if there were more places you could go to have fun, with or without drinks. read more

This is a fabulous place to take kids on a weekend. They have literally hundreds of board games, and 'games gurus' to help explain the rules of whichever game you choose. There are all the recognisable games, and more esoteric ones that help you set up your own vineyard, and explore Bruges! The menu is limited, but it's a great-looking place under a railway arch, and the staff are super-friendly. No laptops in sight. It costs £5 per adult, £3 for kids, and then you can stay and play for as long as you like. read more

Draughts - Draughts board games café in Haggerston - Bars Near Me - London, XGL

I never seen so many versions of Setters of Catan in one place. If that doesn't get you going then try one of the many other games. Not sure how to play? There are informed staff who LOVE games so they are happy to show you how to play. Oh did I mention there is beer and drinks. Great for a date or a group get together. read more

This is the home of board games. There are over 500 and counting. With everything from Mastermind to Cluedo, from Operation to Battleship - you can revisit your childhood and teens. Blink and you would miss this little venue, as it's a bit off the beaten track. Make your way to Haggerston station (just down the road from bustling Shoreditch and trendy Hoxton) and around the corner are some old train arches which have been converted to venues not only home to Draughts, but also some bars and grills (reviews coming soon). It is a great chilling pastime to sit with your beau/bae or friends, sipping on a chilled beer, guessing answers, throwing dice, pressing buttons and building stuff. Game on! read more

Great to see London finally having a dedicated board game cafe! Great selection of games, good atmosphere and friendly staff :)

Really fun afternoon spent here. The £5 entry charge gets you 4 hours of games, which is pretty generous. They have LOADS of games, categorised really well. Unfortunately, we were told to speak to the 'games guru' for recommendations and it took us quite a while to get a hold of him - you'd think in a board games cafe, more than one member of staff might be able to advise you on games. However, when we finally did get a hold of him, he was very patient and talked us through all the rules of the game rather than just leaving us to ourselves. There's also food and drink on offer. read more

Me and my boyfriend had an incredible time at Draughts at an organised Yelp night. The staff were helpful, organised and eager to show you how to play the games. The bar is cosy but cleverly designed to maximise space and the layout lends itself well to socialising beyond your group. The selection of games is broad and the bar offerings were top notch. I would definitely recommend for small group parties, gatherings and get togethers of all ages as there's a game for everyone! read more

Avoid Avoid Avoid! We had a really bad experience at Draughts and I'm really disappointed to have taken my friends there. We waited for over an hour for our food and weren't given any updates on when it would arrive even after enquiring several times. We waited until after our (very delayed) dinner to start playing board games, and the three games we tried to play all had pieces missing or no instructions which was really frustrating as we arrived in a big group and deciding on games wasn't that easy. When we asked for the bill and complained about the wait and the incomplete games, the management "generously" offered to take a whole £5 off our £150 bill - when we argued this further, the manager basically threw us out. Such a shame, as I had already planned on spending my birthday here but won't ever be back after the terrible experience we had. read more

This is not a review of the food but more of the venue wich I enjoyed very much as is lots of board games and more plus bar and food. Note I went on an event so was not during regular business if I i come again will update review if it changes read more

I came by last night as part of Yelp's Roll the Dice event, and thought it was pretty neat! While many pubs offer a handful of games to play, Draughts has a game *library* with hundreds of games available and all organised by style. All you have to do is pick a game, grab a table, and settle in! They also do food (mostly nibbles, but you won't go hungry!) & drinks, so all the more reason to come by for an evening with friends. If you don't know how to play a game don't worry - the staff (who are super friendly!) know the rules, and are able to knowledgeably help you find a game that fits your brief, be it easy, challenging, strategy-focused, 2-player, 4+player, etc. read more

wished they'd been playing music for atmosphere points, but other than that they had a wide selection of board games, food was good, & drinks were reasonably priced (pretty average on london standards)! super cute & clean + a nice staff. we had a great time! read more