4.5/5 [[HIGHLIGHT]]Such a sweet and special place to gather with friends and play games![[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I found this place online by searching Board Game cafes and totally didn't expect what we found when we walked in the store in the middle of downtown Hayward. [[HIGHLIGHT]]There are so many board games to play, including unique ones like Skyteam.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]There's also many PCs and Switches available, and lots of tables.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]The ambiance is pretty kitschy. I think the place used to be a restaurant so there are lots of restaurant tables and chairs which aren't the most stylish or comfy necessarily, and there are lots of little knick knacks like old lamps or drapes.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]The lighting varies.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]But there is a sweet elderly couple who were running the place when we arrived, and it evokes a sense of comfy nostalgia to think maybe this is how they like the place or have kept it through many years, even though the times outside have changed.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]Everything is neat and clean, even if not to modern style. Things like Clorox wipes and hand sanitizer are also provided throughout.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]There is a bathroom that's likewise well kept at the back of the establishment, but just beware there are a couple spooky motion sensor light hallways to walk down to get there.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I heard the food is good but we didn't try it this time. Little snacks and cup ramen, etc are also available for purchase :) $5 per person to stay as long as you like and play whatever you want is a great deal, and it warms my heart to have a space like this exist. Happy to support this sweet family business read more

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Great little place in downtown Hayward to play games with your kid. I went there with my 7 year old on our girls date and we had a lot of fun playing board games. The owner did not want to charge me for my daughter because he wants to encourage parents to play with their kids and bring them. I thought that was such a humble value and sentiment he shares but I could not let him not charge me for her. It is such a unique family business and knowing business owners with family values like him Exist was a precious experience. read more

Kin - LAN Centers Near Me - Hayward, California

[[HIGHLIGHT]]Kin cafe really does feel like spending the night at a friend's house.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] It's so easy to gather here and the food is great! A group of us came to spend some quality time together. [[HIGHLIGHT]]My 9 year old nephew was able to play a bunch of different board games with us so we were super happy to have options to include him.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I can't wait to come back to play more games. read more

The owners were very kind and friendly. [[HIGHLIGHT]]It's a nice cozy place to hang out and play games, with good food as well.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The lady that made my chicken curry was so sweet and gave me watermelon on the side. read more

Kin - Chicken Curry & Rice - LAN Centers Near Me - Hayward, California

Came in at around 9pm. Workers said they usually close at about 10 but stayed open an additional hour for our benefit at the drop of a hat. Very warm and accommodating. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Felt like spending the night at an old friends house.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] - Chance G. read more

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We just hosted my brother and sister-in-law's baby shower here, and it was such a success! The Kin Games establishment is a family owned business, and not only were they accommodating and easy to work with, but their prices were very competitive and they were just the kindest people. The venue itself was enormous and was able to host our 50+ people, with tons of additional room if we needed it for more guests, who were comfortably seated in the café area. From a gaming cafe, astonishingly, the food was also quite tasty - I would highly recommend the chicken curry over rice dish. Also, most of the tapas and appetizers like the potstickers, tapas, and scallion pancake were also a hit. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The games were also entertaining enough for our young guests, even one of my nephews enjoyed the virtual reality station in the back.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] [[HIGHLIGHT]]Ambiance-wise, the venue is a bit eclectic but all of our photos turned out amazing. The lighting in there is superb day or night, cathedral ceilings were a wow factor, and the large windows brought in natural light.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] Cynthia, the manager was very communicative during the whole entire process, and they made everything seamless, straightforward and easy. The owner, Cynthia's father, even helped us out during the set up of our party. Cynthia's mom, the chef, also went the extra mile and gave some of the children there a few flower crowns as a parting gift. This family is beyond generous, kind, and very accommodating. I would highly recommend this establishment for parties or gaming needs. read more

Kin - Appetizers - LAN Centers Near Me - Hayward, California

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[[HIGHLIGHT]]Great spot with a fun, welcoming vibe.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] The owners were friendly, [[HIGHLIGHT]]the space was clean[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]], and [[HIGHLIGHT]]it's perfect for gaming or hanging out.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] I'll definitely be back! read more

$5 all day board games! This place is great. Came here to hang out for friends' birthday to just play games. We spent like 5 hrs here. They have a great variety of board games. The owners are super nice. They also function as a pc gaming cafe and video game cafe and an actual cafe where you can order drinks. If you were to order food here, its also fairly cheap. Support this small business as they provide a safe place for people to hang out. read more

kin/games is awesome! The owners were so kind and friendly, the food was tasty, and there was a selection of 75+ games or so. [[HIGHLIGHT]]Great for a low key night with friends or family.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] We paid $5/person to play board games and there was no minimum spend for food/drinks. I appreciate them color coding the games from green (easy) to red (more difficult). Street parking or lot parking nearby. This is the kind of business I want in my community! read more

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This gaming cafe is wonderful. It's spacious, they have big tables for boardgaming, the food is great, and the staff are very sweet. My board game group met here. The cafe has a well-curated board game selection. I was really impressed with the Spanish omelet and the coffee. Our food was delivered by a robot! They also have videogame stations. read more

Kin - Kin boardgame cafe window - LAN Centers Near Me - Hayward, California

First time visiting and loved it! Went for the PC gaming and got a spot immediately. Had no notable lag. Day pass was $20. The owners are really sweet. [[HIGHLIGHT]]The building gets a bit chilly, so there were space heaters available and they provided us with complimentary water/tea.[[ENDHIGHLIGHT]] They made a pot for us and would refill it whenever it cooled down. Also ordered the scallion pancake and fries, each for $3. Prices are great here. The scallion pancake was crispy on the outside. The fries are more accurately potato wedges, made fresh and in-house with good seasoning. Will definitely visit again when I'm in the area! read more

Thank you to the two employees that helped us throughout the day, Anne (or Anna) and the other name I have a hard time saying/spelling! 3 of us got the day pass for the pc games. The gentleman assisting us went above and beyond trying to help out with several audio issues we were having. The food was also really good with the portion size of the fried rice exceeding expectations. We had a great time and will definitely be back read more

A good variety of board games to choose from. Food was good and decent priced. The owner was very kind and gave us complimentary watermelon. Will be back to support this local family owned business. read more

the owners were amazing!!! very sweet couple!! i had the cuban grilled cheese and it was one of the best sandwiches i ever had, also it was two sandwiches for 8 dollars!! they also came with the crunchiest grapes ever. also the owners kept refilling my coffee and it was very nice! read more

i love this place, it seems that most days an older couple are the only ones there. they're very kind and take care of the place. there aren't many PC cafes in the bay area anymore because most of them shut down during covid. i don't mind making the trip from SF to hayward just to game here. day pass is $20, which is really good considering other gaming cafes i've gone to charge more. the pc specs are up to date and i never lag. the monitors are really nice too. i do recommend bringing your own headset because their headsets are a bit uncomfy, not noise cancelling (so when other people do come in, you can hear them), and the mics don't work. they serve cold drinks (including beer!) and have a decent selection of food items. aside from the pc area, they have a space for TVs to also game on, and another area for board games. they also set up a little shop in the front for jewelry and knickknacks. overall a cozy and comfortable place. read more

Kin - Gaming PC Area - LAN Centers Near Me - Hayward, California

I absolutely love the server, they are both so sweet and nice! The space in there is very big too. Gives you enough space for a party.

Kin's is one those places you happen to just pass by and notice out of the blue. It consists of 3 different businesses, the main business is the gaming section which is the name "Kin". The second business is the cafe that sells the food, I haven't really seen them open as I started coming often so I can't really tell if the place serves decent food or not. The 3rd business is the antique collection from what the workers here have told me the actual landlord of the place owns the antique business so her hours aren't very consistent. But In all if your looking for a place to come sit down and game for awhile or grab a cool drink Kins is probably that place for you. I recommend to any gamer looking to get a quick game in at a cafe read more

Kin is a mashup of five different businesses at once. The storefront, which consists of glass windows unabashedly displaying whimsical or even downright odd antiques, clashes with several signs exclaiming "Breakfast!" and "video games"! This combination is so off-putting that I, as a weekly regular since May of this year, have seen dozens of patrons curiously look in, only to be disheartened or confused by the sight before them, and walk away. Here's the rub: Kin is a restaurant. But, it is also an antique store as well as a PC and video game cafe. On top of that, it hosts "escape room" events. Essentially, the joint is suffering an identity crisis. And yet, although the place sounds and looks like a complete trainwreck, the businesses are satisfactory. If you're not concerned about appearances, and enjoy having new experiences, Kin is the place for you. _____-----_____-----_____-----_____-----_____ [T h e - R E S T A U R A N T / A N T I Q U E S H O P] The restaurant is headed by an extremely friendly cook, Joe. Pleasant conversations are Joe's forte, superceded only by his mastery of the American breakfast. All meals - breakfast, lunch, and dinner plates - are available all day long. Feel like eating pancakes and scrambled eggs at 3PM? Joe's got you. Credit cards are accepted. Alcohol is available. Water available on request. Wifi is available. Ask. !!! Food is made from complete scratch. Expect longer wait times and adjusted prices because of this. !!! Vegetarian options available. Antiques are displayed in the restaurant area. Joe doesn't handle purchases, but he can direct you to the right people. There are a myriad of items, western or eastern. Not much else to say. _____-----_____-----_____-----_____-----_____ [T h e - P C / C O N S O L E C A F E] Relatively new addition to B Street. Customers pay to play video games - money goes toward the use of a monitor and a console (WiiU, PS3, PS4) or PC. Prices are about the same as competing PC/Console cafes, and although there aren't many PC stations, each station is fully loaded out with a mechanical keyboard, a gaming mouse, a mousepad, and a comfortable rolling chair. Steam/Blizzard accounts are provided if you do not have one. Video game tournaments (Smash 4, Street Fighter V) are held here, though usually run by a separate party. Good for children, as they can play games and order food in the same location. Kin.fyi for more details. Credit cards are accepted. Usually opens at 1 o'clock. _____-----_____-----_____-----_____-----_____----- GENERAL CONS: *There isn't really a theme, so it's not a 'young' person place, or an 'old' person place. For example - at a Starbucks you know what the customers will look like. Here, you get a wide variety. *It can be noisy or crowded at times due to its attraction towards young adults / teenagers. *Prices here are a little bit high. If you don't know what to compare it to, think of it as a mini Dave and Buster's. *AFK Gaming Lounge in San Jose is waaaaaaay cooler. _____-----_____-----_____-----_____-----_____----- GENERAL PROS: *On B Street. Easy to find parking and convenient as it is near many other attractions. *Generally trustworthy and friendly people, employees and customers alike. *In the mornings, it won't be crowded. It's sure to be quiet. You can place your order very quickly compared to other places. *It's not a very well known location since it gets passed over often. Surprise your family/your friends. *Free wifi. *Bathrooms allow up to two people at a time. Very clean. read more

At first i was very lost finding this place. Its a hole in the wall lan center. Its very hidden behing a restaurant. From the outside it doesnt look like a place for games but if you look a little deeper there are many gaming pcs and consoles you can enjoy with you and your friends. Just remember if you see the sign KIN on the window that is the place. read more

It was hard to find this place, they rarely pick up the phone and when they do they don't really seem to understand what i'm talking about. I always wanted to try this place out because it was closer to my house, rather than driving all the way to Sunnyvale to Euphnet lan center. So since they weren't picking up i just decided to swing by. It looks like a restaurant from the outside but once you walk further in you'll see multiple pcs and tvs for console gaming. There are also tables in case you and your friends want to play board games. Overall it was a nice place clean quiet, it was actually dead when I walked in lol. But anyways I would recommend for gaming needs. read more

This is a great n safe place. I took my grandson there. He is 7 and he couldn't stop talking about it. Great for me as well. The cute little restaurant has great food made from scratch. You can sit back n enjoy a glass of wine while the kids are entertained or join in with them. Everyone there is so friendly. A hidden gem for B street. read more