This place is amazing. I went in for some coffee and loved the vibe. They have a ton of board games, fun staff, and a great food and drink menu. I'll be back! read more

The Castle - The bar is awesome! - Cafes Near Me - Beverly, Massachusetts

This place has such potential. The whole concept is great, and a family with kids is always looking for a family friendly place to have a break. Positives: they have probably close to a thousand games to choose from. The menu was plentiful, with lots of choices. The bar drink menu looked awesome, though we did not partake. The negatives: they use a QI code system for the menu, which is totally fine. The problem was you then have to put everyone's order in yourself, with whatever substitutions/extras/on the side etc. When I go out to eat, I'm looking to have a break, be waited on, and not be "working". When the food did finally come it wasn't anything special. My little ones grilled cheese was so over cooked that the cheese melted into the bread. It was the very ends of the bread, which NO KID ever really likes. My bacon ranch sandwich chicken was replaced (with notification) with only one single chicken tender. I'm a grown ass woman and could smash at least 4 tendies on a good day...and the lettuce was added before it went on the press and not after, resulting in some bitter gross soggy lettuce. The burger my hubby got was overcooked. The best thing was the Mozzarella sticks we got as an appetizer. I really hope they read this and make improvements, because I truly had high hopes with the 4.5 star review average. read more

Good food, wide variety of games to choose from, nice environment. Great place to chill for family and friends.

The Castle is one of the coolest "cafes" I've ever been to; it's one of the few places that people can go to spend time together where alcohol isn't the main focus. Yes, they do offer beer and wine. but the GAMES are what brings people together. I have never seen so many games in my entire life. There is an entire wall of shelves filled with games, which are neatly organized by type of game and difficulty level. I really appreciated the difficulty labels, as I was unfamiliar with most of the games there. Here's how it works: each person pays $5 to play. You can play any game you want, and as many games as you want. There's a great snack and drink menu, which includes all-you-can-eat popcorn. What more do you need?? Four of us went on a Friday night and the place was packed. It was great to see people of all ages playing games, laughing, and having fun. We ended up playing two different games, and probably spend 2-3 hours there. We ordered beers and popcorn and had a really enjoyable time. Servers are attentive and prices are reasonable. The Castle (or a variation of) should exist in every city/town! read more

The Castle - More games than you know what to do with. - Cafes Near Me - Beverly, Massachusetts

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We were the only patrons when we arrived at 4:30. This was a huge waste of money. Our party consisted of 2 adults and 2 children for dinner and a game. It costs $5/person to play. The food was mediocre. The service was terrible. We were offered a pitcher of water that did not fill our 4 cups. Finally, our food arrived. Once we started eating we realized we had no silverware, napkins, condiments and needed more water. Halfway through, our server came back to check on us. At this point, we asked for the things we needed to eat our meal in a restaurant. No one came back. Dad had to go into the other room to request these items again. When we were finished eating, dad had to eventually go back into the other room to request the check to pay for our $63 experience. The staff were the main problem. Inattentive. Hanging around at the bar chatting with each other. Unfortunately, this ruined our first experience here. It's too bad because it is only a 5 minute walk from home. We ordered a Cheese burger, grilled cheese, Cuban, Grilled cheese w/bacon. Average to below average food. read more

This is one of my favorite spots to go to spend quality time with friends and family! The food is always delicious and just what you want to snack on while you're playing board games. My go-tos are the pretzel bites and the pulled pork sandwich. (Oh, and don't forget the bottomless popcorn!) They have a very well-organized selection of games, so it's easy to find what you what to play or try out. The staff are very helpful as well if you ever have questions about gameplay.The setup of the café is cozy but not crowded. And make sure to get yourself something sweet or a fun coffee drink! it really adds to the experience. read more

My family and I spent an awesome weekday afternoon here! $5 per person for all-day game play, so our early lunch lasted all afternoon. Unfortunately, we weren't able to event make a dent in the THOUSANDS of games they have on hand. We shall return!! read more

The Castle is perfect for any occasion. From a quick drink at the bar to hours of gaming with friends, the Castle's inviting and laidback atmosphere will make you feel right at home. And the food! Literally the best fries I've ever had. And they have great events just about every night, there's always something to do there read more

The staff is kind and attentive, the atmosphere is warm and welcoming, the game selection is huge and the food is delicious! What more could you ask for? Plus the owners are just wicked cool and ensure that everyone is having a great time. read more

A delightful spot in Beverly, just the perfect place to go for great games, delicious food, and a wide variety of drinks! They also host events like trivia nights, which are perfect for groups and make for a great weekday evening out. I've been a regular customer since they first opened, and I love how they have worked to improve/expand their menu and provide positive gaming experiences for folks. They have the best burgers and fries around, and the staff there are so kind and friendly. The owners work hard to create a safe, fun environment for everyone, including creating a rent-a-game system if you are not comfortable being in a restaurant setting. Definitely recommend coming here! The Castle's just the best. read more

There is not much better you can ask for in a cafe than delicious drinks, food, a great atmosphere and a friendly and engaging staff. The Castle has all this but they have one step above competitors by having their huge variety of games. My tush has spent many hours at the Castle since their opening night and every single experience has been a fantastic one. The owners Kevin and Ryn are so down to earth and leaders to their awesome staff. I've come back to their lovely chai latte several times now and it is super creamy and delicious. If you feel like getting addicted to something try an order of their pretzel bites with their sweet dessert and honey mustard sauces and then be prepared to order about six more. If you and your group are bottomless pits like my friends and I then their refillable popcorn ( which you can customize to the flavor of the day which in the past has been sweet sugary cinnamonny deliciousness popcorn and chipotle to name the two I know of) and soda will get you pretty far. But at some point you will look at the menu and see they provide paninis which you must have because like everything else on their menu it's top notch. I've revisited my childhood at the Castle with a few rounds of jenga and hungry hungry hippos and have been introduced to new ultra complicated games which can be explained to you by the game master who roams around! There is always more fun to be had and more competitive banter passed around. I wish the Castle the best of luck as their business blooms and booms! I will surely be a regular around to see it. read more

The Castle - The game shelves - Cafes Near Me - Beverly, Massachusetts

I was visiting from out of state and my boyfriend and I decided to check this place out since it seemed right up our street. The atmosphere of this place was awesome and unlike anything I've ever been to before, however the wait time was ridiculous. It wasn't busy at all and we waited about 45 minutes to be served lukewarm chicken tenders (thank god we were playing a lengthy game.) Our drinks were also mixed up with the table next to us and it took a while for anyone to come around so we could let them know. One of the workers told us our meal would be on the house because of the wait time (without us even saying anything!) which was nice, however we were still charged for everything upon checkout and were too tired to fight it since it was near close. Overall, it was a fun date activity but we will stick to board games at home in the future! TLDR; fun and funky place but the long waits, cold food, and misleading customer service made it lose 2 stars read more

I've been here several times and loved it. Love the concept and the effort put in. In theory it should be an amazing place. But last time I went it was disappointing. I was looking forward to playing some games and having a drink or two. 2/3 games we grabbed were missing pieces vital to game play. When we let them know they responded like they didn't care. The games were also a mess inside. On top of that no one ever came back to the table after our initial order. We eventually paid and walked out. I was so looking forward to a nice night out. I don't get many. In the end it just felt like a big let down. Probably won't return. read more

A lovely, casual place to eat and play board games with friends! There's a $5 charge per person to play the board games, but it's definitely worth it because there are so many games available. Now onto the food--my boyfriend once got the abomination burger and he loved it... until he finished it and felt like his stomach was about to burst. That burger is not for the fainthearted or for small stomachs. On another day, we shared the double chocolate brownie a la mode (we chose hazelnut gelato) and it was absolutely delicious. He got the iced coffee, which was sooo smooth and I got the latte with almond milk. We both liked the iced coffee better than the latte. I can't wait to come back to try more food and play more games! read more

The Castle - Left to right: Medium latte with almond milk, double chocolate brownie a la mode with hazelnut gelato, and the iced coffee. - Cafes Near Me - Beverly, Massachusetts

The Castle is amazing. It's a clean, cute spot with great food and creative ways to enjoy games through a pandemic! Their cafe au lait and paninis have never let me down! read more

Cute place, the food looked amazing! We had dessert and coffee, which was slow to arrive but good. We weren't faking, but that looked fun but pricey. read more

Great food and amazing selection of games!!! Love the atmosphere and great prices. There's an abundance of options in food and drinks. read more

The Castle - This is the small size!!! Bacon, jalapeño waffle fries - Cafes Near Me - Beverly, Massachusetts

Was a pretty disappointing experience. Went to meet friends who live locally to play themed trivia, only to be told after we arrived that trivia was cancelled (not posted on Facebook). The only place was super empty - our table and two others were the only ones occupied in the main room, but it still took about 15 minutes for myself and the other guy at our table to get our canned beer (after our first few choices on tap were sold out) and our friend to get her drink, and another 15 for us to get our bill. read more

This is a cute place and it's fun to spend an afternoon playing a game. But if you want anything to eat it's incredibly frustrating. No matter how slow it is, the staff never come around to take orders. Most recently, when I finally managed to get a drink, the server plunked my soda down and immediately disappeared before I could make my food order. The food is simple and cheap, the kind of fare for a quick bite, but trying to have a meal is an absolute ordeal. I don't know if this is by design for some reason, but it seems totally bizarre to have a menu and to then do everything you can to *not* sell any food. "Board game cafe" implies that, more than a place to play games, it's also, you know, a cafe! read more

The food was great and the atmosphere even better! Love being able to play our favorite games while enjoying some great food!

This is a wondrous beautifully decorated sweet little board game cafe. I adore the atmosphere. It's accessible just with a lip at the door which isn't too big of a deal if you can do that. The food and drinks were nice. It is the perfect place to play board games. The food is perfect did anyone eat or play here. We enjoyed our pretzel bites and bottomless popcorn. Yeah that's right bottomless popcorn! I loved my pumpkin spice latte. My friends loved their milkshakes. This is definitely gonna be a new favorite spot for my friends. There is also outdoor seating which is a plus. The staff are lovely and helpful as well. read more

This place was fantastic. This is an awesome place to go with friends or family. We got great service and the employees were super friendly. They had walls lined with board games with colored stickers to tell how hard the game was to learn and how long it took. The food was amazing, and like I said, the service was great! I love the interior design. It had all sorts of fake dragon heads mounted on the walls and references to games. My only complaint is that the games didn't come with instructions, which lead to a little confusion while playing. But overall this is a cool place to hangout and I highly suggest checking it out! read more

This place has so much potential. The location is great and there's a wide variety of games to play. My friends and I went on a Saturday night, and we had high hopes considering the mostly positive reviews. Unfortunately, the service was not up to par. We were a party of 8 and had booked their private room 4 days in advance. From the get go, we received utensils and cups that were filthy. Not wanting to be a nuisance, we simply wiped off the utensils with the few napkins we received. While the service was pretty quick, we were missing an appetizer; we brushed it off considering we had plenty of other starters on the table. Once our meals were brought out, the food was lukewarm and mediocre at best. Portions were fairly small. We ordered a vegetable plate from the menu as well; it was never brought out, so we spoke with the waiter who was bringing our side dishes to the table. He let us know that they were no longer serving vegetable plates because "the menu changed." After pointing out the vegetable plate written on the menu, the cook apologized and brought out the plate. This was a weird encounter considering it only consisted of chopped carrots and celery. Someone else in our party ordered a drink and it was brought out with a large bug floating at the top, so obviously he couldn't drink it. Because of how infrequently our server checked-in on the private room, half an hour passed before we could let him know. He offered to remake the drink, but we declined at this point. Once we received our bill, we were charged the full $13 for the drink that couldn't be consumed... We were informed that according to Massachusetts law they were unable to comp the drink. Instead, they had comped us a single $5 "game fee." Rather than comping 2-3 game fees to equal the cost of the drink, we were still charged a net $7+tax for a drink that could not be consumed. To add insult to injury, a 20 percent tip was automatically added to the bill because of the size of our party. It pains me to write such a negative review, but the service was simply too disappointing. read more

Best gluten free food I've had in a long time. Great for a date night or just to play some games. Couldn't love it more here!

Wow. So bad. So disappointing. I don't understand how it is so highly rated. I do think it's an incredible idea. Game selection was amazing. But... Horribly poor service. Inattentive, ill-equipped, and inaccurate. Restaurant was only 1/2 capacity and they said they didn't have any plates!? It makes it hard to share apps without a side plate. We didn't get any silverware either. Well that's not entirely true. One persons got a fork and knife and one other got a knife only. Our table of 8 also had to share three napkins until one of us walked up to the bar and asked for more. Wrong food was delivered to our table then I watched the waitress pick it up and hand it to someone else. Seemed unsanitary. Spinach dip was cold, yet burnt and overcooked. Pretzel bites were good and came hot. Burger was oddly small and served with 7 potato chips. The paninis weren't bad I enjoyed my Cuban panini but not generous with chips for me either. The beer list was pretty good. But, our drinks were empty for long periods of time (mine was empty for over 15 minutes) and we had flag down a different waitress to order more. Sadly I can't imagine going back. I want to like it. They had a good amount of seating, lots of games, and a decent amount of choices on the menu. read more

Truly a wonderful one of a kind place. Love to go there to try out new board games. Appreciate how much they care for their staff. Honestly possibly the best burger in town. My fiance appreciates having a bacon black bean burger. I recommend it all the time (Castle not just the burgers)! read more

Seriously in my top 3 places to eat! Kevin and Ryn are the nicest people on earth, and their staff is second to none. The fries are

This place is really great! I was hunting for a place to get drinks with my cousin the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Most everywhere was packed, so we walked halfway down Cabot Street to the Anchor, then turned around to walk up Rantoul Street where he pointed out "The Castle". It's hidden well next to all of the tiny shops so I never noticed it before. The idea is that you can come here and play all sorts of games that they have stocked on the HUGE shelf in the main area for $5 per person for as long as you like. They serve wine and beer and VERY tasty drinks like hot chocolate with mint schnapps which was exactly what I needed after walking around town on a chilly night. They have a small food menu with paninis and bottomless popcorn, which are great. I ordered a buffalo chicken melt, and it wasn't great, but I was starving so I ate all of it. I would highly recommend anything on the drink menu. This is a great place to go with a few friends if you just want to meet up and casually hang out. I really dug the atmosphere as it seemed like there was a really great mix of people playing games there. There was a group of business men having drinks after work while playing Jenga, a family sitting in the corner with a card game going and younger college students playing Settlers of Catan and getting very animated. I will be going back to meet up with some friends that live in town, it's a great little spot that everyone should check out at least once. read more

Great Saturday gaming night with the kids. We decided to forgo a usual night in front of the TV and check out what The Castle had to offer. We live just down the street. The staff was very helpful explaining the sticker system of game difficulty and we chose Family Edition of Settlers of Catan. We have a new copy at home and this offered a great environment to learn. As we sought to figure out how to play the game we did notice a lag in someone coming to take our order but we were deep in game - learning mode and that might have way laid anyone from approaching us. However the kids asked several times when their order was going to be taken. They were psyched by the options. The kids ordered Gelato - mixing up flavors was an option, my partner had a gourmet cocoa with cayane and I went with a chocolate & banana paninni with a soy latte. The food was great - no complaints. My 7yr old even had a bit of the cocoa and enjoyed it. About an hour or so into the game we ordered a round of waters and a popcorn. We could have easily ordered more. I was nervous at how the young adults & college kids around us might react to my kids' antics, overehthusiasm, rules lawyering and accusations of cheating. All we got were sly smiles and knowing, pleased glances. For 2 kids and 2 adults, the bill was the cost of a good dinner but worth it. I can easily see how this would be a great place for a group of gamer friends - of any age - planning to split the cost. Great snacks and HUNDREDS OF great games to chose from - a cross between a hobby store and convention game room. Whether you are on the North Shore or in Boston Metro, it's worth the hang out. Especially if your friends are scattered. read more

Disclaimer: I didn't get a chance to try much of the food, as I was struggling with a migraine when I arrived and became too sick to eat. But the service was incredible. When I asked if my food could come a little quicker (hoping that eating would help ward off the migraine), our server brought it out immediately. I determined that I wasn't going to be able to eat or continue the evening, so I left my portion of the bill with some friends. Those friends told me that the restaurant removed my meal from the bill after I left! Our server, whose name I can't remember, was lovely and attentive, and I will definitely make this a regular place! read more

great coffee. super cute ambiance inside. the vibes and staff are warm. probs wouldn't grab food here, but great beverages!

A welcoming and comfy space that has always felt like a great place to spend time with friends. Love it here and can't recommend it highly enough. read more

I was super excited to try out this place however was extremely disappointed when I got there. It was a 90 degree day out with no AC on inside. We got sat and explained the game system thoroughly, thankfully. We ordered drinks which took an extremely long time to get and once we got them we were served warm beer and poorly made cocktails. We ended up leaving and going somewhere else. Super unfortunate but I will most likely not go back or recommend. read more

It is SO refreshing to finally have a place on the North Shore where you can meet up with a group of friends to play games for hours, and grab some great food and drinks while you're there. I love that they like to "spice up" traditional fare like grilled cheese, hot chocolate (LOVE the "Castle"), and popcorn with optional spicy toppings. What can I say, I like to eat stuff that registers on the Scoville scale. Besides all that, though, my favorite thing about the Castle is that it isn't JUST a place with tables where you can game. It's also a place where you can discover something entirely new, and the staff is awesome at introducing you to something you've never played before and giving you the opportunity to really dig in to it. For me, that's like giving me one of the things I like most about going to a gaming convention like PAX East, but allowing it to happen all year long. Priceless! read more

This is such a great idea! Board games, yummy snacks, delicious drinks and a fun atmosphere. I was a little bummed they did not have their cookie selection, but the chai and white chocolate raspberry mocha were delectable. The popcorn smelled wonderful and hot cocoa looked fabulous. We will definitely be back! It would be nice if they had their liquor license, but it is not essential at a place like this. Amazing board game selection! read more

The Castle - Cafes Near Me - Beverly, Massachusetts

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Stopped by with my girlfriend a couple of weeks back and we stayed for over 3 hours. The only reason we let was because we had stuff planned, otherwise we could e spent far more time. The selection of games is expansive and ranges from simple to complex, but it was very entertaining. We plan on visiting again every so often, maybe once every 2-3 months. We didn't have much because we are there for the games, but the drinks and food weren't bad either. $22 total for two for 3+ hours of entertainment isn't bad at all. read more

We love the Castle! We've been coming here for the games since this place first opened, and they've really stepped up their game in terms of the food. Most of their sandwiches are now made on bread from AJ King bakery. Back when they first opened, I ordered the veggie burger and it was a Morningstar Farms black bean burger with a grocery store bun, which was all completely fine. But I ordered the same thing again twice in the past few months and it's now a homemade black bean burger and the bun is the same heavenly brioche ones from A and B Burger--soooo delicious!! All the staff are always friendly and helpful, and I've noticed that they now check in more frequently about drink and food orders relative to when they first opened. Already looking forward to our next visit! read more

Well I definitely didn't plan on staying for three hours, but it was well worth it. The staff were pleasant and friendly. I even met someone who worked there but wasn't working at the time, who helped with returning a game. The service was quick until it started getting busy, but that's to be expected. Popcorn was amazing! We tried the cinnamon sugar as well as the original butter flavor. The beer is all local, which is great because we had wanted to try the local brewery next door, yet it was closed at the time. The games range from easy to more difficult, and are color coded with stickers to help. They have many of the traditional ones as well as ample games I've never even heard of. I have never had this much fun playing board and card games. I'd highly suggest stopping in! read more

We had an absolute blast! Super friendly staff! Great service! Great atmosphere! Great milkshakes! The London Fog is incredible! Super great place for people to go, be social and have fun. We will definitely be going back! read more

this is a fun place with a friendly,cozy atmosphere . Played Battleship and Yahtzee, old favorites. snacks are good and service was attentive and friendly. Our server Logan was a nice fellow who kept us fed and answered all our questions with a smile. read more