You name it, they’ve probably got it.
“The Cardboard Cafe” is a board game lover’s paradise.
With coffee, beer, and snacks while you play, it’s the perfect spot to test drive a game you’ve never played before.
“There’s quite a strong community already here, which is one of the reasons we decided on London as a place to set up,” says manager of the cafe Josh Rivers.
The board game shop opened up in mid-December. Since then, Rivers says it’s gotten a great reception.
“A regular night is almost to capacity (40 people) and it’s picking up as well especially towards the weekend. The tables are somewhat modular, but we shift them around depending on the size of the group or the size of the game,” he says.
It is drawing comparisons to Snakes and Lattes in Toronto. The only difference being that Snakes and Lattes sells the board games that are available for play.
Rivers says one of the most intimidating things about playing new board games is actually learning the rules. But each of the employees of The Cardboard Cafe are board game aficionados willing to help you out.
“So if you say, ‘what’s a good game?’ or ‘I’m looking for a game recommendation,’ or you pull one off the shelf and you want to get started on it, we have people who can get you set up and get you into the first round, rather than you reading through the rules one step at a time trying to figure it out.”
The cafe hosts tournament nights and designer nights for game developers every other Thursday. It also puts on 2-for-1 Tuesdays.
“Library cover is five dollars a person and it’s stay and play, so stay as long as you want and play as much as you want,” Rivers says. “Tuesdays we do 2-for-1, so if you bring a friend, it’s only five dollars for the two.”
With a library of over 100 games, it’s hard not to find one you’ll like or haven’t played yet.
