Board Game Cafe

Imagine games, games and more games. Well, that’s what you get when you visit Draughts in Hackney, the first board game cafe in London.

The café was completely set up by a Kickstarter campaign with people donating a total of £20,000. The café opened its doors in December 2014.

The entry fee is £5 per person which includes a range of games to choose from, including the ever so popular Star Wars series, Smart Ass, Monopoly, Jenga and Cluedo. The café holds selection of over 600 games but they fail to provide playing cards.

The café also has a quaint bar which sells a small selection of beers and cocktails, from the fruitiest of flavors to the most bitter. The strength of which they warn you about is a delight for the people who can handle their drink. A selection of snacks vary in size, all meticulously prepared by their resident chef, including Buffalo wings, roasted peanuts and salads. The menu does leave you wondering if pizza would have been the icing on the cake.

The venue is aesthetically pleasing, they stuck to the gaming theme with a huge chalkboard, a book stand full of games and a neon- lighted logo which is perfect for a quick selfie.

“I come here a lot, the atmosphere is lively and I really enjoy playing games with my friends and the drinks here ain’t too bad,” said Larry Anderson computer technician, 24, from Kentish Town.

“I’m not really a gamer, I was kinda dragged here by my friend but we’re having so much fun. We’ve been playing Smart Ass and I’m about to win. Just thought that I should put that out there,” said Molly-Anne Jenkins, retail assistant, 22, from Shoreditch.

But it hasn’t been all fun and games at the café, which not long ago was robbed of £3,000 cash and computers. Nick Curcic, owner of Draughts told the Evening Standard: “They spent 40 minutes digging the safe out of the ground and the wall.”

“It looked like they were just after cash and things they could get rid of pretty quickly. They busted the door in and ransacked that for our iPad till system and a till drawer that was maybe £20 to £50.”

So, there have been some unfortunate setbacks but the future looks bright for this cafe. With a steady influx of happy locals and an always packed venue, there’s no telling which quirky and innovative idea might land on our doorstep.