The best board games cafés in London

Draughts, Hackney and Waterloo

London’s first board game café, Draughts, opened in Hackney in 2014. Set up beneath an old railway arch — and more bar and restaurant than café — its trendy, underground feel is worth experiencing even if you have to be dragged along by your games-mad friends.

But with over eight hundred board games, probably the most anywhere in London, there’s something for everyone from a light bit of Scrabble to Pandemic or Settlers of Catan.

Following Draughts' success, a second followed in 2018 in Waterloo. It has less of a busy and intense feel, but booking ahead is advisable for either as games can go on for hours. Food at the Hackney location consists of open-faced sandwiches and mezze boards, whilst at Waterloo you can have tacos and burgers.

£5 to play

Restrictions: unlimited or 3 hours at peak times

The Loading Bar, Hackney, Stoke Newington & Peckham

Loading Bar has two different outlets in London: one in Stoke Newington, another in Peckham. The difference with The Loading Bar, as its name suggests, is that as well as board games you can play video games.

Reacquaint yourself with retro games on an Xbox or Playstation, or have a go on the Nintendo Switch. Those with a team in tow who fancy a round of something a bit more active can battle it out over a match of table football or Judge Dredd Pinball. With a cool, buzzy setting and prizes to be won, each Loading Bar is a vibrant hub of gaming activity.

Free entry

Restrictions: none

Escape Bars, Dalston, Leyton, Stratford and Shepherd's Bush

Formerly known as Secret Weapon and a sister site to Loading Bar, Escape Bars now boasts four neighbourhood outlets, each housed inside the shell of a classic boozer. Here, visitors can enjoy an unlimited session of boardgames and beers, plus the odd open mic night, comedy gig or pub quiz. Games wise, Escape Bars keeps its collections up-to-date, so expect to find the likes of Exploding Kittens, Obama llama and Codenames alongside the well-worn boards of dusty classics.

Free entry

Restrictions: none

The Library Pot, Richmond

The vibe inside Richmond’s The Library Pot is more student flat than chic café, but hear us out — there’s an adults-only ball pit. There are also more than five hundred games and a relaxed, homely atmosphere in which to play them. The menu is eclectic to say the least: the chicken burger appears side-by-side with kimchi noodles and Thai Green curry.

£2 per hour after the first 2 hours on weekdays, £5 to play on weekends

Restrictions: closed on Mondays

Bad Moon Cafe

One for serious gamers – or 'tabletop gamers' as they're known here: Bad Moon Cafe in Borough is keen to foster a community of like-minded gamers. Its 'library' boasts a sizeable collection of over 150 titles in total, with oldies and newbies nestled side-by-side in alphabetical order. It hosts special events too, including tournaments, and doubles up as a shop selling Warhammer as well as traditional board games.

Gamers can boost their moves with coffee or calm their nerves with locally-brewed craft beers, and tuck into sandwiches, pastries or wood-fired Basilico pizza to sustain attention for longer.

£5pp / £15 per table to play

Restrictions: 4 hour time cap