Cakes and ladders: London’s first board game café to open in Hackney
© JDevaun
Forget raves and festivals, some of us are getting a bit tired of endless partying and wouldn’t mind swapping our Jägerbombs and two-day hangovers for a strong cup of coffee and something a bit more civilised. Sound like you? Don’t hang your head in shame, there are plenty who feel the same and Guess Who has the answer? Toby Hamand does – he’s opening London’s first board game café.
Draughts will be opening in Hackney this September. I know what you’re thinking: ‘plenty of pubs and cafés have board games already.’ Sure, but they probably don’t have an impressive catalogue of 500 games to choose from. Not just your usual Monopoly and Scrabble either – there’ll be games like Hanabi and Chicken Cha Cha Cha (which we just Googled and is as weird as it sounds – it involves jumping featherless chickens). Knowledgeable staff will be there to explain the rules and recommend their favourites so if Seasons is being used maybe you can try Taboo.
It will be open all day, serving coffee, cakes, sandwiches and milkshakes during the daytime, as well as guest ales, ciders and lagers in the evening. So yes, you can get a pint of draught with your draughts.
We’ve not got a Cluedo if this is going to be a winner, but we’re looking forward to checkering it out!
For more niche cafés, check out Lady Dinah’s Cat Emporium or Ziferblat, the pay as you go café.
By Laura Sagar