Board Game Cafés are sweet!

When I travel for work, I love getting a feel of a city by walking all over. It a great way to take in the sights, sounds, and people while enjoying new surroundings.

Another thing I’ve loved to do recently is find board game stores to visit. Not only does it give me a fun place to visit, but it also gives me a destination for my walking.

This past week I was in Toronto, Ontario, Canada participating in the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference. So I took advantage of the last evening in town to visit both locations of the board game café Snakes & Lattes.

And I was definitely pleased with what I saw!

I’ve heard about Snakes & Lattes for a number of years through board game podcasts as well as forums online. All say the same thing – it’s a fantastic place for food and games.

And now that I’ve been, I’m adding my endorsement as well.

From the outside, it’s easy to tell that Snakes & Lattes is all about board games. Games fill the window displays and board game component icons are all over the awning.

Yet, it’s also very easy to see that food and drinks await patrons inside.

And once inside, it’s tough to determine whether it’s a board game store with food or a café with board games. But to tell you the truth, it doesn’t matter which came first.

The important point is that it’s a fantastic blend of both!

In addition to the pleasant employees and loads of games, the entrance to each location has a “Please wait to be seated” sign. Patrons are then shown to a table that fits their group and they’re presented a menu. They’re also invited to grab any game from the huge game library at the back of the café.

My first stop was at the main location (Snakes & Lattes Annex) and the place was filled with people enjoying time with friends. I thought it was so cool to see a large variety of games being played throughout the café. Out of the ~20 occupied tables, I only noticed 1 game repeated (Catan). And everyone seemed to be having a great time.

I then made my way to the Snakes & Lattes College location – which had even more space!

I spent some time talking to the Snakes & Lattes Game Guru, Jeff, and he told me how that building space used to be a pool hall. When they closed up shop, Snakes & Lattes moved in.

Jeff also filled me in on his roll as a Game Guru. Essentially, it’s his job to help patrons pick a game they’ll like. He’s also available to help with teaching games or explaining game rules. And it was easy to tell he loves his job.

He’s worked at Snakes & Lattes for more than 3 years and he says it’s been a great job while studying at the university.

After stopping by both locations, I really wished I could have had a co-worker come along with me. I would have loved pulling up a chair, grabbing some food, and playing a game. But it was pretty apparent that those who come to Snakes & Lattes do so with a group of friends. And such a setting isn’t well suited for a lone wolf looking to join in a game.

Even though I didn’t get in any game playing, I still enjoyed my short visits and chats at each Snakes & Lattes location.

If you live in Toronto (or just visiting) I’d highly recommend making your way to Snakes & Lattes for an evening of fun.

Any you may also take a closer look around your city — since we’re hearing about more board game cafés popping up around the world.