If this is a tough choice for you: partying or playing board games on a Friday night, we have good news for you! Board Game Café has opened in Nagyenyed Street and allows guests to play board games all day for a mere 500 forints. The initiative is absolutely unique in Budapest and, to be honest, we are a bit puzzled that we didn't come up with this idea earlier. We are sure to become regulars.
At Board Game Café, we can choose from roughly 400 games, and we can find everything from the best-known to the rarest board games around. There are some similar gaming units abroad, but in Hungary – and even in Central Europe – the concept of a board game themed place is absolutely unique.
Naturally, we did not waste any time and sat down to play. We started with Dobble as a warm-up, which is a rather simple game. Players receive one card each and try to find a matching image among the other cards. It is dead simple, but great fun nevertheless.
After we got the hang of playing this, we tried a more serious game, namely Splendor, in which we played as gem traders in Renaissance Italy. One of the coolest games seemed to be Ticket to Ride, in which players claim railway routes and complete missions in order to build the longest continuous route. We learned that this game sold four million copies worldwide, but unfortunately we could not try our hand at it, since we did not have enough players at the time of our visit.
The best thing about Board Game Café is that there are little to no restrictions. After paying the entrance fee we can play with anything for as long as we want, and we do not even have to order drinks in order to stay (although the place has great cakes and coffees, as well as beers and wines). The only rule is that we cannot bring our own board games, and that we cannot reserve a table in advance. The reason for this is that you can never know how much time some guests will spend playing.
The Board Game crew know almost everything about approximately 200 games, and they can help guests with the rules too. For some of the board games, however, we are left alone to figure out the right way to play, which can be just as fun as playing itself.
The place is not for experienced gamers – everyone is welcome – Board Game Café is perfect for company parties, class reunions, even dates or a fun night with friends. In this atmosphere, we do not have to experience awkward silence for a single moment. The game keeps us busy, makes us think and provides an awesome experience.
Not incidentally, Board Game Café is a great alternative for those who could not imagine a decent Friday evening without binge drinking. The initiative is immensely successful; we heard that one group of guests, who could not finish their game in time, took a photo of their table so they could continue where they left off the next day. We are sure to become regulars, especially when the Game of Thrones board game arrives, which the crew have ordered by popular demand.
