10 Best Board Game Cafes and Bars in Sydney [2024]

Board Game Cafe Sydney

Looking for a place to enjoy some board games with your friends? Look no further! Sydney has some of the best board game cafes and bars in the country. In this blog post, we will list the best board game cafe Sydney venues. Whether you’re looking for a place to spend an afternoon or evening, you’re sure to find a board game cafe Sydney or bar that suits your needs!

But before that, here are some key things to consider when choosing a board game cafe and bar in Sydney!

Key Things To Consider When Choosing A Board Game Cafe and Bar in Sydney

• Variety of Games: Ensure that the cafe or bar offers a wide range of board games for all ages and interests.
• Atmosphere: Consider the atmosphere to ensure it is appropriate for your group and that you are comfortable spending time there.
• Pricing & Payment Options: Determine how much each game will cost per person, as well as what payment methods they accept (cash/card).
• Food & Drinks Menu: Find out if they offer food and drinks, such as snacks and alcoholic beverages, at their cafe or bar location(s).
• Hours of Operation: Make sure the venue is open during the times you would like to visit so you don’t miss out on any fun!
• Special Events & Promotions: Check if they have special events or promotions happening so you can take advantage of them while visiting their establishment.
• Location & Accessibility: Look into where exactly their business is located in order to determine how easy it is for everyone in your party to get there conveniently.
• Ambiance: Assess whether their space has an inviting environment with good lighting, sound system, furniture etc., which could help elevate your gaming experience.

Now that you know what to look for, here are the Best Board Game Cafes and Bars in Sydney!

1) B.Lucky & Sons

Key Service	Hilarious cocktails and great banter
Address	207/122 Lang Rd, Sydney New South Wales 2021, Australia
Website	http://www.luckyandsons.com.au/
Phone	1300 058 259
Email	info@luckyandsons.com.au
Operating Hours	Monday 11AM–10PM Tuesday 11AM–10PM Wednesday 11AM–10PM Thursday 11AM–10PM Friday 11AM–12AM Saturday 10AM–12AM Sunday 10AM–10PM

B.Lucky & Sons are the newest addition to the Holey Moley and Archie Brothers brands. To get your evening started, order a stone-baked pizza with a boozy bubble cup. Then settle in for a round of vintage arcade games. This location is strictly for adults, so go crazy and shoot zombies in the Walking Dead adventure game. A

Key Differentiators:

• Adult playground
• Helpful staff
• Hilarious cocktails and great banter

Customer’s Review:

An amazingly fun venue with brilliant staff and great arcade games. Took our mate there for his bucks and it was a great way to kick off the night. The staff all round were amazing, especially Adelaide who made sure we were well looked after with food and enough time for games! Great venue, we will be back!

Hari Caulfield

2) Goros

Key Service	No lockout laws
Address	84/86 Mary Street Surry Hills, NSW, Australia 2010
Website	https://www.goros.com.au/
Phone	+61 2 9212 0214
Email	res.goros@solotel.com.au
Operating Hours	Wednesday: 5:00 PM – 12:00 AM Thursday: 5:00 PM – 12:00 AM Friday: 5:00 PM – 3:00 AM Saturday: 5:00 PM – 2:00 AM

The only karaoke and arcade bar where you can pre-puke a sake bomb before playing the third round of Stacker is Goros, which is one of Surry Hills’ most popular Japanese restaurants. There are no due-date restrictions, so you’ll have a lot of air hockey, Nintendo games, and Time Crisis 4 on your gaming bucket list before you head home.

Key Differentiators:

• Pre-puke sake bombs
• No lockout laws
• Has a VIP lounge area

Customer’s Review:

Love Goros! Bouncers can be a bit strict – in my experience, the crowd is young, respectful, and just there to have a good time. Great bar snacks, solid drinks offering, and plenty of games, karaoke, and good tunes to keep the crew entertained til the early hours!

ZR

3) 1989 Kitchen & Arcade

Key Service	Plethora of board games provided
Address	22 King Street, Newtown, Sydney, NSW 2042
Website	https://1989.com.au/
Phone	(02) 9516 5581
Email	hey@1989.com.au
Operating Hours	Monday Closed Tuesday 5–11PM Wednesday 5–11PM Thursday 5–11PM Friday 5PM–12AM Saturday 5PM–12AM Sunday Closed

1989 Kitchen & Arcade is a Sydney institution for those who enjoy a little healthy competition. It’s an outlet for individuals that enjoy a bit of healthy rivalry. There’s no shortage of classic arcade games or new games at Crazy House. These guys know how to keep you busy for hours with their wide selection of retro and modern video games. You’ll instantly be transported back to the glorious nineties if you get the kitchen to make you a milkshake.

Key Differentiators:

• Wide selection of retro and modern video games
• Fantastic game themed cocktails
• Plethora of board games provided.

Customer’s Review:

Randomly walked in here when the trains at Newtown were cancelled to kill some time. Wow. What an amazing experience. Arcade games from back in the day and some really awesome pin ball machines. The pin ball machines even have drink holders on them so you can rest your beer while racking up the points. What a great time. Highly recommended for some beers and fun.

Simon Madgwick

4) Frankie’s Pizza By The Slice

Key Service	Live rock bands
Address	50 Hunter Street Sydney, NSW, Australia, NSW 2000
Website	https://www.facebook.com/stcfrankiespizza/
Operating Hours	Daily 4PM–3:30AM

Frankie’s Pizza is known for its offbeat atmosphere and live rock bands, and it has a wide selection of pinball machines. Get your gaming on in the world’s first Guns N’ Roses-themed pinball arcade. And, while you’re there, pick up a slice of Frankie’s Malibu Finocchio pie, which has ham, pineapple and mozzarella on it.

Key Differentiators:

• World’s first Guns N’ Roses-themed pinball arcade
• Great pizza
• Live rock bands

Customer’s Review:

Love this board game cafe Sydney and everything it stands for. Great drinks, cheap feeds and fun times. Will be a shame when it is gone, so best to enjoy it while it is still here! Definitely a Sydney staple and a right of passage to go here and have an awesome night until all hours!

Bojan Kovacevic

5) Lord Dudley Hotel

Key Service	Offers great food and drinks
Address	236 Jersey Road, Paddington Sydney NSW Australia 2021
Website	https://www.lorddudley.com.au/
Phone	(02) 9327 5399
Email	food@lorddudley.com.au
Operating Hours	Monday – Wednesday: 11 am – 11 pm Thursday – Saturday: 11 am – 12 am Sunday: 12pm – 10pm

This thirty-five-year-old family-run pub board game cafe Sydney has the look of a transplanted English village street corner. The inside is equally unassuming, with an ancient wooden bar surrounded by puffy green chairs, a fireplace, and a herd of pillowy sofas that seem to have been aged to perfectly match the human butt. Look in the lounge for games like Scrabble and Connect Four, and behind the counter for a Young Henrys natural ale and a Wagyu beef pie.

Key Differentiators:

• Family-run pub
• Has a lounge area with board games
• Offers great food and drinks

Customer’s Review:

What an awesome local board game cafe Sydney, very much reminds me of an inner city pub in London. Nicely poured pint of Guinness and Sunday lunch, which was fantastic (and massive). Service is great, very friendly. Venue has a good amount of space, really nice fit out (London pub vibes).

Alex Stephen

6) Spawn Point Small Bar

Key Service	Great drinks
Address	Basement/199 Clarence St, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia
Website	https://spawnpoint.com.au/
Phone	+61 2 9068 1810
Email	info@spawnpoint.com.au
Operating Hours	Friday 5PM–12AM Saturday 5PM–12AM

There are only a few board games at the Spawn Point Bar (just as Cards Against Humanity and Adventure Time-themed Monopoly), but we felt it should be included in this list for the simple reason of its amazing nerdiness. We mean it in the most endearing and flattering terms possible. We adore your collection of almost all Nintendo game consoles, as well as Sonic 1 and 2, and we enjoy Peronis, James Squires, and themed cocktails while playing.

Key Differentiators:

• Nintendo gaming systems
• Nerd-themed bar
• Great drinks

Customer’s Review:

Love this board game cafe Sydney. The drinks are delicious and very reasonably priced, the music playing is great and fun games to keep your friends entertained. Will be back.

Marie Lee

7) Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq

Key Service	Vintage board games
Address	75 O’Riordan St, Alexandria NSW 2015, Australia
Website	https://www.archiebrothers.com.au/
Phone	1300 888 FUN
Operating Hours	Monday 12–10PM Tuesday 12–10PM Wednesday 12–10PM Thursday 12–10PM Friday 12PM–12AM Saturday 10AM–12AM Sunday 10AM–10PM

Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq is one of Sydney’s biggest arcade centers. With 67 arcade games (including virtual reality versions), six bowling lanes, dodgem cars, an XD theatre, a shooting range, and a cocktail bar, it’s difficult to leave this place. Prizes resemble old-fashioned Furbies, retro consoles, vintage board games, and Simpsons collectibles.

Key Differentiators:

• Huge arcade with 67 games
• Vintage board games
• Cool prizes

Customer’s Review:

This is a very fun place for a board game cafe Sydney. Spent a couple of hours here with the kids and we did some bowling and played a few arcade games. Some of the classics were there like Daytona and Mario Karts as well as plenty of newer ones and other interesting games if you were trying to just win tickets to spend at the prize shop. Felt like being at a fair with the atmosphere, decor and even fragrance in the air.

Paolo B

8) The Little Guy

Key Service	Great selection of craft beers
Address	87 Glebe Point Road 2037
Website	https://www.thelittleguy.com.au/
Phone	(02) 8084 0758
Email	beers@thelittleguy.com.au

It’s not as tiny as you’d think. Get there early and snag one of the back rooms before it becomes completely immersed with Glebians. Once your sofa and tabletop have been conquered, get into the bar’s broad and well-researched selection of craft beers. If you’re looking for something more local, try the Wicked Elf in Port Mac. If you don’t have any expensive games with you, get Balderdash from the house stack; it’s extremely juvenile.

Key Differentiators:

• Great selection of craft beers
• Local Wicked Elf beer
• Tabletop and board games available

Customer’s Review:

Fantastic local gem. Awesome staff who know their drinks, always welcoming and a killer drinks list. A must if you’re in Glebe.

Sixfoot & Salty

9) Bitter Phew 

Key Service	Unique board games every Monday
Address	1/137 Oxford street Darlinghurst, NSW, Australia 2010
Website	http://www.bitterphew.com/
Email	bitterphew@gmail.com
Operating Hours	Thursday: 1:00 PM – 7:00 PM Friday: 1:00 PM – 7:00 PM Saturday: 1:00 PM – 7:00 PM

Bitter Phew is the pub for you if you enjoy Risk or Monopoly. It’s not because it has Monopoly or Risk, but because every Monday, the bar serves up an incredible variety of unique board games that people who like Monopoly or Risk have never seen before. Let’s just say if Top Gun was your only film experience, you’d like it the most. With Griffin Jerky or a portly masterpiece from Mr Crackles to complement your board game education, you may also add to your knowledge of craft beers.

Key Differentiators:

• Unique board games every Monday
• Great food
• Incredible range of amazing board games 

Customer’s Review:

One of the best bars and board game cafe Sydney in the CBD! Good music, good service, great tap list always. The atmosphere is good and can be quiet or massively busy, depending on the time of day. Edit: Been here many times now, all lovely bartenders, never a dull beer. Very clean beer glasses!

James Grant

10) The Duck Inn Pub & Kitchen

Key Service	Great for Jenga or Scrabble
Address	74 Rose St, Chippendale NSW 2008
Website	https://www.duckinnchippendale.com.au/
Phone	02 8072 8983
Email	info@duckinnchippendale.com.au
Operating Hours	Wednesday 16:30 – 23:00 Thursday – Saturday 12:00 – 23:00 Sunday 12:00- 22:00 PM

The Duck Inn is one of the most un-publike pubs we’ve ever seen. It’s a cross between a well-funded club house and an artful home. That is what makes it such a lovely location to balance a Jenga stack (they held a month-long Jenga tower competition) or rearrange a jumble of letters on a Scrabble stand.

Key Differentiators:

• Lovely location
• Great for Jenga or Scrabble
• Cross between a club house and an artful home

Customer’s Review:

Awesome place for dinner and baord game cafe Sydney, especially after a performance at the Seymour Centre. The kitchen was open till 9 pm on the Tuesday night we were there. The mushroom burger was very tasty and the steak was cooked well. The Fish and chips were crispy and filling. I loved the large selection of beers, I really enjoyed my beer farm hazy IPA.

Karl Chong

Board Game Cafe Sydney

If you’re looking for a fun place to hang out with friends and family, one of these board game cafe Sydney is sure to please. With a great selection of board games Sydney, food, and drinks, you can spend hours enjoying your time at any of these locations. So what are you waiting for? Grab your friends and head to one of these board game cafe Sydney for a great time!

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