Chance & Counters in Bristol, City of

Brilliant spot, the staff are amazing at what they do and plenty of fun to be had

Had a great time here playing board games with some drinks. There was a fantastic selection available, especially for two player games. It was understandably busy for a stormy Saturday afternoon but the atmosphere was a little noisy for our liking. We will be back again another time to try out some more 😊

My friend and I stopped by Chance & Counters during our trip to Bristol, and we loved it! 🎲 Despite not having a booking, the staff kindly managed to find us a spot and explained how everything worked. For £2 per person per hour, we got to play a great selection of board games 🎮 and ordered some refreshing mocktails 🍹, which were absolutely delicious! The atmosphere was cozy and inviting 🕯️, making it easy to settle in and enjoy the games. The staff were fantastic—super friendly and attentive, even checking in on us while we figured out the game rules. If you're into board games, this is a must-visit while in Bristol! 🃏

Went for a friends birthday, it was very busy and noisy. Tables are close together. We ordered food but the gravy was a bit cold. Staff were friendly enough and made a good suggestion of a gamento play. Overpriced if you consider the table charge applies for children too.

I really enjoyed it here my first time I came again this time with my partner. Love the concept, staff are super friendly. Drinks great as were the food nibbles. Good game choices available too. Will be back again.

Great place to play some games and enjoy a bite to eat! Lovely pies.

Love board games, love drinking boozy milkshakes (with option to be vegan), love snacking, love rolling a d20 and getting a random drink, love helpful staff, love making friends. Yeah pretty great spot, nice cosy feel. Stop by, it's worth it.

Had a lovely birthday there! Great cocktails’! Tim was very nice and lovely! ’

Brilliant atmosphere and service, and food could be better bit still very good. Love it here!

Having wanted to visit for ages it was great to finally get a chance to experience Chance & Counters. To start, the staff here were amazing, super friendly and very informed about the games selection. The choice of games is just huge!!! And there are games for every occasion, from fun short games to the epic couple of hour types. The food and drinks selection is great and quality made it good value for money. The only draw back is the acoustics mean it's a very loud venue the whole time which isn't great for anyone with sensory difficulties so worth being aware with younger children. Already planning our games purchases and another visit!!

Stumbled across this place as my friend and I wanted to go to a cafe. Staff was very accommodating and we were there between 5/6pm on a Friday which is a busy night for them but they squeezed us in and even waived the gratuity fee as we left a few mins before our hour was up (new customers waiting). Very kind of them. Great tea selection and cookie sandwich was delicious. Clean, tidy, good atmosphere and excellent selection of board games. Would defo go back if I'm in Bristol again.

Lovely board game cafe with varieties of game and friendly staff. The lemon drizzle cake is also nice while enjoying the board game with friends. Definitely check this place out xx!

If you're looking for a fun place to spend your evening with someone or a group of friends, this is definitely one of the top places in Bristol! Cheap prices, all the games you could imagine, great selection of food and drink, calm spacious atmosphere, all in all just as you would imagine!

I really like the idea of this cafe. The execution didn’t quite meet our standards however. We went on a Friday night, we bookend a table online but were disappointed to find that a party of 2 can’t book for more than an hour (even with phoning ip to request this). The venue itself is clean and pleasant. The back room is extremely cramped and the toilets need more attention. The selection of games were good, a lot of them old and we could find the classic scrabble or monopoly etc , I think they would benefit from some newer game. There were not enough options for two player either. We don’t think there was enough staff for the venue either. Classed as table service but found ourselves tracking down the staff to order. They seem pretty clueless when it came to the menu etc. food was fine and drinks were cheap

Had a great time with friends hence why I've rated 3 star, board games are good and so are the drinks. Staff were quite rude and at one point completely forgot about us! Still a good place but need to be better with service.

August 2024 It's amazing that this place has had a general spruce up recently. They've had a lovely redecoration, there is more food on offer than before (at Bristol City Centre prices) and there are a lot more new games on offer. It feels like it's had the TLC it deserves. What's not changed over the years is the super service and friendly staff. There is something for everyone here, coop, 2 player, dexterity, party, the more thinky 1hour ish games plus your serious strategy endeavours that take a lot longer. 5 stars. June 2023 This is still a great place, but now 4 stars instead of 5 Since the new place on Gloucester Road has opened the food menu is pizza and tapas. No sandwiches, nachos, stews,etc. The place in general feels a bit run down and in need of a refurb. Some of the games (like King of Tokyo) need replacing as they are so well loved and used. Again, love this place but it does need some TLC. 2018 (I think!) Been coming here since this place opened, the staff are very friendly and help you choose games and learn to play them. The food and drink is very nice and priced in line with central Bristol prices. They have a very big variety of games and always get new ones. Lots of good times and memories! 5 stars

Poor service, our rubbish was left on our table for ages, food and drink orders were repeatedly forgotten about, and then our server added a 10% tip to our bill WITHOUT mentioning or asking us, which we did not notice until the day later. Very disappointed, this is a chain which i have enjoyed in many cities but I shan't be returning to this one.

When I first visited a year ago it was amazing — good food and drink and reasonable prices. I was really shocked how the food quality has really gone down and the prices up. I am disappointed in the limited pie and mash or pizza option, when I used to be able to get loaded fries and burgers etc. Pie and mash seems an odd choice alongside board games. My boyfriend’s pizza was burnt and low quality but extortionate price for what it was - £14 with no sides or special toppings. The pie was over flavoured with the strongest gravy and piled into a mushy mess. Apparently other locations serve different food. I am disappointed receiving an email about a meal deal that did not specify it was limited to another location. I would not have booked for the Christmas Steps location if I had known. The staff were friendly and helpful and the game selection good. They explained the games really well. I might go back and play games and have a simple drink for an hour or so, but I wouldn’t have a meal there again. It’s nice when quiet but when full up I can’t hear myself think and it’s very difficult playing games with friends. I wish the tables were divided into booths with partitions to create privacy and dampen the sound. I think a quiet night in at home with one of our own board games and snacks would have been preferable.

Came with good friend and our kids yesterday for games, burgers, fries and drinks! We weren’t disappointed, great choice of board games, great service from Virgil and co and best of all - the burgers. Top notch smash burgers. They were 10/10 for all of us. Will return when back in Bristol 👌

Quality place to visit. Great concept and d really fun. Great variety of games and staff were very friendly and helpful in choosing games.

Great coffee and cakes, large choice of cocktails and mocktails. The staff’s super friendly, no matter if you stay to play or just stop for a coffee.

Lovely board game cafe! Had a great night here tonight, fab selection of games, knowledgeable engaged staff, great drinks and snacks. Highly recommend!

Great service and fun afternoon of boardgames Loved the cola float although they used to be called Brown Cows when I was a youngster. Very good range of games. We played Galaxy Trucker and Firestorm. Kids under 14 play games for Free!

Really fun place to play some board games with a couple friends. They have a massive variation of games so you're bound to find something you'd enjoy. It's small but it is lively!

We went to the chance and counter on Gloucester Road for our son's 11th birthday evening. It was a truly special gem of a place. The staff were absolutely wonderful, so helpful and gave us an amazing experience, they even brought out pudding with a birthday candle allowing our son that special moment. The food was 100% delicious, we had the tasty and packed tacos with a mouth-watering range of lime, herbs,onions and corn crumb with tender chicken or pork. Our sons loved their burgers, and one even wolfed down the vegan burger giving it the thumbs up- winner! I honestly cannot recommend these guys highly enough. The game they recommended was brilliant fun too!!

Had a blast playing some games and enjoyed some delicious vegan pie and mash! We played some Crokinole as well which was really fun. The staff were really friendly and the place had such a fun, welcoming and generally happy vibe that I’d definitely return. Very minor gripe but I found that the coffee was unfortunately a little disappointing, but overall enjoyed everything else!

Great venue for game fans with really kind staff who can recommend games for you. The cakes were nice and i didn't have the pizza but it looked good!

We had a great few hours here whilst we waited for our train home. Super range of games and the staff were great explaining how to play some of them. Reasonable food and drink prices ... Look forward to coming again next time we visit Bristol!

(My spend is based on 2 adults over 4 hours with multiple cocktails, a pizza, and sides!) FANTASTIC selection of board games and knowledgeable staff. Really impressed with the amount of 2-player games. Generous selection of soft and boozy drinks at bar. Food came out unbelievably fast and was just OK not wow, didn't quite match up to service and atmosphere. Regardless, absolutely loved our time here and will 100% visit again/try other locations if in the area!

Friendly staff, nice beers, good selection of games though some of them are well loved. Very popular and you will generally need to book even for weekdays.

I’m giving it a 4 star as the staff were very pleasant . Although I did think the prices were very steep for what you got . I was al little disappointed by the spritzers as they just tasted like flavoured soda water. The food was tasty but also a little steep in price . For 2 hours game time and 6 drinks and food for three the bill came too over £100 , I think if I had paid £60 , this would have been more in keeping with the food , drinks we recieved x

Nice place to play a simple board game but anything long or complicated is difficult as too noisy and they are strict with you leaving on time

Board game heaven, yum Noisy table quelled, yummy Staff nice, I lost more

Lush little spot for playing some games! Dropped in before going to a gig at the O2. Great game recommendations! Loved it! 😍 thanks guys!

Great place with friendly staff and incredible food. Atmosphere was great and game choice amazing. Highly recommend.

I took my boyfriend here for a Birthday lunch as he loves a board game. I didn’t realise the menu only has ‘pie and mash’ on it. I love a pie and mash but I didn’t fancy it for lunch that day. The food was nice but not amazing. Very overpriced for what it is. I had a very basic milkshake that I was charged £7 for. On top of that, you get charged £2 per person per hour to use a table and they added a 10% gratuity to my bill. The tables were also sticky and grubby. Not for me.

Ate pie, played board games, a pretty good time.

Not tried the food but the cakes looked lovely. The rest of the cafe is great. Each town needs one of these. Absolutely brilliant.

Came for a team building night out, what a great find! Staff were lovely, good drinks and location. Had alot more fun than I thought I would, will for sure be revisiting again!

Went here today, we were 20 mins late and had made a mistake on the booking and the staff could not have been more friendly and accommodating. Honestly the service was amazing, the board game selection is the best and its also so well priced! Thank you so much! 💜

Fabulous Boardgame cafe & bar. Staff were very nice, good selection of drinks and delicious pies, huge number of boardgames to play.

Great selection of games and drinks, helpful staff, good prices! It was very noisy when there are big groups, hard to concentrate

Nice relaxed atmosphere, friendly and helpful people, dog was welcome and they were very accommodating for large greyhound. Loads of games and they were well maintained.

Really great and knowledgeable staff. The drinks were excellent and the snack type food was decent if a little expensive for what you get. On a Saturday evening expect a very loud environment as everyone is shouting over the other tables to be heard. Not good for a quiet game or anything that involves a lot of communication but fun for party/drinking games.

Today, I had a really bad experience here in this place. In particular, the staff were not helpful at all and delivered a really poor service. I went there to play games with my family, but the room was really cold. They gave us a table under the air conditioner. When I mentioned it to the staff, they told me, "Sorry, but that’s the temperature of the room." When I insisted that we couldn't stay there freezing with my family, they turned up the temperature, and I was really grateful for that. After 15/20 minutes, the temperature went back to what it was before, and we were freezing again. When I mentioned it to the waiter again, he ignored me, checked the temperature without adjusting anything, and went back to the bar. We waited 10 more minutes, and nothing happened; we were still freezing, and they didn't even offer a new table when they had plenty available (I asked for one, and he said they were all booked —> we had booked as well, by the way). After that, I preferred to pay and leave; they didn't say anything, not even sorry or "let me see if I can find something else." They also charged 10% for the service, but that’s not the problem. I hope they will pay for the energy of the air conditioner themselves. Really bad customer service and unacceptable to ignore a customer’s request. I was only freezing with my family and was not asking for a huge favor, just to play with my family in a cozy place. Thanks for ruining this experience and showing me awful customer service. One of the worst customer service experiences ever. Thanks for nothing.

Great fun place to hang out, chill and have a good laugh with some mates. The prices are quite high but reasonable- the thing that gets you is the service charge! Extortionate service charge is expected here which dampens my whole experience sadly. Without service charge I would have paid £22.80 (I only paid for drinks and game time) for my evening. However I was asked to pay over £27 when my bill came - over the suggested 10% amount. Not ideal.

Wow, couldn't fault it, does exactly what it says on the tin plus there is great food. Definitely worth a trip. PS staff super helpful for gaming beginners!

The good stuff The atmosphere is friendly, peacful and family friendly. The game selection is excellent. The toilets were clean. The bearable stuff The 2 seater tables really don't have a lot of room on them, you won't be able to play and eat at the same time. The not okay stuff The Pies ... very average, nothing special, not worth it.

Good vibes, games in good condition

Fabulous family treat, excellent vegan selection of drinks and a plethora of games to choose from. Staff are very friendly, helpful and knowledgeable about the games and helped to create a fun relaxed atmosphere. We will definitely be visiting again!

So dissatisfied with our service here. My partner and I came in without a booking at 1pm to which we were told there were no seats available, we were fine with this as we understood we had come on a whim, anywho a member of staff told us he couldn’t get us seated until 5:30pm if we wanted to go then, to which we decided we would wait around in town and come at 5:30. He proceeded to take our names, numbers and told us to come back then. We made ourselves busy until then and came back at 5:30pm only to be told we did not have a booking. The staff member told us we had misunderstood the other staff member earlier and that he was simply taking our name and number to call us before 5:30pm if there had been a cancellation, which he definitely did not. This system makes no sense. I later called the shop to complain only to be patronised by the person who picked up the phone and told that he would have to get the first staff members side of the story before he could do anything, but either way there was nothing he would do. It is so insulting to have 2 people practically gaslight me into thinking that both me and my partner had misunderstood their staff. Whilst this was not the case, even if we had misunderstood them there was a much more gracious and professional way to go about it. This experience completely ruined the rest of our evening and I am so disappointed as I was so excited to try this place out. The rude staff and somewhat idiotic in person booking system completely ruin this place.

Relaxing environment, food is great. I come here every month and always have a good time. Theres something comfortable about this place that I can't articulate. I love the choice of games (you need to get Unfathomable though) 😃 definitely recommend.

My daughter, granddaughters (10 and 8) and I went to Chance & Counters for lunch and spent almost 4 hours there, and time FLEW! Pluses: THE AREA: I am biased, love Bishopston/ Gloucester Road! THE PLACE: Lovely warm, unpretentions, friendly, cosy THE FOOD: OMG! You have GOT to go and taste it! THE STAFF: Lovely kind, patient and very helpful THE GAMES: vast selection, some in better state than others CLIENTELE: Relaxed, mostly young-ish, alternative, students Minuses: What minuses? :o) I no longer live in Bristol but I'd gladly ttravel 1 hr from my place to meet-up with friends and family. Cheers folk, really loved meeting you all!

Great place, very friendly staff, has a brilliant time playing board games with friends :) Thank you, see you soon!

A great way to while away a few hours after our flight home was cancelled! Book at least three hours to get the real feel for it. Massive selection of games, really helpful staff. (They didn’t have KGB from 1973, alas! 😜) We spent less for our session for eight than a visit for three to the Bristol Aquarium and had MUCH more fun. Highly recommended.

A great selection of board game, with Greta staff recommendations. I would recommend Quarto for a short chess-esque game. Very reasonable prices as well.

Fun and reasonably priced place to hang out with friends. A massive selection of board games and very friendly staff. The only downside is the place is often unbearably loud, don't know how you'd solve that with so many parties playing different games without significantly reducing the number of tables but the noise is off putting at times

Fantastic place, staff friendly and very helpful. Great selection of games and staff ready to advise what games to try

Love chance and counters, the vibe is so wholesome, and the staff recommend some good games if you're struggling to choose from their large selection

Lovely board games café, the service was super friendly and they've got a decent selection of games. The area right at the back of the cafe can get quite loud if it's booked up, but not much you can do about it. We only tried some drinks - the Ferrero milkshake was good, although it could've been thicker; nice range of Bird & Blend teas and alcoholic drinks.

Visited with friends for our annual Christmas meet-up, and we were all so impressed. The staff were super friendly and helpful, the game selection was excellent and well maintained, and the beers and coffees were great. Will definitely be back soon!

Great cafe, brilliant games and good food

We had a great time here. We received a warm and friendly welcome and attentive service. We got the right amount of help to choose some games to try. We enjoyed our hot drinks and were happy to see they have alternative milks and without extra charge. Everything felt reasonable priced. We bought a game to gift to our friends whilst there too. We'll definitely come back next time we're in Bristol!

amazing selection of games, a great way to spend an afternoon :)

Came in as a small group and had a lovely time. Food was very decent if a touch expensive for what it was, and the drinks are fantastic; particularly the peach long island iced tea and the mulled cider. Great selection of games and lovely staff!

Staff were lovely, the vibe was good.

Had a morning gaming session here after seeing the dednutz live concert, me and my friend had never been before and the worker there was super helpful, got us all settled in and set us up with star wars deck building game which me and my friend loved! And the worker showed us how to play and made sure we were comfortable and as we payed the bill we bumped into Alex Smith the front man of the band we just saw! 10/10 would definitely come here again next time we visit Bristol.

Nice place to play board games with friends good selection of games and beers quick service but book in advance

We went for 2 hours and time flew by there was a good choice of games we had chicken pie the pie itself was tasty I dropped 1 star cause it was just pie on the menu and my husband doesn't eat pie or mash and I didn't like the gravy overall we had a great time xx

Great variety of games, from totally amateur and silly through to much more involved ones. We hadn't booked a table but were made to feel very welcome. Tasty vegan pies.

Really fun evenings spent here. Plenty of games to choose from or friendly staff to ask for a recommendation. Tasty food and drinks available as well. Fully recommend!

Excellent place to play board games and other games with your friends (or even strangers on the social night that happens every week). The atmosphere is lovely, the snacks available are great, the selection of games available is plentiful and the staff is nice. Added to this, it's in Christmas steps, which is a lovely spot in Bristol. Definitely recommended.

I absolutely love this place! I spent my birthday here and having access to SO MANY boardgames I've wanted to buy is such a bargain. The staff are so friendly and amazing, they'll recommend games and explain rules. The drinks are incredible too- I had a chai latte and Deluxe hot chocolate- only put 4 stars on food because I didn't order much, but what I did get was good. The concept and execution of the boardgame cafe is excellent. I'll be making regular visits here despite the fact I live quite far. Id recommend to anyone!!

haven’t had a night out as fun as this for a long time. only came for drinks, my friend order some sides and they were very nice xx Cannot wait to come again!

Serving pieminster pie and mash to go with the hundreds of games to play, what's not to love. The staff were friendly and willing to suggest and support you getting to grips with games. I will deff be back.

Had a brilliant time...only thing was wish we had booked longer than two hours!! Pie Minster pies are always amazing and the staff were super friendly and helpful in choosing games to play for 2 people. And they allow dogs...which was a huge bonus, so my dog watched us play :)

Was not sure want to expect but my son and I really enjoyed the whole experience. The atmosphere is relaxing and the staff are friendly and helpful. The food menu is limited but still tasty. There is a big selection of games to choose from and the staff were knowledgeable to recommend games for my son and I to play. They even helped set up the games and explained how to play. It is £2 per person per hour to play the games, which is reasonable. We were allowed to stay an extra hour to order more milkshakes and finish our game. Will definitely be going again.

I've been to quite a few board game cafes and this one has to have the best 'filing system' for its games, with them sorted by approximate play time. Speaking of time, though, it's a shame you can't book a slot of more than two hours. For many customers I'm sure an option for a half-day slot would be very welcome. The food and drinks are top notch. I had a pizza and a vegan cherry milkshake and both were outstanding. Friendly helpful team. The space is not huge so it did get a bit hard for my friend and I to hear each other sometimes, as all the other tables were full and some had players who were (no judgement!) quite animated! :)

Amazing board game cafe with very knowledgeable staff and delicious food and drinks. Reservations recommended as it can fill up and you don't want to miss this place!

Good place to spend an evening of board games

Rodney and Otis are really handsome and very helpful

We brought a few friends here for a special occasion, some of whom had travelled a long way. Chance & Counters did not disappoint. Our friendly host recommended some perfect games for us. The menu has vegan and gluten-free options, and everything was tasty. All in all a fun and welcoming experience!

We both absolutely loved it …… we’ll definitely be coming again . Thank you so much for a fun afternoon xx

We had a really lovely time here with our young boys. Brilliant atmosphere - informal but buzzy. We loved the pots of chewy sweets alongside tasty cocktails, mocktails and beer

Table service was a little slow other then that it was amazing, staff were welcoming and it was great fun and not expensive! We spent £12 and that included £2 each for an hour of play and some drinks. Lots of games to choose from we played the classics, ludo and guess who Then we also played taco, cat, goat, cheese, pizza (I think i got that the right way around) Definitely recommend!

Would recommend! The staff helped us pick a board game and even taught us how to play it!

My 10 yr old and I had a fun afternoon playing games and drinking yummy smoothies. He had sweets too and was delighted you had a good veggie selection. Thanks for helping us choose interesting games, and for your patient, clear instructions too! We will be back soon :)

All I can say is in capitals OVERPRICED FOOD. A literal cardboard pizza is £11 and it is tiny! There are very limited snack/food options. I also ordered a Long Island cocktail, which is supposed to be on the strong side - It felt like they only whispered to the glass "alcoholll" instead of actually putting some in. It felt like I was drinking a £9 coke, very bad. On the other hand, the variety of games is awesome, but of course because people eat and drink next to the games, the cards are worn down. Service was fine, a bit slow due to the low number of staff but I don't think that was a major issue. Atmosphere is alright, nothing to complain.

They have a great game collection and a good space to play with plenty of tables (if you book). The food and drink are high quality and the staff attentive, both for service and helping with game rules.

Lovely atmosphere, very friendly staff - we had great recommendations and amazing service

Really knowledgeable and accommodating staff who guided us through the games and allowed us to stay longer than our booking. Great fun and delicious snacks!

Brilliant time here! So many games, super friendly service. Loved it.

We had a great time on our day out in Bristol. Chance & Counters accommodated our change of time (which we were grateful for) and the staff and atmosphere were perfect. Great place to go if you have a few hours to spare on your holiday. The selection of games were brilliant for all abilities.

Great cafe with tasty food and a good selection of games. It just would have been good if there had been paper menus as an alternative to the QR code one.

Somewhere different to go, especially if you have time to kill. Lots of board games to play, although you have to pay £2 a person per hour for the game. Drink is not run of the mill, no lagers for me and it was £13 for a pint of cider and a pint of IPA. Would return if I had time to spare.

Really lovely session with a team from work - we could find games that suited all abilities (the bar staff were particularly helpful with recommendations). Food was great and service on point - the team were very accomodating in letting us stay past our booking time. Will definitely be back!

Great selection of games and really helpful staff :)

Great selection of games. Lots of tables. Nice coffee. My kind of place

Really nice place with a wide selection of games. The staff are incredibly knowledgable about all of the games and give good recommendations and show you how to set them up. Food is ok. I wouldn't come for the food alone, but as an accompaniment to the games its pretty good - selection of hotdogs, burgers, chips and nachos. Edit: since they opened their new branch the food is not as good here. The pizzas which are the only thing still left on the menu are pretty mediocre. However the quality of the staff and board games have not changed. Book ahead as it's always packed.

Staff were amazing, helpful, and friendly. Some of the games are looking a bit tired, but the atmosphere when it's busy is great to be in. Table can get a bit crowded when you've got board games, food, and drinks, so no wonder some of the games can be a bit sticky! Would definitely recommend it though to board game lovers and people looking to do something a bit different for a few hours.