Goodtime Games in Manchester

I found Goodtime Games through a Google search when looking for a game cafe with a bookable room for my wife's birthday. The staff were really helpful and friendly both when we visited to make the initial booking and also during the time we had the room booked. It's a really cozy and welcoming place, with a really good selection of games and the staff were only too happy to recommend and explain games that were suitable for our group. I must especially mention Alex and Tom who looked after us so well and ensured our food and drink orders were dealt with speedily The food was delicious and very filling - the pizzas are especially recommended, as are the milkshakes and cocktails (good to see non-alcoholic ones available too!) Definitely a place to visit if you're in the area - I know that we'll be back soon, as will our friends who live considerably closer than us!

Such a great place and service from the staff. The staff was so mindful, specifically Nick who helped us set up the whole board game we chose (Spirit Island) and explained all the mechanics and rules to us. Regarding the food, the breadsticks with hummus were great, as well as the milkshakes we ordered. We spent about 4h hours there and it was a lot of fun 😆

First time at the mixer event. Tom the owner was so friendly and always had great gaming ideas, the atmosphere was welcoming and relaxed with such a fun vibe, best night out I've had in ages and already can't wait to go back. Absolutely brilliant

My wife and I plus two friends had a great time here. We played Scythe, a rather complex game that we haven't played before. We were super lucky to have had this lovely Asian chap(unfortunately forgot to ask his name 🤦‍♂️) that explained the game well and helped us set it up so we can actually play ❤️. More so, he checked on us throughout our time there just to make sure we're not stuck or if we have any additional questions 👌. We really felt taken care of 😊. The other staff were friendly and helpful too 👌. We are already making plans to come back ❤️. Thank you 😊

Really lovely place lots of fun, relaxed atmosphere and great staff

Really cute place with lovely, knowledgeable and attentive staff. Had a splendid evening here 😁

Took my son here for a couple of hours. We both like board games at home but had never come to a board gam cafe before. Enjoyed our time there. We played two games, Cairn and Beer & Bread. One of the staff members offered to explain the games to us. I said yes and he explained them well and we understood the games faster than we would've done with the instruction books. Large selection of games, organised by games for 2 players, for 3, for 4+ etc. Staff were friendly. Didn't order food haven't rated this. Did have a milkshake which was good though. I would recommend and will come back.

Good vibes, friendly staff. Has all the games. Would come again.

Great selection of games for groups!! Great pizzas too, would recommend the goats cheese one especially.

A nice little cafe, staff are friendly, good selection of games. A bit pricey for what it’s worth. My only big complaint is that there was one man who kind of took over our games trying to explain them. Rather than having someone come over and do the game for us, I’d prefer if we could be left to work it out and if we are struggling then we can have someone come over.

Lovely cozy vibes in here with a very large collection of games. The employees are great with recommending new interesting games. There’s a great collection of cocktails too.

A great place, whether gaming or not. Food and service were great.

Amazing experience with my children at this lovely place today. My son is a big fan of the board games and loves coming here to play "Battle Sheep Game". Good choice of drinks and nice dessert menu guaranteed. Tom knows all his games so well and explains how to play in a friendly manner. Would be coming back for more!!

Booked our green kids on fire 2 hours. They seemed to enjoy it.

Excellent service - the staff are so knowledgeable and approachable, really one of the most impressive teams I've ever been served by. Highly recommended.

Such a cute little place with great staff full of recommendations and help if u get stuck on a game! I definitely recommend booking just in case 😊

Really great place to go especially if you're into games; there's a wide selection of games and the staff were more than happy to help setup and explain how to play.

It was worth the travel to visit this place, we had an amazing time, the staff were very friendly and highly knowledgeable of the games. We had some drinks as well. The price is affordable and it's definitely worth spending the time with friends and family in this place. There isn't that many board games cafes across Manchester, so we'll surely visit again in the future

Good coffee and great games, however it’s a bit expensive, 2 hours for 2 people will cost you 12 pounds if you want to play the games, better just buy the game. Still it’s a good coffee shop with great drinks.

I'm so impressed with this place! Great atmosphere and food. The staff are so knowledgeable about the games and helped us so much. Would 10000% recommend.

Very friendly and welcoming. I went to ask a lot of questions and the staff were very willing to help. They also were very helpful in teaching people how to play many of their games. They have regular events such as Mindful Mondays to enjoy, playing games with new people or if you want to play with your friends you can book a table.

Love going here with my daughter. it's good winddown fun , licensed and sells food, all good. So many games!

A small gaming Café - but worth visiting! Unfortunately, it closes early!

An excellent find as the only real Board game Cafe in Manchester. Solid selection of games, wonderful staff, and pleasant customers. Food & drinks were generously portioned as well 👍🏻

A brilliant little board game café with a great collection of games and a cozy vibe. They also run regular mixers + events! It's hard to find a more inviting space for any board game lovers in the area :)

Brilliant games cafe with such a wide array of games for all ages. We've been loads of times and it's always high up the list of things the kids want to do with a free afternoon. Incredibly patient staff explain how to play any games you hadn't tried before, and suggest new games to try based on others we've enjoyed. The huge non-dairy milkshakes are a massive hit too. We haven't tried the food yet, but will do next time!

Amazing little cafe on the high street in west didsbury. Full of different board games to make your visit more entertaining. Went for a 60th birthday and we all had such an enjoyable afternoon. The food was delicious and the service was faultless. We were seated in the back room which was perfect as it felt we had the place to ourselves. Will be returning and definitely recommend.

Great place, great company, staff really attentive and knowledgeable about the games on offer, all round great experience x

This isn’t for the cafe but rather the online shop. I ordered a game which arrived promptly, but the delivery company left it out in the rain, which ruined it. But- Goodtime Games were fantastic in sorting out another copy, and made the effort to double pack it and include a helpful note to the delivery driver to not let it get wet. Great customer service, in sorting out a problem that wasn’t their fault. Thanks again 😊

Wonderful atmosphere, delicious food, and an incredible selection of games. Nick took great care of us all evening, service was prompt and friendly despite the place being completely packed! When I come back to Manchester, I will definitely be returning. :)

Really friendly staff who helped find an excellent game to play and to help setup and explain it! Good value for money with lots of vegetarian and vegan optional choices. Excellent selection of games for a smaller place, and happy to have paid a table fee for reserving a space in this small local business.

A lovely games cafe! Good food and a great variety of games! Something for everyone from those new to board games to the more experienced. 😁

lovely staff, brilliant drinks, and even better board games. a staple of didsbury!

It is BEYOND cute here. the staff are SO happy to help, the drinks are GOOD and there are sooooo many games. they even have sanitary products in the loo, it’s so wholesome. come and enjoy!

Brilliant selection of games, well priced drinks and friendly and helpful staff. Will definitely go again!

Amazing board game cafe. The owner is very knowledgeable and passionate and will explain every game to you if you need recommendations or assistance. The selection of board games is gigantic. The food menu is really good as well. Recommend booking in advance and bringing some noise cancelling headphones if you're sensitive as it can get very cramped and loud. Or request the table in the back when booking :)

Lovely place, good catch up with friends and family. Thanks to Nick and Alis for helping us and teaching new games 😊

Nice little cafe down a busy street with lots of activity. Game selection is on the lighter side. Teas and coffees are standard bags. The hot chocolate looked very good! Come here for a nice time with some friends. Alcohol is served here which can make the place quite noisy at times. 2 toilets available. Front room, back room, and outside seating available for a total of 10-12 tables.

Good venue, laid back and excellent owners who really care to ensure you have a good experience and will take their time to help u if u need. Food is always very nice. Its the only time I ever eat vegan food, but is very nice despite the lack of meat.

Didn't catch their name but the person working today (31/8/23) was so lovely, friendly, knowledgable and funny! Showed us how to play a game called Patchwork and recommended a few other games. Lovely atmosphere, great selection of organised games and really good vegan foods and drinks! Definitely returning and becoming a member. 🤠

I reserved a table on the official website. The staff gave me a table in a special room behind the pantry. The room was quieter than the outside which was so busy. There were two tables in the room. We ordered a BBQ pizza. The sauce was finger licking.

One of the best board game cafes I ever been. The guy who helped us was very friendly, very enthusiastic and helpful. Recommend great games and helped with setting up. We were there for over 5 hours while only planned 2. The food and drinks also very good! Overall we had a great afternoon! Edit: and so many (!!) games with modern and classics!

Amazing afternoon here! The food and drinks were lovely and the games were so much fun. The guy that was working was super enthusiastic and recommended some great new games we never heard of. My friend ended up buying one to take home too. Highly recommend, thank you!

A really brilliant board games cafe. Staff are always more than happy to help and welcoming, very warm atmosphere, great amount of social events and very fairly priced for lovely refreshments! I’m really pleased to have found this place, thank you :)

We stopped in for food only, and had pizza to takeaway, service was friendly and the pizza was delicious and fresh. Will come back to play some games next time!

The place is small and cosy with plenty of board games to choose. The person working there was very helpful with choosing and explaining the game. Unfortunately we came around 4 pm and they already did not have any food.

Wow - what a brilliant Games café. Firstly the playing £ is really reasonable especially if you're a member. Secondly they have SO many games - probably the most I've ever seen in a Games place. The staff were super friendly and did great jobs of doing quick run-throughs of rules. It seemed super inclusive and welcoming of all people, which made us feel safe and happy. Especially loved the carrot cake and vanilla milkshake. Thanks for such a great experience!

Ordered the nachos with everything, they were delicious. Lovely young lady that served me. Even brought them to me across the road 👍 will be going again and would recommend. Thank you

i had a good time playing games :)

Amazing place to play boardgames! They have a wide variety of games from party to eurogames (you can check which ones on their website!) and really good vegan food! Would highly recommend booking a table on their website though. As a not-member you can book for three hours only but you are free to stay longer if the table's free. If I lived in Manchester I would hang out there every day.

A home from home. If you love tabletop gaming then please go out of your way to come here. A large selection of games, knowledgeable amazing staff and pretty damn decent food in their back pocket. Treat yourself!

Great games, loads of choice and friendly staff…however, our pizza was burnt and just not tasty at all (hence the 2 star rating). We mentioned this to the guys and got told thanks for the feedback!….could’ve done with a little more there!!!! The biscoff cake however was fabulous and highly recommended!

Amazing explanation and recommendation for the games! Staff were super friendly and helpful

such a lovely cafe, the staff are so helpful and friendly! Amazing selection of games, BYOB for a small charge and the food is great with such good vegan options!!! really lovely decor and such a cheap but fun evening out with friends! I love this place and I can’t wait to go back

My new favourite place! The people that work there are super friendly and welcoming and very knowledgeable on a wide variety of board games. The vegan cookies are amazing and the garlic sauce is possibly the best I've ever tried!

Great atmosphere! Friendly, helpful staff. Learned to play Isle of Cats and New York Zoo. Really great evening out with a friend. Fantastic veggie & vegan food, fast service, good prices. We had vegan margherita pizza, garlic dough balls and potato wedges, to share between us, and some vegan chocolate chip cookies too (bargain nibble, right there!) . Would highly recommend to anyone visiting Manchester/ Greater Manchester.

I love coming here, they have a great atmosphere and really good vegan options. the staff are always so lovely and helpful

What a great find this place was. Party of six, 4 adults 2 children. 3 hours of different games and food. Service was great from friendly and passionate staff. Such a lovely break from being attached to a phone or tablet. Highly recommended.

Small but cosy board game cafe, staff are great at picking out games and explaining rules

Amazing cafe with a wide variety of board games you can play! Plus the cakes and wasabi peas there are really good :)

Really friendly and helpful service with a nice relaxed atmosphere plus a huge range of games.

Fantastic place and great for group activities. Owner is top!

My first time at a gameboard cafe and I had a really really great time!! Was recommended two different games by the owner and both where so much fun. Will definitely be coming again.

well-stocked, friendly and helpful staff, affordable and good for spending an afternoon playing all sorts of board games, vegan friendly

Would give more starts if I could... Firstly the price of everything is excellent, would happily pay more. However, what made this such a unique and incredible experience was the staff. The enthusiasm for the boardgames along with exceptional friendly explanations and service made this one of the best nights out I have had. I will be telling everyone I know, if you live in South manchester you need to visit here as soon as possible and go again and again and again...

Friendly and knowledgeable staff with a great game selection. Nice place to play some games and munch on some vegetarian snacks.

Really lovely cafe, great food and drinks, huge selection of games, something to suit everyone with new games in all the time, some of which you can buy. Staff all really helpful and happy to explain games, and membership is a great deal too! Nice chill vibe, and mixer/quiz nights great fun too!

A small but great place, came to Manchester from Liverpool with my friends meant to go to a board game event but couldn't find venue so we decided to look for a café instead and decided to get the tram to the closest station. The place had great atmosphere, cosy vibe, nice staff with an amazing selection of board game's for the size of the place. Me and the boys had a lot of fun playing multiple games, one of the staff showed us how to play a game he was very nice and didn't have any problem teaching us which was cool. I wasn't really interested in any of the food personally but one of my friends got a vegan pizza and enjoyed it. I got tea for myself and dnb for my other friend the prices where fine so got nothing to complain about, there's no way I'd be a regular because of how out of the way it is for me but I'd definitely like to visit again in the future and also definitely recommend for other people. Just doing a quick edit I'm usually the densest person in the group but yeah I only realised there were reservations for tables until reading other reviews. Don't know if there was something at the café actually mentioning that but I never saw anything. Some other customers where kind enough to move to a smaller table for us but later on into our visit one of the staff said about having to move in 30 mins don't know if that was because of the place closing son or if someone had a booking. I'd say for people who just pop in that you definitely get time to stay there if places are free but if it was booked up by regulars you won't really have a chance until someone leaves, definitely wouldn't say it was a bad thing I actually agree with that way of things but definitely keep it in mind if your dropping by out of curiosity.

I love this cafe - I spent a lot of time in here doing homework when I was furloughed, during quiet periods, and it was a lovely place to sit with a laptop. Obviously the games are the big draw, but I find it a calm and welcoming place to just sit too. And the nachos are fabulous. Tom and the rest of the staff are kind and very well versed in board games! Recommended.

Awesome game selection and delicious vegetarian cafe food, I bought a membership here because I love it so much! The staff are all gems, and go the extra mile to make sure your game day is as easy and fun as possible.

We've been here several times, and took out a subscription from the first visit as we knew we'd be back! Goodtime Games successfully merges two great concepts - a boardgame cafe, and a vegetarian/vegan cafe. At most other eateries we'd just get food - but here for the same price we can get food, drinks, and hours of entertainment. The staff are all friendly and helpful - if you're stuck getting into a game and a member of staff is available (not too busy making some tasty veg*n food), then you can ask for help and they'll help you enjoy some new games. Thoroughly recommend becoming a member, going regularly, and trying all the food you like the sound of.

Was looking for a vegan dessert and a very helpful member of staff offered a Salted Caramel Cheesecake which was has quickly become one of my favourites! Great value - especially for West Didsbury. Also, more boardgames than I ever imagined existed and the staff seem to know them all! Will be in again for sure.

The food, drinks and selection of games was OUTSTANDING! Great decor and friendly staff - will definitely be back!! Great for vegans

Great little games cafe with super friendly and knowledge staff. BYOB as well, and some food offerings. Very reasonably priced as well

We arrived in West Didsbury an hour or so early for our meeting and we were wondering how to kill time when we happened to walk past this little cafe. Once we'd sat down and were sipping our coffees the games guy (sorry can't remember his name) came along, listened to our preferences and then recommended some games. It was a bit like when the sommelier recommends the best wine! Then he tooks us through the rules of the game and was on hand to answer our newbie questions. We had a great time! I'd definitely recommend whiling away a few hours here.

Five stars isn’t enough! My friends and I love Goodtime Games after first discovering it at the start of 2021. Since then I’ve returned for fun evening socials with board games and booze, had fancy bagels, milkshakes and coffees with my family, and even recommended the cafe as a calm place with sturdy tables for a colleague to sort through some emails. I can’t thank the staff enough. Every one of them has the right blend of passion and friendliness; always willing to teach us new games, but also happy to give my friends and I space if we’re only stopping by for a quick drink. Ultimate adult fun, plus it’s very reasonably priced!

Thank you very much Nick for teaching us to play Root. Couldn’t have asked for a more accommodating host who came on his day off to teach us. Can’t recommend this place enough!

Visited last night after prebooking a week earlier. Located on the main road through West Didsbury so parking isn't the easiest. We parked a few streets away and walked back to the cafe. Vegan/vegetarian menu with a choice of paninis and wraps available. Plenty of choice when it came to games. Staff are really helpful and will talk you through each game. There is a £2.50 per person, per hour playing fee which is capped at £7.50 as 3 hours is the maximum playing time allowed. The cafe is quite small but even with a few different people in to play, it didn't feel cramped.

Friendly, good boardgames knowledge, excellent gf & vegan food selection. Increasingly popular venue so well worth booking a table

I’ve been here a few times now, both to play games and also just to buy. Every time the knowledgable staff have been able to find me a game that I love! Couldn’t recommend more.

Amazing choice of games , lots to choose from some snacks available whilst playing games .lots of fun would come here next time .I recommend

Excellent selection of games, very cosy atmosphere, great food, pretty reasonable prices and the staff were all super friendly! Check this place out!

This was our first visit to the cafe today with our 5 yr old son. Since the cafe offers number of different board game caters to all age groups (5+ yrs) it was the best decision to spend our Sunday afternoon / evening playing indoor board game and eating nachos and coffee etc. The staff was very supportive and a great hospitality overall. We spent full 3 hrs playing different games and thoroughly enjoyed CARROOKA which is a unique blend of Carrom and Snooker game. Overall, well spent weekend Sunday afternoon / evening. Though the cafe is not very big in size and can accommodate 4 groups at a time and hence pre-book is recommended. We are definitely coming back regularly at this place for more games.

Ooo this was fun. The coffee is delish. The staff were really helpful giving us recommendations and teaching us a board game. It was a little cold. But I’d definitely return.

Never been to a place like this before but had a really great time. Played several old time board games and some new ones to me. The staff are great and are good at explaining how to play them. You can bring your own drinks . They do charge a corkage fee. Had a really good night out.

I always like a late night cafe and this place is pretty cool. However I just got a flat white coffee which is meant to be an espresso topped with foam ( ie a very small amount of milk). Sadly my coffee was so much milk I couldn't even taste the coffee, probably about 1.5L of milk... Had to pour it down the drain.. Very sad :(

The best welcoming games cafe I found ever in my life. Only down side is drinks can be a touch expensive but you can buy a membership that fixes that

Really fun and quirky place. Really chilled vibes. The owner was super friendly and completely unobtrusively showed us a fun new game. Will defo go back

The food and coffee were amazing, and although today we didn't have time to play any of the games, we seen the gentleman that worked there patiently and politely explaining a game to customers in a fun and engaging manner where you could tell that there was a true enjoyment of what he does !!! A great environment to be in .

Fantastic atmosphere, not your average games cafe...

They organise the best patchwork tournaments in the North West UK! Possibly whole of the UK! Tom's a great and energetic host, eager to teach you games, definitely come here. They have corkage, so bring your drink of choice, store it away from board games and enjoy! Will be back soon!

The Salted Caramel Ice Cream is Amazing! Friendly staff too. Highly recommend.

Been following them on social media since they first open, finally able to assemble some friends and visit together. Played and learned a few new games, had a really nice time and the variety of games available are amazing. We're hoping to visit more often and I'm also hoping to be able to get involved in some of the events they put up! I can imagine this place gets more busy as time goes so it can be a bit difficult to get a table eventually when they starts getting fully booked all the time!

Great place, great staff who were very friendly and knowledgeable about the games, a crazy amount to choose from simple to very complicated. Nice food too, vegan/veggie.

That was an amazing cookie! Had good fun playing (and being taught) some new games with a friend. The nachos were also delicious and the staff kind and attentive. Hope to come back soon!

Great board games cafe run by incredibly friendly and helpful people. Can't recommend this place enough

Great service, good choice of food and drinks and amazing staff who are lovely and attentive. Would visit again!

Loads of games to choose from, help with choosing games from a very helpful member of staff and even help explaining rules - lovely experience and definitely want to go again!

Very fun way to spend an afternoon. Knowledgable and friendly staff and a metric tonne of bored games!

One thing I will say about this place, is that no matter what your level of knowledge of the games, they listen to what you do know, what you like, make recommendations and then give you a run through of how to play, in an easy to understand manner. I've been with friends (aged 27-35) and also with the kids (aged 5, 9 and 11). Food I've had so far has been decent too, the guac is to die for, even though its vegan (no offence to the vegans out there).