Thirsty Meeples in Oxford

Visited today (4th Nov 11:30) with my 8 year old son to buy some Pokemon cards, and whilst my son was looking I popped to the toilet - I was then chased down by a lady asking if I had a table booked. I explained I did not, but we were here to buy Pokémon - she told me I can’t use the toilet, it’s for table customers only. I questioned this twice explaining we are a paying customer, to which she got pretty rude and said no - I was absolutely stunned, we have spent a small fortune in this place over the years - and this is how we are treated? Bear in mind, I’m a middle aged man dressed well, with my son, so clearly not homeless or junkies - so seriously, what the hell? Even the other person working there looked embarrassed, shocking customer service.

I had one excellent experience and one bad experience here. One with a guy, forgot his name, but he was on top of everything and taught us different cool games. My son loved the experience so much he wanted to come back for his bday. So we came back, this time was a bunch of women and they were not very good. I mean they were nice in front of us. But when we asked for instructions on few games and the woman said no one knew how to play them, which was understandable but then my wife I heard them talking in the back, saying one girl knew the game and telling other girl “just say we don’t know” 🧐🤥 dishonest and disappointing. I like this place but these staff can ruin the experience so easily…

Alas, a recent trip here was very disappointing. We love board game cafes, and have visited many over the years. We visited Thirsty Meeples years ago and had a good experience, but this most recent trip was a little sad. The place has lost its mojo, run down, staff seem at best bored, at worst indifferent and the cost is very high for what you get. £9 per person, child or adult and no-one was interested in helping learn the games which was part of the original ‘Vision’. The food was pretty terrible, and the hard sell of a tip (which I paid despite mediocre service) just left us feeling a bit like we had been fleeced. The shops good though, so next time we’ll probably just buy a game for the £40 we spent to get in and go to a decent cafe to play it.

The table we were on was very sticky, not what you would expect in a board game cafe. Quite slow service and expensive food/drink. Also some of the components of the games were missing

Fantastic place. just popped in to buy some DnD dice for my son loved the place, bring back memories of my youth. Nice to see young people playing board games and have a normal conversation outside smartphones and internet for once. Well done!

They have so many board games!! Apparently it's around 2,700, according to their website. The staff were so helpful and friendly and upon their recommendations we pulled out a few board games I'd never heard of. Including Boop, which featured cute(!!) cats booping each other around a bed, and Onitama, which is similar to chess but more fun and fast paced. The food is also good and they have a great selection of drinks!

Travelled from far to do a day trip visiting oxford, first thing booked in was thirsty meeples. We were left really disappointed, booked a table at 10am, the shop was closed and there was no communication on the late start. We had to continuously keep calling, until finally at 10.45am we got through and the shop was open, we had to contact the shop to check instead of the shop contacting us to let us know our table was now available with them opening. I was just massively let down by the lack of communication. Put a very sour feeling on the day.

Very friendly staff and nice atmosphere!

Honestly rude and aggressive staff, popped in and before we could even decide on either staying or purchasing a game we were so put off by the older of the two female staff members. As visitors from Canada with locals from Aylesbury with us I can assure you none of us will return. As someone who is in the hospitality industry I couldn't imagine treating customers who honour us by coming in the way we were treated. Horrible experience! GUEST Greet Understand Educate Serve/sell Thank You need to learn this acronym!!!

Great fun playing games - team there were really helpful in suggesting games and giving us tips on now to play them.

Pokemon box (Mimikyu ex) without any pull inside, and not even a holo card. I think it's a scam

If I could give 0 I would. I booked this in advance for a party of 10 people, I am based in Sydney and just messed up,  genuine mistake I booked the wrong day, intended book a Sunday and booked a Saturday. I was charged Saturday night £90, I called and explained the mistake, spoke to a nice guy who said "we've done it before and we are free Sunday, I don't see it would be an issue to just transfer it to Sunday". He then spoke to the on duty manager, who had a minor sqauble about him being the manager on duty and just making the decision. He said he would need to contact the owner. On the Sunday morning I called to find out whether we could turn up as planned, was told "you'd be charged another £90, we had to turn people away for your booking yesterday" to which I asked "if you were holding the table why didn't you just call me" the duty manager said "oh I don't know". As a small business I find it bizarre you would bite your nose off to spite your face, allegedly turned away business yesterday, but then also made the decision to again today?? We would have come in a group of 10 for three hours spending likely another £300+ and you couldn't just do a goodwill gesture. Also asked if we could pay half of the charge and transfer half which was also a no.

Can't speak to the food, but the atmosphere seemed ok if you were going to sit and play. I popped in on my way to catch a train and made the mistake of wandering out of the games-for-sale area and into the game library they made available to those paying to sit and play. Seconds later, as I was standing there with my hands in my pockets and trying to see what they had available to lend, I was accosted but a worker telling me that these games weren't for sale, but only available if I was paying to stay and play. I told him I understood, was just looking and had a train to catch in 10min. He insisted I couldn't be there if I wasn't buying a membership. Even just to look for a few minutes? Nope, apparently not - pay or GTFO. So I GTFO. I've been gaming for almost 50 years and I've played with hundreds of different gamers on multiple continents, but this place seems to have the rudest, most hostile hosts of any group I've ever encountered. Fortunately I was just passing through Oxford and so won't ever be back, but I felt I should warn others. Incredibly rude and unfriendly - they give the boardgaming community a bad name.

Thought the staff were were bullies, looking for their next victim.

A fun and friendly place to play board games (they have loads and will teach you how to play) with a great selection of drinks and snacks.

The owner tries to extort money out of customers who dare leave to go outside in an attempt to make money deceptively because their food menu is so bad. This place has the worst service and attitude both from the business owner and manager. The owner attempts to hide behind terms and conditions written on a website to try charge double price and say ‘not my problem’ when you question it. This type of activity is fraudulent and should be reported to trading standards.

We bought two board games - Happy Valley and Aliens (yes, quite different genres I know!). Happy Valley was great and we left a 5 star review on the Thirsty Meeples website which appeared shortly after. Aliens involved 4 hours of labour putting it together before it could be used and we left it a 2 star review explaining that it was a lot of work putting the game together before it could actually be used and that we were disappointed it required assembly. It was politely worded. Thirsty Meeples only published the positive review which leads me to believe that they only publish positive reviews on their site. I received an automated email from them a few days later asking me to review my purchases; I replied to their email saying I had but they had only published the positive one and asking if that was their policy, to only publish positive reviews of the games they stock in order to drive sales? They did not respond to my email.

Excellent atmosphere, many board games and enjoyable place. We just found the price of 9£ per head very expensive, especially when it’s just for 3 hours. After 3 hours, our time ran out, and we would need to pay more to stay there. That would have been 36£ just for us to sit and play (without any drinks or food ordered).

The staff at this place were amazing and recommended a great game for us! The food selection wasn't that great but I expected that going in so only ordered drinks and some sweets.

Don't book. They claimed we hadn't.

Decent board game themed cafe. You have to pay a cover charge if you want to play the board games from the library. They have a lot of board games you can play and a shop section where you can buy interesting boards games, puzzles, pokemon trading cards etc.. They also serve coffee, hot chocolate, juices, and other drinks and snacks, including a kids menu. There's a lot of seating inside. Coffee isn't artisan standard but it's good to bring the kids here.

Lots of board games to choose from, staff were really friendly, nice coffee

Still a fab place to play games and buy them too. Friendly, great ambience and a super range to play or buy.

I have bought dozens of games and spent hundreds of pounds here over the years and been a satisfied customer. On the first occasion I had to take one back (in the same mint, shrink-wrapped new condition, approx 2 weeks after purchasing) to get a refund I was told that wasn't possible and I was only offered store credit. That is very anti-consumer, and, I don't think it is legal. In any case, TM have lost a loyal customer as I definitely won't be buying games from there in future. The staff themselves were professional and nice.

It was my first time visiting this famous board game store and cafe and I was very impressed. The selection of games was one of the best I've seen, from harder to find titles to recent Kickstarters. The games are also very well organised in helpful categories to narrow down the perfect gift or next board game purchase to suit your number of players or the style of game. I was very happily surprised by the prices, expecting a large mark up for a brick and mortar store. Instead prices are very competitive and I couldn't help but pick up a new addition for the collection as well as a gift for a friend's upcoming birthday. I could have spent much longer in the store were I not drawn out by the excellent food market that was helpfully right outside the door on the Saturday when we visited. All in all, I would definitely visit again and my wallet is very fortunate that I do not live locally! Did not try the cafe or board game collection to play but have little doubt they also must be great!

Amazing board games cafe located in the heart of Oxford, in the middle of Gloucester Green market. There’s a very small cover charge to have a seat and play, and you can purchase some snacks and drinks while playing as refreshments. The selection of board games is super extensive - there are so many different games that even a board games enthusiast like me have not seen or heard a handful of their games before. They also do sell some games if you want to buy them home. I think it is common practice for call and reserve a table in advance. It’s usually quite packed especially during the evenings.

I’ve been here three times now and I’ve had a blast every single time. I really love the food and the drinks (and the crisps, weirdly) so I always end up spending just shy of £20, but for 3 hours of game-filled fun and great snacks and drinks, it’s worth it every time!

A bit on the pricey side when it comes to table charge and food/drinks, but it's honestly worth it. They have an enormous selection of board games. The sausage rolls and spinach lattice are real tasty and their selection of tea is great. Staff were lovely, as always, and keen to help.

We paid for our reservation, ordered drinks, and had been in there two hours when two of our party stepped outside for a short period to nip out for some paracetamol. When they returned, a female member of staff approached our table and boldly told us that there was a no-re-entry policy and we were asked to pay for our session all over again. Obviously, we left. The gentleman who chose our games was lovely and entertaining. On a previous occasion, we were also faced with a tall gentleman who was officious and cold when we were late (we tried to call thrice but no answer) - no apology. Odd atmosphere.

Fun experience playing board games with friends here. Just ask the staff for any game recommendations.

Objectively speaking, Thirsty Meeples is a poor board game cafe experience. Their selection of games is great but their staff are consistently unwelcoming and make the prospect of visiting wholly unappealing.

Loads of choice of games and helpful staff that explain the rules if needed. The coffee wasn't great though. Good to have a water station and nice high rooms with cool posters.

The shop often opens much later than the advertised opening. The manager is cold and never try's to help customers. Irrespective of errors with the booking system the manager shows no signs of empathy towards the customer. Very unprofessional and immature attitude. Staff understanding of the hottest new boardgames is incredibly limited. Regrettably I would not recommend any board game hobbiest attending this cafe.

Lots of fun and super cheap for a session. Good selection of snacks and beverages also reasonably priced. Large selection of games, would highly recommend to anyone in the area. Super friendly staff. Ended up going 3 nights in a row during stay in Oxford

Great selection of board games and it was very organized. The staff was super friendly. There was also a variety of beverages to try. I’ve been to a few board game cafes and this one has been my favorite so far.

Great board game cafe with >2000 games

This used to be a lovely place but it seems that the owner only cares about taking money and not providing a decent level of service

Had a great time, lots of different board games to chose from, special shout-out to Dexter for being so kind and helpful in explaining the games! made the experience a lot of fun

I was sooooo disappointed today and left with a very sad daughter! The acoustics are horrific and it was horribly, overwhelming loud. We couldn't hear each other, so learning a new game was impossible. One member of staff was kind and spent time trying to help us find a game we would enjoy but we really could have done with the extra help getting started. In the end we thought we would start with zombie kittens, as we know it. The deck was filthy! Unfortunately my husband knocked over his drink, and rather than letting us clean up and wipe off the cards they took the whole game away. By then things were getting pretty tense. We ended up abandoning ship, as it really was too loud, the chairs were super uncomfortable, and my husband was out of drink. Due to the cover charge we left almost £40 poorer after 45 minutes and with a huge headache to boot. I really wouldn't recommend this as a family activity on a Saturday. Maybe if you can find a quiet moment it wouldn't be the same experience.

I found the staff very unhelpful. I asked for help a couple of times on the rules for different games but none of the staff were interested in engaging with me or seemed to want to take time for a customer.

I was eager to try this place for the experience and atmosphere, but it was disappointing. £5.30 for a dreadful, half-filled, heavily buttered sandwich. As I opened it to show the waiter, he just walked off while I was talking. Some food took over thirty minutes to arrive. The table next to us didn’t even get all of their food. Most of the staff behave as if the customers are an inconvenience and an interruption to their day. One was in a particularly officious mood. There was one member of staff who was professional and friendly. Very noisy environment to try and play a game, we couldn’t hear each other speaking. Stay at home and spend your money on a new game instead. Order takeaway and invite your friends over.

Brilliant. Happy and knowledgeable service. Fun games. Great food and drink.

Great idea and amazing collection of games. We were completely incompetent and the 3 alloted hours was not long enough for us to understand the rules and play, but that's on us and it was fun. As for the 'cafe' aspect- just a weird vibe. Lots of staff congregating behind the counter but there still seemed an atmosphere of stress and everything inexplicably took ages, even though they only offer basic cold sandwiches and a sausage roll. Almost everything we asked for was out of stock. The sausage roll took 30 minutes and then immediately ran out again as they seemed to only bake three or four at a time. The sandwich we ordered had one tiny slice of pastrami - we sense that was running out of stock too. An hour gone just trying to determine what food was still available and then waiting for it. The upshot is if you want to have a good time look up and learn the rules of a game before you go, have a hearty meal in the amazing food stalls in Gloucester Green (for the same price of a dry sandwich) so you are not hungry, and then just buy a drink and a snack and you will probably enjoy yourself. Or maybe spend the same amount of money on a really good board game and some tasty food...and stay at home! The staff ( if not so much the management) seemed nice, accommodating and apologetic for the food supply issues. Perhaps staff were just having a bad day and the supply van had not turned up this week so I am not saying don't give it a try! It's nice to see independent places having a go in Oxford but perhaps they need to up their 'game' a little.

Had a great time with friends here. Nice cozy vibes and a very welcoming atmosphere. The staff members had great intuition and helped us understand the rules of any board game. Must visit place if you’re in Oxford.

We went there last night and had a fantastic time. I believe our host’s name was Dexter, who was super knowledgeable about the games, but most importantly made us, feel much more comfortable with a “Ted Bundy” situation. Great atmosphere and staff, definitely recommend. (I also recommend the Dirty Hippie drink)

Board Games & Limited Options: A Frustrating Family Outing Our family outing to a board game cafe in Oxford started promisingly, with the excitement of choosing games and settling in for a fun afternoon. However, the mood quickly soured when my dietary needs, due to pregnancy, clashed with the cafe's inflexible policies. As a pregnant woman, my options on the limited sandwich menu were severely restricted by goat cheese, prosciutto, and ham. While a simple cheese sandwich might have been possible, the £5.30 price tag felt steep for just bread and cheese. Faced with these unappealing choices, I suggested venturing to the nearby square market to purchase a more suitable meal and eat it outside. Unfortunately, my seemingly reasonable request was met with a firm no and with a reply the menu was online. This statement didn’t mean anything to me. That means I could make a sandwich home with the food I could eat and wait in the cafe? The staff explained that the owner's policy forbids outside food, and if I left, I would be charged for the entire three-hour session upon returning, even if I didn't play for the full duration. This rigid policy left me feeling frustrated and trapped. The lack of accommodating options for pregnant women, coupled with the high cost of the limited menu, felt unwelcoming and insensitive. While I understand the need for business policies, inflexible enforcement can alienate customers and create unnecessary barriers to enjoying a simple outing. Ultimately, our family experience was marred by this inflexible approach. While the board games themselves were enjoyable, the negative impact of the food situation cast a shadow over the afternoon. We left feeling disappointed, with the lingering impression of a business prioritising profit over customer well-being. This review isn't meant to disparage the cafe entirely. However, it highlights the importance of considering diverse needs and offering flexibility when it comes to dietary restrictions, particularly for vulnerable groups like pregnant women. A little empathy and willingness to adapt could go a long way in creating a more inclusive and welcoming environment for all customers. I hope this review encourages the cafe to reevaluate its policies and consider options that cater to a broader range of needs, ensuring that everyone can.

I hate to give a board game cafe such a low rating but the last few times I’ve been in there’s been a bit of an negative atmosphere and it feels like some of the staff don’t want you to be there quite frankly or you’re an inconvenience. Honestly there have been a few occasions where a group of us as friends have decided to just play games at home. Word of warning to independent business your service makes all the difference. Honestly 2 starts is me being generous considering how peeved this place makes me feel but I’ve taken into account this is a small company.

Lovely games cafe with huge selection of games to play while enjoying a coffee.

What a fun place if you like board games! We didn’t have a reservation but they were able to accommodate us. Everyone was super friendly. The Goat & Fig sandwich and the Vegan roll were both delightful, it would have been awesome as a toastie. The spicy hot chocolate makes me wish I lived closer. The game library is setup by useful categories which made it easy to browse and make selection. They did have someone available to assist if you wanted guidance. Plus they have board games available to purchase.

This review is for their online shopping, not for the physicial board game cafe which I've been in and while pricey, is not a bad place to hang out and play games. I ordered a sale item from them online at the beginning of December for pick up in their Bath store - well in time for Christmas. After receiving notification it was ready to collect, I thought I'd ring to double-check. I'm glad I did, as it turns out it had been sent to Oxford location instead. To the shop assistant's credit, he was obviously working under alot of pressure coming up to Christmas and tried to get the item to the correct location for pick up... and when that didn't work out tried hard to resolve the problem for me. Unfortunately, after coming off my ninth phone conversation with them (yep - nine) thinking that the item was going to be posted out to me and that everything was sorted, someone else in the company obviously decided it was easier to just go ahead and cancel my order. Great stuff. It was suggested I emailed head office about it, but I really had lost all will by then. I mean, generally you don't have to have nine phone conversations and then send an email to buy a product online... However turns out I was just annoyed enough to write a review. Anyway, to be constructive, it sounds to me that they might want to fix their supply/warehouse issues, otherwise their staff are wandering around trying to fix issues that they shouldn't have to.

Worst kind of unfriendliness I experienced in Oxford. I had visited Thirsty Meeples with a friend but hadn’t had the time back then to sit and enjoy. Since then I kept telling my daughter about it and we were looking forward to the opportunity. Today, I took her there just to show the treasure of board games. The lady at the cashier desk asked if we need anything and I asked about a game my daughter likes. She said they didn’t have it. Then I asked if I could have a look at other games in the library and she said we have everything online and you can’t go in. I was just meaning to have a look and feel of the place for my daughter and it was not really that busy, there were several empty tables in addition to the reserves ones. This was very unkind and i hope it’s not a company policy to throw customers out.

Good place to spend the day with your friends or family. Make sure you book in advance! Tons of games to play and buy.

Atrocious customer service, I’ve never been spoken to so poorly in my life! Will never return

Update 18 Nov: I received a reply from John, who was apologetic about the pre-order going awry. He sorted it out and it arrived today - around the expected timeframe. I appreciate John rectifying the situation and have updated my rating as a result. My point on the female shop assistant still stands. Unfortunately. --- 21 Oct: Long time loyal customer as TM is my local game store. Their customer service has taken a massive dive. I placed a pre-order in Feb due to be fulfilled around now. Log on the website and it's showing as cancelled in March but not refunded. I'd had no comms from them at all. Emailed several times and no responses. Called today and a very rude lady in the shop answered and was incredibly dismissive, she asked for my order number simply saying she'd "pass it on". I'm none the wiser where my game is or if I'm not going to get the game, where my £120 is. This is an appalling way to treat any customer let alone a longstanding loyal one.

Incredibly disappointing. Our friends had raved about this place but even they left disappointed. Games were missing pieces, we were neglected often as staff preferred to look grumpy behind the till, one staff member in a white tee and hat was particularly rude to my friend on several occasions. We will not be returning.

Walked in with a toddler kindly offering to buy something to use the bathroom. Within two sentences the waitress accused our young family of being criminal suspects trying to steal their boardgames. I have never been called a criminal suspect in my life. It is interesting to read reviews that are NOT by local guides who are subsidised to leave good reviews: these genuine reviews are also, like this, one-star reviews, many of which are about the attitude of the staff. I know this is not a good area of Oxford but accusing parents of a toddler of criminality just to deter us from the privilege of using a bathroom as customers is just too much. Something has got in the head of these people fabricating suspicions on people they like to pre-judge. I am sure they are not actually bad people, but this is very sad.

I've been here several times now and I've never had anyone especially friendly serving. That hasn't been so much of an issue because the board game selection is excellent and the beer is fine, though it would be nice to feel welcomed and have a pleasant exchange with staff. In my last visit, the lack of customer service did, however, leave a very unpleasant taste. We were handed our bill as soon as the 3 hours was up in a ceremonious way and basically made to feel like we should get out. This is despite having bought drinks and having been polite and respectful. I understand having a time limit on busy days but this was a Tuesday night and many of the tables were unused. We also weren't stopping them from closing. Previously there has been a more pragmatic approach to timing given that there were no queues to use the tables and we were still spending money. However, on this occasion it left us feeling uncomfortable even though the manager did agree to let us finish our game and our pints, though not in a kindly way. Needless to say we finished up and paid quick sharp but left feeling our date night had been tarnished. The other issue that we've experienced here is lack of table space. If we were wanting to play a medium weight euro as a group of 4, the majority of tables could not accommodate that. I had asked for a larger table for the two of us so that we could play such a game with enough space which was duly given and which we appreciated. However, it was commented on by the manager in a not at all understanding way which left me feeling a nuisance. Additionally, there is a fundamental issue with the 3 hour limit when considering the weight of the games in their library. If enforcing the limit, then many games would need you to pay for 6 hours in order to complete them at larger player counts. For 4 people this would be £48 so really you might as well buy the game and then try and sell it on. I desperately want to support local business, especially a board game cafe/shop, but overall, given the cumulative experiences here, and particularly this last one, I'd rather shop elsewhere and play games at home.

Such a great place to go play games. Well worth a trip from London to visit.

Went here today, unfortunately ordered an expensive smoothie which the waiter spilled on my bag, coat and jeans. Although he was very apologetic, he did not offer to make the smoothie again for me or offer any sort of discount, and another waitress at the till laughed when I mentioned the incident. Also, we were told that bringing another chair to a table would be a health and safety hazard.

Great team welcoming you. More than 2000 games to choose from. Great time playing enjoying cakes and tea.

My favourite way to spend an afternoon. Board games, drinks, and snacks! And if you don't know many games, helpful staff will offer suggestions and even teach you how to play.

Heard good things but in my experience the staff have little knowledge of what they sell and have been pretty rude and unhelpful. RIP that other lgs that died during covid

Very rude staff. They got angry for talking to loudly when we were playing a vocal game. The owner was swearing at us and being rude when we were a group of 10 paying the most out of everyone there for a birthday celebration. We wanted to go again until all of this happened. Make sure you are silent if you go there 😂

The service here is really bad. 1. I don’t understand why the jasmine tea is sour, very sour. tastes like lemon. This is the first time that i found out that jasmine didn’t have jasmine smells but lemon. 2. there is obviously not many people inside, i think only another group of two people?? but that lady’s attitude was really bad. she said “only one order, but three use bathroom?” I don’t understand why she mentioned that it KEEPS ME AND MY Friends MAD. so one of my friends were just waiting, and me having period cramp. I don’t understand why only me and my another friend using bathroom is a problem. 3. Hope she will be educated in oxford and learn how to be a good server.

Fantastic place to visit for a huge selection of board games. So much fun. Felt a little pricey, and I had to pay for my 3 year old, but she had enjoyed some of the board games too. Well worth a visit with friends or family.

Excellent customer service for mail order games delivery.

Always a joy to be! Great games, great people!

My first experience of a gaming cafe! It was amazing, the staff were so helpful and attentive.

Nice concept but one of the staff there was really hostile! We asked some basic questions with the intention of booking and coming back later. Her responses were distinctly odd and we left pretty sharp. Avoid!

Most favourite board game cafe I've visited. Staff are fantastic. It was such a hot day, and the drink I wanted only came in the "hot drinks" section of the menu but the server told me he can make an ice version for me. Tasty tasty drinks, the staff took the time to explain thr games, and picked out some great games for us. Would go again!

Turned away, hammering rain. Spend good money in here regularly for many years, not allowed to use the toilet unless I buy something...to go...in the rain...."great"

a great place to spend an evening or an afternoon serve drinks and food and have lots of fun board games to play

Great selection of games and great fun

Friendly staff, relaxed atmosphere. Brownies are good. Pride flags so 6 stars

Rude and unhelpful staff, not recommended at all!

Board games paradise, great to visit and see board games on the shelf rather than on the Internet. Would love to have enough time to be able to sit and play in the shop. Fantastic selection also, needs to one of these shops in every town

Overpriced, and incredibly rude staff. Avoid at all costs.

Had a good time playing board games with friends

So many board games to choose from!

We went up to the front desk to give our reservation details and were promptly shown to our seats. On arrival we were told someone would be over to take our drinks order. This never happened and we were left without drinks for a while until we went up to the desk to order. Half of the games we chose were missing pieces.

Great fun, so many games to choose from, lovely helpfully staff and amazing coffee

Really cool place! You place a reservation in advance for your party for a certain time slot. You have to pay to reserve a spot, per person. Once you’re there for your time slot, you can play as many games as you like, as well as order food and drinks. I ordered their Mexican hot chocolate which had chili pepper in it, and it was DELICIOUS! Their service was excellent. At times there may not have been a staff member directly near to place an order, but it’s a short walk to the counter, and they are very willing to help. Great place for friends and fun. :)

On this occasion we didn't need the services of the games gurus to suggest games as we chose our own. Excellent drinks and snacks available, certainly an excellent way to spend three hours. You do need to book of course as it's not a cafe in the traditional way, more a games establishment where you can get refreshments. Will definitely be back.

We visited the place with our friends. It is a great place to have fun playing board games. The staff is friendly and more than willing to help you choose games and set them up. However, you need to be aware that they get quite busy and thus you are expected to leave the place within 3 hours, eve if you decide to stay more. I do not like the idea of not having the flexibility to stay more if I am having fun, seeing friends.

We spent the morning here with friends and had a thoroughly lovely time. The food was really good, gluten free options too. Enjoyed the games too!!

I really like thirsty meeples, but on our last visit I was a bit irritated at being told to leave soon after our 3hr booking had finished. I appreciate that the bookings are for a fixed time, but was surprised given that there were plenty of empty tables and it was clear no other booking was waiting for our table. But at the same time the cafe wasn't empty so it was not like we were stopping them from closing. If you need to close by a certain time please tell us when that is, and we can figure out if we can finish our game. Several years ago it felt more chilled out, and staying past the booking to closing time was fine if there was space. But this time and the last time I went we were left feeling like we overstayed our welcome, and had to cut short a game at like 80% I of the way through, which just leaves a sour taste.

Recommend to us as my family has been before but this experience was awful. Initial staff were polite and helpful until we were playing a grabbing game and accidentally spilled a drink. We asked if we could have some paper to clear it up as the drink had spilled onto the floor, when the owner came storming over and was incredibly rude, considering we were trying to clean the mess up as quickly as possible. The owner wouldn’t listen to us trying to explain the drink had gone onto the floor, not across the table. It was an accident and didn’t warrant the level of aggression presented to us, it was uncomfortable, and very unnecessary. My 11 year old daughter was then too scared to go and look for games and interact with another member of staff. We then had our final member of staff bark orders at us to hand a cup across the table as we were tidying our table up and trying to pack up the games to take back to the shelves. In fact, all that was barked at us was “cup!!!!”. I don’t expect to be spoken to like that when I’m paying £130 for the privilege. No remorse or goodbye from the owner on leaving, after spending our hard earned cash there, just dirty looks. This ruined the whole experience for us.

Highly recommended for anyone with free time in Oxford! A really nice past time with friends and family.

Poor customer satisfaction. Not accommodating to their customers and ridiculously strict policies. The manager is unwilling to listen or discuss anything fairly. Completely unreasonable behaviour. I would not suggest this to anyone that appreciates good customer service and fairness. I have put a one star by default.

Terrific selection of games, helpful and knowledgeable staff, good snacks and light meals with options for plant-based and gluten-free diets.

Rude and unhelpful staff, unpleasant atmosphere and overpriced. Had an extremely unpleasant experience after having supported them for a long time. Absolutely disappointing and definitely not going back!

Lovely concept. Unfortunately the staff was very unhelpful, borderline hostile. Definitely not coming back.

What a great find, love this place, well you will do if you like table top gaming. Highly recommend booking a table as this place is busy, great access very clean and well maintained. As for the game selection it’s amazing plenty to choose from, simple games to complex games, not to worry there are games specialists to hand whom will help you choose a fitting game for your party and help explain and setup the game of choice. If you have any questions they are there to help, The food was alright, we dined in and had the sausage rolls, all very nice The staff were very friendly and helpful, Mark our gaming specialist was also very helpful and helped us with our game selection and was also on hand to help us with the setup, awesome 👏 Great location but you do need to park and walk in, no onsite parking

Fantastic value for money, we visited for an evening and played a great range of 2 player games. We didn't eat here but there was a large range of drinks available. Highly recommended!

Very knowledgeable and friendly staff. They have multiple versions of Dobble and provide locally sourced beer. Still waiting for the pie warmer to be switched on. Whilst there were a few bulbs missing it really created a wonderful atmosphere. Cash and Guns was a brilliant game to play despite the mix up with the armed police believing we were holding the place up.

Buyer beware, predatory booking tactics. We called at 5pm, for a 9pm booking, to explain we would unlikely be able to attend. We were told there was nobody there at the venue. Not one other person was booked that afternoon. Howerver, even with 5 hours notice, we were still charged £12 to cancel a booking that had no food or drinks associated with it. It was for two people to play board games. I could not be more disappointed at the opportunitistic nature of this company. I repeat, there were no bookings being turned down, due to our booking. They had no other bookings. This is a desperate attempt, for a company clearly struggling, to scrape any money it possibly can. In the long run, it's bad practises like this that will guaruntee its failure. Buyer beware... do not book.

Why run a business that involves people when you don't like people! Owner was angry, rude and really unhelpful. Shame because this business could thrive if it was welcoming. I'd happily buy games from here and use cafe to be loyal to a local business. Not any more. Amazon from now on!

What a pleasant surprise! We found the café 'by accident' and loved every minute in it. Great, tasty coffee! Well organized and sorted boardgame options. Very friendly staff. And in the end, there will be cake =) Glad(os) that we found you!

Great shop! The food was delicious, and they had even some very new games, which I had been looking forward to trying! Games were well organized so it was easy to find something that suited your mood, and the staff was helpful with advice.

Offers a wide variety of board games for a fun-filled afternoon! Cover charge is £7 (£6 if you purchase drinks/food). Do reserve if you would like to go.