Athena Board Game Cafe

This cafe has an excellent selection of games, good food and a friendly owner. She regularly hosts Learn-a-Game events where she patiently walks you through a game you might not have played before so you can keep expanding your game knowledge. The shakes are delicious and it’s great to be able to order a sandwich when I get hungry so I can keep playing. The place doesn’t get too noisy because it’s a smaller size than other places, but it’s a good space for meeting friends and playing in a large group. I love this place.

Super welcoming and cozy little board game cafe! Great to have in the neighborhood. The food is good and goes well with trying out new games - try the milk shakes and fresh guac.

A very fun and quiet cafe for anyone interested in playing board games. They had an excellent selection and even some solo player games too if you just want to pop in. The staff is extremely friendly and I couldn't recommend it more!

It has a small and intimate space. It has some interesting games and the quality of their food is relatively good. Thank you.

Such a fun place to gather friends and really connect over casual food and an infinite variety of games!

The food here is amazing. I had the veggie sandwich, along with pita chips and hummus. I'm not normally a fan of coleslaw, but the serving included with the sandwich was really good. Also, the pita chips were served perfectly warm and the hummus was very good. We brought our own games, but a good selection of games were provided. Staff was also very friendly and helpful. Highly recommend for a quick bite or staying a while and some playing games.

Had a very fun date and the food was yummy! But had an unplanned fee. I just couldn’t find anywhere on the website that said there was a fee to play the games, so since it wasn’t listed, I had figured your just expected to buy something to snack on in order to play. It was $5 per person and you can play as long as you want. Not bad, just an unplanned cost for a budget person. Great assortment of games.

This is our neighborhood boardgame place, and our go to for the last year or so! The owner is super kind and helpful, ready to help teach a game or even sit down to play with you! They've got really yummy food, and an excellent library of games to play. Also a nice selection of games for sale. Really glad we found this place!

UPDATE on 4/19/23: Athena is changing locations and is closed until the new space is ready. It'll stay in Rogers Park, but might not be open until Sept or Oct 2023. This is my home away from home. Great selection of games, good sandwiches and other snacks, delicious milkshakes and coffee drinks, and most importantly, an owner and staff who are hands-on. They sometimes play games with guests, lead a Saturday game event, and are there for any questions or requests that might come up (some game places are like the wild west with hands-off staff). Plus the people who go there are friendly and open to having you join their game or they're happy to join yours if you're looking for players. I love Athena.

This place is so cute! I only had time to drop by to check it out, so I can't wait til I can actually come hang out. They have soo many games in a cute space, and the staff I met were super friendly. I grabbed a milkshake and it was SO delicious that I started slurping it down before I remembered to take a pic. Other stuff on the menu looks good too, nice options for hanging out and playing. This spot is a welcome addition to the neighborhood!

Had a blast playing board games and enjoying delicious snacks with a friend for a couple hours. There were so many games to choose from and quite a few that we hadn't played since we were kids. Quite nostalgic!! Also, Patricia, the owner, is so welcoming and personable. Thanks, Patricia, for creating & cultivating a unique environment that prioritizes having fun & building community! Will be back soon!

Fun casual environment. I like that they have events you can participate in or you can walk in and play with your friends any game off the shelf. The owner and her daughter welcomed us. It's a comfortable place to play for as long as you'd like. They also have a small menu of drinks and snacks to keep you comfortable. I could hang here for hours! Great place to find community :)

Friendly and helpful owner with a good selection of games! Could easily spend hours here.

Super nice place to hangout. I went there with my hubby this weekend. It turns out to be a wonderful date. They have a good selection of board games. The lady works there is super helpful too. When we are hesitating what to play she provides us recommendations and help us with the rules. Definitely will come back

Super friendly place with food, coffee, other drinks, and an enormous selection of games. I hope to return many times.