Rick Z.
Yelp
One part game/hobby shop, one part pub/bar, one part rentable hangout spots, Emerald Tavern is an incredible place to visit! This was only my second visit there, but trust, if it were closer to home, I'd be there A LOT more often.
We had a co-worker friend visiting from Seattle who's a D&D nerd; they wanted to get together for dinner and I suggested this place, wanting to impress our friend. Trust me, it worked. This place has such a fun folksy vibe, Ren Fairesque. Which is precisely why I donned a bardic fox outfit to go there (and all the employees complimented me, aww).
In particular, the establishment serves themed food and drink items with clever D&D-reference names (there's even a d20 menu where you roll a d20-- which you get to keep-- and your luck determines which bevvie you receive from the bar!). The food is legit delicious; the kitchen knows what they're doing. Last night I got the "Draconic Wellington," and I savored EVERY bite, omg. They also regularly rotate their menu with new offerings for spring, summer, fall, and winter. For dessert I had to order off the seasonal menu and get the peppermint strawberry chocolate bundt cake.
There's lots of seating both indoors and outside (the patio has a solid overhang). You can also rent a private room (which are quite roomy) if you have a bigger party wanting to game. You can rent board games if you want to try something new, but you're also completely welcome to bring in your own games from home, or of course buy something new from the store itself and take it home! ;) They have a lot of boxed board games, along with minifigures and paints, dice sets, trading cards, nerdy plushies, and more. A managed to finally cross off the last person on my Christmas list with a perfect gift find! Whew.
The staff are all affable-- likely because they enjoy working at such a fun establishment. Our group was well attended to the whole visit, and we had such fun!