Evanston Games & Cafe

We really enjoyed the games and environment here! I took some kids on an adventure to a train ride and had some extra time around in the early afternoon. Out of curiosity we went into the quiet game cafe. It was conveniently right across from the Metra. It was a superb bonus to our day! There weren't too many games for these little people that can't read but the games suggested were great and we adjusted games as needed.

Really nice board game/card shop with schedule activities/events. The place also operate a small coffee shop. Stoped by to have a look and had a great conversation with Eli. He told me about the place and gave me an hour+ explanation of MTG (super interesting). Will definitely be back for some playing.

Came here excited to pick up some cards, but the prices were honestly ridiculous. Everything was marked way higher than other local shops and even well above online market value. I’m all for supporting local businesses, but the markup here makes it really hard to justify buying anything. Ended up walking out without purchasing because it just wasn’t worth it. Pretty disappointing experience overall.

Great local game shop. The owner is there all the time and very knowledge and friendly. There are no organized games right now due to COVID bit typically this place is busy with board, card and D&D type game play. They sell all kinds of board and card games. During non-Covjd times you can even try many of the games first through their store copies. There is also a small cafe for sandwiches ana drinks. My boys love the hot chocolate. One of the best things about this place is the other patrons. Everyone is very friendly and helpful. It's a nice little community. Go drop in and say hello.

This is a coffee shop and a boardgame store. The espresso and food is pretty good, although the latter is mostly sandwiches and soup. There's a counter that you can sit and work at for a while, and if you want to try out any board games there is an extensive demo library in the back. The store has a pretty good boardgame selection, although it's not exhaustive. If you play Magic: The Gathering, this is your hangout spot.

My husband and I are from out-of-town and visited this location Sunday night on a whim. An eclectic and fun group of CDR players were present and we thoroughly enjoyed our time here. Looking forward to adding this location to our itinerary during the next visit. The menu was tasty and delightful; I recommend the Hot Spiced Cider.

Eli runs a friendly store, greets everyone, no one feels feels like a stranger in an old boys club. I was asked to join a demo game on entering. There are a lot of demo games here and a good selection of games, RPGs and TCGs to purchase.

I've never cafe-d, nor have I stayed and played, but I like to buy our board games here. They will help you find a game based on your interests, and are very friendly. The new location is a lot bigger and has much more stock! Support local businesses!

Great place for gaming including collectible card games such as Magic the Gathering. I went with my son for a draft and we both had a great time. They also sell board games, Pokemon cards, Lorcana cards, One Piece TCG cards, etc.. Staff is friendly. I was running a few minutes late and they were cool about it when I called to say so while I was on the way!

Really the one and BEST card store in evanston, after moving to a newer and bigger location its bigger and better than ever! Pokemon, magic the gathering, lorcana, and many board games here + all your needs for cards and regular single cards. Their snacks and drinks are always stocked and the food they make is spectacular. Great place to stop by, sit down, and play your favorite games with friends. They also have a discord server with news and many friendly people inside! Many tournaments for pokemon and magic happen. As im writing this im in a tournament right now for pokemon! Stop by and support this local card shop.

If your idea of gaming is Pokemon cards and a couple of very basic 5e games this might be alright. The staff is not very knowledgeable about modern games (Borg, Mothership, Free League, DCC, and just about anything that isn't Hasbro) and very bad at communicating. Special orders take months. I'm sure you can find better stories nearby in Evanston.

We came here because we like trying out espresso drinks everywhere. Upon walking in I noticed a nice aroma. The owner, Eli, told me that they are handling their own food service now (apparently they used to contract with other purveyors). It is a very small menu (food being not the focus of the place) but I was delighted to see that 2 out of five of the mains were vegetarian (1 was grilled cheese, I don't remember what the other was). With my prodding (haranguing) he told me the entire history of the place (fascinating, at least to me). Ok, no more parentheses! From the outside it doesn't look like much, not the kind of cafe we would frequent. My opinion did not change upon entering, it's not your typical espresso bar. However, I was drawn in by not only the aroma but also Eli's friendly greeting. When my husband joined me inside we continued the conversation talking about all different games, Eli definitely knows his stuff and he's just a really nice guy. We didn't eat or play games. We did purchase a game to play at home. My husband had an espresso which he said was just ok. So glad that our search for an espresso brought us to Eli's place. Looking forward to going back!

Great selection of board games to play in store. Helpful, knowledgeable, and friendly staff.

The consistently high ratings of this spot are well deserved. Good prices, great procured board game selection, coffee bar, food, and other drinks while you browse or play a game, and the staff are super patient and great at teaching games while you play them in the shop. Also a solid Pokémon card selection plus the board game.

Board games are awesome. If you haven't tried playing one before, give it a shot and you will be happy you did! Evanston Games and Cafe has an amazing collection of games and the staff are excellent at making suggestions. Games also make excellent gifts! I highly recommend this Evanston gem for all people of all ages. They have classic games as well as the latest and greatest!

I love this place! Great selection of games to try out and a nice selection to buy. Good coffee and drink selection. Eco friendly with real spoons instead of plastic. Yummy food. I had a bowl of delicious potato soup and a delicious pesto grilled cheese. This is the most female-friendly gamer spot I've visited. They even have "girly" products in the restrooms. This is a real gem!

There are not many gaming places left. I'm glad this one has staying power. They have a great calendar full of gaming events. It's a great place to go and play. They even have discounts for good grades! It's really good if you're into D&D or Magic. The staff is also helpful and friendly. It's in a pretty good location too.

Gamers who are looking for a place that also serves food, this place is for you! Evanston Games and Cafe has lots of yummy options! If I was to open a store for gamers, I'd go this route for sure! A huge espresso machine that makes barista-style drinks. A large choice of sandwiches, wraps, salads, chips, and other goodies. Regular soda pop and candy. A bar to sit and eat/drink at. Lots of tables and open gaming areas. A reserved gaming room for groups who need a space. Open reasonable hours. Hosted by kind staff who are also gamers that know their products. Maybe I'll see you there! Happy Gaming!

Eli and evanston Games has been a godsend for my boys. Please support them by buying games here. You can also put credit on your kids account. A great gift idea

This is a terrific place to meet friends for a quiet coffee, lunch and a round of any type of game you would like to play. There is a book case full of games in the back for anyone to use. There are demo games of all types to try out. The food is excellent, staff is friendly and well versed in the game options. They have a private room you can reserve for your event or meeting. It's quiet enough to hang out with your laptop and do work or homework. Much better than the loud crowds at chain coffee places and the drinks are more reasonably priced.

Evanston Games and Cafe is a great place to go when you want to hang out. There is usually something going on every night and weekend, from D&D to Magic, to Board Games. The staff are all really friendly and helpful. I would highly suggest checking them out if you get a chance.

Great variety of free-to-play games! Trekked up to Evanston in the cold to have a cup of hot apple cider and enjoy games that I don't have in my collection like Root, Forbidden Island, and 7 Wonders Duel. There are large tables with plenty of table space and seating in the back of the store. Towards evening time, more people came to the store to play Magic the Gathering and Smash. Their excitement and friendliness showed me how the shop builds space for avid gamers--filling a void that I feel exists in my community downtown.

Super helpful staff, delicious food, great hangout spot. Family and after school friendly, and they have free demo games to try if you're into card and board games. Owner works on site, provides solid recommendations. Highly recommend the tuna melt and the hot cocoa!

Come to play and stay for the goodies! Coffee and matcha, sandwiches and cupcakes... all very good. From AD&D and Magic the Gathering to the latest tabletop games and classics like chess and go -- If you love games, this is your comfort zone. Good for adults and kids of all ages. The friendly staff will teach you, or play you a game if there's time, and they let visitors sample their extensive game library free of charge.

This is the best board game shop in Chicagoland. Extremely nice and willing to go the extra mile. Also being LGBTQ+ friendly is the reason why I keep coming back.

This is my favorite game store to hang out and have fun. The food is great and their is always a collegial crowd to play with. LGBTQ+ representative, culturally inclusive and family friendly. Eli is the perfect host, owner and judge.

This game shop has been organically growing in popularity over the past year - for a number of good reasons. Short version: amazing high quality food, great customer service, welcoming atmosphere and it caters to many different interests/people. Long(ish) version: First, the food is amazing and very high quality, which is frankly very surprising for a game shop. I've honestly come back here just for lunch because it's that good. This also makes it a great place to sit down and work (think Starbucks but less noise and more places to sit). Second, the customer service and atmosphere are excellent. Sometimes it can be a bit intimidating to try something new or ask for advice, but the new owner has done an awesome job in creating a welcoming environment, knows a TON about games and is always happy to help. Third, this place does an awesome job at catering to different interests and having lots of different weekly and monthly events. They've got board games, card games, video games, educational events, etc. I've seen everything from seasoned card game players playing tournaments, to college students playing board games, to families with children trying something new. But overall, everyone is always having a good time. All in all, it's a really fun place to past the time.

Great food, great staff, and very fun events and tournaments of various types all throughout the month!

We went for the Monday evening game night. It was great. Initially a bit intimidating not knowing anyone, but once we started talking to people it was easy to get games going. There is no cover charge, so instead we ordered dinner from the store -- the red pepper soup and the sandwiches were excellent. The board game demo collection is excellent. The in-store inventory is more limited, but you can have them order whatever you want. We will be back for the game night, and will also probably start buying our games for ourselves and for others here.

4.5/5 Board game selection: 5/5 This place has *the most extensive* selection of games I have ever encountered. These aren't your run-of-the-mill basic party games you'll find at Walmart, we're talking complicated games of all types. Board games, deck-building games, co-op or games you go against your friends. They're all free to play and in great condition (please treat them nicely!). The food: 4.5/5 As the menu suggests it's not a huge eatery, but there is a big enough selection for your price point and your tastes. Some are simple throwback items (PB&J is delicious!) and some are obviously meant to be meals or heavy snacks. It's all affordable and the couple items we had were delicious. It's very barebones - the chairs aren't the world's most comfortable, and the TV playing pop music seems unnecessary. The crowd the night we were there was mostly teenagers - but they were quiet. The location is great with tons of free street parking just a few blocks down Maple. The only big loss of points - there's no BYO alcohol unless the storefront is closed for an event of some sort. I am guessing this has to do with alcohol licensing in prohibition America-er, Evanston- but it's still disappointing. Overall I expect I will be making many treks to experience the amazing board game selection here.

Been coming here every Tuesday for the past two years and have enjoyed my experience every single time. The owner is always around for food or a game of Go, everyone is super friendly, and the food as well as the games are well worth it! Definitely awesome on Tuesday's when board game night brings in plenty of people!

This place is a hidden gem of Evanston. The food looks so good and the games are awesome. They have open night on Tuesday where a lot of people come in and try out games and some bring their own games for people to play. They have a lot of good sales and the employees are friendly.

I am compelled to leave a review after I tried the food. Amazing high quality, locally sourced, fresh, excellent variety and delicious! PB & J and chicken salad were the best I have tasted in a long time. This would be my first go to for food even I rarely play games, but I will tell my friends who play games to come here. I never would have thought they do have the best food in the neighborhood! and Yes, I met the owner, and the service is just so friendly. Love the atmosphere and a visit for lunch was such a pleasant surprise, made my day!