The Board Room VA

I went with my boyfriend on a Wednesday night. When we got there at 5pm, it was pretty empty. It was filling in a lot when we left around 6:30pm/7pm. Decent selection of board games. The games were pretty well worn. It was nice that they had food. Unfortunately, the staff wasn’t very friendly. I was making conversation while we were at the bar, and then again at our table, and they weren’t saying much. I would think that at a game bar, the staff would be fun.

Was a fun bar to gather with Indiana University (IU) fans to watch the Rose Bowl. Food was surprisingly good - salad with added salmon was delicious, they cooked the salmon perfectly. The pretzel and shishitos were good snacks as well. Flatbread was fine. Normally it sounds like they have board games to play, but this was a different vibe during the IU football watch party.

Came to watch a game. Half the TVs are broken and the screens have a deep blue hue. They charge top dollar for mediocre food; $16 for bowling alley level nachos. Took 45 minutes for the waiter to take our order. Picked up a deck of uno cards and they made my hands smell weird :( Edit: It's also really hot in here

A good place for drinks and games. You had to order food and drinks at the bar since there was no table service which wasn't too bad as it wasn't busy on a Thursday. There were lots of options for games but it was very unorganized, making it hard to see what all was there. Relatively small selection of food and drinks but everything they had was great! The frozen rose was a real hit!

I was eager to check out The Board Room since I am an avid board game enthusiast. I have been to a number of board game venues in many cities, so I was looking forward to adding The Board Room to the list. Upon arrival, you're met with a decent sized wall of games. There was no one to greet you and instructions were unclear on how the rental process should be done. Many of the games were missing pieces and even the decks of cards were incomplete. The music was very loud, so talking was a bit hard. There were also several tv shows playing, but there was no audio coming from them so it didn't really make sense to have them on. The food was quite decent. Honestly, it was probably the best thing here. But I didn't go there for food, so it was quite disappointing experience overall.

Board game cafes are one of my favorite things to visit in each city we go to. Things I liked: -Currently don’t have to pay to play board games like most cafes -Large menu for food, cocktails, beer, AND mocktails (literally something for everyone) -Staff was friendly behind the bar. Kept the line moving quickly. -Ambiance and space itself was really cool and with the lounge area, couches, booths, etc., there was a lot of space while also having sections that felt more “homey”. Things that could be improved: -There’s no real direction beyond “seat yourself” so we had to seek out employees to figure out how to order and how games worked -Games…lots of traditional games, but it looks like maybe they’re still trying to add more variety. Hopefully with time the library will grow, but if you’re really into board games, the library isn’t very extensive. Bring a backup just in case. -Food is okay, but nothing to write home about. We actually would have preferred to eat elsewhere and come here for games and drinks. -Beer options were limited when we went and they were sold out of almost everything. Maybe 5 beers on their whole menu were available from their brewery. If you were looking for domestic bottles and cans, that was available. -Bathrooms, weird but not a single stall locked. Women were trying to hold others doors shut, or just trying to keep them closed on their own. This seems like something easily remedied, even with an alternative lock.

Had some sandwiches here. I enjoyed the veggie burger with avocados, but the other sandwiches were ok. My main issue with this place was cleanliness. I have a thing against restaurants that serve dirty dishes and dirty glasses. It's disgusting. I will not be returning.

Fun date night! Sadly 3 of the games we tried to play were missing instructions. The food was ok but the drinks were great!

Highly recommend the board room for a fun meetup spot or date night. I met a large group for a friend's birthday. They don't take reservations, seating is first come first serve, and it does get busy so come early if you need to snag seats for a crowd. The food is decent, but won't win any awards. I will probably stick to apps next time. The board game library is extensive, but a lot of games are missing pieces. If you don't want to roll the dice on finding a most intact game that you want to play, you can bring your own game.

Want a spot to bring your own games, have drinks and not be pressured to order anything? This is your spot! They've got pretty ample seating for various sized groups and was quiet during the day on a Sunday...not sure how busy they are at night. Want somewhere that has an existing game library, good food, clean facilities, and friendly staff...prob not your spot. The nachos we ordered were fine, but left me without any desire to try something else on their menu. The house games are terribly curated and not cared for at all. Surfaces were not well cleaned and furniture a bit dilapidated. Honestly not sure how they keep the lights on. Enjoy with a grain of salt.

If you like board games -- not Monopoly or Battleship, but the cool new ones like Pandemic, Wingspan, Azul, or if you know what a "heavy Euro" is -- this is not the place for you. It's the place to come if you want to play checkers with your friends in a semi-industrial (read: concrete floors so very loud) setting. The service is not great. The game selection is poor and poorly kept -- Trivial Pursuit cards removed from boxes, Cards Against Humanity cards all over the floor, shredded boxes, abandoned drink glasses dispersed throughout the nearly empty shelves on a busy Saturday night. Disappointed. It's not really a board game cafe, it's a bar. If you are looking for a _board game cafe_ for people who love board games, a place with a massive selection, try Crossroads in Manassas.

I've been here twice now and I really enjoy hanging out here! It's a fun spot for watching sports, playing board games, drinking/eating, and just hanging out with a group of friends. Seating is first come first serve. The games are the same way. They have tons of games but it's based on first come first serve. You have order food at the bar. They don't have server that come to the table. Unfortunately, they don't have QR Codes to order to your table either. We ordered nachos, a pretzel, and calamari. The nachos are normally good but this time around it was super burnt! We had to get a new serving of nachos. The pretzel was pretty good and calamari I didn't want but my friends enjoyed it. The drinks were good, not super strong but tasty! We ordered a couple rounds of orange crushes.

Awesome little brewery to hang out with some friends and grab a drink and a bite to eat. Very cozy feeling inside with plenty of seating and large tables to accommodate the many board games they have for you to play.

Charming decor, multiple tables, outdoor patio, and there's no way you can miss the wall full of board games!!!! On this tripI sat in Board Room for their bar cuisine and a speciality French 75. The bartender was a straight shooter but attentive enough to take our orders! Although there are plenty tables the acoustics were pretty good and it felt as if me and my table mate were the only two there. I love that this is adjacent and adjoined to Ms. Peacocks Champagne Lounge!

The Board Room is a full service bar that serves cocktails beer and wine and allows you to play board games while you're there. It's a short walk from the Clarendon metro station. If you drive there, there is an underground parking garage that is $4 all weekend. My friends and I sat near a table with Monopoly art. We were fascinated by the number of different monopoly games (including an italian version called Monopoli) they had. Prior to an attending a holiday party, Evan enjoyed Angry Orchard hard ciders, Brandy enjoyed several draft beers including a Blueberry Saison, my fiancé enjoyed several draft beers (including Hungry, Hungry H'IPA (NEIPA), Pass or Play IPA, and Deuces Wild Double IPA), and I enjoyed the Apples to Cider cocktail and a pint of Princess Peach (Berliner Weisse). During the private event, we enjoyed snacking on assorted vegetables (including carrots, celery, and cucumbers) and hummus, assorted cheeses (including French brie and Spanish manchego), cornichons, honey, seasonal preserve, and toast points, and Classic, Veggie, and Margherita flatbreads.

A novelty place to definitely bring your friends or adult family for drinks and games. Service was great, however the food was terrible. I've never had fish and chips where the fish tasted like they fried the water with it too. Fries tasted like they were sitting. Beef sliders were uncooked and gross. You'd have to be really intoxicated to enjoy the food but here I am not sure that holds true.

A friend put together an impromptu game night there, and I decided last minute to join in. There's plenty of street parking, so that was easy. The moment I stepped in, my jaw dropped comparing its size to the DC location. All these years I had only been to the DC one... this one is like 2.0. It's so much bigger, the game selection is more massive, it has plenty of outdoor seating in addition to the indoors, and they have food! I remember the pizza spot next to the DC one not being so great. I didn't have food, but I did enjoy a $7 Chardonnay (happy hour was over, but that's not bad right??) while playing Uno and What Do You Meme. I didn't count, but I spotted at least 30 other games in the area. There are days when the games are free, and they have trivia and other events going on. My interactions with staff were minimal, but we were at one of the tables deep in the place... and they still came to check on us! We could either order through them or at the bar. There were also water stations distributed throughout so we didn't have to go all the way back to the main bar to get some. I noticed a second bar in the backroom, but given the crowd it wasn't operational. I would love to see this place at its peak -- it must be a blast! All the fun here reminds me that I have a similar spot around my way that I need to return to... in fact, I shall put that on my calendar now :).

This is a great place for a comfy date! My boyfriend took me on a Saturday night and we had a great time. The board games are free to play and they have a really wide selection. We played chess, backgammon, banana grams, and got drinks to go with. The couple next to us were very clearly on a first date and I commend whoever chose that spot. If you're looking for something new to do, check this place out!

The Board Room is a cool location. They have plenty of outdoor and indoor seating. They make it very easy to grab a game and enjoy time with a group of friends. There's a large bar area and the food and drinks look pretty good. The only downsides about The Board Room are the games are really old. The cards were very dirty, sticky, and a lot of them were ripped. Also, the game area is very disorganized. It's hard to see all of the games they have available.

Super disappointed. We went for dinner. It was fine food. I received the bill and paid. I then looked at my credit card statement and it jumped massively from the bill that I paid and signed. I talked to other people and apparently they add their own amounts to the bills even after you close out. Be careful and make sure this doesn't happen to you!

Good standard board game bar. The space is HUGE with lots of seating and plenty of games. Visitors are welcome to take any game they please without fees. They have some unique and older games, but some are in pretty rough shape. We had fun with a beat up copy of Ticket to Ride a few visits ago, but on this latest trip we brought our own game (Star Wars Villainous) as we just wanted to have a spot to test it out. It's nice to be able to relax with a game, either way. Drink selection seems pretty standard but I usually stick to beer or cider here. My friend got a non-alcoholic mocktail on a previous visit that looked excellent. I haven't had the chance to try their food yet. Decor is unique and features vintage board games and a wall-mounted Scrabble board. I think this place could use servers (it's bar service only as far as I can tell) and to crank up the AC - they left the door to the patio open on a super humid summer night, making the whole place a bit swampy. Not sure if they ever host board game tournaments, but I'd attend if they did. Villainous match, anyone? I'd definitely be a regular of this place if we lived a bit closer. For now, I'll make due with occasional visits and bring my own boards.

Not for folks past 30. Went on a Friday night 10pm - place was very busy. The self-serve game area looked like it needed an adult needed to step in and tell the kids they are grounded until they clean up their room. We were unable to find a game that had the pieces/cards necessary to play. We sat for over an hour (talking and catching up) near one of the bars, but were never approached by a server. Three stars because it looked like the kids were having fun- and maybe you have to get there early to get a decent game and service? Great idea - needs better organization

Decent establishment! Very big. Very loud. A lot of games to choose from! They don't charge a cover and the drinks are surprisingly affordable (glass of wine $7+, beer $6+). We only had one appetizer and it was just OK, so don't take my word for the food. We would be open to coming back based on the experience we had tonight! One thing that is greatly lacking and desperately needed is a Toast Tab (or similar POS System) for people to order from their table. There are wayyyyy too few waiters for how large this place is. Ours basically never checked on us and we had to get up and walk around to find her when we needed anything. I don't entirely fault her for that - I think their overall management seems a little haphazard. It's self-seating too, so waiters don't even know when new people arrive at tables. I think their whole system would be a lot more efficient and smooth for employees and guests if people would just order from their phones, then have the current waiters just act as runners. We would've enjoyed ourselves a lot more if we could just order on our phone whenever we wanted something. It always took a decent amount of time out of our night every time we needed to order.

Fun place to meet with friends and have an entertaining round of board games. Typical bar food, nothing special. But it does change up the pace.

The Board Room in Clarendon is such a great spot for hanging out with friends. The part of the bar that makes it unique is they have games that you can play. They have a whole library of games which include board games and card games. They have a very wide selection, so your group can definitely find something to play. Some of the games will be missing pieces but that is kind of to be expected. They also have a selection of drinks and food. The orange crush is one of my personal favorite drink. They have indoor and outdoor seating that is first come, first serve, so I recommend going at off times. For parking, they have a parking garage right beside it that is $4 on the weekends and there is also some street parking around. Overall, it is a fun bar to hang out with friends and be able to do something.

My boyfriend frequents this bar almost weekly. I have loved the days that I have tagged along with him to meet new friends. The staff here is so kind and personable especially those that lead trivia night. I found the food to be good and the prices to be pretty reasonable as we ordered three drinks, an entree, and a side for around $45 during happy hour. I would highly recommend this spot as a place to unwind with friends. The atmosphere is always great and you are likely to leave knowing a few new faces.

((3 1/2 stars)) just adding pics from yesterday's company holiday shindig... beef sliders tater tots scrabble wall bulletin board dart board wall restroom entrances __ i eat. @f.hux i thrift. @dcthriftish

Drinks are just ok here. It's a great place to kill some time with a chill group of friends, but a lot of the games are missing directions on how to play. The one dish I tried was a poutine and extremely overpriced ($17) for just fries a small amount of cheese curds and pretty watery gravy.

Its an interesting concept for a board game bar. Its a fairly big space with lots of seating, and parking is convenient in a garage below the building. You order at the bar for drinks and food, and they bring it out to the table. They have a pretty decent selection of beers and typical bar food. They also have a big selection of games available to play, or you can bring your own as well if you prefer. Its a nice spot to relax for an afternoon with some friends.

A really fun spot. Lots of space. You can choose a dining table of sofa and card table. Surprisingly great food. Games galore.

Huge space in Clarendon. We ordered appetizers, beers and Old Fashioned. The Old Fashioned was wow fantastic! The nachos and chicken nuggets/fingers on the other hand, leave much to be desired. I'm surprised there weren't happy hour specials or table order service. We ordered at the bar. The waiters came over to clear the tables but no one came over to ask/offer if we wanted anything else. The place got busier as the night went on. We might come back to try the games and other items.

Came here to hang out for happy hour and this was a really fun place! I wouldn't necessarily say I came here for amazing food but the food was still great. Their pretzel and tater tots are classic comfort foods that were pretty tasty with the sauces that they come with - pretty filling too. Warm and crunchy foods. I got one of their orange flavoured cocktails and it was pretty good, although I could start tasting the alcohol pretty fast but my alcohol tolerance isn't the best anymore. But their apples to cider cocktail tasted like straight up whiskey, which I could not stand at all. So it seems like their cocktails are pretty heavy with the alcohol content. They have a ton of fun games to play too. I thought this would be like the DC Board Room where you have to pay to rent a game but they were all free here! Just be wary that the games have been used plenty of times and are missing stuff here and there. If you're germophobic, maybe you shouldn't be touching these games. Lol. Although, the waitress I had seemed like she was avoiding us and she'd be on her phone at times too, so we waited a lot just to get her attention. We had to be THOSE customers who'd keep going up to her to say we're ready to order or wave her down to get the check... At least the food and drinks came out pretty quickly.

Board Room has a pretty good beer selection (its own beers, which are pretty good), and the food is fine as well. There are usually seats available at the bar on down times, which is nice (as someone who's just coming in after a walk to watch a game and catch Pokémon, I appreciate this). Have not had a chance to really dive into their board game selection yet, but they seem like they have a pretty good selection. Overall, a pretty good place in the middle of Clarendon and Court House.

Food was great. Service was comically laughable. Bar was slow and the woman working would much rather gossip with her friend at the end of the bar than help the other two people sitting there with an open tab.

I visited this place for the first time. It was well maintained than I thought. There are plenty of board games too. Some of them are very used, but overall in a good condition. This place is very loud as you expect, but I think it is a good place to hang out with friends while drinking some beers. There are too many people just sitting and playing, but I think it is a good place to visit!!

Place is fine and food is good, but the service from the one woman bartender is truly atrocious, snarky, and unnecessarily unpleasant. Importantly she was mean to not just me (as I asked what Pilsners they have) but also the prior weekend to my friend and his daughter. This Caucasian bartender (working Sat night) seems to hate her job and is happy to show it to customers who've never met her. For that reason we will never come back. Also the TVs that should show sports or game shows or really anything - they don't work at all.

I love the concept here, unfortunately I had to give it 3 stars because the service was not pleasant, very little interaction from the time we arrived and chose our seats. On top of that there was an awful dirty/wet mop smell that was so overwhelming, so we left. I've heard good things and I'm open to trying it again if they've changed their cleaning routine!

This is my absolute FAVORITE spot to hang out with friends! We usually go on Sunday afternoons, when it's not too busy (Saturdays are packed during the day AND at night) and always have the best time! It's clean and spacious, the tables are large enough to play even the most complicated board games, the staff are always pleasant, the beer selection (and taste) is great, and the food is excellent! My favorites are the homemade pork rinds and General Tso's pork wings YUUUUUUUM!!! Their corn dogs are also fantastic, like ones you'd get at the fair when you were a kid. We always bring our own games, but you don't have to - the selection is vast. A+++!

This place has so much potential, but it is ruined by the lack of adequate air conditioning. I like the concept and the building, but for my past three random visits spread out over time, the A/C has been inadequate, to the point if I'm wondering if they are skimping on that to save money. I had the same experience with no A/C at the Board Room in DC. It's odd since they want people to go there to play board games, not just sip and go.

Very cool laid back atmosphere - grab a choice of game, claim a table, and order your drinks and food at the bar ... they'll bring it to you numbered table. Good choice of beers, and average food. Well worth a hangout, but if you are planning dinner, you might go elsewhere after.

The Board Room is a dope spot to hang with friends. The game room and bar vibe really meshes well together and seems to be super popular in the Arlington area. You can grab a table or make a reservation and that's it! All the games are displayed for public use, and there's lots of staff to hand orders of food and drinks. I've tried their pretzel and nachos. The pretzel was super soft, salted well, paired great with their melted cheese sauces. The nachos were also a hit! We were able to make them with salsa, guacamole, cheese, beans, and sour cream. Although simple, it definitely hit the spot. The food portions in general were larger than I expected. After multiple visits, I can definitely attest that the service is phenomenal. The drinks were solid, but nothing special.

This was a nice change of pace bar spot from some of the other more upscale spots in Arlington. It's a two in one venue with a sports bar/brewery as well as game room with plenty of space to kick back and enjoy your favorite games on the several TVs available and various lounge chairs within the space, grab a drink and some food at the bar, or indulge in the 100's of available games which range from classic board and card games to some of the more modern ones. The games are free of charge and you can play as many of them as your heart desires. I came here on a weeknight and it was still fairly packed. Service was decent me and my friends sat at the bar to get a bite to eat before checking out the huge array of game options. The menu features your typical American fare like wings, flatbreads nachos, burgers, but also has some more unexpected items like charcuterie boards. Prices range from $11-$27 so not too painful on the wallet and obviously being a brewery they provide a multitude of beer options. I decided to try out a menu item that intrigued me called the General Tso's Pork wings. They turned out to be essentially Asian style ribs but were surprisingly really good. Overall this is a great spot for gathering your crew or makes for a cool interactive date spot.

A very fun place--and the price is right. The space is surprisingly large; the ambiance casual. The main demographic is college students and prices are geared towards them. There is no table service (at least at night): you order everything at the bar and the food will be brought to you (and very quickly, I should add). The menu is quite extensive, including a few vegetarian and vegan options. The vegan spicy black bean burger was delicious; the vegetarian flatbread was just alright--too much cheese, too little veg. The place is very popular--we almost didn't find a table as late as 10 pm. The game selection for any number of players is impressive. My only gripe is that the second bartender we dealt with refused to let us sample a couple of beers before ordering but hey, you can't have it all.

Nice spot!! The aroma of beer gets you ready for some good board games! Alongside the helpful staff

Been here a few times and great beer, great selection of games (including shuffleboard), and normally very friendly bartenders and service. Had an issue with service yesterday which left a bad taste in my mouth. Arrived and sat at a table around 3pm. Maybe 30-45 minutes in, someone puts a reserved sign on our table and tapes a reserved sign on the post behind us for an upcoming party. We ask when we need to vacate the table and they said 5pm. Cool no problem. At around 4:15, the manager comes over and asks us to leave since the party is here (we were in middle of playing a game). We said we thought we had till 5 and his answer was "well I'm the manager and you were misinformed." In future I'd recommend to be more helpful and apologetic... for example proactively find a table for us and help us move since we had drinks, games, etc. So we got up and left instead of spending more time and money in this establishment.

Cool late night alternative to a game night at home. Most of the games are without all of there pieces and/or instructions; but half the fun is making your own rules. Lol Didn't eat this time but plan to revisit soon.

Rude service from beginning to end. Once I was finally able to order, bartender apparently lacked the ability or interest to interact verbally, and could only vaguely point. Honestly, if you hate your job this much, maybe find a different employer. Will not be returning.

The concept of this place is great and the potential is there. However, the execution is poor. There are not enough bartenders to service the amount of people that come into this establishment. I was constantly waiting for drinks the entire night and there was constantly a long line due to there not being enough bartenders. The games are also pretty subpar and most of them are old and beat up.

Come here for the good beer selections, sports on TV, and affordable prices, I guess. It's always crowded on Friday and Saturday evenings, so clearly some people appreciate the atmosphere. But don't come here for the games. I would guess more than 2/3 of their stock is unplayable due to missing pieces, instructions, damaged boards, etc. Considering it's the theme of the place, it's really unacceptable at how horrible they've let the condition of the games get. I mean, if a Scrabble set is missing half the tiles, throw it away! Why keep a Battleship game when one side has 4 boats and the other 2?

A very underwhelming experience. The location is good, food (buffalo chicken sandwich) was tasty, and the service very pleasant. However, I was really disappointed in the drinks and the board games - arguably the two things you need to get right as a board game bar. The game selection was very small and lacked variety. Most of the games were really beat up too, and they were strewn all over the place without any organization or confidence that the box had all the components. The house Pilsner I had was flat and uninteresting, and another draft I ordered was also a bit flat. These issues seem like long term issues from management, not anything on the staff there that day. There are probably better spots around. The Dupont Circle location is far superior and I would recommend any day!

Great service, great vibes, and they have a surprisingly diverse set of board games. The food is rather pricey, but I guess that's to be expected.

Why do I always feel that I'm intruding on the bartenders time They always look irritated -,as if we ( the customers ) are just lucky to be here - If you are the owner - please give them feedback!! ( and I'm a regular !!(

So much fun! Any place that has board games is a winner in my book. We played a few games, ordered a few beers, and tried a corn dog and a pretzel. Both were quite tasty. I will say that some of the prices are a bit high for what you get, but to play some games with friends and a couple of brews, this place can't be beat!

Found this local brewery after a quick search and decided to give it a try. There are several award winning beers on tap that I was able to try, the bishop brown ale and the ticket to ride red ale. I was also able to try the Czech Mate Pils and the Hungry Hungry H'IPA. All were delicious. The location has a nice footprint as well, large outdoor/indoor space. They offer a large selection of board games to play and you can even bring your own. There were a few flavors that were sold out so I don't know how often it is replenished. Bottom line would absolutely go back to sample more. I did not get a chance to try the food which leaves this review a little incomplete.

I live close by but have had never never been. Staff were rude. The layout was awkward. You look at the menu on your phone but it's not intuitive.

So I met up with college friends and this place was 2nd on what you would call a pub crawl. In walking distance from their home in Downtown Arlington. We stopped in and I had a Captain Morgan and Coke. Would have preferred a Diet Pepsi but this is a Coca Cola establishment. I can respect that as I needed the jolt of sugar and caffeine anyway to keep going. My friend showed me a back room they have nice for a group or private parties. This was just a quick stop as we walked to our next bar for another round.

Go on Tuesday's!! That's trivia night and it's the place to be. The beers have cool names, my favorite is princess peach

Best place to hang out with friends and open until 2 am have plenty of games and lots of fun activities food was good too