Thirsty Meeples Board Game Café

Yes! I love board game cafes!
Truth be told, I literally stumbled into this one. We were on a search for coffee and found a little square that seemed to have nice cafes and spots to eat. But then we saw Thirsty Meeples (adorable name, by the way) and came in!
It was packed full of people but they found us a table. It’s like other board game cafes in which you pay a set amount and then can play for unlimited time and use all the board games. We ended up playing two really fun ones (Seventh Wonder and Jamaica) and had a good time.
They have a nice menu here at Meeples, beyond the normal coffees and ales you’ve seen at other ones, including some hot foods and some sweet treats like milkshakes and hot chocolates. Nice.
Their staff is also friendly and happy to help you pick a game and explain how to play it. Always nice.
Couple things I wasn’t so thrilled about. It’s one price if you pay to play and eat but they tack on a few more pounds if you don’t buy anything to eat. That felt a little nickle and dimey. I was also scolded for eating food that a friend brought me, despite the fact that we had bought a ton of their snacks and drinks and this was just one more thing on top of it. Really guys? Did you have to interrupt our board game to tell me to put away my snack that I’d almost eaten and was drinking down with your coffee and milkshake? Blarg.
But beyond that, such a win of a spot and if I am in Oxford again, you know where I will be.

The staff here are amazingly friendy and helpful. Recommended to book a table and buy a drink or snack which reduces your table rental fee. My companions, who had been here before, steered us away from ordering food. A game lover’s paradise.

Thirsty Meeples is a great board game café based in the heart of Oxford — the perfect spot for a bit of geek-​out time! :P
As soon as you walk into this place you will be amazed by the amount of board games they host. The selection they have is literally mind-​boggling, with full walls covered from floor to ceiling.
The format here is pretty simple — it’s £3.50 to sit and play if you’re buying any food or drink, and £5 to simply come and play the games. Be careful with this, though — I worked out that it was actually cheaper for me to get a fizzy water and play, than get nothing and play, so be clever about doing the maths before you miss out.
The staff were great — really friendly and helpful. The man that served us let us know that if we were struggling to choose a game (which I imagine is a regular occurance in somewhere so well stocked) that he’d be happy to help us pick one and explain the rules for us. We’d actually come with a specific game in mind, but it would have been quite fun to take him up on his offer and let him randomly select something for us.
In terms of the food and drinks here, my party had the smoothies and a few sandwiches, all of which were raved about. The smoothies, in particular, were apparently really delicious!
This is a great spot to come and relax and have some fun with friends! It does add up to be a little bit of an expensive trip out, if you are having a regular lunch on top of the per-​person fee, but I’d say it’s worth it for a great atmosphere and some brilliant board game fun!
I’d for sure go back here! :)

This is a new-​ish spot right on Gloucester Green in Oxford, and what a fab little spot it is.
Thirsty Meeples is a board game café (with delicious snacks and coffee!) + board game shop with a great selection.
Not only is a great spot to pick up board games or expansion packs from an independent shop (plus you don’t have to wait for Amazon shipping!), but it’s also a great place to waste a few hours with a fellow game geek.
Now I just need to find a place like this in London!