Board Game Island Cafe

Outstanding. I didn’t think my twin 6 year old granddaughters would like it. They wanted pizza so agreed to go. They’ve never played board games but jumped right in and had tons of fun. Wide variety of pizzas and those we ordered were really good. We will be back.

Too cool! Loved the idea behind the place! Right off the strand! Had a whole wall of games, almost everything you can think of! Open late, had a great time!
Only problem I had was a preference thing. Food choices and preparation could be improved. But that’s just my preferance. Overall it was a great place!

I love the idea behind the Board Game Island Café! We were visiting Galveston with family and three of us decided to split off from the older folks to check it out.
We arrived at about 9:00 on a Friday night, and there was only one table left. The place is pretty small, so it wasn’t actually all that busy, there just isn’t a ton of seating. There were several groups enjoying different games. The noise level was high at times, but for the most part everyone was respectful of the other guests. We ordered some food and drinks, grabbed a game, and sat down.
There are a ton of games to choose from, and there are many special edition games, too. We played Settlers of Catan and Firefly-​themed Clue. There were many card games in addition to the board games.
Our food arrived pretty quickly, but it wasn’t anything special, which is the reason behind the docked stars. I had a grilled cheese, which I would not recommend — it was just a couple slices of bread and some cheese that had been shoved into a panini maker. My sister-​in-​law said her quesadilla was just okay, but my husband did enjoy his (overpriced) pepperoni flatbread.
I got a French vanilla Italian cream soda, but I had to go back up to the counter and ask for more pumps of syrup as it was initially pretty flavorless. I noticed it had a small fly in it, which I just assumed had flown in after I got the drink. However, when I ordered a cherry-​vanilla soda for my husband soon after, there were two little fruit flies in there as they handed it over. Kinda gross.
Overall, I really loved the atmosphere and idea behind the Board Game Island Café, but the food/​preparation needs some work.

Cute place full of old board games. The food wasn’t that great– not bad, just kind of boring. We ordered the white pizza with basil. (They forgot the basil) and cheese bread. The two tasted the exact same. Somewhat expensive in my opinion for basic food.
The kids had a great time playing all of the games. We spent several hours here which was great because the weather was yucky and we needed some entertainment.
The waitress was very MIA sitting with her friends drinking a glass of wine– but maybe that’s the island mentality. Just chill.

This place is so awesome! We come here on a regular basis. Just a fun and different thing to do other than going to a regular bar on your Saturday night. They have hundreds of boardgames and a great drink menu including beer, cider, coffee and Italian sodas. We love it here.

I visited on a Friday afternoon with my sister who was here out of town. We decided to check this place out based on its reviews here on Unilocal and we weren’t disappointed! It wasn’t very busy and we ordered and got our pizza pretty quickly. We ordered the Margherita pizza. The pizza was just okay. The crust was definitely burned on the bottom but regardless we enjoyed it while we played Trivial Pursuit! I would definitely come back here with friends or my significant other for a fun little afternoon date. Next time I think I’d try one of the many sandwiches they offer on their menu along with coffee drinks and other snacks!

This place is a great idea for locals because it offers easily 100 or more board games and card games for people to play while they sit. They have everything from family classics like Monopoly and Life to chess sets and fandom games. They even hold Cards Against Humanity tournaments! So, when I say we go there for the atmosphere – fun and laid back – that’s why!
It is technically a restaurant, but the food isn’t the reason most people go. They have the basics: appetizers like chips and salsa, pizzas, and sandwiches. Their beer menu is rather good, so we often stop in to cool off and play a few games when we have time to kill on the island or have family in town. They are a bit pricey for what you get (again, a step above bar food), but it’s all in the spirit of enjoying an atmosphere that encourages your group to keep having fun!
There are only 7 – 10 tables total, and they fill up on the weekends. It can be loud in there when large families bring in lots of children as well. Otherwise, the atmosphere is chill if you need a break from your day.

Been coming here for years now. I love it. The idea of this place is awesome and unique compared to everything else on the strand and in Galveston. It is cramped in there when there is a lot of people. I hope y’all expand soon! But I love going here after work (which is in the strand also) and having a small drink and food while I hangout with friends and play a few games.
The only reason why I give this ⁴⁄₅ stars is because of how small this place is.

We heard about this place from a friend and decided it would be the perfect place to bring our brother for his birthday. He loves board games and hanging out with people, and food and drinks. The pizza was great, lattes were tasty, and a great selection of games. The service was slow but they seemed under staffed for the day we came and were probably busier than they had expected to be. We will definitely be coming back when we are in Galveston again. Great to spend a rainy day!

So I am deducting 1 star for the inconsistency in their fair. I order chips and salsa every time I come to the shop and sometimes it is great, and sometimes it is a complete waste of money. Sometimes it is actual salsa and fresh chips, and others you get nothing but crumbles of chips and generic pace salsa. I do not mind paying for chips and salsa, but I would like to actually get what I am paying for.
Otherwise, this store is a gem in Galveston. They have a huge selection of board games and it is always a good time to come here with a friend to pass the evening.

This was a great spot to grab a drink and play a game! Wish there was a location closer to home, but definitely plan on coming back when we are back in Galveston.

What a cool spot in the Strand! We were in Galveston for Labor Day weekend, and it rained a bit. During one of the min-​rain storms, we went to Board Game Island. We got two 16 oz cappuccinos and played a couple rounds of Ticket to Ride. Their coffee is great, and the food that we saw other people served looked and smelled really great! They also have beer. But the best thing about BGI? HOW MANY board games they have! They must have several hundred! They had so many options it took us a while to figure out what we wanted to play! If I lived in Galveston, this would definitely be a place where I’d hang out with friends!

Now THIS is a cool place to hang out. There’s so many games to choose from! A really fun place to hang out as a group. They have pretty good menu items and a great selection of drinks. I got the mocha Bianco and it was super delicious. The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars was because of the slow service. I’m not sure if we went on a off night, but there was only one lady taking orders and making them, so the food took a while. But the wait was bearable because of the games you can play! I highly recommend this place for anyone who wants a break from being out in the sun or a really nice study break.(:

I visited BGI yesterday & it’s already my favorite place to hang out in Galveston! It’s really good for groups, I felt like I could spend the whole day there. They claim to have over 550 board games! The place is like a small coffee shop where people come to hang out.
They have an extensive selection of Italian cream sodas, different coffee variations, and wine and beer. They also have a good number of food options as well (paninis, sandwiches, pizzas, and some BGI originals like hot dog wraps). I had the barbecue chicken pizza, which wasn’t as palatable as I expected. But, my friend ordered the Mocha bianco frappé, and I swear I drank almost half of it! So good. On the menu, the Italian cream sodas come with a list of flavors and you can choose one or a combination of two. My roommate chose strawberry and coconut, and that was good as well (slightly too sweet for my liking, but I’m not much of a sugary-​drink fanatic).
There were about 4 groups other than us but only 1 worker was present. Our food took FOREVER. Literally. The only reason we didn’t mind was because we were too busy playing games, but every couple of minutes I would hear a member of our group mumble about how hungry she was or how long the food was taking. I didn’t want to give the waitress a hard time; I felt bad because she was catering to so many groups by herself, but maybe BGI should consider having more than one worker — at least during their busy hours/​weekends.
Other than that, I’ll definitely be visiting BGI again (probably next week!). It was fun to do something in Galveston that doesn’t include mosquitoes and the scorching Galveston sun & 100+ degree weather. We got to play Apples to Apples and Pictionary — two games I haven’t played in years. Perfect hangout spot for a rainy day!

Great pizza, great staff, and great games! My wife and I loved it! Plan to spend at least 90 minutes here!

Very cool place. Has every board game under the sun. They also make tasty baked goods. Great place to hang out with friends.

As their name implies, this joint is filled with board games! Ranging from common to uncommon, if you come here, you definitely won’t be bored! It’s a great place to go for all ages. In addition to games, they also have food and drinks. Their food menu isn’t huge, but they offer enough options to keep you satiated while you enjoy playing games.

This place is amazing. Adorable old coffee shop turned into board game Mecca! They serve food and beer and have more games than I’ve ever seen.
Cool people, friendly owner & great atmosphere

Fun place to spend a couple hours out of the sun in Galveston. They have lots of games you can play for free, provided you get something to eat and drink. They had a pretty good beer selection, some wines, but were out of a fair amount of beverages, it being Memorial day weekend (no milk). They didn’t seem to have prepared for the deluge of people – it was packed and the employees were really scrambling to keep up.
Still we had a lot of fun. The pizza was pretty good. They had lots of snacks available as well.

Absolutely love this place! Sooooo many different kinds of board games including a life size version of Operation. They serve food, beer, wine, and coffee.
If you love games and food you’ll absolutely love this place!

When we are in Galveston, we always stop here. Appealing to all age groups. Good food and drinks and a good variety! The staff is friendly and there are hundreds of games to choose from.

If i lived in town, this would probably be one of my regular places to go. Lots of boardgames here with many different varieties to choose from. They serve alcohol and food here. Beer selection was great, however, the food selection was okay. The food selection is basically snack foods. Overall, great concept, loved the boardgames.

An amazing place with food, tea, coffee, drinks etc. really nice place to chill with friends and play board games. 3starred it just because they got rid of wifi few weeks ago! And that really brings down the rating!

A great place to grab a coffee, play some games, pass time with friends, and explore something new.
Highly recommend this place.

The coffee is great, and my friends and I spent a great afternoon and evening playing an intense game of Settlers of Catan. They have every board game I could think of, and the service was nice and friendly.
The latte was great, and when we needed to step out for a few minutes they let us leave and made sure the game remained undisturbed, which was really nice of them. I can’t say anything about the food because I didn’t eat, but the environment was great, staff was friendly, and it’s a great way to have a good time.

When my husband, in laws and I had to leave our air bnb stay, but still had hours to kill, I suggested we make a stop into Board Game Island. Its a cozy place with lots of tables and chairs– food and drinks (adult drinks too) and pretty much every board game you could imagine.
I had mimosas while we played a 3 hour heated (albeit confusing) game of CSI — while I lost (but only by a move or two) I’ll never forget laughing till crying, exploring something new and having a blast with the inlaws. I love Galveston, and will put this spot on a must visit again next time Im in town.

Wanted to update since things have changed a little since my last visit.
So I love the new layout. The huge shelf of games is now in the center of the room which helps break up the space so each table is a little more private and you have easier access to browse games.
Café service! I think this helped a lot. If you need anything, you go to the counter rather then having waiters.
No charge for wanting to come in and play a game, but honestly I think you should tip them or order a drink or something. They have yummy cookies and a full menu of lunch or dinner items.
I really enjoy the art themed walls. One time I went and it was all local art of game related pieces. Another time I came in all the paintings had a blue theme.
Games seem to be in good condition and the staff is nice. This is a great place for families or hanging out with your friends. You can play family friendly games, or you know, cards against humanity. Haha. But there is plenty to choose from and they stay open late. Definitely a fan of this place!