The Malted Meeple

Overall I loved the venue, service and chocolate milkshake. My best friend, boyfriend and I visited last Saturday afternoon and had a great time. This is only the second board game lounge I’ve ever been to and was pleased with the selection of games and beverages. However, there’s always room for improvement. It was quite cold… and It would be nice to have a popcorn that is just plain or cheese. The only two non-​sweet options were buffalo ranch and Cajun. My friend ended up with Chex mix. And a few ‘party’ games and nostalgic games would be welcome to break up the strat games. We did have a great time though.

I’ve been meaning to check this place out since they opened. I love board games and craft beer so the recent uprising of board game parlors has been a welcome one. Now The Malted Meeple has added milkshakes to the mix! I finally made it here with a buddy over the weekend and after the experience was glad we came.
The location is interesting as GPS brings you to a gravel driveway with a number of buildings around. There is a vinyl sign out by the drive but I was glad it was still daylight or I might have missed it. As you drive back the driveway splits and another sign points you to towards the right for The Malted Meeple. Another split and this time no sign but it’s pretty obvious you go left towards the large building. Mind the large bumps along the driveway. They can swallow your vehicle whole.
It looks like in good weather you can sit out on the brick patio where the entrance is. Inside they have a chalkboard with the monthly milkshake a game special along with a calendar of events. At the end of the hall is a large circular room which is the main gaming area. There are several tables to accommodate various sizes groups, a bar/​counter area and the game shelves. We were treated promptly and sat at a two person table and given menus/​game lists (I will upload these). The waiter explained the $ 5 library charge which allows you to play all games as long as you want throughout the day and the various milkshakes, drinks, snacks and alcohol on the menu. He welcomed us to take a look at the library or the game list which sectioned games off by length of time needed to play and how many players each game could accommodate. I cannot tell you how helpful this is when working on a timeline! A great idea that other board game parlors should incorporate. We got some water to start and selected a game. The game shelves are categorized by style of game (deckbuilding, worker placement, racing, etc) and very well organized. There is a decent selection of games new and old but not as large and diverse as I’ve seen elsewhere. This is probably due to being a new establishment. The waiter stated that he could help get us started on our game but wasn’t completely familiar with the game. This was a bit of a shock as most other board game parlors I’ve been to the staff is well versed on the majority of games. Perhaps We just picked an oddball one but we had to learn most of the game ourselves which was time consuming. Not a huge deal though.
I eventually ordered a Tusken Terror milkshake which is dark chocolate and cayenne pepper. It was delicious! Yes most of their drinks/​milkshakes have geeking names like The Red Shirt or Dagobah Swamp. I love that attention to detail. There were also a selection of snacks like pretzels and artisan popcorn and chocolates along with a nice selection of craft beers and bourbons. Prices are bar prices. Most beers are $ 5 or more, milkshakes are $ 5 or $ 6 or you can get a mega milkshake for $ 18. I assume these are for sharing.
All in all we played 2 games in our 3 hour visit. It was a very calm and relaxing atmosphere with a diverse range of patrons which is common at board game parlors. A small group of 20 somethings played a RPG while a large group of middle aged folks played Scatagories and a family with children played a light card game. This is a great way to try games before you buy them. Speaking of, they do offer some games and components like dice for retail purchase along with their branded items like pint glasses and t-​shirts. I believe they also sell teas and Star Wars themed chocolates. Upon leaving I noticed that they have a private room area that you can rent out for parties and larger groups. This is probably used for their weekly events as well.
There are many good things happening at The Malted Meeple and I think that if you are a board game fan you will enjoy a trip. You may want to research games you want to play ahead of time so you don’t spend time reading rules once you are there just in case the workers can’t teach you. This was the only downside to the visit but as I said, it could have been a one time glitch. All in all I found the experience to be a good one and I look forward to future visits with friends.

This is my third visit to The Malted Meeple, but the first time with the family. It was my wife and two children, ages 10 and 7. We went to play new games and we were not disappointed!
Carrington, one of the servers was very helpful and attentive. We played four games and he help us set up and explained the rules for each game. In the excitement of a game, one of the kids accidentally knocked over their drink. Carrington was immediately over to clean up the spill. Several other group had children as well, and all appeared to having an enjoyable time. Our family had a good time and enjoyed all the games we played. The kids saw there is an early 5 — 7pm New Years Eve party and they have already asked to come to the event. We will be back to learn more new games.

Went here on a Saturday afternoon and had a lot of fun with the family. They had a lot of great games to choose from and the snacks were good. I look forward to going back! The only downfall in my opinion was the bench seats were pretty uncomfortable after a few hours.

I feel really torn about giving this place 4 or 3 stars. But I’ve decided to go the generous route, at least until I visit some other board game bars to do a comparison.
We came on a Sunday shortly after they opened. Unfortunately, they don’t serve alcohol on Sundays (but we knew this going in since it’s clearly displayed on their website). We tried the milkshake flight (3 new flavors they’re auditioning to be next month’s FOM). For August it includes red velvet, brownie, and birthday cake. Honestly, they all tasted pretty much the same to me, and they were rather boring. We also got some buffalo popcorn, which was fine. I would have much rather had something more substantial to snack on, or nutritious even. But their menu options are very limited to things like popcorn, chips, candy, etc. A cheese plate or some crudités would go a long way here, in my opinion.
Anyway, you don’t come here for the food or drinks, you come for the games. They have a fine selection, which is organized by category. My husband had already studied their game menu online before coming (which he said is a huge plus for this place compared to other game board bars), so we knew what we wanted to play and didn’t really do much browsing. I would think that the ease-​of-​browsing/​selecting makes a big difference in your overall experience (like it would at a bookstore or library), so my review is lacking in that aspect.
Overall I’d say this place is great just because I love the idea of a board game bar. But it’s also the only one I’ve been to, so I can’t say if it’s better or worse than the other options in the area.

2^nd time visitor. Party of 4. Total cost for 4 hours of play including drinks and snacks was just over $ 60. Pretty solid value IMO.
As it was the 2^nd visit for 2 of us, we knew what to expect and had selected a game (list of available games on their website) we would try beforehand. Like most adult level board games, there is a solid learning curve. The previous visit the host for our table was familiar with the games we chose and gave us a quick run-​thru, and he was available if we had mid-​game questions.
This visit we had a different host and she was not familiar with the game we chose. She was pleasant tho, and available for drink orders without being intrusive.
As for the drinks, they have a good selection of brews and alternative drinks. They have a beer list on their web site, so if you are not too adventurous, check out their list and do a little background work so you don’t ask for an IPA when you really are more of a malt fiend.
Their shakes are tasty. I had one the first time and it was pretty thin, this one was thicker like you would expect.
Snacks (pretzels/​popcorn) are served in restaurant style dishes and were a decent enough size serving.
All in all, the table fee is cheap… $ 5 per person total… and we were there for 4 hours… the drinks and snacks are a little high, but it all evens out… like I said, 4 people, 4 hours, food and drinks… about $ 15 each… no complaint.
Clean environment, bright atmosphere, place was fairly full for a weekday evening. Thumbs up.

Quick planning details for you:
–They don’t serve meals, just snacks, so plan to eat before/​after you go.
–Can’t bring in outside food either (e.g. pizza). Rules could be different if you’re setting up a formal event with them; didn’t do this, so not sure.
–Can bring your own games.
–Will loan out their games.
Great venue for hanging out to play games with friends, or trying out some new games. 4 of my friends and I brought in Firefly last Friday night after dinner and played from 7 – 11, and everybody had fun. We were able to walk right in and grab a table.
The place got busier as the night got later; there was just 1 other group when we first arrived, but it was almost full when we left.
Atmosphere is basically like a geeky gaming/​comics shop that conveniently also has a bar. This is in contrast with other «bar-​first» gaming places which are bars that also conveniently have games. If you are looking for a hipstery or edgy bar scene that does games, this is probably not your place.
Even though we brought our own, they have an awesome selection of games. List is on their website.
Noise-​level was great for playing games, throughout the night. At its busiest, it grew to be about on par with a typical sit-​down restaurant. There is not music, TVs, or kitchen noise to talk over either, which helps. I had never played Firefly before, so needed the rules explained and had questions while playing, and never had to ask my friends to repeat themselves because of noise.
Crowd was mostly 20 – 30 somethings, but there was also a family that brought kids, and a group with some older adults, so the place seems friendly for all ages. As another reviewer pointed out, it was not all men either.
Food-​wise, I had a delicious «Dagoba Swamp» milkshake, which was basically Oreos, vanilla ice cream, and mint blended together, with an awesome piece of half un-​blended Oreo at the «bottom of the swamp». Milkshakes also come in an $ 18 mega size, which is about the size of a small fish bowl. $ 18 seemed a little too high for what it was, so I did not order one myself.
We also ordered pretzels and buffalo popcorn, and the portion size was pretty generous for both — good for about ²⁄₃ people. Chocolate truffles were good but very tiny, probably not worth the $ 2 a piece.
Having waiters is really nice for a place like this. Really great not to have to leave the game to go to the bar to get another drink or snacks and then have to wait until your drink is ready to return.
Only negative about the experience is that a few of us felt bugged a bit to buy drinks by one of the waiters, which was disruptive to our game. It wasn’t a huge deal, but given that there is a $ 5 table fee per person, and that most of us were regularly ordering stuff, it felt a bit unneeded. I think checking if we need anything, and moving on if we decline, is enough; no need to persist. I imagine this is just a kink that will get ironed out after they’re in business a while. Definitely don’t let it stop you from coming.
All-​in-​all we had a really great time though, and definitely plan to return again!

Before we went my wife made both of us a dinner of salmon burgers grilled with terriyaki and served with waffle cut fries. They were amazing and our cat begged way too much salmon of us, but I couldn’t blame him as it was quite tasty.
After dinner was over she agreed to come with me to visit a new gaming café in the area, The Malted Meeple. I say in the area loosely, but the greater Cleveland/​Akron area is a big area and it was a bit of a drive.
Not knowing what kind of games they would have I brought some smaller games for two players along. When we got down there we found the place, though it is a bit set back from the road and I highly suggest looking up its location before you go. Upon entering we were greeted by a nice host, who explained to us there was a five dollar table fee, but other than that you need pay nothing else. He did mention they had a variety of snack foods, shakes, and craft beer.
I started out with a water and my wife got a wheat ale. I inspected their game library and noticed that though they had well over a hundred games in their collection, including lots of games I either enjoy or would love to play, they did not have many for two players that were more gamerly. Most of their more interesting games were in the 3 – 5 player region and felt geared toward groups of that number.
Luckily, as I mentioned previously, I had brought some games of my own. We started out with a game of Star Realms, which my wife handily won. While we were playing Star Realms, the host came by with a flight of shakes, similar to a flight of beer, he was showing off. They were the Degeva, the Hoth, and the Tatooine Twist.
Once we were finished playing Star Realms we ordered a flight of shakes for ourselves. The Tatooine Twist was sweet and had and orange flavor in it, my wife described it as a orange creamsicle. It was suggested it went with something spicy, like some buffalo popcorn they apparently sold, but having eaten earlier we passed on it. My wife, however, did agree it needed to be paired with something spicy. The Hoth was a malt shake with a subtle spice in it that was really smooth, and Degeva was a cookies and cream with a nice minty flavor. We liked all of them although my favorite was the Hoth and my Lady was most taken by Degeva.
The repast being consumed we decided to try another game I had brought, which we both learned on the spot, Biblios. It was a game with some really interesting drafting mechanics and although my wife won, we both agreed that this is one we wanted to play again. I think it has far more depth than it first seems to and it proved quite interesting.
When we started setting up our next game, Gravwell, the waiter came by and asked if they could get us anything. We ordered a Mayan Truffle for each of us and received them only a little bit into the game of Gravwell. The truffle was the deep chocolate taste you would expect from a truffle with just a hint of spice at the end, which was a nice touch.
That was the finish of a very nice gaming day for me. As far as the Malted Meeple goes I was left with a overall good impression, though I would stress certain points for it. If you go, I would go with a group of three of more. For a smaller group I’m not certain their game library really supports that, unless you bring games of your own. The second point is that this place does not serve lunch or dinner, only snacks. If you are likely to get hungry I would suggest eating before you go. Since this is a game café I should probably comment on the tables. They are large with glass surfaces and a raised ridge. While I would have preferred a cloth surface with a bit more texture for traction, the glass surface was not a huge problem. One nice feature was the raised edges of the table, making it harder for dice or cards to slide off of them.
These are the only negatives though, and I’m not sure if my comments on the table are not somewhere in between, rather than being a negative. They have tons of good games in their library for 3 – 5 player groups and from what I could see of the other tables the staff seems to have some familiarity with the games. I did not get to personally ask them to teach a game, but I may make a point of doing so at some point in the future. A big positive for me was the environment and the staff. The feel of the place left one feeling gaming was a refined activity for adults and young adults. It was very welcoming to dates and women and there were, in fact, a number of women there. This paired with an extensive snack and craft brew menu left one feeling they could spend hours here in mixed company or with more casual gamers and everyone could walk away remembering the experience very favorably. Overall I was impressed and for the groups I described, I will likely go here in the future.