Latvia’s first board game café opens its doors

Expanding its operations, Latvian company “Brain Games” has opened the unprecedented board game café “Brain Games Cafe” in Riga. It is the first gathering place of its kind in Latvia and throughout the Baltics. Experienced enthusiasts and curious newcomers alike are invited to play both familiar and entirely new board games while enjoying a variety of drinks and spending their free time with family and friends in a positively energising atmosphere. The official opening event of “Brain Games Cafe” took place on Thursday, 8 July, during which the most competitive local opinion leaders vied with one another for the title of winner in a number of popular board games.

The specialised board game shop-café is located in the very heart of Riga, in the basement at 24 Aspazijas Boulevard. Work on its creation began last autumn, but the café’s opening was postponed due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. Now “Brain Games Cafe” has officially opened its doors to visitors, offering an especially wide selection of more than 400 board games on site. Here, everyone interested can play well-known games that have become favourites over the years, such as Catan, Ticket to Ride and Carcassonne, as well as discover a world of games they have not yet encountered.

The café’s selection comprises a wide range of games for every taste—from exciting games for children of different ages and families to party and strategy games that help maintain a positively competitive mood in any group. An experienced board game guru is also present at the café every day to help each visitor choose the most suitable game, explain its rules and answer any questions that may arise during play. 

In addition, the café has a bar offering a variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks—including quality coffee freshly prepared from award-winning Kalve Coffee beans, as well as original themed cocktails and other refreshing drinks to quench visitors’ thirst and keep their spirits up throughout the game. Every drink on offer is also available in a vegan version and can be ordered to take away. Furthermore, as part of its concern for the environment, “Brain Games Cafe” uses only reusable straws for its drinks.

“As board game culture continues to grow, it seemed only logical for us to open a cosy place in Riga where every board game enthusiast and curious visitor could play their favourite games in a relaxed atmosphere, as well as learn something new. We have made sure that groups of all kinds can spend their free time pleasantly and productively in this new-concept café. The café has a special corner for children, as well as tables of various sizes to accommodate up to eight players. What is more, serious board game fans will also find a very special, purpose-built “Rathskellers” table here, which is sure to appeal to all strategy game enthusiasts,” comments Egils Grasmanis, head of “Brain Games”.

Alongside its daily operations, the café regularly plans events of various sizes—tournaments, presentations introducing new board games, themed evenings, quizzes and other exciting activities in which every board game enthusiast can demonstrate their skills and compete with other like-minded people. With the help of the new-concept café, the “Brain Games” team plans to continue developing and promoting board game culture in Latvia, demonstrating that board games are not only a fun way for both children and adults to spend their free time, but also an excellent opportunity to expand existing knowledge and skills and learn something completely new.

“My first impressions are very positive—the café is perfectly suited not only to children but also to adults, as its extensive library allows people of all ages to enjoy gaming adventures in countless combinations. It is wonderful that the “Brain Games Cafe” team helps visitors understand and discover the games, so they do not have to spend time reading instructions themselves when something is not immediately clear. I definitely recommend the café to every board game enthusiast, because I am sure that absolutely everyone will find something here that suits them,” says lifestyle blogger Paula Roze.

Visitors are charged €5 per hour to use the board game library. However, if players take a liking to a particular game, they can purchase it at the “Brain Games Cafe” shop next door, with the amount paid being deducted from the total purchase price as a discount. Importantly, in view of the restrictions imposed in the country to limit the spread of the pandemic, every visitor must have a valid Covid-19 certificate in order to play games and sit at the café tables.