Draughts - Waterloo
Cafe Draughts - Waterloo, Arch 16 Leake St, London SE1 7NN, United Kingdom:
220 reviews
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Address: Arch 16 Leake St, London SE1 7NN, United Kingdom
Website: draughtslondon.com
GPS coordinates
Latitude: 51.5019627Longitude: -0.1157091
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reviews
James Snow
Came here yesterday with a couple of friends to celebrate my birthday and it was SO much fun! We ended up staying for a good 3-4 hours, playing all these different games (personal favourites: Jenga, Cards Against Humanity, Fun Employed) while having drinks and food. Prices are super good too! Only a £5 for literally as many games as you want to play and big food portions (I got a small portion of crispy squid YUM and it was more than enough for 1 person). Definitely coming back soon!
4 months ago
R Tao
Lovely place...to chill with friends.... the food was good too... service is good.
2 months ago
Andr Pas
Amazing staff and food, only reason I've given 4/5 is due to the price. Other than that it was great. Thanks!
6 months ago
Unnati RANGOONWALA
I would give this place 10 stars if I could. Staff were extremely friendly and helpful. Wide range of board games to choose from. Food and drinks were also fabulous and the ambience is second to none. I will definitely be returning again.
2 months ago
Judy Montgomery
Met friends here to play DnD. It's an easy meeting place, just around the corner from Waterloo station, tucked away beneath Banksy's graffiti tunnel.
We paid £3.50 each for two hour time slot, which was pretty good. We'll book a four hour session next time. For games like Jenga however, a two hour time slot seems optimal. They have over 800 games you can play there, but we brought our own stuff for ours which is also allowed.
Staff seemed quite abrupt: I went to the bar to order drinks and the person there just said, "Table service." That felt a bit flippant, but it was incredibly busy and loud in there to be fair. Speaking of noise, it was hard to hear each other at times since every table is playing something and chatting, but we were fine for the most part.
Food and drink is reasonably priced. A pint of lemonade was £3 which, by London standards, seemed pretty good; smaller glasses of it elsewhere are usually similarly priced. They have a large selection of alcoholic drinks too.
Overall, it was a great location to meet and play. Whether you have a campaign going or just want to try something different, Draughts is a fun way to kill time.
8 months ago
KB Me
Love draughts! This one and the other. Personally I prefer the one in Hackney however this one is really accessible by public transport. It has a smaller games library and I more chilled vibe. It is still an awesome place to go. It has more complex games for gamers like me, I recommend food chain magnate and easy and fun games. Only £5 + whatever u spend on food and drinks!
3 months ago
Rohan Ellis
Roll up, roll up, and get your Ticket to Ride on the Colt Express into Waterloo and spend some time in Draughts. It really should be one of the 7 Wonders! It's a place you'd be happy to spend the Dead of Winter in with some comfy seats and plenty to eat and drink but don't Risk not getting a table and book ahead. There is a cost of £6 per Lord of Waterdeep and Lady you come with so it can get quite costly, but if you're as frugal with your money as the Sheriff off Nottingham then this is a fun place to splurge. Additionally the amount of boardgames they have will Boggle your mind! It's a bit of a Labyrinth to find as the entrance is hidden in the graffiti tunnel under Waterloo but be sure to give it a go One Night!
6 months ago
Brian Wernimont
Very nice staff and amazing food!
10 months ago
Diane Wright
Was a bit difficult to find! But other than that a great place to hang out! Loads of board games, great craft beers, good table service and nice simple library style experience ????
2 months ago
Andrew Risio
Lively atmosphere, good food and very friendly staff. Table service is available so the only reason to get up is to choose your board game. The staff are on hand to recommend.
2 months ago
Brandon Dyer
Good fun but....
All the games we had were not complete.
When we Mentioned it were told sorry but we can’t check every game.
Great fun though.
3 months ago
Patrick Walsh
A literal library of games. Ale and cider on tap is fresh. Unashamedly cool. Hipster central
2 months ago
Calissa Jones
Draughts is the perfect location for social gatherings, great games and service throughout the evening. Drinks and food is on the expensive side however in my opinion totally worth it
3 months ago
Michael Hofmann
It's a good place with a chill vibe. It has a great selection of games. The service was quite poor - most of the waiters looked bored and unenthusiastic, and very slow at taking our order and bringing our drinks. But despite this we got charged service charge, which seems very unnecessary at a place like this. The table we were on was also quite sticky because it wasn't cleaned properly and when we asked to clean it again, we got evil looks from the waiter who deeply sighed before getting just some tissue to wipe up.
4 months ago
Patti Moravec
UPDATE - they asked for feedback below but have ignored my email for the last 3 weeks. They only write those comments to make it look like they care about customer service. Revising rating down to 1 star.
Lots of games but quite a few had instructions missing and the staff didnt know the rules of them. Also find it surprising that service charge is applied to the gaming fee in spite of this. Staff are more like waiters than gaming specialists.
3 weeks ago
Hans Rudin
Food was really nice. Great selection of games. Cracking pinot noir.
6 months ago
faudjie marina
Wonderful location, a good selection of board games and good food, what else are you gonna need for a delightful evening
3 months ago
Lindsay A
Place is nice but way too noisy to play storytelling games, when it's busy
2 months ago
Moonshine Witten
A great place to hang out, eat, drink and play games with friends. £6 to sit and play, then food and drinks on top. Theres a good menu of cocktails, coffees and small plates as well as sharing plates and meals.
If you're going during evening or weekends then I'd recommend booking ahead.
2 months ago
Barbara Wynn
Nice atmosphere, 6£ per player to play games is a bit of a turn off for a 2h booking. Would love it if playing games was free....
3 weeks ago
Christina Jimenez
Absolutely love it here: a true nerdvana! The friendly, knowledgeable staff help you navigate the breathtaking array of available games, helping you choose the best for you and your friends or date. The food and drink is nice and helps make this a great place to kick back for a few hours. The location is great too, be sure to have an explore of the surrounding graffiti art filled tunnels. Would absolutely recommend to anyone, regardless of gaming experience. There's something here for all levels of nerd! It's worth booking in advance to avoid disappointment, though I admit I have dropped in a couple of times without a reservation and had a beer at the bar waiting for a table.
4 months ago
Michele Bragg
Pro: great selection of board games, really knowledgeable staff, tasty food, good selection of drinks. Table size was good for playing most games, they have booths for 6+ tables which works well for larger games
Cons: I really wanted to give this place 5 stars, but some of the games are dirty and smell musty, they don't sleeve the cards so they get grubby after a while. I went in the winter and was a little chilly on the ground floor as the door kept opening and letting in a breeze. If they could solve those issues, definitely 5 stars.
6 months ago
AXL
Unique and quirky place. I'll definitely be back. Great location being under the underpass - we almost missed it as it's quite camoflouged with the surroundings. The food was reasonably priced and nice enough. The service was very good and we had great fun playing some old skool games
3 weeks ago
Ronnie Graham
Great setup and good tables for games. Chairs could be better and the food is unimpressive honestly considering how unadventurous the menu is. However, if you go for the games, I can't think of anywhere better.
6 months ago
Lyn Harwell
Great venue. Great selection of normal to heavier board games. Decent food too, better than the haggerston branch (last time i was there). EDIT: Sorry I didn't mean the quality of the food, I meant the type and choices. I preferred the menu at Waterloo to Haggerston, that's all
2 months ago
Katelin Garchow
A place to go for all board game lovers. They have a huge selection of games to try and a pretty decent menu. During the weekends it gets pretty busy, thus I would recommend reserving well in advance.
3 months ago
Ryan Wilson
Save your money and buy the board game yourself, £6 per person to play games even though you order drinks and food.
And to top it all off they have the cheek to charge 10% service charge.... Absolute joke
4 months ago
AHLEXB
Great way to play board games with friends and try out new games without having to buy them first! The staff are always ready to help explain how to play games and the food is nice too
2 months ago
Zheco Nol
Really good concept and has a wide range of games. I will definitely be back with a group friends. It has a great vibe and the food and drinks menu is good too. I would suggest making a reservation as it gets booked up quickly.
3 months ago
Donna Hunter
I’ve been a few times now and have really enjoyed my visits to Draughts. There’s endless variety in the games library, friendly staff and also a great food & drinks menu! Especially keen on the Mac & Cheese...
8 months ago
KWECHSLER
I love it here! I take all my friends to this place it's so cool! I love how it's decorated, very modern as well as light and airy. Good spot for a date too!
3 weeks ago
Cultural Buds
Loads of boardgames to choose from, great burgers, tables are perfect for games with storage underneath and great service. You can also bring your own game which halves the price of the table.
2 months ago
predrag vucevski
The foods is great plus the choices of the game, I invited my friends to try it with their family and they love it and they’re looking forward to come again.
3 weeks ago
Maybellene Brederson
Great venue with lots of boardgames and surprisingly good burger and fast food menu. My burger was cooked perfectly medium. Wide drink selection but beer tends to be the more hoppy bubbly kind than easier to drink ales.
The boardgame selection is large and grouped my game type and rule complexity which is very handy. The tables have a lower shelf which is handy for storing game cards and other things off the table.
You will need to book in advance as it can get very busy some work nights. Also, book a downstairs table as upstairs is very loud and hot, super hot. Sweating playing boardgames haha. I also don't know why they play music as everyone in the venue is constantly talking explaining rules or actions to take so they really don't need to play music so loud or at all. Maybe turn it off or right down when the venue is busy.
Games are in great condition and it costs £5 per person for four hours (if I recall correctly).
Will be going again.
6 months ago
Shawn Hill
Looked good, but didn't get a chance to enjoy it as you have to book in advance. Even on a Monday.
2 months ago
Jimmy Parker
Had a great time here on Saturday. The game selection is great and we all really enjoyed the food on offer.
2 months ago
George C
What a great place! Really chilled out, good collection of games, nice menu (with vegan options) and a good selection of drinks. It costs £5 to sit and play, which I think is fair enough considering you could spend the day there, but the cost of drinks and food is pretty reasonable. The staff are very friendly and helpful too. Played Lords of Waterdeep and Rivals of Catan if anyone's interested.
3 months ago
Alessandra Baldari
Great food, good beer, good fun! Staff were super helpful and knowledgeable about the games and happy to help. Local beer on tap was great and selection of games was huuuge. Great evening all round
3 months ago
tk e
Brilliant place-booked a table, and staff were amazingly helpful when we requested an extra hour. They really went out of their way. Seriously great range of games, and great food!
4 months ago
mark peel
Very nice but gets very busy as its more central than its Hackney branch. Recommend booking before going.
2 months ago
Tiro Castro
Good fun and a good selection of games. Food is overpriced for the portion size, and it has an echo so it's difficult to hear each other over the noise
3 months ago
Vivian Nguyen
Poor service, food, drinks and decor but good selection of games
2 months ago
Lisa Chie
The selection of games is very good as there are lots of small games for two because we were in a bit of a rush trying to get to all the games cafes in London this day, but overall this was very disappointing. Very overpriced for what you get and the service charge?! The staff looked depressed and rushed off their feet and the manager was clearly drunk (rancid, boozy breath and red eyes) and made it clear he saw my husband as a pain (on crutches at the time we visited) because we didn't want to use the steps. The arches art is beautiful and but we wouldn't recommend. The walk along the river to get there was the best part, sadly.
3 months ago
Josh Harber
A great place for fun with friends! You definitely don't need to be super interested in board games- the staff are very helpful and will help you pick out the right game for you as well as explain how to play. The food options are good, and table service is very quick and friendly. The location is pretty hard to find - it's in the Vaults underpass but there's no sign so we walked right past originally. For a £5 fee each you get 4 hours of time playing, and hundreds of games to choose from which seems fair to me! We booked on Sunday night for Monday evening and got a reservation just fine. I highly recommend it for a great night chatting and playing new games with friends!
6 months ago
Helen Wharton
Great location, and a fantastic array of games. Staff are friendly and helpful. Food is pretty good, and despite the loud trains overhead the atmosphere is still great.
4 months ago
Patricia Z
Imagine the noise level of an average pub, now imagine trying to play a game that requires conversation. Unfortunately there is no acoustic dampening added to the brick arches of the railway underpass (very cool location!), and some guests were very loud. Also, I had trouble spotting the sign outside, but that may be the graffiti everywhere. Maybe get a giant chess pawn and leave it outside. Food was <3
3 months ago
George Marenna
Food was pretty good, the service was quite slow. Had difficulty flagging down our server but the host was absolutely delightful and helped out to take orders.
Not a big fan of the cocktail selections, didn't really enjoy the 'Dead of Winter' hot chocolate.
Pretty standard games were available to play, not a lot of two player options.
4 months ago
Shubhansh Gangwar
Had a really great time. Discovered how good Othello is! Helpful staff, relaxed atmosphere! Thanks guys. See you again!
6 months ago
Sanad Baligeri
A massive fan of draughts and always have been being a frequent visitor of the east London branch however of late. I have been offered bad service being charged for items not ordered but other than this - great visit.
3 weeks ago
Tim Cary
Big selection of board games, with staff that are more than happy to point you in the direction of a suitable game if you're not sure what to play. They also have a decent selection of drinks and light food to eat while you play, although they're definitely charging a premium. Tables are massive so don't worry if you're coming with a big group!
3 months ago
