What a fun place if you like board games! We didn’t have a reservation but they were able to accommodate us. Everyone was super friendly. The Goat & Fig sandwich and the Vegan roll were both delightful, it would have been awesome as a toastie. The spicy hot chocolate makes me wish I lived closer. The game library is setup by useful categories which made it easy to browse and make selection. They did have someone available to assist if you wanted guidance. Plus they have board games available to purchase.
Thomas
This review is for their online shopping, not for the physicial board game cafe which I've been in and while pricey, is not a bad place to hang out and play games.I ordered a sale item from them online at the beginning of December for pick up in their Bath store - well in time for Christmas. After receiving notification it was ready to collect, I thought I'd ring to double-check. I'm glad I did, as it turns out it had been sent to Oxford location instead.To the shop assistant's credit, he was obviously working under alot of pressure coming up to Christmas and tried to get the item to the correct location for pick up... and when that didn't work out tried hard to resolve the problem for me.Unfortunately, after coming off my ninth phone conversation with them (yep - nine) thinking that the item was going to be posted out to me and that everything was sorted, someone else in the company obviously decided it was easier to just go ahead and cancel my order. Great stuff.It was suggested I emailed head office about it, but I really had lost all will by then. I mean, generally you don't have to have nine phone conversations and then send an email to buy a product online... However turns out I was just annoyed enough to write a review.Anyway, to be constructive, it sounds to me that they might want to fix their supply/warehouse issues, otherwise their staff are wandering around trying to fix issues that they shouldn't have to.
Ekrem Malkoc
Worst kind of unfriendliness I experienced in Oxford. I had visited Thirsty Meeples with a friend but hadn’t had the time back then to sit and enjoy. Since then I kept telling my daughter about it and we were looking forward to the opportunity. Today, I took her there just to show the treasure of board games. The lady at the cashier desk asked if we need anything and I asked about a game my daughter likes. She said they didn’t have it. Then I asked if I could have a look at other games in the library and she said we have everything online and you can’t go in. I was just meaning to have a look and feel of the place for my daughter and it was not really that busy, there were several empty tables in addition to the reserves ones. This was very unkind and i hope it’s not a company policy to throw customers out.Kid-friendliness: I don’t think the person is interacted with today was friendly at all, to kids or otherwise.
Chris
The owner tries to extort money out of customers who dare leave to go outside in an attempt to make money deceptively because their food menu is so bad. This place has the worst service and attitude both from the business owner and manager. The owner attempts to hide behind terms and conditions written on a website to try charge double price and say ‘not my problem’ when you question it. This type of activity is fraudulent and should be reported to trading standards.
Craig Morley
Update 18 Nov:I received a reply from John, who was apologetic about the pre-order going awry. He sorted it out and it arrived today - around the expected timeframe. I appreciate John rectifying the situation and have updated my rating as a result. My point on the female shop assistant still stands. Unfortunately.---21 Oct: Long time loyal customer as TM is my local game store. Their customer service has taken a massive dive. I placed a pre-order in Feb due to be fulfilled around now. Log on the website and it's showing as cancelled in March but not refunded. I'd had no comms from them at all. Emailed several times and no responses. Called today and a very rude lady in the shop answered and was incredibly dismissive, she asked for my order number simply saying she'd "pass it on". I'm none the wiser where my game is or if I'm not going to get the game, where my £120 is. This is an appalling way to treat any customer let alone a longstanding loyal one.
Matt Bell
Incredibly disappointing. Our friends had raved about this place but even they left disappointed. Games were missing pieces, we were neglected often as staff preferred to look grumpy behind the till, one staff member in a white tee and hat was particularly rude to my friend on several occasions. We will not be returning.
Sofia
They have so many board games!! Apparantly it's around 2,700, according to their website. The staff were so helpful and friendly and upon their recommendations we pulled out a few board games I'd never heard of. Including Boop, which featured cute(!!) cats booping each other around a bed, and Onitama, which is similar to chess but more fun and fast paced.The food is also good and they have a great selection of drinks!
Max Wong
Walked in with a toddler kindly offering to buy something to use the bathroom. Within two sentences the waitress accused our young family of being criminal suspects trying to steal their boardgames. I have never been called a criminal suspect in my life.It is interesting to read reviews that are NOT by local guides who are subsidised to leave good reviews: these genuine reviews are also, like this, one-star reviews, many of which are about the attitude of the staff.I know this is not a good area of Oxford but accusing parents of a toddler of criminality just to deter us from the privilege of using a bathroom as customers is just too much. Something has got in the head of these people fabricating suspicions on people they like to pre-judge. I am sure they are not actually bad people, but this is very sad.
Catherine Siddle
Went here today, unfortunately ordered an expensive smoothie which the waiter spilled on my bag, coat and jeans. Although he was very apologetic, he did not offer to make the smoothie again for me or offer any sort of discount, and another waitress at the till laughed when I mentioned the incident. Also, we were told that bringing another chair to a table would be a health and safety hazard.
FULLER 935
Very rude staff. They got angry for talking to loudly when we were playing a vocal game. The owner was swearing at us and being rude when we were a group of 10 paying the most out of everyone there for a birthday celebration. We wanted to go again until all of this happened.Make sure you are silent if you go there ?
I've been here several times now and I've never had anyone especially friendly serving. That hasn't been so much of an issue because the board game selection is excellent and the beer is fine, though it would be nice to feel welcomed and have a pleasant exchange with staff.In my last visit, the lack of customer service did, however, leave a very unpleasant taste. We were handed our bill as soon as the 3 hours was up in a ceremonious way and basically made to feel like we should get out. This is despite having bought drinks and having been polite and respectful.I understand having a time limit on busy days but this was a Tuesday night and many of the tables were unused. We also weren't stopping them from closing.Previously there has been a more pragmatic approach to timing given that there were no queues to use the tables and we were still spending money. However, on this occasion it left us feeling uncomfortable even though the manager did agree to let us finish our game and our pints, though not in a kindly way.Needless to say we finished up and paid quick sharp but left feeling our date night had been tarnished.The other issue that we've experienced here is lack of table space. If we were wanting to play a medium weight euro as a group of 4, the majority of tables could not accommodate that. I had asked for a larger table for the two of us so that we could play such a game with enough space which was duly given and which we appreciated. However, it was commented on by the manager in a not at all understanding way which left me feeling a nuisance.Additionally, there is a fundamental issue with the 3 hour limit when considering the weight of the games in their library. If enforcing the limit, then many games would need you to pay for 6 hours in order to complete them at larger player counts. For 4 people this would be £48 so really you might as well buy the game and then try and sell it on.I desperately want to support local business, especially a board game cafe/shop, but overall, given the cumulative experiences here, and particularly this last one, I'd rather shop elsewhere and play games at home.
Vicky Johnston
Fantastic place to visit for a huge selection of board games. So much fun. Felt a little pricey, and I had to pay for my 3 year old, but she had enjoyed some of the board games too. Well worth a visit with friends or family.
Sijia Feng
The service here is really bad.1. I don’t understand why the jasmine tea is sour, very sour. tastes like lemon. This is the first time that i found out that jasmine didn’t have jasmine smells but lemon.2. there is obviously not many people inside, i think only another group of two people?? but that lady’s attitude was really bad. she said “only one order, but three use bathroom?” I don’t understand why she mentioned that it KEEPS ME AND MY Friends MAD. so one of my friends were just waiting, and me having period cramp. I don’t understand why only me and my another friend using bathroom is a problem.3. Hope she will be educated in oxford and learn how to be a good server.
Jonathan Lloyd
Nice concept but one of the staff there was really hostile! We asked some basic questions with the intention of booking and coming back later. Her responses were distinctly odd and we left pretty sharp. Avoid!
Rani I
Most favourite board game cafe I've visited. Staff are fantastic. It was such a hot day, and the drink I wanted only came in the "hot drinks" section of the menu but the server told me he can make an ice version for me. Tasty tasty drinks, the staff took the time to explain thr games, and picked out some great games for us. Would go again!
What a fun place if you like board games! We didn’t have a reservation but they were able to accommodate us. Everyone was super friendly. The Goat & Fig sandwich and the Vegan roll were both delightful, it would have been awesome as a toastie. The spicy hot chocolate makes me wish I lived closer. The game library is setup by useful categories which made it easy to browse and make selection. They did have someone available to assist if you wanted guidance. Plus they have board games available to purchase.
This review is for their online shopping, not for the physicial board game cafe which I've been in and while pricey, is not a bad place to hang out and play games.I ordered a sale item from them online at the beginning of December for pick up in their Bath store - well in time for Christmas. After receiving notification it was ready to collect, I thought I'd ring to double-check. I'm glad I did, as it turns out it had been sent to Oxford location instead.To the shop assistant's credit, he was obviously working under alot of pressure coming up to Christmas and tried to get the item to the correct location for pick up... and when that didn't work out tried hard to resolve the problem for me.Unfortunately, after coming off my ninth phone conversation with them (yep - nine) thinking that the item was going to be posted out to me and that everything was sorted, someone else in the company obviously decided it was easier to just go ahead and cancel my order. Great stuff.It was suggested I emailed head office about it, but I really had lost all will by then. I mean, generally you don't have to have nine phone conversations and then send an email to buy a product online... However turns out I was just annoyed enough to write a review.Anyway, to be constructive, it sounds to me that they might want to fix their supply/warehouse issues, otherwise their staff are wandering around trying to fix issues that they shouldn't have to.
Worst kind of unfriendliness I experienced in Oxford. I had visited Thirsty Meeples with a friend but hadn’t had the time back then to sit and enjoy. Since then I kept telling my daughter about it and we were looking forward to the opportunity. Today, I took her there just to show the treasure of board games. The lady at the cashier desk asked if we need anything and I asked about a game my daughter likes. She said they didn’t have it. Then I asked if I could have a look at other games in the library and she said we have everything online and you can’t go in. I was just meaning to have a look and feel of the place for my daughter and it was not really that busy, there were several empty tables in addition to the reserves ones. This was very unkind and i hope it’s not a company policy to throw customers out.Kid-friendliness: I don’t think the person is interacted with today was friendly at all, to kids or otherwise.
The owner tries to extort money out of customers who dare leave to go outside in an attempt to make money deceptively because their food menu is so bad. This place has the worst service and attitude both from the business owner and manager. The owner attempts to hide behind terms and conditions written on a website to try charge double price and say ‘not my problem’ when you question it. This type of activity is fraudulent and should be reported to trading standards.
Update 18 Nov:I received a reply from John, who was apologetic about the pre-order going awry. He sorted it out and it arrived today - around the expected timeframe. I appreciate John rectifying the situation and have updated my rating as a result. My point on the female shop assistant still stands. Unfortunately.---21 Oct: Long time loyal customer as TM is my local game store. Their customer service has taken a massive dive. I placed a pre-order in Feb due to be fulfilled around now. Log on the website and it's showing as cancelled in March but not refunded. I'd had no comms from them at all. Emailed several times and no responses. Called today and a very rude lady in the shop answered and was incredibly dismissive, she asked for my order number simply saying she'd "pass it on". I'm none the wiser where my game is or if I'm not going to get the game, where my £120 is. This is an appalling way to treat any customer let alone a longstanding loyal one.
Incredibly disappointing. Our friends had raved about this place but even they left disappointed. Games were missing pieces, we were neglected often as staff preferred to look grumpy behind the till, one staff member in a white tee and hat was particularly rude to my friend on several occasions. We will not be returning.
They have so many board games!! Apparantly it's around 2,700, according to their website. The staff were so helpful and friendly and upon their recommendations we pulled out a few board games I'd never heard of. Including Boop, which featured cute(!!) cats booping each other around a bed, and Onitama, which is similar to chess but more fun and fast paced.The food is also good and they have a great selection of drinks!
Walked in with a toddler kindly offering to buy something to use the bathroom. Within two sentences the waitress accused our young family of being criminal suspects trying to steal their boardgames. I have never been called a criminal suspect in my life.It is interesting to read reviews that are NOT by local guides who are subsidised to leave good reviews: these genuine reviews are also, like this, one-star reviews, many of which are about the attitude of the staff.I know this is not a good area of Oxford but accusing parents of a toddler of criminality just to deter us from the privilege of using a bathroom as customers is just too much. Something has got in the head of these people fabricating suspicions on people they like to pre-judge. I am sure they are not actually bad people, but this is very sad.
Went here today, unfortunately ordered an expensive smoothie which the waiter spilled on my bag, coat and jeans. Although he was very apologetic, he did not offer to make the smoothie again for me or offer any sort of discount, and another waitress at the till laughed when I mentioned the incident. Also, we were told that bringing another chair to a table would be a health and safety hazard.
Very rude staff. They got angry for talking to loudly when we were playing a vocal game. The owner was swearing at us and being rude when we were a group of 10 paying the most out of everyone there for a birthday celebration. We wanted to go again until all of this happened.Make sure you are silent if you go there ?
Restaurantji Recommends
I've been here several times now and I've never had anyone especially friendly serving. That hasn't been so much of an issue because the board game selection is excellent and the beer is fine, though it would be nice to feel welcomed and have a pleasant exchange with staff.In my last visit, the lack of customer service did, however, leave a very unpleasant taste. We were handed our bill as soon as the 3 hours was up in a ceremonious way and basically made to feel like we should get out. This is despite having bought drinks and having been polite and respectful.I understand having a time limit on busy days but this was a Tuesday night and many of the tables were unused. We also weren't stopping them from closing.Previously there has been a more pragmatic approach to timing given that there were no queues to use the tables and we were still spending money. However, on this occasion it left us feeling uncomfortable even though the manager did agree to let us finish our game and our pints, though not in a kindly way.Needless to say we finished up and paid quick sharp but left feeling our date night had been tarnished.The other issue that we've experienced here is lack of table space. If we were wanting to play a medium weight euro as a group of 4, the majority of tables could not accommodate that. I had asked for a larger table for the two of us so that we could play such a game with enough space which was duly given and which we appreciated. However, it was commented on by the manager in a not at all understanding way which left me feeling a nuisance.Additionally, there is a fundamental issue with the 3 hour limit when considering the weight of the games in their library. If enforcing the limit, then many games would need you to pay for 6 hours in order to complete them at larger player counts. For 4 people this would be £48 so really you might as well buy the game and then try and sell it on.I desperately want to support local business, especially a board game cafe/shop, but overall, given the cumulative experiences here, and particularly this last one, I'd rather shop elsewhere and play games at home.
Fantastic place to visit for a huge selection of board games. So much fun. Felt a little pricey, and I had to pay for my 3 year old, but she had enjoyed some of the board games too. Well worth a visit with friends or family.
The service here is really bad.1. I don’t understand why the jasmine tea is sour, very sour. tastes like lemon. This is the first time that i found out that jasmine didn’t have jasmine smells but lemon.2. there is obviously not many people inside, i think only another group of two people?? but that lady’s attitude was really bad. she said “only one order, but three use bathroom?” I don’t understand why she mentioned that it KEEPS ME AND MY Friends MAD. so one of my friends were just waiting, and me having period cramp. I don’t understand why only me and my another friend using bathroom is a problem.3. Hope she will be educated in oxford and learn how to be a good server.
Nice concept but one of the staff there was really hostile! We asked some basic questions with the intention of booking and coming back later. Her responses were distinctly odd and we left pretty sharp. Avoid!
Most favourite board game cafe I've visited. Staff are fantastic. It was such a hot day, and the drink I wanted only came in the "hot drinks" section of the menu but the server told me he can make an ice version for me. Tasty tasty drinks, the staff took the time to explain thr games, and picked out some great games for us. Would go again!