Quick answer: In Edinburgh you can play board games at Ancient Robot Games (board game café), Edinburgh Board Gamers (Meetup group), Potions and Rations (board game café) and Valour Games (board game café). The next confirmed date is Sat 14 Nov, 10 am (Edinburgh Board Gamers).
Edinburgh's got a busy scene. Edinburgh Board Gamers has been running since 2014 and plays every Friday night at the Grassmarket Community Project, with Saturday and Monday sessions too. For a café, Ancient Robot Games at the foot of Leith Walk has a big library, Valour Games is just round the corner, and Potions and Rations on Broughton Street mixes games with a full bar.
3 × Board game café1 × Meetup group
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A board game shop and café at the foot of Leith Walk with a big library you can play from when you book a table. It runs weekly and monthly events in the evenings, from board game nights to miniature painting, and has tournaments for card games like Compile coming up. Under-12s need a paying adult with them for table bookings.
Where
23 Leith Walk, Edinburgh, EH6 8LN
When
Sunday to Thursday 10:30am to 7pm, Friday and Saturday 10:30am until late. Events run from 7pm to about 10:30pm.
Cost
£4 per person for a 2-hour table booking, which includes the board game library. Weekly event tickets are £4.
Edinburgh's big board games Meetup group, running since 2014 and now over 5,500 members. The flagship night is Friday at the Grassmarket Community Project, with big tables, a games library on site and food and drinks from the café bar. There's a Saturday day of games at Drumbrae Library Hub and a Monday night for heavier strategy games too. Newcomers get a proper welcome and people form tables with whoever's free.
Where
Grassmarket Community Project and Coffee Saints, 86 Candlemaker Row, Edinburgh, EH1 2QA
When
Friday nights from 6:30pm at the Grassmarket Community Project, Saturdays 10am to 4:30pm at Drumbrae Library Hub, and Monday strategy nights from about 7pm at the Hampton by Hilton on Fountainbridge.
A tabletop gaming tavern on Broughton Street with its own board game library, food and a full bar. You can reserve a table for 2, 3 or 4 hours and play while you eat. The events calendar is mostly Magic: The Gathering, Dungeons & Dragons and hobby painting, plus a Crokinole club on the second Thursday of the month.
A roomy gaming venue in a lane just off Leith Walk, set up for Warhammer, Magic: The Gathering and board games. It has a curated library of board games, from quick fillers to longer strategy games and co-ops, and card and board game tables are booked per person for a long session. Access is from Montgomery Street, and the venue is wheelchair accessible.
Where
18 Brunswick Street Lane, Edinburgh, EH7 5JG
When
Thursday and Friday 6pm to 10pm. Weekends are for booked events.
Cost
£3.50 per person for a 3.5-hour session at a card or board game table
