Board Game Cafes and Pub Quizzes in London: Fees, Booking and How They Work

Why a game or a quiz can work for an early date

A board game or a quiz gives two people something to look at other than each other. The conversation has a shared object, silences are filled by the next turn or the next question, and you learn a little about how someone handles losing, reading rules or being wrong in public.

The two formats differ. A board game cafe is a booked table, usually for a set length of time, and the two of you can choose a short game or a long one. A pub quiz is a fixed event with a start time, a host and other teams in the room, and it runs at the host's pace. A quiz with two people is possible, but you may be up against tables of six.

If one of you does not drink, both work: a game cafe serves food and soft drinks, and a quiz only needs a seat at a table. The prizes at most quizzes below are bar tabs, which is worth knowing if neither of you drinks.

How board game cafes charge

Wikipedia describes the usual model: visitors pay an entry fee or rent a table to use a large game library, and staff explain how to play. The same article dates the format to South Korea, where Seoul had around 130 such cafes by 2004, and says the UK's first, Thirsty Meeples, opened in Oxford in July 2013. Thirsty Meeples is in Oxford, not London.

Wikipedia also says Draughts opened in 2014 as London's first board game cafe, and notes an older £5 entry fee for four hours. That figure is out of date: Draughts' own FAQ now lists different prices and a three-hour limit, set out in the next section. When an encyclopedia and a venue disagree on a price, use the venue.

Draughts: Waterloo and Stratford

Draughts runs two venues. The Waterloo site is under a railway arch at Arch 16, Leake Street, SE1 7NN. The Stratford site is at 5 Aquatics Walk in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, E20 2AS. Its homepage says that reserving and paying gives unlimited access to a library of over 1,000 games.

The FAQ calls its cover fee gaming admission. Off-peak is midweek from opening until 4pm at £7.95 per person. Peak is midweek evenings from 4pm, and all day on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays, at £9.95. Admission is limited to up to three hours, subject to availability. Children under 12 play free. The page describes 13 to 17 year olds as half price but also lists £4 off-peak and £5 peak, which do not quite match, so ask if it matters.

Reservations go through the Draughts booking page. For groups of 15 or more, the FAQ asks you to email a venue or use an enquiry form, and says a deposit or payment may be needed for a large booking. Food is served until 10pm seven days a week, according to the FAQ. Opening hours are not stated on the pages read for this guide, so check the booking page for slots.

The homepage lists a Board Game Meetup every other Monday at both venues and advises booking because spots fill up. It also mentions a bottomless drinks bundle with 90 minutes of drinks and a burger, but gives no price on the page read. Draughts' homepage does not mention quiz nights.

• Draughts WaterlooBoard game cafe

  Waterloo

  Arch 16, Leake Street, SE1 7NN. Gaming admission £7.95 off-peak, £9.95 peak, up to three hours, per the venue's FAQ.

• Draughts StratfordBoard game cafe

  Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park

  5 Aquatics Walk, E20 2AS. Same gaming admission as Waterloo; fortnightly Monday meetup listed on the homepage.

Other games venues we could not verify

This guide set out to cover more London game cafes and games bars, including Loading, a games bar that started in Dalston. Its website, and the sites of several other London cafes, did not resolve or no longer belonged to the venue when we tried them on 14 October 2026. One former cafe domain now redirects to an unrelated site.

We have left those venues out rather than repeat prices or hours we could not confirm from the venue itself. A dead website does not mean a venue has closed; it may have moved to social media or a booking platform. If a games venue near you matters, look for a current booking page and confirm the fee and time limit there before you go.

How a pub quiz works

Wikipedia gives the outline. Players form their own teams and sit together; pubs often cap teams at around six to ten. A quizmaster reads or hands out the questions and usually marks them. A quiz typically has one to six rounds, often general knowledge, music, pictures and puzzles, and each team writes a team name on every answer sheet.

Many quizzes charge a small entry fee per person, which often goes into the prize pot; others are free because the pub makes its money at the bar. Prizes are usually drinks, a bar tab or cash, mostly for the winning team. The same article dates the first printed mentions of the pub quiz to 1959 and says organised leagues began in southern England in 1976.

For a date, the practical points are the start time, whether you need to book a table, the entry fee and whether it is cash only, and whether a team of two will feel outnumbered. The listings below answer some of those, not all.

Five Tuesday quizzes and what their listings say

Every quiz in this section is listed on DesignMyNight, a London booking and listings site. The pubs' own websites could not be reached when we checked, so the details below are as the listings state them on 14 October 2026. Quiz formats and fees change, and one listing shows its last date as already past, so confirm before travelling.

The Old Crown, 692 High Road, Leytonstone, E11 3AA, lists a quiz every Tuesday at 7.30pm. Entry is £2 per person in cash, with card payments carrying an admin fee, and teams of up to six. The listing asks you to book a table and give your numbers. Prizes listed are a £40 bar tab for first and a bottle of wine for runners-up.

The Leyton Star, 116 High Road, Leyton, E15 2BX, lists a Tuesday quiz from 7pm to 10pm at £3 per person, with a £50 bar tab for the winners. The listing does not state a team size and suggests booking a table.

The Great Exhibition, 193 Crystal Palace Road, East Dulwich, SE22 9EP, lists a Tuesday quiz with an 8pm start, entry of £3.03 per person and a maximum of six per team. First prize is listed as a £50 bar tab and second as a bottle of wine, and the listing advises booking early.

The Great North Wood, 3 Knight's Hill, West Norwood, SE27 0HS, lists every Tuesday from 8pm to 10.30pm at £2 per person. The winners get a £50 bar tab, and the listing says losing teams get free entry the following week. No team size is given.

The Gun, 27 Coldharbour, Docklands, E14 9NS, lists a Tuesday quiz at 7pm at £2.50 per person, with a £50 bar tab for first. Its listing page says the event has taken place, so it may not be current. Check with the pub.

• The Old CrownPub quiz

  Leytonstone

  Tuesdays 7.30pm, £2 per person cash, teams up to six, per its listing.

• The Leyton StarPub quiz

  Leyton · Nearest: Leyton

  Tuesdays 7pm to 10pm, £3 per person, per its listing.

• The Great ExhibitionPub quiz

  East Dulwich · Nearest: East Dulwich

  Tuesdays 8pm, £3.03 per person, six per team maximum, per its listing.

• The Great North WoodPub quiz

  West Norwood · Nearest: West Norwood

  Tuesdays 8pm to 10.30pm, £2 per person, per its listing.

Choosing between a cafe and a quiz

On cost, the quizzes listed are cheaper to enter, at £2 to £3.03 each, but you are likely to buy drinks over two or three hours. Draughts costs £7.95 or £9.95 each before food and drink, for up to three hours of games.

On pace, a cafe lets you stop, switch games or leave when you like within your slot. A quiz runs to the host's schedule, usually on a single evening a week, and the listings above all fall on Tuesdays.

On noise and company, a quiz puts you in a room of competing teams with a microphone. A cafe table is your own, though Draughts' Waterloo venue sits in a railway arch. If one of you is quieter or newer to London, a cafe table is the gentler option, but that depends on the people.

Before you go

• Book. Draughts asks you to reserve and pre-pay, and most of the quiz listings suggest reserving a table.
• Check the time band at Draughts: weekday arrivals after 4pm and all weekend count as peak.
• Carry some cash for quizzes. The Old Crown's listing asks for cash and adds an admin fee for cards.
• Confirm the quiz is still running that week, especially at The Gun, whose listing shows as past.
• If you are under 18 or bringing someone who is, note Draughts' 9pm cut-off.

Questions people ask

How much does Draughts charge?

Its FAQ lists gaming admission at £7.95 per person off-peak (midweek until 4pm) and £9.95 at peak (midweek from 4pm, weekends and bank holidays), for up to three hours, subject to availability. Children under 12 play free. Food and drink are extra.

Can two people enter a pub quiz?

Generally yes. The listings in this guide give maximum team sizes, where they give one, not minimums. Two of the quizzes cap teams at six, so a pair will likely face larger tables. Check with the pub if unsure.

Do pub quizzes cost money?

Many do. The five Tuesday quizzes here list £2 to £3.03 per person. Wikipedia notes that some quizzes are free because the pub earns from food and drink, and that entry fees often fund the prize.

Was Draughts London's first board game cafe?

Wikipedia says Draughts opened in 2014 as London's first board game cafe. It credits Thirsty Meeples in Oxford, opened in July 2013, as the UK's first.