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Contact Details

Opening Times

Mon:     16:00-23:00
Tue:      CLOSED
Wed:    18:00-23:00
Thu:      16:00-23:00
Fri:         16:00-23:00
Sat:       12:00-21:00
Sun:      12:00-21:00

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How much will it cost?

Adult entry is £5 per person (14 years+).

Child entry is £3 per person (5-13 years) but must be accompanied by an adult.

Under 5’s are free.

Discounts

Groups of 10+ cost £3 per person when prebooked. A non-refundable deposit will be required to confirm your booking.

Harbour Lights/Picturehouse members get free regular entry (must show valid membership card on arrival), carers on duty are free with a paying guest and students pay £3 on Thursdays.

We also have a loyalty card which allows you to get a free entry, so remember to get a stamp whenever you visit!

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About Us

Welcome to Board in the City – A place where you’ll never be bored again!

Step into a world of imagination, laughter, and connection at Board in the City, your ultimate board game café experience! With over 1,000 games to choose from — from timeless classics to the latest crowd-pleasers — there’s something here for every strategist, storyteller, and dice-roller. Whether you’re a seasoned gamer or just looking for a fun family day out, we’ve got the perfect game waiting for you.

As a proud Community Interest Company (CIC), we’re more than just a café — we’re a passionate hub dedicated to bringing people together, supporting local initiatives, and creating a warm, welcoming space for all ages. Every latte
you sip and every game you play helps fuel community projects that make a real difference.

Bring your friends, bring your family, and bring your sense of adventure — Board in the City is where unforgettable memories are made. Every Game is a New Adventure… 

Hundreds of Games!

Over 1000 so far! From classics to modern designer games, you’re sure to find something you like. Simply grab a game and start playing, and if you’d like someone to teach you, our games masters are on hand.

Controllable Time Limit!

You can play for as long as your budget will allow. Unlike regular cafes and restaurants, we want you to stay for a long time, so there are NO add on extras for the time of your stay - so settle in and get comfortable. We have food and drink to help keep your adventures going.

Help the Community!

The vast majority of our efforts go back into the community so the cover charge helps with things like manpower, replenishing and expanding our games library, and hosting events.

On the whole-we do not charge for our work in the community.

Visitor Information

Entry requirments and cost

We take reservations, walk-ins, groups, and we are also kid-friendly. A reservation is recommended to guarantee a table. To keep our business sustainable, we apply our entrance fees at all times.

Children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult, so we are unable to take bookings for children only.

Private Hire Rooms

Along with our open areas, we have a dedicated room for large scale strategy, which is available to rent out for as long as you need.

We also have a dedicated, private function room to rent, kitted out with a large TV, dynamic LED lighting, and wall mounted speakers so your games can really come alive! Alongside this we can contact a DM for you to hire to run a DnD session.

The private function room and upper level of the café can also serve for group meetings of any nature. Prices vary based on player count and day (but will tend to be between £40-£90) so please contact us to find out more.

Parking

There is limited 2hr on street parking available in the general vicinity of the cafe. Restrictions apply 8am-6pm Mon-Sat. Please read the signs before you park! There are also public car parks a few minutes walk away for longer stays such as Ordnance Road, Kings Park Road, Compton Walk or Bevois Valley Road.

Public transport

We can also be accessed by bus. The U6C, U6H and the 20 running in both directions stop at Denzil Avenue, right in front of our door. The 1, 2, U1C, U1A, U2C, U2B also all stop at the law courts which is only a 5 minute walk away.

Accessibility

Our building is wheelchair accessible, with a disabled toilet and a ramp for the 1 step in the building. The building is well lit and normally a comfortable talking level, however this may be increased during larger events. 

We want to be as accessible as possible so if you have any questions please contact us for more information.

Frances Hayes
Stumbled across this place as our daughter was on a cubs trip nearby. We spent a happy 90mins playing card games. It was busy so I recommend booking a table. They have loads of games on offer for you to play and a basic food menu. You pay £5 per person to play the games/table hire, we also had 2 hot drinks and a waffle and the total was just under £20. We need one of these Bitterne way!
Tonks. Stray
A treasure of a place where everyone is welcome. Hayley goes above and beyond to make sure everyone is enjoying themselves. Alex is fantastic making sure you all the food and drink you need. My youngest daughter loves playing D&D there and Hayley has stretched mine and my eldest daughters board games skills with her vast knowledge of them.
Katie Welsh
Really friendly staff who are welcoming and helpful. The place is accepting of everyone and there's always something going on. Food is freshly cooked and tasty and there is wide range of hot and cold drinks available. A great way to spend the afternoon or evening playing board games. If you're new to games the staff have recommendations and will teach you too!
Matthew Stark
A huge selection of games! Staff are really friendly and do a fantastic job of engaging and explaining the games to groups.

Relaxed atmosphere where food and drink is an affordable price. Will definitely go back!
Harriet James
What a fun, welcoming place. The staff were all so friendly and made us feel very welcome. Loads of games to choose from and they teach you how to play so you don't have to read the instructions! Will definitely be going back.
Mike Race
What an amazing place, such a gem in the Southamptons crown.

My daughter went for a games session and I was amazed at the excellent setup for gamers and people with Adhd and Autism for example.

What a wonderful and inclusive place. Bravo.
Keith Buatti
An absolute blast! The staff were amazingly accommodating and helpful and the over all feeling of the place was great. There was a lot going on but we never felt it distracted us from what we were doing or took away from the atmosphere. On top of this the food was great and served up with an extra helping of good customer service. Definitely will go again when I’m in the area and recommend anyone else who’s even remotely interested in games to go in and check it out. Places like this need support!!
Emma Nichols
Wonderful place! Staff are totally wonderful, food is good but the best thing is the games. So many games! Ask for advice and you'll have games recommended. I've never been disappointed.
Jennifer Barnes-Nunn
Absolutely lovely place with excellent and friendly volunteers. Obviously the key attraction is the board and table top games but the food and drinks are very tasty. I'd particularly recommend trying something new from the drinks menu.
Radmila Zas
Great place to spend your weekend. Friendly stuff, lots of games to try. Tasty coffee. We are regulars here, as there is not much to do in Southampton if you don’t go to clubs or pubs and want some quality time with your partner! We love it and thank you for your efforts!

© Copyright 2023 Board in the City CIC

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