About Us
Board in the City CIC (BitC) is a family run board game cafe that is also a Community Interest Company, which means that we are passionate about our community. We have even been nominated for an award for the work we do! In our first year, our focus was education, in our second year – assisted living for the older generation. This year, the focus is on mental well being and helping just about anybody! 
We care about creating an inclusive environment where anyone can come alone to either play a couple of games or join in with one of our many events, all while serving great food and drink.

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 may be required.

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

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

Visitor Information

Contact Details

     Opening Times

Monday: 16:00-23:00
Tuesday: CLOSED
Wednesday: 18:00-23:00
Thursday: 16:00-23:00
Friday: 16:00-23:00
Saturday: 12:00-21:00
Sunday: 12:00-21:00

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 law courts, 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. Also the building is well lit and normally a comfortable talking level, however this may be increased during big events. 

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

Frances Hayes
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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!
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