The Board and Brew
8150 Baltimore Ave, College Park, MD
Crema's Take
“The Board and Brew is a cozy game-focused cafe where you can linger for hours with friends over thoughtfully made in-house food and creative specialty drinks like the Davy Jones' Locker—just grab a board game (for $6 per person) and settle into one of their inviting couches. The staff clearly takes pride in hospitality, and while the food quality can be hit-or-miss, standouts like the fresh Pesto Chicken sandwich and signature drinks keep regulars coming back for dates, study sessions, or group hangouts. It's the kind of place that understands College Park students want more than just caffeine: they want an experience and a reason to stay.”
What to expect
Google Reviews
Good place for a first date. There are many different board games available for a fee/person to play. The crowd were mostly couples between 18-25, although they do have nice sofas for bigger groups albeit not an ideal setup for eating. We had to wait a while at the door to be greeted and a lined formed behind us. The hostess took the people behind us and only helped us when someone told her we were there first. Service once we sat down was good. She was attentive and seemed nice. Food was subpar but it seemed they were trying something new tonight(?). Beer selection was good. On the evening we went, they were offering a “blind board game date” option - not sure if that is the right name... They gave us a few “profiles” of a few games and once you chose the one, they would bring the board game to your table. I thought it was an exceptionally cute concept and alleviated a lot of the stress of picking a new-to-you game from their sizable collection. We tried three games and all were in great condition.
The place has the atmosphere with the couches and the board games. The food on the other hand was terrible. We came for Valentine’s Day and got the valentines price fix. The two appetizers included a stuffed onion with rice and lamb and a savory Dutch baby. The onions came out room temp and were incredibly dry. It seemed like it was precooked and sat in the heat window or was microwaved. The Dutch baby wasn’t my favorite but it was one of the better portions of this meal. For entrees we had the lobster pasta and some chicken fried oyster sandwich like dish with slaw. The chicken was crazy dry. Like god awful and the pasta was maybe the worst pasta I’ve had in my life. The matcha cheesecake at the end was great. Service was lackluster too. The host or manager asked about our entrees as we had stopped eating them. I think she was hurt when my wife told her the food wasn’t very good but we were being totally honest. The vibes and the concept for the place are dope. The food was a bit overpriced and the quality didn’t live up to what we expected. Terribly disappointed.
Very cute litter gaming restaurant/cafe! The food was pretty good, it is all made in house which is lovely. You do have to pay $6 a person to play games, but then you can play anything you want. The food is also a bit overpriced, so it is a pricier excursion but nothing crazy. They do not like it if you bring outside food/drink! The nice part is you can stay as long as you want and play all the games you want. We stayed for hours playing many different games. There's lots of indoor seating, and a very extensive drink menu!
Jess was phenomenal! Hella humble & helpful! Great food! Great service! Great atmosphere! Ask for Gemma, she was my server. I recommend the Davy Jones' Locker & the Bnb wings! Super chill, very knowledgeable about the history of the store & the menu as well. Can't wait to return w/ family & friends & spank ALL of them in STONE AGE lol😤
The Pesto Chicken sandwich was absolutely amazing. I enjoyed how fresh it tasted along with how everything blended in together well. I also really enjoyed the Caffe Miele. Our waiter was kind and professional. I enjoyed how lively and welcoming this place was. The only thing I found disappointing is how expensive it is to play their board games they had. Other than that I would definitely come back.