Emerald Tavern Games & Cafe

When our merry band of travelers embarked upon our journey through the capital of Texas, we happened upon a mysterious tavern. Nestled between an overpass and a menagerie of exotic beasts, The Emerald Tavern beckoned us toward promises of adventure and respite. Upon arrival, we paused to admire the spaceship of a well-loved alien creature, disguised as a call box. We made acknowledgements and stepped into the tavern. We were met with an unfathomable array of magicks- a wall of beautifully colored stones and games designed to preordain one's fate. Throughout the adventure, we were met with surprises at every corner: a collection of incantations for the mastery of dungeons, lands, and universes; an emporium of boxes each containing their own adventure; a wondrous array of magickal colors and figures with which one might speak life into existence; and in one far corner, a hidden portal through the Warp to a future universe of chaos and grimdark known as Warhammer. The Tavern sits invitingly at the apex, overseen by an ancient dragon whose loyal subjects serve its guests and wandering folk. Our sprightly barkeep gave excellent recommendations for the pub fare and amazing variety of drinks, each with an adventure unto itself. We chose a Ranger and mead for our barbarian, a matcha latte for the druid, and pretzel to snack on for the red-haired dwarf (who then progressed to digging a hole and quested to snatch a beloved friend from the dragon's jaws). The halfling of our party chose to assist our alien friend, The Doctor, in eliminating a common enemy. The Adipose met its fate in a mug of steamed milk and molten chocolate, which was promptly devoured by the young creature. Upon our departure, we also defeated the mimic that had been plaguing the staff, which we would possibly recommend doing before one chooses a drink. All in all, this was a noteworthy undertaking which we would recommend to anyone up for a good time. Hope you enjoyed this review; May it be a light to you in dark places, when all other lights go out. ❤️

10/10 reserved a booth one day for a few hours, went with friends, ordered BLTs with British back bacon, ginger ales and loads of fried potatoes and played dnd until we had to leave. A luxury location for board game geeks and TTRPG players. (They've also got the best mocktails I've ever had) The food is truly incredible and the service is spectacular, but you are paying for said incredible food - it's not cheap. (But it's not expensive either)

This place is such a hidden Austin gem, we can’t believe we stumbled upon it by accident. Emerald Tavern is a board game and card game focused tavern and cafe serving up delicious bites in between unlimited play for just $10 (day pass; you can select your board games at the front). The deal itself is good enough but this place is just awesome. Our waiter was fantastic, funny and informative; the staff clearly cares deeply about what they do, and the concept is just so cool. We came early on a Sunday and the place was packed by the time we left it, which the waiter warned it would be. The hot chocolate and matcha drink we had were great and had we not eaten before we got there we would’ve dove straight into their pretty extensive menu. The whole place is just fun and cool and exemplifies the adage of “Keep Austin Weird”, which we love. There were people of all ages there playing games from Catan to Chameleon to Monopoly, there’s something for everyone. They also have an extensive card and figurine collection so if you’re into collecting things this may be a spot to search for some worthwhile stuff. If you like board games, D&D, or anything alike then you HAVE to give this place a try, it’s just a fantastic spot.

This is a fantastic, low key, and chill place to play board and card games! You can either bring your own or borrow from their game library. $5 for 1 game or $10 for unlimited games. If you get hungry while playing they have a menu filled with pub food that is delicious. The bar has tons of options, from coffees and teas, to local and non local craft beers. The cocktails are also fantastic and their rotating seasonal menu is always fun to order from. My wife and I regularly spend 2-4hrs there a week. We LOVE it there and highly recommend it!

I really do love this place, our server seemed new and didnt keep up with our table well, but the next people sid great. The atmosphere is always wonderful, though if the ac was more powerful I think it would be good because it gets busy and hot but I love the design of the place and I love the music playing in the background. The food ranges from very good to sort of bland and overpriced, but the drinks are top notch and the ability to rent a table is really nice for a communal place to play games without having to figure out also where to eat. Reserving a table is your best bet, but sometimes there are tables on the bar side ans the bar is always an option.