The Treehouse began as an idea over a bottle of wine, as so many of the best things do! It was 2026, and myself and my other half Andy were fed up in our 9-5 office jobs and daydreaming of starting a business. Board games had recently been taking over our lives, so it made sense that they were involved in our imaginings. I thought I’d invented the concept of a board game café at first, but Andy knew of some that existed already. That got us wondering why Sheffield didn’t have one, and several months of research and spreadsheets later, we’d talked ourselves into being the ones to try and change that!
We were determined to create a space that would appeal to non-gamers as well as those already invested in the hobby. We wanted to tap into Sheffield’s thriving independent food and drink scene, and be somewhere that people would want to visit as a quality hospitality venue as well as a place to play. These days we have a wonderfully varied and diverse customer base, and many of those who visit have no experience of modern board games before they come, so hopefully it has worked!
Nine years after opening, the number of games in our library has topped out at around 850, but we’re constantly adding new titles and swapping out old ones, with somewhere in the region of 50-100 new games being added each year, as well as worn out copies of old favourites being replaced. Some of our most played categories are light party games like Wavelength and Hues & Cues, and accessible two-player games like Quarto and Odin’s Ravens, but we have everything from old-school classics like Monopoly and Cluedo to modern heavyweight titles like Brass Birmingham and Ark Nova.
This offers visitors with a potentially overwhelming level of choice, but luckily there’s plenty of help on hand! As well as having friendly staff around to help people navigate our collection, we offer a games taster menu full of suggestions for newer players, as well as a recommendations app that provides suggestions based on player count, duration and difficulty. We even offer a Gamer’s Academy stamp card system for those who want to expand their board gaming horizons and challenge themselves to play heavier titles while earning rewards along the way!
As well as our games library, we run a host of regular events, including Blood on the Clocktower nights for all experience levels, roleplaying sessions, social gaming events including a monthly LBGT+ night, and a playtesting night for those with new games in development to test them out on willing guinea pigs. It’s been amazing to see a vibrant community grow up around the café, with countless friendships formed and relationships kindled.
On the food and drinks front, we serve everything from craft beer to barista-style coffee to milkshakes to board game themed cocktails behind our bar, alongside a full food menu focused around homemade and locally-sourced items. We’d recommend a grilled cheese sandwich on proper sourdough with a mug of homemade soup, washed down with a pint of something local on draught, perhaps with a chocolate brownie and a Spyfall (our take on a Negroni) to finish.
With approaching a decade of experience under our belts, we pride ourselves on offering a smooth and welcoming experience that removes as many barriers as possible from the process of getting stuck into the right game. Modern board gaming has so many wonders to offer these days, but there’s never been such a daunting array of options, which can present a formidable hurdle to newcomers. We’re here help people overcome it, while making the entire experience as enjoyable and stress-free as possible.
