Who We Are
We are d20 Board Game Cafe! Hertfordshire’s first (and best 😉) board game café.
We offer a bespoke gaming space, a tailored menu of hot food and a huge range of hot, soft and alcoholic drinks as well as providing a stacked calendar of community and gaming events.
We're based on Queen’s Road in the centre of Watford town, we are a short walk from the stations and easily accessible by bus and car, we’re open every day from midday until 10:30pm for your next marathon gaming sesh!
Our Space
We pride ourselves on our inclusive ethos and community focused attitude – we run a weekly gaming social where anyone can come without a group to play with like-minded board gamers, as well as events for the LGBTQIA+ community, a monthly Vegan meet-up, parent baby meet-up and more! We also have a large gaming space with 17 custom tables and provide play materials like playmats, dice, pens and pencils etc. We offer a wallet-safe menu and run concessions for students and blue light card holders, as well as a membership and loyalty program to keep gaming affordable for everyone.
The Games
We have a bit of everything! We are always on the look out for the best “café” games, that’s games that are quick to learn, good for groups and aren’t too fiddly. Flip 7, Magic Maze and Tsuro are some of our go-tos. There truly is something for everyone, however, our back room especially is chock full of hidden gems and crunchy strategy delights, we have a well stocked kids and family section and an ever evolving 2-player section for those couples on date night.
We have somewhere between 800 and 900 games, we try to keep up with new popular games and due to limited space that does mean cycling out some of our older, more beaten-up titles.
Our Favourites
We are always cycling through favourites, we have a recommendation wall, at the moment games on the wall include Battle-Flips, a sort of head-to-head hangman, Qork - a reactions based dice game with a super tactile pick-up and play quality and Moon Colony Bloodbath, a shared-deck deck-builder where players battle against a torrent of fairly random chaos!
Events
Card games take up the lion-share of the calendar, we run weekly events for Magic: the Gathering, Pokémon, Riftbound, Keyforge, Yu-Gi-Oh, Lorcana and One Piece. We run larger, competitive events for those games when they come up as well as learn-to-plays and charity tournaments on occasion. Other events include twice monthly Dungeons and Dragons one-shots, Click-Clack club (an inclusive craft night) and our monthly “headliner” event which is normally a quiz, but is sometimes a party or bingo night!
On The Menu
We like to think of coming to d20 as a big treat, so our menu is full to bursting with treats of all kinds. From big beef and chicken burgers, all of which come with a side, to lavish milkshakes all topped with cream and themed toppings, not forgetting our dessert menu with cookie dough puddings and warm chocolate cake. We have a dedicated Vegan/Veggie menu with a wide range of options and try to account for every diet with loads of gluten-free options as well. We make barista style hot drinks and shake our own cocktails as well as serving a range of local beers and ciders.
We have rolling monthly specials, this month it’s an Irish Spice Bag inspired Rice bowl that includes chargrilled chicken and smoky onions and peppers. To drink there’s a chocolate chai shake, a Biscoff iced latte and a Raspberry & Hibiscus spritz. Finish it all off with a yummy Lemon and Blueberry cake!
The Experience
Our wonderful and dedicated staff team welcome each guest and make sure they know what to expect on the door. We are more than happy to recommend games and teach the ones we know. We’ll come over to the table to take orders and check in periodically or pop up to the bar to order and ask questions. We pride ourselves on running official organised play programs for as many games as we can so if you come to one of our events it’ll be run with the upmost professionalism to ensure everyone has the best time.
What Sets Us Apart:
Board game cafes are still few and far between so we’re confident in saying we’re the best place to play tabletop games in Watford and surrounding areas but we set ourselves apart by being inclusive-first. We try and price things to be conscious of every budget, we have a zero-tolerance policy on intolerance and we go out of our way to highlight alternative lifestyles and interests and accommodate every ability, diet or orientation.
Our Customer Reviews:
Raphael Seccombe (2 weeks ago) I've been coming here weekly for 6+ weeks to play games with friends. The atmosphere is warm and inviting. There are plenty of games to choose from and comfortable tables and cosy corners to play them at. The food served is delicious. The best part about d20 is the people who work there. They are ceaselessly friendly and welcoming. They know almost all their customers by name. I look forward to coming here each week and I highly recommend this shop to everyone!
Nicki Appleby (a month ago) Not normally my kind of thing, but have been here twice now with my daughter and 10 year old Granddaughter and thoroughly enjoyed myself. I have never seen so many board games, and most I had never heard of. You pay by the hour, and it is so cheap, you could stay all day and it still wouldn't break the bank. They serve hot & cold food, drinks and even some alcohol and all at good prices and their hot chocolate is delicious. A great place to while away some hours. 5 Stars ⭐💫⭐💫⭐
Charlie (a month ago) I always have a lovely time here, the staff are wonderful people and it's a very welcoming space!! (I also love that the bathrooms have free pads for anyone!)
What You Need To Know:
Opening hours 12:00 midday – 10:30 everyday!
Best way is to book online, our robust booking system should be able to handle every type of booking, ring on 01923 800 420 if you have any issues. Check out our website here: https://www.d20cafe.co.uk/.
