Snacks & Ladders is an independent board game café in Newport on the very lovely Isle of Wight, run by husband-and-wife team Chris and Karen.
We opened in August 2019 with one real aim - to create a comfortable, welcoming and safe space where people can relax, play and, most importantly, be themselves. We started with about 200 games and 20 seats, moving to our current home in 2022, we had a bit of a glow up and now can host up to 70 people and have over 1100 games (and counting!)
Our library covers everything from quick party games and classics to strategy games, coops, social deduction and some heavy titles. Our go-to choices for new visitors are Cobra Paw, Battle Sheep and Scrawl and we actively discourage Monopoly!
There’s plenty for experienced gamers to explore, but you don’t need to know anything about games to visit us. Our friendly team can help you find something you’ll love, explain how it works and make sure you’re happy playing it.
We have a vibrant and active Dungeons & Dragons community, supported by a brilliant community resource cupboard with hundreds of miniatures, sourcebooks and maps for players to use – everything needed to get an adventure going, mostly donated by members of the Isle of Wight D&D Community. We also have lots of new and exciting TTRPGs starting and have recently become an organised-play venue for several TCGs, bringing a whole range of new faces into Snacks.
We regularly host quiz nights, murder mysteries and other themed events, including a special large-scale D&D event every three or four months, Christmas and Halloween family events and much more. We try to make sure there’s something everyone will love.
We’re proud to be a registered inclusive safe space, and we regularly host Pride and LGBTQIA+ events. Building a friendly, supportive gaming network has always been the foundations of what we stand for. Whoever you are, there’s always a seat at the table in Snacks. Our monthly social gaming nights are a particularly popular way to meet like-minded people for a casual evening of games and socialising.
Epic games sessions need great food to fuel them. We offer a full and exciting menu of freshly prepared comfort food, snacks, desserts and drinks, with plenty of vegetarian, vegan and other dietary options. We source our ingredients locally wherever possible, and our homemade mac and cheese is a firm favourite. All our cakes are made in-house, while our well-stocked bar serves everything from local beers and spirits to amazing cocktails.
If you pop in, make sure you try one of our milkshakes too. They’re very good - although we might be a little biased!
If you’re heading to the Isle of Wight, make sure you come and check us out. We’re open seven days a week, and you can find out more at www.snacksandladders.co.uk.
