The Hearth Board Game Bar and Café — Restaurant in Osaka

Argh wanted to love this place, but as I had to leave because the air inside was getting so thick and hazy from the fryer, I’m left in a tough spot.

It’s clear that the crew cares about creating an awesome oasis in the busy area in Osaka. Tons of games are lovingly curated, and the staff is so open and ready to help steer you in a good direction for the right game. It was fun to overhear what seems to be a regularly occurring Dungeons & Dragons game go on. Be aware that there is a modest fee, per player, to play the games. There’s no time limit on how long you can stay, so I get it. But also… everyone goes to play games! Wish there was a way to either pay the fee or hit a “2 drinks or 1 drink and 1 food item” per person waiver or something.

You’re going for the games, not the drinks necessarily, after all. The beer options included 1 draft beer and 1 random can of craft beer that was found under the bar. The house wine is Franzia.

As the night progressed… it became increasingly hard to breath inside the bar. You could see the haziness from the air in the lights. A majority of the food on the menu is fried, and it seems like the ventilation isn’t working that well. The next morning, all of the clothes I wore to the bar smelled of oil. This feels like a pretty serious safety hazard, so I’m hesitant to recommend this place even though the concept and some of the...

What a great place for board game enthusiasts! Let me start by saying that there are more boardgames here than you will find in any store anywhere else in the world. It's absolutely insane. They cover a variety of languages too but I would say the majority of them are in English which works for me as that is my native tongue! The owners are super friendly and will chat and make sure you are well looked after! It's pretty cheap to play too, a mere ¥500 per person to play any game going. If you play one and get bored, pick another from the nearly 400 or so they have! They do food and have a lot of drinks too! The drinks are standard to what you would normally pay in Osaka for a beer. There are a fair few tables and chairs here for many groups too! It's a bit tough to find so make sure you use Google maps and then go up to that beautiful 3rd floor.

What an amazing place and I will definitely...

If you like board games, bars, a plethora of geeky pop culture references, all served up with delightful Aussie commentary from the owner and servers, this is your place. We brought our kids here midday and everyone was funny and kind and made us feel super welcome. In terms of games, you pay a small fee per person for unlimited access to an excellent game library. There are quick games, complicated ones and many options in English and Japanese. And the staff is happy to answer questions if you need help finding a game (unless you want Catan 😉) The menu and bar selection were limited but excellent. I couldn't find Magner's cider in the US on St. Patrick's Day, so that was a pleasant surprise to see here. The fries and honey mustard were also a hit. Overall a great place to visit if you love games, whether you're a regular or...