The Ludoquist - Board Game Cafe Bar — Restaurant in London

Really disappointing time.

This was our first time going, hoping for relaxing board games and food with a good friend. Three of us. We were greeted and asked if it was our first time to which we said yes. We were told that it was £3 for games "all day" and shown to a table, given a buzzer that we could press if we had questions. Then left alone. We did not know the buzzer was also for ordering the food and drink, and paying for the games access.

After asking at the counter to clarify, and placing our order, we chose a game. We played two games in total. It is very clear that there is no quality care given to the games themselves as many of them are missing pieces, have damaged packaging, are not securely stored on the shelves, and the instruction booklets are falling apart. For a Board Games cafe the maintenance put in to the games is minimally evident, if at all present.

The panini's on offer have a good range, but are mediocre at best. The salad on the side was 6 chopped pieces of lettuce, and three small slices of cherry tomato. My friend had a few pieces of cucumber, how lucky!

The main irritation came after two hours, when we were informed the table we were allocated on arrival, had another booking in 45 minutes. That was a surprise, but fine, plenty of warning. We asked if there would be another table we could move to for another hour or two, only to be told we'd have to pay another board game fee, double the price per person, as it was now the evening and "busier." More than half the tables were still empty. We explained that we had never been told about an additional evening fee, to be told the bookings were for three hour slots. See above when we arrived and were told "£3 for games all day."

This completely ruined the mood for our special occasion. Our new table was surrounded on three sides by shelves of games that other patrons were leaning over us to try and see, and wobbled more than my 86 year old grandfather.

In summary, there is no care for customers, no care for food, no...

My first experience was pleasant until I was approached by the obnoxious games manager. My daughter made a mistake by ripping the game board box, ( Wicked Monopoly), my daughter put back the board game and the games manager came over to our table abruptly and was speaking in tone which I found condescending. This was all taking place in front of my daughter and other customers. The games manager demanded I pay a fee of £31.00 because they could no longer use the game because it was damaged. I stated to her we can either discuss this somewhere else because I was not prepared to have the conversation on the floor. I said to her where did she rip the box, she said do you want to see the video footage. I said let me see the footage( I'm still waiting to see the footage). I told her very clearly I am not going to pay for £31.00, either we come to some sort of arrangement or I will leave. She stated you can pay your bill and leave. So I did.

I went back the next day and spoke with a manger who had good customer service skills. I advised her I am paying for the game my daughter had ripped. I stated to her "that " women needs to improve on her customer service skills, I also stated that it was a lesson for my daughter to understand when she makes mistakes sometimes there are consequences. I paid when it suited me not when " that " women demanded payment at our table. Children will make mistakes and its clear " that " women didn't know how to approach the situation without being condescending and extremely rude. I asked the manager if we were banned, she advised the other mangers were told, my child and I should be banned, however the managers did not agree. I'm glad they saw sense, it was a mistake,. " That women" had the audacity to try and ban me and my child over something small. "That woman's " behaviour was atrocious however the other staff I encountered were nice and pleasant. I plan on returning to Ludoquist, the atmosphere is great and the people are nice, minus the...

I absolutely love The Ludoquist. I moved to Croydon about 6 months ago and have since spent an evening here as often as possible. The staff are EXTREMELY friendly even when things are roaringly busy, the food is really tasty and isn't too pricey (I recommend the pizza, they've got nice big pizza ovens and a great dough recipe) and their board game collection is extensive.

I'm not sure how they've managed it but the games they sell always seem to beat the prices I find for the same edition online.

It's one of the few places that makes me feel at home in Croydon (after spending a few years abroad and growing up in another area of London). I can't recommend it highly enough, of course there are a few snags which you might want to be aware of...

1. The booze is expensive. Its roughly £5-6 for a pint (admittedly of delicious craft lagers and ales) which isn't uncommon in London but if you're looking for a place to get tipsy, I'd recommend Market Tavern across the road as it's much cheaper.

2. If you want to eat, you'll need to pause your game and often move many of the pieces aside. Their portions are fantastic but unfortunately a bit inconvenient when you're in the middle of a game. This is a small gripe but one that I always forget until it's too late!!

3. Many of their games dont have card sheaths. It's so refreshing when you open a game and find all the cards are covered in a plastic case (which they sell should you want some for yourself!) However many games either have too many cards or have cards of a weird size so you end up shaking hands with half of Croydon during a game if Ticket to Ride. They do have very clean toilets where you can go to wash your hands but if you're a germaphobe I recommend bringing hand sanitizer.

Overall The Ludoquist is my favourite place to spend an evening out with friends. Its clean, friendly, cosy and always leaves you feeling taken care of and happy. Game recommendations: Timeline, Sherrif of Nottingham, Scrawl, Catan, Ticket to Ride...