Stay and Play Game Cafe — Restaurant in Jefferson Township

My 45 minutes of Friday rush hour gridlock had me irritable when I arrived late to meet my sister. Opening the door, Stay and Play seemed to transport me into an island party, immediately erasing my annoyance as if it had never existed. I had not expected the beautiful interior - clean lines of light wood tables and chairs with plenty of open space between them, met with oversized vibrant murals on the walls. In between, and over the bar are lush green plants, making me feel as if I were outside in a summer garden. The Puerto Rican music warmed me, despite the Chicago winter outside, and the owner's genuine welcome to me, from behind the bar, made me feel like a regular, despite it being my first time there.

Already, within the first 30 seconds, I felt this is my new favorite place. But things continued to be amazing. The server came immediately to take drink orders. I'd read reviews that the beer selection is limited. I didn't find that the case. They have an IPA but unlike so many Chicago restaurants, they had more than just IPAs and I was thrilled to see a local dark lager on tap I'd not tried: Twisted Hippo puffy Parka. Turns out, it's rich, creamy - perfect for me. We split a chicken quesadilla which came quickly and was heavenly, as cheese tends to be. But I was impressed that it wasn't greasy - just nice soft flour tortilla with cheese and chicken. Simple. We also split a vegan sandwich which was surprisingly good and impressive that they even had a vegan option. The veggies were crunchy and flavorful. Would love to see that expanded with a hummus dip or something but already quite good. The sandwich took a little time - and our server came to tell us the kitchen was backed up and it'd be out in 5 minutes. It still seemed speedy but I appreciated being kept updated.

We played a couple games which of course was the main point of the place. If expected that to be fun and it was! Made more exciting by the groups of game players around us - it felt like being at a party with everyone laughing and having a good time.

I can see why this is my sister's fav place. Despite the commute, I plan to start going regularly. Whether you want good food, good service, opportunity for games, island warmth and- you'll find it here.

Quick note: bathroom is helpfully a single for all humans, regardless of gender. Thank you!

Ambience:...

Absolutely loved Stay & Play Game Cafe and wish we had one like this in OKC! The cafe was a board game fanatic’s dream! It was so well organized first starting with most popular, then categorized not only A-Z but also by family friendly, large group, 1-2 players. The displays were amazing and the games went on and on. What we appreciated most about the cafe was they thought out key details such as having large tables so that no matter how large your game was, you had plenty of space for your game without pieces falling everywhere. They had a full restaurant, bar and coffee. We opted for bar, coffee and dessert. The flan was the best I have ever tasted and was so fresh, the coffee was was also very bright and flavorful. Next time we will come with an appetite to try their food as well.

The owners were very friendly and knowledgeable and even took time to teach us a game we were starting to learn. They also have servers who can help explain games and suggest games. We actually tried a new game we had never heard of thanks to our amazing server. The wait staff also clean up, box up, and put away your games once you are done. I think this definitely helped keep the games in such pristine condition that they were. Keep up the great work, Stay & Play! Can’t wait to come back next time we...

Came here with my wife and a friend and everything was great. The whole staff was friendly and engaging. Our server Matt was super patience when explaining how to play a new game we chose and helped out with any confusion (which i had a lot of). He was also attentive and would check in periodically to make sure we had everything we need.

No pictures of the food we ordered were taken, I think we were too busy eating it. Everything we ordered was delicious and well-seasoned. A veggie jibarito with sweet potato fries, cubano, classic sampler with pastelillos, maduros and bolitas de yuca. We also ordered a pretzel, which could have used a couple of minutes more getting warmed up, but overall was good with the cheese dip.

The cupcakes for sale to support Autism awareness month were also good. The carrot cake cupcake was moist and well spiced. The guava cupcake was also good, although the cake itself was a bit on the dry side. Nothing a flavorful frosting couldn't fix though. Finally, the passion fruit was the best in my opinion. Sweet and a little tart with a moist crumb, super well balance.

Overall, this was an awesome first visit and we will without a...