Critical Grind Board Game Cafe — Restaurant in Shorewood

Roll for Vibe Check. That’s a Nat 20!

Driving back home after a wedding up in the Chicago area, Emily and I were needing some caffeine to stay awake after a night of partying with the newlyweds and wedding party. We pulled up local coffee places relative to where we were and randomly decided on Critical Grind since it wasn’t far from our location on the interstate. As we pulled up and parked, I knew we picked a good place due to being a Board Game Cafe.

The barista was really friendly as we spent time looking at the menu and I spent time looking at all the Magic the Gathering product and all the various other little things they sold up at the counter. I got my usual iced americano and Emily got her a chai tea latte. We also snagged some stickers and I got myself a pin and a little Dragon Ball Z mystery tin. As we ordered, the barista gave us a rundown of the place and said there were either 400 or 1400+ board games available around the corner. Emily and I went to scope it out while our drinks were being made.

We spent a solid 10 minutes looking over the selection of board games they offered to let you play. As we headed back front, our coffees were done. We spent a few more minutes checking out the other side of the cafe/store as it was another large area to play Magic, Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, and whatever else you need large tables for. I told my friends about this place after the fact. It would’ve been perfect for our needs when we used to crash a Panera to play some games of Commander. Sure, there are places to play Magic proper in the Peoria area but this place had the vibe for my group of friends. I think it’s cause they serve coffee, too, but I could be bias towards caffeine.

After I made my separate purchase of little trinkets, we took our coffees and got back on the road as we were anxious to be home. I noticed my americano was light on color so I knew it would be light on bitter. It definitely left ya wanting that punch to the tastebuds but was otherwise had a nice flavor profile. Emily really loved her chai tea latte and said it was closer to what she wanted versus the one she got at the hotel coffeeshop (which I didn’t review but was really cool).

Emily and I both really liked the vibe of this place and during the drive home said it would be worth it drive back up to Shorewood to hang out here on some random day off and explore the city. So, I totally expect to be back up here before too long for some 1v1 games with Emily and coffee coursing through our veins.

Stay nerdy, everyone!...

I’ve been coming to critical for a minute now because it was a good place to get a matcha latte and the staff is always friendly. I will say there are inconsistencies every time I go though. Some people add caramel and it’s perfect. Others add caramel and it tastes not sweet at all. But this last time I was genuinely confused because I’ve been getting matcha lattes from them for months and they’re always at least almost full of drink for a 20oz. This time it was half foam and the cup felt super light. As a matcha “addict” I’ve never seen a drink half full of foam. For the first time in my life I worked up the courage to ask for a new one. I was immedielty told that’s how they are suppose to be cause they foam a lot. So I just took it for what it was. I just wanted to share this because spending almost $7 on a drink to receive 5 sips and some foam and was told it is how it’s suppose to be, when I’ve gotten it several times and it’s never been like that just confused me real bad. Overall though it tasted good, and the baristas are always very kind just not a fan of the inconsistencies.

Update: I see you’ve worked towards fixing this problem, I appreciate you...

I have nothing but good things to say about this location. The owners have turned an idea for tabletop gaming, amazing teas and coffees, and toasts and pastries into a budding gaming community. One that focuses on learning, growth, and most importantly, a safe space of inclusion. We're all trying to have a great time, and loving our games while we do it. I try to grab a wizards brew every time that I'm there, because no place makes a chai drink like that one any where else i have been. Outside of the food is the gaming community that will find a schedule filled with different types of games as well as different systems new and old. if you'd like to try a game out or just come in and play board games there is a huge board game library that is available. There are a lot of places that try to make a gaming store, but this location is so much more than just a simple store to buy boxes of dice and paper in. It's an amazing place to go, great smiling people that are there. If you enjoy gaming or are looking to try gaming, this is the...