The recipe for a perfect night out: beer and board games in Budapest

Apart from being cool bars where you can grab a couple of beers with your friends, these places have many-many board games you can rent and play with to make your night out even more fun. If you thought board games are the young men’s game, you are wrong. There is a huge variety of board games for adults which can entertain various age groups for a whole night.

Barcraft 1

• 34. Ferenc Boulevard
• (30) 502 2464
• Open Monday-Sunday: from 2 p.m. until 12 a.m.

Besides drinking some very cool potion-looking cocktails, you can rent console or PC games as well as board games to play. However, keep in mind that board games can be rented only between 2 p.m. and 6.30 p.m.

However, it is free to play board games as long as you drink or eat for at least HUF 1500.

Barcraft 1 has more than 30 board games to choose from. The place is not a huge establishment, so it can easily become a little bit crowded, and the bar is also quite small, so you should expect a queue in the evenings when there are more people there. On the other hand, the whole place feels very cosy, and everything is closeby. The bar often organises all kinds of events such as quiz nights, which always have a different theme like Star Wars, video games, anime, etc. Each group has to pay an entrance fee, but the winners get coupons, and the whole game is much fun.

Barcraft 2

• 59. Bajcsy Zsilinszky Road
• (1) 406 2201
• Monday –Friday: from 2 p.m. to 12 a.m.
• Saturday – Sunday: from 12 a.m. to 12 a.m.

Photo: www.barcraft.hu/fire/galeria

In Barcraft 2, board games can be rented throughout the whole day. It costs HUF 500, and your ID stays with the bartenders until you are finished playing. After you finished one game, you can put it back and get another one. You can play with as many games you would like.

Barcraft 2 has a selection of more than 150 board games you can choose from.

Barcraft 2 has a similar atmosphere to Barcraft 1, but this place is much bigger. The whole bar is below the ground, there are many rooms, and it has a huge bar. This place might be ideal if you have a larger group.

Vault 51

• 51. Ó Street
• (1) 604 7466
• Monday: closed
• Tuesday – Sunday: from 2 p.m. to 12 a.m.

Photo: Facebook.com/vault51gamerbar

Vault 51 is also quite a spacious bar, they advertise themselves as “Budapest’s newest and biggest gamer bar (300m2).” Vault 51 has a VR and a VIP room, 10 PCs and consoles and hundreds of board games. There is a huge separate room for playing board games with 14 tables. The bar also has a nice food selection, they not only offer snacks, but you can have burgers as well if you get hungry. Vault 51 is a relatively newer place, but it is definitely worth checking out.

Board Game Café

• 16. Nagyenyed Street, District 12
• (70) 469 9474
• Monday – Thursday: from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.
• Friday: from 2 p.m. to 12 a.m.
• Saturday: from 12 p.m. to 12 a.m.
• Sunday: from 12 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Photo: Facebook.com/boardgamecafebudapest

Even if you are not drinking alcohol, you do not have to give up a good board game night with your friends. Board Game Café was Hungary’s first board game café. Board games can be rented for HUF 500/person/three hours. Board Game Café has a selection of almost 600 board games.

Featured image: www.barcraft.hu/fire/galeria/