If you thought board game cafes were a thing of the past, think again. King and the Pawn, making its debut at Purvis Street, makes board games cool once more with over 300 options for visitors to unleash their best winning strategies and duke it out in friendly battle with their buddies.
The space itself is pretty photogenic, too — it’s got Snakes & Ladders decking out the brick walls and Scrabble tile drink coasters — and there’s a pretty solid menu of brunch grub, cocktails, and locally brewed craft beers.
As for the rates, they’re rather affordable: On weekdays, it costs $8 per person to hang around and take as much time as needed to finish up a game. On weekends, that price goes up to $13. For those who spend at least $50 per person on food and drinks, then the entry fee will be waived.
Fans of Cards Against Humanity will be pleased to find the game stocked among the selection, as well as Cards Against Muggles, in case you’re a Harry Potter enthusiast. The cafe also offers classics like Monopoly, with a Stranger Things twist, and two- to ten-player titles including Joking Hazard, Camel, Balderdash, and Riff Raff Balancing Ship.
Unlike most other board game cafes, where food is an afterthought, King and the Pawn offers a menu that’s more than just fries and popcorn chicken. Small plates serve up spam fries with sriracha aioli ($12), leek and mushroom croquettes ($11), and tomato and grape bruschetta ($10), while nachos ($23) come topped with jerk chicken, grilled onions, buttered corn, black beans, guac, salsa, and mozzarella.
Those staying on for dinner can dig into dishes like truffled honey croque madame on brioche ($22) and spicy Italian sausage rigatoni ($18), or go for grilled cheese sandwiches ($16-$23) stuffed with date bacon jam or steak and onions.
If you’re swinging by for brunch, the menu expands to include avocado and feta toast ($17), smoked salmon toast with truffled red date oil ($19), and a big breakfast of two fried eggs, pork sausage, nutty maple bacon, and brioche toast ($22).
With the prices on par with other cafes, it’s not that hard to spend the $50 minimum you need to avoid paying the board game fee, once you toss in a cocktail or two. In that menu, they’ve got concoctions like Love Letter ($16) with pandan-infused gin and baby coconut, or the Twilight Struggle ($16), which blends espresso with a splash of vodka and kahlua. Otherwise, craft beers and ciders ($12-$15) are available as well, alongside wines, coffees, teas, and juices.
FIND IT:
King and the Pawn is at 24 Purvis St, L2.
6259-1913. Tues-Thurs 5:30pm-11:30pm, Fri 5:30pm-2am, Sat 11am-2am, Sun 11am-10pm.
Tues-Thurs: Board game fee of $8/person; Fri-Sun: Board game fee of $13/person.
MRT: Bugis/Esplanade
Reader Interactions