Kerbside pickup
Yes
Evanston Games & Cafe in Evanston
Categories
Location on the map
Evanston, Cook County, Illinois, US
Service options
In-store pick-up
Yes
In-store shopping
Yes
Health and safety
Mask required
Yes
Staff wear masks
Yes
Staff required to disinfect surfaces between visits
Yes
Accessibility
Wheelchair-accessible car park
Yes
Wheelchair-accessible entrance
Yes
Amenities
Wi-Fi
Yes
Crowd
LGBTQ+ friendly
Yes
Planning
Quick visit
Yes
Payments
Debit cards
Yes
NFC mobile payments
Yes
Credit cards
Yes
Phone: +1 224-999-7615
Site: https://www.evanstongames.com/
Site: https://www.evanstongames.com/
Opening hours
- Monday:Closed
- Tuesday:12–10PM
- Wednesday:12–10PM
- Thursday:12–10PM
- Friday:12–10PM
- Saturday:12–10PM
- Sunday:12–10PM
Comments (109)
If youre into gaming (mostly fantasy type) and you have a group, go here. But do not go for the food.
Eli runs a friendly store, greets everyone, no one feels feels like a stranger in an old boys club. I was asked to join a demo game on entering. There are a lot of demo games here and a good selection of games, RPGs and TCGs to purchase.
Under new ownership, this store is absolutely thriving! Daily and weekly events, great people, and great food!
Clean, professional, and fun environment. Purchasing, browsing, and getting answers to questions was nice and easy. Decent seating and close to the Train.Also decent stock for buying magic singles and product.
A great place for goodness sakes not a polished place but a place to go get a nice cup of coffee or maybe a hot cider and play games they have magic there of the game and so many other games. Mostly young people but anyone is welcome. A 420 why not.
This place is wicked! They sell singles, some secret lairs, the got food, events, they are definitely worthy of the WPN Premium title! And they are located right in/near the downtown Evanston so very easy access!
Great place. Placed an online order for 2 commander green collection premium editions. The tracking didnt update at first and had me worried but the owner reassured me it had been shipped and even kept in contact with me the whole time until the tracking was finally updated. He addressed every concern I had and was exceptionally helpful. I would highly recommend and look forward to do business with again in the near future.
Evanston Games is an awesome shop that has a great selection of games and also helps with recommendations for new games that families and kids would love. In non-pandemic times they have games to borrow and run Magic: the Gathering tournaments. Love them!
Great variety of free-to-play games! Trekked up to Evanston in the cold to have a cup of hot apple cider and enjoy games that I dont have in my collection like Root, Forbidden Island, and 7 Wonders Duel. There are large tables with plenty of table space and seating in the back of the store. Towards evening time, more people came to the store to play Magic the Gathering and Smash. Their excitement and friendliness showed me how the shop builds space for avid gamers--filling a void that I feel exists in my community downtown.
This place is awesome! They have a lot of magic and board games events going all the time. The food is incredibly amazing. Theres a back room you can rent for larger Tabletops or gaming or whatever you want. And of course everything you want to buy in terms of board games, Magic, etc. Also Eli and hid employers are super nice. Highly recommend!
My favorite gaming store! Their food and snacks are great, especially the house sodas. The owner is very friendly and helpful, and hes always willing to order something for me with quick shipping if its not in stock. Importantly, the gaming community here is diverse and welcoming, and I always know that the people I play with will be respectful and friendly.
This place is fantastic! I come here almost every week for board games on Tuesday nights. The food is delicious. They have a vibrant MtG community. (Magic isnt my thing, but a lot of my friends love it.) And they also have regular tabletop games scattered throughout the week. If youre in the northern Chicago/suburb area, check this place out!!
This is a cool little shop. Ive always wondered why there werent more gaming stores combined with a coffee shop! The coffee is good, too! Havent tried the food, but hope to sample a sandwich or a sweet treat soon.They primarily focus on Magic: The Gathering, thus this is a great place to stop in if youre looking for Magic cards or supplies or a game of Magic. Theyll buy Magic cards too, and staff is friendly and helpful throughout that process.I really appreciate the safe vibe here. While I was selling some MTG cards, it was great to see what looked like a dad and his daughters and/or her friends playing a rousing game of Dungeons and Dragons in the gaming area. This seems like a great place for newer gamers to adjust to the hobby.If youre looking for something obscure, particularly not relating to MTG, stock is a little light and you might be better served visiting something like Dice Dojo or Games Plus. Still, thats a small complaint, this is a great shop!One thing that DOES rub me the wrong way - this shop keeps a Patreon going to provide additional support to their business. As much as I love a LGS and supporting an LGS, it just seems weird that they ask for money outside people simply shopping there!
The community that store owner Eli has built through EGC is amazing. Ive been to many, many game stores in a few different states, and EGC is easily top of the list with respect to atmosphere, commitment to community, and attention to unpretentious professionalism.People of all ages and walks of life come here to play games, work remotely in a warm, friendly environment, pick up coffee or a (very tasty!) bite to eat courtesy of Celtic Knot, or just escape from the weather and enjoy one anothers company for a while. The library of demo games is huge and totally free to access-- its a real joy to see kids and adults come in after school or work (or both) to sit down to a game with friends. I even had the good fortune to walk in one day to a series of community-created talks on a whole variety of topics-- almost like a tiny TED convocation! Finally, Eli and his staff are personable, polite, attentive, and super friendly.Eli and his staff gently but firmly enforce guidelines that emphasize that discriminatory attitudes of any sort, hostile behaviour, or poor sportsmanship have absolutely no place within the store-- as a trans* person, this is easily the most LGBT+ friendly store Ive personally visited, and Ive never once felt uncomfortable or unsafe. Staff are really attentive to names and pronouns-- they even had buttons with pronouns on them for sale at one point!The Magic: the Gathering community is vibrant and positive-- veteran players dont hesitate to kindly help out younger and/or newer players (mostly with Magic, but sometimes even with homework), and we have quite a few families where parents and kids come and play at events together! The DnD and Pathfinder communities, too, are fun and open and diverse-- listening to the uproarious laughter of the store-run kids Pathfinder group never gets old.Finally, the shop itself is clean, cheery, and well-maintained. Bathrooms are kept clean and stocked, and feminine needs are provided with no charge. Bathrooms are also single-occupancy and gender-neutral-- an excellent touch for those of us who are nonbinary.EGC is exactly the kind of store I love seeing in Evanston-- local, professional but unpretentious, welcoming, safe, and community-oriented.
This games cafe has a lovely party room that you can rent out for your group. For their relatively small space, they have a lot of gaming tables, and a decent games library. The beverages are great, and the staff are nice and knowledgeable about games.
An amazing staple of the local gaming community. Professional, kind, and safely practices covid-era precautions. Always willing to demo and discuss a game!
I love Evanston Games. I come in frequently with my 10yo to buy and sell MTG cards. The staff is super friendly. Great local shop!
A small but very comfortable game café. Can be a tad bit crowded if they are hosting a larger event (such as a Magic prelease or PPTQ). But if you want a place to play board games (they have a good-sized demo library as well), they are super clean, very nice chairs, and good food with fair prices.
Hot dog this place is spiffy. They got the coolest things here, and their coffee is pretty spot on. Best MTG community around. Everyone is really nice and helpful. 5/7 - a perfect score!
Excellent customer service! Helpful for identifying games suitable for various family members and friends based on their age and interest. Willing to order and ship.
A great little game shop! Places to play, plenty of store copies of games, a helpful and friendly staff...what more could you want? Their food is tasty and homemade and the atmosphere is very welcoming to all.
This place is wonderful. You can obviously get board games here but you can also grab a good cup of coffee and an amazing sandwich Too! Its a great spot to meet up with friends. They also have a lot of MtG and tabletop supplies.
Small board game shop, with a small offering of food and drinks. Daily events for board game, Magic, DnD, etc. Just walk in. everyones friendly. Every Mondays 6-10 is open board games. Bring your own or use one of the shops, or join one of the many groups of regulars who are always bringing in new games.
Staff is friendly and helpful. Solid selection of MTG sealed product, singles, and board games! Anything they dont have, theyre happy to order.
Absolutely lovely space. They have been fantastic and set up a DnD gaming session for an under 10 group of kids. The DM was really quality with the kiddos and Homebrew game. I look forward to coming here more in the future.
A great place for games. They have an extensive library of free tabletop games and a variety of events. I can particularly recommend the D&D kids campaign
An excellent board game store and cafe. Food is good, and there is a great selection of games in the library to play. Have always recieved wonderful service every time Ive gone!
Really friendly staff ok selection looks like new business so understandably small inventory but otherwise a great place to go and play games and have a coffee and some lunch
Fun place to hang out and try board games. I had the matcha green tea latte and it was very tasty. The staff is also helpful with board game recommendations.
Awesome location, very community oriented. Received personalized recommendations from the owner on board games, and got to demo a couple. I would go back just for the affordable, but fresh food, not your usual cheap snack fare. Tuna melt and the house soda was bomb!
Friendly game shop with several weekly events like Magic, Super Smash, and tabletop games. Additionally, the cafe serves a great cider.
Good food at great prices, games available to play. Great board game community spot
It’s been a while, so I’m hopeful that this place has changed a bit, but I’ve only had horrible experiences here. One time at a FNM draft a gentleman who works(ed?) there borrowed some of my sleeves and refused to return them. That same night I was mocked by an employee for being new to Magic, and then the same guy tried to convince everyone to not draft because it would “bore him.” Then another time I stood at the counter and waited for almost 40 minutes for help, even after asking, because whoever was working was too busy watching Twitch with friends to ring me out. Another time, when I went to buy some sleeves for Magic, I wanted a certain color they had in stock (it was sitting out with the other sleeves) but it wasn’t in their system so they told me I had to pick a different color and wouldn’t even try to help by looking for the color I wanted in the system. Finally, once I went to try and buy some cards but when I arrived to the store (around 10:15) they were closed, even though their hours said open until 11:00, and they had nothing online or in the window about closing early. Like I said, it’s been a while, but I just moved back to the area and my terrible experiences before make me not want to try them out again. Maybe someone can explain if they’re good now, but I’m still hesitant.
Youre not going to find another inclusive, friendly gaming store with room to play, a library of games you can play on-site for free, a back room for private sessions, and FRESH COFFEE AND FOOD. And right by a Purple Line stop / within walking distance of Northwestern!
Loved this place. Just got started in Magic the Gathering and the employees have really helped me understand the game a lot better. And a very welcoming atmosphere.
We love coming here for food and games. Kid friendly. Eli the owner is always helpful and will tech you games if he has time.
This is a really great game store and cafe! It has a good stock of demo games, and really great food. Plus, the atmosphere and the people at the store are really inviting.
Lots of board games to try. Really tasty, high quality food and coffee. Lots of events for different interests (video games, card games, board games, educational, etc). Welcoming atmosphere for all ages. All in all, a great place to hang out, have fun and try something new.
This place is so cool, and the cold brew is awesome. Need friends to play with and if you play magic, you will love it here
Very polite staff, fairly priced sealed products, and a fun discounted rare box (MTG). Seems like a new business, so i was anxious to take a look. I liked what i saw, and will go back this afternoon for some more sealed product!
Workers very friendly! They were happy to give suggestions on games. I would give 5 stars if there was more selection.
Cute place. Nice collection with some old gold to be found. Got me a dual land for a great price. Girlfriend found some pretty shines for her decks. Very happy.
We went in looking for a board game to play with 3 people. We didnt really know what to expect or what the selection would be, but we were pleasantly surprised. We asked the guy working for suggestions and he knew about every game! We left with Forbidden Desert and loved it! What a great place with knowledgeable staff.
The staff is very friendly and they have a great selection. Although booster boxes are severely marked up
Had the after-party for my bachelor party here after they just opened. Nice place, very accomdating, good prices, no gouging. A great spot.
I was just travelling through. I dropped by to see if there was anyone who wanted to play games. (Got to play my favorite, terraforming mars!) Great service, great people, and was real fun!
Really nice place to play board games and get some coffee and snacks. They have some you can play right there and not just old ones. Not huge but nice collection.
I honestly hated board games and card games growing up, but this shop changed my perspective.Eli, the owner, is really knowledgeable, kind and welcoming. He taught me how to play Sushi Go, which I recommend to anyone!Also, the food is great.
Small but nice place to play boardgames. I am not sure what games they have in collections. They also have sandwiches, snacks and soda for sale.
Best time ever went with friends, Manager so nice good prices and overall a perfect afternoon
One of the best places to play and buy Board games!!! They have a huge variety of store copy board games which you can play for free!!! They also have magic tournaments, D and D, X-wing games etc. I can also personally vouch that their Moccachino or Caffe Mocha is insanely good!!! A fun place to hang out with like minded gamers!!!
What a great find. Eli and the staff are curteous, welcoming and hold a standard that allows everyone to know that they belong. Im excited to see this place keep thriving and where it evolves.
Played lots of magic:the gathering here. Fun place with lots of games
Great spot. Knowledgeable staff, good collection of house games including board games and video games. Lots of events.
Good vibes. Their menu is affordable, lots of board game, and warm people.
You can get a good latte while you play whatever you fancy and the owner is dedicated to creating a friendly and warm environment. He even played guitar for everyone as the night wound down. Everything is well priced and the store is well run, what more could you want?
Excellent game store! Great customer service and a very welcoming environment with a magnificent games library
There is always a friendly to help me work out an MTG deck or my new DND character sheet. The food there is to die for and I love the community. Thanks for creating a place for me to go when im bored or want some advice or something to eat.
Plenty of tables and a good selection of sandwiches and soda. Great place!
Fun hangout, lots of interesting games for sale, and tables with loaner games for trying stuff out. A neat place.
Awesome store and nice staff. I went for a MTG draft and it was good fun.
This local board gaming store and cafe is great. They have a good diversity of games available and the staff are exceptionally helpful and enthusiastic to help you find what you are looking for (or even what you didnt know you were looking for). The gaming community in Evanston is small but building and Ive never had a hard time finding someone to pay with just dropping by for some fun.What they lack in sheer inventory is more than made up for in their customer service and willingness to help you track down what you want if they dont have it in stock. Dont go online when you can support your local game store.
Great place family friendly and with great deals and game tournaments with a general postive vibe.
Nice shop just needs more parking for large events
Great games and atmosphere! A MTG players dream.
Good selection, good staff, had League of Legends esports on the TV.
Very friendly and inviting, places like these a few and far between
Very helpful staff.
Welcoming place with delicious hot cocoa but limited menu and not many non-role playing games available to play while there.
Very helpful staff, decent selection of games to buy and demo, and a café in house.
Always amazing food & company. Knowledgeable and friendly staff! Eli is always ready to help!
Maybe I came at the wrong time but I was underwhelmed at the selection of games that they had.
Very friendly staff and a great playgroup for MTG.
Public DnD game. Food was pretty good, but slightly pricey.
Cant beat the EGC for a good game, snacks, espresso, or conversation. Way to go Eli!
Great place for games, food, and conversation. Incredible staff.
Fantastic board and card game shop with excellent cafe food!
Staff was very nice and place was very clean. Great vibe there. Everyone is accepted
Fantastic operation, talk with owner Eli. Very decent guy, 10/10.
Oh yeah! Sign me up for d&d adventure league on Tuesdays!
Lovely welcome, fun games and a good choice of tea.
Nice shop with friendly and helpful staff.
Great place. Super friendly. So glad its in my hood
Always a great experience and everyone is very nice! Love the environment!
My husband and I love coming here. People are very friendly
Fun, great snacks, family friendly place.
Great store, wonderful staff, incredibly helpful and knowledgeable!
It is a very e🅱️ic place to go and do stuff.
Great place to stop in for a snack and a game with friends
The environment is friendly. True to its customers.😘
Great place for magic
Amazing, very friendly and helpful. I would highly recommend
Great game shop, and cafe.
Great place to play board games.
Great food great community great ganes
Fun place
Evanston go club
Great place
A particularly magical place for those who love the most advanced box games. Great atmosphere. Suitable for any age. The local people services wonderfully. A paradise and a place for both parents and children. Highly recommended!
Total reviews rating 4.8
109 Reviews for Evanston Games & Cafe 2023:
Review №1
2022-06-21Great local business, more than anything the people here are awesome. Its become my sons favorite place because the people have been really helpful in engaging his fascination with Pokemon in ways we cant because were fundamentally baffled by it. Also lots of D&D stuff and other RPGs, they host a ton of events, and its just really cool to have a place dedicated to analog games.
Review №2
2022-03-24My friends and I met up there on a rainy day, and I had gotten fast food on the way. The store has a “no outside food” policy, but they agreed to waive it because it was raining! My point is, the staff is super nice. Great selection of games, both free to play in-store and available for purchase. Perfect for fans of DnD, Magic, Pokémon, etc.
Review №3
2020-12-26Great local game shop. The owner is there all the time and very knowledge and friendly. There are no organized games right now due to COVID bit typically this place is busy with board, card and D&D type game play. They sell all kinds of board and card games. During non-Covjd times you can even try many of the games first through their store copies. There is also a small cafe for sandwiches ana drinks. My boys love the hot chocolate.One of the best things about this place is the other patrons. Everyone is very friendly and helpful. Its a nice little community. Go drop in and say hello.
Review №4
2022-03-06Evanston games and Cafe is a wonderful place to play Magic the gathering, yu-gi-oh, pokemon, and any other tabletop game that you potentially can conjure up in your mind. Theres very comfortable seating in the back where you can play games, you can also purchase snacks, quick food, and drinks from behind the counter. The ownership is fantastic and is always willing to help you with any type of purchase that you may want to get. Good Street parking, good luck parking north of the shop, and is right across the street from a wonderful bakery. 5 out of 5, would always invite anyone to come and play games with me there
Review №5
2022-06-09Great place! Staff is super knowledgable and friendly. If youre into board games, DnD, or Go this is place to be!
Review №6
2019-04-18Really nice board game/card shop with schedule activities/events. The place also operate a small coffee shop.Stoped by to have a look and had a great conversation with Eli. He told me about the place and gave me an hour+ explanation of MTG (super interesting).Will definitely be back for some playing.
Review №7
2017-07-13This is a coffee shop and a boardgame store. The espresso and food is pretty good, although the latter is mostly sandwiches and soup. Theres a counter that you can sit and work at for a while, and if you want to try out any board games there is an extensive demo library in the back. The store has a pretty good boardgame selection, although its not exhaustive.If you play Magic: The Gathering, this is your hangout spot.
Review №8
2021-10-19EG&C is a user friendly shop. Great selection of games for purchase and a library of games to try before you buy! I met Drew, Eli and Casper a really nice group of staffers. Clean, well lit, nice cafe and friendly patrons.Bathrooms are nice with one with child sized stool and the other is ADA height. Clean well lit and open supplies give it a B+ in my book.Our Scrabble Club has changed venues and will meet here Sundays in the afternoon. Please check the online calendar for exact times...please just show up and join us!
Review №9
2021-06-25The owner was behind the counter, unfortunately I cant remember his name. Super friendly and welcoming. Some younger kids were playing a game at a front table and some young adults were playing in the back. Someone made a play at the back table that surprised the fellow guests and an expletive was exclaimed. The owner immediately said, Family friendly guys. And I just thought it was such a nice gesture. Sure kids can hear stuff but I found it nice that the owner wants everyone to feel safe and welcome.I am not a table top gamer. I was looking for a place to meet a magic student (magic tricks not Magic the Gathering). I assumed we would be welcome to practice card tricks here and I was right.The latte I had was good. I didnt try any of the food offerings but during my visit they were making something that smelled good.I will definitely be back and I will recommend this place to my table top gaming friends.
Review №10
2021-10-04This is a simply wonderful store. As someone who knows ZERO about games, I found the staff to be not only helpful, but EXCITED to help. One employee stepped away from his lunch to give us a detailed answer to one of our dumb questions. There is no attitude, only a joy for playing games. If you or your kid is finding it hard to fit in somewhere, the all are welcome vibe is utterly refreshing. I wish I could give them 6 stars.