The Side Quest

I’ve probably been here a million times. There’s always something going on, and there are people you wouldn’t meet at your usual Lakewood bars. It’s just comfortable here.
The beer list is pretty high-​end; they’ve got a lot of experimental stuff on there, and some old favorites like Schlitz, Pabst, and the like in ample supply.
The cocktails are inventive, but the bartenders aren’t above making the traditional staples like a Tom Collins or whiskey sour. The selection of liquor is good, but not overwhelming.
Above all, there is something always happening. Every night of the week is an event or party of some sort– it never gets dull, though. Some are low-​key, others get pleasantly rowdy. Part of that comes from the crowd that comes in– there’s a few of everyone here, and the place always welcomes more.
The real centerpiece of the bar is the game selection. For $ 1 a person, you can rent any game. Any. Game. Some nights, the games are free to rent. There are always strangers willing to hop in, and it’s a great way to try before you buy or make new friends. They’re also cool with you bringing your own game in, and won’t charge you a ridiculous fee for doing so unlike some other places in town.

A really quaint little bar that we discovered for the first time because they were throwing a MST3K themed viewing party. We really enjoyed the space and the atmosphere, the drink specials were priced right, and we had a great time.
Side Quest does not have a formal menu, but does serve sandwiches (Pit Stop) and brownies (Fear’s Confections). Definitely a bit of an odd approach for a bar of this caliber. The foodie inside of me is definitely bummed out by the lack of a menu, but the frugal part of me does a happy dance because you can bring your own food or order pizza (I’m looking at you, Angelo’s!), which totally makes for a fun, cheaper date night.
For the event, the bartenders were serving up some specialty cocktails themed around the series. Our group tried all three being offered; two were delicious, one was pretty undrinkable, but overall I think they did a great job of pulling off themed drinks. We switched to beer thereafter, and they had a decent selection that we were pleased with. The service itself was a little slow (seemed understaffed for the crowd), but very friendly and helpful once they got around to you.
And then of course there are the board games. $ 1 per player, rental fee waived on Tuesdays. They have all the classics and then a lot of novelty games and oddities. Maybe not enough to satisfy a seasoned board gamer, but for me and my group they have everything we need and then some. If you don’t fall into the latter, they welcome you to bring your own games as well.
I highly recommend Exploding Kittens after a few too many adult beverages. You can thank me for the laughs later. See you again soon, Side Quest!

When it comes to bars that are worth frequenting, this is the spot to snag a bev or two… the cross between serious board game haven and geek bar melds it into my favorite bar in the area.
The bev options are extensive and tasty, I haven’t finished my way through the drink menu yet, but I’ve enjoyed most everything I’ve tried.
The owner is a true mensch and host. The bartenders, my common being Amber is fantastic behind the bar turning chaos into order… you will feel at home once you visit a few times, truly a wonderful place to go.

On a visit to Cleveland, my boyfriend, who is an avid board gamer, and I stopped into Side Quest to check it out. The owners did not do much with the space in terms of making it feel like a board game bar, it just feels like you’re in bar. They serve beer and hard liquor as you would expect in a bar. They have several tables, but a lot of them aren’t even big enough to hold a standard board.
While they do have about 100 games in their collection, it is not a very impressive selection compared to other board game places that I’ve been. They offer classic American board games and others, like Ticket to Ride and Jaipur. The shelf of games is set up across from the bar, and once you have selected your game, you have to head over to the bar to get the moveable parts of the game, like the pieces, cards, etc. They charge $ 2 per game rental. One of the games we played wasn’t in the greatest condition with a ripped board and grimy cards. The place did get crowded and most people, other than those sitting at the bar, were playing board games. It was louder than I like for playing games, and a drunk guy behind us spilled his drink all over the game they were playing.
Overall, I really like the concept of a board game bar, but this just felt like a bar with board games to me. Also, they try to embrace the geek culture a little too much, which can be off-​putting to some. I’m all for a place that is board game-​friendly, but I think the concept was executed poorly.

Visited on a Saturday night, and was surprised at how crowded this place was. They could use a little more space around the game shelves. I didn’t feel comfortable browsing without bumping into people seated nearby. The bartender was very nice and the service was great when we could get her attention.
I would come again, but I think for games I preferred my visit to Tabletop.

I attended a private event at this place a while back. The staff was great. The beer selection was nice, they had some good looking cocktails for those who like that sort of thing. They also have a tone of games that one can borrow and play. What a great concept, everything from fantasy football to Risk. I’ll likely be going back.

A group of my friends come here every Thursday night for Trivia night (I join when I can) and this is how I found out about this place. The bartenders are awesome and the beer selection is stellar! Whether you want a draft or bottle they have a great selection. They also have a good selection of whiskey and make creative, tasty mixed drinks, They don’t serve food but you are able to bring food with you.
They have tons of events always going on and a large amount of board games to choose from. Come check out trivia night, It gets packed, the trivia master is awesome and someone will always shout something that will make you laugh.

Went there last night and it was okay. Personally not for me. It’s just a bar full of dungeon and dragon gamers and dr who people. Plain, boring atmosphere, was really disappointed when I got there. The drink menu was limited to bizarre mixed drinks, bourbon, whiskey and microbrews. Which is okay but I didnt feel the atmosphere fit the drink selection. The game options were nice and we had a nice time playing. But to be honest it’d be best to buy a game at the store and get your own drinks. You will drink drinks you like and save money. I don’t recommend this bar, it’s a poor attempt at a board game bar that this city doesn’t need.

Skip this place the bartender charged me 18 dollars for a beer a was i kittle drunk si i didnt realize until 30 mins after the fact what a rip off plus just a bunch of dorks go there i will never be back

I love that this place exists, and I wish there were many more places like it. The only thing I don’t like about it is that it’s so hard to find a seat. It’s always packed. There’s so much pent up demand for a good bar for literate intellectual people who enjoy science fiction and board games.

Tremendous drink selection, friendly staff, and a unique atmosphere with people playing board and card games all over the place.

A nerd/​geek/​other bar? Sign me up! I’ve never had a bad time here. The bartenders are all friendly and chatty, the multitude of TV’s on a bunch of channels is awesome (yay for Discovery and BBC!), and the beer is fairly priced. I would highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a new place to hang out, or for someone who doesn’t feel comfortable in the many sports bars that populate this area.

Okay… let me start by saying this…
I’m not a fan of bars.
I’m not a heavy drinker, not a barfly, hell, I’m not even a bar weevil.
What I do like is places with nice folks, nice atmosphere, and that something… extra.
So, it is without reservation that I say that to someone like yours truly, The Side Quest in Lakewood is my version of Cheers… just with more of us nerdy folks, tons of rentable games (the board on the table variety,) drinks named after comic book, movie and television characters, not to mention drinks derived from books that you’ve only heard of (Harry Potter Butterbeer, anyone?)
The Side Quest also has a policy that allows you to bring in your own food, so you can stop up the road at any one of a dozen places and get a snack to bring in and have with some of the best drinks in the area. (Oh, and did I mention that the TV’s in the bar are usually all playing SOMETHING geeky, like Cartoon Network or Syfy channel?) Yep, it’s that kind of place:)
They also have video game nights with games set up by local patrons, trivia nights that are to geekily die for, and a personal favorite, once a week they have a Cards Against Humanity game night called Bars Against Humanity where the ENTIRE BAR plays this insidious game and people utter phrases that, in most normal circumstances, they would not say EVAR!
All and all, I have to say, this is MY kind of bar, and if you love games, nice people around and behind the bar (Hi Katie!) and a place where you can think over your drink, then adventurers, get off the beaten path, and go to the Side Quest!

My husband and I decided to try Side Quest on our date night after seeing Evil Dead: The Musical. We ordered a bunch of tasty treats off the menu and I got a Butter Beer (which was alcoholic in this case). The bar atmosphere was pretty low key but it was also a Wednesday night. The food was outstanding (though I read they got a new menu recently) and the drinks were equally as good. They have a lot of fun nerdy themed things going on, which I love. I follow them on Facebook so I can see all the events. All in all a fun place to go and everything was reasonably priced!

If you’re looking for something fun to do during the week I highly suggest coming to The Side Quest and participating in their Geeks Who Drink Trivia on Thursday nights! I showed up a little early and the staff and fellow customers greeted me with warm and friendly attitudes! They also helped me figure out what the heck I was supposed to do to get in on this trivia action. I sat at the bar and ordered a Butter Beer (if you’ve read Harry Potter you have to try one!). This concoction was was sweet, but tasty and I enjoyed pretending I was a Muggle. Once my date arrived we played Pictionary and soon started to fret about how terribly bad we were at knowing facts! However, once the trivia started the whole bar was full of laughs and we were not alone with our terrible guesses. We ended up placing 14^th out of 15 teams, but that is not last so I call it a win!
I will definitely be back! Oh and side note: they don’t serve food, but you can bring some in with you!

Some friends and I went here for Trivia (Geeks who Drink) the other night and I felt right at home. Trivia was a Blast and they have plenty of other themed events throughout the week.
While the establishment is small it doesn’t feel cramped it felt rather welcoming. The staff was friendly and chill, and the overall vibe was very relaxed. For being a smaller place they have a pretty decent beer selection. I was excited to find a favorite beer from Pittsburgh’s Church Brew Works!
As a board game lover the have a whole wall of game that you can play from dominion to mad gab. I mean whats better than a drink and games with friends. Simply choose your game and ask the bartender for the pieces located behind the bar. They do ask for a $ 1 fee per player to ensure there are no shenanigans.
Unfortunately, if you tummy starts to grumble while you plan your next move, sorry but no dice. It appears that this place do not serve food at the moment. While they think that 50 cent bags of chip will fill your appetite, I believe that I can strategize better on a full tummy.
However, there is a pretty good chance that they allow outside food as I saw pizza delivery boy wandering around.
All in all if you’re looking for a non judgmental environmental to grab a drink and have fun with friends whether you’re into Dungeons and Dragons or Dictionary there is something fun for everyone.

Side Quest has a surprisingly good craft beer selection! Lots of cool Belgians and hard to find stuff!
The bartenders are super friendly and the place is laid back enough that I feel comfortable there are as non-​nerd with my nerdy boyfriend and friends. Trivia on Thursdays is super fun and the host is funny!
We’ve been to Retro Who night which is interesting because it only plays on the main TV and there are other social groups (knitting, etc) going on at the same time making it hard to focus on the TV. I’m not super into the show (and only come for the great beer, who am I kidding?) but the set up of this night could certainly be improved.
Overall, I’m pretty impressed with the place!

Oh my goodness! This place was so much fun!
First I want to comment on the bartender, she was so friendly and seemed genuinely happy to be there. So nice.
So, as others have said, the idea is that you can rent games. The price is $ 1 per person for unlimited play. As you can imagine the vibe in here is laid back and relaxed. Loved it.
The place isn’t huge and if you want to play a game, you kinda need a table so you will probably have to hang out a bit until you get one.
I almost want to keep this next part hushed, I don’t want anyone to get any ideas for changing things there… but the prices on the drinks are great!
As far as food, they had some «steambun» sandwiches — I had the burger. Nice little snack for $ 3. Also had a bite of the black bean– skip that one. We also tried the fries, the cheesy fried things, and the buffalo chicken egg roll. Totally would go for for all three of those things again. Good bar food. Simple. Just what you would want when drinking. Would love to see a bigger menu, but since food is not what this place is about, I get it.
Overall, I’ll totally be back. Would love to try Trivia Thursdays.

For those who have not heard of this bar or have not been to it yet, this is a bar for all lovers of board games and competition. 4 of us headed out to Side Quest around 8pm on a Saturday night in October and found a table, no problem (had we gotten there at 9 or 10, we may have been out of luck). We opened a tab at the bar and checked out the place.
As far as size goes, I would say this isn’t a super-​big bar. Pretty cozy. I liked the ambiance and didn’t mind the close quarters – made it feel like game night in someone’s (very large) den.
Here comes the cool part – they have TONS of board games to rent, and they continue to build on their current inventory. Instead of listing all of the games, I took a picture. Be sure to check it out. Games, I am pretty sure, are only $ 1 to rent. And you are always free to bring your own!
The beer selection was not the biggest, but it was nothing to scoff at either. They have 24 craft beers to choose from, some of which were perfectly themed for the bar’s geeky style (ommegang game of thrones!). They also have wine and liquor available… perfect for the fireball shots the loser had to buy!
I can’t speak to the food, as we did not order any. I also was not the one picking up the bill at the end, so I can’t comment on price. All I can comment on is the amazing experience we had here. I am looking forward to coming back on a weeknight when they have trivia and free game play! nights

Met some friends up here the other day and had a pretty good time. Great beer selection but a tad pricey. Looks like a cleaned up version of the old Eddie and Iggys but with table and card games for rent. 1.00 per person/​game is a good deal I say. Trivia on Thurdays. When I got there it had just ended and numb nuts DJ dude had the music so friggin loud my back teeth were hurting. Crowd is kinda nerdy but its better than the jock/​date rape lookin dudes who used to come in here. All these new places opening up need to get some bartenders that understand they are revenue makers for the business. There were literally 3 dudes, arms folded talking 3 feet from me while my empty beer can sat on the inside rail of the bar for well over 5 minutes. Bartending 101. I just got outa work and I need a damn beer or I might die!