The Uncommons

This place is so cool. Wall to wall games, good beers, super nice staff.

The environment wasn’t really as fun as you would expect from a board game café. The saving grace was the happy hour beer deals ($ 5 for a Brooklyn IPA), but the two drink maximum had me feeling a bit, well sober. Also the board game rental, $ 5 per person, seemed a bit steep.

While they have the New York market for board-​game-​cafes cornered, I wholeheartedly recommend Uncommons.
I was looking for a laid-​back-​yet-​fun spot for some Magic: the Gathering games and tournaments. The Uncommons fits the bill perfectly! It’s crowded with adults during the evening, but there will probably be a bunch of kids on weekend mornings.
Great staff, fun beers, and lots of games. Check it out!

LOVED this place! What a Unique place to hangout with your friends!
The staff is very friendly and knowledgable about board games. Not to mention, their tremendous selection! They pretty much have every game imaginable.
Lots of unique beverages, smoothies and food items as well. If you’re up for something different, definitely hit this place up!

I love that I stumbled upon this place. They have a wide selection of games and great atmosphere. The person that works there was quite knowledgable and helped us out if we had questions. We played Taboo and Catan. Since we went on a weekday it was $ 5 + tax ($ 5.45 which is so reasonable because we stayed for about 3 hours. Definitely play Catan!!!

I loved this place from the very first time I sneaked a peak at it as we were passed by. Wednesday evening 6PM was a perfect time to come here. We easily got seats, and had time for two board games — Game of thrones trivia and Ticket to ride US. Loads of fun and the people around are friendly too, not to mention the staff there who was very helpful. We didn’t eat anything so not sure how it was but we did take teas and coffees which weren’t bad. The best place to spend your evenings with ur best buds for just $ 5each!

I came here on a date night and I picked out a game called «Blokus» I was playing it all wrong and stupid and the worker there corrected me and didn’t make me look so stupid in front of my date. All this meaning, it is a great place.
I enjoyed the atmosphere and all the people playing, it is like a place where you can just relax and be yourself, no showing here and I like the selection of games and how helpful the workers are! I would recommend this place to anyone.
I think if they really go the extra mile, they would make a list of all the games they carry and make instructions from them! I am sure many people would love to try the card gyms, but someone like me is too hesitate to really ask. Anyway, it is a great place!

Pros: great for groups, clean, decent price, have food and drink, lots of board games
Cons: hard to find a seat
Living in NYC, I love when I get to find places like this. A friend of mine brought us here during a cold Friday night out when we had nothing else to do. He wouldn’t tell us where we were going, only that we’d like it. I was amazed when I walked in and saw the amount of board games that lined the walls. It felt like we walked into a friend’s dorm room, it was a small place but with a cozy vibe.
We originally walked out because there were no seats, but luckily after walking back in a few minutes later we got a table for 3 for about $ 5 a person. My friend got a beer, I ordered a hot chocolate, and we sat down to enjoy a game of «Risk» for the next few hours. I can definitely see why it would be hard to find a seat during Friday nights, as they allow you to play as many games as you like for as long as you like. Thus people tend to camp here for extended periods of time, like we did lol. Plus it was cold, so we needed a place to settle down in for the night.
Overall, I love this place. It’s a cool spot to hangout and a nice alternative to going out to a bar or a club. I’d even say it’s a good spot to bring a date! Just plan ahead and come early if you must, or you may risk not getting a table.

It’s $ 10 a person for weekends and holidays.
2 and a half hour wait on sat afternoon. we waited so long for a 4 bench table when we have 5 people.
The staff were nice.
Their game selection is quite limited compared to other board game cafes. The café is quite small but can get so crowded inside that it gets really hot.

This is a recent partner of the cups app, so I stopped by between classes to grab a cup of coffee. Although, keep in mind that this is more of a board game rental shop that happens to offer coffee and bites than a café that offers board game rentals. The emphasis is definitely on the board games.
This place isn’t all that welcoming for those who just want to enjoy a cup of coffee and a book. When I arrived, all the tables were ‘reserved’ for games. However, because the café was still relatively empty, they told us (me and the other girl at the counter) that we could hang around as long as someone else didn’t need our table to play board games on…
I hung out for a while in the little side room which was super cozy and looks like a separate storefront which they built a doorway to. I grabbed a seat right next to the radiator, which kept the rest of me nice and toasty as I enjoyed my hazelnut latte.
I wouldn’t have come here if it wasn’t for the cups app… and I probably won’t be back anytime soon either; I’d rather find myself a place that is more receptive of the regular coffee-​drinking patron.
PS. They do offer free wifi (password is at the register), but I found it extremely slow and spotty.

I was gonna go for a walk in Washington Square Park after a hearty brunch, but The Uncommons caught my eye. My friends and I like board games. But really, I just like winning.
The Uncommons seemed to be filled with people playing board games so we walked inside. It was packed on a Sunday afternoon, but since there were only two of us it wasn’t difficult to get a table. They have over 1000 board games for rent. You can either pay $ 5 for an hour or $ 10 for a whole day of play. We stayed an hour and played a few games. The guy running the place was very knowledgeable with his board games. He had some great suggestions for two player games and he was able to explain any questions we had with the rules.
I also seems like they sell drinks and food here, including beer and wine. I’ll definitely wanna come back.

I enjoyed the coffee quite a bit, but it was quite pricey ($ 5 for a small iced coffee)! What’s uncommon about the store is its environment. I wish I could have spent all day there! Games to rent and games to buy! There’s a side room attached that adds so much space.

As a tourist of NY, we found this place trying to kill time around this neighborhood while waiting for stand-​by tickets for the Comedy Cellar. My boyfriend is one of the nerdiest board game fanatic I know, and even he was surprised by the plethora and variety of board games they have to offer. They range from your normal games like Monopoly and Settlers of Catan (with like 5 different versions), to more complex games like Twilight Imperium and Kemet.
WHAT TO EXPECT:
–$ 5 entry fee on weekdays, $ 10 entry fee on weekends (no drink minimum!!)
–Variety of café drinks as well as alcoholic drinks for the 21+ crowds
–Don’t be surprised if you’re touching elbows with the people next to you when it gets crowded at night
–ALL THE GAMES YOU CAN THINK OF TO SATISFY ALL YOUR GAMING CRAVINGS
–May have to wait a little if it’s busy, but the staff are super nice and accommodating!
Recommendations:
–Rhino Hero (great for 2 people)
–Codenames
–Fun Employed
–Pictomania

This is the kind of place you can go to when you and your friends have been in relationships way too long, and find that you no longer enjoy going out to bars, getting trashed and having fun. AKA you are now 26.
But in all seriousness, The Uncommons is a whole lot of fun! I love coming here with a group of 4 (just big enough to fulfill the requirements for most board games, but not big enough to develop animosity when you destroy them in Settlers of Catan). Couple that with modest alcoholic refreshments, and this will easily become your favorite place to hang out on a Friday night (please take this time to weep over your long-​lost days of partying). There is a $ 10 entry fee, and $ 15 if you choose to make a reservation. You may consider that extra $ 5 as it gets packed – EASILY and QUICKLY. Enjoy your descend into fantasy land and go nuts!
P. S. Minus 1 star because some of those board games need a serious update – missing cards, sticky pieces, and mysterious stains.

In a world surrounded by dive bars and dive restaurants [1], the Uncommons is a breath of fresh air.
The Uncommons is looks like your typical café spot, but the distinguishing trait is an entire wall of every game you can possibly imagine. I’m not sure how my friend discovered this spot, but we came on a Saturday afternoon and didn’t leave until the evening. In this span, we played a few rounds of Scattegories, some boys vs. girls Taboo (the girls won, of course), and ended the night with some inappropriateness with Cards Against Humanity. «I’m sorry, Mrs. Chen, but there was nothing we could do. At 4:15 this morning, your son succumbed to DEEZ NUTS!»
Definitely call ahead and make a reservation for this place, or else you’ll be stuck with a ridiculous wait time (unless they turn you away completely because they’re fully booked). It’s $ 15 per person for admission on weekends [2] that you pay in advance, but for the amount of time we were able to stay without getting kicked out, I’d say the price is worth it. Do arrive on time, however; our party arrived a bit late and our 6-​person table was given away, so we all squeezed into a 4-​person table for 5 hours… and became better friends very quickly as a result!
Also, the food here isn’t too shabby. My friends ordered some pizza and I had a bacon egg and cheese croissant — tasted fresh. I also like their drink selection: not only do they serve coffee and tea, but they also sport a good variety of beers and wines. Frankly, any place that has Delirium in stock gets an extra star in my book! For such a busy place, the customer service is also pretty on point… except when they’re really swamped, in which case they might brush off your request for help with getting a game off the top shelf until they’re less busy.
Given that the Uncommons is the only café of its kind and there are so many other games to play, I will definitely be back!
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[1] Okay, so it’s not exactly the world, just the NYU campus.
[2] Apparently they were only charging $ 5 admission on weekends just a month or two ago. 200% increase in admission in such a short time is a bit much, but I guess it’s savvy business thinking since people will still pay to come here.

I’ve been here a couple times, and it is a great place to be to kill time and play board games with your friends. I was annoyed that they raised the price from last year from $ 5 to $ 10. The waiting time is also outrageous, there was a 2 hour wait when we arrived, so we put our names down on the list and had them call us back when there was availability for my group.
It also gets really stuffy and hot in here since it’s a small space and it gets really tight in there. They only have one bathroom which sucks because you have to constantly check if someone is in there. They also sell cookies, muffins, bagels, and small personal pizzas, by small, i mean small small.

Came here with a group of friends and loved spending only 5 dollars for hours of board games. It can get crowded here and a bit cramped because the space is extremely small. My tip to you would to be get the scoutmob app and find uncommons to receive 50% off food and drink, because you WILL be hungry after playing hours of board games. My second advice to you would be to bring a friend who is an expert an understanding board games because they have a plethora of games here, and sometimes you dont want to be the one sifting through instructions and trying to explain.
The bathroom was clogged, the heat was on a tad bit too high, but overall a nice place to come visit to scout out games you might want to buy in the future for your group of board game loving friends. Afterall, these $ 5 add up and you might as well invest in buying a game for your group of friends unless you think you’re disbanding sometime soon. 0:)

I came here for a surprise birthday party and had a great time! There is a small cover charge, but an open-​door policy so you are not stuck in here fearing to leave. Once inside, there is very little reason to leave however. There is a variety of snacks (baked goods, chips) and drinks (coffee drinks as well as alcoholic beverages with a limit to reduce distracting drunks) to be purchased at the counter and consumed at the tables.
The game selection is amazing, and almost any board game that you would want to play is available — however, they have not been prepared for «public use» and likewise are not the best things to be touching when you are consuming finger food. There is also no guide for your gaming if you don’t visit their website (VISIT THEIR WEBSITE!) and check out what games you might want to play ahead of time based on number of players, play-​time, age, etc.
The fact that it is the «only» game café in Manhattan and that it’s near NYU mean that the population here is going to be quite varied. You’ll have M: tG players, board gamers, party gamers, and D&D campaigns all going on in the same crowded area. This is a bit chaotic, a bit loud, the tables and chairs are a bit — well cheap, and the menu is a bit basic.
Roll a 20, place your meeple, build a train, or guess the werewolf — I’ll be back for whatever!

Love this place. Growing up, I loved strategy video games, so this is right up my nerdy alley.
The prices to play board games are great too — $ 5 for all day access. I’d come here early on to snag a table (the wait on weekend nights can go up to 3 hours), but not on Magic tournament days.
They have a large variety of games, from casual social games to hardcore 50-​page instruction manual sci-​fi games. Nevertheless, feel free to ask any of the staff for some recommendations — they’ve always been helpful with me and my friends in discovering some new games.
I usually don’t buy food here, but they also provide free tap water! \o/

Yo I LOVE this place. If I lived in NY I would probably be here all the time. My friends and I came on a rainy Saturday afternoon and decided to spend our afternoon playing my new favorite board game – Munchkins!
The concept of this place is pretty neat and one that I wish was replicated a bit more commonly around the place. It’s basically a board game café. You pay $ 5/​person to sit in this café for however long you want. You can order café food or even alcohol should you choose to. They have a ridiculously large collection of board games. It’s literally just any game you can possibly imagine plus a million other ones that you’ve never heard of. The place is pretty big – they have two separate rooms, but can get crowded easily and because there’s no time limit or increased pay based on how much time you’re there, it can be difficult to know when your party will actually be next in line.
We got pretty lucky. Since they were super packed, four of us ended up squeezing onto a super small table and they actually ended up comping one of our player’s «entry fee» so total for a few hours of board game fun was basically $ 15 plus tip.
Otherwise though, this place is awesome. Super fun board games. Good times with good friends
tldr; super cool board game café. only $ 5/​person for unlimited hours and unlimited games!