There’s Good And Bad News From One Capital Region Board Game Café

Fans of Capital Region board game café staple Bard and Baker have good news and bad news for the year ahead. While one branch is undergoing a major expansion, another will be closing up shop in 2023.

Bard and Baker brought the board game café craze to the Capital Region in 2018. Their original Troy location at 501 Broadway has more than 850 games for guests to play. In 2021, Bard and Baker opened their second location in Albany next to The Madison Theatre.

What Is A Board Game Café?

Board game cafés started in South Korea in the early 2000s, as essentially a sit-in library for tabletop and card games with food and drinks. The first board game café in North America opened in Toronto in 2010.

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Most have 100s of games to choose from, while serving typical coffee shop beverages and food. Most cafés offer a wide selection of games, from simple classics like Clue to long-playing modern games like Settlers of Catan.

Which Bard and Baker Branch Is Closing?

Bard and Baker announced they are shutting down their Albany location sometime this year. Fortunately for Capital Region gamers, they’re expanding their original home to make room for more fun.

The expansion into the recently vacated space next door will add room for an additional 30 and a meeting/party room. This is great news for fans of the Troy location’s Sunday trivia nights, which are so popular they’re essentially reservation-only and booked weeks in advance.

No closing day for the Pine Hill branch is set, so keep an eye on Bard and Baker’s Facebook page for information. The Times Union reported Bard and Baker would also announce a sale of that location’s board games at a later time.