The Dragon and Meeple

Love this place! Came a few times and decided to celebrate my birthday here!

There are always open tables, great for big groups. I've come with a group of 12 and was able to make a reservation through yelp same day.

They have curated a great set of games aardvark have them in categories based on type of games. The staff is friendly, the owner always checks on us to see if we need anything. Once, he even sat down to explain a game & played with us!

The food is also super yummy, better than bar food. The vibe is more like a nice restaurant where you can play board games.

They have a small parking lot in the back. It only has a few spots, but weve never had a problem parking there.

Overall, I super recommend this new spot!

Back in January I was given a sneak peek at The Dragon and Meeple as part of an article I was writing for Geek & Sundry. To say I was excited for this tabletop gaming gastropub to launch would be an understatement: I was beyond thrilled for this new spot to open for my fellow gaming geeks. After watching it grow over the last few months, it's been great to see the local gaming community embrace The Dragon and Meeple.

Like Mox Boarding House in in Seattle, The Dragon and Meeple offers a top-notch environment to enjoy a quality meal, good local beer, and a modern (or classic) board game. For veteran gamers, you'll be surprised at how good the food and beer is; it's quite a step up from the standard snacks-and-sodas of your local gaming meetup. Personally, I love the short rib poutine and the pork schnitzel; friends have enjoyed plenty of other dishes on the still-growing menu.

For new or non-gamers, you'll be impressed by how many modern board games there are to play. Best of all, Games Manager A.J. Harris can teach you nearly every single one of the 400+ games you can play all day. There's a $5 cover charge during the weekdays ($7.50 on the weekends) that allows you to play as much as you want. Talk to A.J. and ask him to teach you a game; he knows his games and will find the perfect one for you and your group.

Although I no longer drink much beer, I've sampled a few and liked them all. During our last visit my wife and I were happy to find a sour beer among the taps: the Sunbather from local brewery Angel City was tasty and perfect for a warm Southern California day.

There's also a retail space inside so you can buy one of your new favorite games. I love that this is an option; it's a great way for new gamers to dive more deeply into the hobby, since you can play games in the main dining/gaming area, then buy one to take home with you.

The Dragon and Meeple is a wonderful addition to the community and I love seeing it become more popular with locals and those like myself who will drive an hour to hang out here all day. I've been to a handful of amazing gaming cafes, from Game Haus Cafe in Glendale to Mox Boarding House in Seattle to Ludo BoardGame Bar in the Philippines, and The Dragon and Meeple has by far the most comfortable chairs of any of these fine establishments. You'll be amazed at how fast the day and night passes during adventures on the tabletop.

HIGHLY recommended.

A great place to gather friends over board games & brew! Not to mention, the beer braised short ribs were fantastic! The cheese curds helped to cut through that acidity in the beer braised short ribs, while the gravy was great at rounding off a complete bite. The space provided a comfortable feeling while I could enjoy my food and beer. This is the first place I've been to that has really comfortable seating and spacing. I can see myself sitting in here for many hours playing a game and remaining comfortable. The spacing of the tables remain close, but you don't feel enclosed at all. Another thing I've come to enjoy is that I can mind my own business and still enjoy myself completely. There's nothing I enjoy more than being able to kick back and relax in a given space.

I definitely see myself coming back for more with more friends to come and enjoy everything place has to offer again!

I attended an immersive play here called Delusion: Blue Blood Alt Delete.


I've always been a fan of Delusion, but honestly I was a bit apprehensive about attending a show that was so short in this location. I wasn't sure if it was really worth the journey and the cost.

It was.

It's an incredible performance with a small cast in a unique location, The Dragon & Meeple pub. It continued the same story so if you attended Blue Blade you would be familiar with the story and Evelyn Lowell, however if you didn't you would also enjoy it. You could also hang out after and enjoy board games, dinner and drinks.

They have a huge selection of games!!!

*Update: As of 5/10/19 they offer beer, sake, and wine!

This place has the best environment for newcomers and longtime board game players alike. I've always enjoyed playing board games but other cafes and gaming shops seemed a bit intimidating. The Dragon and Meeple has a very casual vibe to it and the staff is very knowledgeable but approachable as well. I felt very comfortable meeting new people and playing new games.

There's just a $5 charge per person and you can stay as long as you want. The food is great too and looking forward to when they get their liquor license!*

They have really great food, great beer, and a vast array of games to play!

It's a place for advanced gamers and also beginners looking for quick, easy games. All seem welcome. I think the best way to experience this place is to have a staff member teach you new games. UNO, Monopoly, Life are classics, but there are games 110% better. Especially if you are curious about this whole board game renaissance that we're in, come at check it out! This is the COOLEST way "in" I've seen.

I'm going to be coming here often, so if come eat and play and if I'm hanging out, I'll teach you a game or two!

This place was a gem. Had no idea what to expect but it actually ended up being great. The chicken sandwich was amazing! My burger was alright but nothing like the chicken sandwich. Good place for board games but we were in a hurry and didn't play any.

The Dragon and Meeple is a notch above your regular boardgame cafe. It is a boardgame restaurant with decent food and awesome wine/beer. I am surprise how quiet it was on a Saturday evening. Perhaps it is still fairly new and under the radar. I can't imagine why this wouldn't be a favorite hangout spot in the neighborhood. I would come here for food and drinks even if I am not in the mood for boardgames.

So here's the thing- Apparently there's actually a limit to how much you can write on here now? Alright so I'll make it brief...er

I came here last week for a board game night with a Meetup turned FB group called LAdynerds. It was supposed to be an all female-identifying group of folks playing board games. Before you get excited about the group know that if you are not cis, white, abled, or financially sound person it isn't a group you'll want to hang with.. or at least the hosts because there were other kind people there besides basically the host & her cohost.

THE SETUP-
That said it's a good place for groups on ideal circumstances. It's easily commutable via public transit (2 blocks from USC train stop) which is awesome for those of us going green. Parking wise I heard there were like 17 reserved spots. I don't think it was full when I went (not many folks outside our group of like a little less than 20?) but I didn't go back there to check.

Inside there are rows of tables that you can join together (hint hint should have done that to include folks hostesses with the least-ess) so if you have a big party & need multiple tables, they've got you covered.

There are a BUNCH of games to play (& I think possibly to purchase in the back?) from board games to card games all labelled with difficulty for ease for beginners & more experienced players. Some favorites were missing but I'm betting that's just a request away really.

FOOD-
They have a bunch of food options here from poutine to shrimp & grits to burgers. The presentation & plating of the food is really lacking though & the food was priced pretty high for the overall quality & presentation. Prices ranged from 9 (few items) -17 (unless you added chicken & then it's 20) for food options. I might try poutine if I go back again but it was still pricy especially considering its super close proxy to USC.

Beer wise could be better too. Bear in mind I'm admittedly a bit of a beer snob & I drink primarily sours & there wasn't a sour available on draft. The menu was heavy on dark beers & IPAs. Yes, there were a few hefs & a couple of ciders but the beer selection was meh at best here. This isn't a bar by default so that's fine but if they improved on this it would be clutch. I do know they do a Geeks that Drink trivia night as well which makes me really with their beer game was better.

STAFF-
It was mixed but overall alright sans for one major thing...

They were helpful & kind about not having the beer I wanted & allowed me to try a taster of a couple of things on draft so I could make a decent decision either way. Not sure if their taps rotate or not but that was also nice.

Gaming wise there was also a staff member who helped explain how to play the games which were really helpful & great. Seriously that staff member was probably the best.

The worst experience, however, was with a staffer who knew a patron couldn't pay for their food (a disabled patron) but still served her & then proceeded to embarrass her a bit when she couldn't pay, forcing an uncomfortable situation where I had to pay.

Overall I want this place to be better. It's early & they are relatively new. The group I went with wasn't inclusive & I would not recommend that group as I later was told this is the norm for their events by one of the folks that attended the same night. That's not the fault of the business but they really should have paid attention to the patron who couldn't pay & not have placed that situation on anyone else. The food isn't great but realistically you're not coming here for food & the fact that they have beer at all is a plus but as I said, there's definitely room for improvement. I'm sure I'll be back again because I geek & it's public transit-friendly so hopefully it does improve so I can update this with a better rating. Until then, 3 it is.

Fun eatery that has a wide selection of board games to play while you enjoy food or drinks. They have a large library of games, plenty for 2 player or a large group. The food is good, and the staff are super nice and helpful. They also have a board game night on the second and fourth fridays of the month, which gives you lots of people to play games with!