The best gaming lounges, cafes and shops in Chicago

Bonus Round Game Cafe is a staple for Chicago gamers. Established in 2017, Bonus Round has introduced many people to the tabletop gaming world thanks to its knowledgeable and friendly game guides. There is no gatekeeping or judgment here, and no question is stupid.

Bonus Round has expanded its retail section after the pandemic, making it one of the most prominent game shops in town. The cafe is open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, making it a great spot for those with regular day jobs and who want a relaxing weekend with fellow gamer friends. The cafe also serves coffee, beer, wine, mocktails, and various food options. You can attend one of the events or ask the cafe to host a game night for you and your pals.

For a $5 game pass, you can access Stay and Play Game Cafe’s impressive game library with 600+ options. Specifically, we love how it has plenty of quick games that can be finished in under an hour, if not in less than 30 minutes. There are also plenty of two-player and solo games.

If you don’t know where to start, ask a staff member or use the “previous player” filter online. The filter will tell you the type of person who last played. Finally, Stay and Play hosts Dungeons & Dragons every second and fourth Wednesday at 4:30pm and Learn & Play Community Socials every third Wednesday of the month.

Snakes & Lattes is another great place to meet new gamers, especially if you are looking for game partners. This unique board game bar and restaurant is right on the edge of Logan Square and Bucktown and hosts a Mix & Mingle Night every Wednesday from 6-10pm.

Ready to set the vibe for a game night? Snakes & Lattes has three themed private dining rooms: the magical Enchanted Forest, the high-tech Starship and the spooky Haunted Study. For free, unlimited board game access, consider the monthly ($15 per month) or annual membership ($150 per year). Snakes & Lattes does have an in-store retail section if you want to bring a new game home.

Evanston Game & Cafe is most famous for trading cards, including singles, sealed decks and specialty packages for Pokemon and Magic: The Gathering. If you are looking for a specific card, you can add a request to the Buy List.

Evanston Games & Cafe is one of the most active game cafes in the area, with regular leagues, events and battle schedules. Magic leagues battle on Tuesdays in Modern format, Wednesdays in Legacy format and Sundays in Commander format. Pokemon leagues meet up on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and Dungeons & Dragons meetups happen on the weekends.

Interested in something unique? Stop by on Saturdays at 1pm and watch the Go Club test their intelligence, patience and strategies!

Magic: The Gathering and Pokemon cards? Check. But what about Disney Lorcana TCG cards, Flesh and Blood TCG cards and … My Hero Academia cards? Spellbound Games is your treasure trove if you are a series card gamer. In addition to having one of the widest, richest sealed product inventories, Spellbound Games also takes presentation and style seriously. Its deck holders, playmats, game accessories, card sleeves, binders and portfolios are all top quality and reasonably priced. Finally, Spellbound Games is also one of the only game shops in Chicago that carries paint supplies for painting miniature figurines.

Dice Dojo is one of Chicago’s most iconic game stores, featuring 800+ titles, an extensive selection of rare Magic: The Gathering cards and a demo library with 1,000+ games. The store also has over 2,000 square feet of open play area. The shop has been around since the early 2000s and was an irreplaceable piece of many Chicago gamer’s happy memories. The demo games are always free to play and guests are welcome to stay there for as long as they’d like.

Dice Dojo is also the gathering point for a few special-interest gamer groups in Chicago, including Cows Gamers, a group focusing on the social aspect of tabletop games, and Windy City Weasels, a dedicated group for the board game Diplomacy. Dice Dojo also has a few Facebook groups created for Magic, Warhammer and general RPG players.

Looking for a hardcore neighborhood video game store in Chicago? Check out Games R Us. This shop has everything a video gamer would need, including consoles, controllers, accessories and a changing selection of video games for various platforms. With a good digging around, you may even find some rare titles and the owners are always quite reasonable with pricing.

Games R U is also one of the few game shops that also provide repair services for consoles, portable devices and even your phones. Its technicians are fast and extremely experienced, and always work with the highest quality parts for the best results. They will also provide detailed explanations on what is wrong with your system so you can take care of your devices better down the road.

A thrift store for games? Yes, please! The Exchange has great prices for used games and an impressive collection of retro games for the consoles from your childhood. To name just a few: the original Super Mario Bros, the very first Zelda and the Mega Man series. The shop also has plenty of PlayStation 2, 3 and 4 games.

So, if you have an older console and aren’t planning for an upgrade soon, come here for your game needs. Meanwhile, if you want to upgrade your setup, The Exchange sells used controllers and devices at reasonable prices. In addition to games, The Exchange also has a great selection of CDs, movies, vinyls and figures.

Boasting retro games, old-school consoles and collectibles, Retro Dimension is a hidden gem of nostalgia in Chicago. If you were the kind of gamer who customized their controller and console, covered your desk with Pokemon figures and collected collaborative limited edition merchandise, Retro Dimension is your store.

The game collection is awesome, but people also go there for collectibles, merch or just good conversation. The owner is friendly and an encyclopedia when it comes to the game world. And don’t forget to take a selfie with the sidewalk decorations. Last time we were there, there was a giant Sonic balloon figure by the door and Kirby balloons hanging off of the roof.