Dine and play in a new mecca for boardgame enthusiasts in QC

Tucked away in quiet Scout Torillo St. in Quezon City, Ludo Boardgame Bar & Cafe is an unassuming restaurant that has slowly earned a name for itself as a mecca of sorts for local boardgame enthusiasts.

 

It was designed from the ground up as a place where people could play games for hours. This concept is even included in the name: "ludo" means "to play" in Latin, notes Jay Mata, Ludo's Managing Director and VP for Marketing.



Its founders, Jay Mata, Aaron Tanco, Chrissy Palma, Carlos Sandico, Mario Sandico, and Mark Fernandez had bonded over a shared interest in public boardgame events. They would often meet up to play, but were disappointed by a lack of appropriately large public venues.

"Either the location didn't have large enough tables or closed early, or the proprietors didn't appreciate our presence. They thought we were bad for business since we stayed there for hours, never mind that we usually bought more than their average customers. Then one day, we got together and just started talking. Before we knew it, we were imagining all the things we could do in a place we could call our own," says Mata.

 

 

While other venues offer boardgames on the side, Ludo claims to be the first bar and cafe of its kind to cater directly to a social gaming audience. Mata says that the entire space was designed around the concept of playing while dining.

"It's not enough for us to simply leave boxes of games on the shelf for people to play," he says.

And it's not just the founders who play the games: Ludo's staff learn how to play the various games so that they can also teach customers how to play.

Ludo's menu is nothing to sneeze at either: developed by Tanco and Palma, whose combined restaurant industry experience spans over a decade, the menu is mostly Japanese fare with a twist.

Staples like katsudon and tonkatsu share space with wasabi gyoza and cheese gyoza. Food is straightforward but flavorful and served in large bowls—all the better to game with as this lessens the mess on the table.

Alcoholic beverages include imported beers and cocktails, with the "Sonic Screwdriver" as their newest geek-inspired concoction.

 

 

Most of Ludo's customers are young adults (aged 20-35 years old) but families with young children also find their way into the cafe. The library includes over 300 games from all over the world, some sporting untranslated rule books.

"(Our games) run the gamut from colorful, family-friendly kids' games to complex finance and business games, as well as historically accurate war games. We try to show people that the world of boardgames goes beyond Monopoly and Jenga," says Mata. — TJD, GMA News

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Ludo Boardgame Bar & Cafe
26 Scout Torillo St. cor. Scout Fernandez St. Brgy. Sacred Heart, Quezon City (near Tomas Morato and Timog Avenue, between Casa Filipino and Esquina Bar & Grill)

Operating Hours: Tuesday to Friday, 4pm-1am; Saturday and Sunday, 12nn-2am