Board Game Cafe by London Stadium: Draughts Stratford

Draughts Stratford is a board game cafe and bar at 5 Aquatics Walk, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London E20 2AS, on the riverside East Bank and opposite London Stadium. It shares its library of more than 1,000 games with the Waterloo branch, and admission costs £7.95 per person off-peak or £9.95 at peak for sessions of up to three hours. It is a short walk from Stratford station and Westfield Stratford City. The phone number for bookings is 07564 797580.

Draughts started in 2014 in a boarded-up railway arch in Haggerston, then moved into the Leake Street tunnel at Waterloo, and describes Stratford as its riverside venue in the East Bank. Unlike the cosy arch in the original, this one is built for numbers. The venue's own event listings describe four screens, three of them over 120 inches, three bars and a terrace. That made it a natural spot for watching football during the 2026 World Cup, and the board games come out when the screens go dark.

The location sets the mood. The venue has sold pre-show deals for London Stadium concerts, including Take That and Metallica dates, so expect a livelier room on event days. Weekday afternoons, by contrast, are the off-peak slot and the time for a long strategy game. The same shelves serve both crowds.

Both Draughts venues share one price list. Off-peak runs on weekdays from opening until 4 pm and costs £7.95 per person. Peak covers weekday evenings from 4 pm plus all day on weekends and bank holidays, at £9.95. Children under 12 play free, and 13 to 17-year-olds pay £4 off-peak and £5 at peak. The FAQ limits admission to three hours, subject to availability.

The value play is clear: come before 4 pm on a weekday. That gives you the same library and the same three hours for £2 less, with the pick of the tables. Avoid the hour before a big stadium event if you want a calm game, because that is when the bars are busiest.

Stratford has its own Match Day Menu, served until 10 pm. For £28 per person you get guacamole and chips, a choice of tacos with short rib birria, pulled pork or mushroom, fries or salad, and a house lager, white wine or Prosecco. It is the simplest way to eat and drink before a match or a gig across the way, and it leaves the table clear enough for a game afterwards.

The 2026 drinks menu covers both venues. The Pawnstar Martini costs £13.25 and a margarita £12.50. Camden Pale Ale on draught is £7.50, a flat white or Americano is £4.25, and the hot chocolate with whipped cream, marshmallows and chocolate curls is £6.25. A 12.5% discretionary service charge is added to food bills, and outside food and drink are not allowed.

Draughts staff will suggest games and teach them, according to the FAQ, so a crowded shelf need not slow you down. Tell them whether you want a quick party game for a big group or something deeper for two. The library goes from light family games to heavy strategy, and with a three-hour limit it is worth choosing one game to learn properly instead of opening four boxes.

The Board Game Meetup is the friendliest way in if you are on your own. It runs every other Monday at the Draughts venues, and the Stratford listing pitches it as the best way to meet new people in Stratford. Bring nothing but yourself, and staff and regulars will find you a seat at a table.

Groups of 15 or more book by email at bookingsstratford@draughtslondon.com, and large bookings may need a deposit or payment in advance. Events with a minimum spend need 14 days' notice to cancel. The site banner says online bookings are temporarily down, so phone or walk in, which the venue welcomes.

Children must be with an adult at all times, and under-18s may not stay after 9 pm. The venue is family-friendly, wheelchair accessible, has baby changing and welcomes dogs, which makes it an easy stop on a family day out in the park. The Bottomless Bundle, 90 minutes of bottomless Aperol Spritz, Prosecco, mimosas or house lager with a burger, fries and games, is for adults on a celebration.

Before a match or concert, time is the constraint. A quick card game or a light party game fits into an hour with a burger and leaves room for the walk to your seat. After the event, the three-hour session is plenty for one medium strategy game, and staff can help you set it up while the bar empties.

Big groups from a works outing should start with something that seats everyone at once, rather than splitting into small tables that never meet. Couples have the easiest time: a two-player duel takes up little table space, so it survives a plate of tacos and two drinks. If you are new to modern board games, ask for a co-operative game, where the whole table plays against the box. Nobody gets knocked out early, and it teaches the basics of turn order and resource management faster than any rulebook.

Aquatics Walk sits in the heart of the park. The red steel loops of the ArcelorMittal Orbit rise over the lawns, London Stadium is across the water, and the London Aquatics Centre is next door. The East Bank buildings around the venue now include V&A East Storehouse and Sadler's Wells East, so a morning at the museum store and an afternoon of games is an easy day.

For shopping or a rainy-day backup, Westfield Stratford City on Montfichet Road is a few minutes' walk away. If Stratford is full on a match day, Draughts Waterloo is direct on the Jubilee line, with the same library rules and prices.

Address: Draughts Stratford, 5 Aquatics Walk, Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London E20 2AS. Station: Stratford. Phone: 07564 797580. Email for large groups: bookingsstratford@draughtslondon.com. Gaming fee: £7.95 off-peak, £9.95 peak, up to three hours, under-12s free. Match Day Menu £28 per person, served until 10 pm. Under-18s out by 9 pm. No outside food or drink.