Turquoise Goat is Vancouver's newest board game café and hangout

Daryn Wright/Daily Hive

Stepping into Turquoise Goat feels like walking into a ’90s kid’s bedroom and a video game all rolled into one.

Vancouver’s newest board game café is freshly opened as of this past weekend, but it’s already become one of the city’s coolest, most nostalgia-inducing hangout spots.

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“We had people lining up outside before we were even open,” Leah Katz, one-half of the partner duo behind Turquoise Goat, tells Dished. “I thought they were lining up for the brunch place next door.”

Daryn Wright/Daily Hive

And it’s no wonder the destination has already become popular with Vancouver’s gaming community – after the closure of both Storm Crow Alehouse and Tavern, the second of which shuttered earlier this year, the city was left with a board game-shaped hole in its cultural landscape, one that has now been more than sufficiently filled.

During a visit to the café this week, Dished had the chance to learn the ins and outs of how the board game café functions, got to sip on some of its boozy offerings, and nibble on some candy while learning a new game (spoiler alert: it’s called Cat Lady and we’re hooked).

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How does it work?

When you get to Turquoise Goat, you’ll get a run-through of how it works. For now, it’s $7 per person to stay and play games, with a time limit of three hours per group – unless it’s not very busy, we’re told, in which case there’s the option to stay longer.

With a massive game library consisting of more than 500 different games, there’s the necessity for a bit of guidance. This is where the Game Stewards come in – staff whose sole role is to offer you suggestions on what to play based on your own interests and skill levels.

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If you find a game you love, you can choose to bring one home from the retail section in the front of the café. Turquoise Goat also has an online shop, offering hundreds more games for sale, which can be ordered online and picked up in-store.

Eating and snacking while gaming

Of course, serious gaming can really work up an appetite, which is where Turquoise Goat’s food and drink offerings come in.

Patrons can expect a full range of café drinks, like coffee, tea, and hot chocolate, as well as beer on tap, wine, and some seriously fun cocktails.

Lucky Duck (Daryn Wright/Daily Hive)

Expect colourful, playful drinks like the Lucky Duck – the café’s take on a gin fizz made with lychee and spirulina, which gives it an intense blue colour. This one also comes with a little rubber ducky, which you’re encouraged to name and take home.

Other drinks include the Stardrop Colada (inspired by the game Stardew Valley) Cloud Nine (a twist on an Old Fashioned), and the Above Average Joe (an espresso martini).

Turquoise Goat has a full food menu, too, with an all-day breakfast inspired by nostalgic childhood classics. Think breakfast burritos, Galaxy Pancakes (piled high with fruit, syrup, and colourful extracts derived from matcha, butterfly pea flower, and berries), and a whole cereal bar.

Hot chocolate and gummies by the pound (Daryn Wright/Daily Hive)

The menu also includes some main dishes like house-made soups, salads, sandwiches, and a corn dog, in addition to house-made baked goods.

For the snacky gamer, Turquoise Goat offers popcorn with toppings like dill pickle, ‘nooch and salt, and cinnamon sugar, as well as gummy candies by the pound.

A welcoming space for the community

Owners and partners Katz and Joey Kudish emphasize that Turquoise Goat’s main aim is to provide a welcoming space for people to come, hang out, and play games.

With cool ’90s details throughout, including a 3D vaporwave aesthetic, a wall made of CDs, a giant snake hanging from a ladder above (get the game reference here?), and a massive mural by local artist Dana Justine Belcourt – featuring a sneaky turquoise goat eye, the only subtle allusion to the name – the café is definitely a place you’re going to want to spend time in.

Daryn Wright/Daily Hive

Katz tells Dished that they also plan to hold regular Dungeons and Dragons, Magic the Gathering, and other collaborative game nights, and hope to invite local game makers to come and talk through their own games.

As a queer-owned establishment that pays its staff a living wage (tipping is not required or expected here), Turquoise Goat offers something to the Vancouver gaming community that was missing before: a chill, local hangout where everyone is welcome.

Turquoise Goat is open from 11 am to 11 pm on weekdays and from 10 am to 11 pm on weekends, with both reservations and walk-in space available.

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Turquoise Goat

Address: 122 West Hastings Street, Vancouver

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