Why you should stop at the Thirsty Dice this winter

If you haven’t been to Philadelphia’s first game board café yet, you now have plenty of reasons to head there for the winter season. The Thirsty Dice is finishing out January and most of February with a variety of events, pop-ups and activations for the Super Bowl, Valentine’s Day and themed nights.

Every Wednesday, those who head to the Fairmount venue can stop in for quizzo (6:30 p.m.) while Thursday nights hold “Casual Commander for Magic the Gathering Players” (6:30 p.m.). The latter is said to be a great way for Magic fans to gather and for new and old players to join in. A Dungeons & Dragons game night will be added to the winter line-up soon.

Then, for the Super Bowl, the Thirsty Dice will host the Superb Owl Brunch—a take on the Superb Owl internet meme—from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with everything from food and drink specials, decorations, quizzo and more. Brunch eats in the past have spanned a French toast casserole with dulce de leche and strawberries, apple pie pancakes with cinnamon sugar and whipped cream, and more.

For the Superb Bowl, Philadelphians can also find the Bird’s Nest Eggs Benedict (poached eggs in crispy potato nests with hollandaise sauce) Wing-It Chicken & Waffles (boneless wings paired with a gluten free waffle, jalapeño butter and drizzled with smoked maple syrup) and Feathered Avocado Toast (mashed avocado with pickled onions and chili crisp on artisanal sourdough bread, garnished with microgreens, and an optional poached egg). Drinks span themed cocktails and the “Bottomless-ish Mimosas” where guests receive a dish of their choice and one of the Library Passes (allowing you access to hundreds of in-house games) for $42.

Then for Valentine’s Day, the game board cafe wants to be a one-stop shop for gals, lovers, friends and family. The day and night will feature different games like Icebreakers, Cards of Candor, Deep Dilemmas, and Gamemaster Dave will be on site to help anyone who needs explanations or ways to improve their skills.

While there for Valentine’s Day, Philadelphians can also indulge in some specials, like cherry bourbon wings and their boozy milkshake, Love Potion No. 9, made with strawberry ice cream, champagne and Bailey’s, topped with chocolate-covered strawberries. There will also be two featured cocktails: The Love Letter boasts bourbon with Aperol, lemon juice, and maraschino liqueur-served with a marshmallow heart straw garnish, and the Kir Royal is made with bubbly champagne with a splash of Chambord.

And instead of the “Library Pass” for the day (normally $7 per person), The Thirsty Dice will be issuing a “Bestie Pass” at $10 for two people-or a “Posse Pass” for groups of three or more also at $5 per person, a release notes. Their Wednesday night Quizzo will continue with a Rom-Com theme as well, and the winning team will receive one of their favorite games, “Fog of Love” on Feb. 14.

In total, The Thirsty Dice has over 800 games spanning Battleship, Monopoly and Scrabble along with newer age games such as Taboo, Apples to Apples and Cards Against Humanity. For the more logical and intense strategy gamers, the café has Splendor, Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride and Pandemic. Plenty of children’s games are available as well.

“The more I thought about what I wanted to be when I grew up, the more I thought about having a board game café in Philly,” said Matt Hendricks in a statement when The Thirsty Dice opened in 2018. “The idea is that sitting down to unplug and have an authentic, good time is what’s important, so we want to support all kinds of guests who are looking to reconnect. You’re welcome to take anything off the shelf or have one of our gametenders on staff make a recommendation or teach you how to play.”