Overview
Auckland has landed its first dedicated boardgame bar with the newly opened Dice & Fork.
Based in Victoria Park Market, this new eatery combines booze, bites and boardgames, calling upon gaming geeks to gather around the table for an afternoon or evening of clean competition.
Owned by husband and wife duo Hayden Young and Kathy Jiang, the bar is a passion project by the pair as their second venture into the hospitality business. The couple dipped their toes in the water with a food truck business serving up cheese toasties and fries in the night market circuit. After two years, they were eager to set up a permanent storefront. Their shared love of boardgames inspired them to dive into the deep end and launch Dice & Fork.
"It's a place we would like to go to," said Young. "We're not super into going out to bars. It's a bit quieter place to play games, have beers and eat some good food. It can get pretty rowdy with everyone playing games and you'll hear eruptions of laughter, but it's not loud like night clubs," he explained.
The boardgame collection boasts over 140 games, with classics including Battleship, Connect Four, Cluedo and Uno, through to newer and more complex games like Ticket to Ride and Settlers of Catan. Young hand picked the games, with the collection growing based on suggestions from the community.
Fusion tacos are the highlight of the menu, with flavoursome fillings like crispy chicken and deep-fried fish. Alongside the tacos and baps are snacky sharing options including chicken bites, shoestring fries and poutine.
Dice & Fork is open from 11:30am to late, Tuesday to Sunday. Find it at shop 10a, 210 Victoria Street West.