Critical Grind Board Game Cafe

Absolutely lovely place to pop in for a beverage or chill awhile. We were immediately greeted and welcomed in as it was our first time. The individual behind the counter was so kind and helpful and gave us a run down of everything. They answered all of our questions and helped us pick out some amazing drinks. They were DELICIOUS! I wish we could have stayed longer but we will definitely be back. I highly recommend! Love this place!

One of the best board, tabletop, CCG and overall gaming cafés in the area. Scheduled community gatherings and themed nights every day of the week with lots of official sponsored special events. Great staff that is welcoming to all with a vibrant and colorful community that frequent the shop. Their massive game collection is available for all to play and even take home for minimal cost. The owners, Dana and Shaun, pour their hearts into this local gathering place. If you are looking for a welcoming place to learn new and old role playing games, or are a seasoned board or table top gaming veteran, there is something for you at the Critical Grind!

Not remote worker friendly, be warned. I googled "internet cafe near me" and this place was the first search result. I retreated here when Comcast internet died at my house but that was a mistake - very slow WiFi: 20 Mbps down, 4 Mbps up. I didn't know modern broadband providers even offer speeds that slow. Place is oddly noisy too. Payed $9 for iced matcha with tip. If you come here for leisure then it's probably nice but not ideal for remote workers. Tons of cool old board games, my beverage was tasty and the young man at the counter was nice. Will probably return with the kids at some point.

I can't say enough how wonderful our experience at Critical Grind was just a few weeks ago. We held a team-building exercise with the entire office and families and the opportunity to have bragging rights over a coworker was priceless for many. We got to see the competitive side of both our fellow officemates as well as their significant others. We had food catered in and they facilitated a table for the food in addition to our playing space. We got a great deal that included 3 hours of Game Master assisted gaming (I couldn't imagine sitting still for 20 minutes of instruction on how to play a game and this made it so EASY); Dana was our Game Master and she did an awesome job! It also included a drink at the cafe, but if you can only do one drink -- good luck. I had to go back for seconds after trying their warm spiced cider - Ash is quite the alchemist when it comes to mixing up a tastey concoction. Everything was absolutely wonderful. Can't wait to do our next game night at Critical Grind!

Roll for Vibe Check. That’s a Nat 20! Driving back home after a wedding up in the Chicago area, Emily and I were needing some caffeine to stay awake after a night of partying with the newlyweds and wedding party. We pulled up local coffee places relative to where we were and randomly decided on Critical Grind since it wasn’t far from our location on the interstate. As we pulled up and parked, I knew we picked a good place due to being a Board Game Cafe. The barista was really friendly as we spent time looking at the menu and I spent time looking at all the Magic the Gathering product and all the various other little things they sold up at the counter. I got my usual iced americano and Emily got her a chai tea latte. We also snagged some stickers and I got myself a pin and a little Dragon Ball Z mystery tin. As we ordered, the barista gave us a rundown of the place and said there were either 400 or 1400+ board games available around the corner. Emily and I went to scope it out while our drinks were being made. We spent a solid 10 minutes looking over the selection of board games they offered to let you play. As we headed back front, our coffees were done. We spent a few more minutes checking out the other side of the cafe/store as it was another large area to play Magic, Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, and whatever else you need large tables for. I told my friends about this place after the fact. It would’ve been perfect for our needs when we used to crash a Panera to play some games of Commander. Sure, there are places to play Magic proper in the Peoria area but this place had the vibe for my group of friends. I think it’s cause they serve coffee, too, but I could be bias towards caffeine. After I made my separate purchase of little trinkets, we took our coffees and got back on the road as we were anxious to be home. I noticed my americano was light on color so I knew it would be light on bitter. It definitely left ya wanting that punch to the tastebuds but was otherwise had a nice flavor profile. Emily really loved her chai tea latte and said it was closer to what she wanted versus the one she got at the hotel coffeeshop (which I didn’t review but was really cool). Emily and I both really liked the vibe of this place and during the drive home said it would be worth it drive back up to Shorewood to hang out here on some random day off and explore the city. So, I totally expect to be back up here before too long for some 1v1 games with Emily and coffee coursing through our veins. Stay nerdy, everyone! It’s a fun time!