Snakes & Lattes is a quirky concept cafe in Toronto that sits on the border between Korea Town and The Annex, along Bloor St. West. We’ve heard nothing but good buzz surrounding this novelty establishment, where patron’s are asked to forgo their laptops and smart phones for a good old fashioned board game (they’ve got over 2,000 to choose from). For only $5 a person, you can sit and play all day long if you wish (I suggest you at least order a beer or a sandwich if this is the case, lest you be a cheap ass). We sat beside a group of college kids who drank nothing but glasses of water the whole time. Yeah, not really cool.

At Snakes & Lattes you’ve got your servers and you’ve got your “game gurus.” Need a beer or a Croque Monsieur? Ask your server. Need advice on a suitable two-person strategy game? Find your game guru and they’ll happily offer their suggestions. I should add: these gurus aren’t just board game enthusiasts, they’re walking-talking board game lexicons. Thanks to our game guru, John and I enjoyed a solid two hours of stacking animals on top of one another (John won); connecting cubes in mathematical formations (John won again); and learning bogus Canadian trivia (John won, barely). Don’t ever play Canadian Trivia unless you’re an over 55-year old Canadian (or you really love sports).

So do we love Snakes & Lattes? Yes. Yes. We highly recommend. Do yourself a favour, ditch your MacBooks for an hour and unleash your inner geek. Even if you lose miserably like me, you’ll have fun. I promise.