Queen & Rook Game Cafe is expanding beyond South Street, with the popular Philadelphia board-game café announcing plans for a second location on Fairmount Avenue, writes Michael Klein for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
The South Street staple is moving into the former Thirsty Dice space at 1642 Fairmount Ave.
Rather than cloning the original café’s medieval fantasy atmosphere, co-founders Edward Garcia and Jeannie Wong are bringing a bold new vision along with it.
That vision includes a “retrofuturist” aesthetic that draws from 1970s space-age dreams, sci-fi classics, and the sun-soaked optimism of solarpunk.
“There are a lot of ways of imagining the future,” said Garcia. “We want to try and look toward a more positive future rather than an apocalyptic one.”
Founded in 2019, Queen & Rook has become known for blending tabletop gaming with food, drinks, and community gathering.
It’s given people a reason to put down their phones, pick up a board game, and actually talk with one another.
The South Street café features thousands of board games, a full bar, vegetarian-friendly food, and themed spaces that encourage social interaction and escapism.
The Fairmount expansion will maintain many of those core elements, including a large board-game library, cocktails, and a menu similar to the flagship location, though Garcia hinted at additional small plates and possibly video games depending on the final layout.
An opening is expected later this year.
For a neighborhood that lost Thirsty Dice and its own sense of a gaming community hub, the timing couldn’t feel more welcome.
“This is an opportunity for us to bring something that the neighborhood valued into the area,” Garcia said.
For the full story, including more details on the new space and what Queen & Rook has planned, head over to The Philadelphia Inquirer.
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