Popular Utica Board Game Cafe Closes Their Doors

Another local favorite has closed its doors amidst the coronavirus pandemic.

Wanna Play Cafe opened in November of 2016 and was deemed as Utica's first and only board game cafe. Customers would walk in to hundreds of different board games and card games, with occasional themed game nights, murder mysteries and weekly trivia. Don't even get me started on how great their food and drinks were.

Reviews on both Facebook and Yelp show just how great the whole experience was, with the spot gaining 5 stars on both platforms.

Back in March, owners Sean and Tyler took to Facebook to announce that the cafe was "closed until further notice."

Fast forward to July 1st, they announced that the cafe would be closed for good.

"Hey folks. This has been a difficult post to write, which is why it has taken us so long to share it. It is with a heavy heart that we must tell you that Wanna Play Cafe will be closing permanently, and will not reopen.

We wanted to thank you all for the love and support you have given us through the years. We wouldn't have made it one week, let alone three years without you all. It was truly an experience we will cherish for the rest of our lives.

This may be an ending, but it is not the ending. We look forward to continuing to be a part of our local gaming and cafe community, and you will definitely still run into our smiling faces (Masked of course 😆).

With eternal gratitude.
Wanna Play Cafe"

I personally have a soft spot in my heart for Wanna Play. It's where my boyfriend and I had our first date, it's where I met and laughed with so many of my now closest friends, there's so many memories in that place that we'd be here all day if I was to name them all. I'm really sad about it closing, but so thankful that it existed.

I'll forever be dreaming that I could just once more attend weekly Thursday trivia and endulge in the Give Em' CBR wrap. 😔

Long live the mystery boxes and the Executives.