The Game Parlour (San Francisco, CA) – The best thing to do on a Saturday afternoon? Play board games with awesome people in San Francisco. I know, you’re thinking… wut? But it was so much fun! I hadn’t seen one of my friends in a long time, and after weeks of failed attempts at a meet up, we finally decided once and for all we would set a date, time, and place, and if everyone else wanted to show up, they could come through. Having friends as an adult is hard. So, we settled on the Game Parlour, since we could have a relaxing time playing games and catching up!
It was a warm day in the Sunset, which was perfect because it gets chilly up there! We arrived around 1 PM, which was perfect since the place wasn’t too busy. More people started coming in around 2-3 PM, so it seems like a place people gravitate to in between lunch and dinner – when they’re still a little hungry and want to have a good time. The inside is bright and airy. My favorite spot (of course), was the couch/lounge area with the leafy wallpaper! Since we were eating, we decided to stick to a regular table.
We ordered our food at the counter as well as paying for our game time. It costs $5 per person, but you can sit for an unlimited amount of time playing. While our food was getting ready, we headed over to the game wall.
It is insane! There are over 700 games available and they’re always adding more to their inventory. You can also bring your own games if you’d like, but I really don’t know what you’d bring that isn’t already here. It took us awhile to figure out what we wanted to play, but we settled on Scattergories.
We picked our game just in time, because our food arrived right then! The bulk of their menu is waffles – and you can order them sweet (with mochi waffles!) or savory. This was our lunch, so we went the savory way.
The entire menu is gluten free and they even note if something was packaged in a facility that has gluten. I have a couple of friends that have Celiac disease, so it’s pretty cool that they take great care with their menu! In addition to the waffle sandwiches and desserts, there is also popcorn chicken, fries, and different types of popcorn. You can order Ritual coffee, tea, soda, or Three Twins ice cream with your food.
I ordered the Chicken Coup sandwich. The mochiko chicken, slaw, furikake, and sweet soy glaze is served in a crispy garlic and onion waffle. This chicken was so good. It’s crispy but doesn’t have breading like a boba spot’s popcorn chicken. This was such a filling dish, since it’s essentially turning chicken and waffles into sandwich form, so I only got halfway through. It packed a lot of flavor between the chicken, the glaze, and the crunchy slaw. The only con for me is that the sandwich falls apart pretty quickly, so towards the end I started eating everything separately. I was tempted to try the King of New York, which is hot pastrami, Swiss, slaw, and with Russian dressing – but I kept it classic because chicken is always a good choice!
My friend ordered the Mouse Trap, which is essentially a waffle grilled cheese, with sharp cheddar, gruyere, and fontina between crispy garlic and onion waffles. He thought this sandwich was okay, but was a little disappointed. I think if you’re going to order a waffle sandwich, make sure it’s hearty like the meat options. Otherwise, stick to the sweet mochi ones instead.
My other friend decided to just order the Mochiko Chicken Bites on their own, with fried chicken pieces in their signature mochi flour batter. I prefer the chicken on their own – it’s easy to eat while you’re talking and playing.
She also ordered the Furikake Waffle Fries, which are waffle cut fries topped with furikake seaweed seasoning – and they’re vegan! These are addicting. Plain fries are already addicting, but when topped with such a flavorful seasoning, they definitely aren’t going to last long.
We had such a fun time playing Scattergories, that we passed a lot of time! I’m a pretty competitive person and so are most of my friends. The Game Parlour is a great way to catch up with friends, spend an afternoon with family, or grab a quick bite in between!
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