Mox Boarding House

Ok food. Had a grilled cheese and the artichoke dip. It was fun to play games with friends. They have lots of games. Good service.

If you love board games this place is awesome. It’s a fun place to come and hangout with your friends and family. The game room is elegantly decorated and there are plenty of tables available. The restaurant is pretty good but a bit over priced. They have a huge collection of games you can borrow to play, and the cool part is you can take it into the restaurant and play while you eat! It’s a bigger and better version of uncles n games in crossroads.

Moxie Moxie
Mox Boarding House is not your typical restaurant/​bar. Its got a great twist and a great place to spend some time with friends or with family. That said… it’s not for everyone. Mox is a board game store/​restaurant/​bar and they really do a good job with the décor and have just about every game you’d ever want to try. Let’s break it down!
Good:
Games: You can try out any and every board game you can think of!
Décor: The bar and restaurant look great and the decorations match the fantasy, board game atmosphere
Fries: ORDER the fries! They’are GREAAAAAT!
Ok:
Food: The food was… ok. I ordered the mac and cheese (heavy but ok). Split the mushroom burger with a friend… The mushroom burger was alright… al ittle fatty but good.
Tons of fun. Stay hungry my friends :)

I’m not much of a board game person, but my friend introduced me to this place last year and I really enjoy the environment. It’s basically a place where you can hang out with a group of your friends to play board games. They have an extensive board game library that you can «check out» for free! Great way to test out board games you’re interested in before buying it (aka. Great advertising strategy: P)
The food here is nothing too special, so I don’t recommend coming here specifically for food. I do like that they provide food and beverages for people that happen to get hungry after playing multiple board games.
Overall, great place to hang out with friends, coworkers, family, etc. Come here on a rainy day! It’s a great way to spend your day. :)
NOTES:
1. The coupon that is up has expired 8/​2015, so don’t bother trying it. I think I read a review that claimed that they don’t honor it anymore.
2. Parking is TIGHT. During a busy day, you might have a very hard time finding parking. I don’t have any good solutions, since the location is a bit iffy, but if you have a group, consider carpooling.
3. You might have to wait for tables. Luckily I haven’t had to wait for a table, but if the place is busy, you might notice that mostly everyone is playing a board game, which could be like a 30+ min wait.

This is actually one of my favorite places in the world and/​or Eastside (although a recent personal spending freeze prevents me from visiting as often as I like) — to the point I have purchased and frequently rock the Mox Boarding House hoodie. A fancypants environment staffed by awesome people who give great recommendations, I’ve been here in groups ranging in size from 2 to 10 and we’ve always had a great experience.

This place is really cool. So much room for games!!!
Love their beer selection, but the food could use some work. Poutine is a popular choice but lacking the necessary serving of gravy.
Reserved rooms are $$$ but some of the dining room tables are huge so there’s easily room for 10 people at once (with a long potential wait).
Game library is frackin’ great, as well.

I went here earlier this and, to be honest, I really don’t remember the food much… It was good, but didn’t stand out. The service was also not very memorable, again, not a bad thing. Not really important as you don’t go here for he food or the service. You go here for the games, the pilum (I’m more of a history nerd than a game nerd. Whatever. Deal with it.), and the quintessential Bellevue experience.
The game store is great. It has all sorts of game most of which belonging solely in the realm of hardcore board and deck gamers. There is also a decent selection of lower level games (basic Risk) for those of us who like a challenge, but cannot stack up. The back rooms also have dedicated model areas and dedicated card game tables. I thought such things only existed in nerdy myth.
This place is Bellevue in a nutshell. On the outside you have out of touch and self absobed wealthy people trying to pass off their Land Rovers as anything in the same universe as compact. On the inside you get the nagging feeling that you have been contempuously asked by half hese people «Have you tried restarting it?» Nowhere else do you get such a perfect mixture of both Bellevues in such a small place. Yes. ‘Tis a sight to behold.

The board game store is certainly five stars with their very informed and friendly service. The selection is amazing and the games you can borrow for the restaurant is a brilliant way to find out if you want to buy something.
Three stars is reflective of our private room experience. Bellevue is different from the Seattle location in that they do not have an F&B minimum, but rather a straight charge. Walking in the door we were on the hook for $ 160. Our «full-​wait service» ended up being the bartender needing to do double duty by servicing our party of 12. She seemed as annoyed by it as we did, but the long waits between orders of food and beverages did not help.
Recommend going there, but do not bother with a private room.

Perfect place to hang out with some friends, drink, eat, and play board games for free! The place isn’t hard to find at all. There’s ample parking around the vicinity of the building and there is an entrance in the back but you have to go up a flight of stairs. There’s varying sections from the main store to the restaurant to the magic card area to miniatures. We didn’t wait long for a table for 5 people on a mid Saturday afternoon. We were seated on this long table. The staff was friendly and attentive. Our orders were immediately taken and the food didn’t take too long to come out. They have a great selection of quality beers on tap as well. While waiting for our food, we grabbed a quick game to play called «Get Bit». A quick 20-​minute game and we played several sessions. The staff does not hurry you out once you have finished your meal. You’re always more than welcome to play board games for free and stay as long as you want.
Some of the dishes were delicious and others were so-​so. They have amazing French fries however their poutine could have used cheese curds instead of melting cheese on the top of the fries. The gravy did have good flavor. The Tofu Veggie Sandwich I had was delicious and so we’re the sweet potato fries. Everyone mentioned they liked what they had ordered — pulled pork sandwich, burger, BLT, and chicken nachos. Be forewarned, they do use fresh jalapenos… seeds and all. It does get hot! It is however delicious if you like that sort of thing.
In the shopping area, staff there are also just as friendly and helpful. They’re quite eager to help you out. It was fun perusing everything they had. They had an extensive stock of varying games, books, and knick knacks. Their collection covered just about any type of games… from kids games to the more complex adult board games.
I will definitely be back here. I find it to have a relaxing atmosphere to just hang out and play a few games.

5 stars for the experience, 3 stars for the food.
I brought a few coworkers after work for a dinner and game night. We had so much fun!
I absolutely love the décor, and am looking for an excuse to book the private rooms. Hmm… birthday party? There is plenty of space in the restaurant, store, and tournament areas to play games. The benches weren’t the comfiest, but were great for getting the team huddled in for some fun.
The service was really great. The games people offered some great suggestions based on our criteria (# people, how long we wanted to be playing). The wait staff was also very helpful. Unfortunately, we had to send back one of the burgers, but our waiter happily made it right.
The food was not very impressive. If you get those chicken and waffle nuggets, see if they can serve it with maple syrup rather than the mustard. The mustard made no sense with that dish. The popcorn was good. Italian soda was good. My steak was not a great cut, and was cooked just fine.
I’ll definitely come back! There’s so many more games to try!

Stopped in with a few friends for a bite and some board games. I had the charred tomato bisque, which was so creamy and probably the best tomato soup I have ever had. Likewise, the poutine was fantastic, with a savory flavorful gravy, perfectly thick and crispy fries and plenty of cheese.
We played a game called Categories, in which you have to use clues to steer the other players towards guessing a particular object or phrase. For example, to get the other players to guess «Cesarean Section», we put markers next to the clues for Woman, Cutting, and Baby. It was a lot of fun and I would definitely recommend the game as well as the food. I’ll for sure be back.

Mox Boarding House is a great location to get your board game on! Their menu features tasty and we’ll prices American fare with many culinary creations and variations to old themes. Be warned though, the menu gets tweaked every so often which can be frustrating for some but overall enhances the experience. Borrow a game or bring your own. The awesome selection of beers will make your evening worth while.
The wait for a table can be lengthy during the weekend rush hours. Make sure you come prepared to endure the wait time. Parking is a hassle but you can find a spot in the vicinity and take a short walk back to the establishment.
They also have a big card gaming room (they use it to host Magic games) and at least two private rooms with reasonable rates. The décor is modern geek with lavish metal trim and beautiful wood furniture. A must visit for nerds and trendsetters alike. Don’t forget to bring your posse!

MOX is one of my favorite low-​key hangout spots. I’ve been twice — once on a double date and another for a party in their private Library & Apothecary rooms.
There’s a large selection of games you can rent for free — whether you want to play a game before buying or just want to play something new or old while you’re there enjoying a bite to eat.
The food and beer menu is impressive — great variety of both. I especially love their grilled cheese sandwich but I’ve tried the Caribbean pork sandwich, veggie bahn mi, and Mac and cheese and they were delicious as well! I did, however, not like the chicken and waffle nuggets. Would have been much better served with maple syrup or some sort of dipping sauce. The beer menu rotates with local breweries like Black Raven and Bellevue Brewing, and there’s also a full coffee & dessert menu.
MOX is a large store split into two sides — one for the restaurant with community seating tables and private booths and outside seating, and a large room with lots of games and tournament game tables. It was about an hour wait to get a table on the restaurant side on Saturday evening — worth the wait IMO. The private rooms can be rented for a cost with full food and drink service and I believe there are three of them available for rent with two of the room that can be connected as a giant room (which is what we did for a bachelor/​ette party I recently attended).
Service has been great and there’s free parking both in front of and behind the store. Highly recommend you check it out!

More like a 3.5.
PROS:
+ Eastside meetup spot for tabletop game fans.
+ Card Kingdom connected to the café.
+ Delicious Beet Burger that they need to introduce to the Ballard location
+ We were seated in the cute «speakeasy» section of the café.
+ They use No Wait app to let you know when your table is ready (and how many people are in front of you)
+ Friendly waitstaff.
CONS:
— Parking is my biggest concern. Will I get towed if I park too close to the auto shops? Are those parking spots reserved only for the auto shops or are they fair game to the whole lot? Not sure. Street parking? Not happening.
— 1 hour wait for 4 on a Saturday afternoon. Nothing close nearby to walk to even if you wanted to walk around to kill time as it is in kind of an industrial/​office section of Bellevue.
— Since we were in the speakeasy section, our waitstaff came infrequently.

Whoever thought to cater towards the geek/​nerd culture is a genius! What better customers to attract than the ones with deep pockets, especially in the Bellevue area where it’s all techies! I can only imagine how large the nerd subculture in this area is. I hope they open a similar place like this in the Bay Area soon!
SHORT SUMMARY:
Lots of seating on a weekday afternoon
Okay Food + Awesome Atmosphere = Great Place to Be
— — What I loved — — -
— The 1920s/​Gatsby inspired décor. Ugh, just loved it!
— Themed private rooms: The Apocathery, The Library, & The Speakeasy (which had a secret entrance; how cool is that?!) These rooms must be rsvp’d in advance obviously.
— Variety of seating from long Harry Potter style tables to big booths (fits 6 – 8 people) to even smaller party tables (fits 3 – 4).
— Lots of board games to try or bring your own
— — -What I ordered — — -
1) Chicken and Waffle Nuggets — 2 Stars
It was a nice creative take on a traditional brunch item, but I prefer the traditional chicken and waffles. The whole dish tasted like regular chicken nuggets, but with a thicker batter that was sometimes a bit too moist inside.
2) Chocolate Pudding — 4 Stars
It was creamy and had a nice texture. It was light, but denser than mousse and didn’t taste glossy like the ones from the supermarket.
— — -My Tips — — -
1) Go early for parking and a table. If you can, afternoons aren’t crowded at all. Avoid Friday nights as this is the place to be right now and you won’t find seating.
2) You can bring your own games to play
3) If the game requires the use of your hands, order something you can eat with a fork or finish your meal first before playing.

This is a great place to hang out and play games. There’s nothing really like it in the area. They have a huge library of games that you can borrow from and they also sell a ton of various board games. They have Ticket to Ride! That the game that my family and I currently play-​they have different versions, so I may pick up another version next time I’m there.
As for the food, I ordered the corn dogs. I saw it on the menu and was craving it since I haven’t had a corn dog in forever. The corn dogs were burnt. My friends ordered sandwiches and flatbreads also and no one was really raving over the food. Also, the food was a bit on the expensive side. I don’t think I would come here to eat. But I would definitely come here to drink and play. Our waiter was really nice and cool. Service was good, but food is nothing to write about really. My friends enjoyed coming here and hanging out. It’s a good spot to just chill and play games if you’re tired from the club scene or karaōke or whatever. I gave it 4 stars overall, but had to take a star away due to the food.

Mox Boarding House is a revamped version of Card Kingdom, yet is located on the east-​side. I was expecting a smaller branch-​off of a store, but this is not that. MBH is the biggest MTG store on the east-​side. It is about as big as Card Kingdom, if not bigger. It is a titan of an operation.
Fantastic store with lots of games and Amazing Staff! Jeff, Frank, Elaine are the best! The only reason I didn’t give it 5 stars was due to less-​than-​ideal parking. I’d recommend marking two or three slots for 30 minutes or less for the non MTG and non dining customers. My friends in the area have visited around 10 times since launch, and myself as well as other have recommended Mox’s to many friends and even random strangers!
The game room has a NBA-​style scoreboard (four screens facing outward, arranged in a square), smokey mirror-​covered walls, a large gothic chandelier, and an ALTERNATIVE desk for paying to enter tournaments or even selling/​picking up card orders.
MBH is practically CK 2.0. It just has everything CK does, yet does certain things better. The sound system inside is great. The store plays great music too. The design and materials of the store looks really expensive. The company is clearly doing well. The CK store is in the middle of Seattle, which is a fantastic location, so MBH can never take that away from it. I will still go to both CK and MBH.
If you play MTG or go to gamer-​friendly bars anywhere on the eastside, you have got to check out MBH. Smaller operations like Crazy Timmy’s or Games N Gizmos will not go out of business due to MBH. Because smaller places always have cult followings and strong community support (e.g. the free box of Crazy Timmy’s has a «give what you don’t use, take only what you need» aura about it, and an employee of Games N Gizmos is a good artist that draws cool funny custom tokens and sells em for cheap). Smaller operations are also just yet another ‘spot’ to play FNM at (different people to meet, different meta, unsuspecting opponents). MBH is a tyrant that should NOT be stopped :)
Employees are very friendly and knowledgeable; their games collection has a lot of kid-​friendly games which our five-​year-​old loves; the whole store is fantastically large and diverse. Haven’t played event Magic here yet but I do know that the event owner Chris is a very talented organizer and judge.
Only feedback is this: in the restaurant it would be great if there was a way to signal yes/​no to service (sometimes the waiters believe you want to be left alone and the opposite is true, or vise versa). Also it would be interesting to see streaming tournaments like Star City Games or GP’s, although this may be difficult to do right without disrupting the café ambiance.
If you are looking for great people, great coffee shop, great food/​booze, great atmosphere, great games, this is the place! Regardless of parking situation, I plan on stopping by often when I’m in town!
MBH is just a solid tier 1 operation. Everything is high class. Don’t miss out on the biggest and best MTG store to hit Bellevue since the Wizards of the Coast store in Crossroads Mall.

Hooray for games and big tables and lots of open space. Not so hooray for the food. But hooray for gaming on the Eastside!
Mox has a great selection of games, and the staff in the shop portion are friendly, knowledgeable and can offer great suggestions for games. I was in a group of 9, so a lot of the regular games wouldn’t work (since usually they go up to about 6 players). However, the staff suggested a few games which we could play in teams, which worked out well. Plus they also gave us suggestions on their favorite things on the menu.
The food though, was very, very average. If I was just reviewing on the basis of food it’d probably be 2 – 3 stars. There are some decent shareable options, but I wasn’t super impressed with my meal. I got the seven cheese mac and cheese because, well, SEVEN CHEESE. It came out cold. After I flagged someone to get it reheated, it came out replated, which was nice and all, but the pasta was overdone and falling apart. The cherry and almond frozen custard was nice though, but I don’t think there was enough foodwise to really redeem it.
Service was a little underwhelming as well. I called beforehand to see if I needed to book a table for our group and was awkwardly told by the person who answered the phone to call back tomorrow, when what I was asking about was literally a yes/​no question: do we need to book in advance for a large group? That said, on the day, it was decent for a reasonably large party like ours, and we were attended to regularly by the waitstaff. There was an issue at the end with giving people the correct amount of stuff on their tabs, but after the second stuff-​up we ended up sorting it out privately instead of having the server print a third tab.
I really hope that they were just having a bad week, because I’d love to give MBH more stars for their food and service. They’re still relatively new, so I don’t know if they’re still going through teething issues. Also, parking’s a little limited in the lot around the place. At least in the evenings you can park at the garage, which opens up a few more spots.

I need to update my review as I have now frequented there a lot recently and the service is just terrible. I really mean terrible. I need to apologize as I don’t know how to spell any names as I had to inquire who was who since I can’t blame all of them.
NOTE! Local businesses are feeling the parking crunch and are irritated if you park in their areas even if they don’t have any legible signs posted! Be careful on trying to find parking in the area!
At ALL times that I have had the worst service, I believe that a waitress named Laney was my server. I shouldn’t use the word server as she rarely serves and we are the ones that sit waiting. Unfortunately, the last 3 times that I have visited, I had her?! At least she is consistently bad. But what a bad roll of the dice to have her all three times!!! Really?! This last visit, my 3 friends and I sat at the table without anything from her for 3 hours! I asked around to make sure and all the staff I talked to said that she was our waitress and when I confronted her, she made like she was not and that was her excuse to treat us so poorly. How does everyone else know and can keep track and she be that lost when she often cries about having tables assigned… yeah, I overheard that the last time I visited. she’s just bad all around unprofessional.
We tried so hard to give some kind of excuse for her lack of attention, care, detail (like no sauces and/​or napkins), and always having other people deliver food for her, hardly being available… You figure the place being busy is the best excuse but why then do I see all the other wait staff? Why can I easily ask them for things when they have their own tables? Why do I see them way more often than this person? Why do I always have her!!! My friends that I brought here were very disappointed and even after the 3 hour wait, they managed to order from her as they are such nice people. Then we waited a good hour before getting any service or follow up from her whatsoever.
They all told me that we will just have to change venues. We were there from the beginning… but it seems this place easily forgets the little people as they move forward to bigger things. Perhaps catering to the local Microsoft crowd was their intention anyway, not sure. But I’m sure they won’t care about my review.
Really wanted to give a 1 star but the place is still nicely upkept and well stocked with retail goods. Also the bar girl Katelyn is fast and can handle lots of customers with full detail. Sucks that I won’t be hanging out there anymore.

What’s better than good company, tasty beer and fun games? If you said nothing, we should be friends! ;) I’ve always wanted to go to a board game café, so when I heard that a new one had opened on the Eastside, I knew that I had to visit.
Right off of Bel-​Red Road, the Mox Boarding House is a fun game shop and café that offers a variety of food, drinks and games for you to try. The concept is pretty simple — you can go up to the counter, ask a staff member for a game and then you and your party can take whatever table is available in the store.
My group stopped by on a Saturday night around 9PM and the café area was PACKED. As alcoholic beverages are served only in the café space, you can leave your name and number with the host/​hostess and they will text you when a table is available.
The shop is very spacious and if you aren’t looking for space in the café, there are plenty of tables available in the back room. I also really liked the vibe of café — think gold trim, Great Gatsby-​esque, etc. Our group of eight eventually got seated in the café around 10:30PM — they stop taking food orders around 11PM and the shop itself closes at midnight.
As a heads-​up, the shop’s location is kind of odd — from far away, it looks kind of like a warehouse with very minimal parking.
We all had a great time though and will definitely be coming back again!