Yorkville has a new place to sit down with a deck of cards. Opening Move Cafe, which describes itself as a coffee and board game space, is open at 208 East 87th Street, a few steps below street level on the block between Second and Third Avenues.

The cafe's pitch is simple: come in to meet a friend, play a game, read a book or stay a while. It keeps short hours for now, Thursday through Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., and is closed Monday through Wednesday.

What is on the shelf

The cafe says its game collection is starting small and will grow over time. Right now it is a mix of board games and a large supply of playing cards. The tables are sized for two, and the cafe notes that the tables suit two-player games, which makes it a setting for a chess-style head to head, a round of gin rummy or a quick card game over coffee rather than a six-person strategy night.

That puts it in a different lane from a full-size game hall. It is closer to a neighborhood coffee shop where the games happen to be part of the furniture.

The menu

The drink list covers espresso drinks, drip coffee and tea. On the food side, the cafe offers a rotating selection of cookies, muffins and other baked treats that changes from week to week. The cafe has not posted a price list or any table or game fee on its site.

A second game table for the neighborhood

The Upper East Side already has one board game cafe, Hex and Co., near First Avenue and East 76th Street, which runs a much larger library of games. Opening Move adds a smaller option about a dozen blocks north, closer to the 86th Street shopping strip and the Second Avenue subway.

For residents of the blocks around Carl Schurz Park, Gracie Square and the East 80s, it is a walkable alternative to the usual laptop-and-latte coffee shop: a place where the default activity is a game rather than a screen.

Who it is for

The cafe frames itself around a few kinds of visits:

  • Two friends who want coffee and something to do with their hands while they talk.
  • Couples looking for an afternoon date that does not involve a reservation.
  • Solo visitors who want a quiet table with a book.
  • Anyone learning a card game who wants a table that will not rush them out.

Because the space is below street level, it is worth looking for the entrance as you walk the block; the address is on the north side of East 87th Street between the two avenues.

How to go

Opening Move Cafe is at 208 East 87th Street. The closest trains are the Q at 86th Street and Second Avenue, about a block and a half away, and the 4, 5 and 6 at 86th Street and Lexington Avenue, two blocks west. The M15 runs on First and Second Avenues and the M86 crosstown bus stops at 86th Street.

Hours are Thursday through Sunday, 10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. The cafe posts updates on its website and on Instagram at @openingmovecafe, where new games and the week's baked goods are likely to show up first.

Sources