Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Culture

Not Your Father’s GameHäus

Elizabeth Dahl
By

not your fathers gamehaus game haus cafe
GameHäus Café is the LA hangout you never knew you needed. It’s a cafe, serving up amazing coffees, sandwiches, cakes, and pies and a hefty dose of nostalgia: it has games. That’s putting it lightly. It has almost a thousand games. It’s also a favorite haunt of some famous actors.

But this isn’t your father’s gaming cafe– partly because that’s not a thing– but mostly it’s because it provides you with a trendy environment to beat your friends 950 different ways: be the steadiest hand at a classic like “Operation,” be the wittiest, crudest person at “Cards Against Humanity,” defy gravity in “Jenga,” or become a railroad baron in “Ticket to Ride.” But the opportunity for competition extends far beyond games we all know so well. GameHäus stocks rare, expensive, and lesser known games: card games (sure, you’ve got your poker and Rummy, but you’ve also got options like “Bang!” or “Dominion Intrigue”), cooperative games (think “Arkham Horror” or “Zombicide”) and area control/combat games (“Survive!” and “Chaos in the Old World” among others).

Related Videos

There’s a small cover charge ($5 per person, but it’s only $2 before 4pm on Tuesday-Thursday) so you can play as many games as you want. For as long as you want. Or you can just come for the food, in which case there is no cover. It’s well worth the trip: they housemake their pies and scones, the cookies and cakes come from Tasteful Cakes, and their pizzas are made with a cornmeal crust, which is weirdly fantastic.

Owners Robert Cron and Terry Chui turned to Kickstarter in 2013 to open GameHäus, earning the money needed in a mere two months. Since then, it was a closely-guarded Glendale secret that loose lips allowed to spread quickly. If you’re thinking it’s an all-out nerd fest, you’d be surprised how wrong you are. Clientele range from self-proclaimed nerds to hipsters to film industry people to everything in between. Come weekends, there’s often a wait for the tables and couches, but it makes for great people and game watching.

GameHäus Café is a badly needed respite from over-priced bars and digital lives. It’s relaxing, absurdly fun, and allows you to reconnect with actual humans. It’s the perfect spot for friends, family, even dates. And celebrity sightings. Game on.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
How The Bear nails American kitchen work (and the one thing it gets wrong)
The Bear is so spot-on when it come to culinary culture (except for this one thing)
A scene from The Bear.

FX show The Bear has got the culinary world talking. While only a single season deep, the program paints a pretty accurate picture of the intense culture at play in most restaurant kitchens. Some chefs aren't watching because it simply hits too close to home.

For those who don't know, The Bear came out earlier this year and is about a gifted chef looking to improve the status of his family's restaurant in Chicago. The chef, named Carmy Berzatto and played expertly by Jeremy Allen White, has logged serious hours at Michelin Star restaurants but this is his toughest test yet, restructuring an old time-y sandwich shop with little order or leadership. That's the gist of it, but the show dabbles in everything else the restaurant industry is known for, for better or worse. There are pronounced themes of toxic workplaces, substance abuse, and constant pressure. It shows the underbelly of a culinary world we like to think of as pristine and problem-free—where cooking crews are paid what they deserve and all the dishes are plated with tweezers. As you may have guessed, it ain't quite like that.

Read more
8 Fun Places to Celebrate Father’s Day
Eastwind Hotel

It's hard to believe we are almost halfway through the year! It's even harder to believe that Father's Day is just around the corner! Dads might appreciate a new tie or a barbecue accessory this Father’s Day, but for those looking to give the gift of an unforgettable experience, we’ve rounded up a list of fun things and places to travel with Dad on Father's Day. From off-roading in Vermont’s scenic Green Mountains to horseback riding through agave fields in Tequila, Mexico, see below for some meaningful activities we recommend you highly consider.
For the Oenophile Dad

Located in the heart of Napa Valley, The Estate Yountville offers wine-loving dads an array of exciting activities to enjoy during a Father’s Day getaway. The 22-acre village-within-a-village features the following activities:

Read more
Celebrate the Asian Communities Across North America
Waving Chinese Lucky Cat statues.

According to Pew Research, the Asian population in the United States nearly doubled in the last two decades and is now forecasted to surpass 46 million by 2060. From ethnic Asian groups such as the Hmong in Wisconsin to Toronto's Chinese-Jamaican population, Asian populations form a wide range of cultures that foster the celebration of authentic experiences that North American travelers and residents can enjoy.

Here are a few ways to engage with some of the best Asian communities in North America in alignment with May's Asian American, Pacific Islander Heritage Month.

Read more