Chance and Counters Leeds review: I tried the new Merrion Street board game bar where you can play Uno

Chance and Counters wasn’t my first choice for a catch-up with a friend. We were turned away from one of the city’s more high end bars as it was fully booked, so we wandered over to Merrion Street and a new addition caught our eye.

Opened just three weeks ago in the old Yard & Coop restaurant, Chance and Counters is the city’s first dedicated board game bar and cafe.

We were warmly greeted by a member of staff who let us know how things worked. Downstairs, a collection of more simple board games can be enjoyed for free over drinks or a bite to eat, while upstairs there are larger gaming tables and a bigger library for a very reasonable £2 per person, per hour.

The space hasn’t changed much from its former use, with an industrial feel and homely touches - exposed brick walls and quirky paintings, mis-matched tables and a pastel pink spiral staircase.

There’s a concise yet tempting food menu full of classic diner grub - burgers, wings, loaded fries and cheesecake. The range of draught beer and cider was fantastic and it was nice to see some local options.

I opted for the gin bramble, one of six cocktails on offer. It had a big hit of citrus and was super refreshing. My friend went for the peach long island iced tea which was a nice take on the classic with creme de peche.

We enjoyed a few games of Uno before grabbing Dobble, a trickier version of snap. After ordering our second round of drinks - we both went for a single peach gin and tonic - we moved onto some nostalgic games of Guess Who, Operation and Pop Up Pirate which had us in stitches.

Our bill came to a pretty standard £34.10 - the cocktails were priced at £9.50 and the single gins were £6 each, with a 10% optional service charge added.

But unlike your standard bar, we had a whopping 500 games to choose from and plenty to keep us entertained for hours, with friendly staff on hand to guide us.

Whether you’re a board game fanatic or a novice like us, Chance and Counters has nailed what it set out to do - create a relaxed place to soak up the company of friends and put your phone away for a few hours.

Factfile

Address: 6-8 Merrion Street, Leeds, LS1 6PQ

Telephone: 0113 487 5930

Opening hours: Mon, closed; Tue-Thurs, 4pm-11pm; Fri, 4pm-1am; Sat, noon-1am; Sun, noon-10pm.

Website: www.chanceandcounters.com/leeds

Scores

Drinks: 7/10

Atmosphere: 8/10

Service: 8/10

Value: 8/10