What are the opening hours?

Wednesday 5pm - 11pm Thursday 5pm - 11pm Friday 4pm - 12am Saturday 2pm - 12am Sunday 2pm - 10pm

BoardiesBar

Home
Australia
Fitzroy, VIC
BoardiesBar

Bar & Gaming Hall based in Fitzroy, Melbourne. Craft Beers, Board Games, old skool video games, Burgers & Bar Food

06/09/2026

Hive is not chess. It’s not even remotely similar to chess. I tell everybody I show it to that it’s basically chess, because you move black and white pieces and try to capture a member of royalty.

You build the board as you play, trying to keep your queen bee mobile. If she is surrounded on all six sides you lose because bees, like sharks, die if they stop swimming.

It’s a great two-player strategy game. Play a couple times back to back and you’ll quickly ferret out the main strategies. Keep on playing and you’ll find it’s surprisingly well balanced. You’re limited enough in pieces that even the semi-sacrificial ones can be pivotal to a win.

Remember, Hive is not chess. It has not existed for a thousand years, there is no board to play it on, and instead of horses, it has spiders.

We have a couple copies here at Boardies. And chess, if you must.

03/09/2026

In all of cinematic history the MCU is the only project to reach its scale. You’ve seen Marvel movies most people don’t even know exist, and it’s time to put that to the test at Boardies trivia.

Thursday 17th September
7:30 start
Boardies Bar Fitzroy

Book in at boardiesbar.com.au to guarantee your seat

01/09/2026

This game was introduced to me as “please don’t make me play Wingspan, can we play this instead?”

I do adore all the ‘span games, but if you’ve been wanting something a little more complex and a little more adversarial then Lost Ruins of Arnak is perfect.

The basic structure is similar, you collect items and cards from a communal area to use on your own playmat. The experience of playing is different because of the competition over those communal resources. Everything you might try to do could be blocked by another player.

It also has its difference in aesthetics. Wingspan’s naturalistic watercolours are replaced with fantastical realism, like you threw Indiana Jones into a DnD jungle.

Lost Ruins of Arnak is less comfy than Wingspan but ultimately has more to do. It is the Blood on the Clocktower to Wingspan’s Werewolf. It’s also Archaeologist approved. Or, at least, a customer playing it claimed to be an archaeologist.

Play Lost Ruins of Arnak, Wingspan, and whatever else catches your fancy at Boardies.

24/08/2026

Shrek-themed cocktails are hard to make sound appealing. I promise that despite the name there is nothing swampy about this drink. It’s green apple, sparkling w**e, and enough chartreuse to make it interesting. Like Shrek, there may be something immediately offputting, but there are layers. Once you get to know it, you’ll find that the sourness is endearing.

But remember, at its heart, it belongs in the swamp. Third-wheeling a dragon-donkey marriage despite also being married.

Available for the next fortnight for our upcoming Shrek trivia.

20/08/2026

I need a hero to quote Shrek 2 from memory. The Dragon to my Donkey, the Puss to my Boots. And I need them to do it at Boardies bar on Thursday the 3rd of September, with everybody else coming to our Shrek Trivia

As always, starts at 7:30

Book in at boardiesbar.com.au

19/08/2026

Want to learn some board games but don’t have a group to play with yet? Next Wednesday (the 26th) Boardies is running BOARD GAMES FOR DUMMIES, the solution to all your woes.

Come play board games with like-minded people, guided by our experienced bartenders. We pick the games that are easy to learn, gather you into groups, and walk you through your choice of them. Have a relaxed night out, make some new friends, and be home by midnight.

What more could you ask for?

Starts at 7
Book in at boardiesbar.com.au

17/08/2026

Hey! That's my Fish may be the easiest game we have on our shelves.

14/08/2026

Board game designers love one thing. Making a game that can be played with two players, then following it up with a version specifically designed for two people.

Codenames makes sense. You have to do some homebrewing to make sure the ruleset can accommodate two people. Codenames Duet does that for you, and even makes it so that both players can take both roles from the original game.
Seven Wonders is a step further. Its minimum player count is two. You can sit down and play it without going off-book at all. However, Seven Wonders Duel is a different game entirely. It keeps the aesthetics and energy but designs a two-player experience from the ground up. Best learnt with someone who has already played it, but very fun once you’re in it.

And then there’s Splendor. Not only are two players accounted for in the rules but it’s a game I will often recommend AS a two-player game. There was no reason to make Splendor Duel and yet it is the game I play the most out of this entire list. Its reinvention is halfway between Codenames and Seven Wonders, bringing in new mechanics while keeping the core gameplay loop the same. In the end, I only recommend Splendor because it’s easier to pick up.

Board game designers love one thing, and luckily for us they’re quite good at it. Any of the above are great for friends and dates alike, and always on the shelves here at Boardies.

12/08/2026

Ark Nova is a puzzle-strategy Zoo Tycoon board game, playable solo.

Its twenty-page rulebook starts by apologising for calling koalas bears for the sake of game balance. Your reaction to that sentence will tell you whether you’re likely to enjoy the game. Charmed by the apology? You’ll take a while to get the hang of it but have a good time. Wondering why any board game would need twenty pages of rules? Probably not the game for you. Sad they couldn’t make it work? Welcome to your favourite game.

The single-player ruleset is where it shines, some reviews preferring the experience to multiplayer. Even when you know the rules it can take two hours to finish a game, so being able to go at your own pace shows off the game’s best parts.

On Thursdays Boardies always has a happy hour, well stocked kitchen, and quiet table. The perfect place to try Ark Nova.

09/08/2026

Gear Fifth can’t have a boring cocktail.

In fact, we wanted it to be strange, piratey, delicious, and make you bounce off the walls. So trust us when we say that though the ingredients are strange the result is fantastic. Kraken, aperol, coffee, and falernum shaken then topped with pineapple juice makes a drink that is refreshing without being sweet and chocolatey without being bitter.

This just might be our favourite cocktail special ever. Available at Boardies for a limited time.

Address

189 SMITH Street
Fitzroy, VIC
3065

Opening Hours

Wednesday	5pm - 11pm
Thursday	5pm - 11pm
Friday	4pm - 12am
Saturday	2pm - 12am
Sunday	2pm - 10pm

Telephone

+61394193096

Website

http://www.boardiesbar.com.au/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when BoardiesBar posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Establishment

Send a message to BoardiesBar:

Want your establishment to be the top-listed Bar/pub in Fitzroy?