New Arlington Pub Features Board Games & Asian Tapas

Gamers rejoice! Arlington's newest spot is perfect for gathering with your tribe. Adventure Pub was created by gamers for gamers.

Founder, Athena Peters was visiting a gaming bar in Seattle when she realized a similar concept could work in Boston.

“It was just a great place as a gamer,” she told Boston.com. “This thought of [food and games] being all in one place was great. There wasn’t much of an option like it in the Boston area. I thought, Why not make one?”

The concept is simple: a fabulous menu of inventive dishes and a wide assortment of more than 300 popular games including Cards Against Humanity, Blackbeard, Ticket to Ride, Escape Room, and Q-bitz.

Patrons may play one complimentary game, while more involved games — such as those with a game master — are $10 per player. Players who bring their own games from home are also charged $10.

Most tables seat up to five people, while others seat up to eight. For larger groups, there is even a private "Wizard’s Tower' room featuring stone walls and flickering torches.

“That room hosts all of our campaign games, things like Dungeons & Dragons,” Peters said. 

When it comes to food, diners can expect to find Japanese and South Asian specialties such as pork belly sliders, Korean barbecue steak skewers, crushed fried potatoes, and blood orange squares from head chef Jason Smith.

The dishes are served on small, tapas-style plates to save room on the table for games.

The (potential) downside is that Adventure Bar is yet to receive a full liquor license. However, they plan to serve beer, wine, and cocktails starting next year.

Another feature that will set Adventure Pub apart from other Boston bars is their devotion to their employees. Staff salaries start at $15 per hour and include benefits.

“One of the reasons why I wanted to start a company was that I wanted to build an employee-first company, which is centered around the fact that our success comes from treating employees well,” Peters said. “Regardless of what industry you’re in, your employees should be able to have benefits. I’ve been inspired by really large restaurant groups, and with the changes in the [increased minimum wage] laws, it’s kind of a change that the restaurant group is going to have to move into anyway.”

Adventure Pub is now open at 190 Massachusetts Avenue in Arlington. Their hours are Wednesdays–Fridays from 2 p.m.–midnight and Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m.–midnight.