We tried Coral Sword on its opening weekend, and it was good. I would definitely go there for the coffee (which was very good) and for the awesomely fun selection of board games and cards that customers can borrow or even buy. The food is just OK (they had a box of Morningstar donuts and muffins at the front counter and also some breakfast tacos, which I tried and as a little blah), but the coffee was VERY good! I think the restaurant is owned by a former Astros player and his wife and located int the far east side of downtown. It's a cute place and colorfully decorated on the outside and then darker black with shelves of board games inside. Fun! read more

This was my first time visiting, their service is superior and coffee is delicious! I had an iced lavender/vanilla latte that was amazing; the taste was similar to that of a matcha latte Again, my first time here and I was blown away. The atmosphere is laid back with friendly staff (Kiana was super!) and excellent coffee. I will definitely be back! #supportlocal read more

Coral Sword - Iced doppio espresso and Vanilla/Lavender iced latte - Cafes Near Me - Houston, Texas

They've put a ton of thought into how to maintain a fun, safe environment during the pandemic. With everything going on what better time could there be to take some board games and beers home? They have unique selection of both. Adding a shady outdoor area was a really good move. Houstonians know the importance of drinking beers on a patio. read more

What an awesome and spacious coffee shop. I recently went here with a large group of friends to play board games on a Friday night around 9pm. There's a large selection of board games that they provide and are all in great condition. Most of the tables here are for large groups and were taken towards the front either by people studying or those playing games, however we didn't have a problem as there was a section in the back with a few more tables and a stack of chairs to be used if needed. As this place becomes more popular, I think finding a set place to sit may be difficult as people lounge around for a couple hours. For food and drink selections, I've yet to try the food but it always smells good! One thing I definitely recommend though is their Nitro Thai Tea. It's so different and has a veryyyy good and smooth texture. I tried it for the first time here and was hooked ever since! read more

A hidden gem :) loved their chai and lemon poppy muffin. It's hard finding good chai but here it was delicious! (They also have substitutes). The inside is so cool and nice. Next time I would like to drop by for a game night some time . read more

Solid place with great staff and quick service. It's the perfect chill spot for gamers, as there is jenga, settlers of catan, cards for humanity, and etc available for your group to play. I ordered the match sweetened tea, which they made with a nice decoration on top. This place had good AC for the hot, humid weather in Houston, and was a great hang out spot. read more

really cute shop with so many board games! def would go back, loved it! slay coral sword!!

I love getting coffee from here multiple times a week. This barista is my favorite she makes great drinks and always puts the cutest designs on my cup.Great way to start the day! read more

Coral Sword - Cafes Near Me - Houston, Texas

The only reason I won't give it 5 stars is the menu, but honestly this is not the place you go to for the food and drinks. The whole place is just a great vibe and experience. Excellent to try board games you are considering buying or want to play just once. I've been here a few times now and I always enjoy my stay. For what you buy to eat and drink while you're there, I'd probably get a baked good and a coffee. I don't recommend the affogato but that's just me. Some of the ice coffees are also give or take. So maybe go with a more standard order. read more

Coral Sword is one of my favorite places in Houston; i've been a customer for years. Typically go to work not game. The colorful, warm atmosphere created by the cafe's owner and staff -- as well as the happy vibes generated by beer and coffee-drinking patrons playing their favorite games -- create an inviting space for all. Apart from the cafe's culture, here are a few other things to consider: - very good coffee and well-made specialty drinks - smartly-curated beer and wine selection - very clean and comfortable - fast wifi - more board games than I, personally, could know what to do with (for sale and use within cafe) - chill clientele - chill staff - good snacks read more

Good spot for games and coffee. Food was good and great service. Earl grey coffee was good

Cute shop, love all the games and nooks to play in. Broad drink selection, especially if you can drink alcohol. Really wish they'd bring in better food options. There's just nothing to eat if you don't like junk food/counter baked goods. Having even 1-2 healthier options would go a long way, like a salad or sandwich. Those don't require much prep. Recommend for a fun afternoon! read more

This was a great little find! My husband and I went here and had a great time. Games: I was really pleased to see that they had a good selection of games: Splendor, Catan, Forbidden Island, Pandemic, Ticket to ride, Hive, Lost Cities, Escape, Sushi Go, and Patchwork--just to name a few. The games were in good condition and all the pieces were there. They also have the games for sale if you want to buy them. Atmosphere & Food: The atmosphere was fun and friendly. You could definitely get lost in here for hours sipping on coffee and playing a good game. We had the coffee and it was really good. The staff was also nice, courteous, and friendly. Location- If you blink you will miss it. It's right next to a barber shop. Either I was tired or I missed the sign, because we drove by it twice and didn't see it. The only way I guessed it was it was because of the beautiful mural on building and Siri kept saying it was there. Lol. Overall it was a good place and I would definitely be going again! read more

Coral Sword - Cafes Near Me - Houston, Texas

On a Saturday night and wanting to get out of the house, the lady and I were discussing possibilities and came across this place on Google and on Yelp. The gigantic wall of board games alone was enough to pull us in. I've been to cafes and other similar places with board games, and by games I mean a sad little corner with Jenga, Uno, and Monopoly with half the pieces or cards missing. Coral Sword has so many games, games that are short and fast, games for big groups, games that are sitting on my Amazon wish list right now! It's a shame when we were already planning our next visit before we picked a game to play on our first visit. The place is super cozy and the drinks were great. They do have a lot of coffee and tea choices and some great draft beer choices as well, something I was pleasantly surprised to see. The verdict is still out on the food however, while the pictures here look great for some of the food choices, the cheese sticks we got came about 30 minutes after we ordered them and were soft and kinda mushy / falling apart on the outside. We will definitely be back however, Coral Sword seems like a totally cool spot to have a drink and play a couple of games, especially on those nights were you're sitting around trying to figure out what to do (they're open til midnight!) and may possibly become that place we become regulars at. We'll see! read more

What a quaint and marvelous coffee shop that you would never expect to be here! I stumbled on this place only because I was in the area otherwise I would have lived my little life not making this awesome discovery. There are plenty of parking behind the barber shop next door. No they will not tow (as I was told by one of the staff throwing away trash). But you will have to walk around in order to gain access to the front entrance of the coffee shop. Don't let the cramped exterior fool you because the inside is much more spacious. In fact, half of the coffee shop is tables; there different sizes of tables (ranging from 2 to 6 seats) and even bar seating. There is also more tables in what looks like a study area when you walk to the side near the restroom. I came here on a quiet weekday afternoon, but most of the front seats were occupied and there were a few people sitting in the back area. The best part of this coffee heaven is the games. Yes, I said games. So, so many game, it's more like game heaven than coffee heaven. The games are accessible to everyone, I believe, and range from the simplest game, like Taboo & Scrabble, to unique and bizzarre games, like Catan and Mysterium. Never heard of them? Me neither. These games are available for purchase as well if you played a game and felt that you needed more secret practice. Their drinks, however, aren't as impressive as their collection of games. I tried the Matche Sua Da and the Nitro Thai Tea and all I can really say is that "I've had better". The milk in the Matcha Sua Da isn't concentrated condense milk like a traditional "sua da" but a mixture of condensed milk and water. But like any good coffee shops, the takeaway isn't always the drinks so I'll give it another chance because I had a blast here. read more

i love this place! great atmosphere and setting with a wide range of games to choose from. definitely the place to hang with a group of friends or even by yourself if you need to study and such. i've ordered a few drinks and food here with mine being the nitro thai tea, matcha latte, and the mozzarella sticks. parking may be hard to find on weekends but you will eventually find parking. just BELIEVE! read more

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We were greeted kindly as soon as we walked in the door. The ambience of the Coral Sword is amazing. We ordered two almond milk lattes and they were delicious! We also left with a wonderful bag of coffee. The games that are open for customers to play are absolutely outstanding. I highly recommend this cute place off of the highway for anyone looking for something different. Even if you're looking for just a regular cup of coffee this is a great place to visit. Great job Coral Sword!!! read more

Coral Sword - Two almond milk lattes! - Cafes Near Me - Houston, Texas

Love the roasted almond latte!! Pastries and beer selection are good too but get the 6 pack always!

This place rules! It is a coffee shop in general, but most of the appeal for me is that this is a game cafe. They have a good selection of games for you to use, and a bunch to purchase as well. The food is fairly standard cafe fare. They don't have a mind blowing selection of food, especially for vegans, but going got a cafe just for a meal is like going to a barber just to get your news. Speaking of barber shops... Coral Sword is connected to one, and the last time I was there, they had a skinhead chili cookout in the back patio area (not quite a Crucial Youth Skinhead BBQ, but pretty close). Some band played and they were pretty good, but hilariously kind of like a dad-rock oi band. They also didn't play any covers. I'd give the band 4 stars for lack of Cock Sparrer, but the cafe still gets 5. read more

Good Expresso. Staff is polite & positive. Nice ambiance. Do you like ' Settlers of Catan' ? You're welcome here. Shall stop in, again.

Why be bored when ya got board games?! (And card games, etc.) Coral Sword was a sweet lil discovery I stumbled upon while looking for something chillaxing to do. The turmeric chai drink is delicious and green tea is a big ol fat bag of leaves perfect for multiple steepings! I discovered something else cool- one of my favorite games on iphone is Tsuro - "game of the path" where you can play vs computer or friend and move your stone depending on what path each card you draw decides... either the person with the most loops, or the person who survives longest in the game wins and they have the board game version here! Also enjoyed a game of fancy scrabble- rather I enjoyed WINNING- but that black board edition has funky fonts on the letter pieces so it can be a lil annoying, but certainly adds to the challenge! Looking forward to trying many more new games and enjoying some funky new beverages in the process. read more

Coral Sword - Sometimes you just need to vent one... - Cafes Near Me - Houston, Texas

This is such a cool little spot. SO. Many. Games. I have come a few times and everyone is very nice, the coffee/tea is good and I even had a gluten free brownie, which made my freakin day. Overall, highly recommend. It's a nice quiet and interesting place to study, catch up, dream or play some Catan and trade some sheep. read more

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Nice atmosphere. Has kinda a hipster city feel with black paint and brick walls. Quiet with pleasant lofi music, good game selection, lots of space and nice restrooms. Their drinks are great, and pastries. They could probably work on their food selection a little but I get that that isn't their focus. Also I love the games they have out for people to play, had an absolute blast. read more

This place has reaaaaally good Iced coffee with oat milk. A lot of other places around here seem to mess it up but they aced it. The two baristas today, tall man and a girl with blue hair were also very nice :) the atmosphere is very chill which I also love. read more

I moved to 2nd ward 6months ago and was happy to see that I had about 4 coffee shops to choose from. After a couple visits at each spot coral sword was definitely the one standing out the most. IMO, there honey cinnamon latte and early grey latte are as good as it gets. You also can't go wrong with a cortado with oat milk here. Very good quality coffee. Something else that sets them apart is the kindness that you receive from each barista you encounter, especially KiKi. They always seem to be in a good mood and happy to take my order. Definitely try this place out. read more

I don't think I can emphasize how much I love this place!! I love being able to play so many different board games without paying for them! The times I've come in, we weren't pressured to order anything but I do order a tea or latte because it'd just feel wrong if I didn't lol. This is where I dock a star though... the lattes are just okay. They aren't as hot or creamy as I would like. But it's fine, the main appeal is the board games any way! It's also such a really cool, hip vibe here. Next time you drop by, y'all should totally play "Mr. Toast" and "Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza"!! read more

Coral Sword - Some lattes and games. - Cafes Near Me - Houston, Texas

It's wonderful to see this coffee shop and game locale pop up in the East End. Pouring Greenway coffee and serving up Morningstar donuts in addition to other noshes (breakfast tacos, etc - which I have yet to try), this has already been a regular stop for me. Nitro Thai Tea and great cold brew up the ante. The location, close to UH main campus and adjacent to an amazing barber shop, is an added bonus. Comfy banquettes, ample outlets, and strong wifi make it a perfect place to get some work done. If top-notch coffee drinks aren't enough of a draw, the space is dedicated to board games of every variety. There is a panoply of playables for purchase--Catan to Pandemic to Ticket to Ride (about a dozen versions of that one available, even French releases)--as well as many open games for you and to enjoy with friends (or strangers). A cool array of other swag helps make the black/gray/red brick industrial space feel warm. Coming soon are beer/wine - hopefully well-curated. Given that quality of the coffee and build-out, I have a feeling it will also be a home run. read more

Discovered this cute little cafe in Eado from the Twitch event. This is a hipster cafe great for board games/homework. Their staff was super nice. They spent time explaining the menu to us, and let me tasted a couple seasonal beers they have on tap before we order. The menu is quite small, coffee, tea, beer, and a small selection of food. While I like their drinks, I'm not a big fan of food, but they just opened earlier this year, so I'll keep an eye open. That being said, at their price point with the bonus access of their board games library, it's a 5 star. The board games selection is not as big as the other board games cafes, but they don't charge a fee, you just have to be a patron. We grabbed some beers and played some kiddie board games (Rhino Hero, really kiddie but surprisingly fun), and some more complicated adult ones like Catan, and enjoyed all of them. Definitely ate night/Board games night worthy. They have a back room dedicated to twitch interviews, which is kinda cool seeing it in action, I can only guess more twitch events happening here in the future. Parking is meh, they have a small amount of dedicated parking, but at least all the nearby streets are free for all. Coming back next week with a group of friends, can't wait! read more

Sweet spot to pop in for the fuel of life - COFFEE. Although I was kicking and screaming when they changed their times to open later, I understand it made sense considering I was the only one coming in at 7 AM - hey I did my best trying to keep the lights on to make it worthwhile for them to be open early!! Always good energy and beautiful faces from the East End. Great concept, great execution. An East End gem that further proves we are on the UP! read more

Wow, I'm visiting from out of town and extremely jealous of Houston for having Coral Sword. This is a cafe/bar/board game space! They serve coffee, tea, beer and wine, and have an amazing selection of board games. Usually when going out for a beer and board games we settle for things like Star Wars Life with a few pieces missing.. Not here! They have games like Pandemic, Splendor, and Above and Below. Coral Sword also sells quite a bit of board games too. For my drink I had the Nitro Thai Tea, which was a non-dairy Thai Tea. The creaminess came from the nitro, which was really awesome, very unique drink. I tried a sip of my cousin's stout (draft) which was from a local brewery, 8th Wonder. The staff were all incredibly friendly as well. Very relaxed vibe, and I highly recommend that you come here if you're in Houston and that Coral Sword open a location in Raleigh! read more

Awesome place for studying, getting some work done or for game night with friends! Place is open and inviting with tons of board games for everyone to enjoy. And if one of the board games strike a fancy, there are new ones you may purchase. Totally love the vibe in here! Plenty of coffee choices including matcha latte, matcha sua da and cane sugar latte. I did try the matcha latte and unfortunately, wasn't crazy about it. It tasted a bit powder-y and didn't have any sweetness to it. I powered through it by adding a couple packets of sugar. Maybe the matcha sua da will be better? We came on a late Saturday afternoon and they had Morningstar doughnuts laid out. Unfortunately, it was stale. If it was fresh from this morning, I don't think it would have gotten stale so fast. However, the bacon breakfast taco I had was really good! Hearty and cheesy... just want I needed to hold me over from becoming hangry. I'll have to try their pizzas next time. Looks good from what I see on the next table over. And looks like they're working on a liquor license. Making game night that much more exiting! read more

WOW! I'm slowly living my EADO dream for finding this place. Coral Sword is seriously a diamond in the rough. They have a good variety of snacks, coffee, wine/beer and plenty of board games! On this Sunday rainy morning we ordered Sugar Cane Lattes (delish) and donuts which they buy from Morningstar Donuts in the Heights to sell at their establishment. When you walk in you will get a retro video game vibe along with smiling friendly employees! Shout out to the girl who helped us order, wish I got her name. Along with comfy window seating and different theme/game nights this place is great to bring friends in to hang, drink and play fun board games they offer. I will definitely be back! read more

Coral Sword - Cafes Near Me - Houston, Texas

What an interesting venue! I was very impressed by the sheer number of different board games this coffee shop has to offer. They have them on shelves like books - absolutely incredible. I went with the nitro thai tea, which was a radical departure from your usual thai tea. There was no dairy in this product, and it was made ever so slightly fizzy by the nitro. It's on tap, so you cannot customize the sweetness level. It was great! The only downside is that parking can be really a pain. There are just a few spots in front and most of it is behind the place, but you will likely need to parallel. read more

Cute little coffee shop. Cool concept. Complete asshole staff. I stopped in with my two younger cousins who I haven't seen in a few months to grab a coffee and a snack. Spent about $8 and grabbed a little card game off the shelf to play with them only to have one of the works (who also was SUPER rude when taking my order) come over and tell us that "if you're going to be playing our games, each of you need to make a purchase." And threw down a menu and then said "so, whenever y'all are ready I can help you over here." Thanks, man. I was having a great time hanging out with my cousins and catching up until you pulled that. So, I'll never be back. I was actually super excited to check this place out and have followed them since the opening of their store. Checking this place off my coffee shop list. Here are some better recommendations with friendlier services: the Nook on UH campus, AGORA (the best), and Catalina. All three get my service over this piece of work. Thanks for the epic experience! Addition after seeing the reply: First of all, Thanks for the refund. But it absolutely doesn't make up for the fact that you acted like a total jerk to us. Both of my younger cousins commented about how that just ruined the mood. I actually had just asked both of them to be my best men in my wedding coming up. You are the MANAGER, you literally set the example for your staff. Ask yourself if you would like your staff to handle that situation the way you did? Also, Why in the HELL is it a rule that every single person at a table has to purchase something in order to play a silly little card game!? If it helps, we all shared the snack and they took a sip of my coffee. I was actually considering buying that game from you guys. I'm extremely disappointed to find out that you, the manager, is who caused this today. read more

Nestled between Battle Royal Tattoo and East End Barber Shop on Telephone is Coral Sword, a cafe with chill vibes and good times any day of the week. Head here to enjoy a cup of coffee as you play a board game off of the shelf just past to ordering counter. Want to take one of the games home with you? Chances are it is available for purchase by their merch stand! The other evening, my friends and I met up here and battled over how to play Qwirkle. We ordered chicken nuggets, mozzarella sticks, and lemonade which were delicious! Across from our table, a group played Magic the Gathering, and just around the corner, people studied or met up with friends for a chill hangout. The staff leaves a great impression and is cool to chat with between study breaks. You can also join their staff-run discord to get updates on upcoming gaming events. If you are hunting for your next spot to host a D&D one-shot or get a drink and cozy up to study, check this place out!! read more

A gamers coffee retreat! This place is really cute and is much larger inside than it appears on the outside. Made a quick stop for a little pick-me-up and had the tumeric chai, that was simply delicious, and a caramel latte! Nice spot to come and study or gather with a few friends with coffee and board games galore. I took one star away for parking, as it's conjoined to a barber shop, but it's totally quirky and I'd def go back! read more

Coral Sword - Cafes Near Me - Houston, Texas

Nitro Thai tea is very interesting! But not my thing flat white and supreme pizza is very decent! Flat white is very smooth. It's an interesting store, I'll love to go back again! read more

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They have aesthetic lattes & workers were friendly. Drinks were pretty good, fast and it has good WiFi. The atmosphere and the large variety of games make this place a great place to study or just hang out with friends. It wasn't too loud, and the seats were comfortable. Would definitely recommend this place to go with friends! -Review by Bryan's gf- read more

Coral Sword - Cafes Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Great coffee and games!! Top board game cafe! We didn't know that you have to ask for game pieces after showing the staff the box of choice, but after getting the memo, we had a blast! read more

Amazing selection of games! I could have played magic there for hours. The lattes are nice and the general atmosphere is colorful, artsy, decorated with pop culture murals and trailing plants. Definitely coming back with friends. read more