Snakes & Lattes -
College Street
489 College St, Toronto, ON M6G 1A5
Sunday-Thursday 11am-12am
Friday-Saturday 11am-2:30am
Accepts Reservations
We have come on several occasions and at different times
Café, Bar, Board Games, Quiet Days, Busy Nights, Light Meals
Snakes & Lattes Entrance on College Street
Atmosphere
Fernanda: We typically go early in the afternoons. The place is somewhat empty and not too loud. It's spacious for sure, but I have gone there a few times late at night, and it can get pretty full, so if that's your plan, you might have to wait in line for a few minutes. I like coming here when the weather's colder. It's good for hanging out with people you don't know too well, because you have the icebreaker of playing board games.
Scott: I've never been during the busier periods, having only come here during the early-to-mid afternoon, but I've heard that the place can get packed, at times. During daylight hours, it's generally fairly quiet, with only a couple of tables of people scattered around a large venue. There is a bar you can sit at if you're more interested in drinks than games (and, at least theoretically, this place is a café first). At $8, the price of admission for gameplay is unreasonably high, in my opinion, considering better deals I've found all around the city. Frankly, if you're looking for somewhere to play board games in Toronto, you can do better both in terms of price and variety.
Food and Service
Korean Poutine
Fernanda: I haven't tried many things on the menu, but from what I've had, it's very average pub/bar food. I usually like to get the popcorn because I'm going there to play and it's easy to eat and I won't get my hands too dirty while playing. When I went and it was almost empty, there seemed to be two servers, and therefore I feel like their service could improve, because the few times we needed something we had to wait a long time to flag down the server.
Scott: The service is usually innocuous. I've never felt forgotten, I've never felt over-attended. On the whole, the food has been good every time I've come. Early in the day, they offer a more limited menu, although there aren't too many options at any time. The menu also changes somewhat regularly, as each time that I've come the item I ordered the previous time has no longer been on the menu. Most recently, I had the Korean Poutine, which was solid. The gravy reminded me of the kind served at KFC, which I've always enjoyed. It's not really a place to come just for the food, though.
Beer
Wheat Hefeweizen by Side Launch Brewing
Fernanda: Their beer list is not extensive. Most of the craft beer they have is the typical kind you'd find at other bars that serve craft beer. They have a rotating tap of Collective Arts. There's some draught, some cans, and they have specials for those everyday. I had the Batch: 1904 by Brickworks Ciderhouse, which was fine, but the glasses didn't seem polished, so I didn't feel like getting another alcoholic drink after that and opted for a coffee instead.
Scott: For a place that uses its board games as its main selling feature, there are a surprising number of craft beers available at Snakes & Lattes, including some rotating taps. In general, you won't find a lot of different brews of the same style, but you'll find a wide variety of styles. Few of the beers are hard to come by in the Toronto area, but there's still a good amount to choose from here. There are also several other alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, including many coffee options.
Overall
A fun place to come with a small group of friends to play some board games and have a beer or a coffee, Snakes & Lattes offers a little bit of everything, although not a lot of anything. If you want a quiet place to play, come during the day. If you like a more crowded atmosphere, come at peak hours. For its price, it's not the best place in the city to go to play board games, but if you want the food and drinks as well, Snakes & Lattes is a solid place to come visit. You can also buy some of your favourite games to take home at the venue's store.
