Where Nerds Eat And Drink In LA, According To A Local Nerd

Many people outside of Los Angeles are surprised when I tell them it's one of the nerdiest cities in America. Even though my family is from Southern California and I grew up coming here, I used to picture a city full of glamorous movie stars. That changed nine years ago when I moved down. The movie stars are around — but so are the writers, editors, production designers, and producers, plus the many non-Hollywood Angelenos who are all well-represented in nerd-friendly spaces. This is the city where the role-playing game series "Critical Role" and "Dimension 20" are made, and where I wrote for the nerd show "Tabletop News." When LA's nerds need to grab some food and beverage, there are quite a few places to go.

Where once I would be embarrassed to play D&D or Magic: The Gathering in public, throughout Los Angeles, there are bars and cafes full of people playing all sorts of nerdy games. The large number of artists and techies who create worlds for TV and movies can also create worlds within gaming spaces, like Geeky Teas in Burbank, my honorable mention pick. Here, you can purchase board games, rent out decorated private gaming rooms, and buy loose-leaf teas while hanging out with like-minded pals. 

What follows is a list of my favorite places to eat, drink, and nerd it up in the city. The Valley seems to be an epicenter of these spaces. There may be more spots on the West Side, but I haven't found them. When my West Side friends join me at one of the following locations, they talk about how they wish they could find something like it near them.

At the esports bar Guild Hall, Twitch streams on the TVs, and there are shelves full of board games. Muses of the rotating fandom-themed specialty cocktail menus range from Animal Crossing to "The Nightmare Before Christmas." Instead of Super Bowl parties, this bar hosts events like Critical Role campaign watch parties. It's the kind of place where the bartender will tell you about a new format for playing Magic: The Gathering as they pour your beer. 

Monday nights are reserved for Magic, but every night I've been there, I've seen tables of people playing Commander. People stop to chat at other tables to see how matches are going, whether they're running into friends or strangers. There's almost always a Game Master in a corner narrating an event to their players. It's a social atmosphere where you are bound to run into people you know, like a geeky Cheers. The food is solid — well-done shareables like sweet potato tater tots with harissa aioli or a flavorful hummus made with piquillo peppers, join classic bar foods like smashburgers, smoked brisket mac and cheese, and a pulled pork sandwich.

Nextdoor to its sister store, the immersive comic book shop and pinball arcade Revenge Of, ...And Destroy is a wide-open coffee shop with tables built for gaming. The interior is wood and stone, designed to look like an archetypal tavern a Dungeon Master would describe in a D&D game. On the weekends, the tables fill up quickly with pods playing Commander. ...And Destroy also hosts frequent Magic: The Gathering draft nights and release parties. There are some board games stashed under a coffee table up front for anyone to grab, but most people come with their own. During the day, it attracts a crowd of people on laptops, some taking breaks to discuss the game of Magic they played the night before.

...And Destroy has fun with the drink menu. Cold-brewed sencha tea is steeped with mango and strawberries to make an on-tap Sencha Fresca. Seasonal drinks include the Baja Blast Matcha Tonic, made from matcha and malic acid (to add a sour kick) mixed with Topo Chico and Mountain Dew Baja Blast. It's playful and not something you'll find in any of the other unique shops that make LA a great coffee city. Of course, it offers the usual espresso drinks and drip coffee, along with an assortment of baked goods.

The Roguelike Tavern fills up most nights with events like Renaissance Faire-inspired pub sings, live D&D shows, Shakespeare performances, cosplay drag shows, fantasy-themed burlesque, karaoke, and trivia nights. On Halloween, you may find a karaoke singer dressed as Captain Hook singing Blondie's "One Way or Another." On weekends, you can play immersive narrative puzzle boxes, which include whiskey and mezcal tasting flights that are a part of the experience where you are cast as a detective investigating the disappearance of a Roguelike Tavern bartender.

Opened by John McCormick, an actor with the LA-based immersive theater troupe The Speakeasy Society, the space is built for performances. Companies will host fundraisers and holiday parties here. Unlike the other spots on this list, this is less a place to play games and more a place to socialize and watch nerd-approved live entertainment (If you do whip out your Magic cards, the only question you'll get asked is, "Who's your commander?"). The beer list is short, but the cocktails, including Non-alcoholic varieties, are well thought out. If you've been wanting to know the truth about Malört and its polarizing taste, you can order a Chicago Handshake, which pairs a tallboy with a shot of the Windy City's infamous liquor. The food is good: chicken katsu or crispy tofu sandwiches, cheeseburgers, wings, poutine, and fried pickles are some of the satisfying selections to fill you up as you enjoy the show.