The Raygun Lounge

Not only is The Raygun Lounge a great place in general with friendly staff and fun events, but they also care deeply about their patrons. This past weekend, I happened to be right there when some random (and very out of place) jerk was harassing a guy exiting the shared gender bathrooms at the same time as myself. The jerk decided to make a scene and insinuate a sexual encounter – you know, the very classic immature behavior and attitude towards progressive ideas like multi/​shared gender facilities. It then devolved into sexual harassment towards the guy I’d been in the bathroom with. As a woman who experiences sexual harassment in my daily life, I wasn’t going to stand for it. I got aggressive with the jerk and was making a bit of a scene, but I was going to risk it because its the right thing to do. Ignoring these people only allows them to get away with it. The staff saw the scene and came up and kicked the jerk out! They then thanked me for not letting harassment slide and talked to me about their standards for inclusion and a safe and fun place for everyone. The Raygun Lounge had my back and stood up for the right and ethical thing. I will forever come back to this place knowing that they stand for the right things.

A good selection of games, but you really can only get a table to play with friends on weekend nights as during the week they hold MTG events and such that take up the vast majority of the tables.

We stumbled across this place while looking for game and collectible stores in the area. It’s barely visible from the street but for the small wooden sign in the sidewalk with a picture of Lost in Space style ray gun.
It’s a very dive feel with older, well used tables and benches. Setup is very conducive to tabletop gaming with groups of friends. There are games and collectibles along the walls, a small bar/​grill in the back and a bunch of arcade and pinball machine. Cozy and almost always busy.
The staff was super helpful. They don’t have a huge selection in the way of food or drink, but they have a few things that are fun or interesting to try. I personally like the cream soda, and some of their specialty beers.
Though the best thing about the place is that if you buy a drink or snack, they will let you and your friends loan a tabletop game (as many as you would like to try) to play. I’ve already picked up two of my own because I liked playing them so much. Which is also cool. If you play something you like and want to own, they’ll order it and let you know when it arrives to come purchase.
Aside from al of that they host plenty of events. DnD games, magic tournaments, smash brothers, etc.
All in all I really enjoy this place. Been back several times and plan on becoming a regular!
If you like casual places to relax with friends and play some games or want to try something new, look this place up.

I’ve always thought that one of the biggest problems in the gaming community is our lack of inclusiveness. The game shop I regularly go to is sadly the exception and not the rule. The employee seemed more interested in taking to his friend than to us (you know, the customers). I also asked about renting games like their website says and was told that the tables (half of which were empty) were «reserved for the regulars» Bad customer service seems to be a Seattle staple Second star awarded because I dropped 219,000 on Ms. Pacman

Really a let down. The guy minding the shop is really nice. It has the makings of a fun game shop with a bar but the size and variety of games lets it down.
When I was there it was really quiet so getting a table super easy but the tables are so few that I would never try going there at night when they have events (which is when you want to go).
They have video games and pinball which is a great touch the similar places don’t have but should. Unless the demo games are hidden, there aren’t that many to try. I should note the games they have are good games. The games they sell are so few that I would never think to buy a game here.
I wanted this to be a winner but I just keep striking out for me. I really hope they last and can offer more in the future because that’s the real issue.

Love this place, brother was visiting from Canada for the weekend, we went and had some drinks and played dnd. Wonderful atmosphere, the best thing was after we were done an employee helped us find another great game from their library, you had to guess artwork based on vague discriptions, super hard to describe but we had an ABSOLUTELY great time!

It’s fun and as nerdy as you expect it to be. I kinda wish they had some newer arcade games but the retro selection isn’t bad. The beer is cheap enough with some interesting options.

This was my first visit to a gaming bar. Why aren’t there more of these?! Arcade games, board games, booze and food. How can you possibly go wrong? The game selection is large and the staff is incredibly friendly and willing to teach you any game you aren’t familiar with or lend playing tips.
The food and beer options are just enough for what you need. You don’t come for a gourmet meal. You just want something quick and easy to nibble on while you play. The fact that they offer drinks and food is a bonus for me.
I’ve never been crazy about the loud, impossible-​to-​hear, impossible-​to-​get-​a-​drink, chaos of the usual bar scene so this is definitely a cool spot for someone uncool like me.

A half basement nerd haven. The staff is friendly, the food inedible, the beers cheap, and the games plentiful. Bring your own if you don’t like the selection and just enjoy meeting some like-​minded geeks. As expected, the clientele is often more reserved than your average bar, but if I walk in and don’t know anyone, I’ve always found I can sit at a table of strangers and join a game in progress.
The bathroom isn’t the worst I have been in (really, people, go to some dive bars to get some perspective!) but I can’t understand why it is quite so dingy.
The games are decently priced for a small store and I try to support the place by buying games here sometimes and by drinking as many beers as I think I can tolerate while still winning a round of Smash Up.
I’m here most Tuesdays for a game night with coworkers and I never fail to have fun. Sometimes they have events and reserve some spots, but I’ve never had a problem finding booth space for myself and a few friends. I’ve closed the place down during an intense rounds of Power Grid more times than I care to admit.
I wish the game rental selection was a bit broader — I’d gladly pay an additional fee to rent more games. As it stands, it costs $ 2 to rent a game, but the cost is deducted from your first drink, so it’s basically free, which is nice.
I feel like I glossed over this but it bears repeating: the food is unbearably bad. I’ve tried the pizza, the «crappy nachos», and a sandwich, and I’ve given up. It’s just awful. Luckily there is food everywhere around it. I like to go down the street to grab some cheap tacos from [place name I can’t recall] or sushi from Sushi Maki before heading in for an evening of dice rolling.
I love this little dive.

I can’t wait for them to expand their food menu and TVs to stream more eSports. They said they will be streaming TI in August so I look forward to coming back here to hang out. It’s nice to have a game shop to hang out in Capital Hill.

Raygun Lounge is a cool place to play board games and hang out with friends who like to play board games. There are just a few shortcomings that could be improved upon.
The food and drink selection is not great. The drink selection is definitely better than the food selection, but both are pretty limited. And pricey. But I can understand why… kind of.
The seating is pretty limited, especially on nights when there is an event going on. I came when there was a Magic: The Gathering tournament of some sort, and there was really only enough seating for a handful of non-​Magic people. And of course, along with the crowdedness came the stuffiness and BO.
The bathroom is slightly creepy and very dirty. Kind of to be expected.
The game selection is pretty impressive, though. A fair number of ones that I hadn’t heard of, but sounded interesting.

I helped organize a work-​related event here and overall, Raygun provided great service. There was one minor hiccup, but it was quickly fixed by the staff in the shop. Our group reservation was lost, despite having been booked a few weeks in advance. There seems to be a gap in communication between management and the shop’s employees, but the employees in the shop did a great job of making sure we were accommodated despite the lost reservation. I really want to emphasize that the lady working there provided awesome service. Couldn’t have been better!
This is a nice space for a medium or large group to do tabletop gaming. They have a nice selection of beers and ciders available, along with some sandwiches and snacks for very reasonable prices. They have many board games available for anyone who wants to use them, so you don’t have to bring your own. Like I said, service was awesome and patient despite being so busy.
They have a neat little art gallery of video game and sci-​fi art, which definitely made the shop have a more artsy feel to it. There are a few large booths and a number of long tables, so they are able to accommodate larger groups.

The beer selection changes often which is cool. I like the game library being free so while bar hoping we sometimes pop in for a game. They have a good variety of games from 15 min to 4 hours. I like the chipotle turkey panini & the yam and black bean wrap with the spicy sauce. The aftermath IPA is good. The people are a good vibe at night. Everyone seems to be fun. I learned about some cool shows to look up just from talking to people last time I was there.

I have been debating whether to write a review for this place for a long time. On the one hand, I want Raygun to succeed because they are one of the few places in Seattle to check out tabletop games in person, but on the other hand, they really miss the mark compared to the competition.
When I used to live in Capitol Hill, Raygun and Gamma Ray were in two different locations and I swung by Gamma Ray once every few months to check things out. I bought thing sometimes to support my «friendly local game store» (FLGS), but I was always put off by how aloof — and sometimes condescending — the staff were. I’m not into MTG, which seems to be where a lot of their business comes from, and I don’t look like the stereotypical gamer, I guess, so I tried to be understanding and continue to support them.
Then, Phoenix opened a few blocks away, with comparable prices and much friendlier staff who always went out of their way to look things up if they either didn’t know of or weren’t carrying an item I wanted. I made it a habit to go there first, but Raygun was still the best place around me to grab a beer while I game.
Then, I moved out of Capitol Hill and acquired a car, and suddenly, the hassle of finding parking in Capitol Hill drove me to other, further, places, such as Meeples, Mox, and The Dreaming. I still wanted to support Raygun for what it was, in the location it existed in, but for about 6 months, I found myself everywhere else.
Que last Friday night, I happened to be in Capitol Hill for unrelated events and excitedly dragged the bf out to meet me at Raygun for drinks and games.
We get there and I’m surprised — not unpleasantly so — to find that they’ve consolidated the stores. «Great,» I think, «I bet they save on rent and people are inspired to buy things during gaming sessions!»
Then I look around and see that there are much fewer tables now than there used to be. Two are taken up by two groups of 5 and the rest are arranged in a row in the middle of the store with reserved signs on them. Raygun’s website still states there is room for 60 people, but I think consolidation must have cut that figure in half.
Also, I’m sure this is not their fault, but it was stiflingly hot and it smelled pretty bad, like my old high school cafeteria.
We inquire about the situation and learn that the tables are reserved for parties. The employee told us we could stay if we plan to be out before they began, but honestly, who goes to a gaming bar to have a quick drink-​and-​run?
Now, I’m not going to blame this place for being busy, and the guy working last Friday was one of the friendliest I’ve encountered there, but I’ve concluded that this place is too small to reliably be a go-​to gaming spot and too unfriendly to be my go-​to FLGS.
If I ever want to go there with a large group, great, I can make reservations, but for smaller groups, it seems like a better bet just to go elsewhere — someplace that smells better, has more room, and has more reliably friendly staff.
So yeah, as much as it pains me to do this, the only way I can recommend Raygun is if you live within walking distance, purely for the convenience factor. If you’re not within a few blocks, call ahead to make sure there’s room!

Can’t believe I still haven’t written a review for this place just yet… I’m here all the time! This is my favorite place to come and play games with my friends. I even made a new friend recently just by playing Krosmaster and he walked past and said he almost has the complete set! This is a great place to bring 1 or many friends. I’ve hosted game nights several times here and have never had a problem with space. I do try to come early, like around 6, to stake my claim on a booth however.
Good beer selection and easy payment through square. I’ve only ordered pizza once (the meaty one and only because it smelled soooo good) but I wouldn’t recommend buying it since it’s a bit overpriced for what it is.
It’s nice to see the place grow and adapt– they have now transitioned into having Gamma Ray Games in the opening space. There are scheduled events for each day of the week and sometime soon I plan to attendtrivia night. I look forward to seeing what else this place has to offer!

We came here for a board game night. They have a lot of different board games, like Settlers of Catan and Dominion. We opted to play some new games and it was really fun. They also serve some snacks and food, like sandwiches and pizza. The pizza is alright, and I also got the nachos, which was just store bought chips and salsa (not my cup of tea). However, if you’re looking for a place to just hang out and play board games, this is the place.

I wish I could give this place five stars. I’ve been here twice, and I’ve had a great time with friends on both occasions. They have lots of great board games, food and drink and a moving dalek. The tables are great for large groups, and you can reserve space as well as drop in. The crowd is nerdy, which is awesome! I feel like I’m in my element when I arrive here!
And now for the reason for 3 stars…
The bathroom is shared by two spaces, both with keys to the place. It’s unisex, with a urinal and a stall. The guy tending the bar was apologetic about it, and told me to watch out. I’m a girl. I’ve both walked in on men using the urinal AND had GROUPS of sketchy men come in while I was using the stall. To be quite frank, I DO NOT FEEL SAFE IN THE RESTROOM AT ALL and will probably only use it in the future when with by bf or friend.
The lack of security is really worth two stars to me, because I feel like personal safety is a very big deal. If the system for using the bathroom is fixed (no keys, maybe?), I’d be happy to give this place five stars. :)
I will definitely be returning, just with a bathroom buddy.

I LOVE THE RAYGUN! This place is great to hangout and play a few rounds of any assortment of their boardgames. The selection of food and drinks are well chosen (mini pies!) and no one is ever trying to push you out for space. It’s nice that they offer decent non-​alcoholic drinks so you don’t feel like such a prude for trying to stay sober through an intense game of Dominion and then there are games where you want to drink… like CAH.
It’s definitely a fun way to spend a night on Capitol Hill.

I won’t lie — I have some nerdy, geeky qualities about myself. I like Star Trek: TNG, have a fondness for classic 70’s game shows, and love board games.
This place… makes me seriously question my nerdy geeky cred.
I showed up for a trivia night with friends — and was instantly greeted by a 5-​foot tall Dalek replica. (Apparently, he needed some repairs — I didn’t see it in motion, but was told that it could meander around.) On the shelves are tons of board games — they lean more towards deeper strategy game titles, as opposed to things like Scrabble and Monopoly.
The bar/​trivia staff was ridiculously friendly — even offering up samples of cider for bonus opportunities. The place looks like it’s either not quite finished or is being remodeled — and that’s not a bad thing, because it adds to the charm of the place.
Trivia was… however, not my strong suit. As an example: one of the categories was LARP. I have no idea what LARP is, and I’m sure that if I wondered that out loud, I’d be outed for sure. (That’s «live action role-​playing», BTW.) That’s not to say I didn’t have fun — because the atmosphere made up for my distinct lack of knowledge in the categories presented. I did redeem my geek cred towards the end, when I semi-​successfully challeneged an answer based on information from the Star Trek Wiki.
So, overall… it’s not the crowd I typically I hang out with — but — they (the clientele and the staff) did make me feel at home, and I had a good time, even when I had no idea what was going on. Really, that’s a good trait for any good business to have — making newbies feel at home along with the regulars. Can’t beat that.

Pretty cool place… They utilized the space fairly well. I have never been to a ‘board game bar’… so this was my first. I didn’t check out the menu, but my partner in crime did. He said it looked pretty good… he wished there was more. I said, More what?! How would you make it better? He said he would think on it. I liked the big windows in the front for two reasons, I love being able to people watch, and I am sure if I was on the outside, I would love looking in.
The bathroom however, wasn’t so good. I understand that they needed to make a unisex bathroom, but it would have been nicer… a lady’s point of view… if they had made the girl’s restroom the unisex one, instead of the men’s. If a man needs the stall, we girls have to wait longer. :(Sorry if that is too much too say, but it was an unfortunate experience.

I would never have found this place if it wasn’t for Unilocal and the Unilocal Geek Out Event. It’s a large room with tons of big tables, lots of games you can grab off the shelf to play with friends and/​or strangers. I honestly didn’t recognize any of the board games (but I’m also not a super geek nor do I pretend to be). We ended up playing Cards Against Humanity with a large group. It was a lot of fun!
They offer a variety of local beers, some snacks and the staff are super nice! Apparently there’s the actual game store just a few blocks down the street if you want to purchase any of the games you played. It’s kind of a great way to test some games out before you buy it.
My only «thing» was there was the one bathroom shared between two businesses. The bathroom said vacant though the door was locked & the business gives you a key to access the bathroom. There’s a stall and urinal — unisex obviously (kind of gross for a lady to be honest but good they have toilet seat covers). I was waiting outside in the hallway in line and apparently there was someone in the stall when one of the guys came out of the bathroom from using the urinal. I thought the guy was joking when he told me since it was the second time I was using the restroom for the night (TMI, but yeah), anyway someone was already in there. They need to fix this somehow because if both businesses have a key and the bathroom says vacant you could easily walk in on someone as I sort of did. Embarrassing for both parties to say the least!
Otherwise, I had a good time playing games with friends. A chill evening with lots of laughs and fun.

The Raygun Lounge is basically a place where people can get together and play board games. It is a spacious place, where it seems reasonable to find a table to settle in. The staff member was very friendly and helpful when needed. They also have a collection of games one can use for free within store.
With all that said, The Raygun Lounge definitely has room to grow. Although it is a spacious place, the décor is pretty much minimal. Like what another reviewer already mentioned, the chairs are not comfy at all. I found myself to be moving often in my chair. As for their selection of drinks and food, there’s not much variety. For drinks, its mainly beer and non alcoholic beverages and a few pastries, some samosas and chips for snacks. Since they don’t allow outside food, I think they defintely need to improve their selections.
I do like the concept of this place and will come back to hang out.