Now Boarding Café (Board Game Café) (Bengaluru)

Now Boarding Café is a board game café in Jayanagar, Bengaluru that openly welcomes pets inside , no breed restrictions, no size limits, and no pet charges. Sitting on the second floor of a building on 9th Main Road, it draws a loyal crowd of board game enthusiasts, families, and now, pet parents who want somewhere genuinely inclusive to spend a few hours. With a Google rating of 4.4 across nearly 1,900 reviews and a second outlet in HSR Layout, it has established itself as one of Bengaluru's better-known game cafés , and one of very few that will let your dog or cat pull up a chair alongside you.

The Setting , What to Expect When You Arrive

Now Boarding describes itself as "Sugar, Spice and Everything Dice" , a friendly neighbourhood board game café that has been running out of Jayanagar since well before it became fashionable for cafés to brand themselves as gaming destinations. The Jayanagar outlet is located on 9th Main Road, Jaya Nagar 1st Block, in the Jayanagar 3rd Block area of south Bengaluru, Karnataka 560011. It opens at noon on most days (closed on certain days of the week , check current hours before visiting).

Google reviewers consistently describe the space as cozy, with a vast library of board games, puzzles, and card games. Food and drink offerings include cold coffee, lemon paneer, and a range of vegetarian snacks. The price-per-person range reported by visitors is ₹200 to ₹1,000, which typically covers a table charge for gaming and food or beverages ordered. Reservations can be made via District.in, Swiggy, or Zomato, and the café's own website at nowboarding.co.in lists events and current offerings.

The atmosphere skews lively. One Google reviewer described weekday morning hours as ideal for a quieter visit , "a cool place to hangout with friends and play." Another reviewer noted that the café can get loud and crowded, particularly when families with children are present. This is worth noting if your pet is sensitive to noise or unpredictable movement from strangers, especially young ones. The enclosed indoor format means there is no quiet outdoor overflow area to step into if your pet needs a moment.

Pet Policy in Detail

Now Boarding Café at Jayanagar operates a straightforward, no pet fee policy , your pet enters for free, full stop. There are no breed restrictions and no size restrictions, which is unusually inclusive for an indoor café in a city where many pet-friendly venues quietly cap at small dogs or toy breeds. Both dogs and cats are welcome, which again is rarer than it should be.

The one practical rule the café enforces is that your pet must stay with you at all times. This is not a space where you can leave your dog tethered near the entrance while you head to the counter , the café has asked for this out of consideration for guests who may not be comfortable around animals. This is a reasonable ask, and if you are used to travelling with your pet in public spaces, it should not require any adjustment to your routine.

What the café does not provide is pet food or treats. The kitchen menu is vegetarian and human-facing. If your dog has a long stay ahead , especially if you are planning to spend a few hours over multiple rounds of games , bring your own water bowl and a snack from home. The café does not object to you feeding your pet at your table.

There is no outdoor seating area at this location. The entire pet-accessible space is indoors, air-conditioned, and enclosed. For most calm adult pets who are comfortable in busy indoor environments, this is perfectly fine. For younger dogs still building their public confidence, or cats who are not experienced travellers, the combination of a noisy café, a staircase entry, and no outdoor escape route is worth thinking through before you book.

Getting There , The Staircase Question

The most important logistical detail for pet parents visiting this café: the Jayanagar outlet is on the second floor with no lift. This is confirmed policy from the café itself, who note that if your pet is comfortable in this kind of enclosed, upstairs setting, they are happy to host them.

In practical terms, this means a few things. If you have a large dog , a Labrador, a Golden Retriever, a Husky , and they are not trained to walk calmly up a busy staircase in a building, plan accordingly. If you have a small or medium dog who is used to being carried in a bag or crate, the stairs are a non-issue. For cats, most will be in a carrier anyway, which makes the climb manageable as long as the carrier has a good handle grip. The building entrance on 9th Main Road leads directly to the staircase, so there is no ground-floor lobby or holding area to pause in.

Parking in the Jayanagar area can be tight on weekends and evenings. The café's Google listing does not specify a dedicated parking arrangement, so budget a few extra minutes if you are arriving by car with a pet in tow. Two-wheeler parking in the area is generally easier to find.

The café has a second location in HSR Layout (contact: 8904283855), though our verified pet policy applies specifically to the Jayanagar branch. If you are considering the HSR outlet, we recommend confirming pet access directly with that branch before visiting.

The Experience , Board Games, Vegetarian Food, and Your Pet

Board game cafés work on a simple principle: you pay a table or cover charge, you pick games from the library, you eat and drink while you play. Now Boarding has been running this format for long enough , and with enough consistency , to have built a 4.4-star average across close to 1,900 Google reviews. The AI-summarised reviewer consensus highlights a wide variety of board games, puzzles, and card games, along with food like cold coffee and lemon paneer. Staff are described in multiple reviews as patient and helpful in explaining rules to first-timers.

Some reviews note that unprofessional staff interactions have come up occasionally, and at least one reviewer found the atmosphere too loud and crowded, particularly around children. These are the kinds of honest observations that matter when you are bringing a pet. A dog who is easily startled by sudden noise or fast-moving children will have a harder time here on a busy weekend evening than a dog who has been socialised in market environments and is genuinely unbothered by activity around them. The café does not mention any specific arrangement for separating pet-owner tables from the general seating , it is a shared, open floor.

For the right pet and the right owner, though, the combination on offer is genuinely appealing. Spending two or three hours over a strategy game, a cold coffee, and a snack while your dog settles under the table is exactly the kind of low-key urban outing that is hard to find in Bengaluru. The fact that there are no breed or size restrictions, no extra charges, and no requirement for advance permission makes the logistics significantly easier than at venues where every visit requires a separate approval process.

Who This Works Best For

Now Boarding Café at Jayanagar is best suited to pets who are already comfortable in indoor public spaces. The ideal visitor here is a confident, calm dog or a well-travelled cat in a carrier , an animal that can settle quietly under or beside a chair for an extended sit-down without needing to pace, react to strangers, or head outside for a reset. The café is all-indoor, all-enclosed, and there is simply no outdoor option if your pet needs air or space.

It is a strong choice for solo pet parents who want a relaxed afternoon out, for small groups of friends where one or two people are bringing pets, and for anyone who has wanted to combine a proper board game session with the kind of inclusive, no-fuss pet access that most cafés in the city do not offer. The absence of a pet fee and the absence of breed or size restrictions make it one of the more genuinely open pet-friendly cafés listed on Pet Friendly Places in Bengaluru.

It is less suited to puppies in their early socialisation phases, reactive dogs, or pets who have never been in a noisy enclosed public space before. Not because the café would turn them away , they would not , but because the experience would be stressful for the animal and, by extension, for everyone around them. Use your honest knowledge of your pet's temperament as the guide here.

Practical Summary Before You Go

Now Boarding Café is reachable at 096635 68855 (Jayanagar) and via their website at nowboarding.co.in. The café opens at noon on Tuesdays and the rest of their weekly schedule is available on their Google listing and website , always worth a check before you make the trip, as hours can vary. Reservations are accepted through District.in, Swiggy, and Zomato.

Bring your own water and food for your pet. Keep your pet with you at all times. Navigate the second-floor staircase with a plan if you have a large dog. And if you find a weekday morning slot free, the quieter atmosphere that reviewers describe during those hours is likely to be the most comfortable window for a pet visit.