Cafe Review: King And The Pawn Slays The Game in Bugis-Bras Basah, Singapore

King and the Pawn

You’re probably familiar with the concept of a board game cafe, but King and the Pawn takes it to another level with over 300 types of games, a range of comfort classics for nosh, and a unique drinks menu. Situated in the Bras Basah area, this bar and cafe is a great choice for a one-of-a-kind evening out on the town.

Honey Lime Sriracha Wings

Whether you’re headed down with a date or in a gang of five, King and the Pawn has small bites, sharing platters, and mains to keep everyone satisfied. Their Honey Lime Sriracha Wings (S$12.50) are everything you love about fried chicken but made better, with a tangy glaze and a spicy yet sweet, almost sambal-like chili dipping sauce which add great depth of flavour to the dish.

Camembert Brûlée

Another great sharing option is their Camembert Brûlée (S$23), a whole baked camembert that’s oh so oozy and melty, finished with a crispy brûlée top. Take your pick of fresh pear, roasted grapes, and crostini to dip into the cheese, or if you’re like us – just dive straight in with a spoon!

For the hungry, a main that’ll keep you fuelled up is their Creamy Duck Confit Pasta (S$21). Creamy, umami-rich white wine sauce coats every strand of capellini, tossed with mushrooms and duck confit.

Pandan Pineapple Patchwork and Level 2 Magic Maze Mojito

Playing board games is thirsty work so you wouldn’t want to skip over their cocktail menu either. As the name suggests, the Pandan Pineapple Patchwork (S$16.50) was a delightful concoction of pandan, pineapple, and passion fruit (we’re loving the alliteration here). It’s bright-tasting with a lovely earthy note. If you want to stick to something a little more classic, their Level 2 Magic Maze Mojito (S$16.50) is a great choice, with a passionfruit and orange twist on the usual lime-based tipple.

Feeling lucky? Come down during happy hour (running from Tuesdays to Fridays, 5.30pm to 8pm) and score two cocktails for S$22 if you roll a double. Folks who prefer beer will be happy to see a selection of craft brews available, such as the Hitachino Nest Yuzu Saison (S$13.50), a beautifully floral and citrusy brew made with sake yeast.

Now, we couldn’t come to a board game cafe and not play some board games. King and the Pawn’s daunting collection of board games is organised in user-friendly and practical categories like number of players and difficulty level, so don’t fret if you’re not a board game junkie. They also have board game gurus on hand who are happy to give you recommendations and walk you through the rules, a blessing for us newbies.

They do have a board game fee (S$8 from Tuesdays to Thursdays, S$13 from Fridays to Sundays), but there’s no time limit on this one-time payment. Come ready to game the night (or day) away!

King and the Pawn is located at 24 Purvis St, Level 2, Singapore 188601. Open Tues — Thur 5.30pm — 11.30pm, Fri 5.30pm — 1am, Sat 11am — 1.30am, and Sun 11am — 10pm.


Shiva is highly skilled in the art of binge-watching TV shows and taking naps. On occasion, she also enjoys baking cookies or building a Monopoly empire.