Knight Moves Café
by Marianne Farrell
Photo Courtesy of Instagram (@knightmovescafe)
Knight Moves Café is one of the cutest, quirkiest places in Brookline tailored for a late night crowd. Since its open in 2013, the café has shifted its hours from 7 a.m.—11 p.m. to 3 p.m.—11 p.m. on the weekdays. The special and somewhat strange weekend and weeknight hours make going to the café even more enjoyable and unique.
“Really, this place is about coming to meet people, to start conversations and have a good time,” said Devon Trevelyan, owner of Knight Moves Café.
Trevelyan started the café in hopes of bringing a place close to Boston University where people could escape their screens for a little while and socialize. His idea for the café came after working for a board games company.
At the café, Trevelyan will accept a small flat rate price and then begins teaching patrons how to play any of the games in the café. According to Trevelyan, there are over 1000 games in the store, with another 600 still in storage. When asked about his favorite board game, he was unsure, but he knew the one that he played the most.
“I really like Terra Mystica,” said Trevelyan. He proceeded to point out a worn, blue box. Despite the torn up version of the classic childhood game, the Knight Moves Café is still able to bring that cozy sense of childhood wonderment and excitement into its establishment.
Knight Moves is not only a spot for getting coffee and playing board games with friends. The café holds several small events within its doors throughout the year.
These events can range anywhere from afterschool board game camps for the summer to philosophy nights to book clubs. All these events and more that go on in the café make this small business important for the Brookline area. The Knight Moves Café has brought together so many people that would have never spoken, all over some silly board games.
“It’s unlike anything else in the area,” said Taylor Christianson, a local resident. “Coming in here is a unique experience. It’s wall-to-wall with board games which in and of itself is kind of overwhelming at times, but then you see that it has the nice coffee-bar feel to it.”
Although the Knight Moves Café may be considered a local coffee shop, because of its strange hours, it is strongly thought of as a late night destination. Many people, according to Trevelyan, even bring their own bottle to the café.
The Knight Moves Café may sound like the first of its kind, but there are several other cafés like this one around the country.
“Back at home, I go to this place called The Cup, which is a coffee shop near me, but it’s more of a place where you go to hang out and play games really late at night,” said Kristin Lunt (COM ’20).
The Knight Moves Café is a perfect spot to go with friends, and Christianson even thinks that this should be one of the main places to visit in Boston.
“This should be on one of those top 20 things to do in Boston because it’s so different,” said Christianson. “I would recommend it for people for a date night or for college roommates trying to bond.”
The Knight Moves Café is one of the most different and interesting spots in Boston right now. It is a great spot for any college student trying to get out and explore Boston. The café is currently trying to work on incorporating convenience points to make it easier for BU students to take a break, play a board game and relax with friends.