Thirstymeeples Reviews 

This was my second visit to Thirsty Meeples, coming five years after my first. To say I was disappointed is an understatement.
​We were seated at the rear of the cafe, which lacked the ambience of the front section and felt hot and uncomfortable. The large wooden table was sticky, making it difficult to pick up cards and game components.
​While the food had imaginative names on the menu, it was incredibly ordinary and very dry. Paying £6.50 for a single sandwich felt like terrible value. Service was adequate, but the promised assistance with our chosen games never materialised. For a total bill of nearly £90, I expected a far higher standard.

Terrible experience 😞
Overpriced food. £5.30 for an Americano and milk. Spent £130 for a group of 5 including a £10 penalty fee for non attendance (we were supposed to be 6). Ludicrous charge; it wasn't busy and the table size remained the same. Staff didn't know anything about the boardgames. You have to book a 3 hour slot, no more, no less. Do not be fooled by the £2 discount if you order food as you will get hammered. £££ expense *service. **Quality of food. The manager was not very polite. She doesn't seem to be interested in having repeat customers. Shame. It used to be spot on. And...a lot of the games need replacing as cards have faded badly and instructions in tatty pieces.

Ordered a board game Monday evening, was shipped Tuesday and delivered Thursday by Royal Mail. Clear ordering process with shipping price clearly displayed before submitting order.

I ordered Cats of Mont Saint‑Michel from ThirstyMeeples.co.uk on Thursday, paid for next‑day delivery, and sure enough it arrived the very next day. After the awful experience I had with another merchant recently (no names, but you know who you are), this was a massive relief.

Yes, I paid a little more than I did with the previous company, but honestly? Worth every penny. Thirsty Meeples actually delivers what they promise — fast shipping, proper communication, and zero stress.

Now I’m already digging into the rulebook and getting the cats ready for paint, because let’s be real: no one should be playing a board game with sad, unpainted grey plastic.

Thirsty Meeples has earned a repeat customer. Highly recommended for anyone who wants reliable service and a smooth, frustration‑free buying experience.

The place itself is not bad or good, but the very old lady, I guess the owner’s grandma, working there is rude, aggressive, and even insulted a friend of mine. I am quite surprised that such a person could stand at the front end of a social space.

Would have spent a fortune here. 9 days for a reply via email after emailing twice. Neither store answeres their phones. They need better boxes as theyre too soft and useless. Staff need to be more understanding and reply within 24-48. 9 days is pathetic!. Also try reading peoples emails and answer their questions. Staff was not remotely apologetic and didnt seem bothered at all. I will not be buying from them again and will make sure family and friends do the same. AVOID!!!

Good variety of games, easy website, fair prices, all in all a nice to have them as part of the hobby. They have a preorder system and are responsive to queries.

Be very wary of cancelling an order or requesting a refund. If you want store credit then there is no issue but if you want a refund for a non- dispatched order, there is a transaction fee. This fee isn't advised at the point of sale, isn't in their terms and conditions of sale and isn't mentioned anywhere on the website. They claim this is because banks impose these fees and they have to pass them onto the customer. No, payment fees and transactions fees are a cost of business, if you don't want to pay them, you shouldn't be in business or at the very least tell your customers so they can make a decision before buying from you. I will absolutely never order from you again.

Great experience. Good communication, fair prices, prompt shipping and a little bonus promo in the box. Happy to be supporting an independent flgs. Thanks, Thirsty Meeples.

Shipped my item quickly however they charged me £4.00 for second class delivery of a pack of cards. Pretty poor pricing to be honest and I’m not sure I would use them again.

We visited Thirsty Meeples in Bath yesterday and, while the concept is fun, we left really disappointed due to the cost.

The cafe itself is clean with simple wooden tables and chairs. Toilets were also clean but the décor could do with some attention. Staff were helpful and friendly, and I saw one member of staff thoroughly clean the tables after each group left, which was good to see.

Unfortunately, there are a number of issues. Firstly, the prices are incredibly high. A very small latte cost £4.95 – gone in just a couple of sips. Crisps and popcorn were £4.90 each for a small tub, tasty but not great value. Over 3 hours, we ordered:
• 2 small lattes
• 2 milkshakes
• 2 cokes
• 1 tea
• 1 smoothie
• 2 crisps
• 1 popcorn

The total came to an eye-watering £80, and that’s without any proper food like sandwiches!

Games are a great idea, and we enjoyed trying titles we don’t own, but some were quite worn and a bit dirty (though complete, nothing missing).

The biggest issue is the £8 per adult cover charge. Even after spending over £40 on food and drinks, we were still charged this, which really pushed the bill up. In my view, if you’re ordering a decent amount, the cover charge should be waived or at least reduced.

The floors were also quite dirty – they really need a proper hot wash.

Overall, while it’s a nice concept and we had some fun, the pricing structure makes it somewhere we’d only consider for a very rare special occasion. Sadly, because of the cost, we wouldn’t return.

I had a confirmed booking for 11am today for my wife and I and two small children. The café was closed when we arrived. I telephoned the number provided but there was no answer. I telephoned the Bath establishment but got nowhere.
At 11.30am three staff finally entered the café but kept the door locked. I banged on the door to get their attention but this was ignored. Eventually a female member of staff came to the door. She was rude and refused to apologise. She kept saying ‘I don’t know who you are’, yet she was totally aware that she had a booking for 11am. Why else would a family be standing outside the door? When I asked her to apologise she accused me of standing too close to her and then denied us entry.
Disgusting behaviour.

Collector box of edge of eternities looked as though it had be opened and resealed due to a flap of cling film left over from the really bad sealing. Cards seemed to have chips on edges and the cards felt strange to the touch.

Well packaged delivered as expected for a great price and fair postage. Very happy boardgamer.

Appalling customer service. Cancelled my orders and removed my long built up loyalty rewards whilst also lying to me and trying to tell me false consumer regulations. Deserve to be shut down

Sadly what was a wonderful experience over many years has now been turned into very ‘couldn’t care less’ attitude by the staff and management. Not one smile, not one ‘can i help you with anything’ and worse still they lie about allocated table bookings and make you feel you unwelcome. They will argue that ‘you’ are rude but I have never had this experience anywhere in the last 10 years.

Wow. How to ruin a birthday. Go and spend £45 to sit at a cramped table, drink a bad coffee and be told by the exceptionally rude manager that 'that she not interested on your lessons in customer service'. Really unpleasant. My advice, get a board game, take it to a nice cafe and spend the money you save on cake.

To protect yourself, you should post a warning about the fake shop listing below.

The items I ordered plus delivery were a little more expensive than competitors, however unlike the competitors, the items were in stock and ready to be dispatched. In fact, I ordered late on Thursday evening and I had my items delivered on Monday. Brilliant service!
Games were as described, well packaged and not damaged in transit.
I would order from again!

Sadly there are no negative stars. Can’t order a product on line cos of demand. Was told you can get in store. Phoned in store told go online. Mentioned the problem. Oh I can’t see it but we might have it. If they do have it can you put it aside as I’m coming from far away. No.go to store. Open an hour late. Buy the product but ask a question the woman huffs like I’ve killed her dog and says we have a queue. Don’t open up late then. Rubbish does not cover it