Welcome to The Raving Gamer Bistro media page.
Please call 604.510.4414 or email director@theravinggamer.ca to arrange a tour and an interview.
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Discover Downtown Langley
This one-of-a-kind restaurant combines the love of fresh, local ingredients with the enjoyment of board games!
They pride themselves on sourcing high-quality, locally grown produce, meats, and other ingredients to create delicious dishes that are always fresh and seasonal.
WHAT are you waiting for? 📣📣 The Raving Gamer Boardgame Bistro is a unique and exciting restaurant that offers a fresh take on dining and entertainment.
By combining fresh, local ingredients with the fun of board games, the restaurant has created a memorable experience that is sure to delight both foodies and gamers alike.
We can’t WAIT to see you soon!
5 Board Game Cafes to Hit
Up in Metro VancouverVancouver Magazine Article - By Karisa Cheng Feb 3 2023
Metro Vancouver will be seeing rainy weather for the foreseeable future, so outdoor outings are a no-go. So if you’re looking for indoor date or hang out ideas, a board game cafe might be the way to go. What better way to bond than to huddle in a cozy cafe and challenge your brain to a game of Catan? More of these cafes have been popping up on our radar, so here’s a round-up of some options for your next game of Monopoly.
Click here to view the entire article.
Blog Post by Andy Matthews - Meeple Mountain
Our ultimate guide to board game cafes has everything
you need to know about what a board game cafe is, or how to find one in your area!
What if I told you there’s a place where everybody knows your name, your favorite snacks, the type of coffee you drink, and even the board games you love? Then what if I told you that place might be in your town, or perhaps even right around the corner? I’m talking about board game cafes of course; the modern age’s answer to karaoke, lame hookup joints, and sketchy dive bars.
Click here to view the entire article.
Thank you to all of our wonderful sponsors who help to make Terminal City Tabletop Convention happen!
Terminal City Table Top Convention - 2023 Platinum Sponsor
The Raving Gamer Bistro is Langley’s first board game restaurant – serving up food and fun in a funky, family-friendly full-service environment. Locally-sourced ingredients are at the heart of our kitchen. While you’re enjoying your meal, let our Games Master help you choose from a vast array of board games for all ages, interests and skill levels.
Click here to view the entire article.
Helping parents and kids eat,
drink and play together!Happy Parents BC - Happy Restaurants - 2019
The Raving Gamer isn't your typical family restaurant. Sure, they've got incredible food, and they provide opportunities for families to unwind and connect in a warm, comfortable, kid friendly atmosphere, but they also happen to have more games then you could ever imagine!
We love this place, and better yet, our kids love this place (and they range in age from one and a half to nine). In our eyes, that makes Raving Game is a winner, and keeps us coming back for more. So where to start?
Click here to view the entire article.
The best board game cafés in
and around Vancouver
Dish Staffed - November 29 2022.
Combining gaming with snacking is completely genius, so lucky for us there are plenty of spots in Vancouver and Metro Vancouver where you can do both. From board game bistros with full dinner menus to cafés with game-themed cocktails, the one thing all these spots have in common is that gaming is just as important as eating. Next time you’re looking for something fun to do on a rainy afternoon, check out one of the city’s best board game cafés for some fun and food.
Click here to view the entire article.
Making It Up As I Go
Blogger Josef A. Havelka: Father, husband, geek, railroader, crafter, road tripper, positive ideologist - 2019
For my wife’s birthday, I took her out for lunch this afternoon at a place called The Raving Gamer Bistro in Langley, BC. It’s the perfect style of place for my wife and I. It’s locally owned and operated. The menu serves locally-sourced ingredients from many of the places that I love to visit in Langley and nearby.
Click here to view the entire blog post.
Interview by West Coast Food from January 18th 2023
Catching up with Ken Nishidate from Langley's The Raving Gamer Bistro
The Raving Gamer Bistro
is a community hub with a goal of supporting as many
local businesses as possible**which is currently over 30
In the deep, dark days of March 2020, I had a candid conversation with Ken Nishidate of The Raving Gamer. Like all small businesses during this time, the Raving Gamer was experiencing the strain of uncertain times ahead. Nearly three years ago they were making the necessary switch to takeout, curbside pickup, and retail – crossing their fingers in hopes that this too shall pass.
By Brittany Tiplady
While the pandemic raged on longer than we all expected, The Raving Gamer forged on and continues to serve the Langley community locally sourced food, with a side of games galore. Back in 2020, Nishidate stressed that the Raving Gamer is a community hub with a goal of supporting as many local businesses as possible. “I’m trying to distill [our mandate] down to a few words. On our windows we have ‘great food, fun games, good times,’ and that’s really what we do here,” he said. Despite the incredible challenges of the last few years, Nishidate and his team have stayed true to their mandate.
Click here to view the entire article.
Interview with Chef Ken Nishidate from the May 2019 issue of
The Bulletin, a journal of Japanese Canadian community, history & culture
The Raving Gamer Bistro
Serving up food, fun, and community in Langley**with a side of Shichimi fries
I know at least one of your suppliers – Republica Coffee – but didn’t know they were based out of Fort Langley. There seems to be a trend within restaurants to sourcing local ingredients and suppliers. What do think is driving this?
There has been a growing trend, now shifting into a movement of supporting Local. Throughout my career I have worked for a lot of corporate machines, which drive into you that the bottom line is the dollar. But I am a locally-born and -raised guy who grew up in farmland in the Fraser Valley and have always been connected to the fresh, beautiful food available to us in just an hour’s drive. More and more of the food I and my chef friends want to eat is increasingly local, because we find that this food is great!
It struck me, sitting in the Bistro, that there was an unexpected sense of community being generated. Something about the fact that families and friends were connecting in a way that didn’t involve technology. Enjoying food together, which is not unusual, but also finding pleasure in playing games and the interaction that comes with it. What’s your take on the appeal of board game cafes, bistros, or whatever you want to call them?
My partners and I made a conscious effort to make our business community-minded and family-based, while knowing that we would also appeal to the other demographics still. Since we’ve been open, we’ve only had one table, a single gentleman, who set up with devices, the rest of the people come in for the experience of interacting with each other and have a good time. Lots of laughter, screaming and competitive play!
Speaking of which, what separates The Raving Gamer from other similar establishments?
A couple of things, our focus on locally sourced products, not only great food but local spirits from Roots and Wings distillery, beer from Field House Brewing and Andina Brewing and wine from Seaside Pearl Winery.
We also have a great board game selection for people to play while they eat. We provide games for those who want to try them out before they buy, or just to learn a new game. Along with this we provide game hosts who will be more than happy to teach you a new game. If you like the game you just played, it's likely that we will have that game available for you to purchase!
Just looking at your menu makes me salivate. What criteria did you use in putting it together?
The only thing I judge food on is, “Would I like to eat that?” Throughout my career of catering and restaurants, I have naturally been aware of food allergies, food trends and dietary restrictions. My wife has a severe nut allergy, so we consciously try to keep nuts out of the restaurant, even though I love nuts. I think we have a good variety of vegetarian items, along with the “Beyond Meat” burger and then some comfort food items including grilled cheese and burgers.
Your menu doesn’t reflect an overtly-Asian approach. How is your heritage reflected in your approach to cooking?
There are influences throughout – tuna gomae, shoyu and shichimi as a seasoning for our fries, sesame oil dipping sauce. There will be more influences as we go, we just wanted to get our legs under us.
Tell me how you got into cooking – was it an inherited thing? Did you grow up around kitchens and food?
Both my dad and mom were/are great cooks and I learned about making food taste great by honouring the ingredients that you use. Let them shine. I have always helped cook from when I was a child and it continued throughout my life. I also remember making udon noodles with my Obachan.
What is the philosophy behind your approach to cooking?
Simple techniques, great ingredients and appropriate seasoning
You have a partner in all this, two actually – your wife Kathy runs things behind the scenes. And your friend Dan is the Games Master. What does that even mean?
So, Kathy is helping pick up all the loose ends that inevitably happen and taking care of the office finances etc. Dan is a game fanatic with over 800 games in his personal collection, so we gave him the title of Game Master! He is here to oversee the selection of games we carry and to teach people, including our staff how to play games.
Has it been a long-time dream of yours to open your own place? How long has this been incubating inside you?
I completed cooking school in 1993, and almost every year after that I have said I want to open my own restaurant, so it’s been a goal of mine for a while.
The Bistro is a family affair . . .
Our daughter Miyoko is running the kitchen for us. She is doing a great job, even though its her first management position. My son and daughter-in-law are helping with Social Media, graphics and advertising. Everyone’s pitching in!
Beyond the day-to-day operations, what else do you have going on? I understand you do catering as well?
I started a catering company about three years ago – Black Walnut Catering Co. We do large and small events, and weddings up to 200. We cater breakfast, lunch and dinner. We are incorporating this into The Raving Gamer.