Arlington Is Getting a Game-Filled Restaurant

A game-themed bar and restaurant called Adventure Pub will fill the void left vacant by Bistro Duet at 190 Massachusetts Ave. in Arlington. Athena Peters, Adventure Pub’s owner, told Eater that she hopes the space will be operational sometime this fall.

Adventure Pub will feature board games like Settlers of Catan and Risk, card games like Skip-Bo, and other popular table games like Jenga. Peters also said that she plans to host special events at Adventure Pub, including immersive theater productions that involve audience members helping characters figure out clues. Peters has a special events company called Incantrix Productions that hosts similar immersive theater events in historic homes across Greater Boston, and she hopes that Adventure Pub will give these events a more permanent home.

The restaurant will focus on small plates made with seasonal ingredients, and the cuisine will have a gastro pub feel. Jason Smith (who worked most recently at Pennypacker’s in Somerville) will be Adventure Pub’s executive chef. Peters said that she hopes the restaurant will be a place friends and families can gather to spend a few engaging hours with one another.

“You come in and spend time with friends and family because you want to be around them,” Peters told Eater. “No one has to decide whose house it’s going to be at. No one has to decide who’s going to clean up. Everyone can eat whatever they want — no disagreements about what to get for takeout.”

Adventure Pub will use much of the design left behind by Bistro Duet, but Peters intends to lighten the space up a bit and perhaps add some fantasy maps to the walls. The restaurant has a seating capacity of 118 and could be open from 3 p.m. to 12 a.m. on weekdays and from 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. on weekends.

“We want to host after-school events for families,” said Peters. “And we also want to be a place where people can come in on the weekends, have brunch, and really enjoy the games they’re playing without worrying about time.”

Peters told Eater she’s currently in the process of applying for all of the various licenses and permits she’ll need to open. Adventure Pub’s meeting with the Arlington board of selectmen is scheduled for September 12.

When Adventure Pub opens, it will join a growing scene of gaming venues around the Boston area, including board game cafe Knight Moves, with locations in Brookline and Somerville, and Balance Patch video game cafe, not to mention the countless area breweries and restaurants that jazz things up with board games, Giant Jenga, and the like.

Adventure Pub/Facebook

Correction, July 27, 2018, at 10:20 a.m.: An earlier version of this article stated that Jason Smith of La Brasa and Parsnip pedigree would be the executive chef at Adventure Pub. That is incorrect. The Jason Smith who most recently cooked at Pennypacker’s will be the executive chef at Adventure Pub.

• Adventure Pub to Open in Former Bistro Duet Space in East Arlington [BRT]
• Adventure Pub [FB]