Food drink and board games as Kirkcaldy gets Fife's first gaming cafe

The Other Place doesn’t have a set date for opening, but the cafe hopes to welcome its first customers in the early part of next year. It is being launched by John Malone, and run by managers Cameron Armitage and Ieuan Ledger. All three have previous experience thanks to their involvement with the Harbourmaster’s Cafe in Dysart.

But it’s their shared love of board games that has helped make the project a reality, and they are hoping that they’ll be able to provide a space for those with similar interests.

Cameron said: “The three of us are quite keen gamers. We will work in the cafe and we will have a few games on the go. The types of games will be more tabletop and board games. The idea is to be open in the afternoon and slightly later in the evening so that people who maybe have jobs have still got a chance to come and enjoy a game with friends.”

The cafe will serve small, tapas-style food and drinks, with the ambition to add a full drinks licence in the not too distant future. For now it will operate with a bring your own bottle (BYOB) policy.

Cameron said: “We'll have food and drink and we do hope to have a full alcohol licence but that's taking its time at the moment. We'd rather be open playing games than sitting around waiting, so we will have a small plates menu, like tapas. I don’t think there's anything like that in Kirkcaldy at the moment.”

Feedback for the new venture has been enthusiastic so far with Cameron saying that the trio have even been able to pick up a few suggestions they hadn’t thought of.

He explained: “When we first put a first announcement post up, there was a little bit of trepidation, but the feedback we've had has been fantastic. It has reached far and wide - far more people than we thought it would. That has been really good and really helpful. Things that we haven't solved we've taken on as great ideas and will incorporate them.”

The cafe is also a sign of confidence in the town centre after recent departures and closures included the long-established indoor market, Pet Shop and Wilkies, which will all have closed by the end of the year..

Cameron said: “There are a few new bits and pieces on the High Street. Bars and restaurants, not necessarily shops, but there's places to go and things to see and do. We’re hoping to be part of it.”

Renovations are well underway, with an expected opening of January or February. Cameron used a very relevant analogy when describing the current situation.

He said: “We initially wanted to open up at the start of December but there's always more work and more paperwork to deal with. Games have rules so we'll just play the game and see how it comes out.”