Tabletop Commons

I stopped after work this evening, wanting something to go. The server recommended the Tator tot Duck Poutine. (i said, quack quack and the coworker of my server whispered some crap about me saying that. nice place!)I asked what else he recommended but he stuck by the Tator Tot Poutine $ 14 (even after i said it didn’t sound good). He sold me. He talked about the fried tator tots not tasting like the baked ones.
The concept is cool. The server was very attentive and the red wine i had while waiting was tasty. I mean $ 21.00 + $ 5.00 cash tip for tator tots DURING HAPPY HOUR… I won’t be back.

Great selection of games. Visiting from Baltimore and impressed with the atmosphere. Bathroom could use a little routine maintenance.

Games=good. Service=great. Food=great. Beer=great, but a slim election. Shots=amazing, try the red shell.

I’ve been coming here every week for several weeks now, and I have to lower my rating for the food. They still have the same problems with leaving the double front doors open all the time — it’s freezing in this cool winter climate. OK, not freezing, but my fingers get fricking cold. Yes, they will close the doors if you ask them, but why do I have to ask them every week? Maybe the doors are broken or something, but I see no reason why they have to leave both of the doors open. At least they could put heaters inside if they insist on leaving them open.
I have the same issues with the wireless access. Why offer free WiFi if you’re going to block any site that a customer might want to go to, including Facebook, Meetup, etc.
But the food is my biggest complaint. At first blush it seems to be a good selection of food. But after you’ve tried everything on the menu, there really isn’t much that you might want to try a second time. The portions are really small and the prices are really high (for some of the items).
A couple of weeks ago we talked with the guy designing the new menu and gave him our thoughts. For me, they need more sides than just tater tots or a salad. I’d even pay for bagged chips. I suggested they offer the appetizers (like the Brussel Sprouts or cheese sticks) in a smaller portion as a side. But the new menu just came out and guess what — tater tots or salad. What a waste of time talking with the guy for a half hour.
At least they took some of the worst offenders off the menu. The ‘surf and turf’ is gone, and thank goodness. Two skewers, one of very much overcooked shrimp (3 total) and some kind of meat — overcooked again, and not enough to even make two bites, all for $ 14. I’ve had the Duck Tacos, again very small portions for $ 13. I had the Lamb Meaballs for $ 8, and I realize it says they are served ‘medium rare,’ but they were totally raw in the middle and cold inside. Kind of disgusting, really.
Last week I had the Chicken & Waffles, and the chicken was way overcooked, dark brown, and dry. At least there was a little bit of maple syrup to dip the chicken in. Real waffles instead of Pizzelle would have been nice.
I’ve had the Tabletop Poutine for $ 14, but it’s just Tater Tots with a lot of junk on top. If you’re sharing with friends it might be nice, but how much grease and fat can one person eat by himself? I mean, I really like Tater Tots, and when I first started coming here they were great, but they get old after 2 — 3 months.
The burgers are OK for between $ 11 and $ 14 dollars, but Cali O’ Burgres is just across the street and they are much better. I ordered the BAcom Mushroom Burger today. The server didn’t ask me how I wanted the burger, and I’m pretty liberal when it comes to doneness. Half of the burger was well cooked, and the other half was at least medium rare. I’m not a fan of really undercooked hamburger.
Still, the new menu does have a few things I’d like to try, but most of it is not really suited for dinner. I guess if I was playing games instead of eating dinner, the ‘bar-​type’ food might be better suited, but it just seems to me that they have a ‘concept’ menu, although I’m not really sure what the concept is supposed to be. SInce I come here every week for a group meeting, one would think that the person designing the new menu might have paid some attention to what we suggested. I know any business needs to keep their selection limited to keep costs down, but I just think they should have taken a survey of their guests to see what kind of dishes their patrons want.

Ended my 21 first birthday bar hop at Tabletop. And I wished I had gone there first and just stayed!
I quickly learned the typical bar scene mostly creeps me out (please don’t look at me that way, middle aged man). And some of the LGBTQ bars that I hit up were equally as predatorial (please stop having loud sex in the bathroom). With that said, Tabletop is welcoming and accepting. I took a shot of tequila (bonus: first bartender of the night that chilled my shot!) and got a beer (honey hips I think it was called) to settle in for some fun games.
One complaint I have that I actually should have just brought up myself because I’m sure they would have helped me — the Yahtzee had no paper or pens. We might have just missed it but we couldn’t play any games that required paper or pens.
If anyone has a pro tip about where to find those let me know!

I already posted a gorgeous photo of my pork belly. My husband and I visited for the first time on Sunday afternoon after finding a coupon on
. We were greeted by Hector who showed us the vast array of games and the lovely menu. My husband enjoyed his burger and we had a super fun time playing games like Battleship and Uno. Hector was a great server and took good care of us. We truly enjoyed our time there and plan to return for a double date night.

I think this place use to be a diner of some sort. I came here for the first time a few months ago. My friends from home are board game fanatics so it was really cool to find a place where everyone could geek out without having judging eyes on you!
The menu is your typical hipster menu with hipster food and craft beer. They have special rules for the amount of time you’re allowed to stay during peak hours on the weekends.

The last two times I’ve visited this place (early November, late December) it has REEKED!
Imagine what your car’s trunk would smell like if you washed your gym clothes in spoiled milk and then left them in the heat for the entirety of August. That’s what this place smells like.
In order to combat the awful smell, they opened the doors on a 40 degree night.
Ask your janitorial service, if you have one, to get a new mop. Use that new mop to clean the floor with very hot water and bleach. If you do this every night after you close, your restaurant won’t smell like rotten Mirelurk meat.

We wanted to like this place.
My girlfriend and I visited on a Sunday. It wasn’t very busy, and we got sat right away. We ordered a couple of beers and it took about 10 minutes to get them. It really… wasn’t busy.
The menu is small consisting of small plates, sanwiches, burgers, and fries/​salads. My girlfriend who doesn’t eat meat/​poultry, but does eat fish — had limited choices — either deep fried appetizers and fries, or an ahi tuna tostada. Once we were told they were out of eggplant and shrimp, she settled on poutine with the meat on the side (for me to eat).
Both of our drinks ran dry before our server came back to check on us. We ordered another round and it took — again — about 10 – 15 minutes for our drinks to arrive. We sat close enough to the bar to see both drinks sat at the bar waiting to be picked up for about 10 minutes. After about 20 minutes, we saw our spicy BBQ burger & poutine come up to be delivered — and we saw the poutine had carne asada on top. The server sent it back and brought my burger over.
The meat of the burger was eclipsed by the size of the bun. The burger was mostly bread. The meat patty was bland, thin, and tasteless. The bun tasted generic /​store-​bought. The salad was nothing to write home about. I ate it because I was hungry.
Approx 25 more minutes passed before my girlfriend finally got her poutine. To their credit, they apologized, and they comped her meal. We appreciated that. The poutine was good, the carne asada wasn’t the best.
We ordered one more drink + some churry bites. The waiter had to double-​check that they weren’t out — and once he did, we got some extremely sugary, overloaded churros. They were good because of the extreme amount of sugar — but way overdone.
We wanted to like this place, seriously. The venue is nice. The location is central and cool. The place looks fun. The games look great, and they host trivia and game nights. They need to really kick their food game up. a lot. Our server was nice, but food needs to come out faster, more timely, and more accurately. Whoever stocks their food needs to better gauge demand.
We appreciated having one of the 2 meals comped, and we appreciated the apologies, but unless there’s a revamping of the menu and an addition of staff, we likely won’t visit again.

Went here on a Wednesday night. They have a good happy hour. It’s until 8pm and it’s half price on all drinks. It’s a bar theme, seat yourself, music, tvs, and lots of board games. Our server was prompt. The food was average and pretty bland. I got the chicken and waffles and my friend got the bbq burger. The chicken was not seasoned and tasted very bland. The waffle is actually just a thin layer kind of like a waffle cone, cool concept but doesn’t taste very good. The burger was really basic. Nothing out of the ordinary and they forgot to put the garlic aoli on it. Overall I would probably just come back for the half priced drinks.

I echo what a lot of other reviewers have said. I love the concept, but… the food was not good. We got the «tabletop poutine». According to the menu, it’s «tater tots + shallots + garlic + Parmesan cheese + Monterey jack cheese + fontina cheese + chicharron dust + chives + choice of meat: duck, carnitas, carne asada.» Sounds great, right? Oh – it’s $ 14. Sadly, they were out of tater tots so they were serving it with french fries instead. You’d think a plate of $ 14 french fries would be pretty spectacular, no? These weren’t even good! It was just fries with a pile of not-​good carnitas. I couldn’t even see chives, shallots, or a lot of the other things. The parmesan cheese was a sprinkling of powder, like the kind that comes in that green bottle from Kraft! So disappointing. If I hadn’t been using a restaurant dot com certificate, I would have sent it back.
We also got the chicken grilled cheese, which is «avocado + tomato + bacon + brioche bread». It was ok. The bacon was mostly soft fat. The cheese wasn’t even melted. So… the flavor was ok; not great.
A friend got the fig brie burger ($ 14) and didn’t think it was that good either. The menu said it came on a «brioche bun» but hers was on a costco-​style hamburger bun.
What I’m trying to say is – I wouldn’t order food here.
It was a very chilly night by San Diego standards, and all the big garage-​style doors were inexplicably wide open, so around 30% of the restaurant walls were completely open to the outside. Everyone was wearing coats, some hats. Why the heck wouldn’t you close the doors, or at least some of them? So weird!
Our server was nice and friendly, which was good. They have lots and lots of games you can play, which is an awesome concept. I love that aspect of this place. But the food is not only subpar, it’s overpriced. I hope they can improve.

Cool concept that they have going on here. It’s a bar restaurant in hillcrest that offer customers a variety of board games to play while dining. We came here on a Friday night around 8 and boy was it packed! It looked like it was the same customers that had gone during happy hour time that ended at 7. The tables were all open by 930pm. You have a limit of 2 hours and for every hour after that, it was a $ 10 flat fee.
We got the duck poutine and the Jean gray Moscow mule. Both were really good. The poutine tater tots was covered in lots of cheese and a good amount of duck meat. The tables were a little small for all the board games and drinks but still worked. Played a round of Panademic and Furt. Servers were a little slow but very friendly. Overall this place has potential if they add a few extra tables, don’t charge the $ 10 fee especially if there are open tables galore and service was a little quicker. 3.5 but I’ll round to four cause they comped us one beer for the slow service.

3.5 stars
I last came here in May with fellow Elite and few others. My visit then concurred with her review here:
This time, I came with a group of 6 after dinner to play some games, have some drinks/​dessert. I really liked the strawberry rhubarb cobbler last time so I ordered it again, but was disappointed. The crumble was undercooked so no glaze or crunch was apparent; the rhubarb was also undercooked. You can literally chew it and feel the crunch like you would with celery. The vanilla ice cream still creamy and delicious. The flavors were all on point but the texture was underwhelming.
It seems that since my visit in May they have expanded their selection of cocktails with names based on games and comics (e.g. Mario, X-​men).
I noticed on the chalkboard, there is a new policy about $ 10/​hour table fee between 7−12am after your 2 hour table limit. I think if you don’t order after your time limit you’ll get charged. We stayed for a good 3 – 4 hours and didn’t see the fee on our bill but we did order drinks throughout.
Service: the server came and checked in on us once in a while, which was nice.

Came here because I had a dining certificate and I love board games! A great location and lots of street parking. It’s open with plenty of seating and an upstairs. Great food menu, beers on tap and drink menu.
We came around 5, and it was fairly empty. Tons of games on the shelf and we picked a couple to play and one we never played before. The owner, Evan, is so friendly and helpful, he sat down with us and taught us how to play this game, which took less time than reading the directions. And periodically chatted us up through the evening (we were there for awhile). We ordered a couple beers on HH, poutine w/​carne Asada (kinda messy because they leak through the parchment. but later on the night they were out on plates. problem solved and three meat options, would like to try duck next time), also got the chicken and waffles (kinda sweet and a different take on the waffle but still amazing). My fiancé ordered some cocktails as well, a couple of their mules and all are game/​comic related, pretty clever! We ended the night with their brownie and vanilla gelato– HUGE and decadent.
Definitely plan on making this a go-​to spot. The staff are über friendly and amiable. Definitively a great place to hang as a couple or a group. It totally started poppin’ throughout the night.

The food was good but most of it was all fried and kind of greasy. We had mozzarella wrapped in eggplant, fried (although good). The grilled cheese chicken with bacon surprisingly had chicken that was fried. (hat was surprising). The brussel sprouts were also deep fried. The hamburger with fig and brie was not deep fried though, and good. The pork belly was not fried, had a barbeque like sauce and was good but I have had better. Tater tots (also fried) came with the entrees.
The host and server were very nice (and even accommodating by sitting us at a corner table for our part of 3 adults and baby. We were next to the shelf of the many board games and action figures. The policy is after 2 hours, a fee of $ 10 is charged b/​c they get busy at night. Lots of tables were playing board games and I thought that was a neat atmosphere.

I love the concept of this place. And the servers are quite enthusiastic and attentive! I felt at home and comfortable just setting up shop at one of the tables all afternoon. We played games, made super hero dolls do things to each other that I shouldn’t repeat and had some ok drinks. To be honest, the food here is so-​so. I’m sorry to say it. I was hoping for much better. We got the poutine tots to share and the «gravy/​cheese curds» that should have been on there was more of a flour-​y cheese sauce. Kinda weird. Definitely not a typical poutine. I feel like they should just call it what it is… tots with cheese sauce on top. I tried the hard root beer. It was good at first but then it was just too sweet after drinking half of it. But the mixed drinks were decent.
I would honestly come back here. But I wouldn’t eat here. It’s a great neighborhood vibe and the tons of games to choose from makes for a fun afternoon with friends.

I stopped in the Tabletop Commons for a Sunday morning brunch, the only day they serve breakfast, and ordered the Monterey Asparagus Omelet which came with asparagus, Monterey Jack Cheese, chopped tomatoes, red onion, bell pepper, and a side home fries. Also, I asked of they had any house salsas, and they brought me small containers of a red and a green sauce.
The omelet was well prepared to a fluffy soft texture, and other than needing some seasoning, as I pointed out to them, it was on point. The asparagus were chopped and a prepared to an easy to eat al dente. They tasted good and so the did the tomatoes, onions, and peppers. I liked that they not only put a plenty of vegetables on the omelet, but cheese as well. The omelet did not come with a side a toast, which I recommend they consider doing. You have to make the meal complete.
Red home fries were pretty good, just that there was not much to them, because they need salt and pepper for sure, and something to bring them alive, and that’s were the salsa came into play. I poured some of the red salsa on them and that was the ticket. The salsa had a great zesty flavor and a little heat as well. The home fries went from boring to exciting to eat. After that, I poured some of the green salsa on the fries and the omelet, and let me tell you, the green salsa was even better than the red. I ate it all. I mean, after I was done with the potatoes and omelet, I spooned the rest and ate it. Nice salsas…
I ate at the bar and service was good. I asked a few questions about the food, but the bar keeps did not know all the answers, but they were smart enough to ask the kitchen staff and management. Oh yes, if you like playing board games and drinking beer, check this place out.

The concept is no doubt 5 stars. Who doesn’t like hanging out with friends playing games, eating, drinking and having a good time? Huge selection of board and card games. They even have a Wii upstairs. So unfortunately that sums up the highlights of the place.
Service was non existent. Waited 15 min for our server to take our order. I asked for the IPA that was on the chalkboard and our sever responds with «Sorry, we are out of that one.» Not a good start.
We ordered a couple appetizers. The sausage bites were ok… basically battered little smokie. Next up was the eggplant wrapped mozzarella stick. You can’t really taste any eggplant. Its presence almost seemed purely aesthetic and in significant. I probably would have been happier with store bought mozzarella sticks. This way I wouldn’t have expected something different.
We ordered another round of drinks but our server forgot to order them. So we eventually went up to the bar and ordered them ourselves. On top of that we had to ask for our utensils, napkins, water etc. All the things that should be a given when dining. The service and the mediocre food left me a little bummed out with my experience here.
Like I said earlier. I think this place could be a great alternative to going to a traditional bar/​gastropub. BUT they seriously need to do some fine tuning with the service and food.
Good luck table top!

Came here one lazy Sunday for a few games and drinks. There were a few tables downstairs, but we decided to go upstairs and settle in.
We settled on a game (Unexploded Cow!) and started playing. They really have a great selection of games; the Jenga-​player to the extreme table-​topper would be able to find something to play.
It was a few minutes before anyone came up to take our drink order; actually the service overall was pretty slow. I’ll chalk it up to being a new restaurant; it’s probably just a kink to work out. I will say that waiting is much more tolerable when you have a fun game to play.
Our drinks came, and they were tasty. I was guzzling up the palomas (I have fully transitioned into summertime drinks now). Reasonably priced too at $ 8. They also have a nice little craft beer selection. For snacks, we tried the chips and dip (spinach artichoke; it was ok), the poutine (with the duck; this was really quite good), and the grown up grilled cheese (the online menu mentions this is on brioche; it definitely wasn’t brioche. It came on like a sliced white bread, which might have been ok had I not been expecting brioche).
I’m bumping this 3.5 up to 4 stars; I love the concept, the drinks are good, and I will definitely be returning because we had so much fun playing the games! However there are still a few kinks to work out.

Very cool spot that just opened up not too long ago, Tabletop Commons is a haven for gamer/​nerd/​dorks to grab a drink, a bite, and a board game.
My cousin and I headed over and it was pretty poppin’. There was a slight a bit of confusion when we got in. The first host said to grab a seat wherever and when we were ready to order to come back up to the front and he’d take our order. After giving the menu a look through we went back up and a different host said someone would come back to take our order at the table. Our server was very sweet she got our order put in and everything came out in good timing with good conversation in between.
The Poutine which was out of sight. in the sense that we devoured it in no time at all. It had so much going on and so much flavor. The shoestring fries were so crispy that they did not cave and waver against all the cheesy goodness on top. We chose the duck confit which paired up perfectly with the dish. And that chicharrones dust, it was like eating the spirit of lechon without it fully being there.
The Cheesesteak Sandwich was good, almost had a carne asada like quality to it. It was just a bit 2Bread2Furious for me. Especially after macking down on the Poutine so hard.
They have a whole corner of board games stacked up on shelves. I never knew so many existed. Old and new. I’m looking forward to bringing more friends over to have a game night there sometime. The décor is awesome. Comic icons are painted on the walls. There’s an upstairs lounge area where they are setting up a Wii. Also there are plans to have Game of Thrones viewing nights which will be pretty cool to converse amongst other fans.
I enjoyed our dinner and talking to the server about what’s up and coming with Tabletop Commons. I just think they might need a little bit mores staff to run orders because as time went on, they got busier and I think the organization of the server taking orders and checking back on tables drew out a bit longer than anticipated. She was very gracious though. It looks like the only had one area to ring up orders so there was a back-​up when getting our check printed and again when processed.
There is so much potential for greatness. And I look forward to seeing them gain such success as time goes on. It’ll be the perfect spot come July during Comic Con for a place to hang away from the congested Gaslamp area.