A board game themed café is set to open at a historic building in central Dalston.
The Grade II listed building at 41 Kingsland High Street, famous for its long history as a pie and mash shop, will soon be home to the board game café chain Draughts, which is relocating its original branch in Haggerston to the site.
“It has a lot of character which we like for our brand,” said Nicholas Curci, Co-Owner of Draughts. “Whilst we can only make so many changes, the features don’t need any work they just need to be cleaned up and brought back to their former glory,” he said.
The site was the home to F Cooke’s Pie and Mash Shop, a once-popular chain first established in 1862. The outlet in Dalston closed in 1996. Following a period as a Chinese restaurant, the building has been empty for several years.
Respecting the building’s history is a priority for Mr Curci, who said that he had “brought down photos [from archives]” to inspire the renovation of the site’s century-old bar. Pie and mash will also be added to the menu to pay homage to its past.
Draughts, a small chain of cafe-restaurants, says it is dedicated to being “a hub for all things board gaming; playing, teaching, and designing.”
The café will open on Saturday 19 October.
Andrew Kersley is a freelance journalist and student at City University. His previous work has been published in The Times and The i Paper.