Rook Room co-owners Tony Tandeski and Annelise Tarnowski. (Photo: Kylie Petty)
By Kylie Pettty
It’s game on for the Rook Room Game Lounge & Cafe. After six years as a roving pop-up, the business now has a permanent home at 300 S.W. Fifth St., in the space formerly occupied by St. Kilda. The grand opening is set for 7 a.m. Saturday.
Owners Annelise Tarnowski and Tony Tandeski love planning events and bringing people together, so they set out to fill a gap in the local social scene. It’s “super accessible to all types of people,” Tarnowski said. “We’re hoping that it’s a place where all community members can come and meet more people and make Des Moines a more connected place.”
When you step inside, you can take your pick of more than 700 games and puzzles, including some that will be created with local artists and designers. Each game is sorted into categories — by complexity, by number of players and so forth — and labeled accordingly. If you’d like a recommendation, just ask the staff: They know their stuff and are happy to help.
Each table has a little sign you can use to signal whether or not you’re open to socializing or playing with other guests. The space is designed to accommodate groups, dates and even solo players who just want to get out of the house. As Tarnowski put it, “the whole thing is an introvert’s paradise.”
And the games are just part of it. “The food, the drink, the people, the games all around the table come together to make the experience,” Tandeski said.
There’s a full kitchen, bar and cafe space that offers classics with a touch of the owners’ flair. The menu elevates nostalgic snacks from their childhood, with specialty cocktails and coffee drinks thrown in for good measure.
If you’re hungry, try the spicy chicken sandwiches, pineapple skewers spiced with dukkah, or a savory mushroom trio. One dish combines pineapple and barbecued kielbasa chunks, a nod to Tandeski’s favorite fruit and Tarnowski’s love of hot dogs.
The specialty cocktails are twists on classics, like the gin and tonic made with Revelton mulberry gin or the whiskey sour with pineapple juice. The energy drink sodas can be spiked or booze-free, and the house mocha is topped with purple sprinkles, the Rook Room’s signature color.
“I feel so loved by both the kitchen and the front-of-house staff and what they’ve created,” Tandeski said. “It’s all just magic to see it come together.”
After this Saturday, the Rook Room will be open 8 a.m.-10 p.m. Thursday through Monday, except when it stays open till midnight on Friday and Saturday. There will be a fee to play during peak hours, after 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, and annual memberships offer various perks.
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