This might sound a little mean, but bear with me. My previous experiences with card/game/nerdy hobby stores have always been somewhat awkward or unpleasant in various ways. Despite enjoying the hobbies, I didn't particularly want to spend time with the people there.
Zulu's, on the other hand, has achieved something I didn't previously think was possible: a warm and welcoming game store with a diverse group of relatively normal people. I learned how to play MTG here about a year ago and I've drafted a few times a month since then. I always have a great time. I'll get totally demolished in a game and then talk to my opponent and learn that she's a mom who started playing as a way to connect with her teenager and then got genuinely into it. It's a delight. The staff are all super nice too.
At risk of oversharing, I got carjacked a few months ago, which was a somewhat traumatic experience. Drafting MTG here a few nights later was the first time I was able to relax and feel comfortable again.
I rarely leave Google reviews, hopefully this one isn't too weird. But they've really accomplished something special here and I hope it sticks around for a long time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Alex Karr
Amazing place that you can utilize no matter what the occasion is. First date or date night, go to Zulus. Family weekend activity, go to Zulus. Best friend's birthday, hit up Zulus. Father-in-law's memorial.... okay maybe not, but you get the point!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
EVSerris
While we unfortunately don't live in state and get to enjoy the stores in person, we have been purchasing from Zulus online for over 4 years now and we have always had a positive experience with them. This last order I had placed was no different on their end, had an issue with a pricey package being marked as delivered and misdelivered multiple times by UPS over the course of 2 weeks, back and forth getting nowhere and Zulus customer support was so helpful all along the way. Amazing communication, we had purchased the shipping insurance and they helped to get us a replacement order via Fedex, appreciate them so much through all of that. Keep kicking butt Zulus!
Evelynn Serris
While we unfortunately don't live in state and get to enjoy the stores in person, we have been purchasing from Zulus online for over 4 years now and we have always had a positive experience with them.
This last order I had placed was no different on their end, had an issue with a pricey package being marked as delivered and misdelivered multiple times by UPS over the course of 2 weeks, back and forth getting nowhere and Zulus customer support was so helpful all along the way. Amazing communication, we had purchased the shipping insurance and they helped to get us a replacement order via Fedex, appreciate them so much through all of that. Keep kicking butt Zulus!
Morgan Jensen
Great place to hang out for games, no purchase required, you can choose from numerous shelves of well labeled board games of every variety, you can also buy games, cards, dice etc.
The poutine with the chicken strips added is a must. I love that they have mead, good drink selection.
Can be busy on weekends or for tournaments so if you're looking to have a sizable group I'd check on what's already going on before you plan. They'll do their best to find you a spot which is really nice. There's parking in front, in the back and on the side, which is decent for the area but for the capacity of this place it can be hard to find parking so it may be a 4-8min walk depending on the day and time, still not bad in my opinion.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Poutine
Stephan Nerger
Didn't eat here so gave 5stars, but looks like a fun place to eat/play. I came to sell Singles of Pokémon & Magic the Gathering Cards, I was happy with the offer I was given. I took the cash offer but the in-store credit offer is very tempting especially since the store has a huge variety of sealed booster packs, bundles/boxes available. Also Sleeves, Binders, Playmats, Dice & much more I highly recommend you check it out!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Al Pal
Best. Place. Ever.
You can sample over 100 games in the back, allowing you to play them without worrying! The hot chocolate is divine and the atmosphere is electric.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Arvind D
Great place to hangout with family & friends!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
John Mendoza
My favorite place in all of Washington. Can't say enough good things about Zulus!
I bought a few games at Zulu's booth at PAX West, but immediately found out one of the games uses genAI image slop and went to return it. The woman at the counter was great and took it back, no questions asked, so no complaints there. The booth itself was hosting a table promoting the genAI slop game, which was a little concerning, but I thought that perhaps Zulu's didn't know.
I later emailed Zulu's to raise my concerns about them selling genAI slop, to which they essentially replied that they have no policy against it. I was disappointed at this, and I won't be seeking them out for future purchases the next time I attend a show.
Service: 5
Bob Ponce
I love this place! The inside is decorated very well and nerdy. They have big sturdy tables and many different places to play including a separate event space. There are many different events for different card games and the staff are very friendly and helpful. Spaces are not too loud considering the number of people that go there. This place has the best food of any gaming cafe I've been to. Parking is also easy and plentiful. I play MTG here about once a week and highly recommend this place if you like games. The atmosphere is also just great if you want to eat some good food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kallen “Paddocast” Paddock
One of the best gamestores in the PNW. Great vibes, awesome staff and selections of cards, boardgames, minis and accessories. Drinks are great and food isn't half bad either.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Austin Booth
So I've been to Zulu multiple times this year and was pleasantly surprised by what's offered on site. Aside from being a stocked game store, there's also a full kitchen with drinks available for purchase. When you sit at the table, you can scan a QR code that takes you to the menu and opens a tab for you if you choose to order food. I had the poutine with burger meat and it was filling/tasty. You can reserve tables to play games and that's really the draw for me. Zulu also an event center within a block or so that is for larger scale meetups to game. All in all a great place if you play tabletop games, RPGs, or tabletop wargames and want decent food at the same time. There's also outdoor covered seating if you don't want to be inside.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Katlyn
Really cool place with lots of neat decor and delicious food.
Great selection of DnD minis
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
This might sound a little mean, but bear with me. My previous experiences with card/game/nerdy hobby stores have always been somewhat awkward or unpleasant in various ways. Despite enjoying the hobbies, I didn't particularly want to spend time with the people there.
Zulu's, on the other hand, has achieved something I didn't previously think was possible: a warm and welcoming game store with a diverse group of relatively normal people. I learned how to play MTG here about a year ago and I've drafted a few times a month since then. I always have a great time. I'll get totally demolished in a game and then talk to my opponent and learn that she's a mom who started playing as a way to connect with her teenager and then got genuinely into it. It's a delight. The staff are all super nice too.
At risk of oversharing, I got carjacked a few months ago, which was a somewhat traumatic experience. Drafting MTG here a few nights later was the first time I was able to relax and feel comfortable again.
I rarely leave Google reviews, hopefully this one isn't too weird. But they've really accomplished something special here and I hope it sticks around for a long time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Amazing place that you can utilize no matter what the occasion is. First date or date night, go to Zulus. Family weekend activity, go to Zulus. Best friend's birthday, hit up Zulus. Father-in-law's memorial.... okay maybe not, but you get the point!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
While we unfortunately don't live in state and get to enjoy the stores in person, we have been purchasing from Zulus online for over 4 years now and we have always had a positive experience with them.
This last order I had placed was no different on their end, had an issue with a pricey package being marked as delivered and misdelivered multiple times by UPS over the course of 2 weeks, back and forth getting nowhere and Zulus customer support was so helpful all along the way. Amazing communication, we had purchased the shipping insurance and they helped to get us a replacement order via Fedex, appreciate them so much through all of that. Keep kicking butt Zulus!
While we unfortunately don't live in state and get to enjoy the stores in person, we have been purchasing from Zulus online for over 4 years now and we have always had a positive experience with them. This last order I had placed was no different on their end, had an issue with a pricey package being marked as delivered and misdelivered multiple times by UPS over the course of 2 weeks, back and forth getting nowhere and Zulus customer support was so helpful all along the way. Amazing communication, we had purchased the shipping insurance and they helped to get us a replacement order via Fedex, appreciate them so much through all of that. Keep kicking butt Zulus!
Great place to hang out for games, no purchase required, you can choose from numerous shelves of well labeled board games of every variety, you can also buy games, cards, dice etc.
The poutine with the chicken strips added is a must. I love that they have mead, good drink selection.
Can be busy on weekends or for tournaments so if you're looking to have a sizable group I'd check on what's already going on before you plan. They'll do their best to find you a spot which is really nice. There's parking in front, in the back and on the side, which is decent for the area but for the capacity of this place it can be hard to find parking so it may be a 4-8min walk depending on the day and time, still not bad in my opinion.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Poutine
Didn't eat here so gave 5stars, but looks like a fun place to eat/play. I came to sell Singles of Pokémon & Magic the Gathering Cards, I was happy with the offer I was given. I took the cash offer but the in-store credit offer is very tempting especially since the store has a huge variety of sealed booster packs, bundles/boxes available. Also Sleeves, Binders, Playmats, Dice & much more I highly recommend you check it out!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Best. Place. Ever.
You can sample over 100 games in the back, allowing you to play them without worrying! The hot chocolate is divine and the atmosphere is electric.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great place to hangout with family & friends!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My favorite place in all of Washington. Can't say enough good things about Zulus!
Restaurantji Recommends
I bought a few games at Zulu's booth at PAX West, but immediately found out one of the games uses genAI image slop and went to return it. The woman at the counter was great and took it back, no questions asked, so no complaints there. The booth itself was hosting a table promoting the genAI slop game, which was a little concerning, but I thought that perhaps Zulu's didn't know.
I later emailed Zulu's to raise my concerns about them selling genAI slop, to which they essentially replied that they have no policy against it. I was disappointed at this, and I won't be seeking them out for future purchases the next time I attend a show.
Service: 5
I love this place! The inside is decorated very well and nerdy. They have big sturdy tables and many different places to play including a separate event space. There are many different events for different card games and the staff are very friendly and helpful. Spaces are not too loud considering the number of people that go there.
This place has the best food of any gaming cafe I've been to. Parking is also easy and plentiful. I play MTG here about once a week and highly recommend this place if you like games. The atmosphere is also just great if you want to eat some good food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
One of the best gamestores in the PNW. Great vibes, awesome staff and selections of cards, boardgames, minis and accessories. Drinks are great and food isn't half bad either.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
So I've been to Zulu multiple times this year and was pleasantly surprised by what's offered on site. Aside from being a stocked game store, there's also a full kitchen with drinks available for purchase. When you sit at the table, you can scan a QR code that takes you to the menu and opens a tab for you if you choose to order food. I had the poutine with burger meat and it was filling/tasty. You can reserve tables to play games and that's really the draw for me. Zulu also an event center within a block or so that is for larger scale meetups to game. All in all a great place if you play tabletop games, RPGs, or tabletop wargames and want decent food at the same time. There's also outdoor covered seating if you don't want to be inside.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Really cool place with lots of neat decor and delicious food.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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