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Next Level Board Game Café in downtown Mountain View closed Thursday evening after hosting its last social meetup for game enthusiasts.
“We’re really happy and proud of what we’ve done and grateful for everyone who’s supported us over the last two years,” owner Rebecca Wang said.
Wang and her husband, Sean Forman, launched Next Level in late 2023, with the vision of it becoming a community hub that would bring people together over food, drinks and board games. Located at Villa and Bryant streets, across from Steins Beer Garden, the establishment attracted customers who paid a nominal entrance fee to play games for hours at a time.
Wang and Forman announced their plans to close on the cafe’s website earlier this month. Financial difficulties made it hard to stay open, especially in an expensive area like Mountain View, the couple said. High rent, labor costs and inflation hurt the bottom line.
“Economically, it’s been tough,” Forman said. “We just took a step back and reviewed our options and decided it was time to move on.”
Even at the start, it was not easy for Next Level to get off the ground, largely because of permit delays, according to Wang and Forman. The kitchen did not open until April 2025, about a year and a half after the establishment welcomed its first board game players. The delay was costly, taking time and focus away from other parts of the business, they said.
News of the closure dismayed fans, several of whom voiced their disappointment online, writing that Next Level was a fun place to try new games and participate in meetups.
Forman and Wang noted they wanted to promote free events to draw in the community, even if it did not directly translate into financial gain.
“We really wanted to make this a community space,” Forman said. “That does mean that we need to make certain decisions that make it harder for us, but I think are worth it overall.”
For Mountain View resident Jon Roney, the cafe was an ideal place to socialize, have a bite and play games. Roney started frequenting Next Level a few months ago after walking by it numerous times.
“It’s disappointing that it’s closing after just discovering it,” he said.
Roney described the staff as friendly and helpful, especially when it came to explaining board game rules. The $8 entrance fee also made an impression on him.
“They almost didn’t charge enough,” he said.
With the cafe’s closure, Wang and Forman said they plan to take some time off, travel and catch up on things they have put on hold. There are no concrete plans for the leased space yet, but Wang and Forman said they would like to see someone continue the concept of a board game cafe, if not at the same location than perhaps elsewhere.
“I hope people can continue to support small businesses,” Wang said. “Because we put a lot into making these spaces, and we need the community to support them if they know they want them to continue.”
This is a loss of a great community-building resource. Perhaps the real story is why it took so long to get the required permits.
From the story: “it was not easy for Next Level to get off the ground, largely because of permit delays, according to Wang and Forman. The kitchen did not open until April 2025, about a year and a half after the establishment welcomed its first board game players.”