Get To Know Duluth’s Newest Coffee Shop And Gaming Destination, The Loch Café + Games
Duluth's newest coffee destination celebrated its grand opening on Sunday, June 18, bringing a whole new style of coffee shop and community gathering destination to the Twin Ports.
The new shop, The Loch Café & Games, blends coffee, food, and embracing your inner nerd together in a beautiful neighborhood shop in the Endion Neighborhood, just a couple blocks from Endion Park on North 18th Avenue East.
The owners, Erin and Matt Glesner, are a married couple from Duluth that drew inspiration for the business from some of their passions. Erin explained that Matt has been into gaming since he was a kid, and has always dreamed of having a game shop.
The Glesners saw the growing trend of gaming-oriented coffee shops like Lodestone in Minnetonka and Fox Den in Burnsville as the perfect opportunity to combine their passions for coffee and gaming into a Duluth business following a similar model.
The concept clearly resonated with Twin Ports residents, with Erin saying they had a line out the door for several hours when they held their grand opening on Sunday. The business, which is located in a residential area, has also received positive support from neighbors, with a number of nearby residents supporting the Glesners, and even inspiring them as they continued the process to build out their space.
What do they offer at The Loch Café & Games?
At first blush, The Loch is a full-service coffee shop. They have a multi-page menu of beverages that includes coffee, espresso, cappuccino, and tea beverages. They source their coffee from Duluth Coffee Company, using a handful of varieties in their drinks. They also have a sizable food menu, including baked goods and breakfast sandwiches, but it goes beyond that. They also offer wraps, salads, sandwiches, calzones, pearl waffles, soup, Bavarian pretzels, and more.
Where things get really cool is that their menu falls into the gaming theme. Some examples include their cappuccinos, which have a Naruto manga theme, while their teas follow a Jujutsu Kaisen theme. Their mochas embrace a Star Wars theme, with the option to enjoy "Bantha Milk" or a "Dark Side" mocha.
Along with the food and beverage options on the menu, the shop also has gaming goodies! Pokemon cards, tabletop games, and other collectibles and supplies.
What about gaming events?
You better bet you can enjoy some gaming fun at The Loch! They have a weekly calendar of game nights, with something planned for each night of the week. Some of the planned nights early on include a casual family game night on Mondays, Dungeons and Dragons on Tuesdays, and casual Pokemon on Wednesdays, just to name a few.
The Loch features two levels of space to gather with friends to socialize, game, and enjoy some delicious food and beverages. The main level (seen above) is where you can grab your food and drink, with some space to sit, relax, or game.
Head upstairs, and you'll find a spacious location to get friends together and get together to play or lounge. As you can see below, there is a lot of space with plenty of tables and seating!
What if I'm not a tabletop or card gamer?
That's ok! Everyone is welcome. Erin commented that they want to make their space a place for everyone to unlock your inner nerd and to not be ashamed of being quirky, or who you are!
The food and beverages all look incredible, and Matt commented that they hope to expand to offering classes for some popular game titles. Aside from offering casual play nights making games accessible to people of all skill levels, these classes will give new people the opportunity to explore the world of tabletop gaming.
You can find Matt and Erin's The Loch Café + Games at 318 North 18th Avenue East. They're open Monday-Saturday from 8 am to 9 pm, with additional information available on their Facebook page.