\u201dFrom our original trio, Henri had had this idea for a long time.\u201d Haatsamo asked Mikkonen and Harra if they were interested in joining him in this \u201denterprising running of a caf\u00e9.\u201d After some searching, they found an old place in Puutarhakatu from which they\u2019ve since moved. \u201dWe renovated the place ourselves from scratch. And in August 2016, we opened.\u201d<\/p>\n
Anticipating my questions, or perhaps just lost in the story himself, he continues without prompt.<\/p>\n
\u201dOne of the original inspirations was Canadian Snakes & Lattes<\/i>, and Western board game caf\u00e9 culture in general.”<\/p>\n
Aside from Haatsamo, the trio came from different backgrounds and had no experience running restauraunts\/caf\u00e9s. \u201dGames were a hobby for us all. Currently I\u2019m the only one of the founders still involved in the operative leadership \u2013 we are all stockholders, thought.\u201d<\/p>\n
He tells me that Haatsamo <\/b>went on to found more board game cafes in Helsinki (Cafe Board Game, for example), and later onto other adventures, and Harra found work elsewhere during COVID.<\/p>\n
I ask about the game library \u2013 900 board games is an impressive amount!<\/p>\n
\u201dIt happened with time. At first we asked people to donate games for a game ticket. From quite the beginning the Finnish lautapeli.fi has sponsored us, and even now we get most of our new games from them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Taverna has a diverse selection of board games. \u201dWe don\u2019t want to be an elitist place only for people who do board games as a serious hobby. We want to be a place for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked about his favourite board games, Mikkonen tells me that while he has a wide range of tastes, he prefers heavy strategy games and eurogames. Lately some favourites are SETI<\/i> (Search for Extra Territorial Intelligence) and Nemesis<\/i> series.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m curious about the inspirations behind the decoration. \u201dBecause the name is Taverna, it\u2019s really exactly this fantasy tavern where adventurers meet in a clich\u00e9, or one could even say classic way.\u201d He mentions they used to have tavern-like background music too but that has so far taken a back seat because COVID had impact on what could be focused on.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Actually, yes. How was<\/i> COVID for Taverna?<\/p>\n \u201dIt was hard for restaurants in general. Thanks to our partners and other supporters, we could adapt to the situation. We rented our games out for people to play in their homes.\u201d<\/p>\n Aside COVID, he mentions the war in Ukraine, an economic downturn, and change in people\u2019s drinking habits. \u201dOne could say we\u2019re living in a turbulent time. <\/b>Many years there\u2019s been varying challenges. But it has been nice to see that we\u2019ve managed to stay relevant, and we of course want to keep evolving. We\u2019ve got themed changing drink lists for winter, autumn and spring, and game themed ones, and we come up with new drinks or make changes to the menu. The restaurant side is important to us. It\u2019s not just about tossing dice and dealing cards, but also about honest restaurant work.\u201d<\/p>\n We\u2019re nearing the end of the interview. I ask him about his favourite thing about the job.<\/p>\n He mentions a certain freedom that comes with being an entrepreneur, and also: \u201dGetting to see your own fingerprints in your work and getting to influence it so much. Being able to build the concept from beginning and build the brand and getting to be hands on for its entire life cycle. That must be the best thing.\u201d He also gives hats off to his employees; They\u2019ve found a good team of likeminded people. \u201dIt has its own impact and the customers feel it too.\u201d<\/p>\n I tell him what I\u2019m thinking: That all of this sounds meaningful. \u201dYes\u201d, he admits. \u201dThat it is.\u201d<\/p>\n I thank Mikkonen for his time, and he returns to his work. I finish my hot chocolate. As I step back into wintery Tampere, the games and happy chatter in the board game caf\u00e9 continues.<\/p>\n Interview translated from Finnish for the purposes of this article.<\/i><\/p>\n Taverna’s website: https:\/\/lautapelikahvila.fi\/<\/a><\/p>\n Article in Tamperelainen: https:\/\/www.tamperelainen.fi\/paikalliset\/1768863<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.tuni.fi\/playlab\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/taverna-1024x768.jpg\")
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