If Betty & Veronica lived in Chinatown, I think they’d hang out at Norita Cafe. Located in the Sydney’s Spanish “quarter” (could a quarter be any smaller?), it seems to be a magnet for young folks wanting to sip on freshly-blitzed pineapple juices, crash out on an oversized couch and break out the board games.
There’s a random array of things to play – from Tumbling Monkeys to Clue to everyone’s favourite party-scene-stealer, Axis & Allies: Europe (which I misread initially as “Arts & Allies: Europe” – a heartstopping game about arts administration set in Basel and Utrecht, I imagined, until I put on my glasses). The games will set you back a few hours and a few dollars (depending on how many houses on the Monopoly board you want to rack up or drawing room game villains you want to nab).
There are also light snacks and the over-the-top desserts you’d expect in a joint that’s so close to Chinatown – think green tea and black sesame ice cream scoops paired with sweetened red bean ($9). To encourage you to lounge around, there’s free cake on Thursdays and other calendar-coordinated discounts.
Norita has one polarising thing about it – I won’t let slip what it is. You’ll easily work it out when you’re there. It’s a little sneaky and is the one aspect that stops me from really liking the place. That and the fact I’m still waiting for Jughead and Moose to turn up.
Norita Cafe, Level 2, 77 Liverpool St, Sydney
Tags: cafe norita, dessert, games, Sydney
Hey, I love Norita too! But what’s the polarising thing? I can’t figure it out!
I’d say it’s either the fact that sometimes (it isn’t all the time, I think only certain times or days, and I can’t remember what the word they used for it was) but you actually need to buy a drink or something. It’s like a minimum thing. That or the fact people can smoke in there which can be annoying when you’re trying to enjoy your tea and dessert. They also have a lot of uhh “imported” movies. That’s not such a bad thing, though.
The tables are a bit too high???
The instructions for the games are in Korean.
minimum order.
one food item per person
as it is a cafe
they have glass on the tables now
new menus
it’s non smoking
many changes to the place
it’s worth revisiting.
new games
new workers
two fantastic english speakers
majority of the games are in english
games like bang are in korean as they are out of print.
you can always request for them to buy new games
i suggest you talk to the asian short hair blonde female. she actually puts in the effort to buy games. her name is susan or something along the lines.