Games deserve a table, a little time, and a proper conversation.

Bistro Boys is a small, independent publication for the games that outlived the hype cycle. We cover retro favorites with the same care a good bistro gives its regulars: clear recommendations, strong opinions, and no filler.

Our writers chase the texture around a game as much as the game itself—the saved files, the cover art, the controllers with a little shine worn into the buttons.

How we play

Play before praise

Every recommendation begins with real time spent playing, not a press sheet or a nostalgia shortcut.

Opinion with receipts

We love a hot take, but we bring the context, history, and reasons with it.

Make the classics welcoming

Great older games are for everyone. We explain what matters without assuming a lifetime of genre jargon.

Meet the regulars

Writers who treat every favorite game like a table worth lingering at.

Editor in chief

Frankie Kim

Frankie keeps the lights on after midnight. She writes about arcade rituals, strange game worlds, and why a great menu screen matters.

Reviews editor

Miles Ortiz

Miles is the person you ask before spending a whole weekend with a game. He covers reissues, hidden gems, and games best enjoyed with a friend nearby.

Columnist

Rue Bennett

Rue writes about games as places: the rooms we remember, the music we hum years later, and the stories that grew with us.

The short version

We’re here for the replay.

Whether you have a shelf full of cartridges or are finding the classics for the first time, Bistro Boys is your corner table for the games worth returning to.