New life for a Zurich legend: The Uto Kino becomes a large board game café

Where film history was written for almost a century, a new chapter in Zurich's cultural history is about to begin. DuBischDra AG announces that the historic Uto Kino on Kalkbreitestrasse - the city's oldest cinema, which will remain in operation until 2024 - will be reopened as a large board game café. The Uto is thus returning to its original purpose: to be a public place of encounter and emotion.

From movie theater to "third place"

Under the sociological guiding principle "Third place with play culture", the listed hall is transformed into a unique meeting place. In addition to the "first place" (home) and "second place" (work/place of activity), there is a need for neutral, public spaces that serve as a balance and create community. And this is precisely the spirit in which we are designing the Uto Kino: a place where people can meet, exchange ideas and strengthen relationships beyond obligations.

The concept respects the architectural soul of the building: the foyer with the historic ticket counter will become the reception area, the stalls the center for over 1,500 board and card games. In the gallery, gaming tables and lounges will be created to meet the highest demands of board game, TCG, RPG and miniature aficionados and allow for high-class events.

"Uto Kino has always been a place where people have experienced stories together. We're just changing the medium - from the screen to the game board," explains Florian Widmer, Co-Founder & CEO of DuBischDra AG. "At a time when loneliness is on the rise, especially among young people, we are deliberately creating an analog counterpart. A place where people can look each other in the eye instead of at their smartphones."

A concept for the whole of Zurich

The new Uto is aimed not only at die-hard gamers, but also at the entire urban community: from families and groups of friends to students, clubs and companies and the expat community. With the board game café, we are closing a frequently requested and constantly growing gap and at the same time helping to create new opportunities for non-alcohol-centered outings in Zurich.

Day & Night Café:

High-quality coffee, snacks and creative mocktails invite you to enjoy and linger.

Game Gurus:

Specially trained game explainers ("sommeliers for games") help guests choose from over 1,500 board games and explain the rules directly at the table on request.

Omnichannel experience:

If you fall in love while playing, you can buy the game directly on site or order it via the integrated online store dubischdra.ch - with over 6,500 items, it has one of the deepest and most expert product ranges in Switzerland.

Economically sustainable and culturally valuable

The project is supported by DuBischDra AG, which already operates one of the most popular Swiss online stores for games. "We are combining the economic strength of e-commerce with the emotional power of a physical community hub," says Raphael Bienz, Co-Founder & CMO. "For us, Uto is not an experiment, but the missing piece of the puzzle in our vision: to create spaces where friends and strangers alike become players."

In cooperation with the owner, PK Rück, we are investing heavily in the sensitive renovation. The opening is planned for summer 2026. We want to offer a full and high-quality board game café experience with a depth and consistency not yet seen in Switzerland. At the same time, we are consciously preserving the character and history of this unique location.

Press contact

Raphael Bienz, Co-Founder & CMO, raphael@dubischdra.ch, Phone: +41 76 626 18 48