About us

Meet the team and how Robins Hobby Cafe came about

A smiling girl in a wheelchair holding a plush tiger toy, flanked by a man and a woman, all smiling at the camera, at a radio station event.

Welcome to Robin’s Hobby Cafe – Titanic Belfast

A café where great food and drink bring people together.

Robin’s Hobby Cafe, located in Titanic Quarter, Belfast, is more than just a place to eat and drink—it’s a welcoming hub for creativity, connection, and community. Founded by husband-and-wife team Bill and Michelle, the café blends their decades of experience in Northern Ireland’s gaming and crafting communities with a love of good food and coffee.

Their journey began in 1996 opening Family Entertainment Centres in Belfast, Newtownabbey and Dundonald. Through these spaces hobbyists of all kinds felt at home. Inspired by the birth of their daughter Robin in 2012, Bill and Michelle’s mission evolved to focus on accessibility, inclusion, and creating a space where everyone could enjoy food, drink, and community together.

In 2017, they opened the first Robin’s Hobby Cafe™ on the Holywood Road, a space welcoming gamers, crafters, and families alike. It quickly became a much-loved part of the local community. Although the original café closed in 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions, Michelle continued delivering creative workshops across Belfast, supporting charities, schools, mental health organisations, and community groups, always placing connection and wellbeing at the forefront.

In July 2025, Robin’s Hobby Cafe proudly reopened in Titanic Quarter Belfast. The new location is fully accessible and designed to be a safe, welcoming space where great food and drink come first—and events, gaming, crafting, and community activities naturally follow. With accessibility at the forefront, the Cafe, has a large accessible bathroom with hoist and changing bench.

Meet the Team

Robin – The Inspiration / Director of Fun & Creativity
The café is named after Bill and Michelle’s daughter, Robin. Her creativity and perspective inspired the inclusive design of the space, making it fully wheelchair-accessible and welcoming to all. Robin’s playful love of games like Uno and Zombie Dice contributes to the café’s warm, family-friendly atmosphere.

Bill – Head of Geekery / Operations Wizard
Bill is the person who keeps everything running daily at the Cafe. Equal parts admin guru and tech wizard, —including all things games, gaming and geekery and also keeps the pizzas coming out of the oven. If you've got a question, chances are Bill already knows the answer. And on the rare occasion he doesn't, he'll have it figured out before anyone else. We suspect he has more than 24 hours in a day!

Michelle - Art Facilitator / Tour Guide

Michelle delivers in-house art and crafting classes and can more than often be found out and about taking her workshops on the road to community groups across Greater Belfast. She loves heading off on wee Belfast adventures—usually with a sketchbook in hand—and telling people where to go, whether they asked or not! With a love for the Titanic Quarter and all things Belfast, Michelle aims to create a relaxed and accessible environment where everyone feels welcome, inspired and confident to get creative.

Boyd

A bearded man smiling while making coffee behind a commercial espresso machine in a cafe. He is wearing a dark shirt, a black apron, and a baseball cap. There are stacks of cups and mugs on a shelf behind him and a window showing a parking lot outside.

Hi, my name’s Marc—but most people just call me Boyd.

I’ve been part of the geek world for years and a player for decades. From throwing down in Street Fighter to anything with cards, boards, or dice, I’ve probably given it a go (and occasionally lost spectacularly).

What really drives me, though, is creating a safe and welcoming space where people can relax, play, and connect. Watching folks enjoy themselves here at Robin’s is genuinely one of my favourite things—it feels less like work and more like hanging out in the kind of place I always dreamed of.

In short: I’m basically the modern-day Homer Simpson working at the bowling alley—except with fewer pins and way more dice.

A young man with brown hair and a beard standing indoors in front of a black and white historic photograph of Belfast's shipyards. He is wearing a black t-shirt and a navy apron with a robin logo and the text 'Robins Hobby Cafe' and 'Titanic Belfast.'

Hi I’m name is Tim. I’ve been playing since I’ve been able to hold a controller, I’ve played most things this world has graced us with. Though anything with strategy is what really drives me.

 I’m loving my time at Robins. The luck I have been given to work in such a safe nerdy environment is something that can’t be replicated anywhere else. building relationships with the community we all share a common interest, only downside is I can’t take part is as many activities anymore! We’re always up for a chat so come down at any time and play a few games with friends or take part in one of our events and see what we’re about.

Cat

A young woman with red hair smiling and holding a handmade craft of a bird with a red belly, standing behind a counter in a coffee shop.

Hi, I’m Cat. I’ve been crafting since I was tiny and as with most crafters, I dabble in many - paper crafts, sewing, needle felting, the list goes on! Although I tend to take on the artistic roles (cosplay and terrain building for example), I do love a good adventure in D&D, a game of magic or a sit down with a good puzzle.