Game on, Brisbane/Meanjin. Gone are the nights of awkward small-talk and catching half a dozen Ubers to find a bar with the right ‘vibe’. Today, our river city is buzzing with bar-side fun, serving up cocktails with a healthy dose of pinball and putt putt.
Prefer sinking skee balls to dropping it on the dance floor? Read on. No playing around, we’re here to give your nights out an official level up, with Urban List's favourite bars where you can do so much more than just drink and dine.
Oche
111 Constance Street, Fortitude Valley
Love darts, but hate math? High tech darts bar Oche has you covered, with electronic dart boards that keep the score for you. You and your crew can throw to the classic rules, or choose from dozens more game variations for a massive night of fun. Complete with 16 booths, two event spaces and a lengthy list of wines, beers and cocktails (we recommend the G&Ts)–this joint is perfect for groups. Plus the food they whip up is designed to be shared, inspired by street food of multiple cuisines.
Netherworld
186 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley
Ladies and denizens, ready those flipping fingers. On the corner of Brunswick Street and St Paul’s Terrace, Brisbane’s hellmouth patiently awaits the stroke of Friday knockoff. As you’re drawn into the gaping maw of the Netherworld (and where else but the Valley?), eternally damned good times await. The long lineup of craft brews is only matched by the ever-growing army of arcade, console and board games. Settle in with some bites from the Hellmouth Diner, a pint of watermelon sour, and a whole lotta coins: purgatory never looked so good.
Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq
30 King Street, Bowen Hills
Image credit: Archie Brothers | Supplied
A veritable wonderland of flashing lights and circus theming is Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq, an arcade bar smack bang in the middle of the bustling King Street. Here you can Dance Dance Revolution like no one’s watching, Mario Kart-race your mates and shoot hoops to win tickets for some real interesting prizes. The list of fun doesn’t end there–we’re talking bowling, karaoke and even virtual reality experiences. Your jaw will drop when you check out the sips on their cocktail menu that puts regular bars to shame–take the Pop Till You Drop, a concoction of fireball, butterscotch, apple juice, maple popcorn, bitters and whipped cream.
The Ballpark
39 Hercules Street, Hamilton
Prepare to batter up at this baseball-themed sports bar at Portside Wharf. Whether you’re a baseball fan or just like the idea of hitting balls really hard with a bat, The Ballpark offers a simulation (with a real bat and balls in a batting cage) for you to test your skills thwacking balls into a virtual field of your choosing. If that’s not your buzz, there’s also pool tables, dart boards and TVs broadcasting sport. To quench your thirst from all the activities, this spot offers their very own lager for you to sip on, as well as other tap beers or classic cocktails, plus burgers and street eats from nearby Dumbo.
Pincadia
14 Logan Road, Woolloongabba
On your first foray into Pincadia, you’d be forgiven for the headspin. It’s a little unsettling, after all, stepping off Logan Road and into the 1980s, but this retro spot does it well. Inside, nostalgia reigns supreme, offering up walls lined in ‘80s arcade games, old school tunes and a classic carnival menu. From the dagwood dogs to the Donkey Kong high score, you’ll be switching those smart phones off for a voyage into simpler times.
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Hijinx Hotel
Westfield, Mt Gravatt | Westfield, Chermside
Image credit: Hijinx Hotel | Website
The aesthetics of Wes Anderson and Willy Wonka inspire not only the interior, but the cocktails at Hijinx Hotel. Brought to you by the masterminds behind Holey Moley and Archie Brothers, this quirky game bar features 10 quick-play immersive challenge rooms filled with puzzles, trials and interactive spaces. Two of the rooms, designed exclusively for the Brisbane locations, involve sinking ships and solving cartoon character puzzles for the highest number of points. Not to mention you’ll also discover giant Scrabble games, life-sized pianos and ball pits to dive into.
Maniax
52A Doggett Street, Newstead | 79 Adelaide Street, Brisbane CBD
Whether you’re on the world’s worst Tinder date or need to blow off some steam after Tuesday’s staff meeting, some things just can’t be fixed with a regular pub brew. Get ready to unleash your inner woodcutter: Brisbane’s own axe-throwing bar is ready for target practice. At Maniax, you’ll bury the hatchet over two hours of weapon-slinging fun. After a quick how-to session, you’ll be ready to line up those bulls-eyes and slam back a brew with the best of them.
X Golf's Hey Caddy
275 Grey Street, South Brisbane | 2/4 Burke Crescent, North Lakes
Those riddled with the travel bug, this one’s for you. Hey Caddy takes you on an 18-hole round trip with a putt putt experience like no other. What other mini-golf joint allows you to visit the Great Wall of China, Hosier Lane in Melbourne, the streets of New York, Coachella and more while you play? Away from the healthy competition on the course, Hey Caddy serves up a range of food options as well as a fully licensed bar for those wanting to enjoy time on the sidelines. Open day and night at two Brisbane locations, it’s the perfect spot for a family outing, boozy afternoon with friends or a date night.
B Lucky And Sons
315 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley
Image credit: B Lucky And Sons | Facebook
Ya feeling lucky, punk? B Lucky and Sons gives you a twisted glimpse into the cocktail dens of Hong Kong. Luckily for us (and our distinct lack of 007 debonair), the poker tables have been swapped out for a playground of Mario Kart racers, carnival games and arcade classics. At the bar, you’ll find a medley of bubble tea cocktails, bao buns and Asian-inspired pizzas. Special shout-out to the Tarotini—a taro-flavoured twist on the espresso martini—we could sink those faster than a forty-point skee ball.
Holey Moley
Various Locations
Ready to hit the clubs? This weekend, ditch the jeans for your best golf pants and a night at Holey Moley, with all of their locations dressed to the nines with up to eighteen holes of eye-catching mini golf. No ifs or putts about it: if adulthood had an amusement park, these guys hit the hole-in-one. Cocktails laden in red liquorice and sour straps are par for the course, here, but the real eye candy are the courses themselves, from the twisted Mazed and Confused to the artsy Vincent Van Golf.
Arcadium
97 Wickham Terrace, Spring Hill
Escape rooms are, at the best of times, intriguing but tricky little places that involve a pattern of finding, solving and then moving onto another clue. But, like a good cocktail, sometimes the best formulas need to be shaken up, and Arcadium toys with the traditional escape room in the most magical way—by adding a magic-themed cocktail bar right there in their underground lair. Whether you're on the quest for the Wand of Illumination or the Elixir of Life, you can bet the clues are going to pull you in a multitude of directions, and the drinks at the bar just outside are going to make escaping that little bit sweeter.
Feeling a little bit more grown up? Check out these sophisticated bars instead:
Image credit: Oche | Website