B.Lucky & Sons

The Verdict

Want to find Melbourne’s new adults-only arcade and cocktail bar? Look up.

Seriously, if you’re standing beneath the clock in Melbourne Central, face south and look beyond the Shot Tower. You’ll spot the rampaging neon signage. From the outside, B.Lucky looks like a cross between Osaka, Hong Kong and...you know what, we have no freaking idea. This place is kind of nuts.  

Let’s break it down. B.Lucky is the latest project from the guys behind Holey Moley and Strike Bowling. It’s one part cocktail bar, one part video game arcade, one part pawn shop. The idea is simple: you come in here late at night, play a bunch of games, win some sweet prizes, then kick-on with pizza and cocktails on the roof terrace.

Oh yeah, did we not mention that? There’s a rooftop bar as well, decked out in flashing tree-sculptures a la Singapore’s Supertree Grove. (Told you: nuts)

But let’s start with the games. B.Lucky is crammed with a good mix of old-school classics and new neon titles. You’ve got Point Blank shooters, basketball hoop games, Mario Kart racing and Walking Dead zombie adventures. There’s claw machines where you can catch giant stuffed Pokemon (or thick rolls of tickets), plus a weird game where you manipulate a small metal loop over a revolving bowling pin (that one felt kind of sexual...might just be us).

And if you’re thinking these tickets buy you some crappy bouncy balls or a keychain, think again. B.Lucky has some of the weirdest and wildest prizes we’ve ever seen. You can cash in your hard-won tokens for Botox injections, diamond necklaces, rare vinyl LPs, guitars, retro Super Nintendo consoles and other stuff Mr Magorium probably stocked in his Wonder Emporium.

After the gaming, it’s time for dranks. Head through to the cocktail lounge, where the guys are slinging boozy bubble cup cocktails (try the Passion Crackle), classic mixes like Old Fashioned, Sidecars and Mai Tais, or a range of local wines.

The food is equally bonkers. We hesitate to use ‘East meets West’, but what else do you call a venue that chucks chips n’ gravy pizza and spring rolls on the same menu? Personally, the Pot Cluck pizza was a winner, and goes strangely well with a side of prawn crackers. Park yourself on the roof terrace (or snag the futuristic glass spaceship booth) and go crazy.

You know what? You can’t read about B.Lucky. It’s just not gonna cut it. Head on down to MC and see for yourself. 

Image credit: Sammy Green