Overview
Bars where you can do more than just sit around and drink are really having a moment in Melbourne, and it's mainly thanks to the ever-expanding empire of Funlab. The company is in charge of the ever-popular Holey Moley, Strike Bowling and Sydney's Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq (which is set to open in the Docklands soon, too).
Now, it has just launched its latest brainchild: B. Lucky & Sons. It's a kidult-friendly bar-meets-arcade with some actually good pawn-shop prizes, instead of the usual plastic crap you get. Think vintage Chanel bags, classic cameras and rare vinyls, plus a Nintendo 64 in its original box and Tune Squad swag from the 1996 cult classic, Space Jam. Yup, they're going real old school with this one.
The bar is also hidden behind the facade of an old pawn shop and decked out with eclectic furnishings, from old-world casino chandeliers to neon-lit red octagonal booths. This East-meets-West fit-out extends to the food, where pizzas are topped with the likes of crispy wonton wrappers and bonito flakes or sausage, gravy and potato crisps.
For drinks, the bar is slinging canned cocktails and alcoholic bubble teas — like the Taro Bang (Frangelico, rum and taro with blueberry pearls and jellies) and the Passion Crackle (vodka, passion fruit and peach teas with apple flavoured pearls and jellies). Not to mention punch bowls served with floral tea cups, a gold-rimmed espresso martini and one with a side of toast and raspberry jam.
The games themselves are clear throwbacks for the millennial generation — featuring everything from Mario Kart and Space Invaders to NBA Hoops and a Dance Dance Revolution knock-off. While the venue is open to littluns during the day, it's strictly adults-only at night, so you don't have to worry about being laughed at by a ten-year-old when you fall off Rainbow Road for the fourteenth time.
Find B.Lucky & Sons at Melbourne Central, Level 3, 211 LaTrobe Street, Melbourne. Opening hours are Sunday–Thursday from noon–midnight and Friday–Saturday from noon–3am.
Images: Zennieshia Photography