The Five Best Bars for Board Games in Melbourne

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For most of us, meeting up at your local pub for a chinwag with your mates is always high on the agenda. The only problem is, as the days get colder, it can be tempting to go into hibernation instead. At times like that, it never hurts to fire up your competitive streak — because if there's anything better than catching up with your friends, it's crushing them into submission via a merciless game of Connect Four. With that in mind, here are five of our favourite Melbourne bars where you can enjoy a board game with your beverage.

THE FOX

As far as we’re concerned, if it’s board games you’re after, The Fox is the Holy Grail of good old-fashioned fun. They’ve got Cluedo, Trivial Pursuit, Mastermind, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and Monopoly for all you (game) players out there. If that isn't tempting enough, they also do a Sunday Roast, Monday Parma night, Tuesday Steak night, and the first Thursday of the month is BYO vinyl night. Perfect.

351 Wellington Street, Collingwood; (03) 9416 4957; thefoxhotel.com.au

29TH APARTMENT

While Jenga may be less about brain power than most board games, it certainly requires some serious strategy and self-control. The 29th Apartment in St Kilda has a giant Jenga set which has been known to bring out our competitive nature (and maybe a tantrum or two.) And make sure to grab yourself a James Squire Nine Tales Amber Ale to improve your focus and help keep your hands steady.

29 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda; (03) 9534 0485; www.29thapartment.com.au

LUCKY COQ

Let’s be honest: the start of the week isn't fun for anybody. Thankfully, the good folk at Lucky Coq recognise this, and so have turned Mondays into board game night. Current games include Giant Jenga and a few sets of backgammon; they’ve also had Scrabble, Checkers and decks of cards in the past, but when too many pieces go missing, it’s game over. If all this game playing gets you a bit peckish they also have $4 pizzas all night, plus DJs upstairs if you want to shake you Monday blues loose.

179 Chapel Street, Windsor; (03) 9525 1288; www.luckycoq.com.au

KATUK

Cosy, quirky and classy are the three Cs we use to describe Katuk (okay, technically that's two Cs and a Q), a gem of a fireplace-flanked watering hole on Chapel Street in South Yarra. Despite their snazzy fit-out, they’re not afraid of a little fun, with Connect Four available for punters any time outside of happy hour. This deceptively simple game is a great way to pass the time, and also helpful in sussing out the kind of person you might be on a date with. For those who like their games to be a little more interactive, they also offer Wii Mario Cart.

517a Chapel Street, South Yarra; (03) 9827 9004; www.katuk.com.au

THE ALEHOUSE PROJECT

Beer geekery is at its finest at The Alehouse Project, with 12 taps of micro-brewed beers on constant rotation. And if you're interested in continuing the nerd theme, they’ve also got Connect Four and Jenga on demand. For those looking to keep the good times going even further, The Alderman down the road is known to have stockpiled a Scrabble board or two. Looks like East Brunswick is where it’s at for fun and games.

98-100 Lygon Street, Brunswick East; (03) 9387 1218; www.thealehouseproject.com.au

Top Image: Dollar Photo Club.