The Holey Moley Team Is Opening a Novelty Circus-Themed Arcade Bar for Kidults
Archie Brothers will have 67 arcade games, a bowling alley, dodgem cars and a full-service cocktail bar.
Just one month after the CBD opening of B. Lucky & Sons, Funlab — the group responsible for Holey Moley and Strike Bowling — is set to open yet another kidult wonderland in Melbourne. This time it's Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq, a circus-themed arcade bar that will open in Docklands next month.
The Melbourne instalment is the second for the brand, which first opened in Sydney back in December 2017. The Melbourne version — which will open in the District Docklands shopping centre — will feature 67 arcade games (starting at $2 a pop) and tickets can be used to purchase the usual assortment of random objects and plastic toys at the prize bazaar. Like its Sydney counterpart, the venue also includes a bowling alley, dodgem cars, an interactive 3D theatre and virtual reality games.
The food menu ties in with the circus decor and focuses on over-the-top novelty American diner grub. Think pink burgers, cheddar cheese-dusted potato gems and garlic aioli that's served in a syringe. You get the idea.
The drinks follow suit, with a ridiculously involved Shark Tanq: a concoction of gin, blue curaçao, coconut syrup, egg white and orange bitters, all topped with flavoured Red Bull and garnished with gummy shark lollies. If that's just too much sugar for you, maybe go down the dairy route with an espresso martini with a Magnum on the side, or try one of the signature boozy milkshakes. It's a good thing the arcade is strictly adults-only from 8pm — you'll need to work off all that energy.
But what you're coming here for is the arcade games, the nostalgia and to forget you're an adult with responsibilities for at least an hour or two. If the swathe of themed bars that keep popping up around town, it's something Melburnians are really responding to at the moment.
Archie Brothers Cirque Electriq will open at District Docklands, 440 Docklands Drive, Docklands on October 18. It will be open seven days a week from noon until late.
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