First Round Esports - CLOSED

Overview

Tired of you and your buds only being able to play Super Smash Bros in your lounge room? Get ready to have your horizons (and screens) expanded at a new gaming and esports bar in Sydney's inner west.

First Round Esports is a lo-fi bar nestled in an unsuspecting Ashfield backstreet. The inner west suburb is better known for its Chinese restaurants, but this new player adds a different flavour to the suburb's offerings.

On entering you'll notice a large projection screen filling the back wall, beaming NBA 2K19 as players slam dunk and battle it out. Wander into the back room, however, and you'll find yourself in an internet-cafe-meets-small-bar full of PCs geared up for Counter Strike.

The fit-out of dark grey walls lined with green LED strips references the universe of The Matrix. This place feels a bit like a childhood dream, complete with hot wedges and inflatable couches. The relaxed atmosphere lends itself well to first-time gamers as well as experienced pros. And while the bar misses some of the traits of your typical inner west watering hole — don't expect any fancy cocktails here — it makes up for it in charm.

When it comes to selecting your console you have the options of Nintendo Switch, PS4 and PC. Single and multiplayer games are on offer, featuring nostalgic classics like Mario Kart as well as the latest versions of Tekken, NBA, Madden NFL and FIFA.

First Round Esports also hosts tournaments, with the next one happening this weekend. On Saturday, December 1, try your luck at the FIFA tournament kicking off at 6pm. To play you'll need to sign up via First Round's Facebook event here. On Sunday, there will be a more relaxed session of Super Smash Bros — but we all know that can still get pretty heated.

Whether you're a Princess Peach fan or connect more with Bowser, First Round Esports is sure to level up a night out.