Lobbing darts with a pint in hand has become a City worker rite-of-passage, but how about bowls? Bowls Club allows you to play the simple game, requiring participants to throw a ball towards another ball in an attempt to get both near to each other, with the thrower of the closest ball winning.
It’s the latest game to have been turned into a drinking activity following the popularity of Shuffle Club in Shoreditch and the Flight Club darts bars. Newly opened for summer, the Bowls Club in Finsbury Square in the Square Mile is running every Wednesday and Thursday evenings; the site is rebuilt weekly and the space turned back into a public recreational area in-between the pop-up nights in the week.
WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH BOWLS CLUB FINSBURY PARK?
Choose a package on the website and get an hour-long game of bowls with a ‘bowl off’ included at the end, a sort of final game to work out the overall winner from all the groups playing that night.
DO YOU NEED TO BE ANY GOOD AT PLAYING BOWLS?
Not at all – don’t sweat it. The ‘bowl off’ element is competitive but honestly by that point so many people have had so many drinks that you won’t be the only one having an issue with throwing in a straight line.
SPEAKING OF DRINKS, HOW DOES THAT WORK?
Three drinks are included in every bowls package. You can have soft drinks, or beer, wine, prosecco or spirit and mixers.
Bowls Club at Finsbury Square
HOW ABOUT THE BOWLS CLUB FOOD SITUATION?
One meal from any street food vendor of your choice is included. There’s fried chicken, gyoza dumplings, burgers, and more.
WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?
It’s quite the mini festival, actually. Hosted on one of the Square Mile’s only sizeable green areas north of Moorgate, there are also nightly DJs, and even magicians and a caricaturist, and plenty of seating in the greenery to sit and have a drink and watch the games taking place.
CAN YOU PLAY AT BOWLS CLUB WITHOUT A PRE-BOOKABLE PACKAGE?
Yes, fill out the booking form online and tell the club how many is in your group and your requirements and they will email you back with a package that suits your needs.
NOW THAT IT’S SUMMER I FANCY MORE OUTDOORS ACTIVITIES. WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON?
Sports-wise it’s mainly indoors, like the Shuffle Club in Shoreditch and Flight Club in the City for darts. But there are plenty of great outdoor spots for drinking and socialising, some new for this season.
In the City of London, newcomer Wagtail has great views, decent steak and strong cocktails on a rooftop not far from Bank. Also new for 2024, TT on Kingsland Road is a locals’ favourite with an intriguing restaurant on the rooftop.
There’s a focus on smoking and pickling; try the dry aged ribeye with chimichurri for a seriously good time. Also new in the Square Mile, the rooftop bar at the Hotel Saint in Aldgate. Formerly the Dorsett City Hotel, the Jin Bo Law Skybar has views over London Bridge. Try the ‘City Jingle’ sour with pomegranate, egg white and lemon.