And for good reason we say. After all, it became so distracting, that it was once banned by said King… So what exactly is shuffleboard you may ask? Well, in layman’s terms, it involves sliding a disk – or a ‘biscuit’ as it is otherwise known – along a narrow lane (‘lane’ shuffle) or a table (‘table’ shuffle) in order to score points. Add in plenty of drinks, a gang of mates, and you’re promised one hell of a good time.
Of course, there are many different reiterations of this 500+-year-old game – which you’ll see in our roundup below. So without further ado, here’s the Secret London roundup of ten of the best spots in town to enjoy shuffleboard in London:
1. London Shuffle Club
Kicking off this roundup of the best places to shuffleboard in London is the London Shuffle Club – the only UK venue with both lane and table shuffleboard under the one roof. Based in fashionable Shoreditch, it also boasts a menu of gourmet sourdough pizzas, melt-in-the-mouth desserts and some pretty epic cocktails to boot too.
On top of all this, they’ve got a mean bottomless brunch here too – and you know how much we love one of them at Secret London – so you’d be mad not to *ahem* shuffle along to this one. Sorry.
You’ll find London Shuffle Club at 4 Ebor Street, London, E1 6AW. Nearest station is Shoreditch High Street.
2. Players Social
Just a stone’s throw away from London Shuffle Club lies Players Social – a lively joint in Spitalfields offering some pretty great pub grub-style food, classic cocktails and games of course (what would you expect given the name).
A great spot to play shuffleboard in London, they also offer foosball and ping-pong too, and have regular live music events, shuffleboard tournaments and DJs spinning the decks too. Add in a brunch club and you’ll find yourself asking exactly what this uber-cool spot doesn’t offer.
You’ll find Players Social at 1 Crispin Place, London, E1 6DW. Nearest station is Liverpool Street.
3. Burdock
Set close to Finsbury Square in Moorgate lies Burdock – a modern all-day bar-come café which combines excellent wining and dining with a chance to play shuffleboard. Perfect for post-work socials, this is the place to get competitive when you’re in the City, and they’ve got a mean selection of cocktails on offer here too.
Even better is that they’re proud supporters of The Childhood Trust – a charity designed to stop poverty ruining the lives of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged young Londoners. All the food is also sourced from family-run businesses with a ‘real passion for seasonal, sustainable and fully traceable great British produce’ – need any more reason to pay them a visit?
You’ll find Burdock at 22-25 Finsbury Square, London, EC2A 1DX. Nearest station is Moorgate.
4. Tank & Paddle
If the mantra of ‘great beer and pizza’ wasn’t enough to draw you from far and wide to the two branches of Tank & Paddle, then surely their daily deals of a pint-and-pizza-combo for just a tenner will.
Craft beer specialists, there’s everything here from London Pilsner to Meantime Keller Lager, and they’ve also got a range of wines, spirits and cocktails too. If that wasn’t enough, you can also get involved with shuffleboard or giant jenga too. Sign. Us. Up.
You’ll find Tank and Paddle at 3 Mincing Lane, Minster Court, London, EC3R 7AA and 201 Bishopsgate, London, EC2M 3AB. Nearest stations are Fenchurch Street and Liverpool Street.
5. Electric Shuffle
The team behind Flight Club won’t stop until they’ve revolutionised every social activity in the city, and at this spot they’ve swapped darts for the noble sport of shuffleboard. With two branches in town – one in Canary Wharf and one in London Bridge – Electric Shuffle takes the traditional game of shuffleboard and gives it a modern spin, courtesy of technological wizardry and some banging cocktails of course.
Before you do battle on the boards, we recommend that you fuel up with Electric Shuffle’s glorious grub menu. Whether it’s a sharing pizza paddle, a platter with Korean beef skewers or a classy electric rainbow bowl, you can be sure of a quality to match the heights of your forthcoming round of games.
You’ll find Electric Shuffle at 10 Cabot Square, North Colonnade, London, E14 4EY and 10 Bermondsey Street, London, SE1 2ER. Nearest stations are Canary Wharf and London Bridge.
6. Spit & Sawdust
Next up on our shuffleboard in London roundup is Spit & Sawdust – a quite-frankly excellent boozer in Elephant and Castle which offers ‘the largest range of craft beers in SE1 as well as a tiered-beer garden, a solid (and affordable) wine list and some tasty tacos too.
They also have regular live music nights, ‘disco Saturdays’, live sporting events on the old tele and authentic shuffleboard here too. What more could you ask for?
You’ll find Spit & Sawdust at 21 Bartholomew Street, London, SE1 4AL. Nearest station is Elephant and Castle.
7. The Bermondsey Bierkeller
One of the most raucous spots in town, The Bermondsey Bierkeller brings alpine-themed fun right to the heart of London Town in the form of an actual ski lodge – yep, you read that right – with faux-fur blankets, ski-themed memorabilia and plenty of beer.
From classic pilsners to Bavarian brews and easy-to-drink wheat beers – the team here imports all the best that Germany has to offer – and they also whip up a whole host of traditional street food classics here too. Perhaps the best thing of all lies in the bar’s two state-of-the-art games rooms with interactive darts, table foosball, pool and, of course, shuffleboard.
You’ll find The Bermondsey Bierkeller at 2–4 Tooley Street, London, SE1 2SY. Nearest station is London Bridge.
8. The King of Prussia
Heading North of the river now and we come to The King of Prussia – an independently-owned pub located just mere steps from Finchley Central tube station. They’ve got some great craft beer on tap here, as well as tasty sourdough pizzas, premium cocktails and regular pub quizzes too.
Add in a free-to-play shuffleboard, a jukebox and regular in-house shuffleboard tournaments, and you’ve got yourself one hell of a great venue.
You’ll find The King of Prussia at 363 Regents Park Road, London, N3 1DH. Nearest station is Finchley Central.
9. Brewdog Tower Hill
Our penultimate addition to this shuffleboard in London roundup is Brewdog – who recently opened ‘London’s biggest bar’ across the Thames in Waterloo. A mere two minutes’ walk from the iconic Tower of London, their outpost at Tower Hill branch has got 36 beers on tap, a mouthwatering menu of burgers, wings and vegan and veggie options.
There are plenty of deals to be had here throughout the week – including ‘fizz fridays’ and even ‘dog pawties’ where your four-legged friend can get their own ice-cream sundae. If that wasn’t enough, then you can challenge your mates to shuffleboard and arcade-game competitions – there’s even the London shuffleboard championships later this month!
You’ll find Brewdog Tower Hill at 21 Great Tower Street, London, EC3R 5AR. Nearest station is Tower Hill.
10. Ye Olde Cock Tavern
Rounding off this list of the best places to enjoy shuffleboard in London is Ye Olde Cock Tavern – which aside from having a relatively funny name also holds the title of being one of the capital’s oldest and and best boozers we’d say.
Smack-bang in the middle of Holborn, it’s hosted the distinguished likes of Charles Dickens and Samuel Pepys, and has a great selection of classic ales, gins and wines flowing on tap. To top it all off, they’ve also got two shuffleboard tables in the basement, so there’s plenty of scope to make a night of it here.
You’ll find Ye Olde Cock Tavern at 22 Fleet Street, Temple, London, EC4Y 1AA. Nearest station is Blackfriars.
So there you have it – a roundup of the best spots in our capital to enjoy shuffleboard in London. So if you’re looking for a bit of light-hearted competition (or heavy – we don’t judge here) – then you know where to head! Good luck out there…