With all the fun and frenzy of FIFA in Vancouver Granville strip is the place to be. So with all the outdoor watch parties, restaurants and bars showing the game where do you go?
My recommendation is The Rec Room. Not only can you enjoy the game there with food and drinks, but you can also have a pregame and post after party there as well.
And all during summer season, they have a Summer Bundle that you can take advantage of. $29.99 gets you one select entrée, a dessert, and $15 worth of gaming credits for their arcade and recreational zone.
Your entree options include Crispy Chicken Bites or Loaded Nachos to share. Pepperoni Pizza or The Rec Room Burger for a classic pick. There is Sesame Noodle Salad or Sundried Tomato and Goat Cheese Pasta for something fresh, and Fried Chicken Sandwich when you’re craving some crunch. For a sweet finish, go all in with a Strawberry Sundae, Chocolate Donut Sundae, or Little Bites Mini Donuts.
As for the games, The Rec Room has more than just arcade fighting games, first person shooters, and racing titles. There are claw games where you can win immediate prizes and more physical activities like pool, mini golf, darts, and even axe throwing
We especially enjoyed the carnival games that tested your skill, and allowed you to earn tokens in exchange for prizes, for all your efforts. After two hours and 600 credits later, we earned 956 tokens, which got us some smaller prizes at the Rec Room shop. However, we decided to save the points for something larger in the future. The highest tier of prizes includes Michael Kors handbags, collectable plushies, and even electronic games.
Today’s most memorable game was the darts. This is our first time playing. It combines traditional pointy ended darts thrown at a cork board with projected technology and the ability to choose your board with its own set of game rules. There was one that you aim to earn dice rolls, which transitioned to moves on a snakes and ladders game board. Another was played similar to Space Invaders, and depending on where your dart landed was how many alien ships you killed. This is 40 credits per person but allows you to play as many rounds as you can within 30 minutes. We played fast was able to experience six unique games.
Axe throwing is within a special caged off area for safety. You can only enter and play if you have the proper footwear that fully covers your feet, and provided that you sign a waiver. There is safety instructions and an employee present to walk you through the experience, including how to throw, best practices, and then how to calculate your score.
Pool is your run-of-the-mill table where a scan of your credits is what releases the balls and your ability to hit them back into their pockets.
If here to watch the game, you can do so either in the Rec Room’s expansive bar/restaurant, within the basement bar where the mini golf course is located, or on their new front patio. I recommend the latter seeing as you get the runoff energy from Granville Street and the camaraderie of the pedestrians walking and cheering by. Here, there is a television screen at the far end of the patio. And there is also a table that doubles as a game where you sit on benches and play soccer against the person seated in front of you, using your feet to kick the ball into their goal. This is a great way to pass the time as you wait for your food and drink order.
In short for your one shop adult playground stop, visit the Rec Room on Granville for food, drinks, games, to catch the big match.
The Rec Room Granville
855 Granville St, Vancouver, BC V6Z 1K7
(778) 374-1500
therecroom.com
