Where to play shuffleboard in London

Shuffleboard is finally making a comeback, only 500 years after King Henry VIII’s banned the game for its addicting wickedness.

Made famous in the warmth of sixteenth century taverns by drunk English nobles, recently it has made its way back into the hearts of modern day pub-goers.

It wasn’t always the lighthearted game of sliding and sand that it is today. When British settlers brought shuffleboard over to the American colonies, the game was widely criticised for its supposedly sinful nature. In fact, Bridget Bishop, the first woman executed during the Salem Witch Trials, was sentenced because she allowed Shuffleboard in her tavern. Yikes!

Now that the world has loosened up a bit, shuffleboard is back in full-swing and even the ghost of King Henry VIII can’t stop you from playing across London. Here's where to experience this (sinful) game yourself.

Burdock

You don’t need to rent out a room at the Montcalm Royal London House Hotel to try out Burdock, so make your way north for a some luxury shuffling at £10 per half hour. Book a board with friends and feast on a food platter of chicken skewers, black pudding and beer-battered fish fingers if you get a little shuffled out – as if that’s even possible.

Montcalm Royal, 22-25 Finsbury Square, EC2A 1DX, burdocklondon.com

Tank & Paddle

If their simple motto of 'great beer and pizza' wasn’t enough to get you to Tank & Paddle's Mayfair outpost, then their weekly deals should do the trick. Make sure you’re one of the first people in on Tuesdays after 5pm, because their first 100 pints are only £2.

15 Heddon St, Mayfair, W1B 4BF, tankandpaddle.co.uk

Broadleaf

Convince your colleagues to come to Broadleaf for a session after a long week of work and you’ll be a hit in the office. Their craft beer selection is perfect for a competitive round of shuffleboard.

Tower 42, 25 Old Broad Street, EC2N 1HN, broadleaflondon.com

The Vine Kentish Town

Making your way to Hampstead Heath may seem like too far a trek for a bit of Shuffleboard but The Vine seems practically designed to mess around at, and if you don’t believe us, their flashing neon “everyday I’m shuffling” sign and sharing plates should convince you otherwise.

86 Highgate Rd, Highgate, NW5 1PB, thevinenw5.co.uk

Barrel and Horn

Fuller's Barrel and Horn is a shuffleboard hit in the capital’s southeast. Sign up for their email list to score a drink on the house, and sip it with one hand while playing with the other. Now that’s multitasking.

204-206 High St, Bromley BR1 1PW, barrelandhorn.com

The Little Shuffle Club

What started off as a little pop-up in Shoreditch soon became a permanent hit for the London Shuffle Club. Head over to this Ebor Street hangout for cocktail masterclasses, an outdoor courtyard and all the shuffleboard you can imagine. If you’re feeling up on your luck, enter a tournament and see if you can beat out London’s best shufflers.

5 Ebor St, E1 6AW, londonshuffle.com