B. Lucky & Sons

Funlab is behind Strike Bowling and minigolf bar Holey Moley. The Melbourne-based company has given both a nightclub feel, with DJs, neon lighting and fully stocked bars. The venues strike a careful balance between nostalgia and excitement.

B. Lucky & Sons is Funlab’s take on an arcade bar where everything is turned up to 11. The place has a made-up backstory that informs everything from the design to the menu. The intention is to immerse punters in a whole new world.

Bill Lucky is the fictional character at the centre of this adults-only arcade, a London gangster with a global chain of pawnshops. In Funlab’s story, he’s teamed up with a Chinese triad to conceal illegal casinos behind his storefronts.

The Fortitude Valley venue sells the idea via entry through a prize room with items in glass cabinets, much like a regular pawnshop (the prizes are mostly collectables found on eBay). Then, concealed behind curtains, is the arcade-game floor set up in the style of a casino with loads of old-world charm. The games include basketball, Skee-Ball and Mario Kart.

The look is East meets West, and there are neon signs to make it look like you’re walking down a street in Hong Kong, next to distinctly English features.

The mash-up plays out on the food and drinks menu too, with stone-baked pizzas and various sides served alongside canned cocktails, craft beer and spiked bubble tea.