Ping pong bars are emerging bars designed to spice up your nightlife. If you are tired of playing indoors, or you want to play in a different environment, ping pong bars provide the perfect opportunity to unwind and show off your table tennis skills. Formerly, pool tables were all the rage, but now ping pong is finally getting the love it deserves. The next time you plan on hitting the town for a fun evening consider checking out a ping pong bar, we have many venues we suggest you visit.
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What is a Ping Pong Bar?
A ping pong bar is simply a table tennis table equipped in a normal bar or club. While most resemble your typical nightclub, the aesthetics of each venue will vary.
You can go there to have a cool beer, hang out with friends and participate in some friendly table tennis games. If playing table tennis is not your thing, don’t worry, you can watch interesting matches between other people as you sip your drink or eat delicious food.
Can you visit a ping pong bar if you are not a pro?
Yes. A ping pong bar is a place for ping pong players who like playing in informal and social places like bars and clubs. You can enter and play for pleasure. On the other hand, if you are a pro, you can register a team and take your competition to another level.
What if I donโt take alcohol/cocktail?
If you want to visit a ping pong bar and you don’t consume alcohol, you can still enjoy a meal and drink non-alcoholic drinks. You don’t even have to order any food or drink if that’s your wish. Many people go to these bars just to play ping pong.
Say Goodbye to Boredom and Visit the Best Ping Pong Bars
Below is a list of ping pong bars where you can play table tennis for fun or have a match with friends
- London ping pong bars include Bounce, The bat and ball, The miller, Ping, Sink-Paul street, Nordic bar, and Smash Wimbledon among others
- SPiN (New York & Toronto )
- Sour Mouse (NYC)
- Ace Bounce (Chicago)
- Punch Bowl Social (Austin)
- Gossima (Paris)
- DuPong (Copenhagen)
- Mladost Table Tennis Bar (Belgrade)
Bounce
- Location: London
- Capacity: ~350
- Opening hours: Mon-wed 5pm-11pm / Thurs 4pm-12am / Fri 3pm-1am / Sat 12pm-1am / Sun 12pm-11pm
If you are in London, you can find a lot of ping pong places to hang out in, but Bounce is the most well-known and provides the best experience. They have two venues that are located just two miles from one another. So if one is particularly busy, no worries, you can check the other one out.
They have a wide range of tables available at the bars, spanning from high-quality Olympic models to quirky UV graffiti-style tables (we have to say, we love the aesthetic!). At the Farringdon venue, they have a total of 17 tables.
Two elements that set Bounce apart from other ping pong bars is the diverse range of other games and events they offer. Book private rooms, take advantage of exclusive discounts and branch out to other games such as wonderball and shuffleboard.
This is the official website of Bounce.
SPiN
- Location: Various
- Capacity: ~350
- Opening hours: Mon-wed 4pm-10pm / Thurs 4pm-12am / Fri 4pm-1am / Sat 12pm-1am (New York hours)
SPiN is an international chain of franchised table tennis clubs and bars with ping pong. Originally founded in 2009 by actress Susan Sarandon,ย these ping pong bars have been a hit with consumers. This explains why so many exist today.
You can find SPiN ping pong bars in various cities in the USA and Canada such as New York, Chicago, San Francisco, Toronto, Philadelphia, Seattle, Washington D.C., and Austin. There are more bars waiting to open in other cities soon as well.
SPiN has a more sophisticated appearance than many of the other ping pong bars, and while it is often more expensive, the cost is worth it. Most of their venues feature a sizeable amount of space to play and pretty high-end tables. They even have organized leagues and private table hires for more intimate playing experiences away from the crowds. We recommend checking out the venue closest to your local area as each differs. All we can say is that they have great facilities and we are certain you will have a grand time.
You can learn more about SPiN from the Wikipedia page.
All bookings are made via the SPiN website.
Ace Bounce
- Location: Chicago
- Capacity: 550
- Opening hours: Tues-thurs 4pm-11pm / Fri 4pm-1am / Sat 12pm-1am / Sun 1pm-9pm
Ace Bounce is a huge tale tennis bar located in Chicago. They have a variety of booking options and various spaces to fit anyone’s vibe. Like a traditional bar look? The Parlor is your best bet. A refined space for a lady’s night out? The Gallery is the room for you. Having these unique spaces to book is ideal for people wanting to reserve tables ahead of time. To secure a table you’ll need at least two people, but we suggest you bring more to spread the cost.
Like the Bounce bar in London, Ace Bounce also offers beer pong, wonderball, and shuffleboard. You may be going for ping pong, but it never hurts to have more game availability. Wonderball in particular looks like a lot of fun. It uses an illuminated interactive ping pong table that tracks the ball in real-time. Any table tennis lover has to try out one of these tables at some point.
Ace Bounce has a vast selection of food and drink available and also happy hour to take advantage of.
Book today on the AceBounce website.
Sour Mouse
- Location: NYC
- Capacity: 600
- Opening hours: Mon-wed 4pm-2am / Thurs 4pm-12am / Fri 4pm-4am / Sat-sun 3pm-4am
Sour Mouse in NYC is another ping pong bar that offers other sporting activities. Besides the five competition-grade ping pong tables they also have five competition-grade pool tables, foosball tables, and board games to play.
The bar is very open and has a contemporary feel to it. There are lots of unique art pieces hung on the walls which are available for purchase online. Sour Mouse is even hosting an underground art league. How exciting!
With a maximum capacity of 300 people standing with 300 people sitting it is one of the largest ping pong bars on this list.
Punch Bowl Social
- Location: Austin Domain
- Capacity: ~600
- Opening hours: Mon-thurs 11am-12am / Fri 11am-2am /ย Sat-sun 10am-2am
Punch Bowl social has a variety of establishments scattered throughout the US. But for this list, we are going to take a brief look at their Austin Domain branch.ย We have to say, it is huge, and there is no shortage of seating available. They also offer a tonne of competitively priced games besides ping pong such as bowling, pool, foosball, and skeeball. I recommend having a look at their websiteย to see all of the features they offer. Try out their 3d virtual tour where you can explore the full premises from the comfort of your own home!
You get a lot of variety when it comes to food and drinks at Punch Bowl Social which really adds to the experience and makes you want to come back for more.
Take advantage of happy hour from 4pm-6pm Monday-Friday.
Gossima
- Location: Paris
- Capacity: ~300
- Opening hours: Mon 4pm-12am / Tues-sat 4pm-2am
Gossima feels rather different from many ping pong bars. This is because the aesthetic varies wildly from court to court. Some resemble a homely aesthetic while others are closer to the bar design that you would expect. In total, Gossima has two floors, two bars, and eight table tennis tables to choose from. They appear to use predominantly Cornilleau equipment. As such, it is of good quality.
Have a browse of the Gossima website to learn more about the bar.
Minimal
- Location: Berlin
- Capacity: Limited
- Opening hours: Mon-Sun 6am-6pm
Minimal is the highest-rated ping pong lounge in Berlin with 4.5 stars on Google reviews. This is despite the fact that they only have one ping pong table as best we can tell. This is a testament to the quality of the establishment, they cannot house as many people but they provide a unique experience.
The appearance of Minimal is quite something! With antique furnishing, hand-drawn art on the walls, and green seating it certainly catches the eye. The bar also features a daily DJ line-up of mostly Berlin-based artists โ the vibe of the place seems very alluring. I can imagine this bar is one of the friendliest ping pong bars around.
To reserve a table you need 4-12 guests. However, they do offer larger bookings but you have to get in touch via email for this service.
For bookings visit the Minimal website.
DuPong
- Location: Copenhagen
- Capacity: Unknown
- Opening hours: Wed 6pm-1am / Thurs 6pm-2am / Fri-Sat 6pm-3am
DuPong is a bar with ping pong located in Copenhagen, Denmark. The owner is really welcoming and the bartenders are very friendly. DuPong is another one of the smaller bars that have a very good vibe. The beer is cheap, the music sets the mood but is quiet enough so that you can hold a conversation, and when you return your bat, you get your deposit back in the form of a beer. A great place to relax with some friends!
What is unique about this place are the gameplay rulesets. Located behind the table is a blackboard with some unique table tennis rules such as no smashing. This adds another fun element to the game where you have to think extra carefully about your shots!
Take advantage of happy hour on Wednesdays and Thursdays which lasts until 10pm.
You can visit the Dupong website to find out more.
The Bat and Ball
- Location: London
- Capacity: Unlisted
- Opening hours: Sun-wed 11am-11pm / Thurs 11am-12am / Fri-Sat 11am-1am
The Bat and Ball is a great ping pong bar choice if you are seeking a variety of entertainment. Not only do they offer ping pong, but also beer pong/prosecco pong, karaoke, and pool. This ensures there is never a dull moment to your night!
We love the fact that they have fences installed to prevent rogue balls from flying too far. When alcohol is involved, this is much appreciated! We also spotted some Donic ITTF approved tables on their Instagram so some of the tables are fairly high quality.
Go to view their website here.
Mladost Table Tennis Bar
- Location: Belgrade
- Capacity: Unlisted
- Opening hours: Mon-sun 10am-10pm
Don’t expect Mladost to be modern when you enter. It is an old-fashioned bar which looks more like a sports hall than a bar. But this shouldn’t discourage you from going. Mladost provides perhaps the best playing experience of all of the bars as you have access to high-quality tables, barriers, and copious amounts of space. If you are after more serious training it is certainly the best bar to visit.
They provide professional training for those who want it and welcome people of any skill level. In addition to the bar, they also have a multimedia resting room with free Wi-Fi. Maldost table tennis bar sounds like the perfect place to train and relax!
For more info check out their club description
Why Play in a Ping Pong Bar?
Most ping pong bars have fairly high-quality table tennis equipment. This is great to see for us more serious players as we know all too well how frustrating it is to play with inferior bats and tables. In addition, playing in such a place increase your chances of meeting other talented individuals or perhaps even celebrities (they tend to frequently pop up!).
Most importantly, a ping pong bar provides the perfect social outlet to have a good time with friends or family. It might even help them understand your love for the sport and could spark the beginning of their ping pong journey.
If you want to increase your fun, get yourself a high-quality ping pong paddle and bring it! We reviewed the best ping pong paddles this year, check it out.
Read also:
Learning Beer Pong Rules the Right Way
Warren Davies
