Royal Palms - Brooklyn, New York

Shuffleboard bars are a thing.  And by thing I mean its a really weird yet really fun outing. First off, we all thought shuffleboard was for cruise ships and retirement homes.  But when you put it in a really fun old building in Brooklyn, and surround it by a food truck, retro dressed employees, cocktails, fun props and board games, it all just works.

The place is a little hard to find, and I am sure a lot of people walked by it many times without realized what was inside those brick walls.  You will not see a big flashy sign, but instead, a tiny (really tiny) plaque on the wall.  Only in Brooklyn is a trendy retro shuffleboard club tucked away in this building.  Like old jump suits, plastic visors, and I am pretty sure every girl who walked into this bar was wearing a romper.  Oh Brooklyn....

Overview. A really fun retro 17,000 square foot building with a new food truck every day and and 2 full bars. It's $40 an hour to play and walk-ins are always welcome. If you haven't played shuffleboard since that one time with grandma in Florida its okay, everybody gets a complimentary lesson. There are 10 shuffleboard courts up for grabs. If shuffleboard isn't your thing there are a ton of board games, food, drinks, and music.

Hours: Monday (closed).  Tuesday through Thursday: 6pm-12am.  Friday 4pm-2am.  Saturday 12pm-2am.  Sunday 12pm-10pm

Location: 514 Union St, Brooklyn, NY 11215

History:  Royal Palms looks like a lido deck but is actually in an old factory building and opened in January of 2014.  Learn about the history and how the shuffleboard club was started here.  

Age:  No one under 21 is allowed.  
Not a sleeping baby or your cousin who just wants to play shuffleboard.  
21 and over is the rule.  

Food: No outside SAVORY food is allowed. However inside there is a "food truck docking station" where they feature a different food truck every single night. A schedule of the food trucks can be found on their website. They do allow outside sweets (cake for parties, etc) if you are celebrating an event at the Royal Palms.

Price and Policies: Courts are $40 and are rented on a first-come, first-served basis. Royal Palms keeps a number of courts available for walk-ins and if there's a line, they limit play to one hour per party to try to get as many people on the courts as possible.

Cabana Rentals: Reserved Courts and Cabanas (for groups of 10 or more - for two hours)

$50 per hour per reserved court, plus a mandatory bar package for all guests

$20 per hour per guest for unlimited beer/wine

$25 per hour per guest for unlimited beer/wine/well liquor

$30 per hour per guest for unlimited beer/wine/well liquor/The Royal Palms House-Kegged Cocktails

$35 per hour per guest for unlimited beer/wine/premium liquor including the entire Royal Palms Signature Cocktail Menu - Plus all taxes and gratuities

Find out more about the cabana rentals here

A little about the game:  You use "tangs", aka, the sticks to push the "biscuit"aka the puck down into the scoring zones. Team mates stand across the courts from each other and the opposing teams on one side alternate sending their biscuits down the courts.   Scoring is done in the top of the triangle, anything in the bottom section marked "10" and "off" is -10 points and is called the "Kitchen".  The puck has to be completely in the space to earn points, it cannot be touching any of the lines.  Each time both teams have sent their biscuits down the courts, a frame is complete.  Tally up the points from each frame and the most points at the end win.

Royal Palms shuffleboard cheat sheet.

Looking for something fun to do in the city on a hot summer day?

Grab some friends, a tang and play some shuffleboard in Brooklyn.  

And if shuffleboard bars quickly start to pop up around, you can say you read it here first.