Things to do in London
“Combine an easy access game with a food and drinks menu that pulls no punches and you’ve got an experience that puts pleasure squarely in the 18 yard box”.
The LONDON PERSPECTIVE
Toca Social describes itself as the world’s first interactive football and dining experience, combining immersive gaming and world-class food and drink. Now a few of you may say “sports bar” and in this case, I’m very happy to say NO! That would not do this place justice at all. I visited Toca Social with my American football-loving brother on a Tuesday evening after work. Situated in the O2 this place is a little walk from the main entrance, but trust me it’s worth it.
Instagram lovers will love the very cool psychedelic walkway before entering the massive venue that consists of three levels. Toca hasn’t spared the pennies on its interior design which is modern, fun, and vibrant, with works of art that will have you wanting to fill your Instagram feed. Eagle eye street art fans will spot a piece by artist Ben Eine. Toca Social features 17 interactive private playing spaces, 3 Bars, a Willy Wonka-inspired Dessert Room, Foosball Tables, and 2 Photo-booths! This is the place to take a date, your mates, your work colleagues – basically, everyone you know will be hard-pressed to not find something they will like.
Each of the 17 play boxes consists of a screen and a small seating area and costs 65 pounds for 60 minutes, which sounds expensive until you realise you can have up to 12 people play. To get started is pretty quick, we added our names onto a digital console, then took it in turns to score points by hitting a projected wall, penalty shoot-out style. I have to admit, I never really played much football in school but this was so much fun! I even beat my younger brother who blamed his poor choice of shoes. Ha!
Once we had finished our game, it was time to assess the menus. Anyone coming here should be prepared to be pleasantly surprised. Toca’s Director of Food, Ross Clarke (ex Fat Duck) is a maven of the food and drinks world and that expertise is reflected in the creativity of the menu. It’s simple but shows a level of thought and diversity which is above the expectation of your normal sports bar. Familiar favourites have been reimagined and upgraded into delightful mouthfuls that will help you get past your mate beating you in a game.
The cocktails as you can expect have a cheeky football-inspired name and pack a punch. We tried a few but our favourite was the Wred Card cocktail. If you are familiar with Ray and Nephews you’ll remember its pungent smell and feelings of regret when you underestimate its potency. The way the Wred card has been crafted not only is it an excellent football pun, but it makes all those concerns disappear. The smooth citrus taste lulls you into a fruitful sense of security with a deceptive sweetness that is irresistible.
We both are huge chicken-wing connoisseurs, so we had high expectations which Toca definitely exceeded. Toca Social’s Crispy Chicken Wings are beautifully coated in Alabama white sauce (mayonnaise, pickle juice, and Aleppo pepper) and topped with a spice blend (sesame seeds, Aleppo pepper). They were the perfect mixture of crispy and succulent. We thought it couldn’t get any better until Ross showed his creative flair and brought out monster munch to use as a coating. Superb and genius! I have never been a fan of corn (I always thought it a waste of veg) but Toca’s Sweet Corn ribs completely changed my mind. The Cheese Burger Coquettes were perfectly meaty mouthfuls fried to perfection and the fried pickles with pickled gherkins were delicious. The mac ‘n’ cheese was a little bland for my taste, but I’ve never been a big cheese fan anyway.
After more drinks, it was time to check out the Willy Wonka style dessert bar, which consisted of American-style ice creams, multiple toppings, and tasty pastries – if I wasn’t so full at this point I would have tried more on offer. I ended up going for a small pot of ice cream with biscotti sauce. Delish! We’re not football fans but we thoroughly enjoyed the experience at Toca Social so much so that I plan on returning with my family for my birthday next month!
