Darts a fun game to watch, which is why so many cram themselves into Ally Pally when the World Darts Championship comes around. It is why vast numbers of people tuned in when Luke Littler made it to the final at the start of 2024, only to see him lose at the final hurdle to the world number one Luke Humphries. It is a sport that is intriguing because so many feel as though they could do it to, if only they had enough time to practice. As a result, it is something that many people might want to play, buying a dart board for the back of their office door or kitting out their garage with all the right equipment.
Darts is also a communal activity, with at least one opponent needed in order to properly engage in it as a competitive activity. Yes, you could have some friends over for a game or you could go down to your nearest pub and see if they’ve got a dart board on offer, but most of the time you’re best-served looking for somewhere that specialises in darts. These are few and far between nowadays, in spite of the growing popularity of the sport. Even so, there are a number of places in London that you can head to in order to get your darts playing fix, depending on what it is that you’re hoping to do with the arrows in your hand.
The London Locations
First things first, then, and a look at the various locations around London that are designed to give punters their fill of darts. Some of these are specifically designed to be darts-centred venues, whilst others are just places you can play some darts:
| Venue | Address | Nearest Station |
|---|---|---|
| Flight Club Bloomsbury | 55 New Oxford Street, Bloomsbury | Tottenham Court Road |
| Flight Club Islington | 56 Upper Street, Islington | Essex Road (Overground) |
| Flight Club Shoreditch | 2A Worship Street, Shoreditch | Old Street |
| Flight Club Victoria | 6 Sir Simon Milton Square, Victoria | Victoria |
| Sports Bar & Grill Canary Wharf | 1 Crossrail Place, Canary Wharf | Canary Wharf |
| Sports Bar & Grill Farringdon | 19-25 Cowcross Street, Farringdon | Farringdon |
| Sports Bar & Grill Marylebone | Melcombe Place, Marylebone | Marylebone |
| Sports Bar & Grill Old Street | 174-180 Old Street, Shoreditch | Old Street |
| Strike | 74 Wandsworth High Street, Wandsworth | Wandsworth Town (Overground) |
| The Alexandra | 14 Clapham Common South Side, Clapham | Clapham North |
| The Old Tea Warehouse | 6 Creechurch Lane, City of London | Aldgate |
| Oche | 105 The Strand, Covent Garden | Covent Garden |
| The Moretown Belle | 5 Thomas More Street, Tower Hamlets | Wapping |
| Hawkins Forge | 110 Battersea Rise, Battersea | Clapham South |
| The Rockwood Village | 314 Cann Hall Road, Leytonstone | Leytonstone High Road |
| The Beehive | Stoneleigh Road, Haringey | Bruce Grove |
| Alexandra Palace | Alexandra Palace Way, Haringey | Alexandra Palace (Overground) |
| Cheshire Cheese | 48 Crutched Friars, City of London | Tower Hill |
| Rileys Sports Bar Victoria | 16 Semley Place, Victoria | Victoria |
| Rileys Sports Bar Twickenham | 1 Heath Road, Richmond | Twickenham (Overground) |
| The Three Compasses | 99 Dalston Lane, Dalston | Dalston Kingsland (Overground) |
| The Huntsman & Hounds | 70 Elsted Street, Elephant & Castle | Elephant & Castle |
| 180 Club Camden | 75-89 Lower Walkway, West Yard, Camden Lock Place | Camden Town |
| Temple Brew House | 46 Essex Street, Holborn | Temple |
| Sea Horse London | 64 Queen Victoria Street, City of London | Mansion House |
| Neverland | Wandsworth Bridge Road, Fulham | Wandsworth Town (Overground) |
| All Star Lanes Brick Lane | 96 Brick Lane, Shoreditch | Shoreditch High Street (Overground) |
| The Lock Inn | 26 East Bay Lane, Hackney | Hackney Wick |
| London Bridge Rooftop | Colechurch House, London Bridge Walk | London Bridge |
| The Colonel Fawcett | 1 Randolph Street, Camden | Camden Town |
Taking a Closer Look
As mentioned, some of those locations are the likes of decent pubs with dart board on offer. Some of them, though, are places that have chosen to specialise in darts as the central reason for their existence. There are also some that have set themselves up as a sports venue in general, with darts being one of the things that is offered to punters who head there. It is worth taking a closer look at these so that you can have a sense of what is on offer and whether it’s what you’re after.
Flight Club
When it comes to a fun darts experience, you’re going to struggle to do much better than what is on offer at Flight Club. The chain has numerous locations around the capital and, in fact, around the United Kingdom. You play on a normal dart board and with standard darts, but they are linked up to state-of-the-art technology that means that your every throw is registered. As a result, you play loads of different games rather than just normal darts, making it ideal for big groups of people. It is especially fun for those that don’t really know how to play darts, not least because you can have a drink and a bite to eat whilst you do it.
Sports Bar & Grill
Another chain with locations throughout London is Sports Bar & Grill. As you can guess from the title, sports are the centre of attention here, so you can expect live events to be being broadcast on the numerous TVs that they have around the place. Some of the venues offer the likes of pool tables for you to enjoy, but it is the darts that will keep you going back for more. The electronic dartboards will help you keep score, so it’s a great place to go if the mathematical side of the sport isn’t really for you. If you’re a general sports fan who likes to play a bit of darts at half-time or during matches you don’t really care about, this is the place for you.
Strike
There a few places on this list that are bowling alleys first and foremost, which you might well have been able to figure out from the name of the venue. It is a good place to go if you want to do a few bits aside from the bowling, however, with the likes of shuffleboard also on offer. The high-tech dartboards will amuse players of the game, though, whilst the fact that it is located within the oldest brewery in Britain means that the drinkers amongst you might well find their vision starting to blur the longer you play for. Add in the ability to get some food and you can see where it is necessary to book in advance before heading here.
Oche
There is something a little bit different about Oche, insomuch as it looks to combine the fun of playing darts with some gastronomical delights. The entire feel of the place is upmarket, with sleek polished wood and high-tech dartboards that allow you to play numerous different games rather than just 501. Given that the venue also promises signature cocktails and sharing menus, it is a great place to go if you’re more about enjoying a night out rather than specifically playing darts. If you’re someone that runs a business, you might want to consider it for a team-building day or a corporate event to lift the morale of your workforce.
Rileys Sports Bar
As with some of the other venues on the list, Rileys is a sports bar rather than darts specific one. That means that you can expect the likes of snooker and pool tables, table football and loads of screens showing whatever the live event of the moment is. That doesn’t mean that darts is just forgotten about, however, with many of the chains offering a darts zone where you can get involved in long-form matches to your heart’s content. In a lot of the venues, darts is the last thing that people want to play unless it’s at the time of year when the likes of the World Darts Championship is taking place and people briefly get into the sport.
180 Club Camden
You will probably know that 180 is the highest score that you can get in darts, so it is little wonder that 180 Club Camden is so popular with fans of the sport. You will find it in the heart of Camden, so expect plenty of plaid shirts, skinny jeans and unnecessary beards to be on display. You can have a cocktail whilst you play, but the darts are the centre of attention here. There are four darts lanes, which offer enough room for as many as 14 players at once on the electronic boards alongside the dartboards that are in place for much smaller groups. If you’re looking for somewhere to focus on your darts then you’ll be ok at 180 Club Camden.
All Star Lanes Brick Lane
This is another venue that is actually mostly about the bowling, with decent food, cocktails and beer on offer for those that want a little bit more out of their bowling experience. Whilst the bowling takes centre stage, it is worth pointing out that All Star Lanes is more of a catch-all location, even offering the likes of karaoke booths and a lounge area. The reason it is on our list is that there are also dartboards on offer, which promise you the ability to play interactive games according to what you manage to do with your arrows. Maybe not somewhere to go if you just fancy a classic game of 501, but otherwise an ideal venue.