We visited NQ64 Cardiff for the first time and it was out of this world

Surprisingly, there aren’t many places around here that combine cocktails, retro arcade games, and outer space; somehow NQ64 manages to make it work.

We’re all guilty of sticking to the same three places we know and love when we go on a night out, so when it came to planning our next team outing, we decided to mix things up a little bit. Maybe we’d been living under a rock, but none of us had ever been to NQ64 before or really ever heard of it, but it’s safe to say that we’ve found a real gem and it was hidden right under our noses on St Mary’s Street.

A space-themed surprise around every corner

When you walk in, it genuinely does feel as though you’ve stepped into the worlds of one of the many games they house. It’s a super immersive experience and everywhere you look you’ll find something new and interesting to see, whether it’s a giant robot mural on the wall or another galaxy drawn onto the ceiling. The UV lighting really makes the artwork pop and there the photo-ops are endless, we could barely put our cameras down for the entire night.

Even the toilets are fun, but we won’t ruin the surprise of telling you what’s in there.

Coco-Pops milk cocktail, anyone?

It’s safe to say that we were well and truly spoilt for options with the cocktails. NQ64 have completely revamped their cocktail menu and now have an extensive selection of gaming-themed drinks with a mixture of alcoholic and non-alcoholic options.

Between our group, we tried to sample a range of what was on offer. I had the Pacs A Punch, Power Star Martini, Mr Stay Puft and Mega Daisy and I honestly couldn’t tell you my favourite, they were all fab (and I surprisingly didn’t remember an awful lot four cocktails later).

Although the cocktails are a little on the pricy side for those of us working with a student budget, with their cheapest ones starting from £8.50, I would say that they’re worth the money as they just taste amazing and there’s a little something special that comes with each one, you pay for the experience as well as the drink.

It’s worth noting that they have student deals available from Sunday-Thursday, with some of these offers including £2.50 shots and £5 double spirits and mixers.

They want you to vandalise the tables

Yes, you read that correctly. Once we sat down at our table, we were handed a pot of pens and were invited to really make ourselves at home by drawing on the table. Of course, they didn’t have to ask us twice (plus we take any opportunity to plug ourselves, sorry not sorry).

Channel your inner Mad Max and play a game

We didn’t even attempt to count how many arcade games they had, but there were absolutely loads and, of course, we tried some of them out…for research purposes. I’m not too sure of the names of the ones I played, but the driving game, dancing game (think The Kissing Booth), and Pac-Man were definitely my favourites. We’re not gamers by any means, but we all found something we enjoyed and there really is something for everyone, we’ll be back.

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