Inside The Crib: Soton’s new and unique bar located in Bedford Place

Shuffleboard, cocktails and 23-inch pizza slices – what’s not to love?

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Since nightlife has slowly been reopened many students have opted for nights at a bar instead of a club and Soton’s latest addition is perfect for anyone looking for a different night out.

The Crib opened up this summer in Bedford place and boasts games of Shuffleboard, delicious cocktails and very large pizza slices.

We took the chance to visit to really see what it was about and left very impressed with the whole experience.

So what actually is Shuffleboard?

This has to be the first question that came to my mind when I first heard about The Crib. It’s a game that involves pushing weighted discs across a long, polished table with the aim of making it land in certain zones to get points. It took me a little while to get the hang of it as I kept gliding the discs straight off the table!

Soton Tab spoke to Jack, one of the people running The Crib, and he told us: “We’re playing heavily into the new ‘competitive socialising’ concept. This is an emerging trend that encompasses activities that people can go out and do, and actually have a different night out. We are starting to see this take many forms, whether it be junkyard golf, topgolf (golf), flight club (darts), or a few others. Shuffleboard sits firmly in this category.

“Another angle that we considered is the emergence of sober-culture, and more and more students opting to not drink. Ultimately it’s these people in the group that will decide where the wider group heads for the night, so we wanted a product/activity that was fun for everyone, whether they were drinking or not.”

Shuffleboard is currently free on bookings for Wednesdays and Thursdays, so why not try it out for yourself?

The theme is ‘modern-manor house that has been bought by a young millionaire that loves a house party’

I can only recommend visiting the bar to truly understand the depth of this theme. From the drinks selection to the decorations throughout the bar, it is truly a unique experience.

Jack told Soton Tab that the theme plays towards the target audience of people who are “lively and out for a laugh” but that the atmosphere also “provides a vibe that lets you chat, catch up and talk to the people around you.

“We’re noticing that more and more people don’t want to just go out to a dark dancefloor and shout in to their friend’s ears all night. We wanted to be somewhere you can go earlier in the night, or somewhere you can go for a different night altogether. This made us go for the warm colours, generally-loved music and comfortable seating.”

The Big Dough Co. supply 23-inch pizza slices!

Ordering pizza is an absolute must when you visit. I mean, why wouldn’t you want to try out some of the biggest pizzas in the city?

The range of toppings also provides a bit of something for everyone. I love the fact you order by slice so you can mix and match different toppings (really useful when you’re as indecisive as I am!)

There’s many options for what drink to pair with your pizza slice of choice too. With two cocktails for £10 between 2pm and 10pm every day, you can’t really go too far wrong!

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