Words Helen Brown
December saw Queens: Skate-Dine-Bowl celebrate an exciting new chapter in its 85 year history. As London’s only all-year-round skating rink, West Londoners have been donning their skates at Queensway since it originally opened in 1930. It’s been used as a venue for televised skating on the BBC and – over the best part of a century – has played host to elite athletes and high society partygoers among 25 million other guests. As well as restoring the ice, this facelift stripped-back decades of old plasterwork to reveal original period roof beams, now festooned with climbing plants and new lighting.The thinking behind the renovations is that Queens is now an all-encompassing leisure destination and has expanded into an exciting new domain; with plans for exclusive events, as well as availability for corporate bookings and private hire. It certainly looks set to become West London’s go-to entertainment venue. After a spin on the ice, visitors can chill-out under a cosy blanket and warm their cockles with a hot chocolate or mulled wine. Craft beer from the world’s best brewers, a choice of well considered wines, soft drinks and cocktails are available from the venues two new, buzzing bars, designed in an industrial, British-retro style.The fun doesn’t stop there however. Nostalgic games will feature at Queens with old retro favourites such as Pac- Man, Asteroids, Point Blank and even the very first video phenomenon Space Invaders, to take you back to the good old days. Additionally, the venue now boasts 12 competition-standard lanes, rebuilt from the ground up, with state-of-the-art equipment and iconic lane artwork from London’s legendary Graffiti Kings.All that activity is bound to build up appetites, so a special Lanes Menu can be served direct to your team table from none-other than Jimmy Garcia. Recently crowned London’s ‘pop-up king,’ Garcia has been blowing critics away with his fresh concepts, bold flavours and unique locations for over five years. Jimmy’s Diner at Queens is his first permanent central London location and serves moreish, meaty classics with a retro British twist, including parliamentary pulled pork, build-your-own burgers, sticky bangers, hot ribs and gooey mac’n’cheese.
