JEU de boules bar Utrecht — Restaurant in Utrecht

In between the city centre and the Amsterdamsestraatweg is the JEU de boules bar. A very hipster spot where you can play petanque, eat bites and drink among other things specialty beers.

It's a fun and easygoing place with a live DJ playing music and a number of alleys on which you can play for 50 minutes at a time. The fact that this bar mixes the hipster design and atmosphere with an old school game, makes that this place is visited by a multitude of people. From bachelor parties to baby boomers.

This bar is very do it yourself and very low service. Order at the bar, open your own drinks, read the rules yourself, maintain and rake the alley yourself and so on. To me, the service could be upped a little. We had to send away people playing on the alley we reserved ourselves, because no one of the staff pays attention to what's going on in the bar itself. They only answer orders placed at the bar.

But all with all a great spot for a fun evening. 50 minutes was enough for me, but if you're a petanque fan, then longer might...

Awkward atmosphere, very weird customer service. Some people are served, others have to ask for their drinks and food at the bar and apparently also have to know by heart when they can pick it up as drinks and food are just placed on the bar. I asked for cocktails of 10€. After 10 minutes they were standing on the bar with the ice melting. When I came to pick them up and asked how I could take them to our lane all by myself (2 full glasses 2 full bottles) the waiter (who was looking on their mobile phone most of the time) said with an irritated voice “just... pick... them... up”. I couldn’t get a tray, but later I could for some reason. All in all weird customer service which doesn’t serve the...

For us there was a kind of mismatch, we went on Saturday afternoon and for a family party, so we expected to catch up with each other and just have general fun. Unfortunately the concept for the bar seems different, the music was more 'saturday night party style', so quite loud, which led the kids to mostly play outside, it being very hard to talk and most people leaving immediately after out turn ended (even though we had another run booked 2 hours later). Likely very fun if you have matching...