At the new Oche in Amsterdam, everything revolves around darts and really good food
At the brand-new Oche (pronounced: ok-i), darts is more fun than ever. And that is partly thanks to the fingerfood you eat between games.
Oche is a gastro-gaming concept: a bar where you can play darts combined with the best locally inspired dishes. We wrote about it before: hospitality combined with entertainment. Just like, for example, the popular karaoke bar Duke of Tokyo and the jeu-de-boules courts of Mooie Boules in Rotterdam and Amsterdam.
And now there is the new Oche in Amsterdam. The gastro-gaming concept originated in Oslo, after which locations opened in Brisbane, Gothenburg and, most recently, Miami. Amsterdam is therefore one of five locations worldwide.
Food at Oche
All dishes at Oche have been specially designed to be eaten with that one free hand and were created by Niels van Halen, the chef who once cooked at Michelin-starred restaurant De Hoefslag. So no brown fruit, but fingerfood gone better, with Amsterdam-inspired cocktails such as the Oche martini, served with a stroopwafel garnish. There is also an extensive beer and wine list, with the beer pouring itself to perfection.
What does Oche actually mean?
And were you wondering about that striking name? Oche is the line players stand behind during a game of darts. At least, according to the people behind Oche. There are several theories about the origin of the darts term ‘oche’. According to some, the word is derived from the Old Flemish word for ‘stripe’. The second theory is somewhat less appetising. The notorious newspaper News of the World sponsored darts competitions from the 1920s onwards and called the throwing line ‘hockey’ in its tournament regulations.
‘Hockey’ is derived from the Old English word ‘hocken’, meaning ‘to spit’. In fact, spit competitions were held in bars, with the ‘hockey line’ indicating how far a player had spat with their back against the dartboard… At Oche, they have given it their own meaning, so to speak: “where guests stand to throw their darts and impress their friends!”
A typical pub game
You might almost think that darts is inseparably linked to pub culture, but that was not always the case. At the beginning of the 1900s, games of chance were banned in pubs by law. Thanks to a notorious court case brought by a pub owner from Leeds, a judge ruled that darts is in fact a ‘game of skill’. More and more competitions were organised in pubs, and almost every pub had a darts team.
The game also became very popular among women, especially after Queen Elizabeth (‘the Queen Mother’) played a game of darts in 1937. Darts was first broadcast on television in 1962, and media attention peaked in the 1970s and 1980s. Darts legends such as Bobby George, Leighton Rees and the Dutchman Raymond van Barneveld became household names. Technology has made the game even more popular. And at Oche, those delicious snacks are added to the mix.
Everyone can be a Barney
Oche Amsterdam opens on 26 August. It is the perfect place for a Dart Night/Date Night, but also for work outings, parties or a drink before a longer evening out. Oche has traditional dartboards equipped with electronic game functions, meaning they offer dozens of games, keep score automatically and some even talk to you. What are you waiting for? Wake up the Barney inside you, round up your squad and throw darts as if your life depended on it!
Oche, Utrechtsestraat 11, Amsterdam
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