[title]
After two years of outdoor play, Carreau Club, the nation’s first pétanque bar has expanded with an indoor location with more space to get your game on while sipping a drink.
The new indoor venue opens at Brooklyn's Industry City on Friday, November 4, just in time for chillier fall temperatures. For the uninitiated, pétanque (pronounced puh-TONK) is a bocce-ball style French boules sport gaining popularity in the U.S., starting here in NYC.
RECOMMENDED: NYC events in November 2022
Carreau Club first opened outdoor courts in August 2020, which quickly became a big hit. This new indoor location with nine pétanque courts adds 6,000 square feet to the existing 2,000 square-foot outdoor space.
"Starting out by opening the outdoor courts was a great opportunity to introduce the game to the Industry City and local Brooklyn population," co-owner Aaron Weeks said in a press release. "We are so excited for the next chapter and to continue building a community here in the new space."
Weeks credits his work at Montreal-inspired steakhouse M.Wells for introducing him to pétanque. He and chef/owner Hugue Dufour organized weekly tournaments for the staff in the courtyard of MoMA PS1, growing a following in Long Island City. Inspired by Brooklyn's recreational sports culture, Weeks and co-owner Dana Bunker wanted to bring the game to Industry City.
It wouldn't be a French-inspired boulebar without a great menu, and Carreau Club delivers with a full bar, craft beer, wine and cocktails. Plus, a small deli counter will serve French-inspired salads, crispy socca waffles, pissaladière (flatbreads), and sandwiches including lamb merguez "mitraillette," jambon beurre, and pan bagnat.
Play some pétanque
For those new to the sport, don't worry: Each court reservation comes with a lesson from a pétanque guide, plus equipment and a seating area. For the more competitive pétanque player, a league will launch this fall with weekly games.
"Anyone can play it," Weeks told us back when the spot first opened. "The game is as old as time. There’s this level of skill and strategy as you learn to play the game, but it’s basically throwing balls at balls."
Carreau Club operates primarily as a walk-in pétanque club and reservations are not required. But you can book a court in advance for a single party or multiple courts for larger groups. Reservations cost $50/court/hour.
Find Carreau Club at 68 34th Street in Building 6 of Industry City, a 35-acre, all-season campus with rotating events, shops, and food and drinks drawing 10,000 visitors every weekend.