Edinburgh's St James Quarter to see TOCA Social interactive football and dining experience open in 2023

Love football or just up for a great night out with friends? A new bar opening at the St James Quarter in Edinburgh could be right up your street.

TOCA Social will be opening in a 30,000 sq ft space at the shopping centre next year, and will give visitors the chance to go head to head on interactive football challenges while enjoying drinks and American-style food from its two bars.

The football games will see guests given a booth, in which there will be big screens offering the chance to play various games. Some games will see them play solo – ‘Striker’ sees guests kick a ball at a target on the screen – while others will see them go up against each other, trying to knock opponents out of the competition.

The brand, which was founded by former US Major League Soccer player and Leeds United midfielder Eddie Lewis, launched its first venue at The O2 in London last year and the venue boasted three bars, selfie booths, arcade machines and a Willy Wonka-inspired desserts room. It has since announced that it will be opening venues in Birmingham and overseas in Dallas, Texas.

TOCA Social will give visitors the chance to go up against each other in virtual football games

Edinburgh’s TOCA Social will be the first of its kind in Scotland and will have 22 booths and two bars.

Alex Harman, president at TOCA Social, said: “We are delighted to launch our next TOCA Social venue in Edinburgh.

"St James's Quarter is an amazing addition to the city centre and is the perfect home for our first venue in Scotland. TOCA Social gets everyone up and playing - whether competitively or just for fun, alongside world class food and drinks. It's been a huge hit since we launched at London's The O2, and we can’t wait to bring it to Edinburgh next year.”

Ed Corrigan, from the St James Quarter, added: “TOCA Social has been something of a phenomenon since launching last year, their venues and the interactive experiences they offer have proved immensely popular and we expect them to be a key fixture for social activities both for local residents and visitors to Edinburgh.”