Masonville Commercial District is booming with big-box retailers, food supply stores and restaurants. What it’s lacking, however, is a strong entertainment aspect. Aside from SilverCity and dining, north-Londoners have to seek out entertainment from other parts of the city. This, however, is about to change with the much-anticipated opening of Cineplex’s latest and greatest venture, The Rec Room!
Any north-Londoner or shopper who frequents Masonville Place will agree that the mall has seen significant changes in the past several years. Target Canada was a much anticipated, yet fleeting venture in what was once Zellers. Its close was a shock to many shoppers, but Marshall’s and Home Sense have since replaced the space, and it looks like they are here to stay. There was a massive overhaul of the area in the mall that Sears resided for many years (Zara, H&M, Sport Chek and The Keg Steakhouse & Bar and more have now taken over the area), and this overhaul left people wondering what was going to take over the rest of the Target Space. There has been a significant increase in demand for adult entertainment such as escape rooms like Trapdoor London, mystery rooms and arcades such as Dave & Buster’s throughout North America. When the rumours started swirling about a possible adult arcade in Masonville Mall, it was an initial hit. The news officially broke in January of 2017 that The Rec Room would become part of the Masonville Commercial District roster.
The Rec Room began in Toronto, and this will be the fifth official location across Canada. It is set to be London’s (self-proclaimed) biggest, shiniest new playground. The large establishment will offer delicious Canadian-inspired dining and games varying from virtual reality, to ping pong, pool, shuffleboard and redemption games to win those classic arcade prizes (who remembers Mr. Chuckles?). In addition to the arcade, The Rec Room offers a ton of entertainment from stand-up comedy to live bands and sports games on the big screen – there’s something for everyone. From brunch, all the way to dessert, Three10 and The Shed are The Rec Room’s very own Canadian-inspired restaurants. The menus offer a wide range of options and look like an impressive step up from classic arcade eats. The great thing about this entertainment destination is that it’s open up for kids to run free during the day, but when night-time hits, it’s adults only. This allows the space to turn into a sought-after destination for those looking for entertainment and a myriad of drinks. They even have wine on tap (say no more, we’ll be there the day it opens).
This will no doubt be the ultimate double-date destination or the perfect spot to celebrate a 40th birthday party in classic throwback fashion. Instead of sipping on Pepsi and scarfing down hot dogs between games at your 10th birthday party, you can dig into a 12oz rib steak and wash it down with a double Caesar. Sounds like a recipe for a great time! Eating and playing at The Rec Room doesn’t come without its perks! This arcade is a Cineplex venture meaning it’s directly affiliated with Scene points! For movie lovers, this will be an attractive sell. Every dollar you spend at The Rec Room earns you one scene point. The more you frequent The Rec Room, the more perks you get including front of the line access, bonuses and ticket upgrades! Every 1,000 Scene points get you $10 off at The Rec Room. Moviegoers and avid gamers alike will love racking up these points, as they add up quickly. We are all too familiar with the awesomeness that is free movies, and this is a great bonus to the implementation of The Rec Room to Masonville Mall.
The anticipation of The Rec Room is growing, and we’re excited to see what sort of business it attracts. With all the hype surrounding it, we will definitely be checking it out.