Hijingo Bingo Review

Hijingo has finally landed in London and I can easily promise, it will be one of the best nights out you’ll have in a very very long time! When I think of Bingo I think of a dusty old hall filled with old women and zero atmosphere. Well, the team behind Bounce and Puttshack, have made sure that Hijingo is anything but that. Hijingo is an electric and high-tech multi-sensory experience with bingo, beats, banging food and the boujiest of prizes. No really, they’re giving away drones and holidays!

Located in Shoreditch, it’s very easy to get to and very difficult to miss. The huge red neon lights spelling out Hijingo means that even if you’re short sighted like me, you’ll spot it from a mile away.

The Venue

As you walk in there’s a a cute neon sign that says “A glimpse into the future” with a Chinese lucky cat. I can already see the instagram photos against it filling up my feed! Walking straight on past this is The Lucky Cat Bar. Here you can enjoy pre show drinks and chill before it all begins. When it’s showtime, you make your way to The Tunnel and towards the electrifying Hijingo Room.

I’m not sure if you can just walk in for a drink but it’s a really cool place to stop off after work if the option is there. There’s neon signs all over the walls which get you into the mood for the madness that is about to ensue; and if you watched my IG story when I attended the launch you’ll know just how incredibly insane it is!

After chilling at the bar we were taken through to the bingo hall Hijingo Room and let me tell you it is NOTHING like you will have ever imagined. The venue accommodates 200 players, and boasts ground-breaking sonic effects, mirrored LED screens and 3D cinema speakers. There’s even a small stage for dancers who will help you enjoy the experience.

Once everyone is seated, a huge clock counts down the minutes and seconds until the start of the game. During this time you can get your food and drinks in. You do this by pressing a button on your table and someone will be over to take your order. Genius! Check out the menu here.

The Food

The food isn’t halal but they’ve got lots of fish and vegetarian dishes on offer. I tried the following:

Aubergine ‘Wings’ (VG) – Fried ssamjang coated aubergine, with a mint and cucumber yoghurt.
Truffle Mushroom Spring Rolls (VG) – with chilli and soy sauce.
Tiger Tears Salmon (GF) – Wasabi and lime cured salmon, with an Asian salad topped with chilli cashews, and served with a chilli and ginger sauce.
Wild Mushroom & Bang Bang Cauli Dirty Rice (VG) – Wild mushroom and bang bang cauliflower, dirty rice, with pak choi, kimchi, carrot, spring onion, avocado, chilli, edamame, and sesame.

Guys, to say the food is good, it is an actual understatement. I am going to need to know if they will do takeaway for the food because that Wild Mushroom and Bang Bang Cauli Dirty Rice dish was incredible. You have to try it! I loved that it came in cute chinese takeaway boxes branded with the Hijingo logo of course.

Every Sunday, they also offer a full game of Bingo + two hours of bottomless drinks and incredible Asian-fusion brunch dishes!

The Experience

Countdown complete – let the games begin! The 90-minute show experience gives you the chance to win up to six times. You’ll be given two cards for 2 different games, on each of those you’re looking for patterns to win the prizes. The concept is simple, the stakes are high and the atmosphere is incredible.

Once you find your pattern you yell out “HIJINGO!” and the robot dancers will take you up to the stage lip sync for your life and wait out your fate. Ok maybe not the lip-sync part but you can definitely have a little boogie.

Sadly I did not win anything but I’m so impressed at what they had up for grabs. This light up raincoat was definitely one of the more coveted prizes!

My Verdict

Hijingo is nothing like you will have ever experienced before.

The whole experience from start to finish has been extremely well thought out. The venue and service were flawless. I honestly had an amazing time and can definitely see myself coming back.

As restrictions ease, if you’re after somewhere to go with good food and a great vibe then Hijingo is the place for you. They have social distancing measures in place so you don’t have to sit directly next to strangers either.

Would I recommend it? 10000%

Would I go again? I may or may not already be booked in to try their bottomless brunch!