We Tried Bingo at Metropolitan Grill

Bingo night at metropolitan grill is not your average bingo—it’s highly competitive, fast-paced and a whole lot of fun. But here, it’s not called bingo—it’s Metro. If you slip up and say “bingo,” you’ll get called out (in a fun, playful way, of course).

The game is hosted at Metropolitan Grill’s adjoined space, Cheri’s Happy Place Pizza & Champagne Lounge. Tickets are $25 and include a set appetizer, main course, dessert and the game. “Atmosphere is a solid 10,” says owner Pat Duran. “There’s lots of diversity in participants, which makes it fun. I get a microphone and two hours of attention; what could go wrong? Oh yeah, and there’s Fireball.” We’ll get into that later.

For us, it was a Wednesday night at Cheri’s Happy Place Pizza. When we arrived, 417 Photographer Katy St. Clair, my husband, Nick, and I found our names on a table in the corner. Immediately the room was filled with chatter, laughter and people ordering drinks. I opted for the Saint Dimitar Cosmo because it has St-Germain in it—my go-to. Nick went for a Winter Spice Mule, and Katy ordered a glass of prosecco. On that night’s menu was a salad with mixed greens, basil vinaigrette, Parmesan, tomatoes and toasted ravioli on the side. For the main, we had a choice between pepperoni pizza and chicken Parmesan—pizza for Nick and chicken Parm for me! Both were absolutely delicious. The chicken Parm was perfectly thin, and the pasta paired with it was cheesy yet light. Pizza is what Cheri’s Happy Place does best. The pepperoni was crispy, the crust just right—and let’s just say there were no leftovers.

The event takes about two hours from start to finish, one hour to eat and one hour to play Metro. Once we were done eating, it was time to let the games begin! We played five rounds, which meant five prizes: a coupon for a free pizza, a banana-shaped flask, a bottle of Rombauer wine, another bottle of wine with two Metro-embossed wine glasses and for the last round, wine bottle lamp toppers.

We quickly discovered this was not your grandma’s bingo. Pat himself was calling the numbers, and he works quickly. You have to pay close attention or you might miss a number. Each participant gets three cards to play on simultaneously. For the first round, the goal was to get one Metro between the three cards. In the second round, the goal was to get two Metros between three cards. Katy actually won this round, and so graciously donated her winning banana flask to my husband and me. That should be fun at parties!

The objective for the third round was to make an X on one of the three cards. I got close to winning on this one, but couldn’t bring it home. It was around this time that the waitstaff brought out plates of freshly baked cookies to each table. The fourth round was again two Metros between the three cards, but there was a bonus during this round. If Pat drew an O69 from the machine, everyone gets a free shot of Fireball Cinnamon Whisky—and he did! The crowd cheered, high-fived, accepted their shot and was immediately ready with their markers to continue the game. I don’t know what everyone cared about more, the prizes or the bragging rights.

For round five, you had to get one Metro on each card to win. Believe it or not, Katy won this round again! Perhaps it was beginner’s luck? Pat decided we all deserved a bonus round with another bottle of Rombauer wine as the prize.

Even though Nick and I came home empty-handed (besides the gifted banana flask), we were already planning our next visit—and who to bring along. Truthfully, anyone would have a great time, whether with friends, with family, or on a date.