Chaos Bar opens in old Valhalla taproom site on Union St Geelong

A world record holder has created chaos in a CBD hospo hot spot by opening a new bar with a fresh twist.

Chaos Bar owner Steven Kerr. Chaos Bar on Union St boasts an array of games from arcade machines to connect four. Owner Steven Kerr said he took inspiration from his old workplace 1989 bar in Sydney. Picture: Alan Barber

A world record holder has opened a haven for Geelong’s gamer’s in the CBD.

Chaos Bar on Union St boasts an array of games from arcade machines to Connect Four.

Owner Steven Kerr said he took inspiration from his old workplace, 1989 Arcade Bar in Sydney.

“I relocated to Geelong with my wife and I thought it’d be a really cool idea if we could open up our own version, kind of duplicate what we had in Sydney,” Mr Kerr said.

“It’s been a pretty good response so far.

“We’ve had a lot of people come and check us out, we’re already seeing a few return customers.”

Taking up residence in the space formerly held by Valhalla, games are at the recently-opened bar’s core.

“There’s a lot of people who have never really experienced early consoles or arcade machines and stuff,” Mr Kerr said.

With games come competition, which are another thing Mr Kerr intends on bringing to his new venue.

“We’re planning a few competitions on the consoles,” he said.

“We’re hoping to build a little community through trivia and other events.

“We want to do a Connect Four tournament too.”

Chaos Bar owner Steven Kerr. Chaos Bar on Union St boasts an array of games from arcade machines to connect four. Owner Steven Kerr said he took inspiration from his old workplace 1989 bar in Sydney. Picture: Alan Barber

Competition was so steep at the venue’s first trivia night that a tie for first place had to be settled via a one-on-one round of the popular game Mortal Kombat.

Punters might not want to challenge Mr Kerr, however, the owner is the current holder of the world record for Sega console game Wonder Boy, and has been since 2022.

“I used to play it all the time as a kid,” Mr Kerr said.

“The world record high score holder was coming down from Brisbane so I practised and practised.

“I fluked it, beat him, and then went on to beat his high score and improve it.”

Mr Kerr said he just wants “people that come in to have a drink and hang because they like the vibe”.

“You don’t even have to like video games, it’s just a part of it,” he said.

“We’re planning on getting a pinball machine to put in there, we want to build a community around that geek culture, pub culture, return customer culture.”

The cocktail menu is extensive, boasting drinks inspired by cereal’s like Froot Loops and Coco Pops.

The owners of high scores will also have their names displayed inside the bar.

“My wife says she just wanted me to get the arcades out of the house,” Mr Kerr said.

Originally published as Chaos Bar opens in old Valhalla taproom site on Union St Geelong