I Brought a Jigsaw Puzzle to a Cocktail Bar on Singles Night 😬

It was a cold, miserable Saturday, and after what seemed like the 59th day of dry January, I was ready to let loose. I met up with some friends for lunch, which turned into afternoon cocktails, and then into evening drinks. 

By 8pm, it was just me and my closest friend. We lost some good soldiers along the way who couldn’t keep up. Amateurs. We considered going home, but it wasn't often that we both had a child-free Saturday. We left the first bar and walked through town, looking for a different place that wasn't full of people posting Pornstar Martini pics and boomerangs of Bellinis on Instagram. 

I fear for the future of humanity.

We walked past a shop window displaying jigsaw puzzles, my friend and I exchanged a glance and silently agreed that this was where our night was heading. 😎 We purchased a jigsaw puzzle and entered a bustling bar. It was a typical Saturday evening, and everyone was dressed up in their Love Island-sponsors finest, scanning the room, peacocking, taking selfies, and engaged in the usual nonsense that people who still care about such things do.

But I've reached that glorious stage in my life where I don't give a 🤬. It wasn't until we had bought the first bottle of Rosé that we realised it was singles night. 😑 The day's alcohol consumption had made it difficult to understand anything. But it was cold outside, and my body told me it couldn't make it to another venue... and I love a good jigsaw puzzle.

As we scoured the crowded bar for a suitable spot to tackle our brand new jigsaw puzzle of Van Gogh's famous painting, Café Terrace at Night, my friend spotted a larger table tucked away in the corner and we quickly made our way over, ready to dive into the task at hand and sort out those all-important edge pieces.

Within five minutes, we were joined by two men who began sorting the pieces into colours. They bought us a round of drinks and invited us to join them in VIP at a club later that night. I'd rather pluck out my eyelashes than spend an evening ducking and diving from watered-down Grey Goose and bottle sparklers.

After declining politely, they stayed for another twenty minutes to puzzle and then left. Almost immediately, a group of three men asked if they could join us. They pulled up stools and we debated who would tackle the blue sky pieces. All three men chatted away with us about their jobs, hobbies, and dating app profile pictures. We didn't ask.

To my surprise, the only thing filthy in the pictures were the bathroom mirrors. I even joked about setting up my own Tinder cleaning service. My tagline being, “I always swipe left to right”.

Later, another man approached our group and asked if he could join in. He left his group of friends. After puzzling for some time, he asked if I would like to go to his house to do a bigger puzzle. 😬

Oh god, honey, no. I had seen enough bits and pieces for the evening.

Soon after, another two gentlemen joined our puzzling team. We couldn't all fit around the jigsaw puzzle, so we had to alternate. The new additions also shared a lot about themselves and asked many thoughtful questions in return. The copious amounts of wine helped to drown them out.

Some of these men bid their farewells and moved on, and were replaced by others. Each one was dedicated to the puzzle and seemed to want to get to know us. By the end of the night, around 10:30 pm, we left. We're not 21. We're not sure how many men sat with us over a couple of hours. At least, I think there were fourteen. They all looked the same after a few bottles of wine. 🥴

I'm not even sure if we finished the jigsaw puzzle. I do know that we gave the puzzle to one of the men to take home, which he was very excited about. Or maybe we insisted he take it home so we didn't have to carry it. And so goes another crazy Saturday night in the city.

Apparently, a jigsaw puzzle brings all the boys to the yard.

More from Rest In Pieces

• Jigsaw puzzles in film and TV 🎥
• Can jigsaw puzzles help dementia? 🧠
• Famous people who like jigsaw puzzles 🤩
• Memes turned into jigsaw puzzles 😂
• How to frame a jigsaw puzzle 🖼️

First Date Idea: Spark a Connection By Solving a Jigsaw Puzzle Together 💡

Jigsaw puzzles are a great activity for a first date because they provide an opportunity for conversation and teamwork, as you and your date work together to complete the puzzle, you can talk and get to know each other in a relaxed, low-pressure setting. Break the ice and ease any initial nerves on a first date with our list of premium jigsaw puzzles.