Barcade

This place is a giant car garage wired into a frenzy with electronics and then served up family style! Upon entering and indadvertedly missing the small graffiti ridden restrooms [a la Warriors, the movie], you find yourself at next to the large bar. A nice selection of beer and spirits awaits you to get the mix of stilettos and sneakers ready to party…But not before you get some change from the hot bartender. Yes! Barcade, as its glorious name implies has a dance floor fully surrounded by arcade video games that still work with coins. Come with any type of friend here and they will find a way to have fun, so large groups welcome. Despite the bias I posses for being a retro gamer, you will see for yourself Barcade is a Bk MUST!

Even if you aren't that into beer, this place is fun. But it's especially fun if you are a beer geek like me. I went there for one of their beer events, it was a vintage beer night with stuff on tap from three and four years ago. Amazing beer and good response time by the bartender especially considering how packed the place was that night. The games are the main attraction if you aren't into beer. And if you aren't into games then I guess this place wouldn't be for you. But for me, it's a little slice of heaven.

The Barcade is great for what it is; a grungy bar with a nice beer selection and a great selection of quarter arcade games. As Tuda mentioned they do not have "anything more exciting" than Mrs. Pac Man, but if they did they would be trying to be something they're not. I went on a Tuesday night and the bartender was very friendly and helpful with beer selection, I always appreciate a good bartender! I could certainly see myself becoming a regular at this joint, it's an easy place to just grab a beer and chat with friends or drunkenly attempt to play retro games while your equally drunk friends cheer you on. They also have a ninja turtles game...how cool is that!! My only complaint about this place is I didn't see any beers under 6 dollars, I would have liked a cheap 3 or 4 dollar beer option to go with the grungy atmosphere. Oh well, can't hate on a bar for having a high quality beer selection. I'll definitely be back, preferably during the week to avoid the crowds.

This bar is a based on a great gimmick, but doesn’t deliver on any front. I was excited to have a drink at a local arcade/bar as I am a fan of the 80’s 8-bit game variety and like most people, enjoy drinking. I was very disappointed to see that the wall to wall games are the joystick and monitor kind like Mrs. Pac Man and Tetris. None of the more physical shooting games, air hockey, skee ball, or anything more exciting was to be found. Furthermore, every single specialty beer I ordered came to me very warm and tasted slightly like unclean taps. Barcade, however, is dog friendly, wind powered, often has some special event going on and arguably plays good music.

When you think about all of the places in New York that one can stumble upon for a drink, or an interesting experience, there are literally an infinite amount of choices. However, Barcade stands alone as a choice that people from any age group would pine for entry to. I mean, think about it; they have excellent beer on tap at a price that won't break your piggy bank, and with that same metaphorical piggy bank, you can scoop up some quarters and play a good game of Galactica, or Cubert, if you're into that. Another interesting thing about this place is the people who show up on any given night. Anyone from middle-aged bearded men in Subhumans shirts to young college kids with no direction who want to "try something new" on a Friday night will tend to gather here, which in a way, bridges a sort of generation gap between the X's and the Y's. Not only is the atmosphere incredible to perceive, and to participate in, but it's almost a guarantee that you won't leave this place disappointed. Oh, and if you were old enough to play these arcade stacks when they still existed in pizzerias all around New York, give it a shot; for old time's sake. You won't be sorry. Cheers!

In its own way, Barcade is an example of the modern American dream: An obviously weed-induced idea ("Let's buy a big square bar and line it with arcade gamesm from the 70s and 80s! It will rule!") come to life. Like most weed-based ideas/activities, it is dizzyingly awesome for a while before becoming repetitive and regressive. (Disclaimer: Just speculating about the genesis of Barcade--it's possible, though not likely, that bowls had nothing to do with its conception). The beer menu is diverse, deep, reasonably priced, and constantly expanded. The games include standards that everyone knows and loves (or feels weirdly obligated to love, even though the games themselves are ridiculously outdated): Ms. Pac-Man, Asteroids, Donkey Kong, and Galaga; and some that most people missed but are pretty engaging: Zoo Keeper, Tapper, Smash TV, and Ghosts n’ Goblins. Tapper in particular is oddly charming—a well-meaning, un-Moe Szyslak-ian Italian bartender fills and dispenses mugs to an increasingly drunk and numerous barrage of patrons, and the point of the game is to make sure no mug hits the floor…because, obviously that would mean instant death. Somehow, the tiny mugs of perfectly foamed up Duff-looking brew seems more delicious than the real beer I’m drinking right now could ever beer. Er, I mean be. Dammit. Anyway, Barcade is a place to go with friends when you’re in between other bar/party ideas, or when you’ve had kind of a lame night but don’t want to go home yet. The key to enjoying Barcade is, once the novelty wears off (and it totally will), finish your beer and get another one, and you’ll forget that you don’t actually like prehistoric software.

When I first heard there was an arcade opening in Williamsburg, I was prepared for the worst. The last few "arcades" that opened in NYC consisted of games going for $2.50 and up per play. Imagine my relief when the first machine I saw was "Rampage", a beloved monster game from my childhood. But it didn't stop there-- Donkey Kong, Ms. Pacman, Asteroids-- I was instantly in my happy place. The best part is all these games are still the same price as they were in the 80's. Combine that with reasonably priced beverages and a wide selection of beers on tap and you got yourself a super fun and affordable night of nostalgia.

This is not your typical bar! Grab a role of quarters, your friends, even your pet dog, and bring them done to Barcade for a night of fun. The atmosphere is laid back and rightfully so because you are engulfed in a sea of video games.

For those who like drinks laced with alcohol, and video games laced with nostalgia, this is a must. With many classic arcade games and admittedly even more that I have never heard of, Barcade is definitely a fun time. The place is big, and all the walls (except for the bar itself and the bathroom) are lined with arcade machines. The crowd is a mix of hipsters, nerds, and some weird hybrid of the two. A good, interesting beer selection and laid back atmospher makes me feel right at home. Definitely a fun place for a mid afternoon on a weekend, especially when the weather is shitty.

As I walked to Barcade, I expected a typical bar with loud music and maybe a few notable people to remember after the night was over. I could hear the loud music from a distance, check. Walking up to the entrance I could see trendy people walking in and out of the bar, double-check. Then as I walked in, I believe my mouth fell to the floor, literally. Astonished by the dozens of arcade machines with old pastime favorite video games to play once again. My personal favorite...wait for it...Joust was available to play along with Asteroids, Donkey Kong, Rampage, Marble Madness and many more. That isn’t even the best part, it was that they only cost...wait for it...one quarter. Now I know I am dreaming. For a video game enthusiast, this is the place to hang out, have a few drinks and enjoy your pastime favorites once again. Good luck getting anything other than small snacks like nuts to enjoy while you deliver newspapers to people’s houses without getting attacked by a crazy woman and her dog in the classic game, Paperboy. No food exists here. The bartender has a menu available to order from, but it will be delivered. All in all, this is a place to only challenge someone to a competitive game of Tetris along with other classics and crown yourself ruler of the digital world.

On the one hand, Barcade is incredible in its most basic premise. Any place where a self-respecting partier can go, sip a decent brew or two, and bludgeon the good goddamn out of a few buildings in Rampage! is cool in my book, and indeed is very necessary--let's admit it, most of us are total nerds. The thing about Barcade, though, is the thing that's tough about, say, Las Vegas. There is only so long a person can listen to beeping, chirping machinery before they just want to put some Rolling Stones tunes on the jukebox. My advice is to swing by Barcade and have a good time, but maybe ball out after an hour or two.