Spacebar Arcade

Serious good vibes here!
I have been to my share of arcade bars and even though it is on the smaller side, Space Bar tops them all!
–Beer and wine only, but great/​unique beer selection.
–Cheap games-​most of the classics plus some pin-​ball.
–Trivia was taking place when we were there, which seemed fun with the right group of people.
Highlight*
They have a ton of old school Nintendo games to play. for FREE, just pass them your ID and pick one out.

Good atmosphere, overall a fun place to hang out. We were visiting from out of town and space at provided us a fun and unique place to go. Would have liked to see some more drinks on tap but loved all the available games and live DJ that was there on Saturday night. I recommend anyone passing through to check it out.

Cowabunga dude! Like being launched back to 1980! Subterranean and dark, with the lights of several vintage pin ball and video games illuminating the space. This place is fun! Board games and consoles are there to play also. Local micro-​brew beers on tap and the standards in cans are offered at the bar along with wine, sodas and coffee/​teas. I’ve taken out of town friends here, who were instantly thrown into flash-​back. Cool beans.

This place is pretty freaking cool. So many arcade games, video games, and board games available at this place! I also liked the bar itself… they really decked it out with a super 80s/​90s theme, especially with their menu, it looks like a video game menu! So rad!
They offered beer, wine, and cocktails which were super cheap (around $ 4 – 8, which is cheap to me coming from Los Angeles). Bartenders are cool, and the crowd is chill as well. Overall, I had a good time, thanks!

Not your normal bar. The walls are lined with old arcade games that actually work! They have a full bar and the place is usually fairly quiet so it’s great if you don’t like the typical bar scene.

I’ve heard about this bar, and when the opprotunity came to check it out, I was very excited! I love game bars! I love old/​new video games and watching Wreck-​it-​Raplh!
We came in on a Tuesday night (so obviously no crowds) and got a real good feel for the place.
My thoughts…
I love the fact that the games were not expensive. $ 10 in quarters can basically get you throuh the night of playing! Which is WAYYYYY cheaper than Dave&Busters.
I love the fact that they have an awesome beer and wine menu. (NO food. So go when you’re full)
I love all the old games!
What else I thought…
I didn’t like how dark it was. Yes, I get that it’s an arcade bar. But arcades are brighter an have decent lighting. I went to a Game Bar in Phoenix, and it was VERY bright. (Walls were yellow/​red. Colored lights on the ceiling showcasing posters. Floor was Pacman themed. Lots of TVS with Consoles hooked up to them. Etc etc) The lighting in there is just… Blah.
The concept of the bar hasn’t gone far enough. The owner needs to step it up and take a bigger leap to «Level Up» the bar. I’d love to give him/​he my ideas.
Also, if there are is no food available, then at least they could have more beer on tap.
Lastly, the «board game wall» looks like something a Preschool would have. It’s just… there…It should at least extend the length of the wall to give the players (guests) a sense of connecting with the seating area.
Overall, I’m going back and would like to make that place a regular stop. Staff was excellent, and we had a blast!
I’m only doing four stars because of the theme. I’d give it five if the owner «levels up» his/​her place. It can be done with not a lot of cost.

We found ourselves downtown with a few extra minutes before a Unilocal event so we wondered down the steps to check this place out. To be honest I am not a huge fan of arcades/​games because I pretty much stink at them. My spouse on the other hand loves video games so he was in his element. We cashed in some bills to get our quarters then browsed the available games. I enjoyed watching my husband, but he convinced me to join him in a game. Once I let my guard down I had fun even though I died within minutes.
We didn’t get anything to drink, but I have a feeling we will be back.

Pretty good selections of older arcade cabinets. Some that i was excited about are michael jackson moonwalker and gauntlet.

I love this spot. Only beer and wine which is a little bit of a bummer but nothing I can’t get over. Plus their selections are refreshingly different and often rotates. The vibe is cool and the game selection is pretty descent. Mortal Kombat baby! Definitely a change of pace from most of the other bars in downtown.

One of the finest bars in town! Great beer, great games, great staff!

If you’ve been to more than a few arcade bars then it’s obvious when you come to Spacebar Arcade that it’s top notch thanks to Will the Bar Manager. Whether your into Dudes or Damsels, the staff is friendly, attractive, creatively talented, and knowledgeable. Spacebar Arcade is clean, great selection of beverages, all the machines work, awesome jukebox, great location, free Atari/​NES/​SNES/​N64/​CUBE console play, awesome air conditioning, killer DJ’s…the list goes on! Don’t be a weird ass polygon, be an awesome pixel and come have fun at Spacebar!

Awesome place! Booze and old-​school video games /​pinball. We went there on a trip through the NW. We had a great time!

This is one of my favorite bars in Boise (if you can truly call it a «bar»). It’s an underground arcade\restaurant\bar with all the throwback games you could want! At only $ 0.25 per game, you can’t afford not to play the games! I can’t speak on the food as I haven’t eaten here, but the beer is moderately priced with a decent selection.
Another reason I enjoy this place is the vibe is super chill and I don’t have to worry about obnoxious drunks stumbling about — just gamers who want to eat and drink.
Overall, the games, atmosphere, and people will keep me returning.

I recently visited my friends in Idaho and this was on the list of places I «had to see».
The place:
I was told this place was an underground bar/​arcade. That it was full of arcade games and was a blast. My first thought was «OMG! Yes!». It seems like the perfect idea. I mean an arcade, an underground ar-​cade, pure awesome. Now mix it with a bar and you have winning, or so i thought…
My friend and I showed up to find the place indeed underground and with a bar, but not exactly as I expected. Well, not at all like I expected.
The place is small and cramped, as if someone took a basement and placed a small bar then shoved some very old arcade games to the side and said «Grand opening!»
To put things in perspective, picture walking into a very crowded room. To your left all along the wall, you see pinball machines (about 10 or so). In front and to the right you see a row of arcade machines, not the kind found in an arcade nowadays, but rather ones found in your parents days and old 80’s movies. You know, the old ones with a screen and levers (joysticks), like Donkey Kong. Now imagine walking forward, but dough, you just bumped into someone cause the isle isn’t wide enough for both of you. But you maneuver your way through and to the right, right to the «bar area». To your right you see a small bar and in front you see a few tables (all taken by young drunks). You decide to turn around play some games instead, but find there’s maybe 1 arcade game open and no pinball machines open. What do you do?
That’s exactly what happened for me. This place has the potential to be great. To be exactly what I first pictured. Maybe if they found a bigger place and expanded their game choices it’d be a grand place, but as of now, it’s simply too cramped and has far to few games I’ve even heard of, let alone know how to play, for it to be any place I’d visit again.

This place is just so stinking awesome. Prior to Spacebar, I’d been to Insert Coins in Las Vegas, a really exemplary barcade. In some ways, I wish Spacebar would up their game (liquor license, cooler lighting [not necessarily brighter, mind you], food, some updated arcade games, etc.), but in some ways, the quaintness of this bar and its use of solely classic arcade games makes it almost more rad than any big-​shot Vegas-​type place.
Here’s what you get: dim lighting (necessary for any good bar or pizza joint, in my opinion); some cardboard cut-​outs of Luke Skywalker; classic arcade games, including some excellent pinball, Rampage and Burger Time; a decent selection of beer (local and otherwise; on tap and in bottles /​cans); the ability to have delivery food brought to you; booths for sitting with a group and checking out classic consoles, so you can play Mario Kart with your four best friends; a small comic book stand for purchasing fine literature.
If you’ve never been, it’s a freakin’ hoot! Check it out!

If you go to Unilocal’s home page on desktop/​laptop and click on «bars,» you’ll find that (as of the date of this review, anyway) Spacebar Arcade is one of the top rated bars in Boise. So, upon noticing this one Saturday afternoon, I decided to investigate.
You might find yourself wondering, what is an «arcade» bar? Can an arcade really be for adults?
Well, let me ask you this:
Are you the sort of adult who likes beer? (Postmodern Brewers Berliner Weiss on tap, yo!)
Are you the sort of adult who enjoys vintage arcade games (preferably while drinking the aforementioned beer)? I’m talkin’ Pac-​man, Donkey Kong, Tron, Mario Bros, Frogger (yes! freakin’ frogger!)?
Are you the sort of adult who might like to play old school Star Wars pin-​ball? Or Terminator? Or Spiderman?
How about lounging on a sofa and playing a little classic NES (the original Nintendo Entertainment System for those not in the know)?
Or hanging at a bar with big boxy TV’s playing Pretty in Pink AND The Breakfast Club while the speakers rock what one patron (me) lovingly described as 80’s roller rink jams?
If any of the above remotely refers to you – come and geek the heck out! With me! Now! Let’s go!
Seriously, so vintage in every way, you’ll feel just the tiniest bit rebellious swigging beer. Make the beer Pabst (which is also on tap) coupled with the fact that the Spacebar is located basement level and you may begin to feel all Nirvana Come as You Are and Smells Like Teen Spirit. What? Nevermind.
Totally vintage and yet fresher than the Prince of Bel Air.
Grab yourself $ 10 dollars in quarters, a beer, and a game. A cheap night of fun will ensue.
High fives all around!
(no fist bumps… they weren’t invented yet)
Get to it!

This place is great for a unique night out at a bar. Anyone can enjoy the laid back casual ambience of the place. Gamers and casual game enthusiasts will love the selection of retro games available for the patrons to use. It’s a great place to hang out with friends or to take a date. I would give it five stars, but it’s only a beer and wine bar. I was a little disappointed by that, but I had enough fun that I didn’t mind too much.

We went to Spacebar before dinner at Fork for my fiancé’s birthday. I wasn’t expecting there to only be beer and wine but that was fine. The games were a lot of fun, especially the old school pac-​man.
The games I played were all $.25 each, but they also ate at least $ 2 worth of my coins.

I cannot explain how fired up I was about this hidden treasure. A awesome little arcade/​bar (21 and over) is a must see and do in Boise. 2 buck can beer and all the 80’s video games you can handle is a treat. I got lost in time playing some of my favorite classics. The staff was awesome and friendly. Overall great experience and atmosphere.

This has turned out to be one of my favorite bars in Boise. It is hidden in the basement of the Adelman building & I continue bringing people here. They have TONS of drinks and it starts with $ 2 Coors Lights. Nice! There are all sorts of 25 cent old school arcade games, pinball machines but my FAVORITE part is the TV that hooks up to NES, N64, Super Mario & The Game Cube.
You can sit here all night with cheap beers playing Mario Kart. Does it get any better than that? Oh — plus the bar tenders are always laid back & easy going. Another +.