The Baxter

They are the best. Good people. Good prices. Fun themed parties. I love going in and looking at the awesome décor and watching people play all the games. Owned by some of the raddest people in town. Definitely a place to go if you’re just in town for a trip because all the cool people in Carrboro/​CH are already there.

this was my absolute favorite bar in the world. from the moment I walked in and saw the Saga mural, i was in love. I cannot tell you how many times I have beaten the star wars shooter or the collective time Ive spent studying the comic collage on the bartop while waiting on a whiskey ginger. I felt at home with the crowd that gathered here. I loved to find that I often became a part of some huge stranger group dance, where everyone was just having fun and no one was taking themselves too seriously.
Now for the unfortunate 1 star rating. my experience coming to the Baxter with my boyfriend is entirely too different from that of coming in with my friends. I say that because my boyfriend, who is older, seems to command more respect from the staff than me and a bunch of girls. I understand that I look nothing like my ID (my photo is from my sophomore year of high school and I am now 23) but the doorman only seriously scrutinizes my ID if I am with the latter crowd. every.time. And I appreciate that in the way that I should— to keep it 21+. But it does feel insulting. and I would much rather he ask for a second form of ID rather than flicking my card around repeatedly and having the line behind me roll their eyes at me. And on more than one occasion I have been insulted by other staff– for instance–
This weekend my best friend from out of town came to visit me and what better place to go for her first night than to my favorite bar? Unfortunately, that night, as we requested a song from the DJ, he proceeded to tell us that he would only take our requests seriously if we took our shirts off for him.cool.
We had been going to the same bartender the entire night– and I thought he was pretty awesome! He had a constant, charming smile and he was joking with us throughout the night. Unfortunately before he left, I was asking him about the jams after the DJ had left and the last thing he said to me (which I did not stick around to hear the end of because I was immediately so overwhelmed I had to run out of the bar) started something like «look, I know you get everything you have ever asked for in life because youre a hott girl but…»
(Its not even that staff should not treat customers this way… I dont think people should treat anyone this way)
dont know what else to say about this friday night. Just, really really disappointed in this place after falling in love with it. I know people will assume what they will– I would say I am considered younger than the usual crowd and no, these are not the worst insults in the world relative to all the real hate out there (it was moreso the pejorative treatment after being friendly all night). But I did feel that this was a safe space for me, and it has been made evident that I am not welcome. So kudos, the Baxter, it was great while it lasted

This place is so much fun! Great classic game selection. I love the Attack from Mars pinball game. I know they have a bar here, but I’ve never gotten a drink from it. The people I’ve been with have gotten beers and enjoyed it. You can bring food in (they don’t serve food). Plenty of seating and space to move around.
I only go on down times so it’s never crowded. I tend to go when UNC is not in session so I have no idea how crowded this place might get. I never go on Sunday afternoons when it’s open to kids. If you go when it’s not busy you’ll pretty much be able to roam from game to game playing them as you please as often as you like. I take guests here from out of town, and we always have a blast.

This place is as ripe as a watermelon on a hot summer day! Tons of super awesome retro games and pin ball, with seriously fantastic décor’ obviously reflective of people that have a sincere love for vintage gaming, movies, toys etc. great movie posters, and a crazy huge bathroom that you could probably roller skate in. Prices are normal chapel hill bar prices. Nice sized front patio for your lung cancer needs, side street parking (or wherever you can find a spot) and mostly friendly bartenders. Nerds, hipsters, adult children, real children (on Sunday’s) college kids etc. unite in this pinball, arcade heaven. Go and attain happiness!

A barcade that’s more ‘cade than bar, but still better than the throngs of asshole hipsters and bad facial hair that populate this place. Bring quarters and try to beat my CDC score in the Walking Dead pinball game.

I liked this place a lot. 8 pinball machines! Taking a one star hit because the music was not my thing and too loud for me.

This is the king of the Triangle barcades. With 50 – 60 authentic games/​pins, a chalkboard leaderboard, drink specials, and a quality rotating beer menu, The Baxter is a nerd’s paradise.
All machines are original quarter-​op, so don’t worry about keeping track of tokens. There’s a change machine on the left wall when you enter, so you don’t have to hassle the bartenders. After you grab a beer, there’s a few portable drink holders and tables to set it down while you play. The tables are all in the middle, which is probably the best setup for the space.
Stay tuned to their Facebook and Twitter for events and drink specials. They’ve been doing free pizza on Sunday nights for The Walking Dead. That’s a pretty awesome deal. I’d be there every Sunday night if I lived close by.
If you’re curious about the other barcades in the area — Raleigh’s Boxcar will give you more of a mass appeal party bar experience (they have Golden Tee and Big Buck Hunter — ugh) and Level Up is a much smaller, chill environment. If you’re looking for the most authentic 80s arcade experience, then you’ve found it; nothing beats The Baxter in Carrboro.

I love Barcades! This place is great. The games are in good condition and the layout is nice. Drink options were reasonably priced and there was enough that I could find something I liked. I visited on a quiet weekday evening, so I don’t know that the scene looks like. I am also in my mid-​30s and use phrases like «the scene» so… who knows if you even want me reporting on that anyway?
Like anything else in Chapel Hill area, parking can be tricky. I think your best bet is one of the residential streets to the north.

This place is so cool! I’m not an arcade person at all but I love the vintage games I grew up with. The best part about this place is that you can bring your kids with you on Sundays from 12−5pm. My son loved that I was excited to play a video games with him. We played the Simpsons, Mortal Kombat and Tron… Plus everything is 25 to 50 cents. Yes you read right! CENTS. The bar is great with a nice beer menu and full liquor too. Awesome place for a fun inexpensive outing with the fam.

Barcade \bär-​kād\ (n.)
A magical place where you can relive your childhood whilst pretending to be an adult with copious amounts of alcohol.
I had heard a barcade had come to Chapel Hill. I was mildly enthused and ready to enjoy some 5-​year-​old fun with a few drinks. But I wasn’t ready for The Baxter. I pulled up to the house about 7 or 8, and after yelling to the cabbie «Yo homes, smell ya later,» I stood in front of the dazzling lights on the building that read «Arcade.»
The games take only quarters, but they have you covered with a cash-​to-​coin machine. Drinks are all reasonably priced and pretty good, and the bartenders I’ve always had have been nice. I can’t tell you how many rounds of Dig Dug I played, but that beer I had was great, and those dinos were pissing me off, so ¹⁰⁄₁₀ would come back to this bar to kick some Dig Dug butt. And you should too.
Oh also, the inside is decorated with cool paraphernalia from everyone’s childhood, so you kinda feel like you’re in a comic store at times.

I have some complaints about this place.
* Out of the 60 or so vintage arcade games they have, only 59 were operational on my last visit.
* One of the coin machines would sometimes give you 3 quarters for a dollar, and it took a good 15 seconds for the owner to politely refund it to you.
* These new (presumably patented) glass stands make it TOO easy to play a game and have a beer at the same time.
* This is my kids complaint: «it’s only open for kids from 12 – 6 on Sundays.»

Solid beer list and props to the bartender for recommending the Hardcore Chimera when I ordered a Dogfish Head 90. 4 more ounces, similar taste, and the same price. Awesome selection of games, too. I was especially stoked on Donkey Kong, Mario Brothers, Punch Out (but not Mike Tyson’s Punch Out), Street FIghter 2, Galaga, NBA Jam, Mortal Kombat II, Dig Dug, The Simpsons, Rampage World Tour, and Double Dragon. Unfortunately, since many of the games are over 30 years old, the controls don’t always work and the change machines ate a good chunk of my dough. In particular, the change machine by the bar is a friggin’ thief.
Controls and change machine aside, The Baxter is dope. It even convinced me to come home and fire up my Sega Genesis for a few rounds up Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. Unfortunately, the console was dead on arrival. Rest in power, old friend.
So, Baxter, thanks for allowing me to relieve a little slice of my childhood, malfunctioning controllers and all.

There’s a great selection of games here, and I love that most of them only cost a quarter to play. The bar has a good beer selection. The specialty cocktails tend to skew really sugary.
I always try to get here early in the evening, because this place really gets packed after 9. I wish they had more surfaces to rest your drink on while you play.

Great vintage arcade games for generally a quarter each, great prices and selection for drinks (especially beers), the staff is fun and kind, and there’s lots to look at in addition to the games.
Also plenty of room to relax in-​between games with three different areas inside to enjoy. The center area for general socializing, two quieter lounge areas near the entrance, and the bar area, which the speakers don’t face, so it’s quiet enough to hear the bartender and enjoy a drink at the fully decorated bar (a must-​see). There is plenty of space in the restrooms for the ladies and a full length mirror in there too.
At first I had the same problem with the place that other women had, in that the only place to put your drinks while playing most of the games was either at your feet, or on the little mini divider bars behind you, but they have addressed that customer concern and by introducing portable drink holders that you can carry around from game to game. Don’t be scurred ladies! Oh and the vibe is actually quite lady-​friendly. Although the general crowd has a lot of guys, yes, I actually get hit on less here than I do at other bars. I think it’s because the guys are more focused on the games than the girls. YES!
If you want a place to relax, have FUN, and do more than just drink, while taking in some unique art, nostalgic games, and sipping some great brew, then The Baxter is your jam.

Barcade is absolutely amazing. It’s one of my favorite places to go in the area, and is my favorite establishment in all of Carrboro.
It’s like someone went into my mind, found (two of) my favorite things and put them together.
Games: The arcade games are absolutely perfect. Just a few that I can remember off the top of my head: Mortal Kombat II, Street Fighter, NBA Jam, Ms. Pacman, many different Pinball machines, Marvel vs. Capcom and many many more. Most of them cost a quarter per player aside from the signature Pin ball machines. The machines are all in good shape and none of them have ever jammed. They have two or three change machines that accept 1 – 5 dollar bills and the bartenders are always more than happy to give change.
Alcohol: They have a pretty decent selection and specials. My favorite there is the She Hulk, which is Surge (yes, THAT Surge), vodka and Curaçao if I’m not mistaken. It’s so good. Their margaritas were a little too strong for my roommate and I (which might be just fine for others), they had too much alcohol (firstworldproblems), so we had the bartender pour out like half of it and add margarita mix. Again, this was just personal taste. Others might like it that strong. They also have a pretty good selection of beers.
Overall: I’ve been there a couple of times on weekend nights, and only once or twice on weeknights. If you’re going for the games, I recommend that you go either on weeknights or early weekend nights as it gets crowded on Fridays and Saturday nights which isn’t a problem at all if you’re with a group and mingle while you wait.
If you haven’t been there yet, cancel whatever it is that you’re doing this weekend and go! It’s always a good time.

Holy Schmagga! I knew it was going to be good because 1) when I walked up I saw the giant ARCADE sign — total retro/​Broadway lights/​Boardwalk Empire + 2) at least 5 different people said «go there now!».
Quick entry with an ID check and a hand stamp — a sudden flashback for me clubbing in Philly in the nineties. Whoa!
Now imagine yourself as Ricky Stratton (Ricky Scroder) entering the «Silver Spoons» mansion filled with awesome toys. Your jaw will drop. Look up and behold the greatest man cave (sorry ladies) ever built. Walls lined with Retro video games and pinball machines. A bartop surfaced with comic book images. Display cases with an impressive collection of pop culture memorabilia. Next, a wide variety of craft beers/​cider on tap and in bottles.
So that cool kid you used to hang with after school, got together with his friend and some investors to turn a great concept/​idea into reality. A «barcade». I now know the term is not new, but it is new to me and may be to you. Barcades are awesome!
Basically, an affordable, cool a$$ place to hang out with friends and play some games that you though you might never see again…
Standing ovation guys! If you’re in Chapel Hill/​Carrboro, don’t leave town without a visit! Oh, and don’t worry about bringing quarters, they have plenty!

AMAZING!
The Baxter has everything you want in a barcade: fun games, great beer, great service, and interesting non-​beer drinks.
–Fun games: Arcade games upon arcade games upon arcade games. From Ms. Pac-​Man to NBA Jam and everything in between. I do wish there were places to put your drink while you play, but otherwise arcade gaming here is amazing (and 25 cents for all non-​pinball games).
— Great beer: The beer selection is both draft and bottle/​can, ranging from PBR tall boys to classy local microbrews (like Foothills!).
— Service: Service is also excellent, with bartenders on top of their games.
— Non-​beer drinks: They have Surge. They mix Surge in a drink called the She Hulk. The She Hulk is pretty good!
In general, this is the place to be if you want to play games and drink beer.

The Baxter, to love or hate? After a mixed visit this past weekend I won’t be rushing back until a couple major changes are in place. Upon entering The Baxter which is located across the street from Cat’s Cradle and next to The Beer Study, we were asked if we had memberships and given the paperwork to get one. The man running the front desk must have had a long day because he was plenty stressed out at around 9pm on a Sunday. You do have to pay a $ 1 and complete a membership per two people we were told, although they let us in with three and only one membership. Also, just note that on the membership it specifically points out that if you break the game you’re responsible for it (careful with your drinks!)
The games upon first glance are impressive. They’ve definitely come up with an awesome concept and it’s a a child’s dream – and those of us that aren’t children but love that nostalgia factor. There’s a change machine for your dollars but once you get those quarters you’re ready to go. They’ve got quite the variety, I can realize that without being an arcade junkie. Four or so pinball machines including a new Walking Dead theme at a pricy $.75 per game, although most games are $.25-$.50. Weather you’re into Mortal Kombat, Donkey Kong or one of my personal favorites Dig Dug, you’re covered. I like the variety of 1 – 4 player games as well.
While they’ve got some good going for them I couldn’t help notice that in a male dominated environment I felt there was not much room for safety as a female. Unfortunately in the design they failed to think of how to really combine people drinking and playing arcade games in a safe environment. Every person I saw drinking a beer simply placed the beer on a «counter» space about 1 – 2 feet behind the rows of arcades while they then turned their backs on their drinks and played anywhere from seconds to minutes. People, the number one rule is don’t leave your drink unattended and I really couldn’t overlook this HUGE RED FLAG. I emailed management because this was such a huge concern to me, anyone could easily and quickly be drugged and they did say: «We are working on putting drink holder closer to the games.» So they’re working on it. Until then, I’ll keep my distance. As for the beer, while the average price is normal at $ 5/​beer the selection was lacking in my opinion, so it wasn’t difficult to turn down a drink. Hopefully they’ll change things soon so you can play and safely drink simultaneously.

Back in the old days for arcades, you’d drop $ 10 as a teen and felt like you were broke. And an addict that would have to save up for his next fix. Flash forward to 2014 and a new wave of barcades for adults is hitting the Triangle, the Baxter for example. Think arcade plus beer and you’ve got a pretty good idea of what’s going on here.
Located on a small side street off of Franklin/​Main Street, the Baxter is lit up with a carnival like sign spelling «arcade» so there’s no mistaking what it is. Hipsters in the front, bar in the back and two rows of arcade games and video games lining each side. Maybe 60 to 70 total, nice! We grab a NC craft beer in back and start playing.
Donkey Kong, Double Dragon, Space Invaders and more, all the games have been nicely re-​conditioned and play well. Get a pocketful of quarters and you’re ready to roll. The crowd here is young but even they can appreciate the allure of old-​school arcade games. So nice job Baxter! You’re doing great, can’t wait for the Raleigh barcade to open up soon…

The Baxter is an awesome concept of a ‘barcode.’ It has a pretty nice atmosphere; the lighting isn’t too bright, but comfortable. They have classic arcade games like Galaga, the Simpsons game, the original super Mario, and mortal kombat.
The drink prices are pretty reasonable. A miller lite bottle is $ 2.50, so not too bad.
The only critique is there aren’t really any places or spots to place your drink. Other than that, it’s a fun time.