Old North Arcade

I recently went on a barcade crawl to all the new arcades popping up, and hands-​down — Old North Arcade was my favorite.
Here’s what I loved:
+It’s in Old North Columbus, which IMO is one of the coolest neighborhoods.
+The vibe is great. Nobody is there to be seen, and it’s not crazy busy. It’s good people, coming together to play games.
+I love their drink options! Wolf’s Ridge Brewing on tap, Rambling House sodas, etc.
+BYOF — Bring your own food!
+There’s a big focus on Nintendo, which is my personal preference. My favorite game is Mario Cart that’s connected to a flat screen.
+I think the setup is much better than 16-​Bit. There are video games lining the perimeter, with a big community table in the middle (filled with table games), and the bar in the back corner.
+The games are free as long as you’re buying drinks!
The only downside I can see is parking. You’re pretty much left with street parking, but in off-​hours that shouldn’t be a big deal.

I’ve been to four of the five barcades Columbus in, and was very impressed by this space. What could possibly make that big of a difference between a place that pours beers and has enough power for a bunch of nerd-​inhabited video game boxes? The real answer…
Super Mario Kart.
4 controllers and a Game Cube attached to the wall. It was the sprinkles atop the cupcake. It helps that they had some great beers (Wolf’s Ridge Cream Ale) and the vibe was casual, relaxed and fun.

Great atmosphere, fun games, decent drink prices. We enjoy getting our Mario Kart on with friends. A fun addition to the old north area.

So here’s the thing. I grew up playing video games. I’m a fan of alcohol. This is a place that marries those two things together pretty nicely. I’ve been to a couple different barcades at this point, and I would say that Old North is definitely my favorite thus far. Now part of this might be because it’s in walking distance to my house (*shrugs*), but I also think they’ve struck a nice balance with the games available. I especially appreciate the inclusion of the N64 games because I really can happily spend hours and hours playing Mario Kart. There’s also a pretty nice drink selection. I generally stick to the beers, but they do have a pretty wide variety of mixed drinks and shooters available as well. Overall, unless you like hate video games (:(), I think it’s definitely worth it to pay Old North a visit.

This is quickly becoming one of my favorite bars. The music is so child (and lower in volume than my last review) and when this place isn’t crowded, its the perfect hang out. They have NBA jam, so the BF is happy. I love the princess drink, it is soooo sweet though! Bathrooms are clean and nice, and they brought out some table top games! More table top games please! We were getting carpal tunnel from all the button mashing, so the tabletop games were perfect. Biggest complaint is I wish the place was bigger (though I think they are kinda stuck on that). Also, they need to lower the tv screens for the game consoles. It hurts my head trying to stare that high up when I play. All, in all, this bar rocks.

I was pretty impressed with this bar/​arcade combo! We decided to come here on a Thursday night. We arrived around 8 pm and got great parking. It was not very crowded at this time so there was no wait for games or drinks.
The bartender was nice and friendly. The drinks were a fair price. I liked the creative drink combos but opted for their mix drink special. I think it was wells for 3 or 4 dollars.
I really enjoyed that they have some N64 and GameCube games. We also played a variety of arcade games which were pretty decent.
I would be happy to visit here again. I am assuming that it will be a lot more busy on the weekends but I think it will be worth it and definitely comparable to 16 bit.

Yeah, you can’t compare Old North without mentioning 16-​bit. Yeah, 16-​bit has more games — but I feel Old North has a better layout and more room — it still gets crowded, but you’re less likely to be squeezing by someone playing a game here — you’ll still weave through, but less ass-​to-​ass or crotch-​to-​ass action.
I feel the drink *prices* are comparable to 16-​bit — but I think they did a better job here — they’re more flavorful and about the mix, then 16-bit’s «it’s got a bomb-​pop! A slim-​jim! $ 8!» The Princess may be the «girliest» drink, but it comes with a peach gummy, motherfucker. It’s delicious.
Their game rotation is solid, and they always have people hogging the game consoles.
…please don’t go away Old North, I love visiting you too much. You’re like a friend’s really cool basement (with better booze).

Best bar on High Street! The atmosphere is friendly and welcoming and the house drinks are fantastic. Great beers on tap and always a wide variety. The games are well maintained and free! I love relaxing and just having a good beer there. If I could give it more stars I would.

Old North Arcade is another solid addition to the Old North/​South Clintonville area. Yes, it copied the concept but it copied the best of the concept. And regardless, you still need great people working there, great beer, great games and great atmosphere. It’s got all that. I for one wouldn’t mind seeing a few more businesses open in this area that are trying to do a carbon copy of the establishments that are working a ways south of here. Especially if they do it this well.

(Round 1, fight!) I gave five stars simply because they combined arcade games and alcohol, and that concept is genius. (Bonus Round) Maybe they didnt bring it to Columbus first, but they definitely brought their «A» game. (Player 2 Start) The arcade machine rotation is pretty good, and the addition of N64 gaming consoles adds value to the place. (Continue? 10.9.8.7.) The mixed drinks were good and the beer variety pairs well. The crowd is mixed, the vibe is chill, and sweet sound effects of the typical arcade fill the air. Service was just fine. (Finish Him) I do suggest checking it out, Ive been there twice and will be back again Im sure of it.
P. S. No need to ask your mom for quarters, the games are free. Except pinball, but thats just fine. (Game Over)

Awesome craft beer! This is a great place to get a good drink and play FREE games. Very clean and excellent service.

I keep getting asked to compare this place to 16-​bit.
What I can say is that old north arcade fairs as a bar with arcade games. The appeal of of good local and arcade games as an added bonus! I will not compare as yes the obvious similarities are there … The atmosphere and style vary slightly.
The drink specials are rally near, vide game themed (try the ocarina of lime). The craft beer selection is large and varied with a good chunk being Ohio brews.
Game selection not bad… Good classics… A few eh games but that will change as they add more or swap some out.
My new local? I think so!

This place is a strait up copy of 16-​bit, right down to the exact same barstools and wooden drink holders between arcade game. That said I greatly preferred my experience at Old North. For starters, I think Old North makes much better use of their space and avoided the ever present cramped feeling. Parking is also substantially better and most imprtantly the game selection features a better range of games I want to play instead of old stuff there for the sake of being old. Its also neat that they have two N64 consoles with wireless controllers for mario kart and mario party.
Many of the machines however are due for some CRT maintenance.
Drink selection was solid and I was pleased to see the Kentucky Bourbon ale on tap along with some Red Orchard.
I also greatly preferred the crowd at Old North over the 16-​bit downtown scene. To each their own but I just got a better vibe. We’ll see how things pan out once they get a few months under their belt.

The arcade + bar combination is a winning formula no matter where you go.
While Old North Arcade does not get any points for originality (16-​bit did it first), it’s still a welcomed addition to the area.
The atmosphere is laid back and unpretentious. The bartenders are friendly and the draft beer list (10+) matches that of 16-​bit. Pricing seems reasonable with $ 5 draft beers.
I have beef with the Mortal Kombat 2 machine. I can’t seem to get past the first round. But besides that, there is a variety of arcade games. You can even check-​out N64 controllers to play Mario Kart on the flat-​screen.
There is plenty of seating and also wooden drink stands next to every arcade game, which I thought was a nice touch.
Overall, a slightly less fancy, but more relaxed and low-​key version of 16-​bit. Cool spot!

I got an invite for the soft opening last night. My crew of out of town guest were with me. They were in town for Origins but wanted out of the convention area. We had a blast!
The place smells like fresh paint, everything was nice and clean. Inside was cool in temperature.
The bar staff was quick to take your order and busboys come around often to collect empty glass. There some great deals. I did a flight of four craft beers for $ 8.00. another one of our party member went for the signature cocktail called the princess peach. It was tasty had peach-​rings in the bottom of the glass and two colored sugar across the rim.
We played a few games but were mostly there to socialize. All games are free to play and the is no cover to get in the bar. We had no problem finding a table. I am already planning an event to bring a large group here in the near future.
Also, conveniently next door is Café Bella, which in itself is a little Clintonville treasure. So make a night of it have some tasty dinner then go drink and play games.