Tapcade

Huge portions of fresh, fun, inventive foods. Noisy, family-​friendly, and laid-​back place. If we are ever in KC again, we’ll return.

Pretty good selection of games. The beer selection is better.
If you were to compare the environment here to Up Down, I would say there’s a clear winner. But it also depends what you’re looking for.
Tapcade is a lot larger and is probably a better place for a kids birthday party or a bigger group event. There are tables inside, garage doors that can open when it’s nice, giant jenga and a huge beer selection. The staff here is really sweet and also knows their stuff as far as beer goes. Also you’re more than welcome to sample beers before you buy a pint.
Three stars because I was a bit underwhelmed. Also the bathrooms must be an add on because if it’s cold outside the bathrooms (along with the toilet seats) are FREEZING. Ha!

I am so glad this wasn’t around when I was a kid. $ 5 all you can play Ms. Pac Man? Move aside because I’m taking over. I played many games of my beloved Ms. Pac Man but also played Donkey Kong, Rally Time, Dig Dug, Qbert and some zombie shoot ‘em up game. I’m a horrible shot but it was a lot of fun. This is one game management needs to look over. The red gun is sporadic and not just because I’m a bad shot.
There were a couple of games which had people waiting to play them. The majority of the games were either open or had a quick turn around.
The beer list is extensive and a little pricey. The bartenders were friendly and kept all the tabs straight — no overcharges. The street tacos were tasty. Yes, pricey but 3 split with my husband were a good snack. I don’t recommend the salsa. It seemed more like Chinese duck sauce.
Tapcade is a lot of fun for adults and kids too.

I really want to like this place. 12 of us went there after seeing Star Wars at Union Station. The food was terrible and the service was worse. The waitress acted pissed off that she had to wait on us. My son had to ask three different times where his meal was. Of course this was three different waitresses because ours never bothered to check back with us. Several items have been deleted from the menu. If the service is an indication of the business this place will close soon. All this after waiting 45 minutes to be waited on. 3 of us had a $ 75 bill. Bet she can’t figure out why she only got a $ 2 tip… and that was too much. Don’t think the rest of us were very impressed by her either.

Made Tapcade one of our stops for New Years Eve festivities and was really glad that we did.
Not sure what the game situation is usually like but for NYE they had free games all night. Score. Personal favorites were Ms. Pac-​man and way old school Mario. They also had a Nintendo 64 with Mario Kart but that was pretty high in demand and we never managed to get our hands on it.
Beer list was much more impressive than expected. My husband and I are really into trying new craft beers and there were plenty on Tapcade’s menu that we had never tried, so we were excited for that.
Food was alright, nothing special. The buffalo chicken rangoons were tasty though — thanks for the rec, fellow Unilocalers!
The only thing we didn’t like was our waitress — she was very… odd…and multiple times walked away from us while we were still talking to her? Not impressed, but it wouldn’t be enough to keep me from coming back.

I’m not into arcade games, I didn’t order any food or see a movie, but I did drink.
And, boy, was there a lot to drink. The taplist this past week has been insane here. I counted around 40 taps, and almost every single one of them had a rare or extremely highly rated beer flowing through them.
I came on Christmas Eve for the Goose Island Bourbon County Stout and Barleywine, and ended up staying for almost 2 hours.
I owe most of this 5 star rating to Justin, the bartender. He’s the super nice dude with the pony tail, and he made my visit here absolutely awesome.
Like I said, I can’t speak for the games, the food, or the theater, but I will be back for the beer.

Updated:
They are more BEER/​FOOD and movie oriented than the other arcade joint. Beer list this weekend was insane. And that’s the norm. The theater was like the theater in P&L but more spacious. Overall a better eat and drink movie theater is Tapcade. Bartenders are good people… Not trying to be cool even though they know they got that tap on fire.
Went from 4 to 5 stars in over a year of multiple visits. Constantly cool.

Overall interesting experience. I don’t know if it was because it was so hyped up why I found it add disappointing as I did, or if it really just fell short.
Food: would give it a B+ most of the stuff on the menu was a burrito of some sort, but overall tasty. I had an over cooked burger that did have a wonderful spicy mayo that was on it. Appetizers are probably what really sold it for me. As a table we tried the fried green tomatoes, the bacon jalapenos, and the chili cheese fries. Out of all of those they were all pretty darn good.
Service: would probably give her a D+, she was super friendly but really not on top of her game. And when it came to the speed of the food being delivered was extremely too long for the amount of people that were in the building.
Games: was excited to get my hands on some classics, but some of the joy sticks stuck, but on the Sunday night all you can play for $ 5, games get an A-.

Nice thought. Poor execution. Won’t recommend it. They have quite a few 80−90s games. $ 5 per person for ‘all you can play’. How do you not have a working galaga. No pacman. No centipede. We were there about an hour. Played a few of the basics. Many people
Staying on one machine for long periods so didn’t play ms pacman.
2 stars for the large selection of beer but limited on the wheat beers. Given poor quality of games wouldnt return here just for beer.
Underwhelming place and bar. I’ve been to fun bars with this idea in Austin, TX and man it was a blast. Hopefully they will upgrade their games.

Tapcade–
Is a fun, interesting mix, 40+video games, in an open bar layout, complete with heavy snack food, patio, and tv’s.
An open air concept, the front of the place doubles as a patio/​extension of the bar, they’ve employed garage doors to completely change the look and feel during Kansas city’s wonderful fall days. The patio houses two jinga games, that make a huge crashing noise when someone loses, as the blocks are solid wood, and weigh at least a pound each. So when 40+ blocks fall off the table, the first couple times really rattle the mind.
The games, quite the assortment, are $ 5, all you can play… so it’s a great deal… couple that with 40+ beers and it’s a gamer/​beer drinkers paradise…
We had the pulled pork cheesy fries, not sue of the actual name, but 2 mins later they had disappeared… yummE…
Overall, tapcade is really laid back, service was sometimes too laid back… but it was fun… we’ll do it again real soon…

Great beer selection both on tap and in bottle. We talked with the bartender a bit, and he was able to dig up a Crooked Stave sour for the hubby, even though they didn’t have any sours on tap or on their bottle list. I was impressed, so if you are in the mood for a certain brew, be sure to ask.
I like the ‘all you can play’ option for $ 5. While I’m not into video games, it was good for the friends we were with, and those of us not interested in playing could hang by the bar or on the restaurant side and chat. Perfect for everyone, even a group of friends with diverse interests. My main complaint is that the game are so crammed together, and the place is busy on weekend nights, that you can’t maneuver around, even if you are playing. And then all the good games are always full/​have a wait… That aside, it’s a fun atmosphere. I haven’t tried any of the food, but it looked good. I loved the other Crossroads Screenland location and the arcade there, so I hope this place stays put and does well.

5 $ for a wristband which includes all you can play. Good assortment of beers. There aren’t too many peoples around, so you may have to wait to be served. Some of the games were not in order, and they also didn’t have some of the original games that I really hoped for (original pac man).

Would not recommend. The games are ok and nostalgic but the hostess was super rude. My husband and I paid to play the games and let her know we might need a table later. Later came and I sat down at a table and my husband got us some drinks. She comes over and tells me quite rudely that you can’t just sit anywhere in the Tapcade. You must wait to be seated because it messes up their sections. Now here’s the thing: tables were open everywhere. The place was mostly empty. I’ve waited table and I get the assigned sections. But if the place is wide open and some folks are starting to order drinks, you don’t go over to a nice quiet couple spending money in your establishment and chastise them on seating.
I wouldn’t return. There are too many places where folks appreciate their customers where I can spend my money. They need to teach the staff about hospitality.

If you are looking for an awesome place to bring out your 80s baby side, look no further. Arcade meets amazing beer selection and great food. I’m partial to the OG burrito, super good and big enough for 2 meals for me. Beers here never disappoint. If there is a style of beer you like, it will be here. I’m a huge IPA fan and there are a ton of options here to satisfy anyone. Also, with a movie theatre attached, you can’t go wrong!

Adorned with reminiscent artwork of reborn video game nostalgia, Tapcade focuses on days-​gone-​by and has the ability to make one feel like a kid again. So, my initial reaction was similar to Ka, the snake from Jungle Book’s swirly eyes.
According to the hostess, who was very nice, the wait for a table was 45 minutes. Typically I would lose interest, but this place spoke to me. I was immediately inspired and wanted to engulf myself in the experience.
During our wait, my best friend and I learned from the bartender that we could get a wristband and play unlimited arcade games until closing (1:30am) for $ 5. So I had a date with Galaga, a classic; and threw a dart at their extensive list of IPAs. If I’m not mistaken, they have around 50 beers of tap.
So, eventually one beer turned into three and we found ourselves sitting at the bar ordering some food in between game plays. Our bartender was truly great. He recommended the Buffalo Chicken Rangoon, which was not declined. They had a kick but were perfect!
Their mission proved successful with my visit and I left a happy customer. My only grievance was the ‘server war path’ in between the main arcade and the bar. They will not let you go first.

Who would have thought that two arcade themed bars would open in Kansas City in the same neighborhood within a month of each other. I come to Tapcade for the great beer selection (48 rotating taps) and the classic video games (all you can play for $ 5), but I stay for the atmosphere. It’s a well-​lit, open space that’s great for group get togethers or watching a game. And did I mention the food? I recommend any of the burritos — or if you’re here for brunch, try the Mac and Cheese, which is garnished with Cheetos dust. There are plenty of vegetarian friendly options on both the regular and brunch menus. Tapcade is an overall great value, and I highly recommend it to anyone who’s looking for a night out in the Crossroads.
Oh, and it’s also a movie theater. Check out
for show times.

I was torn between 3 and 4 stars, but 4 seemed more fair, so that wins out.
Tapcade is a cool concept. Beer, food, vintage arcade games. Pretty winning combination, right? The game area is about 25% of the room (with a few games scattered around the rest of the room), maybe less. The rest of the area has tables. Having been to a few other bar arcades in other cities, I was expecting more games.
To play games, you pay $ 5 for a wristband and then it’s all you can play — the games are pre-​loaded with unlimited credits. It seems honor-​system-​ish, I didn’t see anyone checking wristbands. Our waitress asked who wanted wristbands, but ended up bringing them for everyone, even though one person didn’t want one. But, oh well, he played anyway. The all you can play is a good idea for people who are terrible (me) so I can load up 50 lives on the TMNT game and not worry about it! But it sort of makes you not play that hard since it’s just like free lives at that point. I got a little bored after a while because I just felt like what I was doing didn’t really matter since I could just keep playing forever.
Good beer list, though I really felt the only appropriate thing to drink here was Tallgrass 8-​bit Pale Ale! The menu seemed a little uninspiring, I didn’t order anything, so I can’t speak to the food.
One thing that is either positive or negative depending on who you are — kids are allowed. To be honest, I was hoping to have an adults-​only, kid-​free experience. In the other bar arcades I’ve been to, no kids were allowed. The kids mostly cleared out by 10pm, which makes sense, but it’s just something to be aware of.
Overall, a good experience. Probably better for people really into the games, but I always like bars that have things to do other than eat or drink. I’d definitely go back, but I’d prefer it to be not the only place I’d be for the night.

This barcade is perfectly situated on the east side of the Crossroads and is loaded with vintage arcade games, giant TVs, and an extensive beer list. I’m pretty sold!
The food is what it is — bar food, and some of it is better than others from what I tried with the appetizers. The best thing by far were the buffalo rangoons, in all their crisped, greasy deliciousness. Overall I think the food here seemed fine but pretty much on par with bar food.
The service was great during my experience, very on the ball and friendly. When you’re greeted you get the option of getting a $ 5 all-​you-​can-​play wristband which is beyond worth it. How many times as a kid did I fail to ration out my tokens and quarters at an arcade only to blow it on Ninja Turtles or Area 51? No worries about that here, as you can just keep tagging in as much as you want. Hell we even teamed up to BEAT NINJA TURTLES! My 11 year old self is absolutely beaming with pride right now.
The large open air garage door style windows open up and allow some fresh air, and, while I didn’t see a movie on this night, the whole spot is attached to the Screenland Crossroads theater.
I’ll definitely be back to watch the Royals and play some games over beers this spring and summer, and consider this a hell of an addition to the Crossroads.

I have to say that I like it. I like it a lot! The thought of an arcade and movie theater with a spacious bar. Sweet!
The arcade is a bunch of vintage games. I love it! These are the games of my childhood. Now, I won’t knock the new consoles but it’s something about holding a joystick and rapidly pushing buttons as I stand at a machine that I miss. Right now, the price is $ 5 for a wristband that lets you play for as long as you want. Ha! My son would play all day if I let him.
Which brings me to my next thumbs up. KIDS!!! I was able to bring my teens there. For $ 5, I can occupy my son’s time for an unlimited amount of time while I play or watch one of the big screens, maybe go into the movie theater or just grab a bite to eat. Now I know ideally I should be having conversations and interacting with the kids but I won’t lie. I’d totally use this to get semi alone time. «Hey, Mortal Kombat is open. Get over here!» *see what I did there. I crack myself up.*
I checked out the movie theater. It seemed decent enough. I may have to go back during one of the times where the movie is included in the specials.
Did I mention there were daily specials during the week? Awesome!
My only drawback was the food. The menu was limited which is fine for a bar but the one dish that I had utilized SLAPs BBQ. I’ll be the first to say I love me some SLAPs however their sauce is a bit in the sweet end and I’m more of a spicy sauce person. Other than that, I loved it! I know we’ll be back. My son guarantees it.

Big ware house space converted into $ 5 unlimited (great idea) classic arcade/​bar for adults but it feels more up to date. Nice big long bar with a huge draft selection. Four huge screens, 2 above bar, they are not messin around in the entertainment department.
File under fun date, guys night, gamers night, great for groups. Be alot of fun to hit up on a first friday fo sho.
Really into the huge roll up garage doors, and nifty patio in front. I could foresee space being an issue but only around the actual arcade area. Had a full on really good conversation with some of the gals who work here, they genuinely seemed glad to be there and that I was there. To boot they were on top of their game seating, taking orders and delivery. Well done Tapcade staff.
Had a couple bites of some appetizers, typical bar food, don’t get me wrong it was good. I just didnt come for the food but its a huge plus that they do have good tasting food available. This place you come for their extensive draft selection and than head for your favorite vintage video game. Really glad its apart of Kanas City’s unique bar scene.