Barcade

I was here for a friend’s birthday party recently.
I loved every minute of it, for about an hour. I played Donkey Kong. I got the high score. Young millenials around me were in awe because they had no idea how to play the game. But I was the zen master in my mid 40’s showing them the way.
Then the thrill wore off.
Basically, I’m glad I came here once. But it wears thin fast. At least it did for me. Apparently reliving my youth is only good for about 60 minutes.

This was a spot one of the locals recommended for us to visit during our Philly visit. The whole concept is dope because its an Adult arcade with bar. hence the name BARCADE. We got there pretty late and walked over from another local bar. We didnt endup getting any drinks but we played two classic games: Ms. Pacman and Tetris! Pretty fun! The walls are lined with all kinds of games so bring a bag of quarters! Definitely a cool late night spot to hang with a group of friends!

Awesome spot. Beer. Food. Arcade games. It’s like reliving your childhood as an older alcoholic. I loved it. Nothing beats getting drunk and playing ms pac man, Tetris, and street fighter.

Located on a shady street off girard. There isn’t much else in the block around this bar but it’s still a great spot. They have old school arcade machines all over the place, great beer, and great snacks. The beef jerky is homemade; the grilled cheese and tomato soup is creamy, gooey, and delicious. The beer list is great. I’m not much of a craft beer drinker but my hubby and everyone else I know loves this bar for its beer list.

This review is for the bar and arcade — we haven’t tried their food here yet. On-​street parking is relatively available. We came at midnight on a Saturday and found a spot about 2 blocks away. When we first arrived, the most popular games were packed. By around 1 am, the crowd started to thin out.
Whoever came up with this concept is a genius. All those 80’s and 90’s kids are all at drinking age and need an outlet to hangout and play retro games. Atmosphere is pretty standard for a bar, dimly lit and crowded and hot, but the back is an arcade with classic games from way back when. They have old school arcade staples such as Donkey Kong, as well as NES and SNES titles — such as TMNT and Final Fight. They have tons of different styles of games, there is something for everyone. Wish I had my Game Genie and cheat codes, these old school games remind me of my childhood — stay up all night and still can’t beat that one level! BUT, the best game is the four player pac man. There are five intense rounds of running around a maze where you are trying to eat each other!

Really fun concept — a bar with old video games. I was psyched to play T3 and other games. I was thrilled to find the prices were still the original ones.
It was a bit crowded when we got there, but for the most part you could just wait a few minutes to get to any game you wanted to play. A few times people would plunk down a few dollars worth of coins and «claim» a game for way too long, but that wasn’t the norm.
The pluses — no pressure to drink. I actually manged to sober up a bit here after Frankford Hall, so that was nice. Great assortment of games. A layout that actually made walking around the games doable.
No so great — they don’t take quarters, just tokens. This means, if you buy tokens you can only spend them there.
Bad — A few of the games had broken controllers and no sign indicating that. Kind of sucks to pop in .50 to find you can’t actually play. This was more than one game.
I like that this is something different. If it was more crowded I could picture it not being fun, but for what it was (old video games in a bar), I had a great time.

My friends and I come here often at night. Decent beer selection and good selection of arcade games as well. Never had the food but I’ve heard mixed opinions. It’s good for a change of scenery.

I could spend all night at Barcade. Stopped in here before a show to grab a drink, some snacks, and play a couple of games. Galaga was out of commission, much to my dismay but I got a couple of games of Ms. Pacman in instead. They have a pretty decent draft list and a limited (but cheap) menu: tacos, nachos, and quesadillas. We got the chicken quesadilla which was super crispy, kind of more like nachos but whatever, it was damn good. Wish we would’ve had more time to hang but now I have an excuse to go back asap.

It’s a bar with arcade games throughout. Hard to fuck that up. I went here a year or so ago and all of the games were a quarter each to play. Now they’re mostly all 50 cents and you can’t use quarters. You have to use tokens they distribute through coin machines.
On my most recent trip over the weekend I found the place to be okay. It wasn’t too packed, and the bartenders were quick. However my drinks were a lot to be desired. I don’t drink beer so I got a rum and coke and it tasted off. Like they use off brand cola or something. And they used lemons instead of limes as a garnish. No!
The games are cool. However a lot of the games are way too old and no one had any desire to play them. I know barcade rotates their games, so this isn’t a real issue. I just wish they had a better selection on this particular visit.
Was a cool place to chill on a Saturday afternoon.

The inner nerd in me will say that Barcade is the place to be! I’ve been here a few times and i have enjoyed my time thoroughly. It can definitely get crowded with lines for a few of the games on a weekend night, but if you stumble in around on a Sunday afternoon like I did recently, you’ll have the whole place to yourself.
The beers are reasonably priced with a great variety on draft ranging from $ 5 – 7 per glass. But don’t forget to bring cash, so you can redeem them for tokens for the games! If you’re fresh out of cash, they have an ATM on the premises.
All in all, if you’re looking for a different change of pace of the standard bar, I would give this place a go!

Loved this place!!! Very cool bar, with some amazing nostalgic arcade games (Tetris, donkey kong, burger time, dig dug, mortal kombat!!!).
I was also impressed by the nachos with pork we ordered, very tasty :)
Atmosphere is perfect for any occasion!

Barcade has stepped up their A Game with really fantastic food. The sandwiches they had for years were very good, but the Mexican fusion food they have now is amazing. The game selection is very good and the machines are in very good shape. The staff needs to learn how to smile. I wish they had a couple cheaper beers on tap (or in cans) the cheapest beer is 5 bucks.
Also guys, pinball machines.
Get some.
I’ll there once a week.

There is nothing special about arcade games, yet everything about a bar with retro arcade games is special. I cannot think of another place that has a setup with countless old school arcade games and then for the bargain price of $.25 per game! Add a bar with a nice draft list and inviting snack options and you have Barcade!
While in the area, i turned to Unilocal and found this cool bar. We tried the nachos which were just fine but nothing exceptional. We tried a few beers and hung out for a while. My fiancé and I ended up playing a bunch of games on the opposite side of the place. We were having that much fun! On my second visit, it was for a beer event at we had just as much fun.
Some of my favorite games here are: pac man (there is a 2 player version $.25 per player and a 4 player version $.50 per player), Donkey Kong of course, galaga, and the various shooting games.
In my opinion, it is unfair to rate Barcade low simply because you don’t love arcade games. I don’t spend every weekend here but it is nice to have as an option and can be relaxing. Though the venue itself has a cement floor and is dark, The tables and games are not sticky or showing obvious grime. Though I would highly encourage you to wash your hands before leaving. Please make a note that I have only visited during the week or daytime during the weekends. I can only imagine what this place looks like on Friday and Saturday nights. If not for the games, come for the beer.

Visiting this place made me very jealous that we don’t have something like this in DC. It’s such a simple concept. A bar with loads of old school video games– everything from pac man, Tetris and other such classics to a racing game and shooting games with real huge old school guns– something for everyone.
More than that they have potato chips by the bag and bar snacks. It’s simple, it’s easy.
If I lived nearer I’d be a regular. To me it’s the best kind of neighborhood bar.

— Very basic concept: Bar and games.
— Seems to have good selection of games (P.S: I don’t play.)
— They offer very limited menu. I ordered the Tacos and they were really good.
— Staff were so nice.
Honestly, it is a decent and place, just not for me.
Three Unilocal

This place frustrated me! Last night we hosted some friends and wanted to check this place out, big mistake. I guess going on a Saturday night wasn’t the best idea. Anyway we got there around 730−800pm. It was a madhouse! I expected this place to be much larger. After some searching we finally found a small table in the front of the joint, enough room for the ladies to sit. Went and ordered 4 beers, $ 26.00, yes for 4 drafts. I know some will read and say must be good beer, it is, Neshaminy creek. Keep in my every other place has it for much less. Seems a bit much to me but it was overlooked as the atmosphere is pretty cool.
We attempted to play some games, lucky enough to play maybe 2? In the hour we were there. It’s just too small and too crowded. No games, very tight, games are so close together so you’re bumping people playing their games. No place to put your beer. I don’t know, I wanted to love this place, unfortunately we all left disappointed. The idea is cool but the execution is a failure. We will not be returning…

If waiting around in long lines with pretentious people is your thing — then come here.
Suffered here for a bit before moving on elsewhere, 4 people deep to get to the bar, no one would let you through to even get to the bar. 3 people deep to play a game, which no one was leaving/​giving other people a chance to play. Expensive drinks/​beer.
According to the bf, this place usually isn’t this packed, hence why we came here — so only thing I can think of is its winter in Philly… people want to be indoors, and this so happen was the spot they picked on this unfortunate Saturday night that I actually agreed to go out for some drinks and fun in Philly.
Next time, I’ll say pass and just play the xbox at home or stay in NJ and go to Yestercade’s in Red Bank, NJ — where there are nice restaurants and bars if I need my old school video game fix.

I’ve never been to this place before and this was my first time here. It’s a pretty cool drinking establishment with plenty of old school arcade game. It’s pretty divey and if you’re the type of person who likes classy things and a bit more refined, this might not be your cup of joe.
Service was pretty solid and drinks were above average. I didn’t get any food from this place.
Oh btw, the games are not free there are machines around the gaming area where you can get tokens. The games itself were pretty cheap and not super expensive. It’s a good place to hang out with a bunch of guys or girls. I do not recommend taking your date here, it will send the wrong message :)

I usually find myself at Barcade enjoying the various beers on the beer list and not actually playing any of the games. Oh well.
I like Barcade because, for one thing, there is SPACE. The game area can kind of crowded, but the bar area tends to remain fairly open and not jam packed like other bars. There’s even a table/​stool area that (if you can claim it) is great for large groups who want to plant themselves down for a few hours.
On my most recent visit, I ordered the sweet potato & mushroom tacos. They were good, but a lot spicier than expected. Spice isn’t a bad thing, but it kind of overpowered the flavor of the vegetables.

This place rocked my socks. Great, affordable beer selection with video games where can you go wrong?! The bar was packed but was able to grabbed beer for my party with no problems. To start a tab I had to give my id, odd but I appreciated the safety measures. The games are only 25¢ and there is a little of everything. I liked that there are a lot of two player games great for groups or meeting new people, very smart! Everyone in the bar is friendly and having a good time! There are (2) quarter machines one when you walk in and one in back so bring cash or all of your saved up quarters! There is an outside space to chat and sit. I really liked the stands at every game for your drink!
When leaving we were starved (kitchen closes a midnight understandably) but there were a great selection of food trucks around the corner.