The King

I have been wanting to visit a barcade for some time now and I was super excited when I heard this opened up in downtown Scottsdale. Since my birthday was coming up, I decided I’d invite my friends for a little get together. We arrived around 7pm on a Saturday night. The place was empty except for the bartenders. When you first enter, you are entering into the bar with tables/​chairs and a wraparound bar. There is one area for some Pacman and some sort of sand/​disc game. At the back of this room, to the left, is another room that is all games. This is where the good stuff was — an Addams Family pinball machine, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles arcade game, the obligatory shooting game, two skiball machines and many more. Overall, it was nostalgic and fun. I’d stop by again for a drink and a game.

closed

If this place was just a bar it would get a better review. However they are a «barcade», which is a joke. They have a tiny room with a limited amount of arcade games that even a kid would get bored with. Bad selection of games. The actual bar itself is cool. Too bad the rest sucks.

I hear this place is closing soon — sad to say that is probably true. This building has been a revolving door for tenants, because it is so far off the beaten path.
The good — lots of free games, $ 1 shot-​bingo, fair drink prices, very chill and relaxed atmosphere. Even on a Saturday night. Which is probably why it’s closing. But hey, parking is always easy!
The bad — arcade machines will steal you blind of quarters, you have to hunt a bartender to get a drink, and it is closing.
Overall super fun place my friends and I hit up at least 10 times while we could.

Just discovered this place recently, and, for anyone who prefers dive bars over the Old Town club scene, this is a cool spot to check out. First of all, nothing on their food or drink menu costs over $ 5! They have a drink called the Alcoholic Salad, which is delicious, and, did I mention, $ 5?! The only food I’ve tried is cheese curds. They weren’t my favorite, but oh well. Next time I’ll order loaded tots or a burger topped with a Mac and cheese patty – yes, that’s on the menu. They have shuffle board, fooseball, darts, skee ball, and a bunch of video games. They don’t always work, but it’s fun when they do. I think the only thing I don’t care for is that basically all of the walls are chalkboards. That would be cool if Old Town wasn’t so full of immature douchebags who take up most of that space with inappropriately stupid stuff. All in all, though, I’ve enjoyed hanging out there and will definitely return soon.

These guys are selling so they may not care, but their employees are thieves. 100% positive that one of their employees stole my sunglasses off the counter in the game room. I was the only person in the entire bar so I thought my property was safe for two minutes. When I left to go get a new beer from the bartender and came back my glasses were gone. The bartender didn’t do it, but an employee in the back did. Never going back.

I FEEL SORRY FOR THE OWNERS!
The bartenders don’t seem to know they work there being that they’re never ‘working’ there.
THIS PLACE SUCKS DICK FULL TIME
If you decide to ruin your night going here, enjoy sitting around like an idiot who expects service. Your friends will think you’re super cool for suggesting the place.
:) Cheers Dickheads!

I honestly want this place to succeed.
But it should not take 4 minutes of me staring at you, Mr. Absurdly Windswept Hair Bartend, trying to convince you with my stare that I’m worthy of acknowledgement. In an EMPTY BAR.
Nope.
Fun games and friendly enough patrons (all 4 of them) to join my pals for the world’s longest game of UNO.
Beer list is minimal but adequate.

I must have been expecting too much from the previous reviews I read because this place was everything but fantastic. The bartender was completely out of it and had a hard time remembering anyone’s tab although I could count the amount of people at the bar on one hand. The food was mediocre at best. And to top it all off when we went to cash out we learned that half of our bill didn’t belong to us… save yourself and find a different dive bar to spend your money at

Went here Saturday night before a comedy show. Staff was friendly. Nice clean roomy bar. People refer to as a dive bar. But I would consider anything but a dive. I enjoyed it there, I would come again.

Swung in here with the expectation that I’d have exposure to a crowd in a chill bar-​cade environment, but sadly don’t anticipate I’ll be coming back. There was no one around (except bartenders) when I showed up on an [early] saturday afternoon. The menu didnt seem appetizing and when I asked the bartender for a recommendation, he said «I dont know. People like burgers when they come to places like this. It’s bar food.» Really? I’m sure if I came in an inebriated state, with a large crowd of friends, not really paying much mind to where I was at– it would be a great place. For now– I think I’ll pass. There are more exciting places to check out in the valley for a chill kind of night…

Calling all arcade heads from the 90s! Calling all arcade heads! That’s right, I’m speaking to all the kids who wasted countless amount of their parents money in quarter form. If you grew up in the age were «good» graphics were only at the arcade then this place is for you. There are not a whole lot of games, but for what they lack in quantity they make up for with diversity. Here you can a strength boxing game where you hit the bag as hard as you can and then play some classic TMNT (Raphael was broken though).
Besides the games this place gives off the vibe that’s is a seedy dive bar but it feels clean an atmospheric on the inside. They serve beer, alcohol, and wine. I went there on a friday and the place was in full bloom with customers. Didn’t feel over crowded and we had a great time playing the games while we decompressed from the week. There was a moment where I zoned out of conversation though because my mind thought I was 12 years old again… #timewarp, #raphaelcoolbutcrude
Stop by for a quick drink and enjoy the time warp to a simpler day.

We had our company happy hour event here on Halloween night, and almost every employee mentioned to me at some point how awesome this venue is.
Perfect for groups of 50 – 100 to have an event. Staff was super awesome, and the food was shockingly good.
I have a feeling this place will gain a following with those who are sick of the same old Scottsdale Oldtown song-​and-​dance.

This place actually looks exactly like the last bar, but worse with no music. They have some lame video games way in the back — an idea that is already been done multiple times and better. The Derby House has games similar and Gringo Star also does this better. The King is a dark, dingy place with fruit flies prancing around the bar and a depressing crowd of not Scottsdale’s finest. Of course, I needed to check any new bar out, but this is clearly not a sports bar with two decades-​old TV sets in weird spots around the bar. On this Monday night football game, about ten people were gathered, it was more like a funeral than a lively new hot bar in town. It feels like it has been here forever, yet it is only a month old — welcome to dullsville. Place was so depressing, I had to leave at halftime. Now they did have a $ 7 Burger and 32oz beer special, but the burger you get for that price (Or the normal $ 5 price) is poor quality frozen meat. I should have known better. The beer was large and the popcorn was free, but this bartender had little personality. He said they were hiring a female soon, so that will help, but otherwise this joint needs to brighten up the place and liven up or soon it will be checkmate for the King.

This place was fantastic! We went there on a Saturday after being at Standup Scottsdale. Heard it had closed about 6 times so we were slightly skeptical but tried it anyway. It’s a nice little dive bar with cheap drinks ($ 11 for 3 drinks), chalk boards all along the walls to draw on, an arcade in the back with classic games from the 80’s, free fresh made popcorn. It’s a little off the beaten path, but it’s worth the trip.

Absolutely excellent. Awesome staff, amazing drink specials, and a killer arcade. A must stop in Old Town. So dope.

I had a great time here. The beer is reasonably priced and you have to take a chance on the brown bag bingo ($ 1 gets you a mystery shot that corresponds to different bingo numbers and brown-​bagged liquors). They’ve got a lot to keep you busy, from table shuffleboard to skeeball and arcade games. The prices on some of the games could be a smidge cheaper (I’m looking at you 50¢/play Rampage), but none are too unreasonable. I hate the barcades that charge you an arm and a leg to play the games. And yes, the selection of arcade games could be improved (especially if you had one of those 4 player Simpsons or X-​Men games), but it was still fun. The 3 player Rampage and competitive skeeball were a blast.
So if you’re looking for a reprieve from the Scottsdale scene and want to chill with some friends, this is a great place to do it.

Had lots of fun day drinking & playing Scrabble. Didn’t try the food yet so stay tuned for that. The food we saw looked yummy. The fried pickles & the burgers looked awesome. The atmosphere is fun & chill. There were a few Dbags running around but I don’t think they’ll stick on a Friday/​Saturday nights. Just sayin’! So it may be a safe haven amongst the Scottsdale scene on the weekends. Cross your fingers that only the good peeps stick.

Pinball? Check
Space Invaders? Check
Cheap Drinks? Check
Good tunes? Check
Skeeball? Check
Bar food? Check
This little neighborhood bar opened last week in the former space of the The Western on 5^th Avenue in Scottsdale. Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, the latest «Barcade» in the country and the second (1^st one would be the Little Woody) that I know of in the Valley, The King is sure to foster nostalgic memories for anyone that loves arcade games.
I recall visiting the former «Sugar Shack» that was a true haven for Steelers fans. Steve would even play the polka-​themed Steelers Fight Song (record from 1979) from the DJ Booth laden with Pittsburgh personalities, vintage Steelers memorabilia and even a Terrible Towel. Unfortunately, the bar closed and there have been many previous attempts to create a bar business that has staying power. I believe that the latest venture by co-​owners Tucker Woodbury (the Vig, Crescent Ballroom), Tyler Christensen (The Little Woody) and Charlie Levy (Stateside Presents), will be here for quite awhile.
Co-​owner Charlie Levy told
after the Western closed that the goal for the King is to be a place that feels like «it’s always happy hour. A fun place to go just to chill.»
«No one will ever walk in there and say the word ‘pretentious,’ «he said.
We visited last week on opening night and there were a few hiccups, that is to be expected with vintage arcade games like Tetris (which was free and upside down all night). The King has a change machine, friendly staff, an easy-​going vibe and cool décor that even includes a black velvet painting of the original King, Elvis Presley.

Swing and a miss.