07/26/08

Antisocial and gimmicky, but not too shabby

by rojedejong

Barcade is basically a hipster Dave and Busters. Just as folks from around the neighborhood enjoy wearing garments from the eighties, thus making the eighties the present (are you with me?), people here enjoy playing Asteroids, Galaga, and Ms. Pacman as if they were trying out the most futuristic virtual reality golf simulator. But the drinks are good. What does this all mean?

A) This bar is antisocial. Go there alone to drink yourself to happiness, or go with a friend if you don't have anything good to talk about. Go with your girlfriend who you're about to break up with. You will never pick up girls here because you are not in Fantasy land, you're playing Marble Madness and talking to yourself.

B) This bar has good beer. In so many ways I wish the beer selection here was bad, because then I wouldn't ever go. But I live a block away and Barcade represents minimal effort in obtaining good beer, which is sort of my style once darkness falls.

• Pros: beer selection, games for when you're sad and alone
• Cons: very antisocial

04/24/08

Get lost here and enjoy it

by asana

OK, maybe I felt a little old here, but those games brought me back! So easy to strike up a convo with anyone, and I even danced to the rock music there. Lots of "hipsters" but they're not so bad to play with!

• Pros: chill, relaxed, mixed crowd
• Cons: not diverse enough

02/13/08

Hilarious place to people watch.

by Hymburglar

Jesus, this place floored me on how hilariously douchy people can get. It is the hipster mecca, I'd say. If you want to laugh at people with Gel-Made bedhead and "ironic" short shorts, as well as tattered tourist shirts from Bermuda and Oklahoma, look no further. I actually had a pretty good time laughing at the guy with the Prince Valiant Medieval-style bowl cut. I'm not kidding. The bar has all sorts of weird microbrews, but the majority of them taste like brewed sewage, honestly. You can probably hear the hipsters talking about how they're beer experts, but really, they should shut up. The videogames are cool for like 2 minutes, then you realize that they weren't all that fun to begin with. It does have some appeal in that it's kind of like being in a warehouse with a bunch of a-holes. In all honesty, I did enjoy myself laughing at people talking about the latest indie rock or films as if they were all geniuses waiting to be discovered. So if you're down for people having identity crises and hearing some skinny dude in a pork-pie hat and thick rimmed glasses talking about Matt and Kim or some other stupid "underground" band while drinking some sludgy dumpwater, then look no further. I know I'll be back. I haven't laughed so hard in ages.

• Pros: Hilarious comedy show; great for people watching
• Cons: Your realization that all of the draws are really lame.

10/04/07

Part beer-lover's paradise, part old-school arcade, this bar promises '80s nostalgia without the kitsch factor.

by Kara Zuaro

This industrial-sized drinking and gaming space hides on Williamsburg's Union Avenue. A large bar keeps more than 20 taps running, but the attraction here is the wide selection of '80s-era video games like Asteroids, Frogger and Donkey Kong. Slim wooden counters between the games serve as a place to stash your pint. Lest the set-up be too reminiscent of a friend's 8th birthday party, a heavy '90s alt-rock soundtrack conjures memories of high school, and the extensive beer list is comfortably grown-up. An ever-changing giant chalkboard over the bar lists the varieties, and photocopied menus detail each brew.

05/10/07

Different

by gripdxd1

If you love video games and drinking then you've scored at this place. It's pretty spacious and it does get crowded. I wouldn't call it trendy though, it gets an alternative crowd.

• Pros: Different Concept, it takes you back
• Cons: The people, somewhat antisocial

02/05/07

i love exclamation points!

by breakfastmonkey

This place, for what it is/trying to be, is great. The problem I have is if I feel like playing video games I do that. If i feel like going out i.e. meeting, socializing i do that. They really don't work too well together in my opinion and i think this is reflected in the crowd at barcade (in the sense no one's there for the quintessential "bar" experience). This place is like a ghettto version of dave and busters with an awesome beer menu and a trendy self indulgence....which isn't too bad really.

• Pros: beer selection, space, atmosphere
• Cons: theme

10/15/06

Great Hangout

by cicero20o0

For 7 bucks, I can get a good beer and 8 games of tetris. What more could I ask for? If you like beer and video game, you'll love this bar. Even if you don't like video games, you'll most likely still have a good time- although seating can be limited so be prepared to stand during busy times.

09/18/06

The most perfect bar mecca

by dinasaurus

Hands down my absolute favorite bar in all the boroughs.

How can you beat 25 cent Rampage and 23 American microbrews on tap?

Throw in a pool table, and some hilarious bathroom graffiti, and you've got Barcade.

(If you get hungry, they have chips and beef jerky for sale, otherwise you can walk to two blocks to the Alligator Louge and cash in on some free pizza once you've worked up an appetite.)

The only con is it does get crowded at the common bar-frequenting times, but even then it's still worth it.

• Pros: 25 cent games, variety of beers, large space
• Cons: scant inside seating, sometimes crowded

01/30/06

You like beer? Classic arcade games?

by ex1stenz

Barcade is a very cool place to hang out, drink, and play your favorite old-school arcade game.

If you drink, and know the phrase, "Your wizard needs food badly...", then this is the place for you.

The quantity of beers on tap is a fair amount, with a nice selection. The atmoshpere is very chill, open, and comfortable. And the selection of classic arcade games will make any gamer from his or her mid-20's to mid-30's feel right at home. The crowd at Barcade is mostly mature relaxed adults from 25-45, which in my book, the perfect setting to have a few beers, play some games, and socialize.

Try looking around for an grown-up atmosphere bar/arcade...they are far a few between, especially with the chill-mature atmoshpere of Barcade.

11/16/05

A Word of Warning to Pac-Man Fans

by redlarry

When I first heard about Barcade, I brought a huge stash of quarters, ready to make bets and hustle on some Pac-Man challenges.

First of all, there's NO PAC-MAN! They do have a Ms. Pac-Man machine, but it's not the original version; it's the speed-hacked version. Any Pac-head knows this version is not as fun to play as the real Ms. Pac-Man.

The layout of the place is weird. The games are all alongside the walls, but there's wide open spaces and limited seating. This gives the place a feeling of a rec center rather than a bar.

But I have to give credit where credit is due. Barcade's games are all 25¢, and they have little shelves on the sides of all machines to hold your beer. Some nice gems: Tapper, Donkey Kong and Asteriods.

• Pros: 25¢ games, Side drink shelves, Nostalgia
• Cons: Non-cozy bar layout, Too bright, No Pac-Man!