I applaud a movie venue with tables and food and drink. The table seating is tiered so you have a good view of the screen. Staff is super efficient at bringing you your food. The potstickers with Korean bbq sauce hit the spot, along with a beer. Nicely packed house for Miyazaki's Castle in the Sky. 5/18/25 read more

Arcata Theatre Lounge - Current line-up - Cinema Near Me - Arcata, California

I went here twice, once for an event, and another time for a movie. Both occasions were great. I was able to get tickets for both events online, as I was told you could get tickets online and also in person, although in person is supposedly priced higher. The timing mentioned on the website was also up to date and accurate, and there's a bar inside as well. They have some great movies and events going on here, and I recommend you visit if you find yourself in town. read more

The dirtwire show was a shitshow....the venue was way beyond capacity and if i had been a person who cared about masks, there were none on. The line was still around the building at 1130pm. Dirtwire didn't come on until almost midnight and They also didnt soundcheck before so we all had to wait until around 1230 for them to start playing. then it was pretty terrible music anyway. Such a bummer. Definitely not worth the money spent. read more

I really do love that Humboldt has a theater like this. They have some great choices of movies to show and it's such a great spot for cool events and films. The food is decent, not as good as a dedicated restaurant might be but for a theater, pretty good. The staff is friendly too, and the prices aren't too crazy. My biggest gripe with this theater is the seating. The chairs are unbelievably uncomfortable, especially after an hour or so. My butt was so numb and my lower back was so sore after watching a full movie. But other than that, great spot. read more

They did it again. Son of Godzilla was wonderful and everything in the first review stands. Cant wait for their return.

DO NOT TRUST THE WEBSITE FOR MOVIE START TIMES. We went Wednesday and all had a fun night! The food was decent and fair priced. We went for free admission Wednesday so the drink prices of 4.50-5.50 seemed decent. Since we were still in town on Sunday we decided to go again but this time to the paid show. The website said doors open at 6pm, movie at 8pm. We went about running errands until 8. The doors were locked....the web designer walked out at around 8:20 as we were deciding what to do. We showed him the error and he replied "yea I typed the wrong time." and walked away. Totally not cool. read more

See all

Ok, I officially have a favorite new place when I'm down in Arcata! I remember back in the day when this was simply the Arcata Theater...a big hangar of a venue for watching movies---equipped with the most uncomfortable chairs known to man. But they did have midnight & $1 movies! I remember seeing Pulp Fiction here for the first time. ....and then they shut it down. It was closed for years. But in the last few months, like a fiery phoenix, the Arcata Theater is back! My sis and bro in law have gone a few times, and told me about it, and I was envious. Stories of food service, a bar in the theater, a lounge-y place to chill, and cool movies??? I was intrigued, and then.... I experienced it for myself. The Arcata Theater Lounge is the BOMB. We walked in and then I ordered a hot dog, and some fries. We then walked into the theater--it was dark...and it was silent movie night. Oh wait, we first went to the bar (Mmmm hmm, dat's right). They had several local microbrews to choose from. I believe I had an Anderson Valley Brewing Co. ale. The bartender was very cool, and I recognized her. She's from Renata's Creperie (http://www.yelp.com/biz/renatas-creperie-arcata#hrid:QxkYU6bO1Nu-ryfobyh95w). She was even wearing her cool apron (which she makes/sells). With beverages in hand, we went to our table and started watching some flicks. So, for Silent Movie Nights, they have a huge list of silent films and you can watch as many as you want (they ranged from a few minutes long to one which was over an hour). The movies were cool and accompanied by an organ (not live). I remember Snow White was one of the movies we watched. The fries and sausage were tasty. What a perfect way to enjoy a meal in good ole Arcata. Oh, and they have free wifi, too! Man, I can't wait until I can check it out again! read more

See all

Tonight was my first time going to the Wednesday night free movie. Saw Horror Express from 1978 and it was not a particularly fine film, and this was as it was supposed to be. The point of these movies is to go see something that either has really lame old special effects or bad acting or just a goofy storyline. But when all of these come together in one film and you watch it with a whole group of people who h a very great senses of humor, it can be quite refreshing. So, the movie is free, as I mentioned, but you are expected to buy a minor $5 of food or drink. In addition to soft drinks, they offer a full bar. And the seats are restaurant style seats at tables, not regular cinema seats. This place is cash only, but has an ATM in the lobby. The food was fresh and surprisingly good...not your typical movie fare. They offer entree salads, nachos, sandwiches, pizza, burgers and dogs and a few vegans meals. I had the Asian gardenburger which was good; unexpectedly a bit spicy, but still good and the fries that came with it were awesome. You're given a choice of fries or a green salad with the burgers and sandwiches. Friendly service and a good evening. read more

I love the seating at this place, its like a bar layout, but in a huge-room..with tables and tiers of places to sit/stand & watch/listen from. Bartenders and Box office employees were excellent. Staff at the snack counter and front door don't seem to have their wits about them. But get past the annoying security girls at the front door and enjoy show! Food is theater/bar food, not worth the $$. But it is the only place you can drink alcohol and watch old movies on the big screen, like Fargo, Ghostbusters, Fight Club, etc..,that's fun!! Glad to have this other venue in Arcata. read more

Arcata Theatre Lounge - Steve Watts Band dressed up as DEVO for the prehalloween show at Arcata Theater Lounge -10/30/2010 - Cinema Near Me - Arcata, California

I was excited to learn that Arcata Theater Lounge was hosting a viewing of the movie Elf on December 22nd. Tickets for the movies are $5 at the door, or $6 each if you buy them online ahead of time. The extra $1 up charge is worth it to make sure that you have tickets ahead of time. The show was sold out on this particular evening and there were several people who were turned away at the door because of this. We arrived shortly after 5pm, when the doors opened for the 6pm showing. Once inside, we snagged enough seats for our party of 8, and then went to get in line to order food. The lounge does not have standard movie seats, but there are metal chairs and small bar tables. Some spots of the lounge have counter space. We ordered our food by 5:45pm, and then sat back down with our drinks to watch the movie. Unfortunately, the service was insanely slow. The movie started, the movie ended (run time of 1 hour 37 minutes), and we never got our food. We ordered a chicken sandwich and cheese fries at 5:45pm, and by 8pm when the movie had ended, we still hadn't received our food. We expected to dine while we watched the movie, but everyone in our party was starving, the movie was over, and that was that. Two people in our party, who ordered much earlier than we had, got their food after the movie ended, and their French fries were cold. People in our party then had to stand in a very long line of customers who were waiting to be refunded since the film was over. Watching the movie in that setting was great, and we still enjoyed ourselves. I do think we will go to a movie there again, but only after we've eaten something. I wouldn't ever rely on their service. I was pretty shocked that it went so poorly, because I know they have been at this for a while, so I'm not sure why they couldn't successfully get out some simple bar food orders when they had multiple hours to do so. The table markers they use are white pieces of paper taped to plastic pint glasses, making them difficult to see for the servers, and when you ordered food, you weren't asked what section of the venue you were sitting in, so these young servers would wander aimlessly around the entire venue with the few entrees they did produce, trying to find low visibility table markers in a dimly lit room. Poor planning! If you plan on watching a film there, don't expect your food during the movie! read more

Arcata Theatre Lounge - Watching the movie Elf - Cinema Near Me - Arcata, California

Horrible service here premium price for a lot of not my job. Especially with the servers

Pretty cool looking old venue. Unfortunately, I went there for "Sci-fi Night" and the movie was quite bad. Other people seemed to enjoy it but the wooden dialogue and poor special effects left me very unimpressed. Confusingly plotted and thematically incoherent. Not sure why a better film was not chosen. The "Whomp" event later in the evening was somehow even less to my taste. Also the pints are the most expensive in town. read more

The last few times I have gone I have witnessed the staff being rude to nearly everybody. Arcata businesses definitely have a reputation for having terrible staff that are usually stoned or even drunk but this place takes the cake having annoying people who look completely unprofessional and act like they own the place and your business doesn't matter to them. They also get a lot of transients that unfortunately smell bad and ruin the experience of watching a film while eating. I think I might check out the new minor theater next time a block over. read more

Three words: Oh hell yeah! An old theater that has been closed and re-opened again. $5 admission at the door for movies. Other events do occur there, and I don't know if the price varies, but for a movie, this beats the hell out of the $11 and change that they charge at cinema chains. In the lobby, there is more than a concession stand, there's actually a counter where you can get snacks or you can order full-on pub fare that will be brought to your table. That's right, I said table. Instead of the usual rows of chairs, the place is redone so that there are rows of tables with a couple of chairs each. There are multiple levels to sit at as well, all of which provide a decent view of the screen. At the back of the theater room, there's a full bar. A decent pint ran about $3 and change. That's a good movie and a beer for less than the cost of some craptastic summer blockbuster at the big name theaters. And of course, there are the movies themselves. While they only have one screen, meaning one feature at a time, they're always playing something unique/nostalgic. I went this past Friday and saw Full Metal Jacket. Why do dinner and a movie when you can do dinner AT the movies? Really, there is something awesome about being able to sit down, stretch your legs, sip on a pint and enjoy a burger in front of the big screen. A unique and pleasurable experience. -update- So I'm still digging this place just as much, and since it seems like people are reading this review I thought I'd add some more detail. They occasionally have music shows (which are a bit more expensive of course) but there are also other seasonal monthly events like an improv comedy night. In addition, they've got one of my personal weekly favorites, sci-fi pint and pizza night, where they show movies like old-skool obscure b-movies, cult classics, etc. A really cool thing about SFPP night is that your admission is to buy $5 worth of food/drinks, meaning specifically that the cost of admission goes entirely towards your food. Just check their website calendar at arcatatheater.com for details about what's going on each month. Sporting events like football are also occasionally featured, and this is where I watched the superbowl. Lastly, know that if you just want a warm place to hang, eat, and chat for a while and you're not really into what's being featured, they've got free wifi. read more

Last night I went to the Arcata Theater Lounge to watch a film. My only previous experience was a terrible music venue there, but I figured you can't go wrong with a movie. Plus, I wanted to try out their food. It seems to me that a theater that serves alcohol wouldn't be the best idea because it's a recipe for people to be loud and disruptive, but it wasn't actually too bad. I especially like how it has tables you can sit at (which is perfect for eating food) and generally the place was very chill, entertaining, and fun! The food is also pretty good. I tried a bacon burger and it was tasty as were the fries. No complaints there, and it came out in a timely fashion (delivered right to my table). The ATL is a great place to catch a film, and I love how the focus is on older movies. I can't comment too much on the music side of things (because my terrible experience was actually a few years ago) but definitely check it out if you're in the area. read more

Absolutely Love this cinema! Came here while visiting Arcata and our last night in town it was suggested we check it out. We showed up and there was already a line, the doors opened and I felt like I was in an old time theater. No entry fee, but it's strongly requested you get at least $5 in concession which was all cash only. The concession is amazing they have food ranging from hot dogs and popcorn to salads and grilled chicken sandwiches. On the inside there was a full bar! Plenty of beer choices on tap over all a Very fun experience read more

What a great resource. Have a pint and a pizza (or a glass of wine and an order of sweet potato fries, or a cocktail and some samosas, or whatever) and take in a double bill of grade-Z '50s sci-fi movies, or a classic like Jaws or The Big Lebowski. Lousy sound system, but no big deal - people talking and laughing and cheering, coming and going with food and drinks, everyone having a good time. Every town should have a place like this - reminds me of the late, lamented Parkway in Oakland. Could use some couches up front in addition to the tables, though! read more

Arcata Theatre Lounge - Arcata Theater Lounge - Cinema Near Me - Arcata, California

This place is lovely! A classic, vintage theatre that has been revamped. All sorts of interesting and unique events are held here. I saw a showing of Jim Hensen's "The Dark Crystal", Also, the Druid Underground Film Festival, and The Glitch Mob! They have a nice selection of food and snacks. They serve alcohol...It's so nice to sit at a cozy table and have food and drinks brought to you while watching movies. Definitely a jewel in Humboldt county, worth checking out. read more

This place rocks, the new owner is very friendly and wants to see the best for his cinema. Don't miss this place

The ATL is one of my favorite places in Arcata. Not only is this a great venue for concerts, such as The Marching Lumberjacks Concert that happened in April, but is also a great venue for movies. I always check the website to find out what movies are going to be coming up soon. The movies are pick and choose: I don't go sometimes because they don't always show the best movies, but when I do, it's so worth it. $5 gets you into the theater: Choose your seats: Whether it's at the bar, or at a table, it's up to you. I always get there 20 min. or so before the movie starts. That way, you can save a table for your friends, order your food and drinks before the movie starts. They have a full menu, so whether you just get a basket of fries, or a full meal, you have that option. They also have a full bar, with beers on tap, shots and more. read more

Cash only, which is why I took a star away. I've never been disappointed in a show I've gone to there. The annual Serenity Shindig is my favorite! I enjoy the not traditional theater seating. Food is solid - the garlic fries are excellent! read more

went to a show on Saturday night and left pretty upset with how security handled a situation.. I do wanna say that the bartender working that night (I think he might be new because I didn't recognize him) was extremely nice and accommodating! read more

Security here is over the top, I don't want to have to be groped to go to a show on their perpetually sticky floors. TSA are underachievers compared to them. Then they push people away from the sidewalk which is a public way. read more

Okay I've only been here once but I really liked the layout. I guess they have movies as well as concerts. I wanna check out some of their cheesy old movies! read more

I think I found my new happy place. My family came here on a Sunday evening to watch a family friendly movie. $5 for the movie , reasonably priced food and one dollar cotton candy.What more could you ask for? Added bonus; lovely staff, full bar and French fries with house made cheese sauce. Great vibe. We will be back. read more

This venue had such potential but it hasn't lived up to what it could have been. Don't order the bacon burger, it exploded on my plate due to insufficient bun strength to handle the size of the contents. Super messy to try to consume & the napkins provided are weaksauce. Get the samosas instead or eat before you come, the food isn't great. Bring earplugs as well; the sound quality is wretched. The building is basically a giant concrete barrel & you will suffer hearing damage. read more

I had fun here. My drink was nice and strong. Food was decent but messy! It would have been nice to have napkins at the table or better ones. Chicken strips we're actually bomb. Try the Samosas, not bad. Cash only! Clean, cool staff. read more

Fun & affordable place to go on a date with your husband/boyfriend, your best friend or your preteen/teen as I did. The pizza was only edible but the brownies were yummy! The thing about this place is that you don't come here bc the food is the best in town & you don't come here bc the movie that's playing has been getting great reviews, you come here for the experience of getting to watch a cool flick you haven't seen in a long time on a real silver screen while drinking a good local beer. It's the whole experience you're coming in for, get it? And personally I think it's a pretty cool experience they're giving you for not a lot of $. And probably an experience you're not gonna find anywhere else. I'm kicking myself for not coming here sooner & I definitely plan on coming back! read more

Yes yes yes. This is not only what Arcata needs- this is exactly that every city (or town, à la Arcata) needs. Beer and film just go together- it's a no brainer. Old films and beer especially go together, especially when the venue itself is set up with tables, seats, and even waiter service. The prices are cheap and often the film marathons themselves keep going late. It was not that long ago that this gem of an old building was more or less slated for, shall we say, bad things. The front had been boarded up and for a long time the only ornament the facade could lay claim to was a chain link fence and a couple signs hastily pasted on the front- a potentially tragic end to a once beloved venue which used to host, among other things, one of the largest Rocky Horror Picture Show gatherings I've ever seen. Now the doors have been opened once more to an interior which has seem some restoration/restoration since its previous incarnation as a traditional movie theatre. Don't get me wrong; the chairs are the $14 type you can find at Walmart- or at a thrift store, and the tables are not made for holding anything weighing more than a pizza and a pitcher of beer (no Rocky Horror reenactments on the furniture for the moment, at least). The sound had some predictably rough moments, which only added to the campy quality of the overall experience. But the admission is cheap (I came in late and the ticket price was waved so long as I bought a beer), the bar itself has a delightfully retro feel, and perhaps most importantly, the theatre itself has a surprisingly varied lineup, showing everything from popular documentaries ("The Cove" on Ocean Night) to more entertaining fare (all-you-can-eat-chili-night coupled with "Blazing Saddles"). Oddly enough, there's also free wifi, so you can engage in such nerdy practices as yelping the biz while chowing down on your beer and pizza. With corporations buying out all of the local businesses and launching ticket prices up into the $20 zone, there could be no better time to patronize such an establishment- perhaps with the (vain?) hope that other theatres will take a much needed cue and work to reintroduce some agency and originality back into their own practice. read more

This venue is just what Arcata needs, a cute place that shows films and music artists. I just saw a showing of Donnie Darko: Director's Cut, $7 for the 8pm showing. The new renovations look great, to my untrained eye. The theater is full of small tables with chairs, but neither of the two types of chairs were comfortable enough to watch a full-length movie in again. The bar includes draft beer (3.75 for a glass of Guinness) but I don't know what else. The 'kitchen' includes warm snack things like tasty-smelling fries and grilled ham and cheese, but not a full restaurant. Sadly I couldn't try the sweet potato fries because the kitchen closed when orders slowed down, about an hour into the film. Now that I know the kitchen closes, I'll definitely come back and get snacks early. read more

This place rocks! I've seen two fantastic Music performances here and several movies. Wednesday Sci-Fi Pizza and Pint night, as well as plenty of quality films. Full service bar and other great food. read more

Extra bad food especially the burgers. The wait for food is crazy! 1 1/2 hours for burger. No joking! It tasted bad/old so we didn't eat it. Disappointed that such a potentially great venue does not consider the local vibe for good real food. Get with it ATL. Second bad food experience. read more

Nothing like Wednesday night Sci-Fi night. Goofy movies, door prizes,Fun, funny and great food and hanging out with friends. Fabulous place, glad they restored it. read more

The young girl who took my food order was extremely rude. Dark brown hair, was wearing a half tshirt middrift. Everybody else was extremely friendly and courteous, but she was such a b**** she ruined my experience which brought down your review. She made me feel like an inconvenience and I was a paying customer. I hope this isn't how you want your paying customers to feel. I will be contacting the manager. read more

Sunday night features a family movie for $5 and is the best deal in town. Also, they feature comfort foods like nachos, pizza and burgers. Bring your kids, have a great time. read more

A good venue for a variety of shows. If you're bored and looking for something to do in Arcata, check this place out!

This is such a great venue! I've been here as a guest for shows like Beats Antique, Random Acts of Comedy, and to watch movies. They host funky and fun events all the time. They have a kitchen with fairly quick service and a full bar. Bar service can vary. Larger shows have more people working the bar, but smaller events (especially all ages) can have slow service. It's cash only and the drinks are about the same as the Arcata Bars. read more

I love what they have done with this place. I remember back in the day coming here when it was just a movie theater and watching their cheap Sunday evening movies and thinking this place rocked. Since then they have closed it, redid it and now it's a cool little lounge/theater in this college town. I saw Wizard of Oz last week here and loved the whole experience. I will definitely come here regularly. It's like a Humboldt treat and I love what they have done with the place. They serve food.. they serve booze and it's just a recipe for a really good time. read more

So glad this building is back in use! I used to go to the 99 cent movies here as a kid and was super sad when they closed down. They did a great job making it fun inside and offer something different to do in HumCo. I've only ever gone here when there is a blast from the past movie that I haven't seen forever (never been for comedy/music/sports nights). Love what they play before the feature presentation in place of previews! It's always some quirky vintage commercials like a Cold War era how to duck and cover your head into a sidewalk curb in case of a nuclear bomb. Hard to believe these commercials were the real deal! There are a couple of reasons why I didn't give 5 stars. One, the food leaves much to be desired. I love the concept of this place, dinner and a movie in one, but I've made the mistake of buying the food. I feel like a theater should have good popcorn, at the very least, but their popcorn honestly tastes like packing peanuts. I would gladly pay more for the food if it was decent and I think lack luster food is probably holding them back a bit. Two, I wish the chairs were more comfortable, I always feel stiff when I leave. Three, the movies play too early. They have usually been playing for 1/2 an hour before I even get off of work. read more

It would be very hard to live up to anyones expectations following eight years of undergoing renovations and many rumors that it was over for good. Nontheless, it's a little hard to be surrounded by that much pink and red. Also, the food is pretty good - not amazing - and the menu seems limited, but i've heard it is going to expand so that's good news. what it comes down to is this: every town that aspires to hipness needs a movie theater / bar combo, and the Arcata Theater Lounge satisfies that to a Portland-esque quality. One of the funnest nights of my LIFE was here for the Film Slam, in which audience participants got drunk and shouted at the screen demonstrating their approval or disapproval of independent short films. I sadly missed the Halloween scary independent film fest, but just knowing that it was happening made my heart smile. Stop Making Sense was danceriffic - though I missed the midnight showing which i hear was off the hook!! ultimately, i thank the owners of this venue for holding on to what must have been the longest and most nightmarish renovations in history. The end result, though a bit too pink-red, is the hippest venue in town and a much needed addition to the Arcata night life. I encourage everyone looking for something to do or somewhere to go to drop by this place and give it a whirl. read more