I've been 3 times, and it's always super fun! The food is good, they have a great selection of beer on tap and they have 2 bars, so if one is getting too busy, you can hit the back bar. There are loads of games and they have lots of old school games as well as some current ones. I'm seeing on yelp that some people are complaining that some of the games cost 50 or 75 cents, but there are plenty of games that are a quarter, and besides, games have literally been a quarter for like 30 years, so to me it doesn't seem absurd to spend 50 cents for a bigger game. I've pretty much always left with some tokens left over. read more

I was looking for a new place to visit in LA and asked my friend if he wanted to hit up a vintage arcade bar and he agreed. After a bad experience at another arcade bar in downtown LA, we wanted to try a new place and boy, am I glad I came here! It's a little off the beaten path and in Highland Park, but the vibes here were great. We showed up around 5 PM and noticed it was pretty empty, so that was a plus since I'm sure this place gets PACKED in the evenings and during the weekends. The set up was really nice and they had so many awesome vintage arcades and pinball machines. They had Pac-Man, Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Marvel Vs. Capcom 2, Daytona Racing Games, TMNT: Turtles in Time, Mortal Kombat 2, and those are just a few that I remember seeing! They really had a good mix of old school games that I remember I use to spend so many quarters on when I was kid. Plus, they have another room in the back with more arcades! So freaking cool! They also have a full-on bar, but I didn't drink since I had plans to drive home, but I will have to order something on my subsequent visit! Also, in order to play the machines, you have to get tokens from a machine and they only take cash, but thankfully, the have an ATM next to the token machines. Most arcades are 2 tokens per play, but some of the more complex games like the Daytona Racing Games cost more. I also really liked the fact that in the back part of the bar, there are counters where you can place your drinks so that you don't have to place them on the arcades. Some of the arcades like the Pac-Man Tournament one have drink holders, but not all. So, the fact that these small counters are there is really convenient and prevents spilling drinks on the arcade machines themselves! My only serious complaint here is that the location isn't exactly the best, and it's not really close to anything touristy or shops, but I absolutely loved this place and would gladly comeback. Parking can also be an issue, so you might have to park around the corner, which is just now so common with LA. Despite the location, this place rocks and provides exactly what its name implies: a bar full of drinks and an arcade! If you love arcades and want to throwback a few drinks and spend some tokens, please come here! This place has an awesome array of arcades and pinball machines to channel in that old-school nostalgia! Recommended! read more

Barcade - Playing Marvel Vs Capcom 2- best fighting game ever! - Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

After buying food and two rounds of drinks for four people, my wife went up to the bar to close out and was hostilely accused of bringing in outside alcohol. The whole situation caught us off guard but we did what we could to explain that there must have been some sort of mix up as we did not do that and we tried to clear the air and go on with our night. I completely understand that mistakes happen. What I can't understand is how the the staff and manager couldn't even give us a legitimate apology or try to make the situation right. I assume they just did not believe us because for the rest of our time there we continued to get foul looks from staff and had one staff member hovering around us. We confronted her for doing so and it was clear there was just no explaining to her that we had done nothing wrong. She told us again very hostilely she knew for sure that we brought in the outside alcohol and basically that we should feel lucky we were only getting a warning. Not sure if we'll feel okay going in again anytime soon, which is super disappointing as we live walking distance and loved supporting this place and bringing friends, but if we do make it back I hope this misunderstanding isn't held over our heads as we did nothing wrong. read more

While this place is good, there are several things keeping it from being great. The food is delicious and the cocktail drinks are very good. The arcade selection is great as there is something for everybody. Some glaring cons, the arcades are pricey. Prepare to easily run out of tokens. Perhaps we've taken for granted places like 82 were for the most part arcades are only 25 cents, here some machines easily gobble up 50 and even 75 cents. It will add up. Customer service is another issue. While I don't expect a bar to be known for customer service, most staff seemed annoyed at being there, even on a not so busy night. From the persistent security guard presence to the rude lady at the bar when asking for change, it felt unwelcoming. read more

Literally the best thing that has been opened by my house. I love the ambiance it's super chill. We usually always end up here after going out. They have plenty of old school games and I don't think I've ever seen it so crowded that you can't play. They have a wide selection of beers and pretty good deals of the day! If you do go there you need to try the tater tops!!! They are FIREEEEE! Overall great spot! read more

The name speaks for itself. Its literally an arcade for adults. This place has all the classics. It has a variety of pinball games, but they also have Marvel v Capcon which was my ultimate favorite game to play. Went on a Sunday afternoon and it wasn't crowded at all. They do have onsite parking. But they don't have a ton of it so bring change for street parking just in case and cash for tokens. If you're looking a nostalgia kick, this is the place, it'll take you back but also gives you the option of adulting because they also have a full bar. They have Happy Hour daily until 7pm. read more

When I heard about Barcade opening up at Highland Park via Eater LA (also worth mentioning that it's the largest Barcade in America), I knew that this was going to become something special. Several days after its grand opening, a couple of our good friends, my brother, and I went bar hopping and ended up at Barcade as our last place to be for the night. On a Friday night, I expected it to be quite busy and crowded...but it was a dream come true to play a large variety of the 80s and 90s arcade games, pinball machines, and even the 4-person Pacman game while drinking a beer and/or an alcoholic drink. By the way, there are plenty of wooden stool/stand areas where you can place your drink so that you don't place them on the actual arcade machine while playing. There were plenty of old school arcade games to play such as Mortal Kombat II, Marvel Vs. Capcom, Daytona USA, NBA Jam, Moonwalker, Terminator, the Simpsons, Asteroid, Tapper, Frogger, Tetris, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Galaga. Also, most of these games cost 1-2 tokens (25 cents per token) to play and they have a machine where you can exchange your $ into tokens. Since it was crowded, expect to be bumped by people walking by while you're playing your games. Also, there were a couple of long tables with seats near the front of the building to relax or hang out in that area. Staff is very friendly while we were there, so that's a plus. By the way, Barcade has a tiny parking lot so if it's crowded, just aim for street parking. Overall, Barcade is definitely something to check out if you are feeling nostalgic and want to reminisce about retro video games by actually playing them and drinking to your heart's content. P.S. Barcade is 21 + only except on Family Days (first Sunday of the month). P.S.S. I will check out the drinks and food next time. read more

I play a lot of pinball, and while Barcade has a decent lineup of pinball tables, some of them do not play as well as they should. I have noticed they shop their machines for the operator's benefit. I understand they have a couple full time technicians, but they don't keep their machines clean -- like fingerprints on the underside of the STNG top glass, and beer spillage on TZ. Also, at prices that are above market for pinball games, they should be the best playing games in town, but AYCE Gogi and EightyTwo have them beat for lineup and playing quality. Their stand up arcade selection is great though, they definitely have some unique titles that can't be found anywhere. Drinks and food are SO OVERPRICED. They definitely brought their New York City prices with them when they opened up shop here. Watery cocktails and shallow wine pours. Lastly, it is so tacky they left the original 'El Arco Iris' sign up. Like do you really think you are paying tribute to the building's history or its neighborhood identity? Just own up to the fact you are a business in a gentrifying neighborhood. read more

That veggie burger was atrocious. It was an ice cream scoop of beans on a dry hamburger bun. Also, the beans were completely flavorless. I believe the is what happens when you have a chef who's never eaten a veggie burger before yet thinks this is what vegetarians eat. My girlfriend and I ran out of ketchup halfway through and we both came to a full stop realizing the dish was completely inedible without it. I may not eat meat but I definitely eat flavor. How about some onions and garlic in the beans? Maybe vegetable stock. There's also this stuff called salt and pepper. It really brings out the flavor in food. Your chef should watch a couple of YouTube videos about it. For the love of sweet Jesus just drop this dish and buy some Beyond Meat or Impossible Burger patties and heat those up. I didn't ultimately finish my meal but I drank my pricey beer and played and a few games. The security felt over the top and created an atmosphere weird vibes as they relentlessly paced back and forth, dressed from head to toe in black and with fingerless gloves. it's a nice looking place but, for me, a one-time thing. read more

I just moved to this side of HP and love this spot. Not only do they got a great assortment of not-just pinball machine arcades, but an awesome, rotating selection of craft beer. Wait, there's more. They have curated cocktails, that kick ass and I'm not even a cocktail guy. (Try the waingro!) They have a food menu too, and sausages and pretzels aren't the only delicacies like some gastrarcades (made up the word), they have a plethora of artisan style bar pub cuisine (vegans/non vegans- try the BBQ jackfruit sandwich, on freshly baked rosemary focaccia from homeboy industries with crunchy vegan coleslaw and fries). To top it off, you get a beer free if you order a sandwich before 4pm on weekdays. It's pretty legit. There's a bartender there, Tyler I think his name is. Hes the best bartender I've ever had the pleasure of being served by (and I worked in the bar/restaurant industry as a bar manager for almost 10 years). He sounds like Seth rogen, got a sweet Afro, and is as kind and social as Tom Hanks is credible. Any negative ratings are from peeps that probably went here one time on a Saturday night, like all these yelp losers do. Get a life weirdos lol. This place is great. A+ read more

I was stoked about this place, but It wasn't a great first impression for me. It took me ages to get a drink. Now it was opening weekend when I went, so I'll take that into account, but for having two bars in such a small space, you'd think things could go a little quicker. Also, drinks were $1-2 more than what I'm used to paying for. I know Highland park is hip and all, but that's just rude. I was hungry at the time, but didn't order food cause there was like over a hundred people there and about four tables. I didn't feel like standing and eating. Again, it was opening weekend, but something about the place made me feel really claustrophobic. I was just walking in circles the whole times trying not to run into people. I'm a huge video game fan and I love the idea of a Barcade, but I feel like they were just trying to do too much with what they had. Maybe take out a few games so I don't have to walk in circles looking for a place to sit. I'm sure if it were more mellow I would have liked it more, but then again, it being mellow wouldn't warrant the prices. So I don't know, maybe I'll give it another shot read more

Great retro arcade bar, lots of classics like Rampage, old school pinball, Atari games, Street Fighter, Frogger, check out their site for games list. Happy hour 12-7pm and lunch special (good food selection including truffle mac n cheese & flaming hot cheeto wrap) from 12-4pm. Parking for around 10 cars in their side lot. Games are 25c, but some cost 2-3 tokens to start and 1 after to continue. Check out Instagram @CovertLA for more details on this bar and many more! read more

Barcade - Pac-Man - Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

This place is awesome! It's bigger than EightyTwo in DTLA and has a wider variety of games. Tons of beer on tap and the tempura asparagus is amazingly good! My favorites here are the Addams Family pinball machine, Tapper, and Blitz 99. Can't wait to come back and explore their draft beers and play more games. Great addition to the community! read more

Ok ok where do I start??? Food of course, I've never seen a menu like this before, they basically focus on vegan and vegetarian dishes and to be honest they taste AMAZING! The chilie cheese fries are vegan and tasty let's not leave the arcade out, they have vintage machines which makes it awesome and their beer mmmm soooo good my man and I are definitely coming back here!!! This spot is a gem. read more

Came here on my birthday after trying to go to Button Mash, only to find they decided to close two hours early. Barcade was, luckily, open on a Sunday night, and it was a pleasant surprise. It was clean, and had a wide variety of games to play. I do wish they would get some better shooting games, as those are my favorite, but at least they have some. There were some games that were only a quarter, which is nice when you want to try something you've never even seen before. There was one shooting game near the bar, where you shoot cups, that looked intriguing, but some guy hogged it the entire time we were there. I liked that they have it divided into two areas, it helps to keep the noise down. They back area was quieter, and super chill when we were there. There was a diverse crowd that seemed much more laid back and unpretentious than the ones I've encountered at say, Bar EightyTwo. We ordered a chicken sandwich with fries, both were tasty, especially the hand it fries. I got a cider, which was a little over priced, in my opinion. $8 for cider on tap, but wine on tap started at $10-$11 which seemed more ridiculous. The workers were all friendly. Overall, we had a good time, and appreciated the variety of games and ambiance. The best we've seen from an arcade bar in LA. We will be back. read more

coinz coinz coinz! this place is pretty cool. perfect first date spot. ambiance is chill, its busy but its a big bar. 2 bars inside which is the absolute awesome factor about this place. They serve food too!! all night! pizza bagels, pop tart ice cream sandwiches, and mofackin deep fried oreos!! ambiance: feels like its 1995 your playin games while your parents are for the night, they left you food $$, so u invited your friends over with junk food! its totally radical! games are low cost to play, lots of lounge seating and booths in the back. date spot plus: cool places to sit/ chat/secret makeout. fun foods to share, and obvi, moxed drinks for courage! free street parking read more

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Spacious and always lively, Barcade has great bar food, a fantastic rotating selection of craft beers, and best of all, a gnarly selection of new and classic pinball machines, one of the biggest collections in the city, in addition to wall-to-wall arcade games. There's never a dull moment here, but if pinball and beer is your game, it doesn't get much better than Barcade, and I'm a huge pinball nut! Afternoons and evenings during the week are generally quiet, with crowds usually arriving to fill the place on weekends. read more

Any establishment that harbors the criminally underrated (in modern times) Street Fighter II is going to get my support... This ain't no Fortnite / Call of Duty, kids . Test Your Might even though Hyper Fighting is better. Fix the buttons please. read more

NYC barcade who claims (and mentions it everywhere) to be the inventors of the arcade + bar concept! Aside from that nonsense... The good. Great collection of games! Lots of stuff you don't see, and many I'd never heard of and had fun trying out. Nice clean new space in the old Arco Iris restaurant (sigh). Big variety of food and drinks. The bad. Drinks are expensive - a short sized cocktail is 14 dollars plus tax (so over 15 bucks?!). Games are more expensive than Button Mash, Walt's and 82. The space is setup weird and claustrophobic - they want to have a ton of games on the floor but they are all kinda on top of each other. I couldn't play or do anything without getting bumped into and it wasn't even packed. I didn't try the food but something about people being served bar food at games, eating with their hands, then touching all the games is legit gross. Oh and tokens... the games take tokens Overall it's a fun addition to the neighborhood but it's just hard to get past the fact that it feels like an on the nose hipster Dave and Buster's. Open ceilings, exposed brick, and natural light? You bet! Craft beers you've never heard of and cocktails with quirky names? Definitely! Artisanal mac and cheese? How could there not be?! Aside from some of the games it's just a basic cookie cutter overpriced bar / restaurant you can find in any blog hyped gentrifying area of any major city. It's worth checking out but do it before some of the OG residents tag the hell out the games. read more

Barcade - 15 dollar drink - Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

The place is as hip and cool as Highland Park can get. It's filled with arcade games but yet 21+ six days a week (On Sunday it welcomes kind until 5) so it's like a heaven for my people :). The food is amazing plus a handsome choice of craft beers and fancy wines. I'm so happy to see the eastern part of York Blvd coming to life. One might say the menu a bit overpriced, but I don't mind. I will most definitely be back week after week. read more

Barcade - Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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First time at Barcade yesterday, definitely nice environment and def have some retro games that EightyTwo doesn't have & less crowded. The only issue my friends and I had was that games kept eating our tokens so we would have to add an additional token. KEEP in mind that pretty much most games are 2 TOKENS(*quarters), as opposed to EightyTwos 1 quarter games. FIX THE MACHINES otherwise it's kind of a ripoff. Besides that I had no other problem and had a great time. Give it a try for yourself and enjoy your time at Barcade! read more

Barcade - Spent a lot but made it to 1st - Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

I absolutely love it here! Great food, people are nice. So much fun. 21+ must order the sliders and fried Oreos!!! Affordable and games are .25-.75 max. read more

Barcade - Love it here - Bars Near Me - Los Angeles, California

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Game selection is awesome. Lots of classic arcades and some newer pinball machines. I love that there's two bars because the front one gets packed. Veggie burger was horrible, more like a bean burger. Beer on tap was great but pricey and very unfriendly hipster staff was a big turnoff. The blonde kid at the bar acts like Im bothering him when I order a beer and the server just leaves my burger in front of me without a word? Im a big retro gamer so my 3 stars is based on the awesome game selection but they should have left that attitude in NY. read more

Finally! I've been waiting for this place to open up for over a year...IT WAS WORTH THE WAIT. The interior is bigger than I expected, there is a wide variety of good beers and the games are in real good condition. Donkey Kong, Q-Bert, Ms. Pac-Man...so many classics on the floor. Wishlist: - Add a BurgerTime & Pole Position machine. Donkey Kong Jr too. CLASSICS! - $7-9 for a decent pint of beer is fair play for LA, but having a cheap-ass $4 Olympia, Schlitz, Hamms, High Life or Tecate option would be a nice touch. Welcome to LA. read more

Cool vibe with great video games and draft beer selections. (You must try the nitro Hopulant IPA by Epic Brewing). I would give 5 stars but a couple of the arcade games need maintenance and ate up my token. Also, it's unfortunate that people tagged the bathrooms with spray paint. Venue should paint over it. Food was decent too. read more

It's pretty decent. Good drink selection and a lot of fun games. But they are pricey on the games. Most games cost 50 cents per person and last a few minutes. So expect to spend a lot of money if you want to play games for an hour or so. . read more

If you are looking for a cool place to hang out with friends and play vintage video games and pinball, try Barcade in Highland Park. Great choices of drinks and classic bar appetizers. Staff is friendly and there is a parking lot. read more

One of my favorite spot of all time! Highly recommend! The service is on point and I can be in there for hours on end with the endless selection if draft beers and games read more

I lived in New York so I've now experienced both Barcades. This is a great addition to the neighborhood and I love that they are throwing family events. It's a bar with old videogames (pretty simple). They have done a nice job with the space for that purpose. CRITIQUE: the lighting in the back half of the bar is terrible, esp if you're on a date (my partner looked pale). I love the dark candlelit vibe of Barcade New York. This lighting just makes the back area feel drab and not festive or romantic. They should invest in the lighting because it does create a strong sense of vibe and whether you want to hang in the future. Since most of the good seating area is in back especially :-) Request: Arkanoid read more

They have my favorite game! Quick-n-crash!!! The manager is awesome and the food/beer is great. 10/10 would recommend. read more

So, first time I went here, I was like this place sucks cuz I lost like 4 straight games at NBA Jams...I thought I was good But I went back, played the shooting game...got 4th place that day (apparently they reset the scoreboard daily) started to feel a little better, beat my douche friend at NBA Jams, now I kinda like this place. Just cool vibes, everyone who goes is kinda like a nerd, but you're gonna hafta embrace it if u wanna have a good time. Bartenders are cool (enough) & enjoy this tip...u can get tokens off your card if you have an open tab...THAT IS GOOD!!! read more

Spent many hours here last night and had such a great time playing some old school pinball and street fighter games. They had beers from my hometown which was fun to talk to the bartender about. The staff were incredibly friendly and helped make the atmosphere just a fun place for big kids to hang out. read more

New Barcade in town!! Went there last night and I felt like I was in the 90s again with classic video games and they also have 2 bars read more

Brought the wife and kids here for family day and had a blast! Great retro music, played old school video games and watched the Dodgers on the flat screens. Great service to boot!! read more

This place aight if your boyfriend is a nerd he'll love it :) and the two male bartenders are there are really good! Real attentive and just at what they do! read more

This place is a must checkout with friends or solo!!! I had great time and enjoyed both they're unique cocktails and food options. read more

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Love this bar but the music sucks. It's 9:30pm and they're playing music that makes me want to to home and sleep, not play games and drink! Lots of ppl complain about this. Why don't they do something about it?? Play something upbeat!! Love the games and drinks but Im sleepy so I'm out.... read more

I love visiting barcade during happy hour because they always have great deals including a shot, $1 of beer, or a well drink! The wings and cauliflower wings are good. The micheladas are the best but since they're not on the menu anymore they barely have mix to make them :( the bar staff are always super sweet and welcoming to my partner and I and once they gave us free coins for taking too long with our food order. The place is usually packed during happy hour but it's best to get there early to find parking. read more

Love this spot. Good deals on drinks, good food, and tons of 80s/90s arcade games. What's not to like??

Ordered the mushroom grilled cheese for food and it was good. Fries are legit, hand cut fresh fries. Bomb. My complaint about this place is the service. Ordered drinks at the back bar. Noticed the taps are different from the front bar. When they closed the back bar the bar tender approached me and let me know they were closing it and transferred my tab to the front bar. I asked him if I could still order the same beer at the front bar and he said yes. Unfortunately once I tried to order the same beer at the front bar they said I couldn't. I ended up having to order an alternative beer. Once I got my tab they tried to charge me for two drinks that I nor my group clearly didn't order. I brought it up to their attention and all of a sudden security was surrounding my friends and I. I told the bar tender we don't drink those beers and he insisted we had ordered it. I literally asked my friend one by one in front of him if they ordered the drinks and they all said we don't drink that. We are IPA and whiskey enthusiasts. We were pretty much asked to leave for no reason after that. Security was literally already asking us to leave as I'm closing out the tab. Meanwhile they were also being rude to some other patrons who were trying to go back inside to try and find lost jewelry. Security was rude and disrespectful towards them and wouldn't let them go check for their jewelry. This was my first time visiting this place. Had heard good things about it but now that I've been there it's not worth it. There are plenty of barcades with better service and the same arcades all over LA. This place is nothing special. Parking sucks, service sucks and arcades are nothing others don't have already. Don't bother with this place. read more