Can't speak for peak hours, but we visited in the early evening on a Sunday and found the staff and customers relaxed and friendly. Loved the atmosphere and the games. The loaded cheese fries were delicious, and the drinks were great. I closed my tab with multiple drinks for a handful of people plus food for under $50. I had a great time. I'm taking the advice of the other posters here and preserving my Barcadia enjoyment by not going on a Friday or Saturday night. I hate Kung Fu's uptown crowd, so no, thanks. read more

After many years of being a successful bar, today Barcadia was a massive disappointment! Upon arrival, the bar tenders were dismissive and rude. The majority of the arcades didn't work. To top it off, there was a mandatory 20% tip on all bar charges. I can gladly say that we will not be returning to Barcadia and we hope that It will close. Don't waste your time or money here, there are far better bars in Deep Ellum. read more

After hearing about this place from a drunk girl on St. Patty's Day, we decided to check it out! The most fun I've had at a bar in a long time!! We went there on a Saturday night at around 11.. pretty busy, but not so much to where you couldn't move around. There is a bar and then an area of tables set up in the middle, surrounded by old school arcade games! Skee-ball, Zelda, Pac-Man, pinball, a GIANT Jenga! SO much fun! They were playing 80's music and that just topped it off.. especially when Bon Jovi "LIving on a Prayer" started playing.. you know EVERYONE was drunk- singing at the top of their lungs! I would definately go here more often if it wasn't for the fact that I live in Frisco.. the only down side is the parking in the area.. we had to park 2 blocks over which was not TOO far to walk in heels:) read more

Easily my favorite little bar here in Dallas. It was one of the first places I came across when I moved here and I have been going back ever since. It can get packed pretty quickly but there are plenty of parking spaces, valet is available, and the staff is nothing but friendly. Their fries are amazing and they have a pretty decent selection of beer on tap. I haven't been able to muster up the courage to start conversations with strangers to make new firends but thatmosphere is definitely friendly and welcoming to all walks of life. read more

I would really love this place if the arcades were a little more modern. There's only so much Moon Patrol that a guy can play. But the patio and open flow of the space are attractive. It's a great place for a sleepy afternoon that requires no effort. read more

Spicy Chicken Tacos w/ fried oreos preferably. Baller ass arcade games for cheap and friendly as fuck staff. read more

Such a fun laid back bar with arcade games, projection screens, and friendly staff!! We will be becoming back soon!

Barcadia is a fun place for games! They have lots to choose some to include a few of my favorites like Ms PacMan, skeeball and pinball. The bar itself is on the small side, divey and a bit loud with a patio facing Henderson. We had a blast revisting some of our favorite 80s games accompanied by a cold beverage. read more

We love Barcadia!!. It has amazing bloody Mary's (my fave) and we were even able to find one of his absolute favorite beers In stock here. The burgers and fries are absolutely awesome. The best part about this place was that I got to see my bf get so excited, that he was giddy with all of the 80s arcade games.. read more

I do not bash places and honestly I feel most people will provide service that is at least adequate and most time far superior to that. Unfortunately, at Barcadia I ran into a single individual that ruined not only my experience, but the experience for the 30 people I brought for my birthday party. The security at this place was unprofessional, hostile, and even racist. I will not leave these accusations unsubstantiated and will explain why I feel this way. It was my 29th birthday and a party bus of 30 people decided to bar hop and I wanted to try Barcadia because I had never been there and the reviews were favorable. This was the 4th spot we came to and had zero previous issues and no other issues for the night. The majority of the group came in with no issue but we had a friend who had recently injured his knee and was limping in. The bouncer turned him away stating he was drunk, despite that he clearly was not. A friend tried to explain that he got injured and he wasn't drinking and just wanted to be with the rest of us. My injured friend was told "Go get that shit fixed then, you ain't getting in". We again implored to let him in or we all had to go elsewhere and he said "We can get all our asses out, we don't mean shit to him. " He then stared down a friend of mine who was the only African American with our group and he stated "Why are you even with these white people?" Seriously? From either side of the fence this is incredibly offensive and I had all I could have and pulled everyone from the bar and left. My friends were justifiably upset and were letting this guy know what he said was not cool. The response from him was that he would "fight six of us at once if we wanted to go". Seeing the type of person this piss poor lack of a 'security guard' was I physical moved my friends away and back on the bus. He left me with a gem of a quote as a parting gift too. "Go tell that skinny black dude with you white folks to meet me at 2:30 and we'll see whats up." We all departed and were in shock of what was just witnessed and I will never ever be back to this establishment. It is a shame that 30 people got this impression of this bar without even getting a chance experience it. Your security is the first impression and are there to keep things safe, not to be over-sized guys with insecurity issues looking to rough people up. read more

Lots of issues but on a high level...Dory is the bartender and she cannot even remember to make a drink after waiting patiently for about 20-25 minutes read more

Oh funners! Let's see, there's skee ball, giant Jenga on the patio, classic arcade games like Joust (my personal fave), Ms. Pacman and Galaga... and a full bar. If you can't have fun here, then go home. read more

Oh Barcadia... how did I forget about you!?? In fact, now that I think about it - this place definitely ranks up there among my favorite all-time hangout spots! How can you beat cheap, old school arcade games, skeeball and giant jenga, PLUS a strong pour, respectable beer selection AND amazing, nay - dare I say, the BEST guilty-pleasure bar food in town!? You can't. You can't beat that - not even with a (joy)stick... read more

My fiance took me to this bar for the first time and I enjoyed my first experience! Very friendly bartenderess! Great place to grab some yummy drinks and play some arcade games. Apparently they changed their kitchen and the food we had was delicious. Will visit again. read more

I wasn't sure what to expect out of this place when I rolled in, but it turned out to be EXACTLY what was in my wierd head. So, I don't know what that says about the designers of this joint, but we should hangout. Anyway, their first win with me, was when I walked in, someone was throwing them a party, honoring them for being a bar that is very "green", which i fully support, well done. The patio was great, very crowded and a VERY diverse group of boozing hoodlums like myself. People watching galore! Then i look to the front of the place and the bay doors or whatever, were wide open, like that dude from Dr. Stranglelove was about to ride a bomb out of them! Inside, i first look over to my left, and there they are......the whole gang.......Galaga, Mrs. Pacman, Street Fighter II, and others.......just looking at me like "WHAT!?!?!? Do somethin! We've been here for years, bitch" It was a glorious sight. The inside looks a little rundown, but i think that's the point. It's dark with long tables, lots more seating than I anticipated. The service was a little slow, but the food looked amazing. I have to get one of those big ole burgers, that looked like it had a buttery crossaint for a bun, and the mini sirlion burgers caught my eye. That is, if the Fried PB and J, doesn't get me first. They also have vegetarian options. You have won my return business Barcadia, I can't wait to take this relationship to the next level....If ya know what I'm sayin... read more

Old school arcade games. Pool, oversized jenga, bar. Great customer service. Outside seating, as well as indoor seating. Strong long islands (good strong). And you don't have to purchase gold coins, you can play with quarters! I'd go back. read more

I think I had the same problem a lot of other folks seem to have had with Barcadia. You hear about a bar/arcade and you get all these images built up in your head about what it is and what it's going to look like. Then you finally make it to the place and you ask yourself "Is this it?" It's got a dive bar feel to it, which I love, but it also came with the "I'll get to you whenever" dive bar service mentality. However, I will give them a lot of respect for making a whiskey and soda stronger than one I'd ever consider making myself at home let alone in public. After a cocktail or two it was time to peruse the games and try my hand at a few of them. I'm going to put on my jerk hat for a minute because skee ball is something I hold dear. The skee ball at Barcadia is the little kid short version you see at the end of the row at other arcades. It's tiny and you have to deal with a couple different ball variations (that's what she said?). It's also right next to the bathrooms so you are constantly being bumped by people coming and going and once a line starts to form you're pretty much SOL. The rest of the arcade classics are there for you to enjoy (Galaga, Tempest, etc.) along with a couple new classics (Street Fighter 2). I geeked out on Asteroids for a while which took me back to when I was a kid waiting to see my dentist (yea, he actually had an asteroids arcade game in the waiting room!). All in all, it was cool to say I went, but at best I'd compare Barcadia to a run down, hipster version of Dave & Buster's. I'm sure I'll be back, but I'm not entirely sure why. read more

Unsure as to why I've not yet written a review of what my friend refers to as "Chuck-E-Cheese for adults." Yes, Barcadia can indeed be called this, but don't be fooled (or frightened, for that matter.) There's no large, animatronic creatures. It's marvelous. The great rating speaks for itself. The inside is filled with plenty of seating options and the big ol' deck/patio is usually all open unless the weather is poopy and they can seal off part to prevent the cold/wet/impending doom from entering. The partially covered deck/patio is where you'll find the infamous larger-than-life Jenga sets. Inside is where all the wonderful arcade games, skeeball included, can be found. Great beers on tap, and in bottle. Plenty of liquor to suit your needs. I haven't eaten much off the menu but the falafels are a delight. They offer quite a few vegetarian options which I'm always a fan of. Awesome specials during the week: 1/2 price food on Mondays and $1 off all drinks = $4 falafel and $2.75 Michelob Ultra. Yum. Tuesday is "free play day" for the gaming aficionados. Check out their website for the other great specials. It's a fun, low key bar, no need to dress up, just come comfy. Plenty to do, plenty to eat, and plenty to drink. ie: plenty o' fun! read more

So a group of us went here to have a few drinks.. It was alright. The crown and coke were weak... Yeah too much coke, waitress! While we were playing games, the rude waitress came up to my brother and said "you didn't leave me a tip" & demanded she get one because she doesn't serve for free. My brother said she was being rude and then she yelled "Get out!" Yeah, how nice of her huh? We ALWAYS tip but her horrible attitude.... She does not deserve a tip!! Yeah we know how much you get pay but you don't walk up to customers and "demand" a tip! Sure call the cops if we didn't pay our bill but demanding a tip? Gtfo! Yeah I'm NEVER coming back here again. If you want a rude waitress who was hardly there and gives ya coke, be my guest. Most disrespectful place I've ever been to! TERRIBLE!! Do not come here! read more

Tuesday + Shot glass of quarters = Street Fighter II

barcadia's a good bar! i'm not a regular or anything, but i go in fairly often and i always have fun. i've never seen a bar fight there. that's bad from a people-watching perspective, 'cause i do love a good bar fight, but it says something good about the clientele. wells are decently priced (although sometimes inconsistent- i've paid anywhere from 6 to 10 dollars for double cape cods- but that happens at a lot of bars), the draught beer selection is good, arcade games cost a measly quarter, there's giant jenga and skeeball, the patio is huge, the music is good, and the bartenders and waitstaff are easygoing and friendly. i've not had their food, but i've only heard good things. apparently they have a fried pb&j. oh, and you remember that movie 'party monster,' the one with macaulay culkin? the one about the new york club kids and michael alig? the whole murdering thing? you remember natasha lyonne's character, brooke? the real-life brooke owns barcadia; she was in the documentary. isn't that interesting? plus, she's like a nightlife veteran, so you know she knows how to run a decent bar. read more

Had a great time at Barcadia! we were not here to eat- we drank and played games. It's definitely got a dive bar feel- played 80s music and had a great selection of arcade games for a reasonable price. The drinks were pretty cheap- paid $10 for a beer and mixed drink! read more

Love this dive bar on the middle of a crawl. Extremely unique vibe, and quick service.

The music here is freaking AWESOME...if you love 80s...then yes AWESOME. Drinks are strong...games are silly...people are nuts...parking is limited...Dive Bar at its finest. Get your Arcade Face on...you will need it. PAC-Man..Connect 4....Jenga...Hilarious! The outside area is flooded with people smoking...just be warned. read more

Barcadia eh, I'm not much of an arcade fan but that was our only choice, so we sat outside at the picnic tables. The establishment is huge indoors, plenty of seating outside. At this point of the night I didn't care where I was I just wanted to continue my night out. The music they had was good and not much more going on. I don't know if I would come back or not I rather go to Hurricane or Libertine. read more

Lots of reviews but oh well I gotta review everything. Went on Thanksgiving Night actually. Were quite a few people there and it was lots of fun with the skee ball and the oversized Jenga. I will be back I don't really remember much else except the people who were there were much more of the hipster crowd and not the douchebag crowd. read more

1/2 price food on Mondays. Pretty big portions - good bar food and good variety of things on the menu.

So, the bar-scene usually isn't my thing (I love my sit down pubs, though), but the thought of an old-school arcade along with booze seems like pretty much the best idea ever conceived (that isn't Dave & Busters...ugh). Alas, my experience wasn't the best on the planet. Granted, I only went the once and I'm not opposed to checking it out again in the future. Maybe it'll be a better time for me. First and foremost, the place was absolutely packed (with lots of hipster-types). To the tune of people couldn't get to the games, because everyone was crammed against them. When you actually *could* get to a game, it was usually either out of order or was pretty terrible to play (not a lot of maintenance is given to the machines, it seems). This included skeeball. SACRILEGE! You must always -- repeat -- ALWAYS have working skeeball in your establishment. Pull it together, Barcadia. That being said, the drinks were tasty and everyone seemed to be having a good time. The huge Jenga gamesets were lots of fun as well. It seems to me that someone had a really good idea for this establishment (and it really is a great idea) and they pulled it off...then it got incredibly popular, incredibly quickly and they're adjusting to that? Who knows. Probably an off-night...or I might just be an old grumpy bastard. Despite my somewhat lackluster review, I'm going to definitely check it out again...I mean...Street Fighter II. It's right there. It's waiting to be played...with shots. read more

Met some friends at Barcadia last Saturday night, arrived about 10pm and the place was packed. Valet was full, had to park at a grocery store down the street and cross my fingers that we didn't get towed. Elbow to elbow is not my idea of fun these days. Long line at the bar, can't hear what the bartender is saying and I'm sure he can't hear me. House music is LOUD, not exactly my favorite type of tune, but it was making me bounce around a little. I guess that could have also been from all the people bumping into me. The front of the building opens up into a big patio, so it was HOT in there. I lasted one drink, total of about 15 minutes before we headed elsewhere. I'm not going there on a weekend again anytime soon. Oh and to top it off, Pacman was out of order! Really? My favorite game! read more

If it were possible to leave less than one star I would. This is by far the worst bar in Dallas Texas. I unfortunately had to endure terrible treatment by a bartender who continue to pass over me and my friend several times and once you got to Lex she made it very clear that she was annoyed, she didn't made very weak drinks, and with her bad attitude decided to threaten me and my party. I would never in my life return back to this dump. The music is awful the drinks are overpriced and super weak, and their video games are old and dusty side note if you want to play some good video games and have an awesome drink go to kung fu saloon downtown Dallas. Barcadia is absolute trash. read more

Must go in Dallas if you love arcade games...Tuesday nights are cool down there. Free games n good food n all

I've been to enough bars to know that bartenders tend to have a sense of entitlement these days, rather than remember they ARE in the service industry. I would have really enjoyed this place, i liked the drinks, and it would have been somewhere i would frequent. However that changed after dealing with our bartender, whom i think was "Ryan, Bran?" I am not sure but he was wearing a Bob Dylan shirt. It was about 7:00 pm. There were only three of us at the bar. My partner was playing video games and i was sitting directly next to a guy/girl couple. Now obviously the bartender knew them personally, and i have no clue if they are employees, family members or ect. Either way the way the bartender over reacted, it was not acceptable. Honestly it is pretty ridiculous because there was nothing "wrong" i did. I kept trying to interact with them and be friendly, as he was making a lot of conversation with them, and of course sitting alone all i was trying to do was interact and be friendly. No, it was not in an obnoxious intrusive manner. He even made them all shots, and instead of offering, i actually asked if i could also have one. (i was sitting right next to them) They were all being really rude, the girl continuously gave me dirty looks and just acted really mean. - I said NOTHING to them directly and I did nothing inappropriate. My partner came over to check on me and get another drink and i turned to her (opposite of the other couple) and I told her they were all really rude and the girl was really bitchy. Apparently the bartender heard me, and immediately said "that's it you have to go , you cant be here" and threw us the check. Okay, we were, Not drunk, not cussing people out or calling names, or stumbling around, i simply told my girlfriend when she came to ask, and that's grounds for being kicked out? He asked no questions, he could have said " hey i know them, im sorry". SOMETHING. We are all customers, you need to treat everyone accordingly friends or not. In fact those of us you don't know personally are probably contributing more to your business. REALLY? who are these people? Maybe if they were a tad friendlier there would be more than 3 people in the bar on a Sunday afternoon. In spite of the horrible attitude i left him $20 tip and he made sure he antagonistically said thank you. I don't find this acceptable whatsoever, give him some customer service training. Or possibly he is in the wrong field Thank you for kicking me out of a bar for the first time, for wait doing NOTHING wrong! cheers. read more

When my friend first mentioned this place to me, my first thought was- Alcohol. Arcade games. Why, with all the entrepreneurial spirit in this city, has someone not done this before!?! So we went last night- Saturday- to check it out, and, as most of the above yelpers have noted, it was pretty freaking awesome. Inside and outside, the space itself is great- tall and open, so even when the place started filling up towards the later hours, it didn't feel stuffed, like say Meridian Room might on a party-ful night. The games- so neat. I probably really only went through four or five bucks worth of quarters the whole night for Mrs. Pac-man, Joust, and Skeeball (gotta practice for the Fair), but I imagine I could have spent a LOT more and probably will in the near future. And the over-sized Jenga was free and just as fun and adrenaline-conjuring for those counting their pennies. The crowd included a nice mix of groups from various subcultures- longhorns fans, lesbians, dogs, etc.- and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely. I can imagine bringing just about everyone I know- from my New Yorker friends (the height of cool) to my dad (accountant)- for a grand ol' time. read more

Nice spot with lots of room and old school video games. It looks like the majority of people were playing street fighter 2 or jenga. The patio was huge with lots of tables and plenty of room. The fans kept the patio very cool. The drinks were decent but at times it did seem hard to catch the attention of a waitress which did cause me to actually cause me to order at the bar. I thought this was a pretty cool spot but it was a weeknight so I don't have a clue how it is on the weekends. read more

I visited barcadia sept 27th at about 8pm. There was by a wait only a sign that said to sit ourselves and a waiter would be with us shortly. I waited almost 10minutes until I went to get the menu myself. I was told someone would be with me. I waited another five minutes and was still not attended. The waitress glanced at our table several times but did not approach or even gesture that she would be with us shortly. I am very displeased and took my business to the gin mill next door where I was attended promptly. read more

Horrible people. Mediocre bar. Terrible experience. The staff is aggressive to the point of violence, even the DJ. The food is bad, and the drinks are weak. Kung Fu has all the games I want, and I've never feared for our group's safety there. We got out as quickly as possible, and will never go back. read more

I really enjoy this place for the atmosphere, but some of the bar tenders are extremely STUCK UP!!!! The past two times I've been there the two bartenders (both female) I have dealt with, one who is platinum blond with lots of lovely tattoos and the other who is also blond with large gauged ears, seemed to ignore everyone who was not a single guy or a guy in a group. My guess is they assume if you're a girl or there with your significant other you won't tip so they just straight up IGNORE you. Well, let me give you a little piece of advice. You IGNORING me is why I am NOT TIPPING YOU, NOT because I'm not a dude trying to pick you up through the size of my tip. I am a good tipper, but the non-existent tip you got from me last night is because your service was TERRIBLE (sorry won't tip you based on your looks so stop acting like that's all that matters)! Last night I went there for my birthday and my boyfriend and we ended up leaving after only one drink because the bartender we had (the blond chick with the large gauged ears) would COMPLETELY IGNORE us while serving people who walked up to the bar after us (all men I would like to note). Honestly, my boyfriend and I where so offended we are still talking about it today. read more

Rude and uninterested bartender when we were the only customers in the business. Bathroom looks like a scene from a horror movie. The drink prices were cheap so I'll give them that, but who wants to stay at a place with poor customer service. I'll pay more money elsewhere for the service. read more

We always come on Mondays. They have great food specials. Food is surprisingly good! My 8 & 4 yo have a great time!

I really liked this place. The 80's music might get a little old, but the service is great and the video games are a nice gimmick. The crowd was pretty good last night, and they have garage doors that open up to the patio. 24 beers on tap, but not a lot of good American Beers. Much like the rest of the bars in dallas. I am excited to go back. read more