Really fun spot in downtown Raleigh for a date night or night out with friends. Bartenders were nice, drink selection was adequate. Gave 4 stars vs 5 because it felt like there could've been a few more games. read more

This was truly a dope spot to stop. I really had a fun time playing the old arcade games from my youth. We played the hockey game, galatica, & some other cool games. The vibes in here are fun & good. Stop in here to enjoy being a kid again. Arcades were meant to have beer served. Stop in to find that inner kid again‼ read more

The coolest concept for a bar! If you are looking to have a good time while drinking than this is the place. If you "check-in" on Yelp you also get 4 Free Tokens (redeemable at the bar.) You pay for tokens inside and get a cup to go around and play TONS of old school arcade games. Only downside is they are PACKED on the weekends. I went to celebrate a friends birthday and this is not a place to socialize with big groups of people. I have heard it is more chill on the weekdays but the weekends are for meeting people. Can't wait to go back on a (hopefully) slower night :) I want to take everyone who visits Raleigh to try out Boxcar. read more

Boxcar Bar + Arcade - Crazy busy on the weekend! - Bars Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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Fun and friendly spot to hang out! Bit crowded so waiting on games took a while. Easy to get tokens and check out the games. Masks offered at the door was a plus for me. There's an indoor bar and also outdoor seating with a dj. We had a lot of fun with a grown up vibe. read more

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Super friendly staff, great music, clean place. Went for an ugly sweater party and it was packed but an amazing time. All the patrons were friendly and there to have a great time. Will definitely be returning! read more

Boxcar is my go to place to hang out. I love the drinks and I love the games. The atmosphere is pretty chill and I like that there is also an outdoor space. Being right next to the Pit is also a bonus. I take all of my friends who come and visit Raleigh here. We always have a great time! read more

They have drinks and food for sale- free popcorn and a variety of games you can spend your money on. Overall pretty dark inside and very warehouse-like. They do have free bags and ping-pong outside. In a central location. No tokens for prizes with games straight up just pay to play. I don't like just spending money on that shit but it was a way to have some interactive time with family. read more

I've been to a lot of different barcades and gaming bars and wasn't completely impressed by this one. Very strict ID checks at the door and judging by how young a lot of the patrons were I'm assuming they've had a few issues with underage drinking and maybe fined or something at some point. I'm only 31 and trust me this place made me feel old! Lots of pinball, retro and newer arcade machines. Air hockey, skeeball, consoles and DDR. The bar had a great selection on tap and lots of options of canned/bottled drinks, and they also do daily specials. Last night was $3 fireball. A lot of the machines have cupholders attached to the sides which is awesome. They've got cute retro gaming graffiti in the walls and christmas lights along the top, looks great! What I didn't like? First and foremost it's super cramped in there, they didn't plan for a lot of seating and during our visit there were multiple "reserved for party" signs on the tables, so you have to awkwardly stand holding your drink trying not to get elbowed. The 2 token machines and ATM are awkwardly positioned between the bathroom, bar and walkway in so there's always a super confusing queue of people waiting, along with people just standing there cause there's nowhere to go. People do not free up the more popular machines or the consoles, so you're just stuck standing there continuing your mission of avoiding drunk 21 year old elbows. A little too loud for a chill gaming night talking with friends. Maybe we just went on a crazy busy night, but we left after a few attempts at trying to get something to play and half a beer. Don't get me wrong, I like dive bars and this wasn't my first crowded loud bar but it can definitely be done better. read more

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I've lived in the area for 6 years and work downtown and frequent this spot. I have never experienced such poor service until this day. the bar closed at 1am on a Thursday but by 1:01am I witnessed the entire staff telling me to chug and get out. Once the comment was made, we were trying to finish our drinks we paid for and to get out. They became hostile making offensive comments and that we needed to leave at the moment (1:02am). For what reason?! We did not continue to game or order more. Tabs were closed out before hand. We stepped aside to finish what we paid for. We were paying patrons. We respected that they were closed and were trying to finish what we paid for, but the staff staring yelling saying we need to be on the street. I will never give these people another dollar. SO RUDE!! read more

Overrated...bad experience. At the door, no greeting, demanded ID and took photo with no explanation or customer service. Most of the games accepted tokens and then didn't work. Wouldn't go back. read more

Fun place! Lots of games, you get a cup for coins to go in, DDR was fun. The place was slightly grimy. But worth checking out

Boxcar is a great place for guys night, if you don't mind waiting a bit for your turn to play games, or if you enjoy a nice crowded scene. The drink prices are not bad and they have specials available every night for those who want a cheap but good option. I would have honestly rather went to Dave and busters, since the games use just as much money and there aren't any prizes. The service was great and the bartenders are polite. If there where more games, space, and less wait times to play, this place would be great. read more

If you ever get the opportunity to go to Raleigh, NC - please take an evening after dinner to go to the Boxcar BarCade. This place is freaking awesome! They have all sorts of daily drink specials, game tournaments and a ridiculous variety of games. It's like, D&B's but with no tickets and more alcohol, more true arcade games and much much more nostalgia. They currently have the following games that were near and dear to my heart in my childhood: Dance Dance Revolution Skee-ball Marvel vs Capcom Marvel vs Capcom 2 Street Fighter Alpha X-Men TMNT: Turtles in Time Mortal Kombat Mortal Kombat 2 They had a lot of other arcade games to choose from and you can even play the classic consoles! The brews are also very very vast and varied. I'd say they have a better selection between cans and drafts than many other bars that I've been to. You have a great select of ales, pilsners, lagers, stouts, porters, IPAs, sours, seasonals - you name it and they have something for you and it won't break the bank on the given day. I can't wait to come back to this place in about a couple of years and I hope that until then something like the Boxcar makes its way to Northern New Jersey one day because there is nothing like this up here. read more

So much fun! Great mix of old and new school games. Love the pinball, but would love some more variety. Lots of the games break, but the staff are super nice about it and comp with free tokens no questions asked. Will for sure be back! read more

I've been coming to boxcar for years (21 check ins to prove it) and used to really enjoy it, but have found in the last 1-2 years the local, friendly vibe has been replaced by rude service and overcrowding. I've had better experiences recently at the Durham location, which more space and also a pizza stove. It's sad that a once great spot is deteriorating into a has-been. read more

Boxcar Bar + Arcade - Bars Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

A very unique and fun experience. Good drinks, but obviously the arcade inside makes this a place you want to come back to.

A perfect night out, arcade games, drinks and delicious food close by. I've been here a few times with friends and co-workers, and we had a blast each time having a childhood throwback to growing up on arcade machines. Sure you have to feed the machine to play, but that's part of the nostalgic appeal of this place. It's not just old games either, most of their stuff is up to date, newest entertainment, with one game for 10 players! read more

Victims of their own success. I've been coming out here for years, and it seems like the more people means less fun. Moving about is like an exercise in crowdsurfing. The games keep getting rotated out. It's fun, but when I go now, I plan to be out by 7pm. read more

This place is awesome! I lost at ski ball TWICE, but you know what? I was a little rusty because it had been a few years since I had last played. It's OK though, we had a crowd gathered around our games of Air Hockey because we were so entertaining! Place was packed for a Friday night. Totally awesome atmosphere and KENT was a fabulous bartender! read more

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We came here on a Saturday afternoon with teens, not recommended! The greeter in front was so cordial and gave us an overview of where to find things but it was so packed! Hardly room to move and had to wait to play the games. The space is just not big enough to support the number of people and may have been over capacity. Waiting in the bar line was way worse, so we didn't. Still have a chunk of tokens, may try again another time. read more

Fun for the entire family (before 7!). Love playing the old pinball machines. People working there are helpful and friendly. Dog friendly, too. read more

Um, free popcorn?? I say yes! Attentive staff. Came here for a few date nights. Brought my son, he loved it. Still, a lot of fun read more

Boxcar Bar + Arcade - Bars Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

What could be better than combining games and alcohol! Boxcar does just this. It is an awesome barcade that has a ton of arcade, video, and regular games ranging from foosball to pinball to nintendo 64. If that doesn't entice you to stop by the awesome alcohol specials and craft beer selection will. They are always doing something fun with their weekly specials with their Sunday $1 Mimosas being one of my favorites! Weekend nights can get kind of packed, but they have a really whimsical outdoor hang out area with beautiful string lights. :) Plus a guy with a food cart parks himself right outside the bar, so late at night a delicious cooked meat smell wafts in to make your mouth water. read more

Great spot to come hangout with friends. Bartenders are very nice and a lot of games to play.

I have no idea what they were thinking when they replaced half their classic games with garbage. It went from a crowded fun arcade bar to a crowded not fun arcade bar. Just horrible in current state. read more

We stopped here during our bar crawl through Raleigh. This was a great place that had alcohol and video games. What a great combination. It wasn't too big or too small, like the story goes it was just right. They had mostly vintage video games so it was very enjoyable to get back to the true video game roots. Skee ball and air hockey were also in the place. Brings back memories. A lot of fun and take advantage of the check in bonus. Free tokens. read more

Boxcar Bar + Arcade - Games everywhere - Bars Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

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Pet friendly and lots of dogs! Sunday funday! $1 mimosas and $5 drafts, free game tokens too! Lots of pinball machines, arcade games, air hockey, and more. It gets Very busy and fun crowd! Outdoor seating area is nice too! read more

Went with my girlfriend here who was in town. Just discovered it through Yelp. Really cool place. We're both big fans of arcade games so this was right up our alley. Prices were a little high but it's expected in Raleigh. read more

My friends live in the area and we were visiting​ and decided to stop in on a Sunday afternoon. I've been here before and have enjoyed my time there, especially with giant Jenga​! They have a new system in place when you first enter, your ID is scanned and a camera captures your picture​ which made me feel very uncomfortable. I wasn't allowed in because my ID was out of state (NY) and wouldn't​ scan in the system. They were worried it was a fake but 1. NY IDs are the hardest to fake, they even have a secondary​ photo etched​d onto the ID 2. why would anyone want a fake ID with an age of 25! I was told I'd be allowed in if I had my passport with me but ... who goes out to bars with a passport, especially if they're staying​ in the country. TL;DR: if you're out of state and don't have a drivers license, bring your passport or find another bar. read more

$10 bottles $1 Mimosas WHO CAN BEAT THAT BOXCAR IS LITTTT. I loved this place so much - stopped by during my last day in NC. This place is dog friendly so all the furry friends are everywhere (with their owner of course) I didn't eat here because the don't serve food. i also wouldn't recommend the pit next door to them (that's another review) All in all - you cant beat an adult arcade and bar situation. read more

Lots of fun, we had a team building event there and they did a great job. Bar food and drinks were good but the bowling, music and karaoke were awesome. read more

Alright fave bar in Raleigh, hands down! Cheap drinks, free popcorn, endless games, and dogs allowed. What more could you want in a bar? Keep an eye out for events and contests throughout the week. Sunday boozdays are pretty hype as well, since you can basically get an entire bottle of champagne and OJ for $10. read more

so much fun! reasonably priced, great service and great game selection. would go again!!!

Brandon is awesome! Always so quick with getting drinks and when he has time the conversation is always great and I appreciate how genuine he is. read more

Boxcar has been open for over a year, and I'm actually impressed by what they've become. Serious gamers in the Triangle know about The Baxter in Chapel Hill. Boxcar has some of the same games, but ultimately both places have different vibes. The Baxter has an old-school arcade feel; everything is quarter-op and most games are classic. Boxcar is more of a party bar, which has something for everyone. If I was to own an arcade, I would try to acquire many of the classic that Boxcar has - like 1942, Addams Family pinball, Asteroids, Centipede, Donkey Kong, Double Dragon, Doctor Who pinball, Frogger, Galaga, Joust, Off Road, Punch Out, Star Wars Trilogy, Tetris, and The Simpsons. The lineup of games is actually pretty impressive. The complete game list for Boxcar is on their site, but you should follow them on Facebook or Twitter to hear about new arrivals. The side effect of appealing to everyone is that you have to bring in some games that are crowd pleasers - like Big Buck Hunter and Golden Tee. Those games would be out of place in a regular barcade, but Boxcar has no shame. In fact, they have just about every game imaginable including giant Jenga, skeeball, air hockey, bubble hockey, cornhole, foosball, and shuffleboard. I can't say that I always enjoy the clientele that Boxcar attracts, but I dig most of the games and the beer list. I also like that they seem to always be open, even on holidays like New Year's Day. read more

What everyone else has said...fun! CHECK IN ON YELP for 10 free tokens. Just go to the bar. A friendly gal looked at our check-ins and gave each of us a cute little red cup with tokens. One issue I haven't seen mentioned here: Where the heck to park??? The Warehouse District has sure gotten BUSY. Probably largely due to this cool bar/arcade. I confess we gave up a couple times recently when not a parking spot could be found on nearby streets. This time, we were determined to not give up. Finally Found! There's a parking deck a couple blocks toward Fayetteville Street, on Davie. It's on your right. The only catch? It's not cheap. Cost us $6 for under 3 hours. But it is pretty shiny new and had lots of availability on this Saturday night. And no fighting for those tight street parking spots! We found Boxcar to be crowded, but not impossibly so. Tried 5 different pinball machines and they were all fun. I did lose a few tokens in the Billiards one, but got a fun game out of it before that. Most of them are just 2 tokens, except for the super cool Wizard of Oz, which is worth a 4-token try! read more

OMG how fun is this place? We checked it out on a Saturday (as an FYI, I checked in with Yelp and got 10 free tokens). We played skee-ball, pinball, Donkey Kong, X-Men, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and this awesome zombie game. Word to the wise, if you're on a budget, get the wine ($5). It's WAY cheaper than the beer and actually not bad. :) Will DEF be back! read more

Boxcar Bar + Arcade - Pinball!! - Bars Near Me - Raleigh, North Carolina

Boxcar has come a long way since they initially opened and while it took some time, they have won be over with their sweet drink specials, free tokens, outdoor patio, backbar with classic video games and sweet pinball machines. The downsides still exist: -service is really a hit or miss, luckily you'll be playing games most of the time so you're not interacting with the staff much. -Beers are only purchased at the bar; wouldn't it be awesome and a great business idea to have servers on the floor? People could get their drinks restocked WHILE playing? Yes, I thought so too, but unfortunately you've got to go to the bar to get another drink. Not that much of an inconvenience so you'll live. -Emulators are still used. One of my favorite games: Burger Time (I know, it's a classic) is an emulator. The character constantly freezes up and buttons are shotty. -Like with most arcade places, not all the machines work 100% of the time, I haven't had a visit go by where at least one of my tokens is eaten and no game in return. Some of the pinball machines are especially annoying: paddles not working properly is the worst! However, there's a lot of good things to fight all those ^^^ : -great patio area is now in use with picnic tables and free fuzzball. -best pinball selection in the Triangle. They just put in a new Wizard of Oz game that is the coolest pinball machine I've ever seen, and at a whopping $1.00 a play you can truly feel like you've entered Oz! -Free video games at the backbar along with other non-arcade perks: a photo booth, mini shuffleboard table, skee ball and darts. -LOTS of ways to get free tokens: check in on Yelp and get ten free tokens EVERY VISIT (this gets us into the door every time we're in the depot just to play a game or two). 2 tokens with every drink you order (we also received two tokens just by entering the establishment, but not sure that's a regular thing). Plus, download the Stealz App and get up to 15 tokens free with check-ins. Look on the ground, you'll probably find a token there too! Plus, always press start on the pinball machines before you put money in, you can sometimes get a free game that someone left! -Sweet drink specials! Whether you're there for their $1.00 mimosa Sundays (yes, it's really only $1.00, and yes they're pretty gross, but what a deal!) or their $5 pint with a shot on Sundays as well. The drink specials are stellar, and with twenty-four taps, there is something for every craft beer drinker! Boxcar's got some good things going for itself. It's an easy stop if you're in the depot and can be a quick in and out entertainment break for all ages and all skill levels. read more

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First off check-in on the Yelp app and you get 10 free tokens. Ummm awesome! My friend has been talking this place up for quite some time now, I was excited to finally give it a try. This place was exactly as I imagined, drinks, games, games, and more games. The bar staff was pretty quick to get everyone their drinks even though the place was slammed. It was a warm evening and I love that they keep the outside doors open and you can hang out and relax in the alley if you need a break from the arcade. Skee ball is of course a favorite of mine! As the night rolled on that area got crowded, but everyone played nice and waited in line for their turn. We played some other classic games as well including Mario Kart, air hockey, and your token shooting game or two. Great for a fun night out if you are looking for something a little different to do. read more

WHY HAVE I NEVER KNOWN ABOUT THIS PLACE UNTIL NOW???!! This place is FANTASTIC!! Found this place by accident as I was driving around the area, looking for parking. It's like Chuck E. Cheese's for adults, minus the screaming kids, smelly feet, some random person dressed in a creepy mouse costume, and ball pits. Instead, substitute all of those with a bar! This place is full of arcade games - everything from driving games (e.g. Inital D, Mario) to fighting games (e.g. Mortal Kombat, Tekken) to shooting games (e.g. House of the Dead) to air hockey to foosball to pinball games to cornhole to N64 and Nintendo games (e.g. Street Fighters, Sonic, Mario) and much, MUCH more!!! Plus, they also have a photo booth (doesn't accept tokens) AND beer! Seriously, if you're a true gamer, you MUST check this place out! It's a big venue with TONS of people during the weekend. Start yourself off with 10 tokens by checking into Yelp, then go CRAZY! You'll never hole yourself in your room ever again once you feast your eyes on the grandeur of this place. read more