The food at Continues Arcade is punching well above it's weight class, and I'm here for it. Reservations are a must if you plan on dining in on a Friday night or weekend evening. The bar is fairly small and that can fill up too during peak hours, so making a reservation a few days beforehand is the best. I like to order their veggie burger, buffalo chicken wings, chicken tenders, or steak frites. The salad that comes with the steak frites has an amazing, lite dressing that I wish I knew how to make. The food has always been great and the service is extremely attentive. Within the last couple of months they've added mocktails to their bar menu which is great if you're sober or under 21 and want something more than water, lemonade (which is good there!), or a non-alcoholic beer. A pro move is to order the arcade tokens with your meal so you can close out your tab all at once. I love playing their pinball machines after the meal as a fun way to end the night. They've also got two skee ball lanes, two racing games, and a few shooters. A lot of it is nostalgic and great for kids and adults alike. It should be noted they have some "adult swim" nights where customers under 21 are not allowed. However, those typically don't start until 8 PM. They'll post these nights ahead of time on their website, social media, and front door. I've never had a bad meal, bad service, bad drink, or bad time in the arcade area. The only negative experience to note was the TV sound volume during the World Cup third place match. It was almost deafeningly loud, and pretty safe to say everyone knew it including the staff due to how everyone had to almost yell to be heard. I guess it was so kitchen and backroom staff could hear. The TV volume or music has never been that loud on any other visit, so I write it off as a one-off. read more

See all

While I enjoy living in Arlington, I gotta say it's a bit depressing and that a majority of the bars in Arlington are either sports bars or pubs. The lack of a fun barcade feels a bit depressing. That's why I love that GameOn is in DC on U St and especially that Continues Arcade in Alexandria exists!!! Continues Arcade is fairly new and it's been a wonderful edition to the suite of bars in the DC Metro region. The owners are active on the business' TikTok page and I enjoy it a lot. You can tell they really enjoy video games. As a former full time reporter that worked at The Verge and IGN it's always refreshing to see business owners so engaged and passionate about gaming and turn that passion into an arcade to celebrate the games of yesteryear. Especially given the ongoing memory shortage that's causing gaming consoles to spike up to unprecedented numbers and no signs of the price of hardware going down. Nevertheless, Continues Arcade offers community gaming fun. With an expansive menu of food and drinks, solid hours, parking nearby, and an 8-10 min walk from the Braddock Rd metro station, this location is ideal for multiple options of travel whether you're driving, rideshare or public transit. I really enjoyed their selection of arcade machines. Space Invaders, Crazy Taxi, Dance Dance Revolution, even the The House of the Dead 2 is on-site!! I like that they are also taking feedback on arcade machines they want customers to look into tracking down with a form to complete and all! Seriously I can't recommend this place enough. If they ever feel compelled to expand I pray to god they look into opening a location in Arlington!! read more

Continues Arcade - Crazy Taxi and The House of the Dead 2 cabinets! - Bars Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

We had a great time bringing our nephew and his friends here for lunch. The retro arcade was a lot of fun, although it was a bit crowded during our visit. The menu offered a wide variety of options, and everything we tried was excellent. I ordered the fried catfish sandwich, which was delicious, though a little challenging to eat without making a mess. Definitely worth it, though. I'd happily return for a similar outing. The only thing to keep in mind is the table time limit. I completely understand why they have it--it helps prevent people from camping at tables--but it does create a bit of "clock anxiety." If you're planning to eat and play games, it's probably easier to focus on one and then the other rather than trying to do both at the same time. Overall, a fun spot with great food and a nostalgic arcade atmosphere. read more

Food is good. Loved the cookie dough croissant and blackberry Rickey drink, good coffee. Service is good. Space is smaller than expected however staff is very nice and accommodating. Great for hanging out or parties. read more

A fun night out led us to Continues Arcade & Bar, and it was definitely a vibe. The retro gaming theme and décor set the mood right away, with classic arcade machines all around and a small game room that makes it feel nostalgic in the best way. Unfortunately, I didn't make it in time to try the food since the kitchen closes at 11 pm, but I did get to try some of their cocktails. My favorite was the Polybius -- sweet, fruity, and easy to enjoy while gaming. We went all out playing games until closing time and had a great time. The staff was also incredibly nice, which made the experience even better. My only small pet peeve is the early closing time -- when you're having fun, you definitely wish the night could go a little longer. read more

See all

Love this spot, great add to the Alexandria neighborhood. Bartenders and servers are super friendly and welcoming, perfect spot for any night of the week to hang out and enjoy the huge selection of vintage games they have. Full service liquor bar and food menu, Continues offered everything we needed for a fun night out. read more

See all

I took my four year old and one year old. I thought it was a place for kids but it is actually a bar for adults nostalgic for arcades of their youth. Totally misread the vibe but actually still pretty kid friendly. My son the four year old had a blast still asks to go back. He got pretty good at skee ball. The food is better than I thought it would be. Delicious fries and burgers! They have tater tots! As well as mexican coke!! read more

See all

It fills up fast - reservations on the weekend may be required if you want to luck into a table. You can generally still get to the arcade but be ready for some angling and crowded play. The unfortunate part is their arcade floor area is very cramped so getting there off peak is key to a fun time with little elbow rubbing. They have active efforts to keep their games up and running and you may see them working on things as maintenance and repair on old games is a real thing! The plays can be cheap, but be sure to watch out a lot of the machines have broken coin slots or will "eat" your tokens. For a group - if crowded keep it small as most of the games are 2 person at best, the few 4+ are your '90s staples. In the food area they have some cubbies for couch - n64 and older games up front. Well worth a visit; parking in rear when crowded - and you'll have to walk around the block to get in. Tip for the parking lot: if raining watch where you park as it turns into a bit of a lake, so avoid the back left edge. read more

Continues Arcade - Godzilla pinball in the pinball back side. - Bars Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Fun arcade in alexandria. Very crowded with families and others on a Saturday at 1:00pm. Lots of good pinball machines and video games. Kind of tight quarters between some of the games. I will likely come back soon for another visit. Note: on Saturday, two hours of free parking in the garage next door. read more

Continues Arcade - Video Game - Asteroids - Bars Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

See all

Love, love, love Continues! This was our second time back and yes it was even better than the first! We made an online reservation and again ended up there on a Saturday evening. Parked in the same spot as last time (garage located next door, Park Mobile pay). Our waitress, Nicki was amazing! She was very attentive and made sure our orders were placed quickly and our drinks were full. She also took note of food allergies and sensitivities, another plus. I ordered the same thing this time, "The Game Boy". I'm a real fan of the aioli spread. And my food came out hot!!!!My partner ordered the "Neo Geo Pocket", a fried chicken sandwich with toppings and a flavorful sweet and spicy Gochujang sauce. He loved the sauce and mentioned that it was very flavored well, the batter was crispy, and the bread was soft. I also tried the house lemonade. It was pretty good. The only thing that could've made it better was fresh lemon slices or some type of garnish. After we finished eating we purchased tokens and headed for the games. There was a good amount of people this time, but not as packed as it was last time. Perfect! I played Outrun 2, pinball, and one of the shooting games. Also got to check out the very back room where the Dance Revolution was located as well as a small deck with seating for about 10? Not sure if this area has to be reserved separately but with the nice weather coming up it would be great for a group. Thank you, Nicki, for the amazing service and thank you Continues for bringing back memories of those early 2000's Saturday nights as a teen! I'll definitely be back again! Tips: -Make reservations online through Resy. -Start with 10 tokens, most games are 1-2 tokens. -Nicki offers "Power-Up Yoga" on the patio some Sundays. I'm looking forward to checking this out. -They also offer breakfast. -Family friendly, but there is a bar. read more

See all

It's been said old shopping malls should be converted into retirement communities for Generation X. Anyone considering that advice should use Continues Arcade as a template for making the idea work. Imagine some kids from the 8-Bit Era playing games in their room talking about building the ultimate game room and what that might look like: Lots of then-current (now classic) stand up arcade games, plenty of couches and other seating with console games, a section with good food, and another area in the back with even more games. Those kids grew up and made that a well-executed passion project here. As an example, wanting to stay on theme, I wore a T-shirt with the C64 startup screen. One of the owner's was there, saw it, told me he still has his Commodore in the back room, and gave me some tokens! Continues drips with classic gaming easter eggs, from the menu names to items displayed in the bar top. I lost count how many times I thought, "I haven't seen this in forever!" Beyond the nostalgia, Continues is a legit bar and grill. The Black Materia will appeal to anyone liking a good Manhattan or smoked cocktails; Great Fairy Fountain is as fragrant and attractive as refreshing; Polybius is summer in a glass - and, despite the name, not hallucination inducing. The food options are top-end gastropub classics. Even someone that doesn't like video games (if such a person exists...) would still find Continues worth a visit. To top it off, all the staff are very friendly and there's a covered garage for parking right next door. read more

See all

Food - 8/10 Drinks - 7/10 Server - 9/10 Vibes - 5/10 "Director of operations" - -9000/10 Generally it was an ok experience with decent food and with some cool game selection. Where the experience went wrong was around the rudeness/aggressiveness from the manager, or sorry "director of operations". She made a spectacle of moving us to a larger table to be able to charge us gratuity which is obv a standard practice. She could have nicely told us this and we would have happily done so. Now we will not be returning and will make sure our company doesn't bring folks there. read more

Really cool concept but more of a bar than arcade, which is unfortunate because there are lots of bars in the area with way better food. The burger wasn't good, our server did mention it was the end of the night so the kitchen was out of things and in a hurry; however someone in my party got 2 top buns on their burger which is sloppy in my opinion. Nice drink selection and presentation, everyone was extremely pleased with the cocktails. Service with Tae is pleasant. The dinning area is open & spacious, but the arcade is tight & cramped. I wish they focused more on the arcade aspect, that's what will set them apart from the rest. Games are affordable compared to Dave & Busters. read more

Continues Arcade - Bacon Cheddar Burger - Bars Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Went here for lunch with friends on a Sunday and it was fun! I thought the food was pretty good but the nice thing is you have a table and can leave your coat etc there while you go play the games. Our waitress checked on us for drinks while we were playing the games and that was cool too. It is a bit expensive - for 2 lunches and 4 beers with tip it was $100 (not counting what we paid for the tokens). But I would definitely come back for drinks and games. read more

Continues Arcade - Table seating - Bars Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Came here for a belated birthday and we had a blast! We were seated right away and Nicki, our server, was amazing! She was very attentive and made sure we had everything throughout our time there. She explained how tokens, food and drinks worked, then we got to playing games! Can't wait to go back!! read more

See all

Continues is a totally awesome throwback gaming experience with an upscale, yet approachable restaurant vibe. My husband and I stopped by on a Saturday night and were glad we had a reservation because this place is definitely popular. The menu is clearly inspired by a professional chef and they also offer a full bar. We enjoyed the food and cocktails. The gaming experience is so fun. The nostalgia is in full effect, to include two mock living room corners with game consoles and couches. We met the owner and he mentioned that are planning to expand the arcade games area in the future. There is also a parking garage conveniently located next door. We will definitely be back. Thanks! read more

See all

Stopped by after a dinner date and couldn't be more excited about this place! You get a good amount of tokens for your money, and there's always something open for you to play. When I went, the most popular game was Time Crisis 4... just like it was in the arcades years ago. There's lots of rom for sitting and there are cup holders near every machine. I needed up doing a few rounds of Tekken Tag, played some Crazy Taxi, and watched someone absolutely dominate DDR. They also have food and drinks. There's a 100% chance I will revisit Continues Arcade and you should make sure you do too! read more

Visited here for the first time tonight. It was a 45-minute wait, but we got some tokens and played games until our table was ready. It was the best time I've ever had waiting for a table! There was a good variety of games, and the cost was very reasonable. My expectations for the food and service were low since I thought the games were supposed to be the main draw, but both blew me away! The kale asian peanut salad was perfectly portioned and well dressed. The short rib grilled cheese was done to perfection and really flavorful. The only dish that was not a 10 out of 10 was the fried pickles. They use sandwich stackers instead of spears, which makes the pickle to breading ratio off. Other than that small note, I thought everything else was fantastic. Our server, Nicki, was welcoming, knowledgeable, and attentive. We will definitely be back! read more

Continues Arcade - Kale salad - Bars Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

See all

Got a morning glory muffin and pistachio latte. Both were great! Amazing walk up service, and they have a decent selection for breakfast and lunch options when you don't have time to go in for the arcade at dinner time. They even have a water bowl for pups to sit outside. It was a great option while waiting for my vehicle to be done at the car wash across the street. read more

Continues Arcade - Spring specials - Bars Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

See all

As an experienced barcade-goer with favorites in both NYC and Chicago, I was seriously underwhelmed. This establishment is unfortunately at the very bottom of my list. I was so excited for this place. Stepping inside, it felt like little more than a random warehouse that someone tossed some games into. There was absolutely no atmosphere or "vibe" to speak of...just bright, unflattering lights and a general sense of disorganization. It was also unbearably hot inside, making it hard to enjoy the games. The games are tucked in the back with not enough space for people to even walk around you. I kept getting bumped into while playing. Speaking of which, the game selection was fine, but nothing special or unique. Skeeball machine was done along with a few other games. The lack of attention to detail was apparent everywhere, right down to the sticky, liquid-stained menu. This barcade needs to establish a clear identity and clean up its act. read more

We hit up Continues last weekend for their grand opening. We could tell they are still working on some tweaks. But, overall we had a great time! We sat down for dinner at one of their high top tables. There was a band playing on the stage near us, so it was very loud. It was super hard to hear our friends. We could hardly hear our waiter as well. We ordered the fried pickles and they were mostly breading, very little pickle. I had the short rib grilled cheese and really enjoyed it. The short rib was tender and flavorful. It was super cheesy with crispy edges. The au jus dipping sauce was also flavorful. It was so crave-able for sure! My husband and friends enjoyed their food too. They had the patty melt and fried chicken sandwich. We got 40 tokens each for $10 to play some games. The arcade was a bit smaller than we'd hoped and mostly pinball machines. But, we had fun playing the retro games!! The Pac-Man was our favorite. Thanks for a fun retro evening! read more

The food is good, the games are awesome and the service will get better! Extra sauce should not be extra charge, just saying. Can't wait for the Grand Opening! read more

See all

The staff was super friendly. The food was decent. And the games are ok. Many of the pinball machines weren't working or weren't working well. It's loud in here so be prepared for that. There's a lot of high tables and some low arcade tables to eat at. The low tables have couches to sit at. There's elevated areas on the corners with retro TVs and game systems which could be rented out for parties. My mushroom burger was very hard to eat, it kept sliding when I bit into it. read more

See all

Continues Arcade is an arcade, restaurant, and bar, all in one - Are you a lover of old-school arcade games? You've found the place! They have Ms. Pac-Man, Gauntlet, Donkey Kong, and Mortal Kombat! YAS! The food is pretty solid, too - the menu includes shareables, salads, and burgers & sandwiches. We started off with: +Sheet Tray Nachos - tortilla chips topped with house queso, shredded cheese, BBQ crema, pickled red onions, radishes, black beans, and jalapenos; we opted out of the cilantro; you can also add cauliflower or chicken tinga, too +the Bob-Omb Shrimp - shrimp dressed with sriracha sweet chili sauce and chili crunch, topped with daikon, papaya, peppers, Kewpie mayo, and crushed peanuts +Blanka's Pickles - battered dill slices with horesradish mayo and dill ranch For our mains, we ordered: +the Atari Lynx - short rib and mozzarella in between sourdough +the PS Vita - 1/4 lb patty topped with bordelaise braised mushrooms, caramelized onions, tomatoes, bibb lettuce, and truffle mayo the space is pretty spacious with ample seating - loved the tufted leather couches! The staff are friendly and attentive; food came out piping hot, which is a total plus! Such a great time to be had here - great for get-togethers or a date night; pretty awesome for gamers! There's garage and street parking available. +old-school arcade games! +shareables and eats! +friendly staff & service +garage and street parking available read more

Was in and out of here. Didn't have the food but seemed like a good environment and a cool bar to hang out at. I'd come here again. Service up front was pretty good. read more

As a few other reviews mentioned, the game space is pretty limited and tight to walk through. If you're into pinball, there are plenty of options, but I imagine a few of those machines would be better served as consoles instead. I wish they had a larger space to work with, so they could increase the game selection. The service was fine and food was what you'd expect from a "grown up" arcade. read more

- Amazingly friendly staff; so many people came up and spoke with us and checked in to see if we needed anything throughout our time. - Setup has real cool vibe, and there's plenty of space, comfy seating, and just cool things to look at all over. - The mix of games is pretty perfect. Some great really old-school stuff, and some stuff I recognize from the '90s like X-Men and Turtles and so much more. A great blend of fighters, shooters, pinball, and more. - The food is tasty. It leans in the bar food direction, and I do wish there were a few more healthful options. Unfortunately they were out of the shrimp salad and the other salad doesn't have meat. (Gotta hit those protein macros!) I gave in and got the bacon cheeseburger though, and it was cooked to perfection (I ordered it medium), and the crinkle cut fries definitely brought back childhood Ore Ida memories. - The feeling of using real tokens (custom, shiny gold ones at that) is just a blast; haven't experienced that in years due to everywhere using tap-to-play cards nowadays. - There's still a few little kinks to work out, like a couple machines didn't work when we put tokens in, but that's to be expected during a soft opening! - I do wish there was a way to see the Polybius room (apparently there's some cool stuff in there?) without booking a party; the idea of a hidden door is really cool. I thought maybe there were clues in the arcade for the code and we tried for like 20 minutes trying to get it open, then I finally asked a guy, and he was like, "Oh no, there's no clues, we give out the code if you book a birthday party." One cool thing though is they can customize the sound that plays when the door opens if your party is, say, Zelda themed. Overall -- super awesome addition to the northern Virginia community, and I'm very appreciative of the owner and his hospitality as well. Excited to come back soon. read more

See all

This place could be much better. Too many large dining tables and not enough games. It is very cramped in the game area. Nearly impossible to get past the pinball machines at times. It is also very loud. Could benefit from adults-only after a certain time. Service was friendly, but overall the food was very mid. Nachos were dry and not appealing at all. Burger was good. I feel they could downsize this menu and focus on just some of the good bar food items. Some of the other items seem off for an arcade restaurant (mussels? papaya salad?). read more

Everything!!! The place was incredible the vintage games were everywhere and the retro 80's look was phenomenal. There are secrets there that you need to see to believe...they are awesome believe me. The staff was welcoming and took great care of us!!! Go check this place out!!!!! The food was delicious the burgers were delicious read more

Definitely try to get a reservation if you want a table. We had a small get together here. The hostess was very kind and worked with us since everyone else ended up canceling and our friend was even late. They still let us sit and order while we waited for our friend. We got there at 5:15 PM, and they let you have a table for 90 minutes, then you must free it up for other reservations. By 6:30, the place was packed. The food was okay. We ordered the nachos and melted smashed burger. I felt the burger was a little sloppily put together, but the nachos were great. I just wish there was a cheese sauce or something instead of shredded cheese...I could hardly tell there was any. The pickled onions were nice, and I think they'd also pair with the burger, and I loved the microgreens. The game selection was okay: Ninja Turtles,, X-Men, Pac-Man, Skeeball (just started to work after we left), a row of pinball machines, and a bunch of others, which is nice and fun, but all very crammed together. This place is fun for the nostalgia, but I wish it were spread out a bit more or had anchored tables to the wall for smaller parties and easier walk-through areas. When walking around, I'd have to ask people at the tables to move in just a bit to squeeze past them. Parking was horrible in the area, but that's not the establishment's fault. I definitely still left with a bunch of coins because of the wait time for wanting to play the games and people not really budging or having arcade etiquette. I enjoyed my time here and will definitely be back during the day to use up my coins. read more

See all

Before commencing my review, I caveat by saying that this was their soft opening and that it seems like management is serious about improvement as they become more established. Visited during their "Beta Test" with a friend and was delighted warmly greeted and seated. What became apparent was how much effort they were putting into the retro video game theme; from the menu items to the "Rated M" hand stamps for adults attendees, to the gamerization of corporate terms like "Beta Test" for soft opening, it's clear how much effort they were putting in. The dining area floorspace had a bar with TV's playing both sports as well as episodes of classic animes like Yu-Gi-Oh, and little lounge areas set up like parlors with mock game consoles set up and console gameplay clips playing on analog TVs. The arcade was mostly in the back, save for a handful of games in the dining area. Being from Buffalo, NY myself, I ordered the Pilotwings and a local porter. The eight wings were dredged in a homemade buffalo sauce which was spicy and flavorful, although it was begging for some blue cheese which I was told they didn't have yet, and that they only had ranch dressing. They were topped with pickled carrots/celery which wasn't a bad addition. My biggest grievance was how expensive my order was. Between the beer ($10), wings ($18) and tax/tip, the total came out to almost $35. Alexandria isn't a cheap city, and all for spending a few dollars more to support a small business that house makes its own fare, but over two dollars per wing without blue cheese (which I was told would be extra once they had it), and $10 for a beer that retails at $3 per bottle seems a bit extortionate. As for the arcade: A system glitch meant that we had to reschedule for a later date, and they gave us some complimentary game tokens as compensation, which was greatly appreciated. I was impressed by the initial selection they had, including almost a dozen retro pinball games, Skee-ball, Pac-Man, space shooters, classic beat 'em ups, a few driving games (Crazy Taxi, my love! *All I Want by The Offspring blares internally*), and a number of light gun shooters as well. And holy hell, was I humbled remembering how difficult many of them were. Granted, not all of the promised titles are in-house yet, so I hope they'll have able to add some more driving, FPS, and other retro titles like Dance Dance Revolution soon. I am a bit concerned if/how they intend to expand their game selection or floorspace, given that the current layout is rather compact and it doesn't look like they have the room to add much more. Overall, this place certainly has potential, and you can see the love and passion behind its conception and execution. I just hope management is willing to address some of the growing pains this soft opening is bringing to light. Hopeful to have the chance to stop by again soon. read more

Continues Arcade - Pilotwings (sans Blue Cheese) and a Port City Porter - Bars Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Fun drinks, good food and lots of fun Would come back again Lots of classic games to play read more

See all

Went here tonight for a happy hour event and it was incredible; they have a fantastic selection of games and the food is great.

We visited the Warp Zone breakfast window and it was great! I enjoyed the butterscotch latte and he enjoyed the cortado. They have Swing's coffee here which is awesome, and the service was fast and friendly. Will return to try the breakfast burrito sometime! read more

Didn't get the chance to try the food or games! We waited in line to enter and went to the bar due to the wait for a table. Bar staff were inattentive and rude. We took our business elsewhere. If service is important to you, I wouldn't recommend. read more

The servers for the food are amazing people and extremely kind!!! Lovvvve everyone here! The arcade selections are ones that will always be remembered in the gaming community. The vibe of the place and the aesthetic is on point! I will always come back to Continues! Looking forward to creating many more great memories here. Keep up the amazing work everyone! read more

For starters, the Ms. Packman machine that my wife was really looking forward to playing was dark and broken. Many of the 80s arcade games were the boring variety and not what I'd consider classic in any way, although they did have Donkey Kong, and DK junior. Also Centipede. But no Space Invaders. Big disappointment! A few pinball machines, but not really the classics. Space is cramped. We were in and out in 10 minutes . read more

The food, service, and vibes were amazing. I definitely reccomend to come visit them for a fun date night, or a get together with the friends! read more

Continues Arcade - Bars Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

The food was great and the vibes are even better! Love the selection of games and the price for them. The Atari Lynx (short rib grilled cheese) was tasty and our server Ryan was super kind and helpful. Can't wait to return read more

Continues Arcade - Short Rib Grilled Cheese - Bars Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

Love this place! The secret? The food. The fun? The games! It's a great spot to take your kids while you sip on adult beverages. We go here at least once a week. read more