Barcade, Barcade in Fistown Philadelphia, Arcades in Philadelphia

Step Back In Time At The Barcade In Fishtown Philadelphia

December 19, 2011 By Stephen Gallo

The Barcade In Fishtown Philadelphia

Barcade in Fishtown Philadelphia has combined a great draft beer selection and a menu consisting of food you don’t typically see at your local bar with old fashion arcade games. Just don’t let the outside fool you, because the inside is totally hip.

There once was a time when we didn’t have Playstations or cell phones with games that you can play whenever you feel like. Whether you’re downloading a game on your phone or playing at home, nothing compares to playing a classic arcade game. I’m talking about Donkey Kong, Ms. Pac-Man, Arkanoid, etc. The best way to play the classics is on a classic arcade cabinet.

The Barcade Experience and Atmopshere

Walking through the front door, I was greeted with a comfortable, lowly lit bar room. The wall facing the front door tells you what’s on tap that day. Barcade is known for it’s microbrew selection, touting at least twenty five different varieties on tap daily. This is a great touch and always something I look forward to when going to a new place. Along with your standard bottles of liquor and a nice wine selection, there was a fair amount of front bar seating to be had if you were there strictly to get a drink and/or a quick bite to eat.

What I liked best about Barcade, was that the games were separate and just off to the right, in a much bigger room. Almost as if to not push the games onto everyone who walked through the door, Barcade let’s you make your way into the gaming room if that’s what you’re there for. They give you the choice of what kind of night you want to have. If you want to grab a drink and then run, you can. However, if you want to revisit some childhood memories of Paperboy and Tetris, then step right this way.

When entering the game room, most of the games align the outside walls, so the middle of the room was prime eating/drinking or people watching space. One thing I wish they had was at least one more change machine since they only have one at this time. It would be more convenient for those busier nights.

Now let’s get to the most important thing; the games! Barcade currently has thirty five classic arcade games in house. I was most excited to play Burger Time and Tapper. Sadly, a few of the games were temporarily out of order, including Tapper, which was disheartening. I can understand that these games are older and probably harder and more costly to upkeep, but hopefully they get up and running quickly to avoid future disappointment. The fact that every game was only a quarter really helps keep that old school feel alive. I was very happy to see that.

The crowd at Barcade was exactly what I expected. The late twenties to early thirties demographic was out in full force, trying to get a shot at reaching the high score on their favorite childhood game and make the huge “High Score” chalk board hanging in the game room. Yup, they even post all the current games’ high scores in the bar for all to see. Pretty cool touch if you ask me. Unfortunately, my attempts to land the Burger Time top score were pretty abysmal. Lack of practice, I suppose.

All in all, I’m thrilled to see a place like Barcade open up in the Fishtown Philadelphia area. We have current generation arcades all over, so it’s nice to step back in time to play the classics and enjoy a nice atmosphere with a good drink. Maybe one of these days you’ll even see my name up there on the top scores. Game on.

Barcade Extras

25 beers on tap (no bottles)
35 arcade games
25 cent arcade games – A true bang for your buck.
Happy Hour | Monday – Friday | Open – 7 pm
Happy Hour Specials | $1.00 off beer and well drinks
Lunch Specials | Fridays & Sundays | noon – 5:00 pm | $10 – Choice of any sandwich, beer & chips