Barcade Philly Opens, Brooklyn Turns 7

Posted on October 10, 2011

 

Good times for east coast Barcade this week!

The original Barcade in Williamsburg, Brooklyn opened seven years ago, and will be celebrating its anniversary on Thursday, October 13.  But bigger news is that the third location just opened on Monday (today!) in Philadelphia.  It houses Asteroids Deluxe, along with a whole slew of other classic arcade games and good craft beer.  This follows on the heels of a Jersey City Barcade opening this past April, so if you’re meandering through the tri-state area with too many quarters and not enough pints, you know where to go.

Visit the Barcade website for more information about all three locations.

 

LA Barcade is back

Posted on September 22, 2010

369 N Western Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90004
Phone: 323-465-5045

LA’s Barcade is back, in its third location, right next door to the old one on Western Ave north of Beverly (369 N Western). No longer Miss T’s Barcade, it is now “The Blipsy.” Their opening night party flier says: “This third installment brings closure to all the questions raised from the previous Barcades. Probably the most complete of the trilogy.”

The bar is now one large room instead of three, blue instead of red, and has liquor in addition to beer. There’s no clear signage on the street: follow the pac-man dots to the door.

The Asteroids machine here is still our favorite. For more info, read the original LA Barcade Recon.

Recon: Barcade (Brooklyn)

Posted on July 08, 2010

388 Union Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11211 (map)
Phone: 718-302-6464
Website: www.barcadebrooklyn.com

This bar/arcade is a block from the Metropolitan Ave G Train in Williamsburg, with a serious emphasis on both bar and arcade. It’s a large space lined with classic games in excellent condition, plus a healthy selection of craft beers on tap. A Barcade High Scores board hangs above the games, and they host special beer and game events (like Wiimbleton) from time to time. There are tables in the back, and drink-rests between the games. It’s a good atmosphere, although sometimes too crowded to pull a quarter from your pocket.

The Asteroids machine is in great shape with a brilliant display, although the buttons are heavier than average and require strong wrists and fingers. Also, the high score table doesn’t reset when the power’s off, so you’d need to break 469,160 to enter your name.

At the time of writing, John McAllister (ELF) tops the house Asteroids chart with 2,222,240 points, set one month before he broke the 28 year-old world record in April, 2010, with a score of 41,838,740.

Barcade Brooklyn - Asteroids in center.

Ms T’s in LA is moving

Posted on July 02, 2010

I stopped by Ms T’s Barcade when visiting LA a few weeks ago, and found that Yelp rumors were true: the place had shut down. This is my favorite place to play Asteroids and the smoothest operating console I’ve touched, and I have to say, a part of me died. But good news — I talked with the guys from Very Be Careful who own the games when they were in New York for the weekend, and the word is that they’re moving next door to join forces with a place with a liquor license. Ricky says they should be open in less than a month.

Recon: Ms T’s Barcade (LA)

Posted on November 15, 2008

371 N Western Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90004 (map)
Phone: 323-465-5045

LA’s Barcade is a great dive bar with 80’s toys lining the walls. There are three rooms: the bar, the DJ room, and the back room with pinball and Asteroids. Sometimes the place is empty. Sometimes it’s packed. They have movie night (80’s classics) on Tuesday if you show up early. It’s a small but solid collection of classic games, and one of my favorite places in LA. It’s also the best Asteroids machine I’ve played to date. It has great button response and a brilliant display.

The only signage is a neon Pac-Man ghost, a block north of Beverly on Western, across from that giant modern KFC.

LA Barcade

The excellent Asteroids console in the back room of Ms T's Barcade.

Ms T's Sign LA Barcade LA Barcade

[Sept 21, 2009 update: Barcade has moved next door, and is now called The Blipsy”]