The 8 Best Barcades in America

Barcades pair craft beer with a wall of classic cabinets and pinball. These are the spots that defined the format and keep the quarters dropping.

1. Barcade — The original — founded in Brooklyn 2004, now a multi-city chain pairing craft beer with curated classic arcade cabinets. The blueprint everyone copied.
2. Ground Kontrol — Portland's two-floor arcade-bar institution: 100+ classic cabinets, pinball, and themed nights. A pilgrimage stop for the retro crowd.
3. Emporium Arcade Bar — Chicago-born (Wicker Park) with locations in multiple cities — a huge floor of restored cabinets, pinball, and a deep craft list.
4. Coin-Op Game Room — San Francisco / San Diego — cocktails plus a tight, well-maintained lineup of classics and modern pinball.
5. Headquarters Beercade — Chicago — Skee-Ball, free-play cabinets, and a rotating beer wall in a high-energy room.
6. 16-Bit Bar+Arcade — Columbus, Ohio and the Midwest — free-play everything with a themed-drink menu. Quarters-free, vibe-heavy.
7. The 1UP — Denver — two locations of free-play arcade cabinets, pinball, and Skee-Ball with a full bar.
8. Player 1 Video Game Bar — Orlando — a dense, lovingly-maintained free-play floor that punches way above its size.

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