Barcade is a chain of arcade bars with locations in the northeastern United States, Los Angeles, and Detroit. First opened in Brooklyn on October 1, 2004, the venues feature a mix of classic
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
s and
pinball
Pinball games are a family of games in which a ball is propelled into a specially designed table where it bounces off various obstacles, scoring points either en route or when it comes to rest. Historically the board was studded with nails call ...
and serve American
craft beer
Craft beer is a beer that has been made by craft breweries. They produce smaller amounts of beer, typically less than large breweries, and are often independently owned. Such breweries are generally perceived and marketed as having an emphasis o ...
s.
History
The first Barcade opened in 2004 in a former metal shop at 388 Union Avenue in the Williamsburg section of
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
, and features a combination of vintage arcade games and American craft beers. The company is owned and operated by four long-time friends: brothers Kevin Beard and Scott Beard, Pete Langway and Paul Kermizian (director of ''
American Beer
Beer in the United States is manufactured by more than 7,000 breweries, which range in size from industry giants to brew pubs and microbreweries. The United States produced 196 million barrels () of beer in 2012, and consumes roughly of bee ...
'').
The combination of classic video games and craft beer proved successful, and the brand expanded into
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, Pennsylvania. Barcade later opened two locations in
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
, including a location in St. Mark's Place. Over the next two years, locations opened in
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...
and
Newark, New Jersey
Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Detroit, Michigan
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...
and
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
. The Los Angeles location opened in May 2019. After a long delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Detroit location opened in August 2021.
Barcade registered its name as a federal trademark in 2007, and has successfully defended it in court, while also becoming well known for aggressively pursuing any infringements on the mark.
Notable patrons
A number of world record holders for classic games frequent the Brooklyn Barcade location, including Hank Chien, who set the world record in ''
Donkey Kong
is a video game franchise created by Shigeru Miyamoto and owned by Nintendo. It follows the adventures of a gorilla named Donkey Kong (character), Donkey Kong and his clan of other Ape, apes and monkeys. The franchise primarily consists of plat ...
'' with a score of 1,061,700 in March 2010. George Leutz set the world record on ''
Q*bert
''Q*bert'' (also known as ''Qbert'') is an arcade video game developed and published for the North American market by Gottlieb in 1982. It is a 2D action game with puzzle elements that uses isometric graphics to create a pseudo-3D effect. The ...
'' in February 2013 with a score of 37,163,080 after spending years practicing on the machine in Brooklyn's Barcade. Joshua Lombay set the world record for the 1984 Midway game ''
Timber
Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...
'' in June 2013 with a score of 9,767,550 after having discovered the game and playing for the first time at Barcade in Brooklyn."Joshua Lombay: Timber World Record Falls"