Emporium Arcade Bar
| Address: | 1366 N Milwaukee Ave, Chicago, IL 60622, USA |
| Phone: | +1 773-697-7922 |
| Site: | emporiumchicago.com |
| Rating: | 4.3 |
| Working: | 5PM–2AM 5PM–2AM 5PM–2AM 5PM–2AM 3PM–2AM 12PM–3AM 12PM–2AM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 12
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Alessandra Lo Basso
So fun. We went here for my husbands birthday and everyone had a blast. They have a ton of arcade games (if you grew up in the 80s/90s, its heaven) and a big craft beer selection. They also let you reserve tables BUT if a table is reserved they put a sign on it saying what time the reservation starts and informing you that you are free to sit there for now. Its a little thing, but I really appreciated that they do that for customers. Also, you can only play the arcade games with a token, but 1 token = .25 and all the games are only 1 token to play. Very cool of them. I prefer Emporium Arcade to Headquarters, actually, because since you are paying for the games you can actually PLAY. At Headquarters on a Saturday night you have no hope of ever getting to the good games.
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Steven Vargas
Ok, arcades werent exactly like this when I was a kid... I wish they were! I could head here with a pocket full of quartes and play pinball, missile command, asteroids, off-road... And, I can have a drink while doing it. :) This is one of the newer spots that opened up in 2012 in Wicker Park and its been a popular attraction ever since. It can get crowded in there on the weekend, but everyones having such a good time, you dont mind squeezing through to get to the boxing video game you played in the 90s... Theres bar right in the middle of the room and a few tables up front. Great vibe to the place. Arcade in Wicker Park. Great idea!
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Anthony Ramirez
I always leave with Tokens still in my pocket. Take em home, save them, and think "Ill use them next time" I never do. Drinks were moderately priced, and on a weekend the place can get crowded especially if they have an event or band playing as well. You have to pay for games but all games are 1 token. You get 4 for a dollar. This is more of a bar than an arcade. They want you to buy drink and games come later and feel like an afterthought. More arcades than pinball here. Still tho if youre in wicker and youre friends or gf/bf dont feel like going to the "clubs" to "dance" this is a nice alternative.
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alonzo nevarez
If there was anyway to give them negative stars I would! The arcade selection was great but the service was horrible. I spent over 300 dollars there on a birthday party and I was treated so rudely! I kept waiting patiently for the bartender to come take my order but instead I was ignored, when I tried to flag him down by raising my hand he told me " what do you want Im busy". Then my girlfriend coat was lost so we asked the bartender if anyone turned in a jacket, he then preceded to walk away from me and never came back. I will NEVER come back! Thank you for ruining the birthday celebration!
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kate swem
Went here for my December bday throw down and had a grand ol time. We found old school games like Qbert and Joust and delighted in forming a turtle team to play a three way game of TMNT. They reserve a table for you if you request in advance. Mine was smaller than I expected but it worked out fine as we were running around gaming. Big plus: You can grab food and bring it over. We had Antique Taco and other friends grabbed Harolds. Only minus: You pay for games and apparently Headquarters, a similar spit, offers free gaming. One of the better more relaxing bdays of my life!!
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Pete Bartleson
As someone who used to go to arcades pretty regularly in my youth, when I heard an Arcade BAR was moving into my neighborhood I was sold immediately. The best part about it, the place exceeded my expectations! They have an amazing selection of both beer and arcade games, and now with their expanded pinball section, they might as well just take all of my quarters now because that is where Ill be spending the majority of my weekends. Throw in the fact that they also allow you to bring in food, and you have one of my favorite spots in my neighborhood.
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A Private User
The sour beer was something special and a drink I wont forget to order the next time getting hammered pops up on the menu of my life. I cant say the same thing about the game N. A. R. C though, a game my brother and I had found ourselves both caught deep, stuck and lost in the muck of ugg. The 4th stage is impossible and annoying to the point I was going to beat the crap out of the stupid N. A. R. C machine... But instead walked away, leaving the frustration it brings to all who might play it Im its entirely and f words that come after.
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Aaron Melamed
I have been here a few times now and they were all good experiences. They have a great selection of beer and the taps are all lined up straight along the wall which I thought was pretty cool. They have a ton of games and always have a movie playing on a big screen. Seating is surprisingly easy to get here even though its limited because everyone is up and playing the arcade games. Dont bring quarters. I know that seems like bad advice since its an arcade/bar but they all take tokens and the machine takes bills.
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narni ilagan yoder
Pure awesomeness -- we hosted a birthday party with a group of about a dozen of us. Emporium reserved us some tables and we had a blast all night. Schooling your friends at retro games + BYOF* X tasty beers = magic. Only complaint is that one of the bartenders really scanned over serving us a couple times. I dont know if hes too tall to notice shorter people or what. Other than that, even when the place was fully packed, the wait at the bar wasnt too much of a hassle. *bring your own food
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John Wilkie
This is a pretty cool place and one of, if not the first, arcade bars in Chicagos north-side (aside from Dave and Busters, which I dont count for some reason because its a chain...does that make me a hipster?). They are a decent bar with a modest selection of games right there in Wicker Park. Anyone in the area looking for bars to hop to should definitely try this place out. The games are pay to play though, so bring some playing cash with (most games were about 1 token/25 cents to play).
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Paul Forbing
I generally like these types of bars (arcades and drinks). I found it difficult to order drinks. It doesnt feel like they have enough help behind the bar. It was noisier than I like and games are pay. To be fair, I am comparing to a competitor. I enjoy Beercade HQ on Chicago. The games there are free as long as your ordering drinks and the noise seems to be dissipated a little better so I can hear myself think. I will go to Emporium again though it will not be my first choice.
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Anthony Benitez
A great experience overall. I bought a Groupon that included 2 well drinks and 10 dollars worth of tokens for 12 bucks... For the most part all the games worked but some games controls would malfunction when playing more than 1 player. They had a live band playing which was unexpected and made it all the more fun. No food, no problem, they let you bring outside food, BYOF. They have a great selection of beer and the best retro arcade games. I will definitely be coming back.
