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Oh man. Could you have posted this 2 days ago so we wouldn't have missed it?!? Rats.

http://www.eatingintranslation.com/2013/02/meatloaf-a-thon.html

Just passing along the information.

Barcade, a combination beer bar and video arcade, has ribbon cutting in downtown Jersey City

Published: Monday, August 08, 2011, 3:00 AM
By Stephanie Musat/ The Jersey Journal



A room with 34 video game machines is paradise for any kid circa 1989.

The Barcade, a combination tavern and video game room, which has opened in downtown Jersey City.

Add a rotating selection of 25 different kinds of beer, and you have Barcade, a new establishment that hopes to attract those same kids, now grown up, and their younger cousins (21 and older), lured by the games people played when there were still new episodes of ?Saved by The Bell.?


?It?s great to play these original, old-school games and have a beer at the same time,? said Katrina Spiratos, who was trying to avoid Pinky in the Ms. Pac-Man game, while at the same time balancing a tumbler. ?Plus, it?s only a quarter. Can you believe that? Just a quarter.?

The Barcade, at 163 Newark Ave., held an official ribbon-cutting ceremony Friday. The Jersey City Historic Downtown Special Improvement District supplied the giant scissors as Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy welcomed the bar into the neighborhood.

The mayor said the only game he recognized was pinball.

?Many young people are going to like this place,? Healy said. ?It?s popular in Brooklyn, and now it?s here. I can see it being very popular for the young people here.?

The Barcade is a transplant from Brooklyn where the original concept had a dual focus: a rotation of American craft beer and an equally eclectic lineup of classic arcade games.

Co-owner Paul Kermizian said he thought the Brooklyn model would fit well in the Downtown Jersey City scene. Since its opening three months ago, it seems he was right.

The reception has been ?better than good,? Kermizian said.

The bar has 34 video game machines and boasts a rotating 25-beer tap. As soon as one beer runs out, a different type is put in, Kermizian said.

The addition of the bar is a sign that the area is beginning to form an identity, said Nikol Floros, executive director of Jersey City Historic Downtown Special Improvement District. Since the bar opened, Barcade has sponsored several events and participated in HDSID programs, Floros said.

?They are adding to the community in many ways,? Floros said. ?It?s a great addition.? The Barcade is open from Sunday to Thursday from noon to 2 a.m., and Friday and Saturday from noon to 3 a.m.

I've been biting my tongue, but I must say, I love this place, I love the wide open layout, the Incredible selections of beers and the games are FUN!! And lots of cute guys - what more could a girl want?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuInkEF_dQg

lines aside, I do like the bar and wish them well.

I'm sure that line is there on purpose.

It makes it look the place to be -- which is actually very smart.

The first weekend had very long lines. I passed on it.

A couple of weeks later there were still lines but I decided to wait. It took about 5 minutes to get in. All they are doing is controlling traffic flow and making sure that people can get in. It's pretty crowded on a weekend night but you have enough space to get around because they didn't pack it in.

It's not like they are trying to weed out the "wrong people."

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And Mozz stix with marinara!

maybe bagel bitez?

Hot pocketz?

Agreed. I liked the innovative menu. The little salami sandwiches as well as the crustini were great. The chef is classically trained and its great for him to show off his skills and challenge mediocrity. Simple tasty food, does not all need to come out of the freezer and then right into the deep fryer.

I love that they are trying to do something different. Beer selection was great, without being overwhelming. It was also nice playing some old school Contra.

The crowd was a bit mixed, kind of mash up of vibes. Once it finds it's sea legs it will be great. Kind of reminded me of DBA with video games. Maybe its the chalk boards.

I was there in the afternoon. Could be a solid spot for Funday Sunday, once their is seating outside. Have to check it out at night.

I think its a great addition and hope it might inspire other local innovative businesses on the block. Would love a solid gastro pub, that has just a few tvs to watch the game. Don't want it to be frat-tastic, just adventurous simple food. Good beers and bourbons.

went for the first time this weekend. not sure what to make of it. friday was crowded but not overly packed. not a huge wait to play any of the games. scene was very sterile...kind of hard to describe. i didnt like the fact that they were blaring music; they should have it softer to encourage conversation, or just get rid of it altogether.

i went back saturday night and the line was 15-20 people deep, so i went elsewhere. overall a great addition to the neighborhood, as that stretch of newark ave is now more heavily trafficked on fri / sat night, but it's not my top choice for a JC bar

Barcade review: Jersey City bar attracts crowds with vintage video games Friday, May 13, 2011 By Mark Maurer The Star-Ledger Barcade, offering food, beer and arcade games, opened in downtown Jersey City last month. They enter with pockets of clanging quarters and a thirst for Pilsner lagers. In a building with a glass fa?ade and plain white walls, they use joysticks and press stiff buttons on antique machines below a chalkboard of high scores mounted overhead. Patrons of Barcade, which opened last month in downtown Jersey City, represent a new kind of Jersey bar crowd, drawn to a venue where vintage arcade games outnumber the on-tap craft beers 33 to 25. In a state without Dave & Buster's (the food-and-arcade chain) or Brooklyn's old-school gaming at dives, this video games-and-alcohol combo stands out. It joins Jersey City bar-restaurants such as Skinner's Loft, LITM (Love is the Message), Lucky 7 Tavern and Bar Majestic as an unofficial hangout for hipster professionals. Barcade is the offshoot of an establishment with the same name in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood; a third location is slated to launch in Philadelphia by July. The five co-owners also run the Williamsburg bar and bowling alley the Gutter. The Brooklyn operation opened in 2004, the same year as the release of filmmaker and Barcade co-owner Paul Kermizian's feature-length indie "American Beer," which documented a craft-beer road trip he took with friends. The initiative for a gaming outlet arose from parties at Kermizian's one-bedroom townhouse apartment, cluttered with arcade cabinets of Mappy, Zaxxon, Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man and Tetris; for him and his pals, Barcade became an extension of collective nostalgia and high spirits. "We try to have it be as close to the same feel while staying true to the space," says Kermizian, 36, a Bound Brook native. "It's like a baby. You've got to let it grow up a bit, and we want the customers to be a part of that." Star Wars, BurgerTime, Millipede, Golden Axe and the other games generate only about 7 percent of Barcade's profit, so the businesses also banks on quality beer. Draft selections, such as Dogfish Head Hellhound and Founders Imperial Stout, change daily. Video: Mash up of beer and video games at Barcade takes patrons to a whole new level Alcoholic drinks and bar food served in a classic arcade setting gives patrons of Barcade in Jersey City a unique dining and gaming experience. The menu makes Barcade seem like a diner where munchies qualify as entrees. The kitchen is open from noon to midnight, serving up Nutella and bacon on toast ($5), deviled eggs ($3 for two), and other small plates and sandwiches. A broken coin machine and at least four malfunctioning games, including Frogger, are early kinks being ironed out. One man hoping to break a $10 bill into quarters was overheard saying, "I'll come back when I see someone not banging on the machine." When Spy Hunter freezes as the car veers to the side of the screen, Stuart Kiczek of Manhattan knows it's time to move on to the next game. "I find it fun remembering how annoying the games used to be, and how good my attention span used to be," says Kiczek, 26. Experience with old games constantly breaking has brought the owners closer to cynical acceptance. Within days of opening, the bar's "tube shooter" Tempest (a game featured prominently in Rush's music video for "Subdivisions") broke down, just as it did many times before at the other Barcade spot. "Tempest is the worst game to ever own," says Kermizian, who held the high score in Joust and Tapper as of press time. "In Brooklyn, it's kind of a joke that it sits there broken all the time. Impossible." A repairman from Long Island drives to Jersey City regularly to make fixes, he says. The owners tracked down most of the cabinets from eBay or individual collectors. They assure inquirers that skee-ball and pinball do not fit the vibe and will never come to Barcade. Next up, though, is sidewalk seating along Newark Avenue and Barrow Street, Kermizian says. Around the games, players hover behind other players, watching their avatars leaping to safety or sliding off a cliff. Be it a group of dudes in '80s-referencing T-shirts or an overdressed couple, they love to hate the games, and share laughs over their frustration. Jersey City residents Jolyn Villanueva, 26, and Raquel Rodriguez-Fadraga, 31, who were fighting each other in Karate Champ, say retro night-life revivals are another step toward a hip, young community -- anchored by the influx of artists -- around Grove Street. Still, Barcade needs time to develop the magnetic personality of its older brothers to the east. "It doesn't fit now," Rodriguez-Fadraga says, "but it will." Barcade Where: 163 Newark Ave., Jersey City When: Sundays to Thursdays noon to 2 a.m., Fridays and Saturdays noon to 3 a.m. How much: No cover. All games cost 25 cents. Beer prices range from $6-8. Call (201) 332-4555 or visit barcadejerseycity.com.

stopped into this place last night. Its a really cool space. Pretty spacious. And it was packed! a good number of the games were only 1 player or had issues accepting(or eating quarters). But otherwise, its a pretty chill place. There were some intense gamers there! saw a guy playing contra like his life depended on it!

It was definitely a very hipster scene. But all in all it was a fun time. i would go back. Outdoor seating would be great at this place.

Oh and can they add street fighter 2 or mortal combat to the mix?

my other half currently holds the highest score in ms. pacman :D

Was able to get some quick words with Paul Kermizian, co-owner of Barcade. Check the chat at my blog here:

(watering)holes - Barcade Part 2 - the Interview

Wow! This place is CRAZY! How ever am I going to save my quarters for laundry now?

I believe I read in one of the articles that the video games just about break even. The money is made on the beer, of course. The games serve as an amenity that gets people in there (hi!).

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That's true too, and it also meant that with the register on one side of the bar, there was more travel distance between customer and cash register for the bartender, and that also meant navigating around the other people behind the bar.

I must say its impressive to watch a bartender pour two pints on opposite ends of the taps at the same time, arms spread over the whole setup all at once.

Quote:It wasn't filling the beers that took forever, it was dealing with the register. They only had one register, which meant the 3-4 people behind the bar had to all crowd around it and wait their turn to put in an order. And to get change once the machine was broken. I think if they get another register and a better change machine, things will be much smoother.

We went with a few people on opening night as well. It was nice that even though it was crowded you could still play most of the games without a wait. The only downside was that about 25% of the games only had 1 player working. I think once they can fix the games and the change machine it will be a great place.

i went in for opening night. it's less packed than brooklyn on a friday/saturday night and they have burgertime! the only game they're missing that i really like (to keep losing on) is paperboy.

I haven't gone in yet, but I saw that they have Mappy and I'm thrilled. It's the only game I was ever decent at. I'll be there often.

It was also opening night, plus their change machine was out of order, so they had to handle the change requests on top of the beer orders. I actually waited much longer for my quarters due to the nonstop beer orders, which showed that at least they had their priorities straight.

Yes the beer selection was good but with everyone ordering draft beers, filling the beer orders was taking way too long, which meant long waits to get drinks.

@psyop yeah they have a full bar. I thought their beer selection was awesome. It's really nice to have a bar that offers micro-brews. Definitely worth checking out.

Do they have a full bar or just beer?

I just passed by. There was a line to get in! We wanted to go in but it was just too crowded. I will have to go earlier. Congrats to the new business!

Looked crowded as we passed by this evening.

Barcade
163 Newark Avenue
Jersey City, NJ 07302
201-332-4555
http://barcadejerseycity.com

Finally, Barcade is open and it is great!!!!! The place was packed in the middle of the afternoon today! I will be a regular....