If your idea of an ideal evening involves playing video games and drinking beer, we have great news for you! You no longer have to sit at home, isolated from the world while you take part in these hobbies. Barcade in Fishtown offers American craft beers and all of the classic video games that you could ever dream of in one super fun location. What could be better than hanging out with your buddies and meeting new friends while taking part in the nerdy fabulous hobbies we all secretly love?
Paul Kermizian, Pete Langway, and brothers Kevin and Scott Beard opened the original Brooklyn-based Barcade in 2004. The group of friends had been working in separate creative industries and often discussed their dream of opening a bar that would provide them with a steady income and “allow them to be more choosy about their creative careers.” Paul Kermizian was extremely passionate about American Craft Beer and had even filmed a documentary called, American Beer. Paul also had a collection of four arcade cabinets in his apartment that were always a big hit at parties. It is easy to see how the inspiration for Barcade came along. The group eventually pooled their creative abilities and variety of talents in order to open Barcade, setting out to create something that they had never seen before, “30+ classic video games in a craft beer bar.”
The Barcade founders proudly “cater to both video game geeks and beer geeks” and are delighted by the fact that there is a great deal of crossover between these groups. Since opening, they have always aimed to create an exciting atmosphere for like-minded people who share these passions. They strive to make the beer and gaming selections the best they can possibly be, stocking the bar with brews from a lengthy list of local and regional breweries while equipping the arcade with classic favorites like, Donkey Kong, Ms. Pac Man and NBA Jam. They even serve up delectable bar foods to help people keep their strength up while protecting the world from space invaders. The owners of Barcade are crazy about video games and quality beer so they know how to give the people what they want!
Since its formations, Barcade has been steadily and successfully expanding, now occupying 5 locations throughout Philly, Jersey and New York. They are big fans of Philly and praise our extensive beer selection. Barcade is an excellent addition to the Philly bar scene and definitely offers the most fun that you can possibly have in the city with a pocket full of quarters. They plan on expanding throughout the U.S. in the near future and we wish them all the luck in the world. Keep being awesome, Barcade!
