You know those ruts you get when all you do is follow the same weekly routine? No matter how fun it can be, sometimes you just need a change. Well I was in one of those ruts all last week. Wake up, write, chores, nap, eat, more writing, Facebook, more eating, sleep. But Thursday, an important anniversary guaranteed that keeping to the same routine would just drive me mad or make me depressed in a hurry. I needed a bit of a change.
So when my friend Emily of the Relatively Geeky Network invited me out for some fun, I jumped on the opportunity. And what can be more fun than a good friend, good drinks, and old school arcade machines?
Welcome to 16-Bit Bar+Arcade, where the drinks are theme, the machines are (mostly) free, and where an acceptable first line is asking what your first gaming console was.
You get carded at the door, because this is a purely 21 and up bar. Sorry 18 and ups, there’s no exceptions. The house rules are that if you buy a drink, you can play any of the arcade games for free. The only exception to this are the pinball machines which are the classic quarter buy-in. It might take a bit to find out how to work the machines, but just look for the glowing white button on the console.
There’s all sorts of games to fit your fancy, from classic Pac-Man or one of the Pac Family, to Donkey Kong, to Time Crisis II and other shooters. They even had a Punch Out machine that was way more punishing than I remember it being. I mostly kept myself to the fighter consoles and quickly realized I had been spoiled by the home versions of fighter games. I would’ve lost more dollars than I care to admit trying to beat the first level of Street Fighter 2.
 |
| Where allowances go to die |
I mentioned earlier that the drinks were theme. Well, technically the entire bar is focused on the late 80s, early 90s when arcade systems were still one of the most awesome things around. And their cocktail menu reflects that. All of the drinks are named after famous people of that time period, even if they’re not famous now. Neither of us knew who Tawny Kitaen was, but her drink tasted good. My personal favorite was the Alyssa Milano, and I’m very sad to report that I was making “Charmed” puns every time I saw the name. Those were the New Wave cocktails, and all the Old School drinks were named after male stars, like John Stamos and Burt Reynolds.
 |
| Apparently she was the girl on the car in the White Snake music video. |
For those of you who aren’t cocktail fans like me, they’ve got a very wide selection of craft beers and domestics, with the highest price you’ll see being $6. They also boast a large selection of bourbon, and cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon are always $2. Of course it is still a full bar, so you can get anything you want. Just be sure to ask for a price!
There’s seating outside and tables inside, but most of the space is taken up by people playing with the consoles. It’s a very relaxed place, and I personally loved the laid-back atmosphere. Be sure to check out the event schedule for their specials though. We were really lucky we went on Thursday, because all of the New Wave cocktails were $2 off.
So would we go there again? That would be a huge yes for me. I’m a gamer, I love the challenge of the old arcade systems, and the drinks are delicious. This was just what I needed to relax, and it was out of the way of the normal bar streets near the Arena District. For Emily? Not as much. The drinks were good and the atmosphere was good, but Em’s not really into arcade games like I am. Might not be our joint go-to place, but I’ll be taking more people there when I get the chance.
You can find 16-Bit, Ohio’s first barcade on 254 South Fourth Street Columbus, OH 43215. For a full drink menu and more information, their website is http://16-bitbar.com/ They're planning on opening up a location in Cleveland in August, so if you're in the area be sure to check it out!
Do you guys have a place like this in your city? Tell me about it! Email me at activelynerdy@gmail.com and if I end up in the area, I’ll check it out.
Also, don’t forget it’s almost Actively Nerdy’s third month online! Email me with any questions you want to ask me for the Q&A video at the same address, or find some way to contact me!
No comments:
Post a Comment