Emporium Arcade Bar

Reviews

• MC

  Mackenzie Cole

  Nov 15, 2025
  4.0
  Fun place to grab a drink a relive being twelve in an arcade but this time you have more quarters than you could have dreamed of. Some of the games need better maintenance-had several eat my quarters.
• KS

  Kevin S

  Nov 12, 2025
  4.0
  Went here for a work event, had a private area, the service was great, I didn't have anything to eat, drinks were tasty! My only issue with this place was how loud it was, even 3 stories up in a private section far away from everything we still had to tell at each other to be heard. Great selection of arcade and pinball games! Sad the DDR machine pad wasn't really working :(
• KB

  Kelsey Brunkow

  Nov 7, 2025
  5.0
  This venue was so unique and fun! A repurposed theatre turned arcade bar, there is a ton of space for games. It takes tokens to play, but some weeknights they do happy hour where certain games are free! Would also be a cool venue to rent for events. They have a big screen on the stage and TVs all around. Drinks were $8-$15 depending on if you got a canned drink or cocktail.
• TT

  Talon

  Oct 30, 2025
  4.0
  Very cute, I was hoping for a bit more of a selection of arcade games; the things they do have benefits small groups over couples and singles, but it works. Expensive drinks, but it's SF, you'll have that. They have fast Internet, and something playing on the big screen that you can link with to listen to. Most of the games, marked or not, take 2 or 4 quarters, though a small handful are free. If you even kind of like video games and you have 3-9 friends who are down to have fun, grab a few drinks and play Killer Queen. I'm so for real. It's one of the best modern arcade games out there, and only a few places have it. They have a free to play night, though I don't remember when it is! - Arcade cabinets by memory: Ms. Pac-Man (ate my tokens), Galaga, Super Double Dragon, Street Fighter, Dance Dance Revolution (the Japanese one), the most obnoxious and unpleasant-sounding Centipede ever, Killer Queen, a weird free console of Fruit Ninja (got tired fast), - Other games: pool (for free!), air hockey, foosball, basketball shootout, skee-ball, loads of pinball machines, and a deceptively captivating pount-and-shoot game
• FL

  F L

  Oct 21, 2025
  1.0
  -- 2nd visit -- Visited again and mostly same. Different bartender who was nice this time. $10 drink. What can only be described as a sonic cacophony. Got free tokens to play. I am guessing the loud cracks of air hockey are supposed to be balanced with the shrill whistles from the basketball game, which are drowned over with house music, and punctuated by Centipede, et al on max vol. While watching Denzel violate some woman on the big screen (no audio). Centipede was only free play but in some crazy fast mode and super loud. Ms PacMan was on super fast mode, no sound. Galaga had a sweet speed select mode for firing rate. Worked perfectly. Tetris worked but I don't like tetris. Burgertime worked perfectly. Terminator 2 had a sticker on it to report problems to. It ate my coins and I reported it and got no response. Multiple machines were down. Pinball & air hockey players seemed happy so maybe this place is for them? But you can get a great drink at Zam Zam, and walk to Free Gold Watch and get both a better bar and gaming experience without noise and for the same price. Movies seem random, music same. Acoustics are difficult without bodies and seats and too many hard surfaces. They need curtains. Overall not a great arcade or bar experience but it has a lot of potential. I look forward to improvements in the future. -- first review -- With blaring TVs tand too much open space this place has the ambience of a bus station. The bathroom is none too clean. The bartender I had seemed bothered to take my order despite it being empty. Maybe it's empty because the bartenders aren't friendly? Which came first? It's a slow night but there are other friendlier classier bars not far away: Zamzam has great music, chill vibes, and friendly staff. I came for the arcade games and many were working but some needed some TLC and took my tokens and gave me no game (Joust) one was marked out of order, and they seemed to be flickering and taken for granted. If it's an arcade bar I'm expecting the arcade to take center stage. The drink menu is uninspiring and frankly hard to make sense of - canned seltzer are listed under beers and the menu has no feeling for what makes a bar standout (a signature cocktail, a premium beer selection, whatever). The arcade feels like an afterthought to the bar and vice versa. What this place needs is MOJO, cuz it ain't got none. Too bad. I am disappointed. You might be better off getting a drink at the corner liquor store or another bar and then playing a few bucks worth of games here. Fwiw.

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