How I Found the Best Arcade Bar in Brooklyn

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Lacey Jackson is a writer and wellness educator who loves helping people feel more confident when life gets complicated. As a certified nutrition coach, yoga instructor, and DNA-based fitness coach, she’s spent years guiding people through challenges that can feel unfamiliar or overwhelming. Her experience living and working across three continents has given her a deep appreciation for change, adaptation, and the process of finding your footing in a new place. At Better Wander, she writes with that same perspective, helping readers feel more informed, capable, and at home wherever life takes them.

1. The Classic Arcade and Beer

Best for: Nostalgia chasers, strict craft beer fans, and purists who want genuine 80s/90s hardware.

You probably never heard the word cabinet as a kid in reference to the games you played, and neither did I but as an adult I’ve learned that’s the technical term. So this is the perfect category if you want a place that focuses on authentic, coin-operated history. The lights are low, the music jostles with the sounds of the games, and the curation strictly focuses on classic 25-cent-per-play mechanics.

Barcade in Williamsburg

This is the literal birthplace of the modern arcade bar concept. Housed in a converted industrial metal shop, it stands as a time capsule of old-school Brooklyn grit. I love everything about it.

The Lineup: More than 60 impeccably maintained, original 1980s cabinets featuring titles like Donkey Kong, Ms. Pac-Man, Frogger, and Rampage.
The Drinks: A strict American craft microbrew policy with 24 rotating taps (like SingleCut and Ommegang) alongside $15 house cocktails.
The Food: No full kitchen, but you can order outside food directly to the bar.

2. The Indie Freebies

Best for: Local art supporters, gamers tired of carrying quarters, and those looking for alternative, artsy crowds.

If you want to step away from nostalgia and explore what the local, modern NYC gaming community is building, this category has a lot of indie (and free) options.

Wonderville in Bushwick

This is a premier all-independent gaming incubator. You won’t find Tetris or Pac-Man here; but you will find an entire warehouse room dedicated to one-of-a-kind, handmade cabinets created by independent gamesmiths.

The Lineup: Over 30 custom-built arcade games with unique physical control setups, entirely free-to-play.
The Drinks: Fun, creative cocktails, not the beers you used to drink behind the Blockbuster with someone’s older brother—kidding, of course!
The Food: Artisan hot dogs from local pop-ups, plus a spacious outdoor back patio.

3. The Pinball Dives

Best for: Serious silverball players, casual dates, and people who appreciate clever speakeasy entrances.

Ok so sometimes I want something else, besides a convex screen and 8-bit graphics. That’s when I head to someplace like Jackbar.

Jackbar in Williamsburg

Jackbar is pinball and pinball only. It is dark, unpretentious, and boasts some of the most precisely tuned modern and 90s Williams pinball tables in the city.

The Lineup: Dedicated strictly to pinball, featuring a rotating wall of 15 premium machines.
The Drinks: A massive rotating tap list including staples like Guinness, Left Hand Milk Stout, Bells Two Hearted IPA, and craft selections from Five Boroughs and Sixpoint.
The Food: No kitchen but you can bring in outside slices or bags to eat at the high-top tables or outdoor seating.

Sunshine Laundromat

Sunshine Laundromat is another pinball legend, but this one is so cool because it looks like a normal laundry room from the street. There is a hidden door disguised as a broken washing machine that opens up into a massive secret backroom packed with top-tier pinball machines.

The Lineup: 18 pinball machines that seamlessly blend ancient 1970s electromechanical games with modern titles.
The Drinks: Focuses heavily on craft beer, featuring roughly 9 rotating local draft lines alongside a deep, affordable can and bottle menu.
The Food: Serves local, personal-sized Roberta’s frozen pizzas for $12, which are baked directly on-site at the bar.

4. The Group Sports

Best for: Large birthday groups, corporate outings, and people who want physical sports alongside their drinks.

Of course, when I need a place for a big birthday, that’s when I start looking for more high-intensity table sports.

The Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club

This place is a 17,000-square-foot Florida-themed paradise built around 10 regulation-sized, indoor shuffleboard courts. Basically if you want a place for a big party instead of a night out with your bestie, everyone can drown themselves in their giant tropical cocktails.

The Lineup: A giant warehouse featuring 10 full-sized, regulation-grade shuffleboard courts.
The Drinks: Specializes in sweet, beachy drinks served in mason jars or copper mugs, including their signature Gin & Cronut, frozen Piña Coladas, and Mai Tais.
The Food: You get a dedicated indoor bay where a different premier NYC food truck parks directly inside the venue every single night.

The Gutter

How I Found the Best Arcade Bar in Brooklyn

If you want a vintage bowling alley, The Gutter is where it’s at. This is a retro, wood-paneled dive bar attached to a historic, authentic vintage bowling alley. It features a live music performance space, classic drafts, and an unpretentious neighborhood atmosphere. I grew up on a bowling league (no, I didn’t have a lot of friends, thanks for asking) so I love it here.

The Lineup: Features 8 authentic, old-school hardwood lanes imported directly from a defunct bowling alley in Iowa.
The Drinks: Focuses entirely on local, independent craft breweries on tap, frequently rotating pours from regional staples.
The Food: Mostly snack foods, but they recently upgraded their kitchen to serve freshly made brick-oven pizzas and standard pub snacks directly to the lanes.

Best Arcade Bar in Brooklyn by Group Size

I know that not everyone makes their decisions based on location or vibe. Sometimes you have to make your choice based on how big or small your group is or whether you have time to make a reservation.

So, here’s my recommendation based on group size:

Small Groups (2–4 people): Jackbar (Williamsburg)

If you have a smaller group, pinball can be a lot of fun. I actually like this on a date because it’s a good way to take turns, see how someone thrives under pressure, and sort of maintain that intimacy in a somewhat darkly lit area without just sitting across from one another and staring.

But don’t get me wrong, it totally works for small groups of friends too where everyone can talk over their drinks, trade high scores, and maneuver around without getting lost in a crowd.

Medium Groups (5–10 people): Barcade (Williamsburg)

Barcade is my top choice for a medium group. Their expansive layout offers dozens of multi-player arcade cabinets side-by-side (like TMNT or X-Men). This is really important because if you have a midsize group, everyone has the freedom to split up, jump on different games, huddle around someone who’s just killing it at Pac-Man and cheer them on, and maintain separate tabs at the bar.

No John, you can’t just venmo me tomorrow. Go buy your own drinks on your own tab.

Large Groups (11+ people) The Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club (Gowanus)

As I mentioned, this is a big warehouse space and it’s intended specifically for crowds. The problem with some of the other arcade bars I have found when you have a large group in particular is that your large group gets separated into different sections of the building and then you can’t really vibe with everyone there or catch up.

So if you have a large group, this warehouse space is better for it because they have a dedicated, wide open runway where everyone can hang out, drink, and watch people play.

Best Arcade Bar in Brooklyn by Reservation Status

And finally, one of the things I know is frustrating for a lot of people is picking a place based on whether they need a reservation or not.

For Groups With Reservations: Wonderville (Bushwick)

While the main bar floor welcomes casual walk-ins, you can officially rent out their distinct back warehouse room or reserve the entire independent venue for private parties. This guarantees your group exclusive, uncrowded access to their one-of-a-kind indie games without fighting weekend crowds.

For Groups Without Reservations (Walk-ins): Barcade (Williamsburg) or Sunshine Laundromat (Greenpoint)

Sunshine spot does not take reservations, making it the ultimate casual, spontaneous destination. Because the front operates as a real laundromat, the secret backroom stays entirely first-come, first-served. It is highly fluid, meaning people are constantly rotating off the pinball machines, making it easy to slide in and play without waiting on a strict venue host.

But if pinballs aren’t your thing, Barcade offers basically the same opportunities minus the secret door.

Summing Up

Brooklyn has some amazing arcade bars that serve up pretty much every game you could think of, whether it’s some sort of table-based sports, pinball, or arcade games. Figure what it is you’re looking to do, who you want to hang out with, whether you need food or drink options, and then start planning how you’re going to reach your high score.