Skip to content
Food
Link copied to clipboard

Barcade, the arcade-bar hybrid, to open a branch in Center City

The Brooklyn-bred funhouse will join a burgeoning nightlife scene on Chestnut Street.

Barcade opened its first Philadelphia location in 2011.
Barcade opened its first Philadelphia location in 2011.Read moreCourtesy Barcade

A little PacMan over your lunch hour?

Barcade, the New York-based funhouse that mixes vintage arcade games with a full bar, has signed on for its second Philadelphia location, and it’s in Center City.

Barcade, which opened in Fishtown in 2011, is taking the street level at 1210 Chestnut St., putting it next to Porta, a neighbor in Jersey City, N.J., and amid a neighborhood teeming with newer entertainment options, including bars, lounges, and the Lucky Strike bowling alley.

Barcade traces its roots to 2004, when four friends opened the first location in a former metal shop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. There are now eight locations, with Detroit on the way.

Co-owner Paul Kermizian said the Chestnut Street location, which will have a fuller menu than Fishtown’s and a private room, could open this fall. He said Center City would attract more daytime and happy-hour business than Fishtown, which is busier late nights and on weekends.