Arcade Bars Near Me
Here are amusement arcades and entertainment venues that have a bar serving drinks inside, as part of the wider venue or in the immediate vicinity. Find arcade bars near you!
Arcade bars are venues that combine the fun of arcade machines with the convenience of a bar serving drinks, either inside the venue, as part of it, or in the immediate vicinity. In the UK, alcohol and amusement games have traditionally been kept separate, though that has changed in recent year with more entertainment venues offering both. This could be a bowling alley with a bar and a ticket arcade, or an adult gaming casino like Magic City Arcade in Clacton, where there’s a late-licenced bar in the middle of the gaming area. Many piers also have bars next to arcades or with connected entrances, making it easy for friends to enjoy a drink and pop into the arcade for a quick game. Don’t confuse arcade bars with ‘gaming bars’ as these focus on retro and classic arcade games without any gambling machines. Check out our separate content hub for more on gaming bars in the UK. Check out our map listings to explore your local area and discover arcade bars near you.
Amusement arcades have seen a recent worldwide resurgence in popularity, due to advancements in technology offering more immersive games such as new VR experiences and innovative new claw machines and ticket redemption games. It’s also partly driven by the desire for out-of-home entertainment in the post-COVID era. This, alongside the austere times people currently face in the UK, is creating a perfect storm where individuals want to enjoy all their social activities at once to save time, money, and have better experiences. As a result, there’s been a huge rise not only in gaming bars, but also in more traditional amusement arcades and entertainment venues offering a more holistic approach to social fun with drinks, gambling and ticket arcades all under one roof. Pro-active arcade venues now provide new and unique ways to combine alcohol and arcade machines, while staying within the UK’s licensing and gambling laws. As times get harder and more expensive, operators are working even harder to offer patrons greater value.
Arcade bars near you can be found in cities, towns and across seaside resorts. A good example would be Hollywood Bowl in Norwich, which is part of the Riverside Entertainment Complex. Here they have a large bar, bowling alley, adult gaming area and a ticket redemption amusement arcade all under one roof. On the coast, visitors to most piers will find the perfect blend of social activities in places like Coral Island Arcade and the Central Pier Arcade in Blackpool have several bars, casino gaming and amusement arcades under one roof. In Skegness the 'Playa at the Pier' concept is a lovely bar area at the end of the pier which is next to the vast Skegness Pier Amusement Arcade area. In Great Yarmouth Wellington Pier Arcade offers a bowling alley with bar and many arcade machines for patrons to enjoy. Lastly close to the capital the Electric Avenue arcade has three floors to explore with ticket arcade machines, bowling and a bar with balcony.
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