Abari Game Bar Review (Charlotte)

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This past Saturday I visited Abari Game Bar in Charlotte for the first time before going to the Charlotte Checkers hockey game.  We were there for a few hours, really enjoyed ourselves, and definitely plan on going back.  Just like its name suggests, the place is an arcade and a bar infused into one.  So, what way to better spend a few hours than playing old retro arcade games while having a few drinks?

Upon walking in, you must pay a $1 fee to become a lifetime member, and they will give you a card saying so.  This is because they do not serve food, only alcoholic drinks.  If you are a returning member, you just flash your lifetime membership card to the doorman and in you’ll go.

The next place you’ll probably find yourself is at the bar.  They have a pretty good variety of beer, including nine craft beers for around $5-6 each.  If you want to go cheaper, like we did, you can get draft Pabst Blue Ribbon for only $1.50.  Along with the beer selection, they have all types of liquor to drink any way you prefer.  They serve the usual cocktails, as well as a few house favorites.

Now that you’ve got your drink in hand, you’ll need to go to the coin exchange machine, where you exchange your cash (no card) for quarters.  When you’ve gotten a sufficient amount of quarters in your pocket, then it’s time to hit the games.  Since it was my first visit, I didn’t know where to start.  It wasn’t that big of a place, but every available space was filled with brightly-lit and inviting games.  I took a lap around the place and scoped out the games I wanted to play.

They’ve got over 30 arcade games, including Galaga, Tetris, Mortal Combat, NBA Jam, Pacman, Mario Bros., Mario Kart, and Daytona USA.  Most of these games only take a quarter to play.  I played Galaga, my favorite game, a couple of times and actually set my personal record, making it all the way to level 21 with 154,000 points.  I felt pretty good about that, but it turns out the high score there was about ten times higher than my score.

They’ve also got 20 different pinball games, which are 50 cents to play.  They have a great selection of themes that include Indiana Jones, Lord of the Rings, Stranger Things, Ghostbusters, and Metallica.  To impress you a little more about their pinball collection, Abari Game Bar just hosted the North Carolina State Pinball Championship two weeks ago.  The winner is going to represent NC in the Nationals in a few weeks in Denver, Colorado.

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If game consoles are more your style, Abari also has those as well.  They have the Nintendo, Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, and the Sega Genesis.  While I didn’t play the others, we did play an NHL game on the Super Nintendo, which was located on the corner of the bar.

It was really a cool place, and also a place for all ages.  Just because it’s a bar, doesn’t mean kids aren’t welcome.  We seen plenty.  However, they are asked to be in accompaniment by an adult and asked to leave after 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays due to older crowds coming in.  It stays open until 2 a.m. every day of the week.

Along with retro games, they play retro 80s and 90s music as well.  Walking into the place gives you the feel that you’re stepping back a few generations.  And that really is cool.  The only thing that I recognized that some people may have issues with was the smaller venue and the parking.  At times, it can get a little crowded inside just because the place isn’t very big and it’s pretty popular.  To me, it wasn’t a problem and I thought it gave it an intimate character resembling arcades of the 80s and 90s.  And even though it was a little crowded, everyone was very friendly and social.  The parking, like the inside, was pretty tight.  The lot is located just beside the building and doesn’t have as many spots as it needs.  Luckily we found a spot in the back, but I don’t know how it would be in later hours (we were there 3:00-5:00 p.m. on Saturday).

I would recommend anyone to go check Abari Game Bar out, and like I said, we will for sure be going back.  The best way to describe it is it’s just a cool place to hang out.  There’s not many places you can go to be entertained for a few hours for $5 or less (not including a drink), but Abari is one of them.  “The arcade” is a thing of the past, which is a shame, but also makes this place such a great idea.  People remember spending hours and hours of their past in arcades and want to relive those days.  This place allows them to do just that.

Garett