Arcadia - Portland, Me

We had a great time at Acadia after visiting a friend’s showing next door! What a fun space packed with retro games and an awesome atmosphere. It’s always great to see local businesses creating unique experiences like this. We’ll definitely be back!

Awesome Arcade/Bar. Found it on pinball map app, and had to stop to get my fix while in town. With a nice bar, 2 floors, and a fantastic line up featuring brand new and classic games, it didn't disappoint. Would definitely recommend if in the area!

This place is awesome, there’s lots of arcade games some new stuff and some old either on the first floor or in the basement. The interior design and decor is pretty sick, the atmosphere is vibrant. You can hangout at the bar, food court or on the floor watching teams play Mario kart. Will definitely be back for some more fun and games!!! Love it here!!!

It's a great place if you want to go out and have a few drinks, play some classic arcade games! Great atmosphere, highly recommend!

Damn this place is always improving! TOTAL NOSTALGIA! Everyone is so nice there!!! If I have one concern it’s that people never look up, and except me. I think the ceiling need to be dusted went June 2nd 2024. Other than that fricken cool. It’s like a hidden gem. And if you see a show down the street the bands usually chill there! Great drinks and the food is like great hotdogs and ice cream and pop tarts and free water. Vending for quarters. I can’t beat frogger and guitar hero is there as well. Tons of pinball machines and that’s cool but it’s really an unfair game you can’t stop the ball from getting in the small space between the flappers lolol Lots of love!! P.S GET DDR !!

Cocktails are creative, made with unique ingredients and juices that are squeezed right in front of you. Prices are reasonable (about $12-16 per cocktail), but the product surpasses even the most upscale downtown bars. They also feature non-alcoholic craft drinks that make the environment that much more inclusive. The selection of arcade games is nice, too.

9/30/23 - What a nice place. I loved the atmosphere. Majority of games are 25 cents. I came to visit from VA and we stopped here a few nights while staying in Maine. I loved the decor of the place and lots of games to play. Would love to visit again if we get the chance.

Good mix of both vintage and newer pinball and arcade machines. Missing some classics but overall a decent selection.

This is currently my favorite place in Portland. I don't have too much to say other than this is such a great place to hang out. Great drinks and vibes. Tons of awesome arcade games along with some console games to hang out and play as well. Even the pizza exceeded my expectations.

In the past, I have loved Arcadia. It's such a fun vibe with people playing tons of games, having a drink, or grabbing a bite to eat. The music is never too loud and everyone seems to have fun. Drinks are made quickly and the service has always been wonderful. Although I did not order food today, my go to is their pepperoni pizza with homemade ranch. They have a dill ranch that is unbelievably good. Literally would come here for the ranch alone. It is within walking distance to a ton of places - shops, restaurants, and night life. There is street parking which you do not have to pay for after 6pm or on Sundays. I was disappointed as when I went recently, it was like 85% pinball. They had removed a ton of games I loved include the bowling one, pool, snake, pac-man, and others. It used to be more balanced between pinball and other games. I also would recommend they add a few more games of Guitar Hero and Big Buck Hunter as those are very popular. It was definitely disappointing. Nevertheless, it's a super fun atmosphere and worth checking out!

Overall great experience at Arcadia! Super fun vibe with lots of different games to cater to all different types of "gamers". Only downfall is that the front entrance can get pretty backed up because they check ID's, do coat check, and ticket redemption all in the entrance area. Aside from that, no notes...I would highly recommend this to anyone visiting!

I MEANNN - do you see that pizza and those hot dogs and fun cocktails? Ideal date night with your loved one. Surrounded by games. Full bar at the front so we grabbed these drinks and headed back to their retro style food area. Booth seating, casual and fun, quite loud so don't come if you're looking for quiet date night!

This place is so much fun. What a switch up from your normal nightlife. Food is actually really good and the entire experience is just awesome. Go!

Tourists that ended our 1 day trip to Maine here and had a blast, we wish we had something like this where we live bc we would come regularly. What a brilliant concept to fuse arcade games, nostalgia, and creative cocktails for adults to come and play and enjoy! We all need play on our lives regardless of age and this spot sets the tone for a great time with a partner, friends or family! Their service was engaging & friendly (we experienced this everywhere we went in Portland and enjoyed the vibe and culture)! Cheers to the memories!

There are so many ways that an arcade bar can go wrong - But Arcadia really said "hold my beer" & did it all right. - Games: Varied, fun, & mostly affordable. Some of the machines were out-of-order, some ate our quarters, & some cost more than we thought was necessary ($2 for one song on Guitar Hero?) but nonetheless, still a win. $20 in quarters sustained us for a whole night of gaming. - Music/acoustics: Hip, dancey, but spacious music at a consistent 120-130 BPM. When I say spacious, I mean the opposite of noisy. This makes such a difference when the ceilings are 20+ feet tall & you're essentially in one giant room packed with people & games that are beeping & dinging & screeching & bonking. A space like this could EASILY be overstimulating & yet somehow, I remained calm & totally content for multiple hours. The music has so much to do with that. Someone at Arcadia really thought that one through - PROPS! - Bar: Fun & N/A inclusive. I enjoyed both a regular cocktail & a mocktail & was very fond of both. I noticed they press their own juices. Cool! Most folks were polite about sharing the love with all the games, but I noticed that some things were much more competitive. We never got a chance to play Mario Kart or Mortal Combat which was a bit of a bummer. Is there a solution to this? I'm not sure. Anyways, that's all for now. I'm going to find a secondhand skeeball machine for sale & try to move it into my 700 square foot home.

This place was so much fun! Even though coming from Boston with a couple arcade bars in the city, we had never visited one and this seemed like a really cool opportunity to spend the night out in Portland. When you walk in, you present your ID at the door before entering the bar. There's a fairly large bar up front with 3-4 bartenders at the time we were there (8 on a Saturday), so you never have to wait too long for a drink. The drinks were mostly fairly priced, and they have craft cocktails if you're interested in trying one of those. The menu also features non-alcoholic drinks, making the experience inclusive for everyone. :) The arcade section is somewhat separate from the bar and covers two floors. The bottom floor featured a huge screen with video games and several skee-ball machines. The top floor is mostly pinball, plus some super fun retro games and of course, plenty of folks' favorite - guitar hero!! Almost all of the games were $0.25, with some being $0.50 and the longer/"more valuable" games being $1.00 (Guitar Hero). There's an ATM inside as well as a machine to convert your cash into coins. We spend $12 and that was enough to cover 1.5 hours worth of playing, which I consider a good deal!! So much fun with a positive atmosphere full of courteous people!!!! Check it out if it's your thing, it will be a fun time!

You can plan and plan all you want for a great 8 or so hours in a new city but then all of your favorite places are just the ones you happen upon. Don't you just love (and hate a little) that? Arcadia was one of the happen upons, and it was a great 2 or 3 hours! We weren't hungry, were tired from hours of walking around, and wanted to grab a drink. Arcadia was a pretty fantastic find. What is to love: *Fantastic cocktails! I got one espresso martini and one clover club, both delicious and resonibly priced. *The games are actually cheap! We had $10 in quarters that lasted for like 2+ hours. Each game was anywhere from .25 to .50 cents. *Not too crowded at all. *Coat check! *A million pinball machines, ski ball downstairs, Ms. Pac-Man for multiple players, air hockey. You won't get bored. There was even trivia the night we went (Thursday). Date night, out with friends, you'll have a good time.

A decade later and I thought I'd update my review! For old school Portlanders: it's always very strange visiting a place that used to be another place. I spent sooooooooo much time at Port City Music Hall, that there's a moment of "am I variant in a different timeline?" when stepping through the doors here, though I'm happy they snagged this space! So Arcadia is mostly pinball tables; there are some arcade machines, some tables for board games, and the back is dedicated to Rock Band/Guitar Hero (I can't remember which). You'll need cash: most every game is .25, some .50, and Rock Band/Guitar Hero is $1. They have an ATM machine in house (get ready for that $4 service charge), but if you can: BRING YOUR OWN QUARTERS. I do love that there's Galaga (and, as of writing this, I currently have the high score TYVM), which is probably my favorite arcade game; I would probably come back just to play that for as long as I possibly could before being asked to move on. Do they even do that here? I ask because we were lucky enough to snag the couches and the Switch downstairs to play Mario Kart on their enormous TV; we played through one cup race (so four courses) because - despite it being not that busy - we didn't want to be "those people". How long could I have stayed though? There's this super fun, hyper themed series of bars in the UK called NQ64; they've got loads of consoles, but near them are signs that say something like, "Don't be a d***, consoles are free so buy a drink" and "Don't f*** up our Google Reviews by hogging the machine". No one ever moves though. Anyway, at Arcadia there was also possibly an even bigger TV upstairs, a couple were sitting underneath it at a high top playing Overcooked. Very fun selection of games on the consoles (even for "non-gamers")! The drinks are a mixed bag: recently I had an espresso martini (currently $14) that was in a very small glass and was maybe four polite sips worth (also, it was mostly coffee, hardly any alcohol). On the other hand, my partner had an old fashioned (currently $12) that was VERY strong and in a normal tumbler. Final thoughts: as of writing this, they don't open until 5pm. On the weekends, I wish this was a little earlier, especially in the cold/dark weather when there's not a whole lot else going on!

One of My Favorite Stops on the Weekends Great Staff the place is Amazing so many games My half Daughter and I went here for her birthday and she loved the place.

Came by for a date night determined to play some pinball and were excited to find an arcade in Portland. The place is huge with a giant first floor and a smaller lower floor. Most games are 50 cents with longer ones being a full $1. All the employees were extremely helpful when I couldn't get a game to work, trading tickets for prizes, and ordering drinks and food. It's a fully immersive place that has everything you need for a fun time. Ordered: hot dogs: affordable, filling, served with chips, wish the bun was toasted mushroom pizza: great personal portion with unique mushrooms misc drinks from their seasonal menu Highly recommend coming when they first open for their happy hour prices on food and check their website to avoid large crowds (pinball conventions) to avoid waiting around for your favorite games. If you're a prize-driven person, some games give out tickets to be redeemed at the front of house.

Super unique fun spot. Highly recommend this bar arcade. We. Had a blast and the drinks and music were also good

Had such a fun time here! Definitely recommend coming here if you're visiting. Great place for a date night! Make really great drinks as well!

Cool multilevel bar-arcade that has something for everyone. Classic arcade games, pinball, Xbox, basketball, and even skeeball. Friday night, many people were inside but not overly crowded. The bar is directly in front of the entrance, with all options available. Beers are around $7-10 (including local options), and cocktails $12-16. Change machines are around dispensing quarters (not tokens), with most needing $0.50 to play. Didn't encounter many broken machines though the Xbox can be tough to work. Bartenders here do their best behind the bar despite the growing amount of people. Certainly a must stop if looking to spend a few hours at night.

So happy my friend and I stumbled on this place during our first and only night stay in Portland. We had been driving from Quebec all day and used Portland as our stopping point and glad we did. Arcadia was a perfect place to get away from the touristy spot of downtown Portland where we had previously had dinner. It certainly seemed like more of a locals type of vibe and the vibes were immaculate. Everyone we encountered from the front host/hostess (if you will) to the bartenders were excellent. Drinks were good and they had so many arcade games. I really like the music they played and the dim lighting as well as the color scheme was on point. This is an excellent place to take a date for sure!

We had a great time! Good selection of games, mostly pinball machines. We didn't have any food and we didn't order any drinks, we just played the games. We will definitely go again!

Ok, I ended up at Arcadia pretty tired on a Friday night. I showed up with a clear vibe of I-really-wish-I-was-home-in-pjs-right-now and almost immediately after walking through the doors of Arcadia, that completely turned around. The Old Port City Music Hall has been entirely revisioned into an excellent barcade atmosphere with a central bar serving up craft cocktails, every possible manner of video and arcade games, a snack bar and (on Sundays) a local BINGO scene!!! The soundtrack is catchy, the games are cheap (25-50 cents a play), there is Skeeball downstairs and some games that give tickets which can be redeemed for cool things like matchbooks and lighters at the entry window. What are you waiting for?

We had such a great time here. $20 split with three friends makes you feel like a kid in a candy store. Most games are 25 or 50 cents, we played for about two or three hours and still had money left over. Staff was nice and very attentive and every drink we got that night was delicious. All in all, definitely a new favorite spot in Portland.

Marvel vs capcom 2, need work on the screen. Over all it's a great location for Arcade games and video games.

Entertaining retro arcade in downtown Portland. Arcade has a combination of old arcade classics and modern Japanese video games. Venue serves drinks. The atmosphere was fun to check out. Highly recommend checking it out as a late night option.

This was really fun, great games and SKI BALL!! I will go back for sure. Drinks are reasonably priced. Games cost 25 to 50 cents.

First visit tonight, what took us so long?!? Great atmosphere, great drinks, great bartenders, great pizza, great arcade games, I'm in love

Arcadia does practically everything right. They've curated the games well. The layout of the place allows people to move freely without ever feeling cramped. The prices are great. The walls are painted in a creative way. The staff are friendly and there's even a coat/bag check so you can play & hang out unencumbered. I didn't eat the food, but it looked good. A couple of the machines should be better maintained, but other than that, it's a rock solid spot.

We had a great time here! The food, the drinks and the GAMES were all wonderful! There was plenty of room to pick and choose games, not overly crowed with people - just a really fun atmosphere.

This is a business that's been in town for many years. The bowling is a lot of fun and like a step back in time. It's clean (clean bathrooms are a big deal for me) and the food I've tried has usually been good. I've only tried their pizza. One time it was delicious, another time not as good. I'll certainly give it another try. The staff is very friendly and efficient. It's a great place and a wonderful business to benefit the small town it's in.

Finding a classic coin, operated arcade complete with tickets and prizes really warmed my heart. It was like stepping back in time to the 90s and seeing rows of pinball machines, games of skill, and games that didn't just eat your coins away like the ones you'd see in an arcade today. Seeing a working copy of gauntlet legends again brought tears of joy to my eyes, it was on my favorite games to play in the arcade back in the day. There is a bar right as soon as you walk in, but I didn't drink during my visit. The staff seemed very friendly, knowledgeable, and probably grew up in the 90s during the best time for arcades like I did. The ambience is perfect for any 90s kid, or someone looking for some classic arcade fun. I will definitely try to come back before I leave town.

We were brought here by family to enjoy and play old school games and while sipping on fancy mock and cocktails. Everyone gets ID's checked before being allowed in. Some weird law says one can't be served even if you are ancient without an ID. We gladly cooperated knowing there wouldn't be any youngsters allowed in. The arcade (up and down stairs) was full of old school pinball machines, screen games and hands on games like basketball, hockey, skeetball. Quarters drive the machines usually one or two. Drinks were professionally made and delicious. Looks like they offer food as well. I struggled a bit with the dimly lit room and machine playing background. However it did create a calm ambiance. Monday wasn't too busy but I understand it can fill up. Also appears they may run some skeetball group competition. So bring your inner child and adult ID for a fun evening starting at 5p.

Was visiting Portland on a 3 night trip and ended up going here 2/3 nights because of how much fun we had. The staff were so nice and you couldn't beat the ambiance inside. Very up beat happy and honestly everyone inside just seemed like they were having a great time. There were so many options for games and you could even win tickets to redeem for prizes if you wanted. Also all the games were 25-50 cents each only so you definitely could play a ton. Such a fun and different place to enjoy a night out!

I've been to many arcade bars. Some good, some bad, some middling. Arcadia is a cut above and deserves the recognition. First, it's clean and aesthetically enjoyable. Plenty of space to roam, pick out your favorite console or game. There's no sense of claustrophobia (unless the place is jam packed but it's a bar and that sometimes happens) and they did wonders with ambiance. Second, thought went into game selection, and they maintain those consoles and units. As a titanic nerd, I appreciate this immensely. I'm forever frustrated when I go a place and skiball is broken, or my favorite pinball game is busted up, or how everything looks abused - this place proctors the experience. Third, food and drink. I'm a child of the 80s and 90s. I remember pizza slice bars and $0.25 Golden Axe plays at my local spot. There's this touch of nostalgia here with a mini food court that does great pizza and other joyous noms worth savoring between gaming sessions. And the cocktail program is dynamic. Creative, inventive, constantly moving. The bar is a centerpiece and demands to be enjoyed. Even if you're not a hardcore gamer, it's 100% worth popping by for a bite and drink. I love this place.

We love a good arcade bar! We had a blast here. Good drinks and friendly staff. The inside was super nice with trendy modern arcade vibes :)

The place is crazy cool. Old school pinball and arcade games and lots of open space to hang out.

So fun! I wasn't expecting such a large selection of games but they have a lot of classic games, pinball, and games that you can win tickets from. Games are 25-50 cents each. They also have some snacks & the kitchen stays open until midnight :)

Fun fun fun. Play some Joust or even some spy hunter while you drink great cocktails. Or play skeeball with while sipping on your favorite beer. Such a great place to feel like a teenager again.

This is a fun bar arcade for adults! They also play werewolf / mafia if you're in to that kind of thing.

Watch the overcharges on tips and drinks added to your bill. Always ask to see the final billing statement before you leave, or prepare to be surprised when your credit card statement comes in.

It was a fun couple hours for my birthday night. It is mostly pinball machines but, they have a downstairs with $.25 skeeball, which made me happy AF. The food and drinks aren't great - very expensive for what you're given but, a business can't run on 25cent skeeball alone, amiright? In conclusion: fun place to hang, skip the food/mixed drinks, cheap skeeball.

Good drinks and fun games! Love the Budweiser syrup in the amateur astronomer. Highly recommended for groups

Really great barcade. Better cocktails than what you see at other similar places. Good ambiance. Lots of fun games (albeit like 80% pinball). Very busy (in a good way), but always plenty of games open.

2.5 stars. Swanky bar setup. Great atmosphere for a first-date. Food offerings are decent. Arcade games are set behind the bar area in a separate space making it a unique experience for any patron. Bar prices are a little on the high side for weak drinks. Not what we expected and we were pleasantly surprised. Would come back to play some nostalgic games and listen to the tunes but wouldn't make it a regular haunt.

I was here a few years ago when it was in another location, it was fun then but the new place is so awesome. They have two floors, huge bathrooms, a giant square bar that you can sit all around (the other place had a long bar you couldn't get to when it was crowded) more games and more skee ball. I discovered later during my visit that they also have lots of cozy nooks to sit in with friends. A small couch nook, a little loft and even in front of the big windows so you can people watch. They have some booths where you can sit and have a snack ( food options available) and tables at some machines or a cup holder so you can drink and play. Such a great place to experience at least once in your life. They have a huge tv with a big L sitting area to play online games also. I was impressed with the new place. Kudos.

Now that they have a new location they have really stepped it up. More games, new games, pizza and more seating. The front area is more of a lounge and the back is where most of the games are. There is a great range of games from Pong to Golden Axe, Guitar hero to Time Crisis. And they don't stop there, downstairs is foosball, skee-ball, and more games. We loved it there, and with the front lounge area having a Crokinole board, it was our home away from home.

Ended up here on a whim last night and was absolutely blown away by this place! Upon entering, our IDs were checked in the lobby area and then we were buzzed in. We were not expecting this place to be as rad as it was- two whole floors! They had one bar that was massive and on the first floor right at the entrance. Our bartender was great and able to give cocktail recommendations based on our taste preferences. I thought it was especially cool that the bartenders had these blender/juicer contraptions that turned whole fruit into a fruit "fluff" of sorts (consistency a bit denser than meringue). Throughout the evening, we tried the Jungle Bird, Apple Melon Pear, and Pineapple Garibaldi. The clear winner was the Jungle Bird- absolutely delicious. The prices were fair as well for these individually-crafted cocktails at $13 each. Now for the main attraction... the games. They had a great mix of well-maintained vintage and modern machines with a variety of game types, such as pinball, driving/shooting simulators, guitar hero, pac man, and even skee ball (found on the lower level). Most games were 25 to 50 cents and an ATM/change machine can be found right by the bar. They had plenty of cup holders (attached to the side of each machine) and little side tables for drinks/purses. Can't wait for my next visit!

Bar+Arcade = a super fun spot here in Portland! First the games are great, there's everything from Tetris, to pin ball machines and a spot to play mario kart and other games. On to the drinks, they are really tasty and cleverly named (I loved the That's What She Said punch cocktail). You may want to grab cash before coming in as the machines run on quarters and the ATM is sometimes out of cash.

Amazing service. They have a good number of bartenders to ensure everyone has been served. Will come back again for drinks and games!

OK, OK, whoever runs this bar is seriously the coolest nerd around. Walk in, to your right there's a Wii, all along the walls are pinball machines, there's arcade games, x box - this place is dope! And the drinks? Come on, with a reference to One Punch Man, this bar is easily the coolest around. Service was awesome. People were cool. We ordered drinks and played Wii all night. C'est la vie! Thanks for making two strangers to Portland feel like we fit right in!

Back home, my favorite bar was Barcade. http://www.yelp.com/biz/barcade-jersey-city?utm_source=ishare When I moved to Portland I found Arcadia and thought it was going to be my new home away from home type of place. Nope. The video games are spotty. Some work, some don't. We must've gone on a night that the games did not want to function. There are a lot of pinball machines. A lot. I like the grungy feel, but would appreciate not listening to Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera while trying to enjoy my Stout and play Mortal Kombat. That's just a personal preference. It's not fair because I'm comparing this place to my first love, and it doesn't live up. It's a fun place to hang out with friends who are interested in this sort of thing, but the crowd I was with got pretty bored with the lack of game availability and the over abundance of pinball machines. Excellent idea though.

I'd hoped this would bring Niko and I back to our obsession in our old town: Barcade. Instead? It was even better. Don't skip the basement. On a night that included an amazing outdoor Bon Iver concert, this was the most memorable part of our night. Best bar in Maine!

I just went to Arcadia for the 2 time in 2 weeks. They do not disapoint. The drinks are delicious, and the pizza and Chili dogs are great. I love playing some of the classic video games ( Space Zap / Spy hunter / etc ), and even more so tthe pinball. The games were all in great shape, and a bargain to play ( 50 cents a play for new pinball machines.... its usually $1 a play ). I think they had maybe 30+ pinball machines. They have games for many tastes. Skeeball, and pop a shot basketball on the lower level. The staff is friendly, and I can not wait until my next trip. Keep up the good work!!!! -Matt