Emporium Arcade Bar

We have a place very similar to this place in Cleveland where it's free to play the games so I was little underwhelmed in that sense 😅 but I appreciate the addition of pool tables which the one back home doesn't hav I really like the art on the walls of classic games in graffiti style and the music was good with fun lighting. There's a fair amount of drink options (both alcoholic and non); I didn't order food while here but I got a drink that was $8 (I appreciate that they carry a bubble -free hard tea 👌) and the bartenders were both very friendly. I'm giving 3 stars though because the bathroom (women's, can't speak to the quality of the men's since I was solo traveling) was atrocious. NEITHER stall (standard or wheelchair accessible) locked properly and the toilet paper holder was absolutely destroyed. Not to mention the standard stall is so small you have to basically stand on the toilet to exit.... But not having functional locks is unacceptable. I had to use the flashlight on my phone to see if I was trying to lock it incorrectly but it's just slightly too low to lock into place properly. But all in all, it's a fun place to kill some time. I may or may not come back when back in the area

Now this is my new spot, only been there on Tuesdays twice but the karaoke is so funnnn everyone is so supportive. The host is amazing and her voice is amazing too. It's chill the games are fun they have a really interesting vending machine. I've never bought anything out of it but hey. You can bring your own food because I don't believe they serve food. The drinks are decently priced. Definitely a blast from the past with some of the games. My absolutely new go to.

Awesome arcade bar we had a birthday party for a buddy everything was smooth!!! All the games work well got busy on Sat night but everyone was still able to have a fantastic time! Would recommend for events or just a fun time!

Great arcade bar with free pool on Mondays! I came in during the holiday season so they didn't have the largest selection of beers, but their beers were fairly pricy. Bartender is extremely friendly and gave our group some free tokens for games, and even worked with me to get some beer recommendations.

Amazing drinks and great atmosphere! Huge shout out to the staff for making our night a fun one ! Tuesday night Karaoke and the games were a blast but honestly the highlight were the bartenders (get the frozen guava drink!) shoutout to Ivan for going above and beyond for us and honestly making our night. His attention to detail, kindness and amazing bartending skills were a huge reason why our birthday celebration was a success and memorable one ! Thank you for going above and beyond and for even running after us when we forgot one of cards at the bar ! You’re a star! Can’t go wrong with coming to this location for a fun night !

We had a lot of fun here. I had a slushy drink called the remedy. It was a strawberry tropical drink. I loved it. They also had different flavors. All the slushes were $12.00. They also have a bunch of beer on tap and in cans. The bar is big. They have arcade games everywhere and also have 2 pool tables. Oh and have your ID out they card everyone at the door. Great place I want to go back and try the different flavor slushes. The staff there was very nice.

BEWARE they hold your driver's license AND credit card at the door, saying they need "proof of identity" for running a bar tab. When you go to leave, they've already given your driver's license and credit card away to someone else?! So much for proof of identity. Sloppy bullocks policy. They don't care about customers. What kind of joint are they running? BEWARE!

Bartender was awesome! Love that guy. We had a weird night though, there was strange man accosting us outside. He ended up coming inside and fighting my brother + friend over a misunderstanding. Place is pricey, but I think the games make up for it.

A tough one to rate. As a bar experience, it is great. Staff is very friendly, and the beer list is surprisingly solid. Lots of options. I had a great Pigeon Porter on draft with some bourbon that I enjoyed very much. The atmosphere is also great. It's all dim lighting, neon, and fun video game themed artwork plastered all over the walls. The problem is - as an arcade experience, it falls flat. During our recent visit, probably 30-40% of the games were out of service, including their only skee ball lanes. And of the ones that are working, several are nearing the ends of their useful lives, and it shows with joysticks that only work in certain directions, or get stuck. It was hard to find games that operated correctly. It's a shame because the collection isn't bad, if the games were all working. They do have pool tables out front, though, if you like your gaming a bit more analog.

I've been here a few times to play arcade games. It is clean and service is fairly quick to get a drink. It is free to get in and there usually isn't a line to play games. It's a cute date night or place to go with friends or coworkers. They don't have food. I'll go back.

What a fun time!!! Great friendly service from the security and bartenders. Love the beer selection!!! They have a lot nice craft beers. I hated the paper straws lol it closed up on me with my slushee LOL luckily he gave me a new straw. Most of the pinball machines were broken, got to play pool, skee ball and basketball. Everything gets taken asap but just wait by it and wait until it's open. Overall very fun spot.

Lively atmosphere with bumping music and loads of retro games. I loved having a drink and enjoying the art painted on the walls. I was there on a Friday and there was a live DJ. The drinks were reasonably priced and they even had a cheap beer special. The games cost about one or two tokens. I think it shakes out to be about 25 cents per token. I used $5 and was able to play as many as I wanted. I especially loved all the pinball machines. I would definitely come back for some late night fun!

We went in on a Thursday night ngl they vibes were sad. They were playing elevator music or like jazz around 8pm further into the night Dj ACE Spade showed up to rock the places with hits. It definitely made things better. You can bring your own food in. PRO TIP HAROLDS IS ACROSS THE STREET! so it's a win win. They bar doesn't have food so their super accommodating on that gesture. I'll definitely return.

Just popped in because the logo looked cool while walking, but I think this is a cute little date spot to check out esp on a Monday since it's FREE POOL all night long! (Also read for funny story) Walked in and it's got the cutest ambiance with pink neon light and spray painted walls with different arcade game characters all over. There were a few long tables available and I saw a cute Photo Booth (in pictures). I asked the bartender for the sweetest cocktail/"drafttails" and got the Rumedy Slushee which was actually very fruity and summer-y. I loved it since it was essentially a cocktail Icee and cooled me down from walking around the city. And I was by myself and some rando started acting up and called me a b-- for not giving him attention. And even held up the chair for a second. But the bartender immediately called for the bouncer and kicked him out. Felt very safe because of her. Definitely will be checking this place out with my bf for game night and pool (specifically on Mondays!) & sending my thanks to the bartender!

I been to the Logan Square Emporium more often as I only came to the Wicker Park location once. It had a similar feel, the only difference for me was that the I liked the Logan Square location better because of the open space and the Wicker Park location has a partition between the two sides. The biggest difference though with the Wicker Park Location is that the DJ Stage was much bigger which I did like. Although the Wicker Park Location felt a little too dark for me compared to the Logan Square location which I still like much better. Other than that, it had the same general feeling.

This was a fun bar to check out. I love arcade bars! My friends and I came to kill some time before our table was ready at a nearby restaurant. I got a can of Juneshine (hard kombucha). They have Miss Pac Man and Galaga! You have to purchase tokens to play. There aren't that many spots to sit. There's some seating at the front by the pool tables and some tables in the back.

This is a good place for adults who like arcade games and for a first date because it's somewhat interactive and have a good vibe to get to know someone. However, I was not too impressed by the place in terms of the games. You have to buy tokens to play the games, but the day I went, most of the games were broke. It would have been good if the staff would have told the patrons that the machines were not working or had signs on the broken machines. Besides not having the best game experience, I really liked the vibe of the arcade. They have a full bar and an array of craft beers.

Love this bar! Been to a few locations. This one is huge which is great for lots of games and room to hang out. Huge bar. Good drink deals.

A bar and arcade hybrid, Emporium is truly such a unique and fun place. This is the type of bar I'd recommend to people traveling to Chicago to get that real Chicago feel! My friends and I spent like 2 hours here. We came after brunch around 3:15 and there was very minimal people. They're very Covid compliant and you can smell the cleanliness right when you walk in. Hand sanitizer dispensers everywhere! The drinks here are very standard, but then again we got basic mixed drinks like vodka cranberries and vodka soda limes. They had cool cocktails and 2 alcoholic slushee machines. The bartender was soooo nice, as well! My friends and I played almost all the games - our favorite was skeeball. I know they have other locations, but I really liked this Wicker Park location and would totally recommend it!

Love the Ambiance, atmosphere and games! Travelers beware they tow in this area!!! I ordered the peachloma which was great and variety of games are great and the music selection was good! Wish I could have played a little longer!

The emporium was one of my favorite things I did in Chicago despite a few hiccups! I wish they had these in LA. Emporium has a ton of old arcade games which made it such an experience. This is a great place to meet friends or to have a date. We got there around opening and had the place to ourselves for a while, which was fun because we could try all the games! The reason this was not as great as it could have been was many of the games were broken. We paid for tokens and ended up leaving most of them because half the games were out of service. In addition to this, the service was pretty unfriendly and bad. The bouncer was really really rude- we went inside and walked to the bar because we didn't think he was an employee; he was eating and going on his phone at the bar. He acted like we were trying to sneak in, despite it being super empty and us being clearly over 21. The bartender was also pretty standoffish and did not explain the tokens very well. My partner asked a few questions about the drinks available and she seemed genuinely annoyed by them. If they fixed up their games a bit and trained their staff, this would easily be 5 stars! Love this idea.

You guys need new bouncers. I'm 29 years old and have no reason to have a fake ID. Your bouncers denied me at the door because they thought my ID was fake because the blue in the background was light? If you put a flashlight under the ID you can see the Illinois and the two eyes light up. I've been in that bar countless times with the same ID. I still have tokens from the last time I was in there. Your bouncers are cucks and your bar sucks.

Security guards could've been nicer. They stop accepting people at 1am and we were off by 10 minutes for going to the wrong emporium to celebrate a friends birthday our friends were already inside and we missed it by 10 minutes. Hours might as well say they close at 1

TLDR: Awesome bar with great selection of retro games and stiff cocktails. Perfect place to hang with a group. Vibe: 5/5. Very cool decor from floor to ceiling. Anime murals on the walls with blacklight accent lighting in both rooms gives it a retro arcade feel. On the night we went they had several electronic DJs playing until close. The selection of retro arcade games is impressive. They have all the 90s fan favorites such as Lethal Enforcer, Rampage, Mortal Kombat etc. The classics like skeeball, free throw and air hockey are also present. Service: 5/5. The bartenders at the Emporium are excellent. Attentive and professional, they kept the drinks flowing all night long even during peak hours. Drinks: 4/5. Offering your basic cocktails and decent beer selection. All drinks were made stiff and well concocted. Had a decent draft selection of about a dozen or so local brews. Prices were very reasonable.

Super cool and fun barcade! You can get 4 tokens for $1 and drinks are relatively inexpensive for the area. My friend brought me here and we had a great time playing through all the games. Some of them were out of order but had signs saying so. The staff were kind and people respected each other taking turns on the games. They offered some free samples while we were there as well. I would recommend for a nice game night out

Had a great time playing various pinball games and skeeball. Definitely worth a stop if you're nearby.

4 stars for great location, cheap drinks, awesome games, and a good old time! This place is located in Wicker Park amongst awesome restaurants and bars. I came on a Saturday night and they had a live DJ playing top 40s and old school hip hop and R&B. A good mix for everyone main stream. There are tons of arcade games, pinball machines, basketball, ski ball, and so much more! My personal fave is the 1990s Mortal Kombat arcade. It takes me back =). The games cost between $.25-$.50 each, but you'll need tokens. Easy peasy to get. The drinks are super cheap! Although they only had one bar open, the wait was still not bad. The DJ plays all kinds of music and there's a small dance floor if you wanna get jiggy with it (cheese galore)! They will check for vax card or a negative covid test plus you have to enter with a mask, although, you can take it off the minute you step foot in the door. This place is sooooo fun. I can't wait to go back.

So much fun!!! Best bar in Chicago. If bartender Dave is there, you're in for a great time! Great service, great environment, all around great time! 5 stars!

This arcade bar was a blast with several games to choose from and great music the whole night!

Fun place to be! The space is big enough to still be roomy on a busy Friday night and each wall houses a game that's great to play with friends. We successfully engineered a dance floor in the middle of a raised seating area and for an hour or so, strangers came to dance with us! Emporium is the kind of place chill enough to let you create a dance floor even though the music is old soul records from the 60s and 70s. Definitely would come again.

This arcade and bar is a laid-back spot to hang out. With the option to purchase 4 tokens for just $1, you have plenty of games to choose from. I particularly enjoyed revisiting classics like Mario and Tetris, which brought back nostalgic memories of my childhood. We had a great time playing for about an hour, making it an enjoyable experience overall. Whether you're looking for a leisurely evening with friends or a fun date night, this place is a great choice.

Did not realize this place was a chain with spots in different cities so it was cool to stop in and check out. Solid beer selection and a limited (but still fun) assortment of games to keep you entertained. At the end of the day it's a just bar with some pinball machines but still a good spot to stop if you need to kill some time. Be prepared to show your vaccination card!

It's a pretty standard Emporium. Really cool vibes for an arcade bar. There's only two pool tables, so be prepared to leave. If it's kind of crowded. But there's enough things to do there. I feel like he wouldn't get bored. Great for a deed or for work events, I think you could go either way here. Would suggest swing by if you're in the area.

Justin and Danny are amazing staff! Thanks for making our thirsty Thursday super fun. 10/10 recommend, this place is a blast

Really fun barcade in Chicago! They have many arcade games, pool tables, and a dance floor. It was pretty packed on a Saturday night. I loved the beer selection and the unique names. Overall highly recommend checking out if you're in the area and are looking for something fun to do!

Service is great and some of the games are fun. Unfortunately about 30% of the games are out of order and the lines get pretty long on the weekends. Women's bathroom was acceptable but the men's was something out of a horror film. Feces everywhere. When we told the staff the manager told us "yeah, I'm honestly not going to deal with that". I can't blame him. It was pretty sick and after all he wasn't the animal whose a** blew out onto the walls of the men's room (or was he? We'll never know ).

Not bad here and right across Harold's Chicken and Reckless Records! But you gotta pay to play here. Cool place though in the trendy area of Wicker Park where I used to live. Viva la hipsters!

This place is epic! Free live music while you play games. The highlight was definitely pool for only 50 cents a game. Where else can you find pool that cheap. Tons of fun at this late night hot spot!

Great place for food and games! The music was also a vibe and the service was quick and excellent.

Ugh. Another reason why I say that the DMV needs more arcade bars!! I go in, they're playing 80s and 90s music the entire time. Arcade machines, pinball machines, and even skee ball is everywhere! The bar is spacious and they have a tasty gin & tonic on draft. How cool is that? What I really liked is the fact that even though the bar was completely full, the bartenders didn't act overwhelmed or take a while to flag at all. That's how bartenders are supposed to be and I respect that! Bar aside, I found myself playing Ms. Pac Man and Galaga and reliving some glory days. Maybe they could use another token machine on the other end where the pinball machines are, but other than that, I really don't have criticisms of this place. They make a good use of the space in the fact that even when it gets crowded the layout allows for you to breathe. Shout out to 25 cent games, I'll be back!

This spot was so much fun, they offer a wide range of games and drinks. A Dj came in about 9:30 and had the vibes right. I really enjoyed myself! They required a proof of Vaccination with the card or photo of it to get in.

Nice place for a first date! The atmosphere is chill, the drinks are reasonable and there's a good selection of games to play.

Did my work, they did their work. Ate, drank, crushed a mega BM and TP was light, finger broke through. Service was on par, chilled with my boys and was good. Lighting was chill. Do it

The coolest retro arcade bar for grownups. Lots of throwback old school arcade games and pinball machines. Super Fun. You can stop by the bar and order yourself a nice cold beer or cocktail. This place has over 50 arcade games, pinball machines and skee balling. Emporium host a lot of events for you to enjoy that features live music shows and game tournaments. You can even book companies parties or host your next birthday party. Decent Area that is within walking distances from other bars and restaurants. It can get jammed pack and super noisy on the weekends and also during the week. I have been here a few times and I have always had a wonderful time. Nice laid back vibe, decent music playing and drinks. It's a decent place to come and hang out with friends for a few hours. Some of games needs a little maintenance on them and tidy up the washrooms.

I spent coins just to learn which machines were out of service. Absolutely atrocious how openly this "Arcade" bar steals your money. Honestly, if every machine was in service, this would still be third tier to Replay. I would rather burn my money. In fact, I had extra coins and threw them in the trash, because it was more fun than their shit arcade games!

This arcade bar was really cool. Lots of 80's vintage games. Great drinks and fun atmosphere!

Way too much secret jenga for my liking. That game always creates ridiculous situations. I think Emporium could benefit from having ping pong instead.

I haven't come back here in a long time because it would always get so crowded on the weekends that you could barely move. I came back here during the daytime on a Saturday for a friend's birthday party and it was pretty quiet and pleasant. The pros: you can plan an event here and they will let you reserve tables though there aren't many tables. They also let you bring outside food in. The beer prices were pretty fair and a good selection. Apart from that, I can't really justify going here with the many other barcades that have free games now. The selection of games isn't that great and as I mentioned it gets pretty crowded after 8 or so. Also check your tab at the end because I think I got charged for an extra drink and didn't realize it until after I left.

Super pleasant staff! Good drinks! Some of the games didn't work and we lost our coins. The music is EXTREMELY loud, so not a place to go and have a conversation. Much more of a club vibe than anything else.

Arcade games and beer, what a great combination! Emporium offers a good rotating beer selection and a huge selection of arcade games. They had my personal favorite: Galaga. Two other things that I liked: they had a decent amount of tables and all of the machines were equipped with a drink holding station Boyfriend and I went right when they opened on a Thursday so there were only a few other smaller parties there. I dislike crowds. To my Raleigh Yelp friends, this place is comparable to Level Up but on steroids.

***update 3/23/16*** I came here this past Tuesday in the hopes of entering Emporium's monthly pinball tournament, only to discover that 3 participants wasn't nearly enough to host a single-elimination tourney. The organizer guy (I'm terrible with names) apologized to us and after a brief wait, he returned with small packets of tokens, shotglasses, T-shirts, and schooner glasses for each of us, all complimentary. Now THAT'S customer service at its absolute finest, ladies and gentlemen. Originally I gave this Wicker Park barcade 4 out of 5, but after recent events--and numerous revisits--I'm bumping them up a star. The great draft beer selection, trendy atmosphere, crazy cute customers, and superior selection of pinballs (most in excellent working condition) gives Emporium "1.0" a distinct edge over their Logan Square sister location. So maybe these guys don't serve food, but I'd rather that than be tempted by the sh*tty nonsense that's the food truck at Emporium "2.0". I should also mention that this Emporium has a 'Game of Thrones' table, the newest from Stern's line of pinballs. Metallica, The Shadow, KISS, Demolition Man, all in fine shape. All are a token per play, and the replay value is set pretty low, so free credits are in abundance. If the 'start' button is flashing, you've got yourself a free game (so play it, whydontcha!) Fantastic Mr Fox was playing on the bar TV, followed up by custom edited clips of over-the-top fight scenes from Bollywood and Hong Kong martial arts cinema. One clip in particular had me (along with many others) roaring with laughter/shock/disgust. I won't say exactly what, but I will say that it involved the final fight scene from the movie Undefeatable where the antagonist gets BOTH eyes gouged out in spectacular fashion. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxkr4wS7XqY Good times. Good times. ***end update***

Such a fun spot to meet up with friends or make new friends. You've got your DJ, pool, arcade games, and a bar. You'll see people socializing, playing game, and busting some dance moves. It's a nice spot to let loose and just enjoy yourself. Would come back for sure.

I loved this place so much!!! Could spend so many hours there, great for a date night (especially if it's a first one) as there's constantly something to do so no awkwardness). Or just go with your man and beat him in half the games and feel awesome ;). I do not know how it's changed with COVID protocols, if at all, I haven't been to Chicago in a few years but I just remember this as so much fun!!! Definitely a great date/event place!!

This is always a fun place . They have a wide selection of beer decently prized . And the service is fast . Make sure to take cash to change it for tokens to play the arcades (they also have an ATM on site just in case )

First time coming here. It wasn't what I expected when I first came in. I am not saying this is a bad thing. It was much smaller than what I anticipated. They have a nice menu of drinks. They only have some machines but they sure are diverse. I only spent 30 minutes at this place. There isn't much to see, but it's still nice

Emporium stands out among other bars by featuring a plethora of old arcade games, pinball machines, and even skee-ball. The bar also holds a number of different events ranging from trivia nights to music listening parties. My girlfriend and I visited the bar mid-afternoon, so it was a bit more quiet and pleasant than it may typically be on a busy night. We had the chance to try out a few different games and consume a couple of drinks. The atmosphere was very fun and laid back. The bartender seemed to fit the vibe of the bar quite well. He was friendly and the service was moderately quick. The only complaint is that the 3 Emporiums in Chicago do not share drink specials. I mistakingly went to the Wicker Park location thinking they would have the Monday PBR specials and free pool, but found out when I arrived that it was the Logan Square location that was offering it.

I visited Emporium Wicker Park last night, and was lucky to participate in the music trivia night (and win!!!). The gentleman who asked me for my ID at the door was very polite, the bartenders were friendly, and they had good drink prices! My friends and I also participated in the music trivia night, and we LOVED it! The host, Austin, was funny and well versed! We will definitely be back-- thank you Emporium for a great Tuesday night!