Nostalgia is almost an established part of leisure and culture. Now at vinyl stores and of photo development in addition, there are arcade bars, the closest thing to the arcades of the past, but more focused on adults.
Perhaps 30 or 40 years ago it was difficult to foresee that playing on a machine standing up and surrounded by friends, could be categorized as a physical and social activity, almost analog, but now this is a big part of its charm and more if it is accompanied by a beer.
Rockade
Arcade, pinball and craft beer rockade, the bar that has made the leap from Bilbao (the city) to Madrid, where it already has two locations: one at Malasaña and the other in La Latina.
These arcade bars are not only set in the 80’s, but also have some original machines from the decade in which it is inspired, to the delight of connoisseurs of this type of video games. But this is not its only attraction, there are also DJs, a menu of fusion and street food, such as arepas, tacos or hamburgers with vegan options and screens to watch American soccer, among other sports.
Calle del Almendro, 9 (La Latina) and Calle Marqués de Santa Ana, 11 (Malasaña)
Next Level Arcade Bar
At Next Level they also make one of the millennial’ s dreams come true: to combine the concept of a cocktail bar with that of an arcade game room with which to relive the golden age of video games and their childhood.
In this return to the leisure of the 80s and 90s there is a change, now all arcade machines, whether arcade, dance, sports or driving, are available for free. The condition is to order a drink, so while you enjoy the music of that era and play a classic game, you can enjoy a cold beer or a cocktail.
Calle de Tudescos, 4, bajo (Malasaña) and Calle Guzmán el Bueno, 13 (Argüelles)
ABC Arcade 2.0
ABC Arcade 2.0 is a bit of a departure from what might strictly be considered an arcade bar and is closer to the classic arcade, but more niche. Here we come to play authentic classics from at least 30 years ago: Space Invaders, Defender or Ms. PAC-MAN are just some of the 42 video games available here in their original format.
With the ticket you can use any of the machines and the price is 3€ for 30 minutes, every extra half hour is 1€ and you can reach a maximum of 8€. But if your dream is to follow the game at home you can ask the owners, because they themselves repair and sell arcade machines.
ABC Serrano Shopping Mall (Paseo de la Castellana, 34)