Emporium Arcade Bar - Wicker Park

Bar

1366 N Milwaukee Ave
Chicago, Illinois, 60622-9149
United States

(773) 697-7922 | map
emporiumarcadebar.com/locations/chicago/wicker-park
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.09
Reviews:
6
Ratings:
32
pDev:
6.6%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
 
Rated: 4.35 by Archfiend from Illinois

Oct 03, 2020
 
Rated: 4.03 by Gambyt20 from Illinois

Mar 05, 2019
 
Rated: 3.93 by cryptichead from Illinois

Jun 04, 2017
 
Rated: 4.4 by kidzord from Illinois

May 17, 2017
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Reviewed by BSiegs from Illinois

4.07/5  rDev -0.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.25
Fun place in Wicker Park with a very good tap selection. Service was good and the array of games is pretty good for entertainment, although would prefer if you did not have to pay for tokens on top of beers. Definitely will return.
Jun 02, 2016
 
Rated: 3.93 by cadaugherty from Illinois

May 12, 2016
 
Rated: 4.53 by bylerteck from Canada (ON)

Apr 29, 2016
 
Rated: 3.82 by dexterk1 from Illinois

Jan 17, 2016
 
Rated: 3.96 by jschott75 from Illinois

Dec 23, 2015
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Reviewed by itsjustjared from Illinois

4.7/5  rDev +14.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5
Highly underrated craft beer destination with two locations in Chicago. The one in Wicker Park is draft only & seems to always have a fairly well-balanced beer list with a lot of local/regional offerings. The Logan Square bar is package only (cans/large format bottles) and has recently started a "cellar" list with some pretty cool stuff you don't normally see at bars. Go during the week as it's less crowded & easier to get on the arcade games.
Dec 23, 2015
 
Rated: 4.15 by Fargrow from Michigan

May 15, 2015
 
Rated: 4.14 by Chris-1911 from Illinois

May 07, 2015
 
Rated: 3.81 by bolognasuave from Illinois

May 04, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by psoriasaurus from Thailand

Apr 29, 2015
 
Rated: 4.11 by tim007007 from Illinois

Apr 18, 2015
Photo of Barnoloid
Reviewed by Barnoloid from Illinois

3.97/5  rDev -2.9%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
Emporium is a great barcade with well priced video games and pinball accompanied by a varied Tap list. They do not carry cans or bottles to save on waste, which is admirable and also leads to an eclectic choice of beers to go at. The draft selections vary - with rarely seen beers from both local and national breweries often found here, along with appropriate glassware. This bar brings in a large crowd on Friday and Saturday evenings. The upside is that this is a large bar with ample room away from the arcade games. Going on a Sunday or off peak time is usually a good idea.
Jan 04, 2015
 
Rated: 4.5 by Flabbyjandro from Illinois

Dec 11, 2014
 
Rated: 3.95 by drewone from California

Dec 06, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by thewimperoo from Illinois

Nov 21, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by waitwhatamidrinking from Illinois

Nov 13, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by sweemzander from Illinois

Nov 07, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Nuggetz from Texas

Nov 06, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by spycow from Illinois

Nov 01, 2014
 
 
Rated: 4 by birdsellam from Indiana

Sep 03, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by cathomae from Illinois

Jun 20, 2014
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Reviewed by mynie from Maryland

4.2/5  rDev +2.7%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.25
Wicker Park Location; surprisingly not expensive.

Emporium came up on a phone search. I was skeptical in spite of the impressive tap list; was worried it'd be some Dave and Busters bullshit but with good beer.

And what's wrong with Dave and Busters? It's not an arcade, damnit! Nor is Chuck E. Cheese's. Those places are just sick, sad casinos for kids, where youngsters learn the addictive joy of paying too much money to watch lights flash around so they can have a minuscule chance of scoring enough tickets to buy a fun-sized Charleston Chew.

Like, seriously, what prizes can you get with Dave and Busters tickets? Smokes? Razors?

And, more seriously, what the hell kind of "adult" needs to supplement his drinking with carnival games?

So, yeah, bad feeling before we came in, and my initial impression of the vibe seemed to back that up. It was midnight-ish on a Friday, so the place was packed. Innocuous 80's music play ridiculously loudly. At times the shitty bass lines would rattle screens. That shit was lame when I was 20 and I got no time for it now.

The crowd was very young and, it turns out, very friendly. Hipsters don't go no problems with us early 30somethings, so long as we don't try and act cool. Try talking to a kid about something hip and millennial--like Lorde, or jenkum--and they'll throw you right out. But know your place. Talk about buying the latest Pavement record on cassette. They'll think that's dandy.

The beer list is excellent, as good as nearly any beer bar in town. There was nothing particularly great when we visited--no one offs or anything--but the variety was wide and they were all decently priced.

But the games! Oh, the games. They are actual arcade video games. The ones you play to try and get a high score. No ticket bullshit. Just original games in original cabinets, ranging from the late 70s to the mid-90s, with a surprising array of obscure and cult games.

If you are at all into retro games, stop here. If you also happen to enjoy beer, then goodness, this place is a borderline must visit. Probably be nicer earlier in the day, but it's still completely tolerable once it gets busy.
Jun 16, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Dexterityviking from Wisconsin

May 23, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by 773-F-I-B from Illinois

Mar 26, 2014
Photo of Fluffheady
Reviewed by Fluffheady from Illinois

3.5/5  rDev -14.4%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.25 | selection: 3.75
This place is really cool. It’s packed ALL the time, and they did so well in their first year that they expanded. A birdie told me that one of the owners used to be a bartender at Barcade in Brooklyn. They have a cool rotating beer list and it’s hard not to have a good time here. It’s just busy, and some people may be turned off by the younger hipster crowd.
Nov 24, 2013
 
Rated: 3.5 by scottwurst from Illinois

Oct 08, 2013
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Reviewed by emerge077 from Illinois

4.08/5  rDev -0.2%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25
Dark and loud with punk and 80's Metallica playing, also Heart...huh. Early evening it was already fairly crowded on a friday after 5, but after returning from dinner, things took a turn for the odd. First a large tourbus pulled up, then a stream of 80's themed LGBT revelers packed in the place. We spotted Boy George, Michael Jackson, hot pants Pac Man, a tennis guy chicken hawk, lots of spandex and florescent colors.

The night before there was an east coast tap takeover, so the drafts were exclusively from Allagash, DFH, Sixpoint, Smuttynose, Southern Tier, Victory, plus a handful of others. Interesting stuff such as Braumeister and a Berliner from Victory, Interlude, Smutty Baltic Porter, and more.

Vibe was kind of young, early 20's, card everybody at the door, grey hair(s) or not, lol.
Bartenders were quick and on point, despite the pub crawl and general bros whooping it up. Overall just about what you'd expect, but a nice focus on local craft with some interesting events coming up for CCBW. They seem to rotate taps often, so worth a stop in, near quality food spots like Cumin, Harolds, & Antique Taco. Thanks Tbone for the tip!
Apr 20, 2013
Emporium Arcade Bar - Wicker Park in Chicago, IL
Place rating: 4.09 out of 5 with 32 ratings