The 10 Best Arcade and Gaming Bars in Dallas-Fort Worth

From putt-putt and pints to shuffleboard and boozy slushies, Dallas has plenty of arcade and gaming bars to settle the score.

Cidercade
Photo by Kathy Tran, courtesy of Cidercade
Photo by Kathy Tran, courtesy of Cidercade

There was a time when bars served drinks and restaurants served food, and people were happy living within these defined boundaries. But today you’re likely to receive a golf club, pickleball paddle, or a hatchet with your food and drinks, as more concepts combine dining with entertainment.

From arcade games to golf simulators to high-tech shuffleboard, activities are merging with full kitchens and bars to create all-in-one venues that go well beyond the classic dinner and a show, and more are on the way. Ride On is an adults-only roller skating rink with a restaurant, bar, and arcade that’s slated to open this fall in the Design District. TOCA Social is an interactive soccer concept with a full bar and restaurant that’s also opening in the Design District, and it should debut sometime this year. Keep your head on a swivel as you venture into this brave new world, where food, drinks, and entertainment co-exist under one roof.

Below are 10 of the best arcade bars and gaming venues in DFW.

Multiple locations
With all due respect to OG entertainment venue Dave & Busters, no concept has done more for the hybrid restaurant-gaming model than Topgolf. Headquartered in Dallas with locations across the country, Topgolf opened its first local outpost in 2007 and has been going strong ever since. Participants can hit balls in more than 70 golf bays across multiple levels, scoring points by aiming for various targets. Between swings, dive into flatbread pizzas, burgers, sandwiches, salads, and beer—lots of beer. The latter takes the sting away from bad swings, but it also keeps spectators happy, since not everyone at Topgolf must actually partake in the golf.

Electric Shuffle
Photo courtesy of Electric Shuffle

Deep Ellum
Once the preferred game of dusty dive bars, shuffleboard has been given new life at Electric Shuffle on Elm Street. The high-energy bar features custom tables built with technology that tracks every puck and keeps your scores. And while the traditional game accommodates just two to four players, Electric Shuffle’s tables can integrate up to 24 people via a variety of team-based games. Equally important are the full bar (beers, wines, cocktails) and the food menu loaded with pizzas, sliders, wings, nachos, and spring rolls.

Grapevine and Grand Prairie
Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in America. You’ve probably heard that from a friend who’s been ruthless in their desire to convert you to pickleball. But despite how you feel about paddle sports, we’re betting you maintain positive feelings toward chicken sandwiches. To that end, here’s a place that combines both. Chicken N Pickle features indoor and outdoor courts, plus other bar games like cornhole and foosball, and a full restaurant serving hot chicken sandwiches, rotisserie chickens, and half racks of ribs, so you don’t have to make compromises. With two locations already open in DFW, the company is in expansion mode, and another Chicken N Pickle is slated to open next year in Allen.

The Colony
Located at the Grandscape complex, the Puttery keeps visitors busy with four nine-hole putting courses and three bars. The courses each sport their own theme, including the Lodge, with a Rocky Mountain vibe and grand fireplace, and a surrealist escape fantasy called Illusion, which may leave your head spinning. Between rounds, you can snack on bruschetta, charcuterie, oven-roasted meatballs, salads, sliders, and pizzas, and quench your thirst with cold beers and cocktails like the BBQ on a Saturday Night with bourbon, honey, smoked peach, lemon, and bitters.

Design District and Fort Worth
Started by the team behind Bishop Cider Co., Cidercade is what it sounds like: an arcade that serves cider. The original Design District location has more than 140 games, while the Fort Worth outpost has more than 275, covering a mix of modern and retro titles. Ten dollars gets you unlimited play on those games. Cidercade is working on another spot in Arlington, so you’ll soon have three DFW locations to choose from.

Whiskey Hatchet
Photo courtesy of Whiskey Hatchet

Deep Ellum
Combine your love for brown spirits and sharp objects at Whiskey Hatchet, a lodge-inspired space where the bar is surrounded by axe-throwing lanes. Bring friends, then take aim at the wooden targets and test your lumberjack skills. When you need a break, head to the bar for a refill—it’s pouring draft beers, original cocktails, and dozens of whiskeys.

Oak Cliff
The nostalgia is strong here, as Flashback Retro Pub leans into classic games like Space Invaders, Pac-Man, and Super Mario Bros. The games are set to free-play mode, so all you have to do is patronize the bar, and you’re good to go. Said bar serves a solid selection of craft beers and pours ’80s-themed cocktails and shots, with names like Flux Capacitor and Weekend at Bernies. There’s no food on site, but you can order from neighboring establishments Neony Pizza Works and bbbop Seoul Kitchen.

Sylvan Thirty
Another Round has 18 mini golf holes spread across two fun and challenging nine-hole tracks, plus a golf simulator, where you can take full swings into a screen and play virtual courses around the world. When you’re ready to mix things up, Duffleboard is a tabletop game that’s like mini golf meets billiards, and there’s a pickleball court on the patio. After competing at high-level sports, you’ll probably be thirsty for beer, wine, cider, frozen drinks, and golf-themed cocktails, like the Green Jacket, with gin, ginger liqueur, basil, lime, and black pepper.

Deep Ellum
This all-in-one entertainment venue puts bowling, bocce, arcade games, ping-pong, foosball, and more in one sprawling space. Reserve a lane or stick by the bar and restaurant where you’ll find better-than-expected food, including Cilantro Wings, Chicken ‘n Waffles, a Roasted Beet Salad, a Crispy Catfish Sandwich, and a NY Strip. Get your fill, then hop onto a shuffleboard table, play darts, or challenge a friend to corn hole.

Plano
This gaming bar and restaurant at the Shops at Legacy takes a different approach than the typical arcade. Here you’ll find modern consoles connected to large-screen TVs, so you can settle into a plush chair and play with friends. There are also PCs equipped with all the latest titles, plus a selection of board games for those who prefer a more analog experience. The restaurant serves burgers and sandwiches alongside pizza rolls, mini corn dogs, and corn cheese balls dusted with Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.

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Kevin Gray is a freelance writer and editor covering all things food, drinks, and travel. He’s written for The Dallas Morning News, Forbes, Liquor.com, Men’s Health, and Wine Enthusiast, and his extensive home bar is turning into a real Hoarders situation.