Went for the first time on Super Bowl Sunday and it was great! Fantastic beer selection as well as good n/a sodas (for non-drinkers). My friend got their wine slushy, which she swears by. Its a small space but that makes it cozy! A great selection of old arcade games, although Joust wasnt working which was a bummer. They dont serve food but you can order delivery to the bar; just think ahead and either bring or ask the delivery service for flatware...we were eating sausages with our hands.

We had no idea all the games here were free before we went. Had the time of our lives!! The DJ they had playing was awesome! And they have any arcade game you could possibly want to play. This is my new favorite spot in Chicago to hangout at

Games are free to play and they have all the great old school ones! Always fun

We made it a girls night out and enjoyed our time at Headquarters; no tokens needed to play the games.one has the option to be downstairs or upstairs. Overall we had a good time.

So they dont serve hard alcohol which was a bit disappointing. They had plenty of beer options and unique ones at that! We got a mango beer which was pretty tasty!

Themed bar?!? Im all in!When I say themed bar, Im talking complimentary popcorn, cotton candy, clowns walking around, bartenders with crisp mustaches. Oh, and trapeze acts in the middle of the dance floor!!?Stumbled in here after leaving another bar, so you can imagine how confused I was. But good music, good drinks, and not too busy for a Friday night means I had a great time. (Even with my irrational clown fear).

The food here is awesome and the atmosphere is always fun.

First time here. We were looking for a chill spot to grab dinner. Came here to eat and play some games. When we got here, there was an event going on and barely any tables or servers around. Thankfully we found Eric!! He went out of his way to get us a table and found Michelle to take care of us! Literally, the two most amazing and nicest people at this bar. We would greatly recommend going here just to have Michelle take care of you! Thank you so much for the great service, atmosphere and good food.Sincerely,The Couple from Ohio

Went at around noon on a Saturday. The staff was very friendly and professional. Our bartender was awesome and made delicious drinks. I highly recommend the Saturday Detention. My friend ordered the truffle fries and the portion was large and they were delicious! Very fun place, love the variety of the games. We will be back!

Love the atmosphere . I hope this opens back up soon !

Fun place for an evening out. Great theme drinks to go along with all if the old video games. Food is good not great. Bar food, sliders, fries, chicken, etc. The old video games are fun, they just need to do more upkeep on them. I had 3 or 4 games with a bad button or joystick.

Wonderful people that care about you and your experience. Max was a pleasure to meet and made us feel very welcome.The beer selection is good and best of all, 90% of the games are free. I think there were just 3 games that were priced at a dollar a go.Games and beers, who can ask for more...food, yup they have that as well.Overall I had a great time

I would give this place 5 stars, but the food is way below average for a hefty price (12.00 for 6 small wings!). The arcade game selection is phenomenal if you grew like me going to arcades spending a ton of quarters and dollars on arcade games that are now free to play here. Also they are open late with plenty of free street parking which is a big plus for the area the restaurant is in. The food is mostly finger food with a high price point for below average taste; however they have great staff, service and game selection that makes this place a go to for hanging out with friends.

This place is great! Classic arcade games and alcohol! What more can you ask for?! You will definitely lose track of time as you go about playing these games and knocking down beers. Definitely a place to go to after work to blow some steam off and go back to being that little kid in the arcade.

Headquarters is a great time. I first went on a busy weekend night and was still able to order drinks fast and access a lot of the games despite the crowd. They have a huge selection of pinball machines which I am thrilled about, because pinball is an underrated good time. All machines are free. The atmosphere is great, I love the neon signage. Based on some questions Ive seen I want to point out, this is a bar. This is not a family friendly place. This is a grownup only arcade.

This was my favorite part about my trip to Chicago!Stumbled in on a Sunday afternoon to play some games and found out that one of my favorite Dj’s was playing here as a part of an event series. It was $25 to get in but the games were free. The vibe here is super cool. I tried a bunch of their specialty cocktails and a few local brews. I had a lot of fun playing games and vibing to chill house music. It might not be your scene with the DJ playing house music on Sunday’s but I had a blast. They have a bunch of games so I suggest taking more than enough cash for tokens. This place was a lot of fun, glad I found it.

Monday nights here are the absolute best. If you work in the industry, its 50% food and drinks. Love vibing with the staff here. Understanding, chill people. Good music, drinks, food, atmosphere, and lets not forget the games. Free... Not to mention one of the best neon signs out there, Dont grow up, its a trap

Love this place! Entrance and games are free! I have been to several other arcades and barcades and none have been both free to enter and free to play. There are lots of games to choose from. I love pinball and there was a great selection. Also lots of different beers to choose from. Its most fun when there isnt much of a crowd. Will be back for sure!!

Amazing!!!! The DJ was amazing. There was no cover charge and the games were free. Absolutely loved the place!! Great selection in beer and there mixed drinks are unbelievable.

This place was so much fun! We went in the summer when we were visiting Chicago, highly recommend. Great atmosphere, vintage arcade games and beer! How can you go wrong?

Amazing time!! I thought this was going to be like Dave & Busters but it was so much better. Almost all the games were free and I got to get my old school games on as well as pinball. I hadnt played pinball in forever. Drinks were spot on and food was excellent. Highly recommend the Assault and Pepper and Undertaker for drinks. Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Soul Caliber and Killer Insinct to name a few of the classic arcades there. Just a great time. I had the Mama Mia burger which was fantastic. The fries were crazy salty and delicious as well. The first waiter we had was extremely attentive (we showed up during a shift change). The waitress we had after couldnt care if we were there but it didnt hamper our fun. We will be back to this place when we are in town again.

Love this place! First time here was after exploring lots of other nightlife spots and we settled here and only wished we had found it earlier. 21+ archade w/ free games! (Not even a huge game person, but these machines were well kept and honestly a ton of fun)

This place is ridiculously fantastic. A barcade where all the games are free and they have the newest pinball machines? WHAT? Yes this is a true story. I can’t say enough good things about this place. Keep up the good work. You deserve someKind of award like the Nobel Peace PrizeOr something

I personally love this place for their games and the industry night they have every Monday (50% off the whole bill). Great food, amazing staff! Will always book my after parties here!

Good selection of Beer as expected. Games are fun and all free. Food was okay but its a Beer+Arcade, two places not known for their spectacular food options.

This is a great beercade, with a good selection of drinks available. The games are all free, but during certain events, it can get very busy. The prices are fairly normal, but given the location, the crowd can get very woo. However, on days when it is slower, it is a great place to hang out and get to know someone or even hang out in groups. Not a bad option for a bar with things to do

I love the place!!! Besides great vibes, music, and games, I love that this place is super unpretentious. There is no cover fee, the drinks are reasonably priced, and the games are free. I got the strawberry mangroni pop and I don’t think there was much alcohol in it but it tasted good. There is a nice beer selection as well. All-in-all a must visit place in Chicago!

Awesome place. A bar with video games that are feee to play for the most op art. Some classic titles like “track and field” and “Mrs Pac-Man” beer also great.

No where near enough games. Needed a bouncer on the floor as crowd was a little rowdy. Needs to have an area for games like foosball, air hockey, and ping pong. Popular games were very hard to get on. Overall the place was average.

This place Had a very laidback vibe. There were several drink options, and two bars to get them from. Ciders as well as beer, along with cocktails.There are several vintage pinball, video games, and arcade games. Almost all of these are free to play as many times as your young at heart desires. Cool music and a cassette wall to match. Bar staff was very polite, knowledgeable, and attentive. Drinks were a reasonable $7 for the area. I will be back.

Amazing servers who have the absolute best personality! And the drinks are exceptional. Ill definitely come again when I am in Chicago!

One of my Chicago happy places. Pinball and arcade games on free play, tremendous beer selection and very good bar food. Very friendly staff. Locals and hipsters hang out.

Definitely one of the coolest bar experiences I have ever been to!In fairness, I was here for a wedding, and a package they offer event is an open bar for guests for four hours, so that made it super easy on the wallet. Even so, the mixed drinks, and craft beer selection were amazing.Personally had something called the Hungry Hungry Hipster which I believe is one of their house specialties. Pay attention to the bartender as they make it. Quite the show! Also, one of the very few non brewery tasting room locations Ive been to where the bartenders do tap pours properly. They DID NOT put the tap spout into the beer as they were pouring it. So stoked about that! Tells me they are trained very well.

Went at around noon on a Saturday. The staff was very friendly and professional. Our bartender was awesome and made delicious drinks. I highly recommend the Saturday Detention. My friend ordered the truffle fries and the portion was large and they were delicious! Very fun place, love the variety of the games. We will be back!

Great variety of free arcade games! Including some newer fighting games that I havent seen elsewhere. Staff was fast and friendly. Decent prices for River North.

Came here for an event hosted in the lower level. There was a wide variety of drinks and cocktails to choose from, with something for everyone. The food was mediocre--overly greasy and odd flavor combinations. I did enjoy the arcade theme and played several rounds of pinball. There were a couple of machines that were down for repairs.

Arrive a little earlier, around 8pm and you can fully enjoy the games, drinks and food. When I was leaving around midnight, I saw the long lineup around the street. Enjoying free games is unbelievable. You can shoot hoops non stop where other places like overpriced Dave & Busters will charge you an arm and a leg for less than 30 seconds. Maybe only 1 machine was down, which is impressive considering the amount of abuse they get from countless numbers of gamers for hours on end.I enjoyed a nice gin cocktail but my friends wings were raw and had it sent back. So maybe they arent great when it comes to food, but their drinks are absolutely amazing.

Great throwback arcade bar and food

I dare say that this is the best arcade bar in the city. Well-maintained new and old arcade and pinball games are all free to play, and although the beer is a little pricey, youre paying for a great selection of local and craft beer (and the games). Also, their Sunday Funky Brunch shows on Sundays in the Spring and Fall are blast

Was in town for a music festival, but by the third day I was drained. After a quick Google, found this place. Was excited by the Pinball Map App that said they had a lot of machines. Turns out there is two levels, and the second level is only open on Friday and Saturday (understandable, Ill have to come back on a Friday or Saturday to check out level two).They had a good selection of arcade cabinets and pinball. They even have the new Jurrasic Park!The beer selection was excellent and reasonably priced. I had the loaded fries which were good. The rest of the menu looked excellent as well.All in all, a real treat! It is a must-go if you wanna play some games. Even better that they are on free play!

It was my first time here. The high rating and reviews were accurate! My boyfriend and I are avid pinball players and were surprised to find the pinball is free! The selection was great, and we highly enjoyed it. I had an Eyepatch and it was one of the best cocktails I’ve had. The staff was quick and attentive. Food was a little over priced, but I’m not from the city so that might be the average ticket for a night out. The atmosphere (music, decor, layout) were aesthetically pleasing.

This place is the epitome of adult nostalgia. Nothing like a classic games, great food and a few beers. I ordered some mozzarella sticks and fries and it definitely hit the spot.The atmosphere is super chill but had an excitement to it reminiscent of the old-school arcade feel with the addition of cupholders to set your drinks up at whatever game you play.The staff was very friendly and very willing to answer any questions I had. They even let me know that they rotate games about every month so Ill DEFINITELY be going back again soon.

Held our company Holiday party here and everyone had a great time!!! All the staff was friendly and professional. Food & games made for a perfect night.

Fun arcade for adults! The games are free and the food and drinks are good. Get the cheese curds for sure.

Good drinks and great games. I had a blast playing pinball at this place. The atmosphere was great and there was good music to accompany the multitude of pinball machines and arcade games this place had. This was my first time here; though Im not a local, Id definitely come back next time Im in the area.

Great place plenty of beer to choose from and so many awesome games to paly

What an absolute fun place to be. I will deathly come back here

Great arcade and bar. Love all of the classic pinball machines and video games. Adams Family, Attack from Mars, Pole Position. The wall of cassette tapes is pretty amazing as well, hard not to think every album from the 80s isn’t on that wall.

What a fun place. Great beers and free pinball and other games. We had a blast here.

Good experience, beer is good, Nostalgia: on. Tried once... Not sure if Id be back just because it didnt feel memorable.

Such a fun place to take a dating night in a different direction!!!!

Super spacious and fun, great variety of games for everyone to have something to entertain themselves. Beer selection was solid and the bartender was very knowledgeable. Also got the Savory flatbread which had phenomenal flavor and was perfect for snacking on, especially with vegetarian friends. Definitely a place to come back to, especially on a quiet Tuesday evening.

The first time Ive gone to a Headquarters it was the old Lakeview location that ended up becoming a Replay due to the management kerfuffle that happened a few years ago. This place is actually an upgrade, since all of the games seem to be on free play theyve added a food menu, for one - and the beer selection is still good. It can be difficult to find on foot, but its close enough to the Chicago Brown Line where that wont matter much.

Cool idea and place, its just extremely loud. The drinks are pretty pricey, unless youre buying something draft be prepared to shell out. Food is pretty good, some little twists on typical bar food. Very extensive game collection, so if youre out for some old 80s and 90s arcade feels this is the place. All games are free, just be prepared to wait your turn for the old hits like you used to back then...

I drank great beer while playing NBA jam. This place is fantastic.

Had a great time celebrating a friends birthday. Also enjoyed playing the games there. Will be going back

Awesome atmosphere. Cool games. Excellent service. Delicious drinks. Whats not to love?!?

Great fun. Real nostalgic. The arcades are great

First time there, enjoyed the games and the drink was ok. The main issue I have is that the Jerk Wings should not be called that! There was nothing jerked about it. It was literally just regular grilled UNSEASONED wings, no jerk sauce, seasoning or heat. I had to ask for hot sauce to get some type of flavor and heat.

Place is awesome but so many reservations, its hard to go there and not have sections taken up with all the good games. Wish there was times that was no reservations allowed so you can walk around freely

An awesome place to play arcade games and enjoy drinks! There is a HUGE selection of throwback games, most of which are free, but a select few cost just $1. The beer selection is amazing but they do have a full bar. The bartenders and staff are fast and highly attentive making it easy to get drinks even when it’s crowded on weekends. Be sure to check their website for when they host special events that are amazing, but mean they are closed to the public during the event. Highly recommend.

I went in October 2018 as part of a large group I was pleasantly surprised they had lots of great arcade fun, pinball air hockey and multiple retro video games .But the real surprise was the good generous food and great beer rangeFirst time I’d had buffalo cauliflower and was something I really enjoyedStaff were friendly and knew their way round the beer board

Just overall underwhelming. Sure if you like Pinball and other arcade games you may have some fun here overpaying for drinks and playing games with no reward. Id recommend going to another bar or restaurant if youre interested in hanging with friends.

A fun hangout place with lot of arcade game options and good drinks!

Headquarters Barcade has a lot of fun games to play... and yes they are free, but dont expect to hear yourself think inside the bar. If youre looking to relax I would suggest looking elsewhere. Music was entirely too loud and the prices of the drinks reflect the fact that the games are free.

Awesome arcades. Great environment. Your in for a good time

Headquarters Beercade is always a great time! Be forwarned, the prices are definitely downtown in nature, but as long as youre prepared for that, the food is fantastic and the drinks are well outside what youll find at most bars.

Nice classic sports bar Ambience with plenty of games options and can easily accommodate big party crowd.

Cool bar fun with free video games and great staff the food could be better but was edible

They have a great atmosphere and music. Free arcade games and reasonably priced drinks. I would have like a few more bar tenders. They had 2 at each bar so it took a bit to get a drink. Definitely recommended for a relaxed night

This bar is by far the best arcade themed one of its kind. Headquarters has fun games to play, good food and very interesting and creative drinks.

Interesting model where games are free, can play as many as you want. Fairly active vibe for a barcade.

Excellent opportunity to unwind with beer and a ton of free arcade games which will take you back in time!

One of the best barcades I have been to - friendly staff with solid drinks. And free games! That took a sec to process, as Id never seen that in a place like this before. Not to mention they dug way back for some of their selection. The dj area being decorated with cassettes was a plus too (cuz Im old). Food looked good as well. Absolutely no complaints, highly recommended stop.

Liquor was way over priced and no national brand. Besides that very cool and laid back atmosphere. Free games. Good time. Safe neighborhood

A fantastic place with a great atmosphere and amazing cocktails.The place is full of arcade games and pinballs, the dancefloor is bit enough but not too spread out.You will see items from the 80s all over the place and walls and this makes the place unique. You must try it!

Great drinks! Great food! Free retro arcades games??? This place has got it all! Staff is super friendly too!

Really really cool place

So much fun, extremely friendly and fun staff! Will definitely be back next time we get back to the city

Great bar food, nice selection of ever-changing taps and of course a ton of free play games!

Amazing place with lots of arcade games! Nice ipas and good atmosphere. The place turns into a disco too.

Had a good time. Whats better than having a few beers and playing free arcade games.

Great time to drink, eat and play Free Games!

This place is huge! But what I most like and respect is their collection of old school arcades AND ample supply of classic pinball machines. Too much fun! Oh and the drinks are !

Wonderful time at HQ for Bippidy Boppidy Booze. Great entertainment, flowing mimosas, and pretty decent food. I dont mind the drive from Michigan for such a fun afternoon and Ill be coming again and again.

Great retro bar, free arcade games, good food and drinks and friendly staff

Nice place to visit. Great service, like to visit this place on weekends!

Good adulting on the weekend, especially if you ever been to an arcade. But play before you start drinking...

This... Place... is... Amazing!!! So many different throw back games for FREE PLAY! They have a wonderful beer selection as well as some tables you can rest your legs at or wait for your favorite game to free up. Will definitely be back next time Im in the city.

Its a beercade. I went there with friends from out of town had a blast. It wasnt really packed so it made playing games much funner.

Great selection of pinball machines they take care of them well. All kinds of beer and wine too. A great Saturday night bar.

Nostalgic and iconic video games paired with friends, brew, and good food what’s not to love! They have Pac-Man, Mortal Kombat, Killer Instinct, Dig Dug X-men Arcade! Simpson’s arcade! Ninja Turtles arcade! The list goes on did I mention these games are free!

Always have a great time here. Their games are free. The atmosphere is wonderful. Cocktails are premixed which had us feeling like they were way too weak. We went on Monday night which is industry night so half off food & drinks. It wasn’t super busy, but the bartenders were awfully rude and slow. Kind of a bummer in such an awesome place. Maybe they put their weak bartenders on Monday’s? Will return but I hope they replace their Monday night bartenders.

Chill environment liked the old school games to play while with friends and drinks great food

Very cool place we saw Nerd Lesque there and had a great time.

Good food, great atmosphere and service

Unbelievably great place. Free games and fantastic drinks

Excellent place. All my favorite 80s arcade and pinball games. Good beer nice atmosphere

Funky little joint near the downtown area with a great beer selection, smooth mixed drinks, and solid bar fare. But thats not why youre coming over. About 50 classic arcade games, from pinball to Galaga to Tron and skeeball. And theyre all free. Steampunk decoration ties the place together nicely. Great joint for those looking to do something out of the touristy norm and for gamers in town.

Attentive is not the word I would use to describe this waitstaff.