Growing up in Atlanta, I spent countless hours playing Cruis’n Exotica on N64 in my neighbor’s basement and joining Dance Dance Revolution marathons at Mountasia during Ten Buck Tuesdays. Back in the day, the only places I could game were at friends’ houses, amusement parks, and bowling alleys.
Times have changed for the better. Whether you want to enjoy Warhammer while sipping on an amazing milkshake, perform your heart out on the Rock Band Stage, or get a high score in Space Invaders while wearing pajamas, these three places have got you covered.
Giga-Bites Café
It’s your gaming home away from home. The café is a tight-knit, small community that’s highly knowledgeable and extremely welcoming to newcomers. They’ve got tabletop games, trading card games, and board games. Half store, half café, their walls are lined with models and other gaming must-haves on sale. Their café offers packaged snacks and bottled drinks, smoothies, milkshakes, and bacon-laden sandwiches. When you aren’t eating, gaming, or shopping, grab a booth to paint models or surf online. They have a league for wargaming and regularly hold tournaments.
Oh yeah: Get the Caligula milkshake, which is a milkshake with king sized bag of Skittles, strawberry syrup, vanilla ice cream, and whipped cream. It will kick you in the face with its sweetness (in a good way, I think).
2197 Roswell Road, Suite 101
Marietta, GA 30062
http://www.giga-bitescafe.com/index.php
Battle & Brew
Nestled in a strip mall in Marietta, it looks rather unassuming from the outside. However, upon entering the establishment you’re transported to a cozy den of plush seating with an array of televisions, consoles, and PCs strategically set up around the shop. Select what you’re playing from their ever-expanding menu of PC, Wii/Wii-U, Xbox 360, PS3, and NES games. They’ve got hourly rates, which range between $5-7 and hour (minus the Rock Band Stage, which is $9) and day passes. Ladies can come out on Fridays and enjoy free gaming while on Wednesdays Battle and Brew gets packed with eager participants in Geek Trivia.
Known as Atlanta’s first game bar, Battle & Brew serves up local and specialty craft beers, ciders, and hand crafted sake cocktails. They also carry an extensive menu, featuring whimsical items such as the Tri-Force burrito and a basket of sweet potato tots brought to the next level with cinnamon sugar and a caramel dipping sauce. Beat the Final Level or Ultimate Final Level eating challenges and be handsomely rewarded with some free swag.
Oh yeah: Get a bottle of the Samuel Smith Strawberry ale and vanilla ice cream. Now you have a strawberry beer float. You’re welcome.
279 Powers Ferry Road, Suite H
Marietta, GA 30067
http://battleandbrew.com/
Joystick Gamebar
Head down to Joystick Gamebar in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward district to enjoy specialty cocktails, craft beer, and sophisticated snack food. Oh, and of course the old-school games. A newcomer to the scene, Joystick Gamebar was partially crowdfunded on Kickstarter and opened in July 2012. Their concept is to offer a place where delicious eats and booze can be comfortably enjoyed while playing games with friends and strangers alike (if you feel like it). They nailed it. As you first walk into the dimly lit and industrial space, your eye is immediately drawn to the games lining the walls. They’ve got a dozen vintage arcade machines on deck including Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter II, and Galaga. Scrawled on their chalkboard are cocktails like Cowboys & Indians and Captain Jack & Rose, which promises Cockspur aged rum, Cardamaro, house grenadine, and lime. Their snack menu is inventive with items such as steam buns with Kool Aid-braised pork belly. Rustle up some quarters and revel in the nostalgia.
427 Edgewood Avenue
Atlanta, GA 30312
http://www.joystickgamebar.com/
Geek Trivia is on WEDNESDAY at Battle&Brew. Thursdays they have Tournaments.
Thank you for the heads up!
Just a heads up, Battle & Brew has their Geek Trivia on Wednesday nights. Thursday nights they do video game tournaments.
Thank you for catching that! I’ve corrected it.