Location: 1366 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, Illinois 60622, USA
Report date: October, 2013

Emporium Arcade Bar at 1366 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago opened a few years ago, since when the bar has been very successful with its classic arcade theme.

A welcoming neon sign in the front window

In fact, they have recently doubled the size of their location and now have over 50 video games and 12 pinball machines.

A long row of pins in the new room addition

Mostly recent Stern pins are featured, plus some '90s Williams/Bally classics.

Some of the recent Stern games

Five great pins from the '90s

More Stern pins available to play

They also serve craft beers on tap exclusively. Emporium Arcade Bar is located in the Wicker Park neighbourhood, which is a popular night life spot. The bar fills up often with thirsty patrons who want to play some classic arcade games.

A row of video games in the early evening

The same games later at night

It was nice to see a younger crowd enthused about playing all the games offered there.

All the games are token-operated at 25 cents each, which is a good deal for playing a pin.

Only one token to play any game

I played most of the pins and they looked clean and worked well.

Colorful LEDs glowing in the Theatre of Magic

I think maintaining the pins there has become more of a priority, since the pins seemed cleaner and operated better than a visit a few months ago.

A staff member hard at work cleaning The Shadow

A tip I should share is that parking is hard to find, especially on a Saturday night. The CTA elevated Blue Line train has stops at Division Ave. and Damen Ave. that are both close to the bar.

You never know who you will see there

Keep your eyes on the lookout for pins when you are in the area. I also saw single pins in a few of the many other bars near Emporium Arcade Bar.

© Pinball News 2013