Headquarters Beercade Lakeview

I have been to this place a few times, and after giving it a try, I am not a fan. I will start by saying that I am not a fan of video games in the slightest, so that doesn’t help that video games are the only attraction here, but that is not the sole reason for the 2 star rating. The main reason is that the layout creates a lot of dead space pockets as well as many overcrowded areas. Another issue I have is that their beer selection is excellent for the craft beer drinker, there is nothing really for the regular Miller Lite fan.
I get what they are trying to do, and for the craft beer drinking, video game lover, this place is great, dont get me wrong, but for me and what I am looking for in a bar, this is not the place for me.

My brother-​in-​law introduced me to this place and I truly enjoyed it. On top of a solid beer selection, they had a wide assortment of free old school and semi-​old school arcade games. I was pleased find long forgotten games like WWF Wrestlefest and NFL Blitz. These games were by no means classics, but enjoyable none the less. They also have a wide assortment pinball machines as well, which quickly reminded me how bad I am at pinball. I went on a Saturday night and it was crowded as hell, but definitely would like to go back there as some point.

I love Headquarters. I think this place is pretty amazing considering there aren’t too many places like this around. Especially where the arcade games are free play. They had so many different games and pinball machines, from old school to modern day. There were a few pinball machines where you did have to pay to play, but not too many. This bar is pretty big, there is an upstairs and downstairs. It is pretty much a hipster bar though in my opinion as soon as our bartender told us that they didn’t serve any «normal» drinks. I the Havanna Affair and was not a fan of that drink. It didn’t really taste like anything to me. The ingredients in it sounded a lot more appealing than the drink itself, but I am not a big drinker, so that could just be me not having the taste buds for alcohol.
The staff was pretty friendly overall though. We will definitely be coming back here the next time we are in town.

What a neat idea! I love this! I felt like a kid again. The best part is that all these games are free! There is also no cover charge. Which is even better. Beware though, this is strictly a 21 or over joint. I felt bad that some of my other friends friends were not granted access to the beercade. What would have made this 4 stars is if they had fighting games like Tekken or shooting games! I would practically live there at that point.

This is one of my favorite places to go because they have great pinball, but there’s usually something to leave a bad taste in my mouth.
I love selection of new and old pinball tables in (generally) great working condition. I love that they have beers that are completely new to me, and that the beers are easy to order thanks to the numbering system.
However, literally 50% of the times I’ve gone it’s been closed or they’re having a private party. It’s confusing because the «pincade» and «beercade» are different places with different entrances, different phone numbers, and different hours.
At least now there are some good pinball games in the back «beercade» which is open on Monday and Tuesday.
It really, really pisses me off that they don’t have a phone number that they answer. So, if you want to know if they’re open, need to get someone in the event of an emergency, lost something important, or whatever, you can leave a message after the beep.

Fun place. Probably more fun on a week day. Beer selection and drinks were pretty great, kind of pricy. But you do get unlimited play on the games.
There were so many parties being hosted so I imagine that could be fun when less crowded!
Games were all pretty cool, had a fun time. Glad they don’t charge a cover.
Bouncer was actually really sweet, told me happy early birthday, hah.
Would love to come back on a non-​busy day to review it!

I LOVE BEERCADE. Ever since our trip to chicago, my bf and I have been in search of anything like this. Great beer selection, great variety of games and free play! When the bouncer told us that we didn’t need tokens, my bf’s jaw dropped. All the games were in great condition too! Everywhere we travel to now, we look for something like beercade but nothing has been able to come close!
Where else can you play unlimited free arcade games and drink.
I guess my search for something similar continues.

If you like beer and games, you will love this place. Tons of arcade games, fun vibe, and excellent priced drinks.

This place is great concept, but then you realize it is very hard to get on specific games. People tend to hang out on them for a long time, especially the good ones. I would recommend coming early or on an off night if you want to play some games. The layout of the place isn’t the best for the amount of people trying to move about. Also the Exit/​Entrance can be a cluster fuck. People tend to start arguing with the bouncer when they are asking them to exit through a different door… however this makes it really unpleasant to see when you are first walking in. Every time I go I ask the bartender for the best/​favorite/​most ordered drink… Every time its the worst tasting drink.

I had my baby shower at HQ on 1÷23÷16. I know — it’s a bit non-​traditional, but I’m not traditional! Anyway, we were able to arrange two reserved tables by the front windows with Joel of HQ staff. He was incredibly helpful throughout the entire process. There was no fee for the reserved tables, and no bar minimum. We did, however, arrange to use drink tickets so that we could buy each of our guests a drink on our tab. HQ allowed us to use whatever we wanted as drink tickets. We ended up printing our own, but they gave us several other options, like playing cards, wrist bands, etc. We also were able to bring in all of our own food, which helped control costs.
When we arrived, Mike was the manager on duty and welcomed us warmly, and helped with every need we had. The vents were BLASTING hot air right on the two tables we had reserved, and when asked to turn down the heat, he did so right away. Also during one of the shower games, we asked him to turn down the music at the front so the guests could hear us, and again, he did right away and kept an eye on us to see when we were done so he could turn it back up.
If you need a free place to host a celebration of anything, HQ is a great place to do it.

This review is not about the bar, it is based solely on my experience with the bouncer and manager:
A large group of us headed over to Headquarters Monday night. We were all excited and ready to surprise my mom and take her to an arcade bar so she can play pacman! Yet, when we arrive the bouncer decides to decline me due to my ID… which I fully understand he has the right to do, yet with it being my legal ID, and myself aging at 27, I think requesting to speak with a manager is a valid and reasonable request. However, the bouncer being on his high horse, as they usually are, denied my request. Told me that there is no manager I can speak with, because his word is the final word. Well that just doesn’t fly with us, so we demand to see the manager regardless of his imaginary power. So after waiting outside for several minutes, the manager finally came out and checked my ID, only to find that yes, in fact, it was really me, and I wasn’t underage.
I’m sorry, but first of all, when a party of 7 (obvious adults) walk into your bar, and you are skeptical of an ID, then walk your lazy ass over to a manager and get a second opinion. Don’t stand there and tell the group that you won’t even check with a manager. And on a MONDAY night, I mean come on now. Get your act together. Get a bouncer that knows how to properly deal with a situation like this.

I feel bad for this review because I feel like it was a fluke. I came here for my boyfriends birthday in August. The staff was on a special outing so the majority of the bar was closed. It’s nice that they do this for their staff and I was relieved when we found out the the game room and bar was still open. However, it seemed like they took all the most experienced staff with them and only left the most inexperienced ones behind. I ordered a club soda and was pretty surprised (even in Chicago) that it was $ 4. Not only that but I when I checked my bank account, I realized that I was charged TWICE. When I called to ask about it, they said it was normal and that the second charge should disappear. It did NOT disappear so I ended up paying $ 8 bucks for something that should be free in my opinion.

The concept is great, no one is debating that, and certainly the fact that arcade bars keep popping up is a testament to their popularity.
HQ Beercade has a good selection of games and the ‘free to play’ aspect is super appealing, especially to one’s wallet. But there’s also a drawback to the free to play games — it’s really crowded, and it’s extremely difficult to play some games since some individuals will literally hog the games. There are suppose to be rules dictating time length, but they are seldom enforced, and overall it just creates a chaotic environment.
Also, the space (and perhaps a byproduct of the neighborhood) is very-​deuchy. Maybe it’s the old ghosts of Uncle Fatty’s still haunting the building to ensure that the proper deuchy quota is maintained at all times.
Arcades are fun, beer is fun, but I didn’t have fun at HQ Beercade. It was crowded, I was unable to play a lot of the game I wanted to (or was unwilling to wait the long time needed), and the crowd was not to my liking.
I’ll pass.

Free games! Yesss free games!!! Good drinks with a great beer selection! Go check it out!

Excellent venue: Large, tons of games, great beers, awesome entertainment on all the large screens, perfect party place.
Weeknights are the best times to come out to avoid crowds and lines to wait for games.
Just recently visited the River North location and I have to say the brunch there was THE BEST, but this location has a different vibe and will stay my favorite.

The Beercade sounded like a really cool idea, so we all hopped in an über to try it out. When we got in, the place was covered in pinball machines and arcade games. There are multiple bars and they all serve a pretty wide selection of canned beers.
It took us a minute to realize it, but all of the games are free! This is great at first, but then you realize it is very hard to get on a specific game. People tend to hang out on them for a long time, especially the good ones. This leads to the next people staying on for as long as possible, too, because they waited so long to get on the games. Because of this, I would recommend coming early or on an off night if you want to play some games.
We had a fun time here, but I am not sure how often I would come back. The novelty of the place wore off after a couple of hours. It is worth checking out, though.

I’m a tad bit disappointed they didn’t have Centipede or Galaga (my jam). I won’t hold it against them, but if you can have two Ms. PacMan machines, you can have at least Centipede or Galaga. I kid, kid, of course! I was with a group of birthday party goers. We started off first drinking and eating at a couple of tables sectioned off for us. Our server was great. She kept up with us throughout the night as we were all over the place at different times.
It was quite a fun a night, and I learned a few things:
1. I am terrible at Frogger and Burger Time (yeah I know what you’re thinking. Really?). I dropped so many F-​bombs in just a few minutes of playing. #classylady
2. From what I hear, coordinating a party was super easy here. I’m even considering holding my own birthday party or just meeting up for a game night.
3. I was actually surprised at how many TVs they had for an arcade type. Eh, I guess it is a bar too. Plus, you do need something to watch while taking a break from games. They had on a bunch of the college football games playing and Wayne’s World on repeat. Game on!

Going to Headquarters might have been the most fun that I had while I was in Chicago. I would highly recommend checking this place out if you are a child of the 80’s or 90’s. This place is like a playground for adults. You are able to let your inner kid out while enjoying an awesome selection of craft beers.
They have 2 big rooms full of games. The room that you enter into when you first get into the bar is mostly pinball machines. They have machines from multiple decades. The backroom is filled with mostly video games. The list of games includes but is not limited to: Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter 2, TMNT, NBA Jam, Joust, Pac Man, etc… It is incredible!
The best part is that all of these games are free to play. That’s right. Leave your quarters at home. There is no cover and all of these games are free. This is an affordable way to kill some time in an expensive city. Even the drinks are reasonably priced (which is nearly impossible to find in Chicago).
Their craft beer selection is extensive and most of them come in cans, but that’s fine because you’ll be so invested in the games that you’ll forget to drink. Also, there is always a spot to put your drink down while you are playing. There is normally a shelf by each machine and they even have a drink shelf in the bathroom, which I think is something that should be incorporated into more bars.
The atmosphere is awesome and there is vintage detail everywhere you look. From the 90’s wrestling on the TV to the walls made of old nintendo games. Headquarters is a must visit bar if you are in Chicago!

Never would I have ever guessed that there’s an arcade game for adults with a bunch of options for beer! I went here with friends and I had a great experience. The line to get in wasn’t bad at all. We waited about 5 minutes when we were welcomed by very enthusiastic employee that ID’s people.
We walked in and the music was jamming. After making eye contact with the bar, we immediately went towards it and hovered over the menu. There was so much different choices of beer I didn’t know which to get! Eventually, I chose Vandermill Hard Apple. I thought it was a good choice. The after taste tasted like candy.
There were so many arcade games we didn’t know which to choose. We proceeded to go to the back part and found an empty PacMan table. We played it a couple of times and eventually went around Beercade to see what else was available. If you were wondering, the games were all free!
Would I come back here? I definitely would! Would I recommend this to my friends? Yeah, I’d love to bring them here!

Beeeeer. Games. Mortal Combat, anyone?
This place is always a fun spot on the weekends. They have a decent selection of beers – IPA’s ciders, a bit of everything. While I do love a good craft beer, I think they should have a bit more of the standard domestic beers, too. The bartenders are always friendly though, and I appreciate that (Who likes a grumpy bartender?). Even their BOUNCERS are nice, which is a rare thing to see.
Their game selection is decent, but usually as it gets later into the night, this place gets more crowded so you’re waiting a bit longer to play games. I’d like to see an even bigger selection someday. They also do not sell food there, but they do let you bring in your own food from wherever, which is cool. The crowd is your typical Lakeview/​Lincoln Park/​DePaul crowd: lots of 25 year old guys. I keep coming back to this place because it’s a fun, laid back spot to hang with friends, or even have a fun date. Most of the games are free too, so you’re only paying for drinks. A pretty good deal! Keep doing your thing, Headquarters. I approve.

One of the best arcade bars I’ve ever been to! We have something like this in San Jose, CA. The difference is that this beercade has a fun lively atmosphere with free games and the one that is local to me just doesn’t have that!
The guy checking IDs were giving all my girlfriends drink tickets except for me. Apparently, it was 80’s night the evening that we went and if you were born in the 80’s you received free drinks! This was the only time I wished I was born in the 80’s vs. 90’s.

While researching free/​fun things to do in Chicago, stumbled upon this gem on Thrillist.
FYI: If you’re trying to get some play time in with the pinball machines, note that the pincade area is closed on Monday and Tuesday. I was considering coming here on Labor Day (a Monday) since the place is advertised to be open 365 days, but changed to Sunday to see all that Beercade has to offer.
My inner kid was coming out as I walked in to the see the massive pinball and arcade machines available, which majority were for free play! From Mortal Kombat to the Walking Dead pinball machine (the extensive list of games is also available on the site), there was definitely enough options available that kept us entertained for atleast two hours.
Why not add a drink to the gaming fun while you’re at it? Stop by the bar to check out their variety of beers, which were decently priced.
Parking was not an issue here either, granted it was also a Sunday and free street parking was available.

I LOVE THIS PLACE. I’m from southern CA and have a few friends that attend Northwestern, DePaul and Michigan, so every once in awhile we all meet up in Chicago for a weekend. This bar is one of my favorite places to go because it is so unique. I wish we had something similar to it in LA/​Orange County. It’s not really a place to go and dance, it’s more of a place to have a few drinks and play some old school video games with your friends. It has a nostalgic feel to it because I can remember playing these games when I was way younger with my older cousins. Friday/​Saturday nights can be busy and most of the good games are taken, but everyone is polite and if you’re waiting they will let you play. We usually start our nights here because we want to do something fun that we will actually remember.
The games are FREE which is awesome, because us broke ass college students don’t have money to play video games drunk. If you’re in the mood to dance, this is not your place. There are a few tiny dance floors with nobody dancing minus a few creeps (ewe). There’s no cover charge either, which makes this place even more awesome.
The reason I give it 5 stars is because it is unique and they did a really good job with the ambiance. One time, I had the bartender in the back room make me a whiskey sour. I guess she thought I didn’t know how to drink whiskey or something because whatever she made me was absolutely disgusting. By the time I realized how awful it was, I was in the front of the place near the bar by the entrance. I told the bartender what happened, he tasted it and almost threw up. He then made me a new one and told me to come see him when I finished. I came back 5 – 10 minutes later and he made me another one for free just for all of my trouble! I was so happy here. If you’re visiting from out of town, make it a point to stop by this place. It’s not the swankiest place, but it is an awesome experience!

Ugh, I really hate doing this, but I am going to risk being crucified for this rating, but I feel it’s needed. First off, the HQ Beercade near River North is awesome. So I was excited to take my friend here since it’s close to her work.
We came here on a Sunday night, and only one room was open. I’m not sure why, but the rest of HQ Beercade was closed; you can see it from the outside the other empty rooms, with their wonderful arcades and pinball machines sitting unused, laughing, teasing, and jeering at us, for not letting us play on em.
The beer selection was good, but there was only one bartender behind the bar. My friend and I waited over 10-​minutes to finally get a drink. Two drinks, $ 20. phuuuuuuck. At least the games are free. Oh wait, all the games were in use, since only one game room was open. The Mortal Kombat game we wanted to play was out of order, so we settled with some Killer Instinct. After 20-​minutes (ten of those minutes waiting to get served a drink), we quickly gulped our drinks and left.
Ugh, I guess we need to go on a Saturday night, where they open the rest of the place up? Either way, why should I? The reason we went on a Sunday is to avoid the crowds.