For those who can't tell, these are supposed to be mozzarella sticks. This is not cute or creative - this is gross. Take these off the menu. read more

Bit Bar Salem - Mozzarella sticks - Bars Near Me - Salem, Massachusetts

Review from 7.11 year old daughter: this place is amazing! We are definitely coming back. (And later...) I am in love with these tater tots! The Tetris cubes at the table are cool (the kids liked them) Great selection of games including skee-ball and air hockey. The poutine was great as was the pulled pork. Decent beer list. Will try the cocktails sometime. I think it's so cool that there's a four player Nintendo at the bar where you could play Mario kart 64. read more

Tetris tots!!! Need I say more?! How freaking cute! Lots of fun throwback video games here to play and dont cost you a arm and a leg to play. Bonus: you get $3 worth of tokens with each kids meal. Fantastic craft beer list as well as full bar and wine. A super fun spot to come with friends and family for a couple of drinks and friendly gaming. Aside from the super cool tetris tots, lots of typical bar food (burgers/wings/tenders, etc). A wicked fun atmosphere and also outdoor seating. We will be back! read more

See all

Nice place-the food is great, service is friendly. Has great entertainment for the kids (older not babies) while the adults can play and enjoy a nice local beers, and game themed drinks! Ms. Pac-Man does not disappoint! read more

See all

This place was beyond amazing! Well worth visiting on a trip to Salem. The history about this spot draws you in in itself. The food was great too. Highly recommend the Tetris tots! The games inside were very enjoyable as well and the staff was 10/10. read more

Bit Bar Salem - Loaded Tetris Tots and Wings - Bars Near Me - Salem, Massachusetts

Really great place. I loved Skee Ball and Time Crisis 2 the most. I did not order any food or drinks, but I did get a bucket of tokens to play Mortal Kombat 2 several times over, only to be beat by the computer opponent. Check this place out. I had no issues with parking and you get the tokens at the bar. I did have to wait almost 30 minutes, but there was only one bartender for 20 people, so I get it, and it was not her fault. Please hire more bartenders, it will help with business immensely. read more

Service was good. Considering how busy it was, things moved pretty quick. Waiters were very friendly. This is a nice lil hang out spot,especially for old school gamers! Lots of nostalgia. Highly recommend! BTW the pulled pork was amazing ! read more

First time here and it was amazing! Amazing food and drinks so many old games that took me back to being a kid. read more

See all

Max Clark, a guy who calls himself an owner, sits there miserable all night on a laptop in a mask. He is extremely rude to customers and staff. Multiple staff members complained about him directly to me. I made a simple request and he couldn't be bothered, or explain to me why it couldn't be fulfilled - just shrugged and walked away. Asked later about my request and the guy basically flipped out because he had to get off his laptop for a second. I said I was leaving wasn't coming back and he made it a point to follow me out of the building as if I did something wrong. I again had multiple staff come up to me and apologize to me for his behavior. They are suffering from this guy too. Employees apologizing for "the owner" - good grief. read more

Underwhelming. Got burger nachos and chicken chimichanga. Burger was best and nachos were pretty good. Go for the games. They are good. We went once and that was enough. Great service. Nice people. read more

We always have a fun time when we go here. The food is excellent (having tater tots shaped like tetris pieces is fun.) The drinks are all video game themed - my favorite being the Qbert (it is listed the way qbert swears lol.) The game selection is pretty decent for the space they have to work with and they rotate some things out every now and again. When a machine is fussy or doesn't work they are quick to fix it and either put in a few free plays or give you more tokens. If I was to have any criticisms of the place its that sometimes it feels very hot in the space. I wish they would repair the onboard high score battery on old machines - they do have a nice workaround with a little sign on some machines (and a quick scroll on their TV) that encourage you to post your high scores on social media but I didn't notice these tiny cards the first few times I went and it made me wish it was something more noticeable instead of a little card with dark text against a dark backdrop. All in all this place is just about everything you could want in a barcade and well worth the visit even if you just want drinks and food. read more

See all

Game area not really geared for younger children but that was my mistake .Food and service were horrible. would never waste my time or money there again read more

Very unique experience. Staff was very accommodating. A large variety of arcade style games which was fun. read more

Bit Bar Salem - Bars Near Me - Salem, Massachusetts

This place was awful. The beer was old and hugely overpriced. The food was disgusting and hugely overpriced. My kid dropped some quarters under the table we were eating at, and I went looking for them... I found a few mousetraps, both snap traps and sticky traps... and was nauseated. read more

Bit Bar Salem - Mouse traps under dining seat - Bars Near Me - Salem, Massachusetts

See all

Fun place to get away from the "touristy" things in Salem. My friends and I came here after a "haunted" night time tour on a Friday night. It is super cute and not too crowded. There is a fun outside seating area with a fire pit they call their beer garden. Inside is like an arcade with fun lights and games. I ordered the ecto chaser. It was so sweet. It was really good but I ended up pouring some of my water into it. We had the Lei Cider brewed by Far From The Tree which was a pineapple jalapeño cider. It was really good but not something you'd chug. It's something you sip and savor. I think everyone should try this at least once. My friend ordered a beer she didn't love and they swapped it out for her with no complaint and no charge. Our waitress was very accommodating and gave great suggestions. We ordered the bit bar nachos. They were just okay and a lot of the chips were burnt. Would I order them again? Probably not. Where they the worst thing I've ever ever had? No. They were just nachos and nothing too special. Just order with low expectations and I'm sure they are fine. My friends ordered the crab rangoon and they loved it. I personally didn't try it so I cannot give a full review other than they really enjoyed them. Overall, a cool spot for drinks and games. They do have menu items that cater to gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan diets. read more

This is not my first barcade. I frequent others in the Boston area quite frequently. I guess the mistake I made was coming here in the midst of the height of spooky season. We showed up a half hour after the barcade opening at noon and was told there would be a 30 to 45 minute wait. An hour later and we still haven't been seated. My drink was pretty average and the bar was insanely busy so didn't drink much. Abandoned ship for another restaurant across the street. Would be open to trying another time when perhaps things aren't so crazy. read more

This review is based on two visits. Both times drinks were 10/10 as was service. Staff is very friendly. They were great about accommodating my party's allergies and checking their recipes thoroughly. They are dog friendly and give water and treats to your pup. They are good with Covid measures with tables very far apart, QR menus, and QR payments. Can't wait to go back! read more

See all

Honestly not even sure how to review this "bar". My wife and I, plus 6 couples (yes 12 people) were celebrating a birthday. We had an 8:30pm reservation for a table. Once we were all settled we order our first round of drinks; at around 8:45 we were informed that the kitchen closes at 9pm and if we wanted food we should get our orders placed. Some of our group was playing games while others were talking and enjoying themselves at our table. We all regrouped and order a bunch of appetizers since the kitchen closes at 9pm (which is pretty early give the type of place Bit Bar is and given the fact that it's bar food). After that and about 20 minutes later the next staff member to approach us was the food runner to drop off the apps. We asked if he could send our server over to take our 2nd drink order and he (yes the food runner) told some in our group that we were shut off from alcohol. Apparently the server "did not feel comfortable serving us as she feels that our group was intoxicated". Keep in mind that we arrived at 8:30 and had one round of drinks. No one was intoxicated and even close. We then asked for a manager. Someone came over and stated that they were the owner and that they "fully support" the decisions of their wait staff. I proceeded to explain that the wait staff was making an irrational unilateral decision and that he, as the "owner" should make his own assessment. Mind you they never informed us that we were "shut off" until after we order a few hundred dollars of appetizers. Additionally, they never told us who in our group was being shut off. He did say the server feels that "some" people in the group were drunk but did not point out who (even when asked) and simply shut the whole group off. You would think that given the current state of the hospitality business and the plethora of options in Salem, they would have better processes for escalating issues and meeting the needs of customers. But apparently Bit Bar is doing quite well as is evident by simply walking business out the door to competitors. Draw what you will from this review. Many will side with the bar saying safety first and that's fine. We know exactly what the real state of our group was. I'm sure all 12 of us will be happy to tell 10 friends of our experience. After all the ole' adage of a happy customer tells no one and an unhappy customer tells 10 friends is still a harsh reality for any business. Our group moved on a patronized another local establishment (kudos to Brodies Seaport and our server Brita for taking good care of us) and had a great evening. But Bit Bar clearly lacks any sense of process. For a server to unilaterally make such a call without consulting a manager is a clear break with restaurant norms. But for no one to even approach us to tell as such is beyond the pale of decent customer service. I refer you back to an earlier point that it was the food runner that told us. Not the bar staff, server or (and this is the most egregious) the supposed owner. They clearly need to revisit safe server training. If I had to guess as to why they essentially kicked us out I would point to them not feeling we are their target clientele or they hated the ugly holiday seaters we were wearing. Can't comment on the food because we didn't take a bite. Looked ok, but typical for the type of place it is. Drinks are so, so at best and very limited drink menu. They clearly only want to cater to a certain crowd. as soon as we walked in I felt out of place as the clientele was clearly more in the 20-30's crowd. The various staff members that all reached us early on were actually pretty cold towards us and couldn't logically explain how there token process works. Ie- how to buy them or how much we should by. All in all, I would say that you should avoid this place. We frequent downtown Salem often and have visited almost every restaurant and bar in town. This was our first time to Bit Bar and obviously our last. You know what they say...your mileage may vary but that's my review.k read more

The waiter was very friendly. The atmosphere nice, they have pinball machines and arcade games. The food is good. Supposedly they rotate their stock of games. I forgot pictures of the food. We were there for a later lunch so it wasn't busy. No parking at this establishment. We got Bit Bar Nachos and the Mini Chicken Chimichangas, and the Bavarian Pretzels. read more

See all

My sister's boyfriend recommended the place. I was like...a bar with arcade games? Cool. Checked in and waited for like 30 min for a table...no issues there...played some arcade games while we waited and it was cool. Atmosphere was busy and buzzy with gamers. Our table became ready and we ordered two apps: Tetris Tots and Buffalo Wings. Tots came out freezing cold. COLD! We asked for a replacement order, but by the time it came out our entrees were also ready (I'll get to those in a min) and we lost our taste for them. Buffalo Wings were the star here, and were quite tasty. Entrees included the bit burger and the chicken BLT. All sammiches were greasy. Like I get that burgers are greasy, but these were greasy all the way through and they were annoying to eat. I thought the buns were grilled, and in that case I'd have been okay, but it was like the buns were resting in oil prior to being used for burgers. Not a fan. All in all, I'd come back here for a beer and some games and not for the food (maybe just the wings cuz they were good). read more

Having visited a couple of barcades, I was excited to learn that Bit Bar in Salem also has karaoke! My friends and I braved the cold and headed out to this divey bar. It took a while for us to be seated, because the place was packed! We sat down and ordered drinks, and were surprised to see a plethora of delicious bar food on their menu, so we ordered some appetizers. Everything tasted amazing, but I think the consensus was that our favorite appetizer was the Tetris shaped tater tots. The guy who was DJing the karaoke event was hilarious, and it seemed like many regulars frequented the place. They had a fantastic selection of karaoke options, which included Disney movie songs. Many patrons sang along during karaoke, and we had a fantastic night there! I hope to go back! read more

See all

We ordered from here through Uber eats. Good choice for a quick meal. We got quesadillas and wings. Their wings are what got the 4 star review. They were super spicy buffulo and crunchy. Very good wings. Probably wouldn't get the quesadillas again though they were just ok. read more

This bar/restaurant was really cool. My kids had the best time here. It's great for parents because they can get peace while the kids play. The games are old school and a bunch of fun for all ages. The food was good, but can't really review since we shared nachos and had drinks. We'll definitely be back on our next trip to Salem. read more

See all

Very fun place. Nostalgic games. The food was good. The service is not good. If you're in a hurry this isn't the place for you.

Barcades aren't generally a thing here in Boston. Not quite sure what to expect with Bit Bar? Lots of old school games in working condition, and a good and interesting menu. The center of the restaurant or a set of long tables, where everybody eats community style, and the main room is lined with gaming cabinets along the walls. There is a second room in the back with some more games and a few pin ball machines. Theres a small parking lot next to the restaurant, with plenty more across the street. The games here are generally a token a piece, with 1 token == 25c. To make it even more of a bargain, we had the groupon for $10 for $5 or $20 for $10. 7 of them. We actually didn't end up using all of our tokens with how cheap everything was. Most of the games are fairly old, so you won't find brand new fighting or shooting games here, but there are classics like 1945, Marvel vs Capcom, TMNT in time, etc, so the nostalgia hits hard here. I tried out most of the games here, and everything was working great, a rarity if you know anything about arcades in the 90s. It would be nice to have newer games, but I imagine the cost would be much more and ruin the casual/retro vibe of the place. Bit Bar's food and drink game is on point too. We got the Tetris Tots and Guac as starters, and I had the Basic Bit Burger, Medium rare. The Tots were delicious, with all the edges making everything crispy, crunchy. The burger was good. A few of us got the tacos, which are actually deconstructed, made with doritos and served in the bag a bit like a salad. The presentation was good and they were pretty tasty. read more

See all

This place is nifty! Tons of old video games. We had a ball playing. Staff was extremely sweet and quick! On the ball with drinks and food and it was packed in there for a Thursday. The food. Well this is where the 3 stars come into play. The food is well, just ok. We ordered burgers. Kids got pizza and veggie burger. No one finished the food. My husband did because we hadn't eaten all day. The sweet potato waffle fries weren't bad. Some fun beers at the bar. Not one domestic on tap. It's really a cool place. Honestly I could care less about the food we had a blast at the place. If you're into gaming check this place out for sure! You'll love it. read more

Bit Bar Salem - Some machines - Bars Near Me - Salem, Massachusetts

See all

The owners did a wonderful job with the video game theme. It is much nicer than when it was at the place by the old jail. The overall feeling is fun as opposed to fun in a dungeon as the other place was. The staff that greeted me at the door was awesome. The staff behind the bar was awesome. The server for my table, not so much. I sat for about 10 minutes without even being greeted. I ordered an elk burger. It was tasty but very very greasy. The plate was certainly not worth $17. I only had one flimsy napkin. The server never came by to check on me. I had to put my mask back on, walk across the room to the bar to get more napkins. On top of that, I knew that the meal came with fries. The server said do you want fries, tater tots or sweet potato fries? I said sweet potato fries. Lo and behold when I got the bill there was a surcharge that I was not told about. The place was busy but not overwhelmed with people. There were plenty of open tables. I am not sure why the server was in La La Land. read more

The food was amazing! We had an awesome time with our kids (school age) We used a Groupon and had plenty of coins for games. Very different style chicken fingers, they were so good! read more

Bit Bar Salem - Fun with kids! Great food! Groupon got us extra coins for more fun! - Bars Near Me - Salem, Massachusetts

We stopped here for lunch while in Salem. It's a pretty cool concept with the retro games. They have a lot of pinball machines right when you come in too. Total nostalgia. The tater tots were really good and shaped like tetris blocks. They have a few cool cocktails too, like the Beetlejuice. read more

We stopped in for a quick lunch. The drinks, service, and arcade machines were awesome. I was very impressed with the pinball machines and general fantastic operating machines all of the way around. The food was mediocre. Grilled cheese was above par for what it is. But, the BLT chicken sandwiches were dry. I would return for sure though. read more

Fun games and very good food and cocktails. I had the butterbeer and ectocooler (highly recommend the butterbeer!). My kids had burgers and tots. Appreciate the gluten free buns. Would definitely visit again our next time on Salem. read more

See all

We love bit bar! Always something fun or interesting happening there, fun drinks and decent beer selection for if you don't want a crazy concoction. Fun, quirky atmosphere and the bartenders are usually very efficient. read more

The Bit Bar in Salem, MA is definitely a must go while you're in town. The building that the bar is located in was the old prison during the Salem Witch Trials, knowing that makes it very cool to be in alone. The arcade set up takes you back to the 90's - I could have stayed all day to be honest. Great nostalgia and awesome creativity. Let's talk food, I tried the "Tetris Tots", which were inhaled. They over 3 different flavor combinations but I'd go with the Buffalo! Had me wanting seconds with an already hefty portion served. Will be eating there again! My only issue was the lack of alcohol in the alcoholic beverages - that might just be a personal opinion on personal likings but who knows! The creativity with every drink offer also deserves its respect. While visiting, I met the group of owners who were nothing more than genuine! Customer service as a whole was perfect. read more

Bit Bar Salem - "Ectochaser" One heck of a drink! - Bars Near Me - Salem, Massachusetts

Went here the weekend before Halloween, it was busy but the wait wasn't too long. I was starving and couldn't wait to eat. The menu was a bit lacking in my opinion, not much to order if you didn't like burgers. The menu on yelp is a lot different from the menu we got. I ended up having the basic bit burger. The bun was so soggy and the cheese literally just fell off my burger as I picked it up. Was honestly one of the worst burgers I ever had. My husband and friends had the elk burger there though and they loved it. It came with fries, which were nice, I wish they gave us more! The games there and the atmosphere was cool, I would try it again...just not that burger! read more

Bit Bar Salem - Bars Near Me - Salem, Massachusetts

What a time! I love bar/arcade joints. After having a grilled cheese (lame, I know), I indulged into some Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 and Mortal Kombat! Thanks, Dan for the free tokens coupon. Wish there were more games, but it's okay. But the food was good too. Decently priced. Fries were really tasty. If I was a local I'd probably be here often. read more

See all

"Best burger I have ever had..." said my nine year old. Yes, we take our kids to bars. But this is not just any bar. It has the original donkey kong. My kids have been dying to play this since discovering Mario. This is the first time I have gotten 5 minutes to speak to my hubby, the games are a saver. The presentation of food is So creative!!! I loved the guacamole with bacon. The caesar with manchango cheese was amazing. My husband said his taco was the best he has ever had... It was served on Fritos! I love the atmosphere, seeing as I used to put people in jail. Very airy. The windows are beautifully restored. Kids allowed up to 8:00 pm. Staff very friendly and easy going. I am sure this place will be a hit. We plan on making it our regular spot. Parking is easy, right down the street there is a huge lot with meters. read more

See all

Waaaaay better since they moved to their new spot. Better experience and better food. The only thing missing is a better beer selection.

So there's a few key differences between bit bar and establishments like Dave and Busters. Dave and Busters I would say uses modern arcade-style games, and the ambience is more of a restaurant, like a grown-up version of Chuck-e-Cheese. I'm not making this as a slander to D&B, but merely as a point of reference. Bit Bar uses arcade games of a bygone era, they're throwbacks to what arcades used to be like. The building was the former Essex County Jail, the atmosphere (though modernized) has a feel of being a parents basement with Atari if it was the seventies. This is due to the nineteenth century architecture and history, coupled with popular arcade games of the 70's, 80's, and 90's. You have to actually find working models, it's what sets itself apart from D&B. Great care was put in to expand the gaming options. I was immediately transported to my childhood, remembering arcade games at some of the campgrounds my family went to and to the pizza shops when I was a kid. I digress, okay so the place is awesome because they have retro games. It's a big reason I had come. What about the food and service? I found it cool that they will bring a roll of quarters, and charge it to the table if you so choose. Our server was a sweet girl. A little clumsy and forgetful, but what stuck out was her enthusiasm. She knew the menu, made knowledgeable recommendations (like getting the elk burger medium rare to enjoy the unique flavor, otherwise the flavor was lost if cooked well done), and talked about the different cocktails. Even though she wasn't always asking how we were doing, she would round and see how we were doing. She asked my wife if she wanted another cocktail when she had finished her drink. I would argue that we had exceptional service with our server. The drinks were delicious. My Elk Burger with black garlic icing on a doughssant (an unholy and deliciously evil cross between a croissant and a donut) was very good. It was a little overcooked, I had gone on the recommendation of having it medium rare, but came out well done. I didn't care, it was still good. Their menu has bizarre things like avocado ice cream with Sriracha caramel drizzle. But I'm the adventurous type. I would recommend checking this place out. read more

See all

Decided to try out the new location with a few of our friends. We liked the concept of bit bar but the old location was too small and crammed for our liking. While the new location is beautiful - my suggestion is to only come here for the games and maybe some drinks. Dont Eat The Food Here!! It is beyond disgusting. We got three apps. The "poutine" gravy is soup (legit its in a bowl not a plate) and the gravy is thin, runny, and lacks flavor. The fried mac bites legit taste like a fried sponge, same texture too, also no flavor. The pretzels LOL .. let me tell you they charge 8$ and give you two mini microwavable pretzels that are freezer burnt and taste like cardboard. Also fun fact, the ranch dressing oddly taste like what a wet dog smells like. Besides the rant i just went on, the games are fun, only a quarter each - mediocre selection but still fun. They have Tapper which is just a classic for me and a few others. But seriously dont eat the food, you may actually become ill. read more

We like to try new places when we visit Salem each fall. My sister was very excited to find the Bit Bar. My daughters were looking forward to playing some games. We were definitely not impressed. The bartender was very rude to my daughter and the beverages were overpriced. The best thing about the Bit Bar was the lighted cubes decorating the tables. We will NOT be back. read more

Bit Bar Salem - Bars Near Me - Salem, Massachusetts