There are definite positives, definite negatives, and a few in-betweens to The Quarters.
I'll get the negatives out of the way first. As another reviewer stated, it's kinda chaos in there. There was no visible waitstaff, and if/when you find a table, you'll be taking it as-is (so if the previous people just left, it'll be full of crumbs/spills/etc.). It's not a terribly huge space and tables/seating are pretty tight, so navigating the floor can be pretty tricky, especially if carrying food/drinks. The bar area is also where you order and pick up food, so that seemed to turn into a clusterf**k of patrons trying to do a variety of things all at once when it was busy.
The positives: It's a really great idea and the overall decor is cute. It gives the impression of hanging out in a friend's basement with all the vintage arcade games lining the walls, vintage toys on shelves above the games, and even a lo-fi but charming sheet pinned to the back wall where 80's cartoons and commercials were projected. The food is pretty basic bar/pub food, but extremely reasonably priced. I also liked that the games themselves still took quarters (thus the name of the establishment). I can only imagine that keeping arcade games in running order that are 30+ years old can get quite expensive, so it's nice that the establishment kept the retro integrity of the machines and haven't jacked up the cost to play them. A couple of the people in our party smoke cigarettes, and The Quarters has a large outdoor area with tables and chairs which accommodated smokers. It was October and pretty chilly, so we were the only ones out there, but it seemed like a nice addition to the indoor space.
The in-betweens: We were there for at least 3 and a half hours on a Saturday night, and it was really interesting to see how the clientele changed throughout the night. I believe we arrived around 6:30-7:00 and the place was just over-run with screaming kids, which was kind of a turn-off. I realize the theme of the place lends itself to children, but being a bar and all, we were taken off-guard by the amount of families/children. It was more like Chuck-E-Cheese than an adult spot. As the night progressed, there were short periods where the place seemed to empty out, only to be replaced shortly by a new round of patrons; the later it got, the more the adults seemed to be prevalent. Therefore, if you're an adult looking to be around other adults, I highly suggest going later in the evening.
Although the games line the longest walls, the selection is limited. When it's busy, don't expect to jump on a machine whenever you want. They have small tables between each machine where you can put drinks and/or food, which is convenient for the players, but also kinda encourages people to hog a machine for extended periods of time since there's no incentive to move.
Overall I think it was a really cool spot. Being someone who grew up in the 80's, it was great to see all the old games again... while sipping an adult beverage! It's a little off the beaten path, but well worth a visit. read more