Photo: Hailey Bollinger
Arcade Legacy: Bar Edition in Northside
Fans of pinball and PBR will soon have to say goodbye to a favorite Northside haunt.
Arcade Legacy announced on its Facebook page that Arcade Legacy: Bar Edition will be closing effective May 23.
But it's not all bad news.
The gaming group says they have found a large space in Sharonville and will be relocating Bar Edition and their existing arcade in Cincinnati Mall into this spot. Once home to Peg’s Pub, the storefront at 2241 Crowne Point Drive "is almost exactly the square footage of the Cincy Mall and Bar Edition combined," reads the Facebook post.
"We will be keeping all business concepts when we move," Arcade Legacy's post continues. "We will have the admission based all-you-can-play arcade, pinball and consoles. We will have an expanded premium pinball selection. We will have a dedicated console and event room. We will have the media store where you can buy, sell and trade. We will have food and drink. We also have some other ideas up our sleeve and will see how they pan out."
The new location features a full kitchen and seating, as well as a large parking lot. In comments, Arcade Legacy says the new space will most likely be all-ages until a certain time and then go 21+ after that.
As of now, the group — helmed by owner Jesse Baker — says the plan is to close Arcade Legacy: Bar Edition in May and the Cincinnati Mall arcade at the end of July. The team will build out the new Sharonville space, which was once a billiards and darts bar, in June and July, with a tentative reopening in September.
Arcade Legacy describes itself as "Cincinnati’s premier classic gaming destination since 2009." The Cincinnati Mall location (662 Cincinnati Mills Drive, Fairfield/Forest Park) encompasses 7,600 square feet and offers more than 70 arcade and pinball games, along with a dedicated "console area" for systems including Sega, Atari and PlayStation. Gaming is available via a flat admission fee.
The Cincinnati Mall location faced an uncertain future after it was reported that a developer had purchased the largely abandoned structure — once home to Forest Fair Mall — with plans to demolish it.
Arcade Legacy: Bar Edition (3929 Spring Grove Ave., Northside) opened in 2015, offering the same new and vintage arcade and pinball machines, plus alcohol and a food menu of hot dogs and nachos. Games, save for pinball machines, are free to play with food or drink purchase.
Arcade Legacy also operates a third location in Newport (1751 Monmouth St.), offering pinball, arcade and console gaming for an admission fee.
For more on Arcade Legacy, visit arcadelegacyohio.com or follow developments on Facebook.
Stay connected with CityBeat. Subscribe to our newsletters, and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Google News, Apple News and Reddit.
Send CityBeat a news or story tip or submit a calendar event.
