Boxcar Bar + Arcade

Boxcar Bar + Arcade has three locations, all in North Carolina: Raleigh, Durham, and Greensboro. This review is for the Durham location, which is the only one I've been to. In short, this is a cool arcade and bar near Central Park in downtown Durham. It's a great place for groups to meet up and have fun. And it's open late -- until 1am every night except for Sundays (12am close).Boxcar doesn't have dedicated parking. We parked in The Blue Note Grill's parking lot (free) nearby since we went there for dinner after Boxcar. Two-hour paid street parking is available in front of and around Boxcar, on Foster St and W Geer St, respectively. Paid parking is enforced Monday-Friday, 8am-7pm. Otherwise, there's no time limit and parking is free.As a gamer child of the 80s and 90s, I was really impressed with the retro arcade lineup that Boxcar Durham had during our visit. For me, highlights included Ivan "Ironman" Stewart's Super Off Road, Mortal Kombat 1-3 (each in separate original cabinets), NBA Jam, The Simpsons, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (the original arcade game). They even had games that went back further than that like BurgerTime, Centipede, Dig Dug, Donkey Kong (the original), Galaga, and Mario Bros. (the original, not "Super" that most people know).Boxcar also had several modern arcade games in addition to pinball machines. The coolest one was the Stern Limited Edition James Bond 007 Thunderball pinball machine. Incredible: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cY4FjkH3L4sAll of the arcade cabinets and pinball machines appeared to be in good working condition.We didn't try any of the food since we were headed to The Blue Note Grill for dinner. Boxcar serves pizza, pretzels, and salads. I hate to say it, but a cockroach crawled up my leg while we were here. I had to shake it off. Yikes.IDs were checked upon entry.This Durham location of Boxcar Bar + Arcade opened in January 2019.

I've been here a few times and while the drinks are usually good and the games are fun, the bartenders tend to be rude which makes me hesitant to come back. It can also get pretty busy/loud inside, but there is a nice outdoor seating area you can escape too if needed. The outside area also has a few ping pong tables and fire pits for the colder months which is nice!

If I could give 5 stars for simply being a place where anybody and everybody can go, mix and feel welcomed, I would. Kudos for that! The bar service was friendly and we took advantage of $5 drafts on Mondays. Game selection was pretty much what you'd expect -- nothing really out of the ordinary. The food menu is pretty limited and the UX/app for placing food orders could be improved. But the pizza we ordered was good (margherita base with addition of chicken and jalapenos) as was the Greek salad (the olives were especially notable -- not too strong and salty -- and the balsamic vinegar dressing was also very good). Every city seems to have an arcade bar and Durham is lucky to have this one.

Nice hangout spot with reasonably priced arcade games! Good variety of drinks and beers. Came around Halloween and they also had cool seasonal drink choices. Pizza was delicious and I loved that they had so many options. There's also an online order option in case it gets really busy and you don't want to wait in line. Overall, friendly staff and service. Didn't have to wait too long for drinks and pizza. But it got busier as they night went on.

I came here on a Saturday night with a couple of my friends, and the energy inside was amazing. There were plenty of people inside, bringing the energy up (but not enough to where I felt crowded or uncomfortable). The inside is very large with plenty of space. Filled with lots of arcade games, a bar, as well as a pizza spot. The drinks were great and have a daily special going on, so check to see what they have going on that day. The pizza spot had lots of options and the pizza was reasonably priced and came at a respectable time. I think one of the biggest perks of this is that the pizza is being made late into the night, so the craving for food is fulfilled right there without having to explore the surrounding area for places that are still open. Had a lot of fun here and will definitely be back!

Great atmosphere! We were doing a good tour and stopped here as a break in between and it ended up being perfect. I have been to the location in Greensboro, but this was my first visit to this Durham location. $2 mimosas on Sundays is a heck of a deal, the bartenders were friendly and efficient.Great outdoor area with cornhole and tons of seating. Tokens are reasonably priced. They have a pizza oven for food as well! Great for adults or families.

I met others here on a Friday evening for a Birthday celebration. I enjoyed the space here and the games. I played basketball and a few of the video games while here. We went on to the patio area for fresh air. The staff here are pleasant and helpful. The arcade has good lighting and is clean. I love to see adults cleaning up behind themselves and I appreciated this and the mature vibes.

A fun addition to any night out downtown. When you enter you purchase tickets to be used at the various arcade games ranging from classic to modern. Games range from 50 cents to $1 and single player to 4 player. On a Saturday night it can get quite busy, so you may have to wait a few minutes for a game you want or for a drink at the bar, but overall there are plenty of space and game options to accommodate everyone. There is also ample seating outdoors to get some fresh air. I did not get to try the food, but the pizza was very popular and looked yummy. Will have to return to test it out.

I enjoyed Boxcar. I wish the triangle offered more eclectic spaces and venues like Boxcar. While in the area at an event at Durham Central Park, we decided to venture over. Boxcar is located toward the end of Foster. There is street parking and a few local parking lots nearby. Boxcar features an arcade room, full bar, Pizza kitchen, large patio space and event room. We were ID'd upon entering and immediately hit the bar. Our bartender was helpful and recommended a Kentucky Mule. I enjoyed how cold and refreshing it was on a 90 degree night. We decided on a pepperoni and hot honey pizza pie and the service was excellent from the kitchen. The pie was fresh and decent. There are plenty of nostalgic arcade games like street fight, Pac-Man and the wizard of Oz pinball machine. Skeeball, basketball and outdoor yard games on the patio. The bathroom could have used some TLC and I really couldn't hear the music. All this place is missing is a live DJ. Sunday Funday features drink specials from the bar $10 bottles of champagne and $1 mimosas. Boxcar is also Dog Friendly.

Our first experience here was a year ago and was great with delicious pizzas. Today, however, was NOT good. My gluten free pizza was obviously a frozen pizza they barely heated, my husband's pizza was undercooked, and my kid's pickle pizza was dripping so much olive oil that it was nearly inedible.Not sure if it was an off day or what, but I am not sure we want to try again. Which is really sad after our great first time.As far as atmosphere, it's way too loud inside.