BARCADE
388 Union Ave., Williamsburg, Brooklyn
718-302-6464; barcadebrooklyn.com
It’s not just nostalgia that keeps us coming back to the original arcade games: They were simply, fiendishly addictive. Lined with 28 classics, including Moon Patrol, Centipede, Galaga, Frogger, Super Mario Bros., and 1943, this former machine shop has become the go-to spot for twenty- and thirtysomethings who revel in their past and present geekdom. A pool table and an impressively elitist rotating selection of American microbrews like Dogfish Head Raison D’Etre and Heavyweight Biere D’Art keep the atmosphere sufficiently grown-up. Sometimes the best nights of adulthood, like the best days of youth, require nothing more than a stack of quarters and the chance to prove you’re still the master of Donkey Kong.