Gaming News

New Fort Worth bar pings back vintage pinball with craft cocktails

Calling all pinball wizards.

Photo courtesy of Texas Pinball & Arcade

UPDATE: The Craftcade will open May 22, management says. Regular hours will be 3 pm-2 am Monday through Friday, and 12 noon-2 am Saturday and Sunday.

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A fun new pinball arcade bar is opening near Fort Worth's hospital district that will combine old-school vintage pinball machines with craft beer and cocktails. Called The Craftcade, it will open at 615 S. Jennings Ave., in the space previously occupied by The Last Word bookstore, which closed in June.

Set to open in 2018, The Craftcade comes from Jenni and Calvin Shelby, whose family has been in the arcade business for many decades.

"The whole arcade industry was dead for some time, but it's making a comeback," Calvin says. "What we're doing is a straight Chicago-style pinball and arcade bar. Chicago was pretty much the birth of gaming, and all of the manufacturers were up there. Some closed down, but there are still a couple of companies left who are manufacturing pinball machines every day."

A Chicago-style pinball bar is not a mere bar with pinball machines. It follows a specific profile and has a certain vibe.

"The buildings are generally long and narrow, with games on both sides and seats in the middle, and a bar to one side," he says. "You're starting to see them pop up in cities like Chicago, Denver, San Francisco, and San Diego."

Dallas-Fort Worth has the makings of an arcade bar revival, led by Barcadia, which opened on Henderson Avenue in Dallas in 2008 as a combination bar and arcade. There are now Barcadias in Fort Worth, New Orleans, and Baton Rouge. Bishop Cider Co. expanded its Dallas brewery with an arcade called CiderCade. Free Play, a massive arcade with beer and food, has locations in Richardson and Arlington.

There are game mega-rooms like Dave & Buster's, though those have more of a family orientation and brighter, glitzier atmosphere.

"Craftcade will be a pinball bar where you can come in and have a couple of cocktails or a beer, with a nostalgic feel," he says. Think brick interior and a collection of vintage machines Shelby has had in storage.

"In the '70s, my grand-dad had a pinball arcade on Commerce Street in downtown Fort Worth, and then my family had arcades in Euless and Prestonwood," he says.

His stash has machines from the 80s and 90s to which they're adding brand new machines, as well.

"We'll also do a handful of arcade games, but just the classics like PacMan, Galaga, Defender, and Space Invaders," he says. "We're not doing any fighter games, and we're not going to have anything past the '90s unless there's really a demand. We're going for a real throwback to '80s gaming."

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Time For Some Tasty Tidbits

Lots of new dishes to check out in this Fort Worth restaurant news

Vickery Cafe

Shepherd's pie at Vickery Cafe

This roundup of restaurant news around Fort Worth has an exciting new opening, a sad closing, 2 high-profile relocations, and loads of new menus to check out.

Here's what's happening in Fort Worth restaurant news:

Japan House, a unique all-you-can-eat concept with full-serve table service, has opened a location in the Lake Worth area of Fort Worth at 5912 Quebec St., off 820 — joining two other locations already open in North Richland Hills and Irving. They feature an expansive menu of more than 170 items: appetizers, sushi rolls, sashimi, ramen, poke bowls, hibachi. They scrapped their previous buffet model and instead bring AYCE dishes to the table.

Vickery Cafe, the longtime favorite diner, has re-opened in its new location in the former Max’s Wine Dive location at 2421 W. 7th St. Owner Curtis James moved because his lease was not extended. It's known for its Southern and Tex-Mex fare.

Craft & Vine, the Roanoke taproom and eatery, closed its doors after seven years. They served craft beers, shared plates, and 3rd-floor patio offering views.

Always Cooking Nola, a family-owned concept serving Cajun and New Orleans-style food, previously located in a Chevron in River Oaks, has softly opened in a new location at 6301 Randol Mill Rd. where it's serving po'boys, gumbo, wings, and more. Hours are 11 am-6 pm.

Dog Haus is celebrating Thanksgiving all month with a twist on the Turducken: a turkey, duck, and chicken sausage topped with garlic aioli, turkey gravy, onions, and scallions, served on King’s Hawaiian rolls; and the Turducken burrito, a turkey, duck, and chicken sausage, three sunny side up eggs, white American cheese, sweet potato fries, caramelized onions, and spicy mayo in a toasted flour tortilla.

Carrabba’s Italian Grill has new menu items including Arancini, a risotto bite with fennel sausage, mozzarella, parmesan, & Romano cheese; rigatoni al forno, with tomato cream sauce, Italian sausage, Romano, parmesan, mozzarella and goat cheese; and short rib marsala, bone-in short rib over garlic mashed potatoes with Lombardo Marsala wine sauce. Dessert includes a triple chocolate bread pudding. New festive cocktails feature the merry berry martini and wood-fired old fashioned. Available through January 13.

Laredo Taco Company, 7-Eleven's in-house restaurant, has two holiday specials: Quesabirria, featuring shredded beef and melted cheese, available as a taco or bowl, paired with consommé dipping sauce; and tamales in choice of pork or chicken, in packs of three, six, or 12 or a family size with two dozen tamales and two sides.

Main Event has new frozen hot chocolate shakes in three flavors: Classic, a frozen hot chocolate with chocolate candy frosted rim, and a Little Debby Christmas tree cake; s’mores with marshmallow rim and graham crackers; and peppermint with peppermint frosted rim and a candy cane. Bailey’s Irish Cream or Caffè Borghetti can be added to any flavor for $3. Prices start at $11. Available through January 7.

Menchie's Frozen Yogurt is collaborating with candy brand Hi-Chew for a limited-edition Key lime pie flavor, inspired by Hi-Chew Dessert Mix’s Key Lime Pie. The flavor is available through November 30 at Menchie’s locations in Euless' Glade Park and Colleyville.

Rita’s Frozen Custard has two limited-time frozen treats: Frozen Hot Cocoa Gelati, which layers Rita’s Frozen Hot Cocoa Cream Ice with Vanilla Custard, blending the taste of hot cocoa with cool Italian Ice; and Frozen Hot Cocoa Gelati Blender with a crushed peppermint topping.

Dunkin' is bringing back holiday favorites and new menu items. Drinks include the cookie butter cold brew, peppermint mocha latte, toasted white chocolate latte, and white hazelnut bark coffee. New items include the cookie butter donut, holiday cookie latte, almond croissant, and hash brown brisket scramble bowl.

Barrilitos, the Mexican soda, has returned to Texas shelves. Originally produced nearly 100 years ago, the drink is available in four flavors: Mandarina, Manzana, Piña, and Ponche de Frutas in both 12-ounce and 1.5-liter bottles. The aguas frescas were sold until 2020-2021, and the sodas were sold until 2017. Now they're available at El Rancho, La Michoacana, and Fiesta stores.

P.F. Chang’s has added Asian fried chicken to the menu for the first time. It comes in two options, Korean fried chicken and Taiwanese popcorn chicken, with a choice of sauces, including sweet soy glaze, dynamite, hot honey, and chili crisp. Available as bone-in three-piece or six-piece and boneless four-piece or five-piece, eight-piece or 10-piece for shareables.

Wendy's has a new salted caramel Frosty. It can also be paired with the limited-time mushroom bacon cheeseburger, which features roasted mushrooms, bacon, Muenster cheese, and garlic spread. The Frosty is $3 and the burger is $6.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission has shut down two oyster harvest areas in the Gulf: the 14-acre Desperation Reef and the 529-acre Dollar Reef, both in Galveston Bay, to allow the oyster population to recover the reef is healthy enough that they can start harvesting oysters again. They'll reopen in November 2026.

Chipotle has launched a wacky new merchandise collection that includes a $10 cilantro soap, a nod to the small percentage of the population who are genetically wired to experience a soapy flavor when eating cilantro; the $28 “Water” Cup candle, a lemonade-scented candle; and $20 car napkin holder. The collection will be available for individual purchase, or as a bundle for $50.
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Raven Jordan contributed to this story.

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