TOKYO VIDEO GAMERS Cafe&Bar Akiba

TOKYO VIDEO GAMERS is a retro video game café-bar a few minutes from Akihabara Station, where seven arcade cabinets are free to play once you order.

The idea is simple: buy something to eat or drink and play the arcade machines as long as you like, with no coins. The lineup rotates, so it changes from visit to visit; reviewers have played classic fighting games such as Street Fighter and The King of Fighters. There are also board games to borrow. The bar works with game makers on original apparel and goods sold only here, and during collaboration events the interior and menu are themed around the featured title. Reviewers like the chicken curry and karaage, and the bar lists fried potatoes and takoyaki as popular bar snacks.

From 6:00 PM there's a ¥500 cover charge. Google puts spending at ¥1,000 to ¥2,000 per person. The room is smaller than it looks in photos, according to one reviewer. Several overseas visitors say the bartenders speak good English and that chatting with staff and other guests was a highlight of their trip. Note that the bar offers a free beer to guests who post a Google review, which may lift its rating.

Open daily, 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM. It's in SEEKBASE at Kanda Neribeicho 13-1, about 4 minutes from Akihabara Station (Electric Town side; follow the elevated tracks) and 5 minutes from Suehirocho Station (Ginza Line).