An arcade and bar space that opened just as the area around Grove Street in Jersey City began to pop has announced their last day of business as Barcade is set to exit with a new Mahattan location on the horizon.
Late last night, the brand announced on Instagram that they are shuttering their outpost at 163 Newark Avenue. Barcade enjoyed a 14-year run at the address, launching before even the pilot version of the Newark Avenue Pedestrian Plaza let alone the permanent one.
Barcade fans still have some time to stop by and bid farewell in Jersey City, as the last day of business will be on June 15. The venue wrote in their post that they hope to return to Jersey City one day but encouraged their customer base to visit their soon-to-open location on Cortlandt Street in Lower Manhattan.
“There are still four months of good times to be had, epic kegs to tap, and plenty of Rush songs to play, so stop in and see us before the final last call,” the post wrote. “JC was the second Barcade we opened and so much has changed since then for us and the city. It’s been a great experience just being here and being a part of it. Thank you so much, Jersey City!”
Barcade had been in a bit of a limbo in recent years, as the property owners had won approvals for redevelopment back in 2019. Despite the moves, construction obviously never began on the new development.
The omnipresence of development nonetheless looms large over the neighborhood. Construction across the street from Barcade on a new 41-unit project is underway, while the stretch of Barrow Street outside the business has been closed to cars and has plans for a playground and other amenities that were announced back in May last year.
Barcade is not the only bar in Jersey City that will be closing. Fox and Crow, in the Heights, also announced their closure yesterday.
As Barcade prepares for its final last call in Jersey City, regulars still have a few months to visit the Newark Ave location before doors close for good.
