Nobody warns you about Cape Town’s ability to completely hijack your evening. You step out for what’s supposed to be a quick walk around Hout Street, the mountain behind you going dark as the city lights up and then a checkered floor and a Tekken 3 cabinet catch your eye and that’s your whole night sorted.
Barcadia crept up on me like that. Cape Town’s first retro bar arcade, tucked on 62 Hout Street, doesn’t scream for your attention. But the moment you’re inside neon signs on every wall, Sonic the Hedgehog standing in the corner like he owns the place, a Mortal Kombat machine with someone already deep in a match you understand why people don’t leave quickly. I didn’t. The games are free to play. There are ice cold drinks. There is absolutely no good reason to go home.
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