Token - The Arcade, Bar And Restaurant That's Bringing Nostalgia Back To Dublin

Get ready to re-visit your childhood

Token is the ultimate gamer's paradise in Dublin City Centre with two major differences; Combined gaming and alcohol. We all remember playing the Sega megadrive, Commodore 64, Nintendo as kids and the games were the best games every made. Now you can play them with friends in a fun environment while having some food and drinks too! How good is that?

When I was a kid, there was a Chinese family that lived across the road from me and I became friends with one of the kids that was the same age as me. I can clearly remember his cousins from China came over once and brought a Sega master system with them. We sat in his living room for hours on end playing 8-bit video games with Chinese writing that I could not understand for the life of me, but I was blown away by it. I was hooked and I wanted one too!

I saved every penny I could scrounge for months and months, and finally I had enough but by then I opted for the Nintendo NES with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It was one of the happiest days of my life! When I was 8 years old I committed a serious amount of hours to finishing the game. Sure what else did we have to do back then?

My game collection grew as I got older as new consoles were released. Then I discovered Dr. Quirky's on O'Connell Street, Dublin, a video gamer's haven. The older I got, the more video game consoles I bought, until I eventually grew up and grew out of playing them so often. So they were a big part of my youth and a very fond memory like an old movie you have not seen in a long time...

Token

That's what Token was for me personally, a nostalgic memory of spending time with friends and family, playing video games and having just a great time! Take that nostalgia, variety of video games, throw in some good drinks and very good quality fast food, and now you can understand what Token has to offer.

Games

Token has games to suit everyone and games that you may have completely forgotten about from your youth. Such as, Donkey Kong, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Double Dragon, Time crisis, Mario Kart, Golden Axe etc. You can check out their list of their games here

If you're not a massive video games fan, fear not, there is more than just video games to this awesome little bar. They offer a range of board games and board game events. They run regular event evenings from Dungeons & Dragons, to quiz nights on various subjects, Pinball nights and many other events. So, you won't be bored what so ever!

Food and Drinks

The food is really good, especially being a bar that serves "Fast Food", everything is cooked fresh to order and not the greasy type food you get in most gaming places. You can tell a lot of love goes into making a solid menu for the business and you will find something for every taste. They even have vegan options which look better than some of the more regular items. And that's coming from a meat lover. All the food is at a very reasonable priced and there is not much on the menu over €10 so its very kind on the wallet.

They also run a deal where you can get a main, a side, a beer/wine/unlimited soda and 10 video game tokens for €21.95 which is pretty sweet deal if your looking to eat, drink and have a good time. They also add new items to the menu and on every occasion I have visited I've thoroughly enjoyed the food.

Value for Money: Very good

Token is located in Smithfield, Dublin 7 which is just a short hop on the red line Luas which you can take from the Jervis Street or Abbey Street Luas stop in your around central Dublin. It's only two stops from Jervis Street.

Location: Smithfield, Dublin 7 (on the red luas line) You can find Token here

So, if you are looking for something a little different to do this weekend in Dublin, Token might be the place for you. You can read lots more about them on their website here. Have fun!