Quasars Arcade — Attraction in Corpus Christi

New location rewrite: I've been at the new sports bar/arcade, and unfortunately it's a mixed bag. I have to knock a star off because this business is no longer just an arcade, and while the arcade portion is better than ever, its attached to a sub-par sports bar. The good: There's no more tokens, instead they have a card system that reminds me of places like Round 1. Very modern, very convenient. The credits (called 'qbits') you get per dollar are very generous, and there's a happy hour where (almost) every game is half off, including all the pinball. Let me tell you; playing pinball for $0.50 a play during happy hour is worth 5 stars for any arcade, much less an arcade with such a great lineup of cabs as Quasars. The pinball cabs each have their own TV which broadcasts their respective playfields, and it's very cool to see 20+ cabs all going at once. If you're a pinhead, this place is a paradise, and in my opinion that aspect of the business is better than ever. I could go on and on and on. New games, rare games, premium editions, happy hour. Quasars is a pinball mecca worth travelling to, and any pinhead in the area is SPOILED by the sheer quantity and quality of cabs. The Bad: Quasars feels like a sports bar that bought an arcade, instead of the other way around. About 80% of the floor-space is sports bar, and while the pinball enjoys a premium spot in the main area, the other arcade games are all packed into an area about the size of an apartment bedroom. The 'joystick and buttons' game area obviously gets crowded, but even the pinball area is crowded - there's a lot of tables right behind the pinball cabs, and the combo of pinheads sticking their butts out during multiball, waiters running back and forth, and patrons sitting at the tables makes it hard to move around in that area during peak hours. The old location could feel crowded, but that's forgivable because it was a small building with an amazing number of cabs. The fact that they bought such a big area, but the games still feel crowded is a huge miss. I also can't help but notice that some games are absent (as of opening day at least). An arcade buying a bigger building, but filling it with fewer games is cause for the greatest criticism. The decision to dedicate so much space to the sports bar, at the expense of the arcade, is very upsetting. To be very frank, I like quasars for the great games. I don't go there because I enjoy buying overpriced bar food. Which brings me to. The Ugly: I ordered a 'shareable' size appetizer that took the better part of an hour to reach my table, and service in general was slow even though only 1/5 of the tables had a party. It's opening day, so slow service is excusable, but what isn't excusable is the portions. After my 40 minute wait, I received my 'shareable' $10 appetizer, and it was 6 bite-sized pieces of food. I was there with a few people, and we actually intended to share the 'shareable' appetizer, but the amount they gave us was maybe enough to appetize two guys who just ate. To make things worse, the food isn't even good. I'm not saying it's bad, but you could smuggle in a box of hot pockets and get food of equal or greater quality than what I got for ten U.S. dollars.

I love Quasars, and I think its a real shame that one of the best arcades in the country decided to metastasize a sports-bar shaped tumor. I hope they sort their mess out, because the main effect of diversifying a business is that it adds more paths to bankruptcy. What was a successful arcade now has to be both a successful arcade and a successful sports bar, and they're already off on...

All my life I've been a huge arcade fanatic. From when I first laid my eyes on a Ms. Pac-Man cabinet as a child to when I set the high score at Quasar's three days ago. When I first heard the news that there was a new arcade down the road from my house, I went absolutely ballistic. I couldn't wipe the grin off my face just knowing that there was a genuine Stacker machine less than a mile from me.

This place is not your gimmicky, overpriced family entertainment center that saturates the search results when you Google "things to do near me." Don't walk in expecting an experience reminiscent of Dave & Buster's, Chuck E. Cheese's, Funtrackers, etc.This is a genuine 𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦. You won't have to insert pre-paid tokens or swipe a play card here. If you want to walk in with a single quarter and play one round of Galaga, you can do that. If you miss the good old days of playing at the arcade in the summer of '85, this is the place to relive those memories and make some new ones.

In sum, Quasar's is one of, if not the greatest addition that Corpus Christi has seen in the time I've been able to call it my home. From here on out I'll be cheery just being aware of its existence. It is impossible to be disappointed when you're greeted by welcoming neon lights and beautiful graffiti artwork that the walls emanate. The place is also BYOB, and I'm pretty sure they allow outside snacks as well. One thing I'd love to see is more vending machines in addition to the candy dispenser. I think it'd be genius as the customers already have quarters and dollar bills on hand, and most don't want to search for staff in a crowd of people to pay for the refrigerator beverages. Just some input from a loyal fan. If you've made it this far, what are you doing? Grab the keys and drive here faster than Pac-Man...

One my favorite spots in Corpus. My daughter loves to go and play pinball with me. The secret is I think I have just as much fun if not more than her. Great staff. If you are worried about sanitation of the games dont be. There are staff that clean every game after someone uses it. There are also hand sanitizing stations located throughout. There is something for everyone here. LOVE THIS PLACE! Edit. After reading my review I realize it really doesn't do this place the justice it deserves. Its as if your troubles melt away when you enter the door. A feeling of nostalgia for us older folks and a feeling of newfound wonder for the younger crowd. This is one of the few places in town that,even though it is a business it doesn't feel that way. It feels like a great friends garage that just happens to be packed with awesome games. I am almost strictly a pinball guy however, there is definitely something for everyone. As far as for you other pinball players you will not find anything even close. This place should be on any pinball players bucket list. All the games work all the time and on the rare occasion one is down. The famous staff will have it fixed asap. These guys know their stuff. One of my favorite things is that all people are welcome never have i heard of or seen anyone treated badly. Rarely in this town can you mix such an eclectic group of people somewhere in such a harmonious way. I hope my childrens grandchildren get to walk thru your doors one day and experience the sense of awe and belonging me and my daughter do when we are there. Thank you Quasars you place means a lot to a...