A must for all gamers and those in search of nostalgia when visiting the Northern Quarter, NQ64 has officially moved out of its OG location to a new Manchester spot. The retro arcade game venue has levelled up and opened the doors to its brand new home which is… next door to its previous site.
Open from August 1, the neon splattered drinking den has moved somewhere bigger (four times the old one to be exact), approximately 10ft away from the original, into 12 Tib Street (previously Dive Bar). Yes, that’s the one with the terrace too. Plus, for the first time ever guests can now order pizza from next door neighbours Crazy Pedro’s, with delivery straight to the bar. Deliver-who?!
The bigger venue will boast booths and banquette seating galore, which will increase the venue’s indoor capacity to 350 people, plus the outdoor terrace will host two new arcade machines, allowing customers to soak up some sun whilst honing their gaming skills. Because the space is bigger there will also be loads more games, and alongside fan favourites like Guitar Hero, Pac Man, Street Fighter, and Time Crisis there’ll be new gaming additions, including ‘Pop-A-Shot’ (that basketball shooting game) and a ‘Wall Boy’ which elevates the game boy to a large screen for all your mates to watch you fail at Super Mario.
Taking as much pride in its drinks selection as it does its games, the new NQ64 location also has a bigger and better bar (see the theme here?), serving game-themed cocktails like the Power Star Martini – a twist on a passionfruit martini, the Dr Ro Bev Nik, a cherry Old Fashioned, and the Kong Island Iced Tea, inspired by Donkey Kong.
Plus, there’s an extensive offering of craft beers, wines, spirits, sodas and non-alcoholic cocktails, as well as a bunch of old-school childhood favourite snacks such as Space Raiders and Monster Munch – all the fun of childhood, but just for the adults now.
Matt Robson, director at NQ64, said: “The public have spoken, and we have listened. No more 1-star Google reviews telling us it looks bigger on the photos, because this one is actually massive. We saw the site come up and it was a no-brainer to move in, not too much of a trek from the original, with loads more room for games, and a mega terrace too.
“We love to show we really do listen to our customers, and have chosen a venue that holds more games, more people and more fun, whilst not being too hard for our guests to find (we hope). We can’t wait to open our doors & show everyone what we’ve done with the place.”
To celebrate the big move, on Tuesday 1st August, the first 50 customers through the doors of the new NQ64 location will be treated to a gift bag full of goodies, including an iconic NQ64 t-shirt. NQ64’s new(ish) Manchester location, which will shorten staff commute time by about 10 seconds, will be located at 12 Tib Street, M4 1SH and will be open seven days a week, from 4pm to 2am on weekdays, from 12pm to 2am on weekends.