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Emporium Logan Square: Filling The Table Game Niche

By Carrie McGath in Arts & Entertainment on Jul 25, 2014 6:00PM

Emporium Arcade Bar: Logan Square is now open on the burgeoning 2300 block of Milwaukee Avenue. The space feels like its Wicker Park counterpart's kid brother and houses a food truck with ground effects, table games, and an impressive microbrew selection and full bar.

Cocktail table games including Ms. Pacman, Centipede, Donkey Kong, Jr., and several more line the walls while several pool tables fill the middle of the game room area. The foosball and air hockey tables were incessantly busy during the opening and is telling that a niche is being filled.

The food truck serves deli sandwiches for $6 and can be ordered at the bar and picked up at the truck. Many picnic tables overlook the space and the large windows give guests a nice view of the busy neighborhood outside. The location was either a print or die-cutting shop, according to owners Danny and Doug Marks, further speaking to the industrial-turned-epic-rec-room vibe that permeates this location.

Fantastic murals by Slang, Chema Skandall, JC Rivera, Lady Lucx, Nice One, and Left Handed Wave add a colorful contrast to the woody, exposed duct and brick interior while also attesting to their integrating into the Logan Square fold. The opening on July 23 was incredibly busy and looks to be an indication the Marks Brothers have again conceived and executed a space that will be a great success.