Four Quarters is the new kid on the Newcastle nightlife block, a retro arcade bar that manages to be a lot more besides.
Taking over the former site of Gershwins restaurant at the top of Dean Street, the bar is opening this week, taking the total of Four Quarters venues to five (there are also three in London and one in Bristol).
The name refers to the four quarters you can buy for £1.50 to feed into the vintage, restored and often rare arcade machines. The collection of machines will include vintage models from the seventies right through to the mid-2000s – from Pac-Man to Time Crisis 2! A number of booths are fitted out with Megadrive, N64 and PS2 consoles too (these booths are hired by the hour, costing from £5 to £8 depending on the time of day). And if you’re lucky enough to rack up a high score it will even get displayed on the Four Quarters website!
But it’s not all about the gaming: Four Quarters offers pizzas, themed cocktails and craft beer and there are plans to host live events - from film screenings to quizzes.
One of Four Quarters; co-founders, Francois Kitching, is Newcastle-born so he’s especially pleased to be bringing the concept to the city. "We're immensely proud to be opening our latest Four Quarters location in my hometown and on a street that has been important to me for as long as I can remember. Dean Street was part of my old stomping grounds, where rave culture record stores carried me through my formative years.”
So whether you’re a hardcore gamer wanting to show off your skills in public, an old skool arcade-goer who wants to relive your misspent youth or out with friends looking for somewhere new to have a drink and a pizza, Four Quarters has you covered.
All photos courtesy of Chloe Dunscombe
