The Castro Is Getting an Arcade Bar

The Castro's Blackbird has been a popular watering hole for gays and straights alike over the past few years, and now owners Shawn Vergara and Tiffny Vergara Chung are making an expansion play—and adding an arcade component to the mix. As the BAR reports, they're currently in the permitting process for a bar with the working name of Project 22, which will feature 10 classic, coin-operated games like Pac-Man and Galaga. It'll be located in the base of brand-new condo complex The Century, and will pack about 117 people in its nearly 2,000 square feet.

The Vergara siblings plan to offer 25 draft beers at the bar, with a focus on sours, ciders, and fruit beers; they'll also offer five draft wines and a handful of loophole cocktails. And if all goes well, they'll be able to double the number of currently planned arcade games; they're working with Supervisor Scott Weiner to rescind an outdated law that prohibits gaming establishments with more than a set number of games to operate in the area (used to combat gambling once upon a time, which clearly isn't a concern in this case). The bar will boast an industrial look from C Walters Design, and would be open until 2 am nightly. Opening will likely be late summer.

· Classic arcade games bar headed to SF Castro district [BAR]
· Check Out Blackbird's New Look [~ ESF ~]