TOKEN GAME TAVERN

We are told that good dogs go to the Rainbow Bridge after their time on earth; Terri and I believe that we have found the Rainbow Bridge for the geeks still on planet Earth.

Token Game Tavern is a very new barcade in the Knoxville, TN area. It is located in a very common-looking strip mall and the exterior is very low-key and unassuming; once you walk inside that all changes.

The first thing that I noticed were the colorful sci-fi and fantasy posters, neatly-framed mind you, on the walls. There is also some attractive original game-inspired artwork painted on the wall that is the backdrop for the bar.

Token offers a great selection of sandwiches, snacks and full meals at very reasonable prices. One of the items to note on their menu are the ‘slider dogs’ available in six different styles. Daily food and drink specials as well as high scores are posted proudly on the large chalkboard near the bar.

Token is one of the few locations in North America that currently has Killer Queen by Indiecade, which is a ten-player (five vs five) strategy video game. There are many other stand-alone and networked video games such as the four-player Pac-Man.

If you are sitting at the bar you are invited to play complementary classic video console games on the large screen TV’s on the wall behind the bar. Super Mario Kart (Nintendo) seemed to be the most popular when we were visiting.

If you are reading this, it’s likely that you are the most interested in the bank of pinballs located in prime real estate near the board gaming area.

Since the grand opening of Token Game Tavern in early December, a few pin games have been swapped out and others have taken their place. The listing at the beginning of this site review was current as of 24 January 2018.

All of the pin games that we played were in excellent condition and played extremely well. I felt that extra ball and free game thresholds were set a bit generous- even on the very newest games. We also found some pin games with credits on them which was an unexpected bonus.

There is a area set aside near the front for playing board games and card games. Token has a good selection of games available to play and you are also welcome to bring your own if you want.

Token hosts birthday parties and special events; they have a number of packages available or will work with you to set up something custom just for your group. Token proudly boasts that they are family-friendly and we did see a few millennials with their offspring in tow.

It seems to be the new and hip place for the 20-30 something crowd in the Knoxville area. We are considering a part-year move to the immediate area and will be regulars at Token if we do.

Overall we would highly-rate Token Game Tavern because of their excellent customer service, cleanliness and selection of games. If you are in the area, I would say that you can have a great night out at Token at a budget price.