Barcadium, Preston

I used to come in here in my lunch break when it was the Fox & Grapes, a Matthew Brown pub, in the late 70s/early 80s when I worked around the corner in Lune Street at the Ladbrokes betting office that used to stand next to the Angel. This one seemed quite pleasant to me then, if I recall correctly, and it was one of the few Matthew Brown pubs that still had real ale at that time.

since it closed as the rough as arseholes Fox and Grapes this has been trading as a tiki cocktail bar, but after closing again last year it has been converted into what I can only describe as a gaming den with beer. You walk in to be greeted with darkness lit only by flashing lights from various retro arcade games. Card only payments at the bar and you have to buy a drink every 45 minutes to use the games. Could get very messy for your wallet if you like it here as the beer is very expensive craft stuff such as Cloudwater. There's a list of rules culminating in 'don't be a prick'. File under: curiosity.