Retro gaming is a very “niche” thing in a lot of peoples minds, some people will disregard retro games without a second thought. MEGAbytes Cafe in Glasgow is almost like a shrine dedicated to not just retro gaming but rather gaming culture in general. Located on Howard Street in Glasgow city centre, the cafe is just a few minutes walk from the St Enochs underground station.
(Co-owner Nav with XBLGamerhub’s own Mr Gavin Divers)
Upon entering MEGAbytes you will find a very spacious and bright appearance to the store as well as large windows letting in huge amounts of natural light (I put this in to dispel myths about gamers hating natural light).
I recently sat down to meet the owners behind the project and they were charming and warm people who have gave the cafe a serious amount of thought and research. The cafe does serve a range of hot and cold food as well as a range of beverages both hot and cold.
(Expect a warm and welcome service)
I enjoyed a Nutella milkshake (which was amazing) while observing the gaming space, this space consists of 3 TV’s set up with a number of consoles set up to play. The consoles range from Nintendo NES and SNES all the way to the original Xbox, and on top of the consoles there is an entirely separate menu just for games. The games menu is ever increasing and if you follow the MEGAbytes Cafe Facebook Page – Here then you can keep up to date with events and updates to the cafe in general. The consoles are not the only thing gaming in the cafe, you will find pinball tables and arcade machines in the space as well. The walls are also lined with old consoles and classic game cases and gaming art pieces as well, if you have a keen eye you will notice the staff immortalized as famous gaming characters just about the counter.
It is a great place to visit for nostalgia, fun times, great surrounds and new experiences. On an even more recent visit on a Sunday afternoon the cafe was full to capacity as a projector was set up within the cafe and a live Twitch stream of League of Legends had pulled in crowds that were actually queuing up out the door.
(Arcade cabinets with gaming classics)
The staff are always enthusiastic and easy to approach, even when a young child was unsure why their SNES game had crashed. There was a massive look of confusion on the child’s face when a staff member removed the game and blew into the cartridge and then reinserted into the console and the game working fine.
This is just one of the reasons why this is not just a cafe or a hang out spot for gamers, it is almost like an interactive museum for the history of gaming.
(One of three gaming stations with excellent decorations)
If you do enjoy gaming and are ever in the Glasgow area, then I fully recommend visiting our friends over at MEGAbytes Cafe and supporting a family friendly gaming cafe in the heart of Glasgow City Centre.
Megabytes Cafe is located at 169 Howard Street, Glasgow.
The opening hours are –
Mon-Sat:
Sun:
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