Social Gaming
New cafe makes it possible to eat tacos and play video games all day
A new PC cafe called Java Gaming Cafe has opened in Carrollton with a unique proposition: You can eat tacos, drink bubble tea, and play video games, all in one convenient location.
This sets it apart from competitors like PC Gaming LAN in Garland, which hosts electronic gaming but without the food or opportunity for social interaction. Java Gaming Cafe provides a place for people to play electronic games and socialize with like-minded gamers, as well as acts as a restaurant, coffee, and smoothie bar.
Located in the former Cafe Paris Coffee & Bakery space at 2701 Old Denton Rd., Java aims to be the electronic gaming mecca of Dallas, with more than 40 gaming machines and two private rooms for teams and tournament play.
Gamers must pay an hourly price, but there are also memberships that afford discounts.
The space has 7,000 square feet, which includes 30 gaming PCs with 27-inch monitors, as well as a bar with coffee, bubble tea, and fruit smoothies. On the ground floor is a small restaurant serving street tacos, plus a unique dish called cup bap, like a miniature version of bibambap, the Korean rice dish.
"It's a bowl of rice with noodles on top, plus cabbage salad and our homemade sauces," a spokesperson says. "And our smoothies are made with real fruit, not just water."
Smoothie options include strawberries, peaches, bananas, and a "wild berry acai." Tacos come with choice of pork, chicken, tofu, or beef.
Yelpers are finding Java's food to be "yummy," and the bubble tea is a solid contender. It doesn't serve alcohol but it keeps late hours: midnight on weekdays and 2 am on weekends.
Java Gaming Café is a big endeavor from Jeff Choi, who is partnered with his sister and her husband. Choi and his sister have been in the service industry for more than 10 years; her husband has experience running electronic gaming cafes in South Korea.
