On a busy friday night this place takes the crown. After the Durham bulls game this place was packed with a great atmosphere. Our $20 in tokens lasted around 2 hours. Great variety of games, some old some new.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
Shawn Monley
One day my daughter called me, (knowing that Skeeball is both of our favorite arcade games), and said Boxcar is having a Skeeball tournament on Wednesday, do you want to go… I said sure! That was two and a half years ago, and excluding vacations and surgeries, we’ve played every Wednesday since! We love the place!! I’m not only really fortunate to get to hang out with my daughter for a few hours having fun playing the game we love. But the employees there have become friends. They’re all great people! Friendly and professional! Especially Malik and Crews, but honestly all of them! Just solid good folks! The food is surprisingly on a level I wasn’t expecting… excellent! And the bartenders bust their butts to get you served… I love this place!! And my favorite day and hi lights of the week is Wednesdays of course because of Skeeball at Boxcar!! Thanks so much for what you do! We’ve even made friends with the regulars who come on Wednesdays to play Skeeball! Is just a great and friendly atmosphere!! And a second thanks to Malik for bringing the fun, and making it happen! I would and do recommend Boxcar to everyone who wants to have a great time in downtown Durham! The best!! 😋❤️👍🏻
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Justin Garcia
Always going for the Wednesday night skeeball tournament. A blast every time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Gina Thompson
Boxcar Bar + Arcade is hands down one of the best spots in Durham! The staff is always friendly and welcoming, the vibes are fun and laid-back, and the drinks and food never disappoint. Whether you’re here to hang with friends, meet new people, or just break up the week with something fun, this place always delivers.
Tuesday night karaoke is a total highlight—such a blast every single time! The energy is amazing, and it’s impossible not to have fun whether you’re singing or just cheering everyone on. Then Wednesday night skeeball tournaments? Absolute must. It’s such a unique, goofy-competitive, community-building kind of fun. I’ve met so many great people here through these events—it really feels like a little mid-week pick-me-up tradition.
Between the games, music, great staff, and all the weekly happenings, Boxcar has become my go-to place in Durham. Highly recommend to anyone looking for good drinks, good people, and guaranteed good times! Never change, Boxcar 💜
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Yair \u0026 Seana Rodriguez Monley
We originally went for the skeeball ball tournament and ended up getting a second home. My dad and I love skeeball and we play in the tournament every week. It is so much fun and the employees are so warm and welcoming that we go there multiple times a week with our son, all of our family, and friends. It’s our favorite spot. Malik, who runs the skeeball tournament, is the most lovely person. He and Crews and so many of the employees feel like a part of our family. It is an incredible group of people working there. My dad and I are so grateful for the skeeball tournament and to have this opportunity to hangout together and have something to look forward to every week. It feels like home away from home.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Viv
The weekly skeeball tournament on Wednesday is SO much fun and I highly recommend showing up for it! It’s really nice getting to see the same regular teams show up along with new faces each week. Plus it’s completely free to compete and there’s always a super quirky trick shot round at the end. There are prizes for the top three teams (including gift cards). I look forward to this competition every week and am so glad Boxcar offers something like this!!! Also shout out to Malik for doing such a great job running the tournament - he’s always got a great attitude. #skeeballislife
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
David Bowden jr
My family enjoy this location better than Raleigh.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mace
It's a Barcade. Have fun. Nuff said.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Starry McCallister
Very rude customer service unfortunately, I used to love coming here
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
jBj
It was our first time at Durham Boxcar, so much better than Raleigh! Bigger space, food options, and a chill vibe. We loved it!
We only had drinks and payed games, the drinks were good and the games fun, we went before 7:00 and it was family friendly and clean.
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 5
Happiness R
Peach and prosciutto pizza is sooo good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Aaron Wallace
Great arcade, good pizza, seemed to have a good draft beer selection and video games ranging from old school Sonkey Kong and Pac-Man to newer games and even a nice pinball selection. .
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Tamar Carroll
Tamar with Offline - Haven't been here in a while for games and drinks. Finally tried the food and OMG it was amazingly delicious. Can't wait to go back. You will not be disappointed in any kind of pizza you get and the cannoli is a must have ...yummy!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
John Leposa
7/20/25 UPDATE- NO MORE BOXCAR FOR ME Prices of games just increased AGAIN as change machines now only give 3 tokens for $1 instead of 4. For the mathematically challenged, that's a 33.3% price increase on the cost of a game. There was no sign or other notice of the price increase. If I hadn't put $1 in the change machine and received only 3 tokens, I might not have even noticed.
Meanwhile, the maintenance of the pins has NOT improved. Unless the machine is brand new, you can bet something on it doesn't work. Also, sound on pins is turned OFF further diminishing the player experience.
I have never been a fan of boycotts and I'm not suggesting one now. But as a consumer, your power comes from where you choose to spend your hard-earned money. If you like to play pinball and are offended at the price gouging at BOXCAR, there are alternatives where the machines are well maintained and prices are reasonable. Look for them. You'll find them.
SORRY BOXCAR. I'M OUT.
PREVIOUS POST Always enjoyed this place but pinball was recently increased cost to $1 per game. Yet maintenance has deteriorated. On a recent visit 4 machines were 'off' and others had features that did not work or work properly (sticky flippers, etc.) Machines are frequently not properly leveled. No new machines have been added in some time. If you're going to charge more to play, the machines should be maintained in excellent condition.
On a busy friday night this place takes the crown. After the Durham bulls game this place was packed with a great atmosphere. Our $20 in tokens lasted around 2 hours. Great variety of games, some old some new.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 5
One day my daughter called me, (knowing that Skeeball is both of our favorite arcade games), and said Boxcar is having a Skeeball tournament on Wednesday, do you want to go… I said sure! That was two and a half years ago, and excluding vacations and surgeries, we’ve played every Wednesday since! We love the place!! I’m not only really fortunate to get to hang out with my daughter for a few hours having fun playing the game we love. But the employees there have become friends. They’re all great people! Friendly and professional! Especially Malik and Crews, but honestly all of them!
Just solid good folks! The food is surprisingly on a level I wasn’t expecting… excellent! And the bartenders bust their butts to get you served… I love this place!! And my favorite day and hi lights of the week is Wednesdays of course because of Skeeball at Boxcar!! Thanks so much for what you do!
We’ve even made friends with the regulars who come on Wednesdays to play Skeeball!
Is just a great and friendly atmosphere!!
And a second thanks to Malik for bringing the fun, and making it happen!
I would and do recommend Boxcar to everyone who wants to have a great time in downtown Durham! The best!! 😋❤️👍🏻
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Always going for the Wednesday night skeeball tournament. A blast every time.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Boxcar Bar + Arcade is hands down one of the best spots in Durham! The staff is always friendly and welcoming, the vibes are fun and laid-back, and the drinks and food never disappoint. Whether you’re here to hang with friends, meet new people, or just break up the week with something fun, this place always delivers.
Tuesday night karaoke is a total highlight—such a blast every single time! The energy is amazing, and it’s impossible not to have fun whether you’re singing or just cheering everyone on. Then Wednesday night skeeball tournaments? Absolute must. It’s such a unique, goofy-competitive, community-building kind of fun. I’ve met so many great people here through these events—it really feels like a little mid-week pick-me-up tradition.
Between the games, music, great staff, and all the weekly happenings, Boxcar has become my go-to place in Durham. Highly recommend to anyone looking for good drinks, good people, and guaranteed good times! Never change, Boxcar 💜
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
We originally went for the skeeball ball tournament and ended up getting a second home. My dad and I love skeeball and we play in the tournament every week. It is so much fun and the employees are so warm and welcoming that we go there multiple times a week with our son, all of our family, and friends. It’s our favorite spot. Malik, who runs the skeeball tournament, is the most lovely person. He and Crews and so many of the employees feel like a part of our family. It is an incredible group of people working there. My dad and I are so grateful for the skeeball tournament and to have this opportunity to hangout together and have something to look forward to every week. It feels like home away from home.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The weekly skeeball tournament on Wednesday is SO much fun and I highly recommend showing up for it! It’s really nice getting to see the same regular teams show up along with new faces each week. Plus it’s completely free to compete and there’s always a super quirky trick shot round at the end. There are prizes for the top three teams (including gift cards). I look forward to this competition every week and am so glad Boxcar offers something like this!!! Also shout out to Malik for doing such a great job running the tournament - he’s always got a great attitude. #skeeballislife
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My family enjoy this location better than Raleigh.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
It's a Barcade. Have fun. Nuff said.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 4
Very rude customer service unfortunately, I used to love coming here
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
It was our first time at Durham Boxcar, so much better than Raleigh! Bigger space, food options, and a chill vibe. We loved it!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
We only had drinks and payed games, the drinks were good and the games fun, we went before 7:00 and it was family friendly and clean.
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 5
Peach and prosciutto pizza is sooo good.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great arcade, good pizza, seemed to have a good draft beer selection and video games ranging from old school Sonkey Kong and Pac-Man to newer games and even a nice pinball selection. .
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 4
Tamar with Offline - Haven't been here in a while for games and drinks. Finally tried the food and OMG it was amazingly delicious. Can't wait to go back. You will not be disappointed in any kind of pizza you get and the cannoli is a must have ...yummy!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
7/20/25
UPDATE- NO MORE BOXCAR FOR ME
Prices of games just increased AGAIN as change machines now only give 3 tokens for $1 instead of 4. For the mathematically challenged, that's a 33.3% price increase on the cost of a game. There was no sign or other notice of the price increase. If I hadn't put $1 in the change machine and received only 3 tokens, I might not have even noticed.
Meanwhile, the maintenance of the pins has NOT improved. Unless the machine is brand new, you can bet something on it doesn't work. Also, sound on pins is turned OFF further diminishing the player experience.
I have never been a fan of boycotts and I'm not suggesting one now. But as a consumer, your power comes from where you choose to spend your hard-earned money. If you like to play pinball and are offended at the price gouging at BOXCAR, there are alternatives where the machines are well maintained and prices are reasonable. Look for them. You'll find them.
SORRY BOXCAR. I'M OUT.
PREVIOUS POST
Always enjoyed this place but pinball was recently increased cost to $1 per game. Yet maintenance has deteriorated. On a recent visit 4 machines were 'off' and others had features that did not work or work properly (sticky flippers, etc.) Machines are frequently not properly leveled. No new machines have been added in some time. If you're going to charge more to play, the machines should be maintained in excellent condition.
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