Abari scores an extra life: Closed during COVID, the game bar has a new spot.
Owner Zach Pulliam has announced plans to open Super Abari Game Bar in Charlotte’s Belmont neighborhood. He plans to sign a lease later this afternoon.
The popular bar closed down last March when the first COVID-19 stay-at-home order was issued. While Abari was closed, the team held rooftop concerts, and fans organized a GoFundMe to help.
Then Pulliam announced in August that his lease at the original location would not be renewed. He’s spent the months since looking for a new and improved location. After a lengthy rezoning process, he’s found just that at 1015 Seigle Avenue.
“It was kind of perfect in a lot of ways,” Pulliam told CharlotteFive. “I looked at a lot of spots. Some of them were smaller, some of them were larger, but none of them hit all the checkboxes for me. This palace was not only larger, it was also close to the original location.” The larger space will allow Pulliam to bring in games he never had room for at the original spot: Skee-Ball, bubble hockey, air hockey, racing games and Dance Dance Revolution. Altogether Pulliam expects he’ll be able to fill the building with 40 pinball machines and around 80 arcades (the original location had around 50 games total).
Pulliam is also excited to have a nicer bar space that’s a little more distanced from the game floor.
“The great thing about the new spot is that the bar spot is a little bit more intimate,” Pulliam said. “It’s kind of its own standalone thing from the game floor, so that makes it a little more relaxed and chill.”
Expect affordable cocktails, wine, beer and food at Super Abari
Super Abari Game Bar, like its predecessor, will have beer on tap and a selection of wine, cocktails and liquor (Pulliam hopes to expand upon the liquor selection as well). There will be a small food menu, and Pulliam is excited to work with Duke’s Bread to create their own take on Hot Pockets — a collaboration they discussed but never implemented at the original location. When it comes to food and drinks, his goal is to keep things affordable for his patrons. Pulliam also notes there are some great food options right around the corner in Sweet Lew’s BBQ and ACE No. 3.
After signing the lease at 3 p.m. today, Pulliam will start pulling permits and working on the space. He is hoping to open Super Abari Game Bar by the end of this summer. In addition to the nicer bar and increased space, he’s also excited to build a proper patio.
He has big plans for the new location, but wants fans to know it won’t all happen overnight.
“I really hope that everybody is patient with me while we’re going through this process, because we’re going to have to regrow organically like we did with the first spot,” Pulliam said. “I do think in the long run over the first couple of years we’re going to be able to really make an experience that we couldn’t at the old spot.”
Super Abari Game Bar
Coming soon to 1015 Seigle Avenue
Instagram: @abarigamebar
