When it was announced that the beloved arcade bar Token was closing its doors in the summer of 2024, we all thought that it was game over. Little did anyone know that new ownership would grant Token an extra life.
It was unexpected, when on a seemingly random day in November the old Token instagram account announced that it would be making a return. The new location in the IFSC is a great choice. The new space is larger than it had been in Smithfield. In addition to that, Token is now within walking distance of the DART line at Connolly, and the walk to the Red Line Luas is now only 1 minute instead of 5.
The new location has brought back the arcade machines that Token is best known for while also adding some new sections. The three main additions have been interactive darts, gaming consoles, and karaoke rooms.
The new interactive darts section of Token has two bookable interactive dart boards. Interactive darts uses a magnetised dart board and magnetised darts, this allows the system to recognise where on the dart board the dart has become lodged and tally the score.
One of the best features of Token in Smithfield was its food and drinks. The new menu offers a wide array of items, and has plenty of vegan and gluten free options available. In addition to the food, the cocktail menu has also been overhauled with different gaming themes than had previously been used.
The main reason given by the management of Token when it closed its doors in Smithfield a year and a half ago was that they could not justify increasing their prices any further. The prices offered in the new location are normal for Dublin, but time will tell if this issue is to be encountered again.
There is one thing that bugs me about the new Token though - for whatever reason the management has decided to put up 7 TVs with sports broadcasted on them around the front of the bar, and 3 of them being behind the bar. I have nothing against sports being on TVs in bars, but it gives the wrong impression when you walk into the new Token and see the Premier League at the front, while the arcade machines are at the back.
While the new venue is larger than the one in Smithfield, the space dedicated to the arcade machines feels more cramped and generally uncomfortable. The majority of the arcade machines have been squished together into the back right hand corner of the bar. There is not enough space to get in line for the games, and for the amount of overall space in the new venue it is disappointing that more of it couldn’t have been dedicated to the main draw of Token.
While I’m glad that Token has been able to come back from the dead, I am disappointed in its execution. Maybe I’m blinded by my nostalgia for the old venue, but I simply did not enjoy my time there as much as I had in Smithfield. I hope that this is just a period of adjustment for the new venue and that they hit their previous heights in the coming years, for now it is simply not the same Token.