Bishop Cidercade Is Ready to Open in Austin Once the Governor Lifts the Restrictions on Arcades

Dallas-based cidery and arcade Bishop Cidercade is ready to open in Austin once Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issues an order lifting the current restriction on arcades as part of the state’s reopening plan. Whenever that happens, it will be found at 600 East Riverside Drive in the former Joe’s Crab Shack building in the South River City area.

Once open, the Austin location will have 48 taps of hard cider, hard kombucha, and wine along with pizza and, of course, over 150 arcade games. Bishop is known for creative ciders like mango habanero or peppermint flavored ciders. The bar charges a $10 cover during the day for unlimited arcade play and is free, but is then limited to guests 21 years old and over after 8 p.m.

Bishop was originally scheduled to open before South by Southwest in March, but after the festival was canceled, “the urgency was gone,” shared co-founder Joel Malone.

Malone is eager and ready to open safely. “Our background in alcohol manufacturing means that we specialize in sanitization and sterilization,” he said. “We have no doubt that we can keep our customers and staff safe and look forward to the opportunity to do so.”

Currently, the two Dallas locations have reopened for business, but the arcade aspect is shut down. Reservations are also limited to six people or fewer, servers will take orders at the table rather than bars, and masks are not required, although staff will wear them. The Dallas locations have also been offering to-go cider and food throughout the pandemic.

“Many arcades are currently open illegally,” Malone said, “which causes a lot of confusion for our fans, but [the governor’s] order is clear. There is no way around it and we are all about playing by the rules.”

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