Massive new bar + arcade with electronic axe-throwing, retro games coming to central Ohio

10,000 square feet of retro arcade games, electronic axe-throwing, giant Jenga and more is on its way to Newark.

The new concept West Church Social, which will be located at 1650 W. Church St. in Newark, is slated to open at the end of November, according to co-owner Matt Maynard.

The huge, multi-functional space will feature a speakeasy inspired by one of Newark’s historical entrepreneurs, plenty of bar space, 32 TVs for sporting events and a litany of unique games throughout the concept, which formerly housed the bar End Zone. 

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The games featured at West Church Social include retro arcade games like Donkey Kong, Pac-Man and more, in addition to darts, ski-ball, giant Jenga and even an electronic axe-throwing system.

“It’s rubber, but it has the weight and balance of a real axe, and it’s kind of like a dart board,” Maynard said about the system. “You chuck the axe at the board, and it has rubber pieces that sort of catch it.”

Live music will be held on an indoor stage, and the concept will also boast a spacious outdoor patio, and a speakeasy that will function as its own space, with its own unique atmosphere.

Named the Everett, the speakeasy is inspired by Edward Everett, a Newark entrepreneur from the early 20th century who was widely known as “the bottle king” for his large-scale glass bottle production facility. The space will boast a “speakeasy vibe” with different decorations than the concept’s main bar space, including black concrete bartops, a mounted deer and more.

West Church Social will eventually host a variety of food trucks and operate a kitchen space serving small bites, although this may not open when the concept officially opens next month.

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