Defunct Places in CDMX / Dave & Buster’s Polanco, a spot for dining and gaming that closed in the early 2000s
A huge venue packed with arcade machines, video games, pool tables, and American food, set to return to Mexico by the end of 2025.
By Alejandro Pohlenz
Although there’s some debate about the year Dave & Buster’s started in the United States (some say the ’70s, others the ’80s), those familiar with the story say that Mr. David Corriveau and Mr. James “Buster” Corly each had a location on the same street in Little Rock, Arkansas (the state’s largest city, currently with around 200,000 residents). One of them ran a restaurant; the other, an arcade (a place with “gaming machines,” as we used to call them). They noticed that people would first go to the restaurant and then play. An idea struck them: why not combine dining and gaming? The first D & B opened in Dallas, Texas, in 1982. It’s basically an adult-oriented venue with American food and alcohol, where you can play anything and everything.
Dave & Buster’s Polanco
A 2011 article mentions that they had 35 branches, with pool tables, a golf simulator, air hockey, and electronic games. Another 2008 piece announced the opening of “a second branch” in Mexico. The Polanco location opened in 2004, when my kids were 10 and 8 years old. The notion of “adult fun” didn’t really apply in this case. According to my fragile memory (and I think I’ve mentioned this before in a Food Police piece), for a divorced dad, it was paradise. You arrived with your two kids, gave them some money, sat down with a Jack Daniel’s in front of you, and that was it. The children were safe and played for hours without bothering their exemplary father.
The Closure
I didn’t find any references regarding the closure of this location (all I remember is that it was huge, and my kids would bring me tickets from the machines when they won, which could be exchanged for cheap plastic toys). They say it was permanently shuttered in the early 2000s.
What we know now is that Dave & Buster’s, in partnership with Winclub México (a company focused on gambling), “plans to open 10 branches (…) with a first location in CDMX by the end of 2025.”
They say there will be “Mexican flavors” on the menu and exclusive games “tailored to Mexican preferences”… Which ones will those be? Lotería? Balero?
Address: Francisco Petrarca 202, corner of Homero, Polanco, CDMX
Status: Permanently closed
