The Level Up Kitchen + Barcadium

This place has a lot of potential. They need to get a few more games in there, and make sure they are all working. That said, the bar is competent and friendly, the food is pretty good. I love how every TV is playing a different classic 80s movie. We all made a game of guessing which one. Here's an idea for the management: start an 80s trivia night. I bet that would go over well.

Fun place! The prices for games and drinks are reasonable. And the staff is friendly. However, they don't have a lot of space so it's better if you're with a small group of people. Also, it simply does not have the variety of games that Boxcar Arcade has. Because it's smaller and has less games, it's always gonna be second banana to Boxcar. But you can still have a lot of fun here! :)

Went during the late lunch hour when business was slow, which made it easy to up on a game. Never really figured out exactly what was going on with games versus quarters versus free play for the different machines and pretty sure I wasted some change when I didn't need to. A handful of the machines were either off or out of order. Service was amiable. The bar had a reasonable beer selection, and the food (from Virgil's Original Taqueria downstairs) was really good quality and pretty filling, but it did take a while for our party of 5 to get all of our meals. The tortilla chips seemed to be sprinkled with sugar, which was unexpected for sure. Had fun talking about the different 80s/90s movies on the screens while we ate. Not usually my kind of place, but I'd certainly go back if a group of friends wanted to go.

I really enjoy the games here, but surprisingly enough I actually come here for the food. So far the food here has been far more consistent in quality and taste than I have found at other places around downtown. I tend to go during non-busy times so I'm sure that helps with the speed of service, but the staff is super friendly and the drinks always good.

Freeplay every sunday! I'm starting with that because if you grew up around arcades then you know the love of finding a machine set to free play! For entertainment, this place is pretty darn fantastic. It's not the biggest bar+arcade, but this place has a killer "upstairs hangout" vibe to it, fantastic lighting, and some deliciously greasy food to go with it. Food + Drink + MarioKart over the bar? This place is the COMPLETE package for a night out with friends. The burgers are meaty and the grilled cheese is exceptionally warm and soft. Local craft beer is available, of course, (Little City is always on tap due to connections) and the staff is super friendly. Ben in particular has great taste in classic funk and R&B. The best thing in the house though? DEEP FRIED OREOS for desert. Now you can come die of clogged arteries in arcade heaven instead of the overcrowded State Fair!