Such an amazing experience! It got pretty crowded by 1 so we had to leave because we couldn't dance at that point. Drinks were pretty decently priced! No overpriced mixed drinks which was pretty good. Music was good, too. Pac-Man game was hard to beat tho (that one is on me). Good vibes overall. Security seemed nice? read more

great but they REFUSE to play no hands by walks flocka flame unless you pay them. i will still go but please play more

Came here after dinner for a quick drink and to check out the arcade. Full service bar so plenty of beer and cocktails and mixed drinks to pick from. Got a Tom Collins and headed over to the arcade. All of the games are rigged to be free to play which is a really nice touch. There were about 15-20 games if I had to guess. Things like Tetris, Frogger, TMNT, NBA Jam, Mortal Kombat, and more. It was nice to be able to have fun and not be stressed about dying since they were free to play. The games weren't overcrowded and people were respectful of play time. It is in a college town so can't say it's always like that, but fortunately it was for when we went. They do have a kitchen as well, I didn't get anything to eat this time but a friend told me that it's just your standard bar food, nothing too good, but given the prices hard to complain. Ultimately a nice little stop on your way home or a fun way to catch up. read more

Barflyy Retro Bar And Arcade - Arcade Games - Bars Near Me - Kent, Ohio

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I am a total newb to the Barflyy scene, post-Covid or not. Well, technically not post-Covid because who knows when that will be, but I never danced it up here before so I'm not sure exactly how poppin' things were. I will say the restrictions were set in place to prevent any hanging out with people you didn't know which I totally understand and dancing was off the table. Not on the table. We all know dancing on the table is the best way to do it anyways. For shame! No video games because duh, cleanliness. It was a little sad to be at a place I felt like I couldn't really enjoy, but I was just so happy to be out at a bar with my chickie-doo that I let the awkwardness disappear. We had a very down to earth gentleman named Jeremy as our bartender who was very friendly and thoughtful. I know it was such a pain for them to be wearing those masks with how hot it was this weekend but he fought through the heat and even chatted with us a bit. I'll never forget our talks about retro pie + Raspberry Pi's, J-Man. I'm nicknaming him now because obviously that's the type of bond that ensued. He was replaced by another guy named Brady who was sarcastic and funny - I enjoy a person with good wit! I think my only complaint is that neither of these two felt super experienced and that's OKAY, but being a person who bartended for a long time, I felt like I had to explain things that I didn't expect. Again, they haven't been pouring drinks for a hot minute because of our current predicaments, so I really didn't judge them too harshly. Simply a word of advice to upper management re: training on the basics. Maybe I'm just old and want things they don't know! That, my friends, is sadly, also possible. Not like they can really grab their phones and start googling with all the safety precautions going on, so I totally get it. The patio was definitely really cool and probably without video games was the biggest draw for me! Shoo-flyy-don't-bother-me. read more

Foods just okay and the inside can be a bit chaotic! If you get over stimulated easily, I don't suggest this place.

I'm about to get real here. After reading about this place in the paper, online, talked to friends, I decided to check this place out with my children. Let me tell you... first and foremost, THIS IS A BAR. They wanted to maximize profits by offering something for kids during the day, but honestly, I am NEVER taking my kids back. All the arcades worked, but not all worked properly. There were some popular ones, such as Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter and Centipede. All of them clustered a bit close together in a far corner. All of them free. So, a little good and a little bad. Take it as it is. There is plenty of seating for table top games or hanging out. Loved the poker table in the far corner opposite the arcades. Couches and great decor. Plenty of high tables and chairs and eating areas. For a bar, it's totally awesome. For a family afternoon? NOPE! Kids eat free on Sunday. I expected it to be packed. Imagine my surprise when we walk in at noon and it was EMPTY! I can understand why now... we promptly ordered our food and drinks and it took an hour!!! With only one family in front of us, why did it take an hour for 2 bagel sandwiches, kids Mac & cheese and some tenders? The food itself was mediocre. I mean, I didn't expect high class, but at least make it a bagel if you say you serve bagel sandwiches! I got a bread like substance with a cheese filled hole! Keep in mind it was even a cheese that I didn't recognized nor ordered! There was no tomato even when the description called for one and it was supposed to all be on an onion bagel!!!! On top of the mediocre sandwich, which included Cool Ranch Doritos, my Doritos bag was covered in grease and hair! Why?!?! The kids menu consists of three things. My youngest son ordered the kid's Mac n cheese. They burnt it. He didn't eat anything. He doesn't care to go back. All of their fries are covered in Old Bay. Not my thing. If you get fountain drinks, you have to keep going back to the counter for a refill. Horrible if you have kids who drink as much as they eat. They had two cooks only and one had NO IDEA what he was doing. You can tell the more experienced one was giving orders on what to do. IT IS A BAR!!!! Hanging with adult friends? Cool place to be. Drinks and games? Great! Family place? HELL NO! Want a burger or wings? NOT HERE. I was very less than impressed and won't be returning with the fam. By myself? Eh.... maybe? But not when I'm hungry. I'll go eat somewhere else first. read more

What a great addition to the Kent area. We went during December holiday break and took a group of our kids friends. On a Friday afternoon we basically had the place to ourselves, we were surprised but loved that! Also know this place is newer and KSU was on break. They do have a limited counter service menu, we ordered pizzas, fries and a bagel sandwich which you can "build your own" The pizza is so so, but the fries were fantastic! The kitchen/counter service guys are awesome. Friendly and helpful! Free game play, our kids barely paused to eat a few bites. Fine with me, we got more fries! Ha! read more

I've been coming to Barflyy a few times a year for the past couple years, and it really appears to have changed recently. It used to be super fun and had a laid-back college dance club vibe where everyone was just dancing and having a good time together, but now after my last visit, it seems to have changed for the worse. Some of the crowd was extremely rough compared to the crowds at other neighboring Kent bars, with a few groups of rude and aggressive people forcefully cutting in line to get in, cutting in line for drinks, and cutting in line for the bathroom. They were also aggressively pushing everyone around as they forced their way throughout the venue, with an attitude that they were looking for a fight if anyone dared to say anything. The bar's in-house security, who are typcailly pretty strict and even somewhat unfriendly towards patrons, just watched it happen and never once did anything. There was also no off-duty Kent Police officer stationed at the door like there usually is, which was not encouraging at all. I'm not the type of person who gets uncomfortable at bars, but I definitely did not feel particularly safe this last visit, and our group left much earlier than normal because of it. The bar really should consider hiring additional security staff, limiting capacity to smaller crowds for better crowd visibility and ease of movement throughout the venue, and mabye even installing a walk-through security screening checkpoint at the door for use on busy nights. Any positive changes that they can make to keep the crowd feeling more comfotable should definitely be a priority. It's also notable that some parts of the facility are in need of repair, with some vandalized fixtures in the bathroom being completely useless, including the automatic soap dispenser. Their drinks are still pretty reasonanly priced and the bartenders are relatively efficient, so that's a positive. Overall, I hope that the venue is able to deal with their issues and remain in business, as it truly used to be a fun place. read more

Barflyy is so unique compared to everywhere else in Kent. When you walk in, it is a big open space. The interior gives off 90s/2000s vibes. There is a large bar area, regular seating, the section with the arcade games, then off to the right are couch areas. The walls have a collage of different throw backs such as the Jonas Brothers, MySpace, and more. Each time I looked, I saw something different. To order food, you go up to the order counter where the menu is displayed. At each table they also have pads of paper with the menu to write in your order. The menu has some pretty cool items on it that I would love to go back and try. I went for the chicken and fries with the special sauce. The food came out before my friend and I got our drinks at the bar. It was hot and delicious! The fries were the perfect crunch and seasoned well. The chicken was really good, but we both wished there was one more piece. After we ate, we went over to the arcade games to play. Some of the machines have cup holders on them so that you can set your drink down and focus on playing. There is a wide variety of arcade games to play from pac man to Tetris to super Mario. They were all so fun to play! I think this place will get very popular and be a place to hangout with friends. All ages can be there with an adult from 11:30-5:00. read more

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Tried going out to barfly Saturday night with a friend only to be told at the door that we could no get in they don't open till 10 to general public because of fraternity date night. Alright fine asked could we stay in doorway to avoid rain as we were asking that some poor assuming drunk girl was literally yoked up by the security and forcibly thrown out of the bar on to the side saying quote " get that b***h outta here. I want it to be know I never seen something so disgusting and am very upset this was my first impression. I do hope yall improve and if know that girl apologize read more

I could hear the bouncers making fun of me and my friends at the bar with other staff. There is also only 5 arcade games so why even bother having arcade in the name. read more

When I heard a barcade was going into this space I was sooo excited at the possibility. After all, one would think that Kent could do quite well with a gaming hub and arcade scene similar to the lovely Cleveland offerings in the same vein. I had a not-so-great visit here around 9/10pm on a Friday night because of the dance-club atmosphere and the same problems that plagued the former space: over-priced drinks and poor customer service. Also, the arcade machines are too close together and, with not enough cup holders or tables nearby for drinks, they seem like a complete afterthought. For example, their closeness makes it difficult for a group to play a 2-4 player game without knocking into the folks on the games to the sides. Also, let's be real: Are they really trying to be a barcade or are they a sleazy dance club with some arcade games a bit too-tightly clustered in the corner? On my visit it was definitely leaning towards the latter. However, I'm still hopeful that, with some rethinking and re-tooling of the space and improvement to customer service, it could be something really fun and successful. read more

Favorite place in Kent to shake my you know what with my girls. Saturdays are for the girls. Ladies, this is the place to be - free drinks all night long! See you there! Only thing that could make it better is a better lounge area to talk to those you meet while dancing. read more

Was told I could not get in (as a man) because I was wearing a sleeveless shirt that covered my entire torso. Many women were wearing tube tops that were much much more revealing than mine. I also spoke to a man who was wearing a white fish net shirt in which was showing his nipples and skin all over his torso, he told me that he was given no trouble when coming in. Akron is better and much more inclusive. Barflyy and Kent in general are trash. Unless your are a heterosexual white cis person, don't go here. It's a pity and pathetic. read more

Unless you're between the ages of 21-25 and have a larger than average bra size, this place doesn't give a crap about you. It pretty much takes a flashing light and a bull horn to get a bartender to even look your direction. The employees are rude, the DJ is an absolute POS, there are like four arcade games (given they work), and while I'm at it I will add in that the floor is perpetually sticky. If I could give zero stars, I absolutely would. Do yourselves a favor and go somewhere else. read more

Probabaly the best place for dancing outside of downtown Cleveland. There is no cover charge to get in. The drinks are super cheap and super strong if you get there early enough they also have happy hour. Parking isn't that bad to find so long as you head there after dinner hours. The music they play ranges from hip hop to pop to even country and a few throwbacks. The dance floor opens at around 11:30 pm. If you get there before then they have tables set up to sit at as well as the bar. They even have an outdoor patio with a fire pit which is great to hangout around with your friends or meet new people. If drinking and dancing aren't your thing they also have free arcade games to play. It's a great spot for cheap thrills especially in college! read more

A few of my friends and I were briefly there last night to grab a few drinks. I was extremely disappointed when two of my guy friends were not allowed into the bar because they were wearing skirts. I'm sure they have no problem letting in girls with low cut tops/shorts, but when a guy wears a skirt that isn't even revealing that's where they draw the line! What an absolute joke of a bar we will not be returning. read more

Wow so glad the old bar that closed has reopened under new management.! It's really a great space both indoors and out which they retained the good parts of it. They added fabulous wall art and new seating areas that makes it so much fun for any group. They just opened this week and we just happened by so decided to check it out. So glad we did! The fun arcade game section was great and free play! The menu is limited but everyone there seemed to be trying different things and enjoying what they ordered. We ordered the pizza which had a thicker but very light and airy crust with a great sauce. Fantastic! Bartenders were super nice and very attentive to all customers. So glad this place reopened with such a high caliber to details! read more

All the arcade games are free which is awesome!! There's all the classics! The food is great! I recommend the flash pockets, they're like calzones, the bagel sandwiches (the hot mess is my fav), and chicken tenders. Good pizza too! Beers on tap are numerous, great selection! read more

Sticky floor, very limited menu, you order at a counter (not full service). Not very many tables to handle a group. There was only one bartender there on a Saturday night but that didn't matter since we were the only group there. Since the place was not super clean and the menu was weird we did not eat there. read more

Great place. The staff is really friendly, the barback was telling me about how she inhales the chicken tenders and that actually made them sound really good. Everything is pretty average prices, maybe even cheap (Christmas ale for $5.50). I'm not usually into nostalgia based businesses, but all the games are Freeplay and they have seated crazy taxi. My sister spilled a full beer on the opening day because she tried to set her drink on the machine. Not the bars fault but hopefully they'll install more drink holders on or around the games. read more

Good ambiance for right after work drinks! Great service! Drink selection needs increased or improved to keep up with the rest of Kent! We

The classic arcade games and retro wall art is awesome. The really subpar overpriced food and slow/lazy/uninterested service is not.

On the night of 1/17/19, at approximately 1:15 am, I was at Barflyy in Downtown Kent with some of my friends. My friend Courtney went to sit down at one of the couches when I noticed the three men, about mid to upper 30s, shorter and more stocky, possibly from middle eastern origin, around her. They were clearly in a group, but were not sitting directly next to each other. Two were on opposite ends of the couch and another was on the couch directly in front of it. I could tell immediately that these men were filming us and other patrons at the bar dancing. And no, I don't mean for Snapchat or social media, I mean several minutes of straight filming. I made eye contact with the one man several times and made sure he knew that I saw. He only stopped filming when a bartender or bouncer would come nearby. I decided to call the police, whom arrived between 1:45 and 2:00 am, and talked to the owner. This morning, my friends and I were informed that the bar owner refused to handle the situation or make the men leave because it would be "bad for business". I immediately went into tears when I heard this. It certainly seemed that the intentions of the men were malicious and I was very worried for the safety of my friends, others, and myself. While the filming of non consenting adults may not be illegal in public places, it certainly brings up the question of why the filming of girls/guys dancing at a bar is occurring and where the videos are going. I sincerely hope that no male or female was kidnapped, attacked, assaulted, or even worse, last night leaving Barflyy. PLEASE SHARE TO SPREAD THE WORD. YOU COULD SAVE A LIFE OR AT LEAST ENCOURAGE SAFETY IN NUMBERS WHEN GOING OUT!!! I would also like to encourage other young women to STAND UP AND DON'T BE AFRAID TO REPORT SOMEONE IF YOU FEEL SOMETHING IS WRONG! Even if what you thought was happening was indeed, not happening at all, it is important to still report it in case you are right! Having a bad feeling or instinct about a situation and reporting it is CRUCIAL, even if justice may not be seen. LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!!! read more

In a word- Wow. This place has it all. Not only is it a party by night, the relaxed atmosphere during the day is perfect for studying- couches too! They have an outlet on every seat at the bar so plenty of room for lots of laptops. When you need a break from your term paper all the arcade games are free and they even have board games you can play with your friends. Their food is killer- the chicken fingers are unmatched. The pizza by the slice is a nice touch too since there's only two other places in the city to get slices. All in all this place is exactly what Kent needs and it puts personality back into downtown! read more

Love how the games are free! If you are no 21+ you can hang around til 8 pm. Other than that food And drinks aren't that good.

I sat down at an extremely dirty bar on a night when there were less than 3 customers in the room. After asking the bartender (who ignored me for my first 5 minutes there in an empty bar on a Sunday night at 9pm) for the beer menu, she let me know "it's not super up to date". I let her know that a recent bar menu would be nice, so she threw a hard plastic table tent holding the current beer lists at my hand. They could do a lot better. Maybe could be a good bar, but the owners should take a closer look at their employees. I'm not a college student so wake up! I tip well, well not this night:( Books are expensive kiddo read more

Great place to hang out and play some retro arcade games. Plenty of TV's to catch the game. I seen they had a poker table and board games if you want to have a group night out. I didn't get a chance to try the food but definitely will be heading back. read more

Atmosphere is a little weird and food is just alright. Drinks are super overpriced unless you are getting a special. $9 for a cranberry and vodka (even if top shelf) is ridiculous. The arcade games are pretty fun, but several machines do not work. Seems like people have fun dancing, but I didn't stick around late enough to experience that. Overall it was just okay. read more

Terrible terrible service. It was a bus night in Kent the night we went. But this bar wasn't very busy. So we went in and sat at the bar while people across from us were getting served. We were the only others at the bar. As we waited the bartender started time work his way around the bar. More people came in and sat on the far side. The bartender stayed on that side if the bar. He never came over to our side. He completely ignored us. As others realized what was happening, they all moved to the other side and got served. We left. And we won't go back. read more

I am extremely disappointed in the service from barflyy last night!!! My friends and I went up to a bartender wearing a flannel and were treated so horribly. She not only was pushy but she also yelled at us because we didn't decide on our drink orders quick enough. I have never had a negative experience at barflyy until now, I will NOT be returning. read more

Held my friend's party there last night. The staff was more than accommodating with our needs. The kitchen staff graciously stored the ice cream cake and helped us with plates and silverware. The bar is more "adult" and if you're looking for a great place to hang out and watch TV, play games or have a good time, this is the place! Overall, the staff was fantastic and attentive. The party was a success and the night was a blast. Thank you to those who worked last night. Just a few highlights: 1. the menu, while simple is great. Chicken fingers and pizza are well done, not to mention priced well (under $10). 2. drinks are affordable and decently sized. The bar also has a great selection of beers and liquor. 3. The staff is incredible and friendly. This is a great place to have a party or hang out. read more

I've heard great things about this place! Like the drinks and bartenders but honestly I was upset last night when the dj and music were NOT good! That's literally the only reason I'm leaving one star! read more

This place is EXACTLY WHAT KENT NEEDED!!! Awesome atmosphere, great food, and extremely friendly staff! It is incredible what the new management has done since taking over the old bar. There are tons of free arcade games that me and my friends couldn't stay away from, and the energy the place has after hours is honestly the best thing going in downtown Kent. One quick piece of advice...TRY THE CHICKEN FINGERS!!!! They might be the best I've ever had! Everybody needs to check this place out!!! read more

I've been to this bar several times before. There's always a fun dance atmosphere and pretty cheap drinks. I've always had a good experience until last Saturday. It was homecoming weekend so understandably it was very busy. Being a server myself, I am very patient and understanding when it comes to service. HOWEVER, there was a bald bartender who was working who completely ignored a portion of the bar. I waited at the bar for a drink for 35 minutes, while I watched him continuously serve the same people over and over. There was one guy who kept buying the bartender shots so he got served immediately. After about a half hour of me waiting, a girl walked up to the bar (literally right next to me) and got served right away. By the time I finally got a drink I was pissed. Shocked at how horrible the service was. read more

fav new bar in kent!! super fun clubby atmosphere at night and the owner is really nice, plus there are couches which is awesome. the decor is cool and they have arcade games, and they played all throwback pop songs which was amazing and really fun. drinks are a little pricey so maybe hit the other bars before you go, but this place is definitely where you want to go at the end of the night read more

Drinks are slightly more expensive than the average college bar but the food here is great. The night scene is pretty good here, the games bring in a lot of people, no matter the night and it's a very chill environment. The music is usually throwbacks, so be prepared to sing along. Great bar overall. read more

Incredibly rude bar tender. I hate to leave a bad review of a bar over one person but this was a truly poor experience. Was in the bar on Friday 02/22/19 relatively "early" for the kent night life. It was probably about 10:30 or so. My girlfriend and I were the ONLY people standing at the bar waiting for drinks, and two female bartenders were blatantly ignoring us. My girlfriend was dancing to the song playing as we waited, and apparently the bartender (after she was done neglecting us as a customer) came over to us and explained that our actions were a rude way to get the bartenders attention. So dancing at a bar is rude according to this bartender. I responded by telling her if we would have been served in a timeframe even remotely close to reasonable given the situation, it would have never been an issue to begin with. The bartender then made a drink with almost no alcohol in it, accompanied by my bottled beer which was slammed onto the bar, and then was followed by my tab which was thrown at me as well. This was a totally sober experience, and left an incredibly bad taste in my mouth for the bar. Physically, the bar is top notch. Great music. Fun environment. Ample security and safe. But this one bartender absolutely ruined the experience. read more

The bartender with the mustache is condescending and incredibly rude, he had a constant attitude with everyone in our group, he rolled his eyes and talked under his breath the entire time, we weren't drunk we weren't being difficult we were just trying to order a drink and enjoy our night, we actually left the bar just because we didn't even want to deal with him anymore. Barfly usually feels like a safe space for queer people like us, but he changed our minds about that. We won't be coming back ever again. read more

What happened to the Pockets??? Those were literally the best thing to eat in all of downtown Kent. I'm a local business owner, and I'm always looking for something new and delicious to eat and spread the word to my employees. When I first went to Barflyy, I was unimpressed. I got an Italian-Bagel sandwich and it was gross. Wet, sloppy and made no sense why an italian sub was put on a bagel in the first place. I didn't go back for several months because of this, but when I did go back, I spoke to a super polite red-haired girl that told me to try a Power Up Pocket. It sounded funny but i figured why not. I ate one and it was life changing. Seriously. If you can picture somewhere between a calzone and a heated sub, but with the best bread you ever had, and filled with meaty, gooey cheesy goodness, this is it. Was it. I went back the next day and tried the buffalo chicken. Divine. Over the summer, most of my employees began to eat at Barflyy and everybody absolutely loved it. The buffalo chicken dip was also fantastic, and highly addictive. We all had our favorite menu items. Out of nowhere the menu changed again and it was reduced to pizza, tenders and $2 burgers. The burgers are gross. I had a company meeting there last month and nobody liked the burgers. Something about the softness of the meat and lack of topping options just isn't appealing. The tenders are still good (depending on who cooked them- Try to go on a day when the red hair girl is working) and everybody in Kent sells pizza, so i'm not interested. But WHAT HAPPENED TO THE MENU???? The Power Up Pockets were literally some of the best lunch/ dinner sandwiches in Kent. So disappointed. Barflyy was really onto something unique and delicious that was sure to spread like wildfire once people learned about them. Other than that, the drinks are average, the floor is always sticky and during the daytime its dead as a door nail. The games are nice, as well as free play, but even that gets old. The best thing it had going for it was the pockets, and seemingly overnight the menu was wiped down to practically nothing. Nothing worth ordering, at least. read more