BIG IMPROVEMENT since they relocated to Miramar (previously on Carmel Mountain). The machines look clean and almost all of them work. Previously a good portion of the machines were broken and pretty dirty. Definitely better games for kids and adults when compared to Chuck E Cheese. They even have several games you can play for free! (ex. Street Fighter series!!) I like the fact they also have a seating area for parents right in front of the entrance. Plus they serve food that priced well. The only downside I have is some of the games require several nickels to play. Overall...definitely had fun on a budget with my family and will be going again. read more

My kid was turning 7 so I had his birthday party here and we did the Extreme Package. We had a total of 15 kids (including the birthday boy) and lots of grownups. Each kid got a $10 card to use to play the games. After about a half an hour, they were rounded up and went into the party room for pizza. After pizza, they did some bowling together and had about 30 more minutes to play. Many of the kids ran out of credits on their card so they hung around the ones whose parents had refilled their cards for them. They were rounded up once more and ate the cake I brought along inside the party room. The only food allowed to be brought is the cake, and you must bring your own cake knife. They provided all the plates and forks for it though. All the kids had lots of fun and all of them left with things they got with their tickets they won. Service there was great. The staff was friendly and helpful. Made planning a birthday party easy on my part. read more

Here for a private party and very pleased :-) A whole lotta fun! It's been my boyfriend's go to. He always wants to come here whenever we're looking for an arcade. Definitely a place to be! read more

Awesome place! First time coming here but it's great for hanging out and having fun. It,s also a rlly cool place to meet new people! I came with a lot of friends but it also made it really easy to click with everyone, also the staff were a really nice and understanding. read more

For the price, it's definitely the best value. My kids (7 and 4) had a blast and the parents did, too. The employees were all very nice and very patient. It felt a lot more chill and less stressful than Chuck E Cheese. But oh my gosh, I personally find it SO ANNOYING to pump 4-10 nickels in every time you play a game. It takes forever and I know that's what makes this place special or whatever, but I'd rather play on a card or just 1-2 coins of whatever denomination. read more

Came here with my friends last Friday night and we had a blast!!! This place has a bunch of new games-- they even have a laser maze which my friends and I really enjoyed. If you're also into old school games like Pac-Man, Galaga, Centipede and etc they have a whole section for them. This place also includes mini bowling which is really fun even if you're an adult. All the games were great to play and my friends and I definitely will come back here after a long day of work. The parking lot includes lots of parking so don't worry about having to find parking! 11/10 coming here weekly read more

this place... jesus christ. where do i even start? i'll number things out and explain why this place is horrible. 1. MANY OF THE GAMES DON'T WORK. i wanted to play some co-op shooting games with a buddy of mine, but we couldn't even get a decent two player run going. when you shoot on the second player side of the time crisis 3 machine, it's inaccurate. the second player side of the aliens shooting game doesn't work. geez just put up a sign indicating what part of the machine isn't working already. 2. NICKEL JAMS. in some of the ticket games, you put in a nickel and the credit doesn't register. why? because there's a freakin log jam of nickels preventing you from playing. you can even see with your own eyeballs how backed up a machine is. these problems can be fixed... who's taking the time to check out these machines??? 3. UNATTENDED AT THE TICKET COUNTER. i walk up and wait for my turn at the ticket counter. i see an employee doing nothing. he proceeds to PRETEND to work and look at his phone. i'll leave some pictures here for you guys to look at. i actually used to work at the old nickel city in carmel mountain, and that was reasonably managed. but this place... don't even waste your money over here on their 4. OVERPRICED GAMES AND PRIZES. just having to pump 12 nickels into the jurassic park machine is a pain in the ass. have fun continuing in that game. read more

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The Carmel Mountain location was a big part of my childhood and will always hold a special place in my heart... That being said, this new location has the space for more games than the old location. The prices in this day and age are more than reasonable, I just hope that they add even more games! read more

This place is great. Went to go in and check it out just to stay cool on Father's Day. We ended up staying 2 hours. We didn't realize there was an entrance fee but it is worth it because some games are free to play. I didn't get a chance to play pin ball or other "big kid" stuff because of my 2 Littles. They got in free btw. I think it's anyone under 3. We will definitely be taking the grandparents here when they come visit. This might sound dumb but I didn't think you actually used nickels to play games. It was cool. You can bring your own or convert your cash. The nickel factor actually made this place more likeable for me because now a days it's tokens or cards. My 2.5 year old even learned a new word, nickel, instead of quarter! We will be coming back! read more

City Fun Center - My boys acting like they are playing the game! - Arcades Near Me - Poway, California

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Great place for the family to hang out and play games...they even have 80s hames for us paremts...and they are FREE

We've had a couple of bday parties for my son here and have had great experiences. I'd give it a 4.5 review. The staff is friendly and helpful. I enjoy that it is such a huge open place that the kids can play games at and have a blast. It's Always clean and neat. Good mix of games. I think it's cool that they have some old arcade games in the back that are free like Pac Man, Centipede?, Street Fighter, Mortal Combat, etc... The manager is helpful. I believe his name is Steve. My son and I were there after a field trip once and I believe the manager was checking the nickel machines, which was the area we were playing in and left all these tickets hanging out of the machines, which my son grabbed w/ excitement. Thank you Nickel City! read more

What a blast!!!!! We just left after an hour and a half made a quick stop in on our way home. They take debit card/credit/cash. You get bags of nickels, take a plastic bag from redemption area to hold your tickets then go play. The games range from 1-10 nickels. They have every game you would want to play. Put tickets in ticket muncher print the amount nut and take to prize counter lots to choose from my daughter got a mini lava lamp for 1000 tickets and some small stuff erasers, candy, pencil sharpener they have an entire case of emoji stuff. It was fun and we will stop in again read more

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Great place to be when it's raining outside. Decent arcade especially for the price! They even have bowling!

This place is OK has a few games it's not really big but just somewhere that you can bring your kids when they're bored read more

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It's not nickel city. It's come and I'll rob your money. Games are not nicke games they are $1 - $5 a game. First game my daughter plays it's $5. And the games go by points. Points not nickels. So I recomend go to dave and busters. It's much better then here. And if I can give a star. I'll give. 5 bad stars. And now I have to give a at least one fucking star just so I can put this review. This is bullshit. read more

This place has amazing coin pushers and the manager is a swell guy (I think he is the manager)! I hope they stay around and can survive this pandemic! read more

Kids had a blast here for 15.00 you can get them a 5 dollar bag of nickels a slice pizza a small soda a 100 token ticket and a round of bowling FUN read more

City Fun Center - Arcades Near Me - Poway, California

My kids love Nickel City. They love it so much we decided to have a catered party there. Everyone was so accommodating and nice and the party planning was easy. They also make east coast style snowballs! Definitely a must for kids who love video games, interactive games, getting tickets and collecting prizes. read more

It has nice games. Laser tag soon, the kids really enjoyed themselves. Clean place and nice staff.

Cheap for the most part. Parking lot can be pretty packed. The best part about this place are the free old school videogames off to the side. Their regular games aren't very plentiful but it's still fun. They just need some kickass claw machines. I would be there everyday if that was the case. read more

Definitely Worth the drive from esco. Got the $50 package. Highly recommend for some good 2hours+ of play and yummy pizza. Staff is very friendly, specially Danielle who was awesome and very welcoming. Best thing was that it wasn't crowded like other yelpers have mentioned. read more

City Fun Center - Pizza is on point! - Arcades Near Me - Poway, California

Be prepared to drop in a lot of nickels per gaming machine other than that reminds me of the old school Nickel World

Did not like the fact I had to pay to chaperone my 7 yr old. They should also consider in investing in hand sanitizer dispensers.

Had a wonderful time Saturday evening, celebrating my nephew's birthday party. The staff was very kind, accommodating, and enthusiastic to work here. Most other arcade places I've been to the staff were just there to work and lifeless. The food was nice and the games were a lot of fun. There was a wide variety of different games to play, and everything worked properly. The kids were able to enjoy themselves, while us parents just relaxed and talked. Being an arcade, it was not as hectic as other locations, and very well kept. The whole time I was there, nothing was off-putting at all. With that said, I very much recommend this Nickel City for anyone who wants to have a nice time playing some games, or to celebrate a special occasion. read more

Good arcade with games for kids and parents. Reasonably priced. My kids love the mini bowling. It's a 1/4 sized alley that my two year old camm do without assistance, and my 8 year-old still likes too. read more

Need somewhere to take the kid? Head to Nickel City. Part arcade and part carnival midway all rolled into a store front location, it's a fun way to spend a couple hours. Don't go for the food, but do play the games. There are even a few old school machines that you can play for free...a boon to the older folks who will remember these as kids. read more

We had the worst experience ever at this arcade the manager who said he is also the owner ended up yelling at us telling us to get out we told him we were trying to leave because we did not want to be hassled about the two year old that we brought in he was so rude and told us it's really not for little kids here he continue to Badger my friend every time the little boy would do something he would say you can't do that you can't do that so we said that's okay we'll leave we can get our refund back and everything was calm but he never even moved give us our money back horrible man and we were so angry after that because he wouldn't give us our money back so we could leave the guy is such a greedy man read more

Not what it used to be from what I remember when I was a kid. There aren't any games for a Nickle anymore. The Walking Dead game is rad though. read more

A lot of fun and affordable for arcades these days. It was a good way to spend a rainy afternoon, without spending all the money. Friendly, helpful staff are always around to assist the kiddos. read more

A fun family environment - clean, great games, and kids (and adults) will have a ton of fun. My kids can't get enough. Manager Steve is incredibly nice, personable, and does a great job running the place. If you are looking for a fantastic arcade to take the family, look no further. read more

Never even knew about this place until a co- worker mentioned it... Glad he did! I took my 8 year old and his friend here on Saturday night to pass some time. We were there for four hours! Of course not everything was perfect but enough went right to make me want to come again. Andrew and James were the best and no matter what the issues were, they were on it. Few times the machines didn't register the coins or tickets wouldn't dispense but they took care of it faster than any chuckie cheese or boardwalk or boomers employees I've had to deal with. They were willing to help with a great attitude. Almost as if they enjoyed their job! Hard to find now a days. Food was just okay and not allowed on floor. Not the largest menu but enough to get by on if hungry. Decent deals when bundle stuff and can bring your own nickels. Prizes pretty expensive so if want the good stuff need to save and accumulate tickets or win big! We had over 2,000 tickets and felt like still was only able to get small cheap stuff. Mini bowling game is a nice way to mix it up between ticket games and pinball but think should be a little cheaper. Separate 5 bucks to play a quick 10 frames. Also, for a nickel arcade you'd think there might be more games for cheap but most take 5 to 10 nickels a piece. Might as well just use quarters. Overall ratings based out of 5 Price 3.5 Food 3 Games 4 Customer service 5 Overall 4 read more

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Decent selection of games and food. The one thing that really annoyed me is the fact that this place is called Nickel City and everything costs like 8 nickels. In addition to that, we have to pay an admission fee? It's not like the 2.25$ is a big deal, I just felt like the name is misleading. Wouldn't mind coming back though. read more

What a super fun way to spend an afternoon with the kids! We had such a blast playing all of the old fashioned arcade games (ski ball anyone?) and newer games like Deal or No Deal. The staff are super nice and the site was well maintained (all the games work). I honestly found it as exciting as going to a casino (but a lot cheaper :) Will definitely be returning! read more

Took the kid and his friend here right before they started 6th grade to have a little fun. I used to take our kid to the Carmel Mtn location but this was our first time to this location. For about $30, the kids played for probably 2.5 hours which I thought was pretty good. Most of the machines seemed to be in working order. The price of some machines was quite high and the average price might make the "Nickel City" name a bit outdated but there's a also a lot more games than the old C.M. location. The prize tickets won probably amounted to about .75 worth of prizes --as always with any of these types of prize places-- but it's always about having fun at the games working towards the prizes. read more

The prices aren't bad, which is why it is a good place to go, but from my visit I wasn't impressed by the selection of games or the prizes. The location is convenient right off Miramar Road. And they do have some arcade games you can play. read more

The worst customer service from manager Steve. He was rude and unprofessional. We understood him stating that no outside food and presents are allowed in the cafe, but his approach was inexcusable. He snatched my nephew's present off our table and said he didn't care if looks like he's stealing the present from us. He said that if we have a present on our table then it will make other people think they can do the same. We already spent $200 on game cards and bought drinks and food, but all he is worried about is getting POTENTIAL customers to reserve a party room. Rediculous. What a greedy corporation. NO STARS!!! But Yelp makes me put at least one. AND WE WILL NEVER COME BACK! I will make sure I let all family and friends know this as well. read more

Nickel City is a great place to take the kids for an afternoon. It's super clean, the food is good and the kids can run around in a contained space and have a blast. The owner, Steve is very friendly and really works to make sure his guests have a good time. They also host birthday parties which sound great. We will definitely be back!! read more

We had our daughter's birthday party here and had a blast! Alex, our host was very nice and accommodating! He told us he wanted us to have a stress free birthday party, and he will take care of us, and he did just that! The kids enjoyed all the games and laser tag. The parents even played laser tag and had a great time! We will definitely come back! read more

Took my 7 and 4 year old here and it was just ok. The games are geared more towards older kids, I guess my kids are still in the Chuck E. Cheese level. Also since they use nickels my daughter didn't want to use them but instead wanted to save them for her piggy bank so we each paid a $2.50 entry fee only to have my daughter get a bag of nickels. At least I'm raising a financially frugal child. On another good note there are plenty of tables and chairs, a snack bar, and free WiFi. read more

Thank you Nickel City for letting me enjoy the inner kid in me. For a $2.50 admission fee and access to unlimited free Pacman I was a happy camper! We were having dinner nearby so we decided to stop by while we waited. I thought all the games were a nickel (hence the name) but in reality all the games just accept only nickels and range of course on price. They will provide change for you when you arrive. The establishment is not as big as it looks from the outside but they have all the usual arcade games covered including pinball machines. A large part of the facility is dedicated to the cafe/seating area that serves pizza, snacks, ice cream. Let's face it, most games are catered to little kids but adults can have fun there too. The only thing separating this place from DnB is the lack of alcohol. But no worries, the new brewery next door has got you covered. Stop by with your kids for some entertainment or just stop by even if you don't have any on your way into the brewery. read more