We hosted our son's 5th birthday party here and had an amazing experience. Got the golf package where adults and older kids were eager to participate in. Steve and Elliot were exceptional hosts, attentive, and professional to all members of the party. This place is very clean, well decorated during the holidays, and gives off an old school arcade vibe with quality-of-life improvements. We will be celebrating here many times to come! read more

City Fun Center - Arcades Near Me - Poway, California

One thing a lot of entitled people take for granted is the difference between a corporation and a privately owned business. The owner is very helpful and works with people on any legitimate complaints, anywhere else they would be laughing at you for even complaining it's a great place for all ages and even if it's just for the kids, the adults can hangout in the cafe and eat , drink, watch tv or play pinball A+ read more

The staff is super cool chill, fun, vibe is kinda like good ol things once had upon times, with a new school advantages Local ;) one of a kind Just have a good time! They have all kinds of games for different kind of fans. A great positive takeaway was them keeping it clean. The mini golf is separate, but honestly it's worth a separate time to just come for that. It felt like VR mini golf in real life! You get the trippy glasses and the 9 holes get more and more exciting/hard. See who can get the lowest score! Definitely will be coming back to enjoy more of what this place has to offer with nice company. read more

City Fun Center - Poseidon's rule: CHOOSE WISELYYY ;) - Arcades Near Me - Poway, California

My daughter and I have a great time here! We play games and have so much fun competing. We spend about $25 for the both of us and that gets us about an hour of fun. She earns tickets and we get to talk about how many tickets will get her which prize. They have pizza, snacks, and soda or beer for the adults. Fun times! read more

Do not go to City Fun Center! Creep taking pictures of my 10 year old! I wanted to make you aware of an incident that happened today at a birthday party at City Fun Center. A man that works there was taking pictures of my 10 year old daughter from his private cell phone without asking me and gave some bs excuse about wanting to show it to his mother. I asked him to delete the pictures immediately and told him how inappropriate that was and how upset I was. I will not be setting foot in that place ever! read more

My kids love this place. It's never crowded and it's super clean! The minigolf is super cool! We always have tons of fun!

We had our daughter's birthday here and it was a HUGE hit. We continue to visit occasionally and look forward to another birthday party here. The only thing that we had an issue with is the pizza. No outside food allowed for parties (aside from cake), but no one enjoyed the pizza.... but everything else is great so we will always come back. read more

It was great there was so many caring people I think it was there there there there there food was mid

Was such a fun place to take the kids for a quick play session in the morning . We ended up getting there at opening which I recommend because I heard it fills up fast. The kids loved the mini golf the best . It was really fun being in the dark like that , and even though it was only 9 holes, they were challenging so you felt like you were there longer and took time getting through them. We loved the games and had fun with some of the interactive ones as well. Staff was friendly and kids enjoyed the snacks at the snack stand . Overall was a good time read more

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There aren't very many arcades for kids in the area anymore so it was a nice surprise finding this place. There are the traditional games like pinball, Skee Ball, Space Invaders, etc. The most enjoyable and surprising for me was Air Hockey. It all of a sudden spit out a ton of smaller discs so a lot of laughing ensued! This place also has an indoor putt putt and some other type of area where we did not get to explore. Employees were nice and very patient with all the kids (there were two busses of kids who were finishing their field trip when we arrived). There also appeared to have a small cafe area with tables and in the back, was a party area. I wish they had more games but overall, a great place for the family. Added plus, there's an In n Out right next door. read more

City Fun Center - Arcades Near Me - Poway, California

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Group of 10 kids. Opted to not do party room bc it wasn't available online when we tried planning. $300 in play on ten cards. They had choice of arcade, mini laser game, and mini bowling. Mini golf looked fun but max occupancy was five. They had a great time. read more

Excellent customer service. Fun environment. 3D glow in the dark golf was the best. Very family friendly

This place is fantastic for kids and adults! Lots of entertainment, games, several party rooms (one of them glow in the dark) great mini golf game, bowling, etc. Will have my kids next bday there he loved it. read more

City Fun Center - Arcades Near Me - Poway, California

My daughter wanted to treat her 4 friends to pizza and games for her 11th birthday so we planned to meet at City Fun Center. In total we had 7 kids. We went on a Monday, 8/5/24, at around 5pm. The place was empty. After I dropped $200 on pizza and play cards I was told I couldn't have a "spontaneous party" which I assured the employees I wasn't having. I was honest and told them it was my daughters' bd but I didn't book a party room because it wasn't a party. 2 of the girls brought gifts in gift bags for my daughter. A minute later I was approached by a male (shorter in height, older, might have been manager or owner) and he told me the bags had to go because I didn't book a party room. I walked to my car and put the gifts in my car. He then proceeded to tell me that people couldn't "congregate" at the tables because it wasn't a party and that I couldn't move more than 2 tables together. I started to question what was going on and I tried to understand what "rules" I was breaking. I, for a second time, clarified it wasn't a party and that there wouldn't be balloons, cake, singing etc. Parents of one of the girls came to say hello and pick up their child and the same man walked over to me and called me "disrespectful" for having a party. This is when I lost my patience. We went back and forth for a few minutes before my husband pulled him aside and shut it down. He came at me for "having a party" but I wasn't doing any of the things that constituted a party. I even asked him if he was forcing me to book a party room and he said no. I then asked him if I were to bring a group of kids tomorrow does that constitute as a party, again he said no. So, make it make sense! Apparently, sitting at the tables eating their food and drinking their drinks wasn't allowed because it looks like a party. He told me that they spent so much money on their party rooms and I told him that wasn't my problem. Apparently $450 was the price if I were to book a party room and I spent $350 and told him I didn't need a room and this WAS NOT A PARTY. He was rude and made no sense. He ended up telling my husband that people have shown up with 30 people, their own dessert and balloons... great, handle that. That's not what I did. The place is great, an upgraded Chuck E Cheese with bowling, laser tag, and mini golf. They could use healthier options like a salad etc. Management in general needs to get better with time. Speak up if you run into this man... read more

(FOR EVERYONE WHO IS READING THIS PAST MAY 2024) This place is now open in Poway! Most of these reviews are outdated, (They are for the old location). Search "City Fun Center Poway" on Google to see accurate results. As of May, 2024, each game costs an average of 75 cents when you get the $100 game card. read more

Came in today and spoke with Alex and he was very sweet! Thank you for providing excellent service! read more

Super clean arcade! Came on sat night and it was pretty empty, makes me kinda worried for the place business wise. My bf and I did the glow in the dark 3D mini golf, super cool!! I do think it is a little expensive I think a more reasonable price would be 10-12 dollars, since there are only 9 holes. Still a lot of fun and I'd recommend. We were the only people on the course. Will def come back for some games! read more

This place was great, super clean and reasonably priced. Friendly staff, would highly recommend.

Last night around 6:30ish the OWNER Steve Krongard came out aggressively barking orders at people who were in line for in n out to move their cars out of the way without explaining why. So people moved as instructed. Once the in n out line started moving (the individuals in line for In n Out) moved with the line as one would. Steve proceeded to jump in front of a car and bang on it with his fists. As a professional and a business owner he should have better manners in communicating with the surrounding individuals who were involved, their could have been children around and someone who owns a facility where families go to enjoy themselves this is very disappointing. If he has a problem with the In n Out line he needs to speak with the manager of that location and come to a solution because his actions last night were very poor. DO BETTER STEVE KRONGARD! read more

Formerly Nickel City, but since none of the games cost a nickel any more, the name change makes "cents" (ba dum tss!). The prices are still reasonable, however, and offset by the prizes you can redeem with your game tickets. Owner Steve hand-picks the larger prizes himself, and often will buy only one of something special, such as a cotton candy machine my kid was thrilled to find and now uses regularly. Over the years, kiddo has also redeemed a number of classic board games, high quality stuffed animals, and an extensive selection of novelty candy. CFC has modernized and added several new attractions recently, including two immersion games and an indoor laser tag arena. It would be great, however, if more games were added to the arcade, as there definitely appears to be room. The general admission fee is nominal but just a bit annoying since you'll already be paying for each game you play. The fee is currently waived to reduce touch points during the pandemic, but I imagine will be reinstated eventually. Overall, this is a small, family-owned, local business that's fun for all ages and well worth supporting! read more

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I met the owners and some of their staff last week at my work , and they told me about their business they just opened "city fun center ".... So of course , I told my 13 year daughters... I took them there earlier today (Saturday) and dropped them off for a couple of hours of fun ! I walked thru the fun center before I left , and WOW... from the laser maze , and the jumbo Pac Man game and bowling alley...I'm def coming back with my husband as well !! My daughters said they had sooo much fun and the staff were so friendly!!! The miniature golfing in 3D was their favorite !!! They also really enjoyed the chicken tenders and of course the dipping dots haha ! I cannot wait to bring my husband and some friends here for a night out !!!! read more

City Fun Center - Arcades Near Me - Poway, California

My kids love everything! The glow in the dark mini golf is exceptional. My son had a great birthday party there as well. We can't say enough positive things about this place. This is a family owned center and we can tell they put their hearts into it! read more

Nice alternative to Dave and Busters, came for a birthday party will return again for a fun day of games.

Don't be spontaneous going here, 3 adult's 3kids 2 of them are special needs, and we didn't know until last night they wanted to do this. So I called and was told no problem today I'm told we would need to use the 400 dollar party room. No food allowed. ( several people had in and out there.) Don't go, not worth the hassle. ​Celebrating a birthday elsewhere. read more

This is a clean, well maintained family facility. The owners are so nice and check in on their customers to ensure that we are having a fun time. They have a well supplied cafe, and take good care of their equipment. I don't really like taking my kids to arcades but I actually like coming here because the ambiance is very family friendly. You can tell that they put a lot of love into this place. read more

Shout out to the professional staff at this place in response to a racist woman yesterday who was harassing me and my toddler son at the counter. The woman started ranting and complaining to the staff to remove my toddler son and I from the facility as we were patiently waiting for her and her group to get done so I could recharge my son's card. She then threatened the business to walk out with her group unless if they kick us out just for standing and waiting to purchase play credit.The business is not responsible for low lives walking in but they did great in not submitting to this Karen's demands. The gentleman at the counter was so professional and apologized to me. It was only till I told the Karen that I will involve the police if she continues her racist hatred towards us that she backed down. But the staff did great in not giving in to her senseless demands. My son had a great time and was happy for the whole day. read more

If you grew up in Poway, Rancho Bernardo or Sabre Springs area then you knew what Nickel city was the ratio of game price and tickets won and the amount that the prizes cost was very fair! Will be back read more

Elliott, our party coordinator, was awesome. He made the party setup seamless, and he was patient with us with our questions and requests. I like CFC because it seems clean and spacious. The workers are nice. It is also not crazy crowded where I feel like I am going to lose my mind. It is more expensive, but to have that relief and a peace of mind while planning for a party I wound rather host here. My daughter was so happy with her party. read more

NOT WORTH THE MONEY if you have kids 7 or under. I'd rather spend $20 per kid next door at the Get air Trampoline Park! At City Fun Center you get 200 points for $20. However most games are between 10, 15, 20 pts and the games last about 1 minute or less! Other games like the air hockey are 20 points per person so if you swipe your card on one side you have to wait for the other person to swipe their card before playing. We did not know that at first. Bowling is 60pts. The point go fast! You need to spend more money than it's worth for kids to really enjoy the extremely short games! I would rather spend my money elsewhere. No thank you! read more

Super clean, great location. Went on a weekday evening and it wasn't too busy. Prices seem pretty comparable to other places. Great assortment of games for kids and adults. read more

I was excited to bring my 3 teenage daughters to see what the new "Nickel City'" looked like but to my disappointment, it's primarily designed for kids 12 and under. It reminded me of a small Chuck E Cheese. You have to buy a card and they use a points system for game play. Most games give you tickets that can be redeemed for prizes but there aren't many games for older kids and adults. My personal favorites were the basketball and air hockey. I bought the $25 card and we were able to play quite a few games because the games we played were between 5 - 15 points to play. In order to maximum our return, we played Fruit Ninja the most because it gives you the most tickets and only cost 10 points. My biggest complaint was the old creepy employee that followed us around the entire time as if we were going to steal something. I don't know what his problem was because there is nothing to steal and we were just there to have fun. It's also a very small building. Overall, we will never come back but I think it's fine for little kids in elementary school. read more

My sons and I go to City Fun Center a lot. We've gone since it was open at two other locations. We just had my son's 13th birthday party there and all of the kids had a blast! We had the party in the Glow Room, a glow-in-the-dark room. Pretty cool! The kids had pizza, popcorn, and drinks, and I was able to bring in cupcakes. My son got to spin the party wheel and throw the die to win tickets. I would highly recommend City Fun Center for parties as well as a place to just hang out and have some fun playing games. They even have 3-D glow-in-the-dark mini-golf and bowling. The kids really enjoy using their tickets they won to get some fun prizes. Steve, the owner, has always been so kind and hospitable to us. He makes us feel very welcome and is always appreciative of us going there. read more

Aranet under 600 with doors open; 800 closed. We attended a private event yesterday and my kids had the time of their lives! There is a huge variety of games there and they're all new and working properly. I appreciated the varying difficulty of the games and there were plenty of easy claw machines to make my little kids feel like winners. They left with a bag full of goodies and big smiles. The owner is truly a good human being. He agreed to open his arcade for this special event for an underserved community and went out of his way to make everyone feel comfortable and welcome. His staff was also super kind and patient with my kids when they were choosing their prizes. We will definitely be back and spreading the word about this arcade! read more

We've been here a couple times since they opened. Always had a wonderful time. Yesterday, we celebrated my daughter's 8th birthday in one of their party rooms with the Arcade Package. Oh boy, we had such a fun time. Both kids and adults loved it! Thank you Steve, Jillian and Alex. If you haven't been, City Fun Center is an awesome, clean, fun arcade with mini bowling and 3D mini golf! We love coming here. read more

Very impressed with the game options and Mini golf was awesome. We went on a Saturday night around 6. It wasn't too crowded but it was definitely filling up as the night went on. Happy to have this in Poway! read more

I've been a patron of Nickel City since the late 90s and have happily watched it evolve over the years. My daughter has had her last two birthday parties here and they were good, fun experiences. She's no longer interested in animatronic animals and just wants to play games so this place is ideal. When I asked her what she wanted to do today she said "Let's go to Nickel City"! The name may have appropriately changed to reflect the fact that games are no longer a nickel, but I think the fun remains. Yes, there's a flat fee to enter but keep in mind there is still an aisle of older free arcade games. And they have kid bowling. Chuck's place doesn't have that! They just added laser tag. We didn't play but it seemed like it could be fun. I like this arcade for 2 basic reasons (1) it's clean, (2) it's fun for me and my kids. So if you're tired of the Cheese and just want to enjoy an arcade this is the place to go. read more

City Fun Center - Arcade view from cafe area - Arcades Near Me - Poway, California

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Recommend the laser maze and 3D mini golf. Cool experience! Also it was not crowded.

Super fun place. The 3-D glow in the dark golf is amazing! The owners really care about making it a good experience.

It's best place for kid's party. Alex, you are the best, kind and with big patience.Im so happy that I chose this place. Pizza so delicious.I'm so appreciative everyone who helped with preparing this party. read more

Decent arcade. Although way too many claw type games trying to capture money quickly for junk prizes. Way more lights/sounds/chaos than necessary. The video games are insanely expensive. $4 for a driving video game. Nothing special and lasts 30 seconds. That's $8 for 2 kids. Crazy. Fairly clean for as crowded as it was. read more