this is my favorite place in the world. The staff are incredibly nice and always make time to care for you, one time the game I was trying to play was not working and instead of just ignoring me they kindly attempted to fix it and then gave me a discount for two free hours! That's another thing super affordable, they also have The best pizza! Please go here it's the best place ever! read more

My brother lives a few blocks away, so after countless rounds of drinks and Super Smash Bros, we decided to walk over and finally check this place out. The first thing you have to do is to create an account. It's pretty fast and painless. You pay by the hour, and you can add more if needed. They have a deal on Tuesdays (forgot what it was, but I'm sure you can call them and find out). There were 8 of us and wanted to play all together, and Rock Band was perfect. They have 3 rooms just for Rock Band, and it seems like they get booked pretty fast, but luckily there was one room available when we got there. It was mostly smooth sailing until the mic broke (could've been someone in our group's fault..) but regardless, the workers came to our rescue. We were brought a different mic, but somehow it didn't work, so we just kept playing w/o vocals. We had to wait for another room to free up, which was fine, and they alleviated the situation by letting us know that they'll comp all the time that we're losing, so we were able to stay a bit longer and enjoy the 2nd room. All in all, we had a fabulous time! We will definitely be back. The bathroom was nice and clean, their prices are very reasonable and the service was satisfactory. One of the workers found a necklace that someone in my group dropped in one of the rooms after we left and she went as far as to walk out to the parking lot to give it to me! read more

I'll tell you what... These folks put on the best celebration. I'm not very good at smiling but my wife says she's never seen me enjoying an event like this. It was my birthday and we were celebrating our wedding reception. I even got good at multi-tasking thanks to the Ignite team. I can't say enough great things about Katie and her gang. There was something for everybody from kids to old people like us... They had video games I played as a kid and games for the kids I don't understand. Ooh... The food and service was awesome. Full transparency... I tied that tie. read more

Ignite Arcade - My wife and I turned out to be pretty good dancers... - Bars Near Me - Skokie, Illinois

Everything for our party at Ignite Skokie was LITERALLY perfect! They were ready and waiting for us at the entrance as soon as we got there 5-10 minutes early and took care of each kid as he arrived. Joel, Courtney, Melanie and the staff were very accommodating, patient and friendly. The pizza was great too! Phenomenal job from start to finish. Eight kids gaming for 3 hours was definitely the most fun birthday as of yet, thank you! read more

I love Ignite!! i've been going for years now but just recently felt compelled to post a review due to somebody giving an awful review purely because their policy doesn't work in their favor (clown Karen energy). Any who, this was actually the first place I had gone out to once things started to open back up. They have always had very good sanitation even pre-pandemic I highly recommend for any one looking to have some fun while having a few drinks and playing video games 10 out of 10. Also, policy is that your hours only last for 30 days so be mindful of that ( LOL )!!!! read more

Thanks to the girl in the overwatch jacket tonight who made us all wait over an hour for a rockband studio and never even put our info down to reserve it. Also big thanks to the servers who didn't want to take care of us til two of us from the group went to the bar and asked to get someone to take our orders for the group. Ugh. I swear the only good service we get from here is the bar. So thank you Orlando for always taking care of us and making us feel welcome. read more

Very nice place for a child's birthday. My son and his friends always have a fun here and they live the food.

Very lovely place to go gaming. I felt that this place was mostly towards the young adults. It's a very good place to go if you have friends that want to game and also drink a little and eat something while gaming. I shall be coming back again ^_^. read more

Ignite Arcade - Potion drink. Which I found very cute. It was very strong for me the drink. - Bars Near Me - Skokie, Illinois

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Brought my son here to celebrate a good week at school. On Tuesdays, all consoles (excluding VR) are only $4 per hour - which is a great deal. My son is a hard core gamer and REALLY enjoyed the gaming console desks. I probably haven't touched a video game since Super Mario Bros in the 90s which is, of course, what I played - very nostalgic and fun. The space itself is beautiful. It's very modern, clean and has a fantastic layout that is really open and spacious. We ordered some food and had the pizza and fries. They also have a full bar for adults, which I will probably take advantage of next time. I was surprised at how tasty the pizza and fries were. I definitely wasn't expecting that but it was much appreciated. The only issue is that the VR has to be reserved in advance online. Not really a huge issue but we weren't aware of that and my son really wanted to use it. This is a great place to bring older kids (9+) to get out of the house and have a change of scenery, especially in winter months. read more

Laid back place good to go with a group of friends or by yourself the service great and team members are willing to assist you with anything they never fail !! read more

Bring back the pretzel and some non alcoholic beers/spirits. It would be nice or people who don't drink to feel included.

This place rocks! Top of my list of places to go to with friends. They got food and booze-- best of all... GAMES! Gotta beware when they host Gaming Events as it could get a little crowded... that being said, be an adult and know that your chicken tenders won't get to you that fast. There's like less than 5 servers, tip em well-- they are doing their best! Got a large party? Reserve a console or room or table! Definitely my lane of entertainment compared to Dave n Busters! read more

They steal money from children. I and my son had 20 hours of stored value, and they wiped it out after three months "as is their policy" did my cash expire? . They overcharge for crappy food and the same alcohol Division street bars charge less for. I will be complaining to every agency involved with regulating these grifters. A sad place. read more

Great place! Took the family, they had a blast! So many wonderful games to choose from, with food and alcoholic drinks for the adults! Heaven on earth! read more

The dust has finally settled and I finally have an opportunity to write this review of our experience at Ignite Gaming (Skokie) - Private Event Space.  We rented it out in November 2019 for our son's wedding reception. Working with Joel made the already complicated situation an enjoyable experience.  He worked with our budget and needs and has the great gift of communication especially with people who are under high stress (planning any large event is stressful).  We loved the raw, yet private space.  On the day of the reception Joel and the staff were AMAZING! They worked their tails off ensuring the guests felt special and received special care especially when it came to the drinks! (VERY important aspect of any event).  They communicated to us through their attentiveness and action that it was their goal to ensure we had a great experience and they most certainly accomplished that and more.   I cannot find the words to express the amount of gratitude my family and I have for the staff and their hard efforts.  They made this day very special for our son and his wife and we are elated.  We have a lot of relationships with different organizations and will most definitely be referring Joel, the staff and Ignite Gaming!  Thank you again for such an amazing time!! read more

Was at Ignite for a birthday party. The place is very nice, well maintained. The kids (9yr old party) had a great time. I have never seen a party where the kids were quiet. The staff was friendly and helpful. They were very attentive to the family throwing the party. This was our first time here but have already made plans to come back over the kids Christmas break read more

I've been here more times than I can count with a bunch of friends. Every single person working here is beyond sweet and go the extra mile to make your experience as best as they can make it. The food is so surprisingly delicious and always fresh, definitely something you wouldn't expect from a gaming lounge. They make the environment feel very safe and you can look up and any moment in time and see someone sanitizing the area. I definitely have to reiterate how kind the staff is. They're very patient, and have your enjoyment in mind at all times. Any issue that I ever had (which of course can happen, no place is perfect and should definitely not be expected to be) is always resolved in a timely manor, and I'm always given my time back for it. I'll be coming here till they close. read more

So I mentioned this same employee in my first review but after going back again, the employee I mentioned previously has a huge attitude problem. She's just very snippy with customers and acts like she can't be bothered to help you when in fact it IS her job to be bothered to help customers because that's what she gets paid to do. And the second time we went we had a server who was kind of oblivious. He somehow managed to give wonderful service to the people sitting next to us but walked past us many times without checking in. This is a really great place I think the staff just needs some more time to develop and figure things out. read more

I held my son's 15th birthday party here this afternoon. Apparently they open before normal business hours to host birthday parties for minor guests as they are normally a 18-and-over establishment. My son and his 7 friends had an excellent time. They reported that the Internet speeds were extremely fast, and that the computer equipment as well as the peripherals such as the keyboard and mouse were top-of-the-line and in great working order. Even the chairs at the gaming stations were apparently high-end gaming chairs. The server that helped us was a guy named Dakota, a young fellow who was pretty helpful. I like the looks of the place, and would even consider booking a party there myself for an after work event or for a bunch of friends to hang out. They had a full bar (of course it wasn't open for my son's party) but is generally open when they are a normal 18 and over establishment. read more

service trash i just got heat and it's been an hour with no food

I can't begin to describe how wonderful this place was to host my son's wedding reception. I worked closely with Joel A. to make this night special for him and his bride. With a month to find a venue and begin preparations, it was perfect!!!! The raw space that they have is amazing to say the least. It has a modern feel as it is a gaming place but yet was able to be transformed into a romantic space. Joel and the whole staff there were so accommodating, helpful and fun. They were always available for all the crazy suggestions that I had. They literally were there to help and answer any questions that I had. I wouldn't think twice about booking with them! I think I got my money's worth and more. Wish there was a way to give them more than just 5 stars. Great job guys and thank you for going above and beyond! read more

We threw an 11th birthday party for my son here with 7 of his friends and it was amazing! It was such an easy process and they were so accommodating with all of our requests! A host came with the package and she took such good care of us. Also, the pizza there is legit. It was so stress free, how could you not have a birthday party here again? We loved our experience and would definitely come back. read more

Had such an amazing time here. Was my first time here and honestly didn't expect it to be a bunch of video games and amazing drinks. I first thought it was just arcade games. Cheska and Becky definitely made my visit worth it. Will definitely be back because of them two! read more

I've been to many gaming lounges several years ago. This by far is one of the nicest i've ever seen

Great place for literally anyone. There's all kinds of consoles that you can play on. If you want to relax and play video games and just have a different experience than just being at home then this is the place to come too. There's a bar and a server who brings you water and it's filled with a nice genuine staff. Would recommend this to all types of people. read more

You know I've tried this place out twice within a year span for each time I went. The first time I went, I went with a friend of mine and because we love playing video games and wanted to try it out. We paid for 3 hours and played on PC. We literally spent an hour of that time trying to get into a lobby together. We couldn't play with one another for some odd reason so we went through every single game on the PC to try to invite one another. Needles to say it took us over an hour to keep doing it until we just decided to leave. What a waste of our time to sit there for an hour and not even be able to get into a game with one another. So we got our refund. Fast forward to a year later I come back with my girlfriend to try it out again. This time we paid for 1 hour and started with ps4. The game choices were pretty bad, basically a lot of the non popular games and still couldn't play with one another. So we switch to Xbox because of the game selection. After we switch and FINALLY get into a game, HER HEADSET isn't working now. So after we played a game or two trying to figure out what's the issue, we just decided to call it quits and just walk out. I didn't wanna ask for a refund because I was just quite embarrassed. We still had like 20 minutes to play but at that point it was just a waste of money AGAIN. for a place where they charge a lot you would expect for things to work smoothly and not play with the settings on the console yourself for 20 minutes to try and figure out what was going on. I would just tell people to save your money and time and don't bother coming here. ALSO they make you spill out your drink before you come in so you can waste your money on their expensive drinks. So if you bring a fresh bottle of water you can forget about it. read more

I don't consider myself a hardcore gamer, but do really enjoy gaming lightly. (I own a PS4 and a handful of games that I play a few times a week.) That said, Ignite really blew me and the friend I went with away. When entering, the "bouncer" checks your ID right at the door and gives you a stamp so you don't have to show the server/bar your ID when ordering drinks. Then you go to the front desk to check in. If you're new, you create a user name with the front desk and then let them know which console you want to start on and then get going. (I guess if you've been before you just tell them your user name.) Switching consoles is easy, just go back to the front desk and let them know where you wanna go next. I was there for a couple of hours and had no waits for any of the stations we used. (Although when switching I did notice the rock band rooms were full, but we weren't interested in that any way.) All the servers were super friendly and checked in with us at a good pace. The Old Fashioned I order was good. (Better than typical the sports bars or a typical casual dining restaurant, but not better than some of the cocktail bars around.) Make sure to go on Tuesday night for $4/hour gaming (normal is around $7/hour). read more

What an extraordinary Bar Mitzvah experience we had at IGNITE! The staff was unbelievable in working with us to create the ultimate experience. Joel Alvarado should get sainted, because he thought of every detail to make this afternoon PERFECT! Over 80 kids had the time of their lives on the gaming side, while we adults had a very classy (but still fun) time over in the other space. We overheard a lot of kids saying that was the BEST mitzvah party they had attended. :) What a fresh alternative to the usual, "scripted" country club parties. read more

SO much fun, food is decent, drinks are great, people are nice. The pizza and jalapeño poppers are where it's at. This really is such a good time, and I'm so glad something so fun is in such a great location. read more

I am NOT a gamer at all..but stopped in to check it out and was def glad I did. After work I wanted a quick bite and a beer and both hit the spot. The chicken tenders were amazing! Becky was the bartender and what great service she gave. My only suggestion would be to have 1..just 1 tv in the bar area to be sports..you know.. for those commuters who want to drop by and have a drink..I mean..this is the only 'bar' close to the train. read more

Wonderful staff helped us despite external circumstances that caused issues to our schedule. I'm sorry I drank too much to remember names, but the front desk, bar staff, and servers were top notch. Will definitely be coming back! I hope you liked my birthday cake :) read more

I just want to start off by saying that I am not an avid gamer nor am I even that good when I do play. I have been to Ignite a handful of times with some friends - some gamers, some not. You receive a key tag that you register and add playing time to. The prices are pretty reasonable from a non-gamers point of view. They have several options: PC games, Nintendo switch, old school joystick console jacks, PS4, Xbox, VR, Wii, and private Rock Band rooms. They have nice chairs and couches for when you game. After 9 PM, they are 21+ only. They also have food and a bar! The drinks are not bad and are priced like a typical bar (around $10 each). The only negative aspect is that when you are done and leaving, you just go up to the front and tell them. They "stop" your gaming session and your left over time can be used another day. They've never asked me my name or for my key tag so it seems a little unorganized and sketchy. Otherwise awesome place for all ages! read more