I was in town for vacation and came across this bar online and was not disspaointed--it was a Thursday night which meant all games were $.10 which was awesome and they have tons of old school classic games like Paper Boy, NBA Jam, Tetris etc. Also a nice selection of drinks available which I liked. I could have easily stayed there all night and just played pinball because they had a nice variety and I always love playing pinball games! The best part was they had a Super Nintendo setup so you could play Mario Kart for free which was amazing-this is a must visit if you are in Des Moines! read more

Fun spot for grabbing drinks and having an activity with all the game options. The security checking IDs were super funny and welcoming. They did have pizza there which I did not try, but thought it was nice they did offer a food option. The games take quarter tokens and they have a machine to convert dollars into the tokens. Unfortunately, a lot of the games were broken. This is also a very gaming style heavy arcade. The only games they have that are not arcade style games is skee ball and basketball (which was broken). Overall a fun spot in DSM for a date night or hanging out with friends! read more

Up-Down - Skee ball - Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

We were walking to the car and noticed this arcade opened until 2am. Funny thing is, Minneapolis has an arcade too but I am never in the area. They have daily specials and tokens were 1 full cup and beer for $25. Not alot of food option but they have slices of pizza for purchase. 2 story filled with arcade games and pinball machines. Bartenders were really nice, that's where to buy tokens as well. Seeing the arcade games was like nostalgia. I grew up playing arcade games and winning tickets to exchange for prizes. Clean and colorful game rooms, neon signs every wall. Great place to bring your date, must be 21 plus. read more

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Stopped in after going out for dinner and this was a great choice! The price to play games wasn't expensive at all, and it was t that busy but it was earlier in the night. It's a little loud but to be expected for a place like this. Definitely would come back if I'm in the area. read more

Great vibe! Great bar service, pizza was surprisingly good. Lots of fun playing the old games.

Great gaming and bar space but all the pinball is on a mode where you have no extra ball, no ball save. Super hard! But then again it's still only 25$ per game even for newer Stern machines. Don't drink so can't speak to that but I was given a good mocktail. Kids had pizza and they loved it. read more

Oh my gosh, this was so fun! I was visiting my friend Kennedy in Des Moines last March and she took me to Up-Down one night with her fiancé. Coming from Los Angeles, I thought that the drinks were awesomely affordable ($6 for a fancy fufu drink) and it was so fun playing pin-ball and pac-man and racing games, and so so many other retro games that I didn't know even existed. We had "Princess Peach" drinks, which were really sweet and went well with the vibe of going from one retro arcade game to the next. It is a bit dark (and loud) in here, but I think that this adds to the atmosphere of it being an arcade bar. I wanted to bring my boyfriend here when we went to Iowa to be in Kennedy's wedding, but didn't have time to. Maybe we will make an excuse to go once COVID-19 is over. read more

Up-Down - Underground Arcade Bar! - Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

The pizzas were okay but I did like that you could get slices and they had a variety of flavors. The people were very nice. You get a lot of bang for your buck with the coins. Their drinks were very yummy but the sour beers had to be the best even though they were a little pricey. The atmosphere was very fun and they were open good times. read more

Aiden, pandemic or not, wear gloves when you grab my slice out of the warmer and throw it into a pizza box. Gross bro. After we asked him to put gloves on and get us different slices, he put the slices he touched, with his hands, back into the warmer (sorry to the next people who got his greasy fingered pizza). The unfingered pizza was good though. read more

Up-Down - Pepperoni Pizza - Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Sweet Bar...Deco and Vibe took me back as I had a few cocktails before a concert right next door at Wooly's, how convenient, makes me smile. Lots to look at and Play "pinball and video games is what I noticed from the bar; but I was torn away by the television screens above; old school wrestling and scooby doo...What? I dig it and the drinks were delivered without delay, bartender must have been reading my mind, "three before the rock show just next door". That was pre~show and then post~show brought me back but this time I was after some serious "Pizza by the Slice" action with a big ol "Coke" and that is what I recieved...Sooo good that I will be returning for more ASAP and will take my friends here to have such delights!! Thank you Up & Down for being You... read more

Up-Down - Fun or Facilities - Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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This Place is so fun they have OG games, new games, pinball games, skee ball games, dance games, racing games and good food. This place is awesome!!!!!! read more

Busy on a Friday but an enjoyable evening! Lots to choose from and lots of variety. It could use a little upkeep on the games but with the high traffic it is to be expected. read more

I've passed this spot I can't even tell you how many times. Hella into the green neon through the window - the one that says "Heroes get remembered, legends never die" ... All I can hear is the voice of Art LaFleur and all I can see is Benny Rodriguez. We came in on a Sunday afternoon and were instantly losing it over how cool the whole thing is. The "Up" floor has arcade games and great wallpaper, a full bar and a kitchen with pizza and stuff. The "Down" floor is really where it's at, though. This place has ALL of the classics. I have vivid memories of my aunt Kat viciously feeding nickels into Burger Time at an arcade when I was young, and was soooo excited to text her a picture of her favorite game, alive and well in Des Moines. By far the two major highlights were: 1. The big screen tv setup with Mario Kart on N64 ready to go. When I was young, I got an N64 for Christmas when it was THE Christmas toy to get. I was hip shit and I played that game like a fiend. Turns out I still sorta have "it" and was able to whoop my friend super hard. Sadly, I felt super old by the end of the whoopin' though because one round at Wario Stadium dried out my eyes and gave me a thumb cramp. I can't video game like I used to. 2. The early 90's classic living room setup, complete with "that" sofa, and I don't even have to describe it...you know the one I'm talking about...cool posters, and Super Nintendo and a coffee table. We kicked up our feet and geeked out. Go here. It's fun. read more

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smells like wet feet. Dank and moldy. over priced. Better choice is Monsterama on the south side.

I have recently become a huge fan of this arcade bars. Up-down is one of the most reasonable I have been too. They use a token system instead of quarters which are used at many places similar. The staff was friendly and the place has good vibes. The only reason I can't give it 5 stars is because many of the games were either out of order or would take tokens and not register them. My friend and I ended up loosing multiple dollars worth of tokens to machines that just ate them and wouldn't start. But overall I recommend this place if you're in the Des Moines area! read more

Stopping into Up Down is like stepping back in time. The walls are plastered with 80s & 90s pop culture, the music is 80s all night long, and even the tvs are playing movies and shows from the era. Put that along with their impressive options for arcade games and super cheap to play I might add and you've got yourself a night you will definitely enjoy especially if you're a person who grew up in the 80s or 90s. Bartenders are attentive to getting drink orders and there's even some food options. You do have to be 21 to enter since it is a bar but this place is a great concept and a definitely worth a look while your in Des Moines. read more

First time here. I will definitely be back next time I visit Des Moines. Friendly staff, great atmosphere. Keep up the awesome work.

Up-Down is a great retro arcade bar located in the East Village. Feeling pin-ball, skee-ball, or 80's and 90's arcade games while getting drunk? Then this is the place to do it. Great spot for a date night, too. I've been here a few times now and have always had a good time. Good drinks and beer and friendly bartenders. Haven't had their pizza yet but it does smell tasty. This place has that "dingy" and "divey" vibe to it which gives it a cool atmosphere. There's two levels to it so there's lots of games to choose from. It has a lot of the arcade games I grew up playing: NBA Jam, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The House of the Dead, just to name a few. There's a lot more than that to choose from, too. My ultimate favorite is Mortal Kombat 3, so that's where you'll most likely find me. All the arcades are token operated. Up-Down is the best arcade in Des Moines since Lazer X (who remembers Lazer X at Merle Hay Mall back in the day?). Other arcade bars have come and gone, but I feel Up-Down will last a long time here. read more

Up-Down - Where you'll find me most the time - Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

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GAMES WITHOUT FRONTIERS This underground arcade in downtown Des Moines is all kinds of win. Following an exhausting day at Adventureland and dinner at Zombie Burger, I walked a few blocks to scratch my ever present pinball itch. I wasn't expecting the massive crowds from the annual pride parade on 6/9/18, nor was I anticipating such a fun atmosphere inside. After getting my hand stamped, I headed down a flight of stairs and discovered a video game lover's paradise. Aisles of flashing screens beckoned me, practically begging me to join as Player 1. I exchanged bills for a handful of tokens and descended on their 8 pinball tables. Their impressive lineup of pins included Ghostbusters, AC/DC, Medieval Madness, Guardians of the Galaxy, Metallica, and a few others. Every table was in EXCELLENT condition and many had color display screens, really top-notch stuff. Most only cost 1-2 tokens (so like 50¢). Better still, they were selling domestic tall boys (16oz) for $3 and imports for $4. A can of beer like that at a similar place in Chicago would probably cost twice as much. The bartenders seemed friendly, and one particularly energetic female server was dancing & singing along! Cool people. The crowd was fun, too. A few randos started chatting me up and made pleasant conversation (perhaps it's my affable looks and non-threatening demeanor?) I felt very welcomed, like I was a fancy VIP from the big city or somethin'. I loved the fact that a Super Nintendo was hooked up to a TV near a sofa for customers to play. I also noticed a giant Jenga and a few side rooms for folks wishing to escape the sounds of digital explosions from their Killer Queen game. * TL;DR * Awesome place, truly one of the better arcades I've visited in the last few years. It's very affordable, very nicely-maintained, and the tunes (at least on a Saturday night) were suitably retro. Got my gamer blood pumping, that's for sure. I'd have to say Up-Down is one of the best things you can do in Des Moines, but what do I know? I'm not from these parts, I just have what my girlfriend calls a "fixation" with pinball tables, and these guys passed the test with flying colors. Highly recommended! read more

Remix a childhood favorite by adding alcohol to an arcade trip. Up-Down is one of my favorite stops in Des Moines. Worth a trip...or three. Two thumbs way up. Plus pizza. read more

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Went there couple weeks ago with friends after reading few 5 star review here on yelp. We had for real great time there. This is arcade bar. They got a lot of different games there. Multiplayer packman is the best for sure. We did like 5 rpunds...me winning 3 This place also has great beer selection. Pizza was amazing too. The only negative thing it was little crowded since it was Friday night and we had to wait to play certain games. read more

Up-Down - Nice combo at updown bar - Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Love all the game play. Perfect place to meet up with friends and have a few and play all the retro games we grew up on. I also think the sliced pizza is among the best in Des Moines. Good friends, local micro brews, and a couple slices of pizza make for an enjoyable time for all. read more

TLDR: plenty of games and drinks for affordable prices. Hung out. Played some giant jenga. Played plenty of fighting drinks and had several drinks. There are a couple of free to play consoles which hardly open up. Overall had a great time and a highlight every time I come to Des Moines. read more

Not sure what to do on a random night? We weren't either so decided to head back over to up-down to drink tall boys and shoot pinball. This place is a danky basement with an 80s feel. Plenty of games that will remind you of the mall days (assuming you're 40s+ like me) as well as a couple free games like giant connect 4. If you get here early enough on a Friday you might even score some free tokens at the door! read more

Up-Down - Pinball - Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Cool place! I was in Des Moines for a business trip but had some free time so thought I'd explore the East Historic District. It was totally dead outside by 7:30 but I was glad to find Up Down. It would be much more fun with friends or a date to play games, but the drinks are really fun and creative, very reasonably priced. Friendly staff. Macaroni and cheese pizza was great with a couple cocktails. read more

Up-Down is not exclusive to Des Moines and when it first opened I thought it was a fun place for alcohol and some old vintage games. Some of the games are a little junky and out of order but love the whole feel of the old arcade cabinets and a few video games free to play and a huge Jenga that makes such a loud clunk when it falls. I was born in the 80s so I very much understand the nostalgia and love it, I think these youngins will also enjoy cheap entertainment with alcohol. Before this new renovation 1/25/19 I've been to the Up-Down in Minneapolis and was very floored how huge and amazing it was over ours. I was expecting the same bar and some games but they served food as well and an outside patio with more group games. After the fun I had there, I was certain to think the Des Moines location was crap. That is until this newly renovation... Up-Down is now 2 levels and cabinets are rearranged that it does look a lot bigger than it previously did. The biggest update aside from the expansion of 2 levels is that they serve pizza by the slice. You definitely can't hate on that. There's been times we have some fun but then end up leaving because we're hungry so this will resolve that. I tried the Mac & Cheese Pizza and the Meat Pizza. I would probably pass on the Mac & Cheese, it's a preference but I think the actual mac & cheese they add on there isn't of quality but don't let me decide for you. I did really like the meat one, it was greasy with gooey cheese. The newly renovated Up-Down has definitely stepped it up. Please go! read more

Up Down has always been a great bar, but since it expanded it has gotten even better. Great selection of games (all cheap), and the drinks aren't any more expensive than other bars in the area. Decent selection of pizza for a reasonable price too. I'd recommend coming during the week when it's less busy so you get to try all the games you want. read more

Up-Down - Sommer playing Guardians of the Galaxy pinball on the lower floor. - Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Where do they find all these old arcade games? It's dark in the place, just like the old arcades when my mom wouldn't let me go because kids got kidnapped and she thought it was foolish to throw my money away playing video games. Forty years later I'm playing my old Atari console favorites...Dig Dug, Frogger, Pac Man.... Full bar and our guy was friendly. The place wasn't packed on a random Monday night so the games were always freed up. We only spent half an hour but it was a fun time. Nostalgia reigns supreme. They do have pinball, skeeball, and a few newer gaming screens. read more

I have yet to find another place in Des Moines where you can listen to 80's glam rock, watch American Gladiators, and play Ninja Turtles at the same time. They have a great selection of free (anything they have on N64, SNES, etc) and paid (tons of arcade cabinets) games and they change some things out pretty regularly. Sunday's are the best days to go because you get 2 for 1 tokens (I'm all about that change, bout that change, saving money). They do have plenty of other deals as well, some of which pertain the the "bar" half of barcade. The one knock is that the condition of their cabinets is inconsistent (I.e. Multiple games are various degrees of broken at all times) but that is to be expected. Time to find out if I get better at skeeball when I'm drunk. read more

I'll admit that when I first heard of Up-Down when my husband attended a work party there, my initial thought was seriously, a place with arcade games!? I was not very excited about it and hearing my husband's explanation afterwards didn't excite me anymore. Fast forward a couple months to the Yelp 10th Birthday Party which was held here. I still wasn't super excited but knew it'd be a good time to meet other Yelp Elites. I was pleasantly surprised at my experience. One challenge is figuring out how to get into the place. You'll see the signs at street level but you have to go downstairs to get there. Yet, I felt signs were lacking to get there. Once you reach it, you'll see arcade games galore along with a nice sized bar and a few tables and booths with games built in. There are both new and old games (more older than new). The TV's play movies (Kindergarten Cop was playing), sporting events (American Gladiators and WWF were on), etc from the 80's. Even the decor on the walls are also older. It all plays part to the feel of the place. The bathrooms are pretty nice too! The bar is stocked with beers, candy drinks, and pop. The games all take only one token which is nice. I was also told that if it's your birthday, you get some free tokens (pretty good deal)! If you want a unique experience with some friendly competition, I'd say give it a try! read more

I had a lot of fun here! I was in Des Moines for work, and I ran into two people who told me I should check this place out. They are open late, have a bar, and I swear I stepped back into time walking down those steps. Old school arcade games from wall to wall and they all cost one token! The retro vibe continued with couches from the 80's, lava lamps, n64, Sega Genesis and skeeball. I had an awesome night in Iowa stumbling into this place! I would definitely head back to this place the next time i get to Des Moines! read more

Up-Down - Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Up-Down, helps the kid in all of us have fun while drinking! This arcade/bar is a rad place to spend an evening with friends, rocking some SKEE-BALL or playing giant human sized Jenga! Tons of classic video games, and pin-ball machines in good working condition! Classic 80's movies, and WWF showing on the tv's! Couches to hang out, and play Nintendo! What else could you ask for! This might not be the best place to socialize with your friends, cause who wants to talk when you could be playing Pinball! But it's a great environment. Lots of local beers on tap, as well as other craft brews, crazy kid candy mixed drinks, and the bar is right below Wooly's a killer music venue! Solid spot for an entertaining night out! Tip: Go early in the night and get extra tokens for your buck! read more

Up-Down - Lets play - Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Found this Hidden Treasure on accident while attending a show at Wooley's... Fun place to come and play video games and drink beer while in Des Moines. Almost makes ya feel like a Kid again. I am Happy that there's a Up/Down now in Kansas City, MO. Always a Good Time!! read more

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Great place for pizza by the slice. Staff is always attentive and tonight they were great. Recommending beers and letting me try samples. When lots of places are stopping things like beer samples "because of covid" it was nice to see them continuing this great service. read more

This is a great barcade with free super nintendo! Every cool artsy neighborhood needs a barcade! It was a great place to stop and chill. read more

Up/Down is a fun little bar in Des Moines. I've been several times over the years for events like New Years and Valentines Day and regular nights. Since the new (pretty impressive) renovation opened, Up/Down now has pizza to add to their huge beer and game selection. This place is always busy. I don't think I've ever been and seen it anything short of 3/4 full. The games are fun, especially the multiplayer ones (and crazy taxi). I'm a fan of beer and love their fairly large selection and fun themed beers. The pizza was fairly basic the couple times I've tried it, but it's still fairly new and I like that its around when I get hungry after playing games and drinking beer for an hour or two. I'd definitely recommend a visit for anyone who claims the millennial generation as their own or anyone who likes a good arcade game and a cold beer. read more

OK, first of all, this place needs to be sued for FALSE ADVERTISING. The name clearly says "UP/DOWN", but it's located downstairs. So you have to go DOWN before you can go UP. There's a place above Up/Down that has ping pong and stuff that SHOULD be called Up/Down, but isn't. Probably because these liars took the name first. But if you can get over that major deception right off the bat, Up/Down might be the coolest place in town. Remember when you were 11 and playing in arcades in the 80's and you'd say to you friends "man, when I'm an adult I'm going to just play video games and hang out with my friends all day long"? Of course you don't, because you're probably a god damned millennial. But if not, you totally remember that, and this place is exactly what you thought adulthood would be like. There is wrestling and Celebrity Death Match on the televisions, 80's pop culture on the walls, and every old school arcade game you could want. Except for NARC. Remember NARC? Man, that game ruled. Get NARC, Up/Down! Then I'll give you a sixth star! read more

Ok, so maybe this place is a guy thing? I like games and classic video games and it was ok, but it was HOT HOT HOT in there. The bathrooms were confusing, at least the women's. I don't know if that was intentional or just bad design. I was told it was an improvement from the last time my sister was there. Also, wasn't a fan of the bartenders, they came off as a bit full of themselves. Ok, I will be honest. If I am going to play skee-ball, I want tickets and prizes. We had more fun with the photo booth. It was nice to play some free Mario on the couch, all though, neither of us knew what we were doing. I personally wouldn't be rushing to come back here. I can drink beer and play games in the comfort of my own a/c. Seriously, way to hot and it was a lovely weather day outside, not sure why so hot inside. read more

This place is totally awesome!! It's a full on arcade the likes of which send me back to the 80s but it has the added benefit of having a full bar. I drank a couple of Galaga (i.e., Old Fashioned) cocktails. While imbibing, I sent myself back to my teenage days by playing Donkey Kong Jr, Track & Field, Crazy Taxi, Tetris, and some half dozen other classic arcade games. Sadly, I had to leave before using all my tokens as I had a dinner reservation. The good news is, though, I now have a reason, nay, obligation to come back. I wish we had a place like this where I live! read more

Was looking forward to visiting this place on my trek across America. Some Des Moines residents and I invaded this awesomely divey, new age throwback to the 80's and 90's complete with Jean-Claude Van Damme AND Pauley Shore wallpaper, full bar, Strongbow, tons of games in great shape like the 2 screen X-Men, 4-player Ninja Turtles, Giant Jenga and Contra (total rip off, so hard!). They could use a few more fighting games but hey, the joint just opened. One really smart thing the owners did was install narrow platforms between the machines where you could rest your drink. Specials every night and generally a good time waiting to happen. read more

Up-Down - X-Men! Saving the day! - Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa