We were trying to figure out just how debaucherous we wanted to be on our anniversary, so after a solid Taco Tuesday outting, we headed over to Up/Down arcade to wile away the overcast afternoon. We were greeted at the door by a very enthusiastic and welcoming young lady who, unfortunately, we didn't catch the name of - we're working on getting better at that because great service deserves recognition! She was excited about our anniversary, and recommended the new Boulevard Ginger Lemon Radler, which they'd just tapped that day. She assured us she'd have no problem catching up with us in the multi-tiered arcade, so we went off with several dozen quarters in our pockets to explore. We were thankful we didn't need to change our USD into tokens, as the machines accept both. I can't say I've dropped quarters into every pinball machine in the city, but I wouldn't be adverse to giving it a shot. Up/Down not only delivers on my game of choice, with tables from South Park, Family Guy, Iron Man, Star Trek (reboot, sorry!), Addams Family, Street Fighter II, and Supier Mario Bros among others, but they also have quite an amazing colletion of classic games as well. We threw down on Simpsons, the sitdown racing game, the classic Super OffRoad (which took me back to waiting for my mom to finish grocery shopping at the Bob's IGA as a kid), and of course got laughed at by that darn dog in Duck Hunt, as well as a good half-dozen other button-mashers. We wagered the next round on ski ball, and before we knew it, a good three hours had passed - and we'd probably touched less than half of the machines in the house! Our server never missed a beat, and was always keeping an eye on us. Even when we'd completely switch sides of the room, she'd meet us with our drinks and a smile. We were also very appreciative that almost every machine had a cup holder, a table, or a ledge next to it to place your drink. We were a little surprised at how busy it was at the 3pm opening time, but the number of tucked-in shirts and business-casual slacks made it clear this is turning into a popular "leave work early" destination. Who wants to file TPS reports when they could instead be cheering on Nitro in American Gladiator re-runs or watch Jimmy "the Mouth of the South" Hart heckle the Honkey Tonk Man's opponent on classic Wrestlemania events up on the big screen? We were also really impressed with the tech guy who got the "CarnEVIL" game working - we have some friends who are electrical engineers who build these things in their free time, and while it's not exactly an in-demand trade, it's great to see people devoting their time and talents to getting these old amusement cabinets back in working shape when otherwise they could be designing systems in the space shuttle or something. Tuesday might be the least of their daily deals, with $1 off local brews and an additional 3 tokens with each drink. That's still pretty good, but with 2-for-1 tokens on some days, and the "Pound and a 6pack" deal of an actual fannypack full of quarters and a 6-pack of tallboys for $25 on another day, there's plenty of reason to head back to Up/Down any day of the week. We also really appreciated that their site has all the deals listed as well as the names of the games AND pinball tables they currently have. I"m very thankful that Kansas City is quickly turning into an arcade town. I was fortunate to have parents who loved pinball and pool halls - we even had a pinball table in our bedroom as kids for awhile, and while home consoles are great, they just don't have the same sense of panache. In 5 years we've gone from pretty much nothing but the occasional machine here or there to at least four destination locations. Up/Down sits at the top for selection, layout, and return on investment. While I love the neighborhood dives in KCK and the competition right up the street has a flat-rate cost, I have to say I could easily see myself spending hours and hours just switching between the adjacent Family Guy and South Park tables upstairs! Thanks again Up/Down for the great anniversary afternoon, we'll be back - just keep those drinks coming until we hit TILT! read more

Definitely one of the best places to go to in KC. Weekends here are packed, and you don't have to be a gaming nerd to love the games here (but it helps ). Loads of retro games that are sure to bring you back to your childhood, and plenty of rotating beers to keep any beer lover happy! There's two levels and both have bars, but the upstairs is more suited for hanging out and less game play. There is giant jenga and connect four on both floors, so you can still play something if you're upstairs. TVs are plenty too, and it's fun to see some of the old school shows and programs on the screens. You'll most likely find a new game added to Up-Down, which makes it exciting to know they're constantly switching around games to play (though the most popular games generally stay for good). Like I mentioned, it can get extremely packed here -- especially on the weekends + first Fridays -- so that may be a little daunting to some as it can be a little hard to get the bartenders attention, much less find space at any of the bars. Games may take a bit longer to play because of how crowded it can be, but it is pretty great to have such a unique space downtown. Games cost a quarter, or you can buy tokens if you haven't brought any quarters. Thursdays are the best to get your money's worth on games (it's 10 cent token night!). Daily specials, some aren't drink specials, but most of them are. Also, if you get the drunchies (drunk munchies) or just feeling a bit peckish, they have pizza! Mac & cheese pizza is the bomb. Overall, a great place to go when you and your friends are looking for something to do. Also could be a fun place to take your parents if you want to bring back a little nostalgia to their world. read more

I believe any place that has a working World Cup '94 Pinball Game merits a Five-Star Review and this is the case with Up-Down. Besides that, the selection of games reminds me of my childhood days when I would piss away my dad's money at the arcade at the NKC bowl in the 80's. Seeing the Q-Bert Game made me well up with tears thinking about my sheltered childhood. The selection of games is amazing, but the abundant selection of pinball tables is what keeps me coming back. As far as the service goes, I've only been there on a Monday night or within an hour of opening on a Wednesday or Thursday. I will have to say my experience with the servers there has been top notch. They are friendly and very attentive to any needs as far as drinks go. I'll have to gauge how the service is when going during a high traffic time, but so far so good. read more

Videos games, beers... Need I say more? Ohh 21+ duh!!!! NO KIDS! The man cave of all man caves but for ADULTS! I've been here wayyy too many times for my own good lol (and yet I always forget to check in) 100 of games, about 40+ taps and bathrooms that will cause anyone to had ADD!! You have your classics to new games. pinball, skee ball, N64, giant jenga and connect 4. Patio and roof deck are open to all! This is the place where adults can get be their inter child but still can have a drink! Like the after school mall, this is OUR after work hangout. You can't go wrong playing 1token games! Plus they always have some kind of specials going on for tokens and beers check ask! read more

Love the actual bar itself, but I got treated very poorly by the female bartender with short hair. I was in the bathroom and we accidentally bumped into each other and I just giggled and I said I was sorry and she looked at me and said "rude as f***" right to my face! It was a total accident in the first place and as an employer you should never treat your customers that way! It completely turned me off from this bar. read more

Three of us rode down from Des Moines (home of the original Up-Down) on opening weekend to check out the new location. While it has some familiar decorations, drink names and arcade games, that's where the familiarity ends. This new location is greatly expanded with an outside patio and upstairs deck (complete with is own small bar). They have a much larger drink assortment (even Moscow Mules in the metal mugs) as well. Since it was new, there were plenty of small rough edges (machines not taking tokens properly, new staff still learning drink prices) so if you go early and experience that, know that the Des Moines location also had growing pains its first months of operation. I see great things for the KC location. For road trippers from DSM, there were some games not found in Iowa (Joust was a favorite) and many more pinballs than the DSM's eight machines. They even have the four player Pac-Man Battle Royale and a Fix It Felix Jr. Between Up-Down KC and the nearby Tapcade, it could make for a good retro gaming/drinking day trip. read more

Super fun throwback to he 80s and early 90s! I wish they had one on the south side of town. Not much food is offered here, just pizza and they had walking tacos the day I was there, but they have a full bar with lots of craft beers on tap and specialty drinks. All the classic arcade games plus many more! 2 for 1 tokens on Saturdays! Keep in mind that it is 21 and over only, so don't plan on bringing the fam. Awesome outdoor patio with giant Jenga and Connect 4. Lots of TVs throughout showing 80s/90s movies (Point Break, Trading Places, and an old The Rock WWF match were all on while I was there). Really fun and unique spot in a fun area of town. read more

The beers on tap are amazing! Insane selection of brews, makes any gamer happy to see that. Beer isn't priced too high, making this an even better reason to swing by. One bad thing is that a few of the games are worn down and broken. Figuring out how many tokens are needed to play the arcade games is tricky after drinking a bit. Janga and connect four are typically full, but these outdoor games look like a blast with a couple of friends. Would recommend this place to anyone in KC! read more

Mario Kart, Skee Ball, rooftop, OH MY! Up-Down is a little slice of heaven for adults who are still children at heart, and I am all about it. Looking forward to more warm weather so I can throw down the gauntlet on their jumbo Jenga. Side note, my friend may or may not have met his soulmate while playing a Ninja Turtles game here. They have been dating for 5-months now. Who knew an arcade could bring two love birds together? read more

What a fun place! Went here with an out of town friend for the first time on a Wednesday afternoon and the place was PACKED by 4pm. Reasonably priced games and a great selection of local brews on tap. read more

What a fun visit! My wife and I visited on a Saturday, which was 2 for 1 on tokens. $20 bucks and we still haven't spent all the tokens! I loved arcades back in the hayday. I visited all my local arcades. Those days have passed. All my local arcades are closed and I have since moved to KC. When I learned about Up-Down, I was excited! An arcade with all the best games and, due to it being a bar as well, not crawling with little ankle biters! I'm there! My wife and I don't drink, so we didn't partake in the bar, but we did spend a few hours playing lots of games! This places is dripping in 80's nostalgia. Apart from all the games, they had 80's WWF, American Gladiators and Goonies running on the TVs during our visit. We certainly had a lot of fun. Like other arcades, you still have to deal with the arcade drawbacks. First, it was pretty busy, so it was loud. Second, because it was busy, you had to wait a while to play some of the more popular games, but if you have patience, you can still get to play your favorites. Third, while most patrons I'm sure are respectful of the equipment, occasionally, you'll find something that just doesn't work right. We tried to play House of the Dead 2 together and one of the guns wasn't shooting right and was unplayable. However, it was still a great time. 1 token = 1 credit. Some of the old arcades would run things like 2 to 4 for some games. 1 token per credit is really nice here. Some games do require more, like Turtles in Time where 1 token is 1 life. It's not bad. Otherwise, people would never get off the game for someone else to play. Fun place. We'll be back. We still have tokens to spend! read more

Parking is limited. Wide selection of games to choose from. Good beer selection friendly staff pizza and tacos available to eat

Guy with tattoos and nail polish is the best bartender I've ever had! Visiting KC and he made the whole trip 1000% better we ended up going to the same bar the whole trip. Definitely recommend coming here! So much fun and such great vibes read more

Awesome Beer selection (and thank you for putting the list online). Great arcade selection. The only thing they are missing is food, but a food truck was on the premises. read more

Anything that combines booze and old school arcade games is a total win in my opinion. Not only does Up-Down have a wide selection of beers, liquor, and games--they're actually fairly priced. A Maker's Mark on the rocks was only $6 and all games only cost a token. Service was excellent. Employees roam the floor taking drink orders just in case you're in the middle of a game and can't step away. Great patio area where you can play their gigantic versions of Jenga and Connect 4 (no charge!). Huge flatscreens all around playing the Royals game. This is a fantastic idea executed to a near-perfect degree. My one gripe is some of the games are a little buggy. For instance: the Michelangelo on TMNT isn't playable due to some problem with the coin slot and the joystick for Donatello won't let you move the character up. Also, the left flipper for Super Mario Bros. pinball sticks. For the most part though, the games function the way they're supposed to. I will definitely be going back soon. read more

Simply put, one of the most fun and enjoyable places I've been in any city. A rare site that people of any decade can come together and have a good time. If you are in downtown KC, dont miss this gem. The culture and staff are welcoming to all groups. Being based in the fun and simple games of the 80s and 90s, the place attracts a good natured crowd. Not to mention their almost unmatchable beer selection and creative drinks- I cant speak highly enough of this place. read more

Seriously so much fun! I went with my fiancé for a date night and had a blast. The drinks are great, and THE PIZZA! Nobody mentioned the pizza to me before I went, but seriously you guys go hungry because it was freaking delicious. They also have a large variety of arcade games to choose from (sorry for hogging the Donkey Kong game ). read more

Love the view. I used to frequent this place often because of the patio and view. I used to get good customer service. However, one night this bartender made me so mad I don't want to come back. This particular bartender was so rude. I bartend as well, so I know the routine. I was mostly sober and ordered a drink while my friends were pretty drunk. I was singing along and having fun w my friends. First, he denied me a drink and gave me water. I mean I like water so I drank it and then asked for my drink. He refused. He also served other people that were so drunk they were falling over. He was so rude and short w me and refused me. I went upstairs to get a drink and came back down to join my friends. He proceeded to grab my drink and pour it down the drain while staring me in the eyes and laughing while he did it. He also refused to refund me. I've never experienced that kind of disrespect, especially in the industry. I have refused to come back since. This establishment needs to rethink allowing someone like this to work there. I was so mad I was shaking and I'm usually patient with people because of my own experience in the industry. Just blatantly cruel. read more

Love this place. Come on KCMO inspectors. Back off a bit. This is one of the safer places in town for goodness sakes.

So much fun!! Lots of old school arcade games and multiple on tap beers to choose from. In comparison to the other nearby arcade bar, up down did a great job placing their games and machines to where I didn't feel crowded, there was plenty of space to move around. They also had so many great pinball machines, skeeball, Mario kart N64, large Jenga and connect fours outside. All games require one token, which is a quarter. read more

Packed on a Saturday night but somehow still managed to find plenty of time to play games and watch a wild Virginia Purdue game with 7 others in my group. Great place! read more

Really fun bar! Always great service and the atmosphere is awesome. Fun on a Friday night, fun on a Saturday afternoon, fun whenever!

If you don't hang out at Up Down I'm sorry, but you're wrong. Bomb games, awesome bartenders, cool crowd. No one else can compare. read more

Up-Down - 18 Capital takes Up Down - Arcades Near Me - Kansas City, Missouri

I like this place a lot in theory. The games are good. The prices are good. The staff is great. They have skee ball.t only real complaint is that, to no fault of their own (other than being a good establishment), the place gets so crowded. They have quite a selection of beers on tap but I kind of enjoy their Sunday special which includes a domestic 6 pack of tall boys (you can mix and match and don't have to get them all at once), a ton of tokens (80, I believe), and a fanny pack to hold them in. If you go pretty early then it is pretty fun. The hard part is that there is no food and not many places to sit down so it can be hard around dinner time or when it starts getting busy. On some busy weekend nights a food truck sits out side but those days it can be hard to walk around inside. It can also be hard to play games when there are that many people inside. My favorite parts are the skee ball, photo booth, N64, and a few classic games like Galaga. The upstairs outdoor deck is a nice place to wind down with a good view. There is giant Jenga and giant connect four outside too. read more

If you like video games and alcohol, this place is awesome!!! Many local craft beers on tap, plus your standard spirits. Lots of old school arcade games that took me back to my childhood (I'm 36). Mario Brothers, Mortal Combat, TMNT, NBA Jam, even though on the last one I mentioned, my buttons stuck sometimes, which clearly cost me the victory against my friend! Skee ball, racing, bring-in-your-own-game-console section, this place has it All! Plus some classic movies being played and old wrestling footage of Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, Macho Man to name a few. Tall tables next to the games to set your drinks on, and the staff comes to You! Great place to "pre-game" before a Royals game. read more

Up-Down - Arcades Near Me - Kansas City, Missouri

This place is LIT. It's just that simple. Great drinks, great games, bar tenders are quickly at your service. And don't get me started on the pizza joint inside! read more

This place is awesome!! From the moment you step in the door it's like you're a kid again! Soooo many games to choose from, with a crazy amount of beers on tap, and pizza available by the slice! I didn't play any games although I would have, had I found the time to stop chatting with co-workers! Haha! A small group maybe 10-12 of us stopped in after work right at 3pm when they opened, as we work right around the corner and had found this place on Yelp! After 2 weeks of some difficult and disappointing situations at work... a drink and someplace to kick back with co-workers (& our managers) was in order! ;) This was just the place we needed!! All in all we had a great time! All of the staff were friendly, attentive, and made us all feel welcome! Shout out to the bartender (Ryan) "Hood" for taking care of us the majority of the time we were there!! read more

Great selection of craft beer offerings and fun venue being in the crossroads.

Cool spot. They have daily specials. Only thing to eat is pizza. It didn't look that great so I didn't order any but there's a variety of beers/seltzer's/liquor and two bars. The rooftop is super chill but I really enjoyed the games and the 80s movies and wrestling on tv read more

I didn't know something like this existed! They have classic arcade games like "The Sinpsons" and "X-men" and with classic prices; $.25 a play! I was in town for a conference and asked my AirBnB host what were great places to check out. This was his first suggestion for a bar and entertainment. My friend and I went to check this place out and were blown away by the collection! This is such a great idea. Whether with a friend, on a date or just want a drink and game; this is the spot. I wish this bar was back home. Kansas City, you glorious amazing city you. read more

Up-Down - Arcades Near Me - Kansas City, Missouri

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The Up Down is a super cool concept and the vibe can be fun with a big or small group of friends. I've been here a couple of times but tonight I had a really off-putting experience. I was approached by an employee who saw my reusable water bottle on the table next to my beer. He informed me that outside containers weren't allowed and reassured me that he "wasn't trying to be an a$*hole," which is usually a sign that you are being one. I invited him to smell the contents, assured him that it was water I had filled from the cooler by the bar, but he encouraged me to hide it in my purse (?). Apparently this is a gray area for them because there's no sign anywhere outside about this policy. I'm morally opposed to single-use plastic cups and brought in my empty water bottle for the sole purpose of filling it with water. The Up Down really needs to reassess this "gray area" and get with the times. Be Earth conscious or be clear. read more

Up-Down - Arcades Near Me - Kansas City, Missouri

We've been there a half dozen times and each visit was great. Selection of games were among the classics, atmosphere was fun and loud (as it should be). Not a fan of 1 bathroom per. Staff are all friendly. Future events could be some gaming tournaments :) read more

Great atmosphere, great beer selection, awesome games, and great service. Definitely a place to check out. Makes me miss living downtown! I didn't order any pizza but I had a bite of my friends Cajun chicken pizza and it was tasty. read more

Great hang out spot. Lots of drink specials, games and seating. Both indoor and outdoor.

Figured it's about time I left Up-Down Kansas City some kind words. I've been a regular here since early last year, so I suppose my bias will come through. There's a reason for that bias though. Up-down has fostered and grown an environment that both takes you back in time and transports you to another world. Their theme hits you in the feels. Even if you didn't grow up in the 80's or 90's, this place will make you feel like you did. Though it takes from many cultures and lifestyles (gaming, wrestling, arcade, craft beer, cheesed out action movies, wonky music playlists, local music scene and even some local sports), it all culminates together to create it's own culture - up-down culture. Regarding food and drink, they have a large number of cans and an even larger number of taps. I would not say their cocktails are their strong suit, but they are cheap and well done enough. I would consider this a beer bar afterall. I've not had their walking taco, but their pizza selection is good, almost always fresh and the slices are big. It's pretty dang good pizza, and even better when you've had a few. The game selection is what I would consider to be outrageous. I don't know if I've ever been to an arcade with a larger selection of games. 10 pinball machines, some brand new, and several from the golden era of pinball (the 90's). Tons of arcade machines coming from the early 80's and mostly going up to the early 2000's. You like fighting games? They got em! (Come at me on marvel vs capcom 2). Driving games? They're there! Shoot em ups? Yup. Classic arcade titles? You bet. And of course there's the four skee-ball machines in the corner. Everything is one token one play, and they certainly don't extort you for money as tokens are cheap. They often run specials to get them even cheaper. I'm friends with a few staff members, and on first name basis with almost everyone else. The wait staff are always heckling me to see if I'd like another drink (this is a good thing), the bouncers friendly enough, and the bar-staff know how to keep it real. If a drink gets screwed up, they fix it. Someone pick up my drink by accident? Gets replaced. Something on my tab that shouldn't be? Gets fixed. Hell, they even let me get engaged with some of the bar staff banter. They certainly know how to treat me like family - it feels like I'm one of them (Levi Lynott, Justin, Billy Dempsay when he was there: I'm looking at you guys in particular). You can tell that staff all enjoy each others company. It shows, and it only makes the environment more enjoyable. There's the unspoken heroes as well- the game techs. They are always bouncing all over (Shout out to you Chelsea for always sprinting over when the marvel vs capcom machine goes down!) Are there downsides to this place? Sure. There are times when it gets so busy you can taste it and you end up playing real life tetris trying to squeeze through. This can be particularly challenging for a fellow as introverted as me. Occasionally you'll run into a patron who's a bit too loaded that mouths off but that's a bar for you and certainly not updowns fault. Occasionally the pizza has sat out too long and is a bit dry. In my opinion though, these are minor quibbles. Finally there's the clientele that frequent here. It is a genuine melting pot. Ages, races, genders, troupes, cliques get all mixed up in this wonderful establishment. I've made countless friends here that I wouldn't have made otherwise. When I say friends, I mean friends, not just someone you nod at in passing. There's a lot of stuff I've missed here, and 99% of it is positive. I probably shouldn't go any longer because this is long winded enough as it is. Bottom line, if you haven't given this place a shot yet, well then what the hell are you waiting for? See you there. read more

I spent a Saturday night with a few friends here. The Breakdown: 1. Atmosphere: Wildly popular place so it can be a bit jam packed. Despite the mass of people there are enough games to go around. Countless pinball machines, 80s and 90s arcade games, skeeball, an N64, over sized Jenga and Connect 4 outside. With all this going on its easy to get lost in the moment and never notice another person around you. 2. Food: There really is only one thing you need to eat here and luckily its the only thing they serve. PIZZA! The pizza was not horribly priced and was perfect. 3. Drinks: While I don't drink much myself, my companions found plenty to drink at a good price. 4. Cost: I would give this a 5/5 for cost. I spent $9 and had fun for hours. This may account for the fact I don't drink often and really just bought a slice of pizza and tokens. The tokens are only $.25 each and every game save for one just costs one token. Every day has different specials but I recommend going Saturday before 9 for 2 for 1 tokens. $5 goes a long way! Overall: 4/5 due to the mass amount of people to navigate around and that some machines didn't work. But really who cares when it's only $.25 read more

Have always had a great time here on any day of the week! AND I'm a nomad, everyone I've ever met, patron or employee has been a generally nice person. That goes LONG way now a days! It's also fun as I grew up with Arcades! read more

The place is awesome. Good beer selection and friendly bartenders. Several pinball machines that are super fun to play like Ghostbusters and The Adams Family. Great location when you're staying downtown. The only issue I had were all the crop dusting b-holes stinking up the place. Maybe it's a KC/BBQ thing or maybe I came on a especially meaty night but several peops were leaving their stinky hot pockets throughout the facility. But I battled thru and it was worth it. Oh yeah, the game plays are only a quarter. I've been to other barcades and pinball places throughout the USA and it always seem to cost .75 or a dollar. Thanks for keeping it a quarter! Will def be back next time I come to KC. read more

So much fun here at this place. My husband and I frequent on Sunday's. We Rome around playing games from our childhood. Brings back so many memories. The last visit was the week of my birthday. They gave me 40 free tokens! AWESOME!!!! We have so many, seriously need to get some friends together and get playing. Ms. Pac-Man here we come! read more

I really enjoyed this place on my recent trip to KC! The staff is so friendly and I love the throwback feel of the place. If I had any complaints, it would be the tiny parking lot and how cramped it feels inside when it's busy. But they're working with what they've got, and I had a blast! Love that they have a special every night. We went on 10 cent token night. Great deal! read more