Brinstar is one of those places you walk into and immediately think, "yeah...I'm coming back." If you're into retro vibes, this spot nails it. They've got a great mix of pinball machines, old-school arcade classics, and some newer games, so it doesn't feel like a museum, it actually feels alive. You can bounce between games, grab a drink, and just hang out without it feeling forced. What really surprised me though was the food. I expected typical bar food, but they go way beyond that. The brunch is legit, and the menu has some creative dishes that actually feel thought out, not just thrown together. It's the kind of place where you come for the games and end up staying for the food. The staff are super friendly and bring a fun energy without being over the top. It also strikes a nice balance crowd-wise. During the day, it's totally a spot you could bring your kids and let them have a blast, and later on it shifts into more of a social hangout where you can meet locals and vibe. Overall, it's just a really well done arcade bar that doesn't try too hard but still delivers on everything. Definitely worth checking out. read more

Brinstar - Arcades Near Me - Midland, Michigan

The food is great, but unfortunately, the service and the way we were treated left a really bad impression. I live in Midland and brought friends visiting from Kentucky, along with our kids (ages 6-9), specifically to Brinstar so the kids could enjoy the games. We were having a great time until, completely out of the blue, the owner approached us and told us that if the kids broke any of the games, we would be responsible for paying for them because they are 30 years old. I completely understand wanting to protect valuable, vintage equipment. That is reasonable. What was not reasonable was the way it was communicated. There is a right way and a wrong way to address customers, especially families who are there spending money and trying to enjoy themselves. I was so uncomfortable with the interaction that I went to our server, who was incredibly kind and sweet, and told her we were going to leave and simply pay for our drinks. She even offered to have the drinks put into to-go cups. At that point, the other female owner, who was sitting at the bar, commented that the games were 30 years old and that we should "parent our kids." Excuse me? We absolutely understand the responsibility of supervising our children. What we did not expect was to be spoken to in that manner by the owners of an establishment we were patronizing. As someone who was also raised in the hospitality industry, I understand that protecting your business and your property is important. But hospitality is also about how you communicate with your customers. A simple, friendly, "Hey guys, just a heads up--these games are vintage and we ask that the kids please be careful with them" would have accomplished the exact same thing without making your customers feel unwelcome or insulted. We came in excited to introduce our out-of-town friends and their kids to your establishment. Instead, we left embarrassed and disappointed. The food may be great, but unfortunately, great food doesn't make up for making your customers feel unwelcome. I sincerely hope this is something the owners take to heart, because there was a much better way to handle this situation. read more

Fun and video game themed ambiance. Incredible bar and fried foods with changing menu. Very friendly and prompt staff. Would highly recommend - even if you never wind up playing the arcade games (although - you should give those a try too). read more

Brinstar - Front entrance - Arcades Near Me - Midland, Michigan

On a Thursday night, I ordered the Philly cheese steak and sweet potatoe fries. The fries were amazing and I love that they gave two different sizes baskets for it, one to hold the fries and another for ketchup. The Philly cheese steak however was disappointing. The meat was over cooked and dried. They placed onions and cheese on top. Maybe it's a personal preference but I like the cheese and vegetables mixed in with the meat. The bread was basic. I used a lot of ketchup so it would not taste/feel too dry while I was eating it. I did try one of their drinks and the Michigan Mule was very weak and flat, had ginger ale, to me. This is an arcade bar and had a lot of pinball machines. But it wasn't overbearing loud. There's cute gaming decor all around and the hallway to the bathroom is interesting to look at. They were full of drawing and random statements from previous customers. There were some children running around so def a place for all ages. I think this place is more about the pinball machines than the food. Haha. The waiter did a great job balancing our side of the building with huge parties. There is free parking out front. read more

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Good for a quick casual meal downtown Midland, MI with a nice variety of food menu and beverages to choose from. A few arcade games to enjoy while waiting for your food and drinks. Wait in line, pick a table, a server will eventually arrive... if you want fast service go up to the bar or try another place downtown. Ordered three appetizers for three people worked great. Appetizers in multiples of three. So if you are in a larger party, have fun dividing the portions up. Bone-in Chicken Wings - ordered naked with Franks Buffalo Sauce on the Side for dipping. Asked for ranch for dipping, after two servers finally the "House Ranch" arrived which was premixed Dill Ranch Dressing. Not a good compliment to any of the appetizers. Onion rings were bland, but crispy. Falafel surprisingly great, crispy on outside, fluffy and tender interior, hummus was good. Careful with the allergen notes on the menu, double check with server right away before ordering if you have a severe allergy. read more

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Wife ordered a Reuben with poutine, I ordered a cherry bomb burger with loaded fries. We ordered out, but the food was hot. The Reuben was ok, but this being the second burger I ordered from there, I will never recommend one of the burgers ever. And neither were the full pound sandwich we ordered They expect all the flavor to come from the toppings, the patty itself was unseasoned and flavorless and only added a texture to the burger. Legit, you have to be drunk to think the burgers have flavor. Legit some of the worst burgers I've had and it continues the flavorless bullshit Midland restaurants pride themselves on. Never again. read more

Called ahead for a reservation and was very impressed with the gal that took our reservation and had it all set up for us when we arrived. Loved what I ordered which was an Asian egg roll and a mushroom burger but others that ordered the olive burgers, were very disappointed as the olive tapenade was weak on olives. Saw many reviews that the french fries were very good there but the ones that came with all our sandwiches were just ordinary fries, nothing special. We will go back as we all loved the egg rolls and want to try them all. Very nice waitstaff. Top notch!! read more

Excellent Burger, huge portion, great value for a half pound burger. Loaded fries were also perfect. Service was amazing as well as the unique arcade atmosphere. I will certainly be back. read more

Brinstar - Big Daddy Burger - Arcades Near Me - Midland, Michigan

Waitress and owner gave me attitude when I said something about the burnt wings and cold fries. She actually said she didn't know why we keep coming back if all are going to do is complain about cold food. That should tell you something if all we do is complain about the food. Fix the issue instead of losing customers. I won't be returning, and I live across the street and was there at least twice a week. And I will make sure that the 150 plus residents here know how they disrespect their customers. read more

Casual, nostalgic and good drinks! Many options for egg roll lovers from the appetizer list. Great selection of classic arcade games and service was great! read more

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I was craving a burger so I came to Brinstar, and they did not disappoint! Perfectly cooked with tons of topping options (try the garlic aioli). Fries were good too, and the drinks were very reasonably priced. Service was fast and friendly, and the bathrooms were modern and immaculate. Bring quarters for all the arcade games - The Mandalorian pinball is my new favorite! read more

Good service, family friendly, burgers are good and a large variety of homemade egg rolls. Many video games available some are free. This would be a fun spot to host a birthday party. read more

Brinstar - Mother Burger Half-pound ground chuck, Guinness glaze, bacon, smoked Gouda, lettuce, tomato & onion with half-pound fresh-cut fries - Arcades Near Me - Midland, Michigan

This is not everyone's place........Having said that, we tried most of the egg rolls and they were great. Fries were awful, legit skip them. Drink/beer selection was good. First section is tables, then arcade games line the walls and center, then a bar area. Hipster vibe, and the service was great. Overall not a bad spot at all, but I see truth in the good, and bad reviews. read more

Really fun spot. Staff was super nice, and they had arcade games everywhere. Most spots like this usually just feel like bars but this place has more of a family feel. Really cool concept - pot roast sandwich was good too. read more

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The Service was astronomical. The food was messy but great. I've never thought of putting gravy on a cheeseburger. If you like video games, good music and food and fun eat here. read more

Prices were ok for being in the preppy downtown Midland they were better than expected. 12-14$ for a burber with fries...... Burgers look good, fries were small servings Old school cool video games throughout the place Nice staff read more

Brinstar - Arcades Near Me - Midland, Michigan

FREE JOUST! Cute little barcade! Friendly staff and a fun place to grab a drink. They have some free games and cheap paid games. A little something for everyone. Would love to see the place evolve and grow a bigger collection some day! read more

Brinstar - You had me at joust. - Arcades Near Me - Midland, Michigan

Garbage. They had a cool idea and just crapped the bed with execution. A single server for the entire place. One cook who spent more time sitting up front than their job. Half the games are free but half are broken. No atm. Food was overpriced and underwhelming. Also loud as hell. Really weird to have a bar filled with toddlers and tweens. read more

I contacted Brinstar through messenger over a week ago regarding my experience. No response whatsoever. Below is my message to them. I will never visit that establishment and was so disappointed in which my bad experience was handled. Hello I was in your establishment this evening for bingo. I ordered originally the chicken soup but the waitress said it had jalapeños in it and I didn't want thar. I then ordered the lentel soup. I took teaspoon of the soup and didn't like it. I ate1/4 of the bread slice. The waitress removed it. We received the bill only to find out I was charged for it. I didn't not eat it, it was removed from the table. The waitress said she would ask the manager. I was told I would still be charged because I tasted it and it couldn't be reserved. I was shocked! I have never had an experience or explanation such as this. I will not be back and definitely pass along my experience to others so let them know this is your protocol for your establishment. I am very Disappointed and dissatisfied with how this was handled. read more

Cool retro bar. I love the ambiance of old video games, lights and disco lighting (but not obnoxious), and the cool bar top and lighting. I didn't get to try much of the food, but everyone I talked to said it was really good, and very reasonably priced. One critique that make this a 3.5-4 star review was the lack of attention at the bar. Fussy people like me go to the bar for the faster service and potential conversation. (I'm an out of towner). The first time I went in, I waited 5 minutes before I saw anybody. The second night, it was 10. I can say many patrons would leave with these wait times. Fix that issue and you're golden. read more

Horrible food, horrible service, and bad advertisement. The fries are stale and they somehow made salad taste bad.

Great menu, very fun games they weren't expensive and some were free! I'm definitely coming here again. Fun menu! Many options to choose from! I think I only saw 2 waiters, not sure. Also great bathrooms they were very clean! 3 flushes. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone! read more

The layout of the places rather confusing. We sat at the bar and it was rather annoying having the wait staff going back and forth behind you all the time to get to the Kitchen. I had a sandwich my guest had a Burger. Her burger was ok, my sandwich was disgusting. So much grease on the bun the meat was lacking in taste. Was also taken aback that one of the staff stood at the end of the bar and ate finger snack food in between waiting on customers. No hand washing in between. read more

The food was the absolute worst I have ever had. Service wasn't much better. Not in any way what I saw in the pictures. I always support small businesses but do yourself a favor and don't waste your time. read more