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    Dorky's Bar Arcade

    3.9 (374 reviews)
    InexpensiveArcades, Bars, Pizza
    Closed 12:00 pm - 12:00 am (Next day)

    Dorky's Bar Arcade Photos

    DORKY'S BAR ARCADE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Loud
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Dorky's Bar Arcade

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    Reviews With Photos

    Mehgan N.

    Review based on visit from end of November 2025. I've loved this arcade for over a decade, but my most recent visit was a mixed bag. Understandingly, a lot of games (and the upstairs pinball area) were unavailable due to remodeling. What was harder to overlook was the service at the bar. It felt like we were an inconvenience to the person working. On the bright side, the DJ was awesome and really made our night! I'm looking forward to seeing the final remodel, but I hope the service experience improves by the next time I swing by.

    40% of the cabinets don't work
    Kyle S.

    Once a classic staple, Dorky's has become a stain on Tacoma. By many accounts, this is due to the beliefs and behavior of the owner, which has warped the arcade into a shadow of its former self. A few years ago you'd walk in and feel the thrill of potential - flashing lights and rows upon rows of a wide variety of games to play. At night, loud music would pump over a maze of cabinets awash in neon and black light. Stepping in now, it looks like the arcade was an afterthought. So what happened? My understanding is that after the owner's racism (and horrifyingly callous behavior after an employee got shot on the job) came to light, the cabinet manufacturers withdrew their games from Dorky's, leaving the space empty and sad. The owner had to pull out his old cabinets from storage and close down the second level by the bar. It used to have state-of-the-art games like the Star Wars Battlepod, but now I think there was only one title I recognized, the rest being generic filler games - very much D-tier stuff. About 40% of the cabinets were nonfunctional, including an entire corner dedicated to broken games like a graveyard ("a resurrection corner!" the owner corrected me). The food has always been arcade food - nauseatingly greasy pizza and frozen snacks popped in a microwave, and more often than not my experience with the staff has been curt and unpleasant. The owner, for his part, appears to be on a journey of self-improvement, so we'll see if he's able to rebuild the goodwill he burned over the last few years. Historically, he'd deal with conflict by denying and deflecting responsibility in long, childish facebook rants. I hope that he has truly changed, or that someone else steps in to guide this Tacoma staple back into better days.

    lol like really???

    This place sucks so bad. Mirroring what a lot of other reviews have already said, we were charged $20 (for 2 people) to enter for hardly any of the games to work. Wish I would have looked at the reviews but I typically never need to do that for an arcade bar....... stayed as long as I could stand it to feel like I got at least some portion of my moneys worth and got out of there. Stay away from this place LOL.

    Ms. PAC Man
    Lysandra N.

    Fun for old school arcade! Enjoyed a couple of beverages and then settled into some 2 player Ms. Pac Man.

    Tara H.

    This place was a lot of fun. Kids are allowed as well, which makes it a family friendly spot. We came here and enjoyed some cheap, good fair type food by ordering a corn dog and tots. There are several arcade games to choose from and a wide variety of beers too. I'd come back here and recommend checking it out.

    Soggy microwaved wings

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    3 years ago

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    5 months ago

    Less than half of the machines worked when I last went. Owner didn't let us know at the door when we paid to get in. Huge let down!

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    2 months ago

    Shell of its former self. None of the games worked. It's sad because we used to love coming here.

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    1 year ago

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    2 years ago

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    6 months ago

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    7 months ago

    If you're going to charges cover at least let people know half the machines are off, even temporarily

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    2 years ago

    Really great and nostalgic atmosphere. Reminded me of a lot of the places I frequented during my childhood. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

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    Ask the Community - Dorky's Bar Arcade

    Does dorkys have music/ sound system? A you request the type of music?

    Do they still have DDR machines?

    No. There isn't anything here that I want to play anymore. It's all junk. 😞

    Are minors ok to play during the day? Thanks

    Yes, I think it's either 9 or 10pm the age goes to 21. Up to that point it's good. They do sell beer, so you might see people walking around with some. A nice arcade all… Read more

    I heard that minors are not allowed in after 9pm (I wanted to take my girlfriend here after prom). Is this true?

    This is true. Sorry!

    If you drop your phone it's gaurenteed cracked. They have a brick floor. You're doomed.... oh and there's a possibility you'll pick it up with gum stuck to the screen?

    Don't forget the beer sticky floor so you may not be able to pick it up. But the gum will help your cracked screen until you get it fixed at a screen doctor. ;)

    View All 7 Questions

    Review Highlights - Dorky's Bar Arcade

    On top of that, most all Pinball machines (which, might I add that there are a giant selection) are only 50¢.

    Mentioned in 53 reviews

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    Bar Rosa

    Bar Rosa

    4.4
    (148 reviews)
    0.7 mi
    $$

    This is my second visit here. So lucky we have this restaurant close by! I just went for the happy…read morehour for the first time yesterday with a few friends. The environment is cool and hip, art tastefully decorated on the wall. You can definitely tell they put effort into the atmosphere of this bar! Now for their pizza... it is out of this world. It is wood fired so you know they're serious about their food! I go the margarita pizza and passion fruit daiquiri. Both DELICIOUS. Service was quick and efficient with the perfect amount of check ins. Absolutely recommend!

    Wow! I'm following a bunch of five star reviews, so perhaps an off night? A group of us tried Bar…read moreRosa tonight for dinner. Bar Rosa is located in Hill Top right by some other great bars. Not a huge fan of the ambience in Bar Rosa, plywood floors and very dark. We were sat in a booth, and it was as the sun was setting. The windows are all illuminated and beyond filthy (inside) - it was hard not to notice with the windows open and leaning towards our table. I also was the unfortunate one to have the sun straight and my face for about half of our dinner. Service was hit or mess. We waited a long time with no check in for more cocktails. The cocktail choices are great, however, they were out of a particular cocktail my friend wanted to order. We started with the meatballs, not good. The sauce however was phenomenal! Meatballs were just very dense and dry. The appetizer came out not even 5 minutes after our order was put in, so they were lukewarm at best. When we ordered our pizza, they were out of the homemade sausage, this was Saturday night at 6pm???, so we ordered the foraged pizza as is. The pizza was delicious. My friends ordered the Marguerita - crust was a bit over done. Food was good- $30 a pizza good, not in my opinion. Hi, generally do not leave negative reviews- I look for the silver lining at majority of restaurants I visit- but this was a tough one for me. Again- maybe an off night.

    Photos
    Bar Rosa
    Peach tartine
    Peach tartine
    The bar is open

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    The bar is open
    APizza Little Italy

    APizza Little Italy

    4.3
    (111 reviews)
    0.0 mi
    $$

    This was my favorite pizza place for the past 3 years. My husband and I loved all the pizzas here,…read moreespecially their classic Margherita. We encountered the owner, Marshall a few times in the first year when it opened. He made sure every table enjoyed their food. He also introduced us with Calabrian chili peppers and we absolutely fell in love with it. It has become our favorite Italian ingredient to add to our homemade pizzas and pastas. Thank you so much for opening our eyes to Italian chili peppers! We took many of our friends and family to APizza. We both are huge fans of wood fired, thin crusted pizzas and APizza just nailed it! Everyone we took to APizza had the most delicious, thin crusted pizzas. When we found out about the closure, we were so sad... We wish the best of luck to the owner's family in exploring the next step in their culinary lives. We hope that you will consider opening a restaurant again in South of Seattle. We will travel to taste your pizzas! Until then, we will make trips to Veraci Pizza in Seattle. Thank you so much for the good food and memories again!

    Delicious pizza! Quick service. I ordered online for delivery. It was delivered in the time exactly…read moreit said. Meaning the service of the restaurant was on top of their in person and online ordering. I will order from here again to try their other pizzas, there were so many options!

    Photos
    APizza Little Italy
    12" margarita pizza, didn't skimp on the basil.  Very good
    12" margarita pizza, didn't skimp on the basil. Very good
    Homemade clay oven.  Only takes a few minutes to cook your pizza!

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    Homemade clay oven. Only takes a few minutes to cook your pizza!

    Dorky's Bar Arcade - arcades - Updated July 2026

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