We celebrated my daughter's 21st birthday at F1 Arcade with a group of nine, and overall everyone had a great time. The biggest disappointment was the customer service before the event. I sent an email with questions about our reservation and never received a response. The online booking portal doesn't provide much detail, and while the website has a "Call" option, it wasn't very useful. I received multiple automated reminder emails stressing that we needed to arrive 15 minutes early because race times wouldn't be extended for late arrivals, which is completely understandable. I just wish there had been the same level of attention when it came to responding to customer questions. Once we arrived, the experience was much better. They gave our group a private seating area, which was a nice surprise. Our server was friendly, checked on us periodically, and never pressured us to order food. We chose to have drinks only, and it was nice to relax before and after racing. The simulators were a lot of fun, and everyone in our group enjoyed the experience. The only thing to know is that the races move quickly--you only have about two minutes between sessions to switch drivers, so there's not much time to explore the venue or step away without paying attention to when you're up next. Overall, it was a fun and unique way to celebrate a birthday. We'd definitely come back, although probably as a special once-a-year outing because of the cost. If F1 Arcade improved its communication before events, this easily could have been a five-star experience. read more

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Fun experience, but definitely on the pricey side for the amount of actual racing you get. F1 Arcade is a pretty cool F1 racing simulation where you get to drive an F1-style race car on various real F1 tracks. The simulators do a good job of making you feel like you're actually racing--the seat moves and rumbles as you go around the track, accelerate, brake, and presumably make questionable racing decisions. One warning: if you get motion sickness easily, this might not be the activity for you. Between the moving seat and the racing visuals, your brain may start wondering why your body is sitting still while your car is doing 200 mph. The place itself is huge, with 40+ simulators. We went on a Saturday afternoon and were surprised by how empty it was. They also have a bar and serve food, but we were there strictly for the racing. We had a party of 4, so we did the team racing option and were given two simulators. Each of us got three races, and the system paired us up differently for each race, so everyone got a chance to race against everyone else. That part was actually pretty fun and made it feel more competitive. The downside is that the races are REALLY short--about 3 minutes each. So for roughly $30 per person, we each got only about 10 minutes of actual racing time across the three races. Once you factor in getting everyone set up and waiting between races, our entire visit was under an hour. The staff was friendly and did a good job explaining how the simulators work and how to check when your next race was starting, so the whole process was pretty easy. Overall, this was a fun experience, especially if you're an F1 fan or enjoy racing games. The simulators are definitely more immersive than playing a racing game at home. That said, the price is hard to overlook considering how little actual driving time you get. We had a good time, but at around $30 per person for about 10 minutes of racing, this is probably a "do it once for the experience" kind of activity rather than something we'd do regularly. read more

Very disappointing experience at F1 Arcade Philadelphia during NBA Finals Game 3. Our group of eight professionals chose F1 Arcade to watch the game, order food and drinks, and support a local business. With approximately five minutes remaining in the game, the TVs were suddenly turned off without warning. We initially thought there was a technical issue, only to be told that everyone had to leave because it was after 11:00 PM. The issue wasn't that the venue was closing--it was how the situation was handled. No one informed us beforehand that the game would be cut off before it ended, and when a member of our group respectfully expressed his disappointment as a repeat customer, the security manager on duty, Dante, responded aggressively, used profanity, and stated that he "didn't care" because he makes more money than any of us anyway. Customer service and professionalism matter. Unfortunately, the manager's behavior turned what had been an enjoyable evening into a negative experience that left our entire group questioning whether we would return. We hope ownership takes this feedback seriously and addresses both the customer service issues and management conduct at this location. read more

I didn't expect to enjoy this arcade as much as I did. I went this past Memorial Day and thankfully, it was not packed AT ALL, it was basically empty. I do think if I went on a day where it was packed, I would not have enjoyed it as much. The racing simulators are pretty cool! The chair shakes while you are racing in order to give it as much real effects as possible. As your driving/racing you have to pay attention to the guides on the floor in colors red, green & yellow signifying you to slow down on certain curves and turns on the different tracks. When you pay for a race, five rounds of racing is included. You can pick your level of difficulty for each round. I went with "rookie" for all of my five rounds and each track was different. It was neat not knowing what to expect each time you began and it was cool to know you could enjoy it even at the most basic level, which is rookie. The food was not bad, but I could've done without it. The fried chicken sand-which was kinda salty, but I was a fan of the truffle fries. The prosecco was good, light and extra bubbly (not pictured). I think the interior was very nice! Being that there was barely anyone, I got to capture some pics which was nice! I see this as being an arcade you enjoy, when it's not many people, as couples and with some friends. Not a place to frequent often, I think. read more

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Atmosphere was beautiful. The bathrooms were updated, clean and cool looking. The service was ok at the front but our server was nice. She did take a minute to get to us, when we sat down it took about 15 minutes for someone to come over to us. It made me feel I was in the wrong but we were told by the front when we checked in to sit anywhere and someone would come over. Very lovely Manager checked on us a couple times and helped us with the drinks my boyfriend got since he wasn't a fan. The Food was amazing, we got the pepperoni flatbread and the wagyu beef sliders. The mini donuts I was excited to try but wasn't the biggest fan of. The only thing I have to say about the drinks we got was since it was my boyfriend's birthday they told us the first drink we got was on the house. I didn't realize that they never took it off the check until on the way home and it was a $23 drink. We did get a cool flamingo float out of it though lol. read more

Pros: This place is very modern and has a sleek racing theme throughout the interior. Very well curated and decorated to meet an "upscale" F1 theme. Definitely cool looking. Cannot comment on the food because we stopped here before having dinner somewhere else. However, all the staff were very attentive and helpful throughout the place. Cons: Booked our reservations in advance, then our friends wanted to join in and booked theirs too later on. Unfortunately, there was no way for the staff to combine our reservations and let us all play together. You book a group of races that are played back to back. You cannot select what team you drive for, nor can you select the track, which we did not like. You have to play each race immediately and consecutively, and we wished there was an option to take it slower and scan a card or something to prompt the next race at our own pace, like an arcade. On the last race, our screens continued to play the guidelines and looped for about 8 minutes while our friends raced next to us before we asked for help. They had to reset it and we ended up having to race a course we already did previously because there was no way for them to select the last one for us. Overall this was a disappointing experience due to the lack of technical accommodations the staff could make. It was cool-looking but outside of that was not worth the money to me. read more

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Visiting Philly for the night and had an amazing time at F1 arcade!! No wait, friendly employees and great customer service. Drinks were awesome! Can't miss stop if you are an F1 fan, I'm sure it's a great place to watch a race. read more

This place was definitely different! Went for a friend's husbands birthday so it was really cool that we were able to get a separate space for our group where we can just play games however much we'd like. The food was really tasty; they had these mini taco things that were delicious. Their servers were super attentive which I enjoyed. Rarely had a glass empty. The actual racing is fairly intense and definitely can pull competitiveness out of anyone Be warned - you can definitely get motion sickness from this!! What's tough is that it's very easy to get bored of the racing after about 30 minutes of hanging there. So definitely would say it's a good spot to check out with your pals for something silly but maybe not to have that be your whole afternoon or evening read more

F1 Arcade - Bars Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Simply put, the F1 Arcade is a state of the art establishment in Philadelphia. I was very impressed with my entire experience. Our party of 3 visited for the Monza race last Sunday with pre-purchased General Admission tickets for the Watch Party. At 8:00 AM, (for a 9 AM race) there were already other F1 fans lined up outside. General Admission does not guarantee you a seat but you have the option of sitting anywhere you'd like. It's not a secluded area by any means, so this is the cheaper option. When we first walked in, we were given free mini cannolis. One of the employees had a plastic ring around her waist serving the cannolis. It was nice of them to allow us to take however many we wanted. We selected a table towards the back and our waitress, Katie, came over to introduce herself. We didn't need to be tended to much, but I will agree with other reviewers that the service is a little on the slow side. It wasn't an issue for us as we were completely immersed in the race most of the morning. For my brunch entree, I ordered the Avocado Tostada. The avocado was flavorful and fresh and the tostada was crunchy. It was like eating a hard shell taco with just avocado inside. I ordered a flat white to drink and it was perfect. You're unable to reserve simulators but luckily there were plenty available. They have them on a specific gaming mode for the entirety of the Watch Party. Before the race started, the announcer, Lee, came around to ask everyone F1 trivia questions. It was fun, engaging and got everyone amped up. I won a free drink ticket that was redeemable for an Aperol Spritz. Aperol Spritz reps were there promoting their product and handing out FREE tanks, bandanas and cross body bags. It was giveaways galore! The arcade is walkable from public transportation. We got lucky and found parking right out front with the meters. Bathrooms were squeaky clean and gorgeous. The staff makes it feel as upscale as it would be if you were attending an actual F1 race. Stunning venue. I loved it and can't wait to return! read more

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Drinks and food and ambiance is really great. The service is really good too. You don't even have to play to go inside the arcade. Only thing I wish that was better was for a staff member to get my group situated first before leaving us to figure it out & call them over several times. Aside from that they have a really good bar and menu. read more

F1 Arcade - Bars Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Pretty cool place went here with my son while we were in town. We are both F1 fans so we figured this would be a fun time for the both of us. We did enjoy the racing just a couple of things that we would change first off you should be able to pick what car you drive in as well as what tracks you race. Also, it would be nice if you can space your races out and take a break, not have to do five straight races but all in all we did have a great time. read more

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Went there for the soft opening, not gonna lie, it was a bit chaotic with the seating and gaming setup, so hopefully they iron that out. The interior's got that industrial vibe--exposed pipes, brick walls, concrete, minimalist furniture, neon lights......the whole aesthetic. The food and drink menu is pretty solid and more extensive than I expected. There's even a fancy drink that lights up which was a fun touch. Food quality was good, but definitely on the pricier side. The game itself was a little confusing at first, but we got the hang of it after the first round. We did the team racing mode (4 people+) and the screen basically walks you through everything with instructions. We managed to get in about 4 games each. Honestly, it was more fun than I expected, the chairs move and vibrate with your driving, which makes it super immersive. I'm not really an F1 fan, so I can't speak much to the details of the race car models, but if you are, you'll probably appreciate that even more. read more

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Fun experience!! About $29 each for 3 races that you have to play back to back. Such a pretty and vibey location. There are SO MANY race car seats to play in this venue. read more

F1 Arcade - Bars Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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I really enjoyed my time at this place! it was a good atmosphere, and great service. Just got drinks, so maybe next time we will try the food, as I heard it was good. It's a unique place and very aesthetic inside. Fun games, but mainly just a great place to hang out with friends and try something new in the city! read more

F1 Arcade - Bars Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Sat at the bar for drinks and appz. Ambiance: Modern, casino/corporate feel; clean. Seating: Bar, high tops, tables and private rooms. Service: Friendly, attentive - highlight! Crowd: Not too young and not too old. Drinks: Very good mixed drinks, limited generic beer selection. Food: Above average bar food. Restrooms: Clean. Parking: No parking, you are in Center City; used parking garage. Value: Average. Experience: Nice experience, especially for F1 fans, will return with my F1 fantasy group. Notable mention: The service here is top notch. Love the guys working the entrance, the front desk staff, the bartenders and the folks helping you with simulators. It adds a nice touch to the overall experience. Still trying top figure out if the bathroom tracks are real (see pic) read more

F1 Arcade - Are these real tracks?!? - Bars Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Good time! Highly recommend! I'm giving this 4 stars because I didn't try the food, but it looks good, and they run through instructions quickly, so ask questions. The space is beautiful for a simulation arcade. Clean, classy, but casual. And the ladies room is clean and has several stalls with walls to the floor. The drinks were very good, including a "designated driver" section with non-alcoholic options. The bar will carry your tab over to your table when you're driving. Server was great. This is not a regular arcade. You should reserve your group & time. You register online so if you don't have a linked email profile pic you want to use or their default helmet avatar, have a pic ready. It doesn't look like I can see my performance rating on this site though. Don't like that. You can also collect some virtual coins for future use. We were a group of 5 so 2 teams. I haven't played a racing game in years. First round, I forgot to choose my level and started on whatever the default is, semi-pro i think. Came in last. Then I switched to Rookie and did much better. I used to love the racing games when I was younger, and by younger I mean 8-36, 36 being the last time I remember being in the arcade. By the 2nd round, when I wasn't struggling so much, it felt so good to race again :-D I had a really good time. Prices were reasonable for the city. This would be a great outing with friends! read more

Went here for a bday party on a Saturday Evening. We had reservations. Checked in early and told us to hang out until the exact time. We were just hanging out in the front tables but they just happened to sit us there. The driving experience was fun. It was about 3 minutes each run and you can choose which difficulty level to drive (I recommend the middle difficulty or lower). The food was pretty good. Pizzas, burger, fries long hots and potatoes were on point. The drinks were good too. The only bad thing is that the service was slow even when it wasn't busy. Also the ceiling was leaking and dripping down on our section. It was hot af too as my whole party was sweating our ass off. I would go again during an early time. Prices on the food and drinks were reasonable. read more

F1 Arcade - Bars Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Went on a weekday so had no wait time. Didnt get a chance to eat food, but I know there was table service. I don't think it's possible to eat and play or really drink and play. Playing is absolutely a 2 hand job. So my suggestion would be drink/eat before or after. Bartenders were pretty slow for them not being very busy, but I know first month of opening sometimes people are still in training. Very modern vibes will be back to try some food! read more

F1 Arcade - Main bar - Bars Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Racing - The Racing Simulator was great, I went on a Thursday night with my partner and we had a great time. We were very disappointed learning that we could not extend our races past 5, even though the venue was completely empty and looking at the reservations there were plenty of open spaces. The Races themselves go on for a very short period of time. If you are a first timer the F1 Arcade would definitely be a great experience. Service - The Bartender the night I went was extremely rude and I will not be going back. I simply asked for two drinks, she talked to a "friend", and once I asked when the drinks will be ready she gave me a rude response (I was in between races with my partner) . Besides the bartender everyone else was attentive and welcoming. That night I believe I left my AirPods at the facility, I have reached out and called 3 times and each time I have also left a voicemail. It has now been 4 days and I have yet to receive a response. Each time I call no one has ever picked up the phone. Recommendation: Stick to your home racing simulator and just download F1 25 or find a friend with one. If you want a better bartender, make yourself a drink. read more

Very modern and fun. Shut the place down on a random Thursday night recently. This reminds me of a Top Golf or something, like a place you'd go for team events or bachelor parties. An awesome place to try but not somewhere you're going to hang out regularly. The bar menu was awesome! Great selection and huge menu of options. I know NOTHING about F1 racing so had 0 idea what I was getting into or what to expect. I would have benefitted from just a little more explanation of exactly what the racing entailed and how long to expect the activity to last. I agree with other reviewers who suggested that it would be nice to be able to take a break in between instead of having to race all tracks back to back. I'd like to be able to stretch, order another drink, compare notes on performance, etc instead of just being stuck going one after another until it's over. But overall, great time and glad we stopped in on a whim. read more

They could have leaned into the theme a bit more in my opinion. The only f1 themed things other than the sims were a couple tracks painted on the walls. They have giant TVs and they were playing soccer. We were there the day of the Austrian GP. The GP started at 9am and we were there at 1pm. I get the race was over but they could have at least played an old F1 race. The food was ok the drinks were cute. The servers were nice. It was overall a mid experience. read more

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Our group of 3 had to wait 1 hour even though there were tons of open seats on the simulators: I think it was a ploy to get us to order drinks and food. We did have a drink each and my margarita was actually kind of gross: I had a much better one next door at Barcade. My husband had a pretty good old fashioned drink. I was underwhelmed by the race experience and thought $40 for 45 minutes of game time was little steep. The two guys in the group really enjoyed themselves though; I would have been happier with a Mario Cart race, but that's not the whole F1 experience. It's a cool looking bar but I don't think I need to do it again. I would LOVE to buy one of the staff jackets though: they should have a gift shop for sure! read more

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Super fun! My wife and I had so much fun! We just wished it was longer! My wife and I contemplated on getting another reservation the same day. The food was OK as well. It was a bit of chaos as we went one of the first days of opening, but that's to be expected. If you're looking for a fun night out, this is the place. They have great drinks, food, and entertainment. We are definitely coming back again soon. read more

F1 Arcade - Bars Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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A time will spunt price reasonable food was amazing drinks was great the waitress Isabella extremely beautiful wasn't over crowded plenty space great for a date great lighting everything is accommodated well menu was perfect read more

We visited just for the arcade experience - no food or drink. It's cheaper to go earlier in the day and I'd very much suggest that bits pretty expensive for what it is. I will say I bought 3 races and they gave me 5 but still $$$. The game is fun and competitive but it's not that much different than going to any other arcade with a driving game. Fun once but we wouldn't do it again. This was a mom and 12year old kid date. read more

We were able to get machines immediately as walk ins. The girls working the front desk were super helpful and took us back to the machines and showed us how they worked. The games worked great. No tech issues and they were super fun. I'm not into F1 at all and had a great time. Super impressed with the set up. We grabbed a couple drinks at the bar after and the drinks seemed over the top for the set up, but not necissarily a bad thing. Food menu looked like a great option too. Great spot for a first date! read more

The arcade was actually pretty cool if you're into F1 and aesthetics. It can be a little pricey drink wise but if you're just doing the races and food I think all and all it's fairly priced. If you've never played F1 definitely do not go pro difficulty btw!!! read more

New location for good vibes in the heart of Center City. Great welcome staff and phenomenal waitress & race host. Strong recommend for a good time. read more

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We booked 3 weeks in advanced for a party of 11. Paying for the Starting Lap Package which included a Menu of 7 different appetizers, along with water and fountain beverages. (Side note: we were there celebrating a birthday). Our booked times started at 7pm-9pm, for which we all begin to arrive between 6:45p-7:10pm. The package included a "private section" which meant we had 3 Racing Games and 2 tables that fit 6 people with the 2nd table was set up as a buffet to accommodate our food. As our Party was settling in we notice that it was only set up to fit 6 of us we had to request additional chairs, additional glasses for water (because they only had about 4 on the table with the water pitchers). The pitchers were really small so we ran out of water after pouring 3 glasses, was supposed to get pitchers for our fountain soda that came with our package but we were told they were out of pitchers. The Staff seemed all over the place, one Man who worked there came up to our table asking if the 3 games in our so called private section was ours even though we were sitting in the section. Moving on to the food, we all came fairly hungry because again this was something we booked weeks in advance when we settled in and got the drinks, chairs and table settings for everyone together the food begin to come out BUT it came out 1 at time. We added to our package 4 orders of french fries, their plain fries, sweet pot., truffle and o bay to share the fries literally came out within 5min but they came out 1 at a time as well. We were super shocked how small the order of fries were. So small we ended up order another round and as our fries came of course we were devouring them because nothing was coming out ok groups. We for guacamole with chips we ate them as soon as they were out, 10-15minutes later they brought chicken fingers, 10-15min later they brought salads and at this point it's after 8pm and we still have yet to receive the main appetizers/buffet set up we have to do get the Manager who offered a discount/refund and paid for the fries that we ordered that held us over for the food. He also went back to expedite the rest of our food by 8:20p is when they started bringing the food for the buffet which included pizzas, flat bread appetizers, and sliders. We never receive the tacos (it might been nacho's) but we've noticed they brought out extra pizzas which I guess they did that to replace an item they didn't have and never told us. It's now almost 9pm and a lot of us paid for 2hr parking most of the food still was touched we asked for takeout containers for which we were told we weren't allowed to take the food read more

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I am a fan of all things truck and auto, so this was on my list. Glad I checked it out- it is obviously a more high end version of an arcade. Very modern simulation stuff as advertised, which comes with a high price tag. Be careful coming into this, the cost is not like a quarter arcade! Their menu is good, the drink list is funny with a designated driver non alcoholic section (who polices simulated driving in the matrix?). I would say this is a repeat spot but the cost for the games takes it down a notch. Fun with a crowd for sure however. read more

Drinks and food were much better than expected who knew an arcade could give such great food and beverage options. Our server was very attentive, always was present and even asked us our investment in the Sport. Great ambiance to watch F1 for the Grand Prix. read more

Wow! Absolutely love it here. I'm a huge F1 fan so it was great to find a place, not only to watch the race with other fans, but to actually drive the track on the simulators as well. The food was way better than you'd expect at an arcade and the cocktails were fancy. Like smoke machines and graphics on your drink fancy. Can't wait for the Las Vegas Grand Prix watch party! read more

Solid restaurant offering flavorful dishes, good presentation, and polite service. Minor wait times aside, everything tasted well prepared, leaving a positive impression and reason to return again in the future. read more

Fun group activity. Appetizers were ok but not special. Good drinks but typical pricey downtown cost. I would say the sim driving is cool but doesn't really correlate to driver ability. read more

Really really enjoyed this. Atmosphere is nice and light, a true step above old time arcades

Drinks were good but racing is expensive and it blows. This is maybe a good first date place if you wanna see how your dude reacts to being scammed. Lol read more

*Updated to note they did finally respond and cancel for me about 22 hours after I first reached out. I am not updating my star rating, though, since I think if they're going to place time-sensitive refund / change restrictions, someone should actually be answering the phones, and if they prefer emails then they should be answered almost immediately to ensure the smoothest customer experience* Original: I have yet to actually check the place out, so this rating is due to poor (nonexistent) customer service response ahead of time. I need to cancel an upcoming reservation, and given the number of times they warn you they will not allow you to change or refund a reservation within 48 hours of the scheduled time, I have been attempting to contact them since yesterday to make sure I'm ahead of this deadline. I have sent two emails and left two voice messages and received zero response to anything. No matter what time you call, they are "experiencing a high call volume" 24 hours a day, apparently, and you need to leave a voice message which they do not respond to. They also recommend for faster service you reply to your confirmation email, which ironically and unsurprisingly turns out to be a "no reply" email address that doesn't accept incoming emails. There is another booking email you can search out through their contact information, but they apparently don't respond to those either. I was planning to reschedule the reservation that I need to cancel, but at this point have lost most of my interest in dealing with them. Disappointed that an attempted family birthday outing has become such a frustration. Beware if you're making plans with them ahead of time to ensure there is zero chance anything else in your life will need to be prioritized over an arcade simulation, because you will not be able to contact them for a change if a conflict arises. read more

Drinks were very good. I loved the ambiance a lot! Margarita Flatbread was just ok. A lot of sauce and not nearly enough cheese at all. The races look professional and fun. Service was good but slow. read more

F1 Arcade - Pit lane perk - Bars Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Staff is kind and games are fun and easy to understand. I'm giving this 4 stars because you can't customize controls as much as other games but if you're looking for a fun beginner type experience it's perfectly fine! read more

The experience and the ambiance of the place is amazin, to top it off we had a great waiter named Vinny to take care of us and bring us good food. he was very attentive and made sure we were always good our entire session. I would definitely go again, and suggest you do the same. Ask for Vinny you won't be disappointed!!! read more