Great family fun! Lots of activities to choose from. FTW boasts an arcade, bowling, movie theater, and immersive experiences.

After 2 long days at a conference in the Chicago suburbs, I wanted to explore Chicago the city. I wanted to have fun and blow off steam. FTW Chicago was just the solution I needed for this. It's up the stairs near the movie theatre. Once you walk in, your senses are inundated by lights, sounds, and the scent of alcohol. It can be a lot to take in but once you get some tokens or a playing card and play your first game, you should be quickly acclimated to your new setting. My friend and my favorites for the night ended up being Skeeball, the milk jug toss, the largest Pac-Man game ever, some of the pinball machines, and the large Connect 4. Honestly, the milk jug toss was a sleeper hit. Don't sleep on it. You can buy a card and add money to it instead of buying tokens. We found that was most convenient and easy for us. You win tickets for each game you play, and there's a cute store where you can claim prizes. The whole place is supposed to have a Steampunk theme. It's not outright obvious, but you can tell by looking at the ceilings or going to the bathroom (there are many stalls and they're very clean!) You can buy food and drinks at the bar and also watch sports. Overall, FTW Chicago would make a great girls' night out or date night, or I could even see coming by myself. Stop by if you're in town. read more

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Fun for everyone! We played air hockey, DDR, teenage mutant ninja turtles, skeeball, basketball, football throwing, Jurassic Park shooting game and mini golf for $35. This lasted us about two hours. My favorite was the mini golf. It was only 6 holes but it was pretty creative and challenging. This is a great date place if you are looking for something fun and different. read more

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Stopped in as a date night with the hubby and we had a blast. The atmosphere is fun and inviting and this is more of an adult spot. Games were fun and they have a lot of different types of games including Mini Golf. The food here is good we tried the Smoked Gouda Mac & Cheese Bites, French fries and the Boneless Bites. The Mac & Cheese Bites were flavorful and cheesy. The Fries were just fries. The Boneless Bites we got with BBQ and Ranch and they were good and satisfying. Great date spot as well as a place to just hang out. read more

This is the best playground in Chicago, especially on a rainy day. Housed in the same building as AMC River East 21, you can spend time here before/after your movie. The second you walk in, you'll notice the Dave&Buster's look. You can purchase tokens for the plentiful selection of arcade games. On the right side towards the back of the room, is the restaurant area. On the left side, are most of the games, mini golf and a passageway to Lucky Strike in case you decide to play pool, bowl and/or watch a sports game. In regards to the food, whoever made my dinner - the nachos and the flatbreads - WOW. Probably the best arcade food excluding Chuck E. Cheese pizza. Great selection of beer too. What was a bit of a disappointment was the customer service. Waiters did not clean up the tables as we finished food and ordered more. They just let the plates pile up until the end. I come here frequently and would love to give this place another chance with its performance at the restaurant. read more

FTW Chicago - Menu - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

FTW ( For the win) Great place to hang out with friend and family for fun times. Good food I love the corn dogs so yummy. For the adults they have a fantastic bar stocked with cocktails, wine and beer. The place is brand new so everything is in working condition and the restrooms are nice too. They also have a family friendly restroom which is very nice. Mini golf is also fun it has Chicago theme which is really neat concept. I loved their ski-ball, the claw machines and their arcade games too. This place might be some competition for places like Dave N Busters. read more

FTW Chicago - Wow lots of games and prizes fun times. - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

A friend of mine just had a bday party here and it was a good time! All the games you wanna play and all the beers and drinks you wanna drink. I had about 3 of their signature cocktails to wash down the delicious sloppy joe sliders that came in a set of 3. I didn't really get a chance to play many video games as I was mingling with my friend and her other friends, but I did get a chance to go 4-2 in air hockey challenges! You can get a pretty nice deal on the game cards if you spend a certain amount of money and you don't have to use the card all up on one visit. You can use whenever you like. My only issue with this place is that Stephen (guy behind the bar and his buddy back there) don't seem to pay attention to when someone needs a new drink or seems to not pay attention when you are waving at him to get his attention. Good spot to have a party as everyone will enjoy their experience here...also great for a date if you and you significant other gets the competitive juices flowing. read more

FTW Chicago - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

A fantastic arcade that is more for adults than kids. However they have such a wide variety of games that you will find something for everyone here. The food and drinks are also good here although a little bit on the pricey side. You can also buy gift cards for others. I would bring my friends and family here and have a fantastic time! read more

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It's an awesome and a very fun place for kids & adults. There are a lot of options to play. Spacious and well organized. The bar is cool with tons of drink options. If you are a fan of sports, they have a gigantic TV Screens to entertain you. The food was excellent, we had a few different type of pizzas and my fav was the Margherita. They have the party rooms for a private event/birthday which is cool. The bowling is right across and the movie theater is upstairs. It's a perfect sport for a fun day. read more

FTW Chicago - Can't go wrong with this Margherita pizza, yummy. - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

**ALERT** Arcade is a scam! We gave this spot another chance.... same Scams different day. The machines take your money not give you points or tickets. Employees are assigned to push the coins and cards back while you play. If you have a good game going as soon as you walk away the employee comes over, "pretends" hes wiping down the glass and pushes all the coins back!!! read more

I was expecting an icky experience like Dave and Busters - but FTW is so much better. Right across the way from Lucky Strike in the AMC building, you can play cool arcade games from the traditional skee ball and air hockey to classic inspired big screen versions of Packman and Connect Four along side new tech games like imax style Star Wars and moving, vibrating Jurassic Park. My friend and I had a blast. It's all fancy and electronic so you load up a card and swipe to play, reward points are tracked on your card as well. No more paper tickets to redeem. $10 will get you 60 points and most games are around 6-10 points to play per game. Skee ball was 2 points a game, air hockey 8, and the fancier ones 10. Rewards start at 25 points for candy and go up to 12000 or so for adult prizes like a Crock Pot. The rewards section definitely favors adults, but does have some toys...and lots of those Funko Pop Bobble Heads and cool nerd board games. There's also a full bar and menu of snacks...a much better/less douchey vibe than Lucky Strike across the hall. It wasn't crowded at all on a Saturday evening, and after 9pm is 21+ only. I would go again...and definitely go here over Dave & Busters. read more

FTW Chicago - Menu - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We came here multiple times in the last 2-3 months. Good place for kids. After 2-3 times it gets boring and I think they need more video games. Mini golf was fun. read more

FTW Chicago - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I came here on a Saturday night for some family fun and to celebrate my birthday! We had a blast! We decided on FTW after reading reviews and thought it looked better than Dave & Busters (where we usually go). So glad we came here instead! We found a close parking spot on a street nearby, McClurg I think. Then we were pleasantly surprised at how not overly crowded it was for a Saturday! We were able to sit down right away and eat dinner and have some drinks before playing games. Food was good, drinks were better and service was just fine. Before going, just know there is no host so you sit yourself if there are open tables. Then a server will come and take your orders. Games were really fun, both for my 4 year old and for us in our 30's. The mini golf was awesome! 6 holes that are Chicago themed and 24 points per person. No cash, you have to load a game card to play everything and the coolest part for me, was tickets also get loaded to your card! No scrambling around losing tickets or trying to carry them around from game to game. Such a good idea! And the prizes are WAY better here than at other game places. I highly recommend this place for a fun night with family or friends or even to host a party or event! I'll definitely be back :) read more

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Arcade games for kids + drinks for adults = WINNING! When I feel like splurging to keep the kid busy for 4-5 hours, we check out a movie upstairs, then head down to the arcade for about another hour. The game cards are reasonably priced, the variety of games are good for ages 5+, and the movie parking validation lasts for 4 hours! The drinks are pretty good and the chicken tenders trio is tasty - not a fan of the blueberry sauce, but the other 2 are excellent! read more

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Gf and I are huge gamers, so we were super pumped to find this arcade next to the movie theater. They even try to appeal to gamers with the FTW name, instantly recognizable to us as we went up the elevator. Definitely comparable to Dave & Busters, with food/drinks available and side conference rooms with really nice views. We didn't try any of the food cause we ain't here for that. There were some machines here that I haven't seen at D&B's like the piano game, and there were some missing at FTW that I see often at D&Bs like Guitar Hero & Deal or No Deal. The selection of games was definitely enough to keep us happy for a long time. It's pretty expensive here though. We didn't play the mini golf game because it was like $15/person or something (although it looked fun). It's based on Chicago landmarks, so diehard building lovers, have at it! $75 and a few hours later, gf's amazing crane game skills netted 2 Hello Kitty plushes, and R2D2 plush + PEZ dispenser from the ticket store. The poor ticket store guy is so overworked. It's chaotic in there and there's only 1 employee!! I think the 3.5 star overall rating for FTW is accurate. You'd have to try pretty hard to not have a good time here if you enjoy games. read more

I have always been curious about checking this place out but have always been in a hurry to go to the AMC or somewhere else instead. Finally came here as part of a company outing. It was fun! Typical arcade games you would probably find at Haunted Trails (they even have mini golf) except with a more "adult" atmosphere. We got a bunch of sliders and these sort of cheese tater tots which were very good! For dessert, we had some of their brownies, rice cripys treats, and cookies! They had a good bar selection as well. I also love that all of the games have a cup holder for your drink! Great place to play some games before watching a movie I think. read more

FTW Chicago - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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The folks from Lucky Strike Dave & Busted inside their bowling alley and out came an awesome arcade and 6 hole Chicago-themed mini golf course. It's everything the orange and blue-signed franchise is only better in my opinion. You won't find Mario Brothers or Tetris in this house. Unlike the recent retro bar-cades that are the rage lately, FTW is all about the most modern entertainment out there. From Skee Ball to Kung Fu Panda to 3D Zombie Apocalypse you're going to get the latest and greatest when it comes to gaming. Food wise, American style dim sum carts cruise around replenishing burnt calories, and if you need to hydrate there's a full bar with a decent draft list and punch bowls that totally fit the inner-child theme. It's all tied together by one of the biggest projection screens I've ever seen outside of a movie theater and it's always playing sports. It's extremely easy card based token and ticketing is probably my favorite part of the whole experience. All you do is add credits, swipe your card, and let the good times roll without having to get all Chuck E Cheeses with it. Super adult like. Overall I'd say that this place lives up to it's acronym. read more

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Very fun place! Had a date night there last Sunday! We played mini golf and went thought all the levels of "living dead" 4D experience, I freaked out bunch of times but had tons of fun! Also, they have great selection of beer. And we even got to watch a bit of Gramy on huge TV. read more

FTW Chicago - Mini golf - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I was with a private party in one of their private rooms. That was the best part of the evening. The menu is short and the food isn't that good. The Brussels sprouts were burned after I had to wait 20 minutes to order before going to find our waiter to place my order. We waited another 30 minutes for water and then he had an attitude that we wanted the bill split into separate receipts because his gratuity wouldn't be included. I'm moving with no urgency to return. read more

When I first came here for a Yelp elite event, I was confused because I thought FTW replaced Lucky Strikes. Now that I think about it, I don't even know what was in the space before FTW came along. I came back on Sunday because I know the boy loves to play the basketball shooting game. I didn't expect to be addicted to the carnival coin game. But the places is clean and there's a long list of beer and drinks available. The food isn't that great. But I do have to give a shout out to my boy Alex. I remember him serving dessert during the Yelp elite event and saw him again throughout Sunday. All smiles, friendly and even gave us some leftover tokens when it was time to leave. If you want to go mini golfing, there are about 4-5 holes and it costs 800 original, not bonus credits. I'm not a big arcade person. I'm more of a watcher than a player, but I think it's a great addition to the neighborhood since I think Gameworks is the only similar option? read more

FTW is a lot like GameWorks or Dave and Buster's, albeit slightly trendier and targeting a younger crowd. For the city, this place isn't bad. There's a wide variety of games from carnival-style to sports games to high-tech simulation ones. Our favorites ended up being the baseball and basketball ones, skee-ball, and Jurassic Park. I was pretty excited by the "world's largest" pac-man, but in reality, it was difficult to play on such a large screen. And the different prizes you can get with your e-tickets took me straight back to my childhood at Chuck E. Cheese: fun dip, jolly ranchers and all. There's definitely something for everyone, and it's cool that there's a bar to get drinks while you play. But overall, this concept is a bit dated, and the drinks and customer service weren't anything special. Personally, I'll stick with the more specialized bars with less variety, à la Replay or Punch Bowl Social. read more

Can't believe I've never left a review here. I absolutely LOVE this place. I take my kids here quite often, well not too often, but enough lol. We have a ball every time. The mini golf is fun, the 4way air hockey is pretty dope, and they're little party rooms a kinda chic. It's a really nice spot. I don't drink but hey, the bar looks cool too lol read more

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Super cool venue. However, couldn't believe the attitude I received from Chrislyn (forgive me for spelling). We we're never notified that we had to be within 10 minutes of our reservation but Manager Chris was an absolute GEM in helping us get our reservation back. Because of his help I'm giving a good review! Wish I could've given 5. read more

Food was ok, beer selection was good... service was incredibly slow. Pleasant when it happened... but it rarely ever did... Four times total at my table... take order, bring food, bring check, return card. Each a different person. Oh, and there was exactly one other table the entire time. Most of the time the staff was talking to each other, looking at themselves in the mirrors, or playing on their phones... Except the bartender, that guy seemed to be working when not being chatted up by one of the other staff. read more

FTW Chicago - These folks are interested in literally anything that isn't serving the customer... - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

FTW is the NEW type of arcade. And by new I mean redemption games aka Gambling for kids. And it's not cheap either. You end up spending at least $25 a pop to get those blasted tokens and tickets! However, the decor is gorgeous, steampunk in style and stunning to look at if you wander off the floor and into one of the quiet rooms. Spend time away from the beeping, blipping and the other noise and have a drink staring out at the city, you'll thank me for that. read more

What a fun night! Took my roomie there to celebrate her bday with our friends! FUN FUN FUN! alcohol and games in one spot! What else can you ask for??? Alcohol can be pricey tho, but it's worth it. Games are so brand new! Newer than the ones in dnb or gameworks or any other arcade places. Go there with a group of people! It's very chilling and fun! read more

FTW Chicago - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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It's clean and new! You will have fun here!! We tried cheese curds and gravy. It was delicious! I totally didn't expect they would have good food here. BUT omgggg the music is tooooo loud!!!!! Too loud!!!! Ours ears hurt. Guess they need to control the volume better. Besides that, everything was good. P.S. No outside drinks here! read more

FTW Chicago - Cheese curds and gravy/ peach gin fizz - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Our family, including siblings, elderly parents and young children (ages 5 & 7) decided to go to the games area as a family after dinner - something to enjoy with the young ones and the older parents before the new year's eve rush kicked in. We arrived around 7:45pm-ish. Many of the games weren't working properly. The connect four was only working on the red portion, the skeeball games and another wasn't counting the points properly, the table hockey for 4 people froze in the middle of the game, etc etc. We thought it would be best to let the manager or a worker know what was happening, so they can either fix the issue or put an "out of order" sign so other kids wouldn't waste their points on those games. We must have hit a cord with one too many "this game doesn't work properly" because the manager snapped. Instead of dealing with us nicely or even in a civil manner, he started to push us out saying "9pm it's only 21 and older so you all have to leave now." Mind it, it was only around 8:25 at that point. We said there's still a lot of time left for our kids to play and we have over 700 points still left on the card. We also explained that had the girl at the front desk mentioned something about the 9pm limit, we wouldn't have bought so much and planned accordingly." The manager then kept arguing in a very LOUD and rude manner to cause a scene saying that he knows the girl at the front told us - We asked him why we would lie about such a thing since he wasn't even around at the time we entered - and he kept arguing. At one point, I think my mom even smelled beer on him....he just became a very angry man and started swearing and literally pushing us out. I kept telling him there are children around and he should mind his language and that we're leaving, but he didn't want to listen to me - instead, he called for other workers (assuming bouncers, although I can't imagine bouncers needed for a place or time where young children are around), and they kept physically pushing us out, all of us, me, my mom, my brother, my dad, my husband....thankfully our kids hid behind my sister. We kept saying stop pushing us, we're leaving, stop touching us, stop swearing there are children around - but the manager wouldn't listen, instead, he picked on my brother to focus on. As they physically kept pushing us out, the manager then continued to instigate by saying things to my brother like "your sister has more balls than you, I'd like to see her in action". Who says things like that to family people with young children round watching, especially when they're leaving - doing what you wanted? That was really uncalled for. Of course, it seemed obvious that the manager just wanted to literally start a fight. No man, brother or husband, would accept that kind of talk about the women of the family, and the fight started. However, as peaceful as we were trying to be, at one point, there were around 4-5 of the "bouncers" and the manager all kicking and punching my brother while he was on the floor. Our children are traumatized and don't ever want to go to ANY arcade game again - they were scared to death as they watched their dad and uncle get abused like that in front of our family, our kids, other families and other children watching. To top it off, after we finally all broke up the fight, and as my family went down the escalator, away from it out - AGAIN the manager instigated, calling out things over the railing loudly saying "Tell your sister I'll be there to pick her up at 2am! She's got more balls than you and I'd like to enjoy her! Tell her I'll be there at 2am!" If we have left, WHY do you need to shout MORE instigating disrespectful things to my family like that? Is that how you handle even the good family folks that come to the arcade? Never going back! read more

It's been several months since I last visited this place but found myself here for a birthday celebration last week. Not much has changed as far as the games offered. Just think of this place like a Chuck E Cheese's but for adults. By "adults" I mean full bar and games that are just slightly harder in difficulty. They got a decent selection of bar food to snack on and the place seems well maintained. The place has a Chicago themed mini-golf course that I feel is pricey for what it is. There's only 6 holes, but I guess it'll do after you've had several drinks and are with a group of uncoordinated individuals. The games I'll usually find myself at are the giant Connect 4, free-throw basketball, and any of the shooting games. This place is a nice change of scenery if you don't want to go to 'just' a bar and get piss drunk. read more

It's been a while since I've been in this area due to parking rate. But....it's still worth visiting once in a while. It did change a lot. Arcade bar and burgers. Food Price moderate to up there Drinks are moderate for downtown chicago Food is actually good Staff are really nice. Arcade games are pretty nice. Let me reiterate, it's not chuck e' cheese and a little bit higher than Dave and buster due to location and set up. Parking is a little pricy so just take Uber or taxi or train and walk or bus. Will I visit again? Yeah but not anytime soon. read more

Alright so here's how it works: you buy a card for a small fee that's yours to keep and reuse. Load as many tokens as you want on the card. Their cocktails with Hendricks gin were surprisingly delightful-for an arcade bar to have such good drinks was honestly surprising. You can rent out a room with a coat rack, table, and seats for group events. Prizes are higher in ticket cost than most places, ended up just taking home a bunch of rubber ducks because the alternative was a bunch of candy or playing to win more tickets. Cool games, classics and some modern ones. There's a giant connect four, and a piano version of DDR which I found to be the coolest. read more

Came here on a Saturday night to play some games with the bf. After cashing out our tickets we could tell that the two gentlemen working in the prize room looked VERY annoyed with life; like they didn't want to be there.. SMILE. Everyone is not big mad like you. Lighten up. You have a job and you're getting paid. Be happy because there are a sh** ton of people that would do your job with a smile and Less attitude, in a heartbeat. But our server was a sweetheart. Can't remember her name but she was a Black chick with long braids and a center nose piercing. She was super on it. Thx mami read more

I tried the Happy Hour (Monday to Thursday 4pm to 9pm) $10 2 hour unlimited gaming option. I wasn't too impressed with the game selection or experience. I was done after 30 minutes, but stayed for an hour. I can't imagine being here for 2 hours which is weird because as a kid I could play Street Fighter or the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Arcade Game all day. The best game was the 3D Dark Escape game, the basketball game is ok, there's a lot of things that you can't play. If you're a parent, a video game will entertain your kids more and will keep them busy a lot longer. read more

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Awesome place to come have fun and play games. Serve good mixed drinks if that's your thing (I personally am a bourbon neat kinda guy) Lol. A great variety of beer on tap. read more

FTW Chicago - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This was a pretty cute date night spot, lots of fun things to do, but kind of loud. I have only been there once but I had lots of fun playing with the games they had, won a couple of gifts that's was awesome read more

As an old school gamer (or maybe just old!), FTW represents everything I've come to oppose in modern arcade entertainment centers: swipe cards, oversized marquee games, unbalanced ticket prize redemption, and overpriced food & drink. The only saving grace is the mini golf course and the view from the private rooms. If you happen to be there early to see a movie, it's not the worst way to kill some time before/after your show. But as a destination? You can do much better at Headquarters River North. read more

What a great-somewhat hidden-place! I've been here on a date and recently threw an event for about 15 people here. For the date, we had an absolute blast! The prices were very fair. For $20 we were both able to play for over an hour and drinks were also very reasonable. For the event, I worked with Abbey. She is probably one of the best coordinators I've worked with. I like that she's in house and is more than happy to introduce herself. We were short one card and I shot her an email and she was there in less than 5 minutes with the card. Her email exchanges and communication were so helpful and prompt. I definitely look forward to stopping in solo or for an event and absolutely recommend it to anyone! In my opinion, I think it's more of a mini Dave and Busters and that is not a bad thing. When I think of D&B, I think of great food and games and now FTW comes to mind when I combine those two things. read more

Disclaimer: I don't know anything about the food and drink here. I love this place for a pre or post movie activity on a date. There are a lot of games to play and a good variety for different people. My wife and I love knocking over the clowns and playing kung fu panda. I also love the basketball and football games. They keep changing what they have too which is nice so its never boring. Would recommend if for people already in the area who are going to the movies and arrived early or if you are looking for something to do after the movie is over. Like a traditional arcade you can earn points and get a prize- don't expect anything magical though. The prizes are a bit nerdy and childish for a place that doesn't allow under 21s in at night. Hopefully they will eventually get something cool for me to spend my 7K points on. read more

The Rundown: Really fun spot! Think of like a more upscale and cleaner Dave & Busters with a gastropub with decent beer tap selection and small bites. Overall: I'm a fan. I've been here plenty of times maybe more out of convenience and looking for something to do than anything else. The ticketed games here are addicting and you'll end up probably spending way more on token/credits than you want to because yes it really is that fun. My favorite of all the games is the fish bowl pong where I can put all those years of playing beer pong in college to use. Most recently, I've noticed they've started offering unlimited playing cards for any of the non-ticketed games during late afternoons into the evening, so be on the look out for that if that's what you prefer. In addition, they do have a small mini golf section (6 holes I believe) which is unique for an arcade. Demographic wise I usually don't see too many kids here and it's mostly adults which is nice. As far as prizes go, decent selection but no video game consoles. Still need to figure what to do with all these tickets... That's about all I got on this one. 'Til next time, cheers! read more

Very fun place. They had all the games we wanted: air hockey, pinball, and skeeball. Plus they had a photobooth. Also, we didn't try it - but they have a putt-putt golf course in the back. We went on a Thursday night and we didn't have any wait for the games. However, due to its location in River East, there's not much room to work with, so there were not as many pinball machines as you'd find in, say, any of the HQs or Emporiums. We spent most of our time on the air hockey table anyways, so it was fine. I will be back to this place, but only four-stars because: 1) drinks were not as strong as I had hoped, 2) photobooth was a little overpriced at $4 - but the rest of the games were pretty reasonably priced, 3) selection of games left something to be desired (only 2 pinball machines total). Still, a fun date option. read more