A group of six of us met for happy hour on a fairly busy Wednesday evening. They have great food and drink specials during happy hour so we tried a number of different items. We had a few plates of the loaded nachos with chicken and with beef... They were heaped high and delicious. Plenty on each plate for two or three people. The meat additions are not discounted during happy hour, but even at full price with the half-price nachos it's a bargain. Others in our group got the quesadillas and we shared some deviled eggs. All of them are very tasty. We also got some cheese balls. They were pretty much the standard fair but also very good. Drinks are another great bargain during the happy hour with discounted beer and mixed drinks. All the drinks were very tasty. Our server was Bailey. She was very pleasant, fun, and enthusiastic. The food came out very quickly, and the drinks came off the bar in a very reasonable time as well. There is a large U-shaped bar and plenty of booth and table seating along with that outdoor patio. There is a 4% non-cash adjustment for using your credit card. Definitely a very discounted happy hour, but the food was delicious and I would try it again for happy hour or just for dinner read more

It's a fun time for the kids. A little pricey for what you're doing. Fun time to watch a game or have some drinks. I haven't had any food so I can't give an opinion on that. read more

Gameday - Sports Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Want to watch the game and let the kids spend money? Enjoy a beer and let the family watch a game? Eat some food and cheer on your favorite game? Yes, this is a good place. You can purchase beer bucket specials that will get you cards to play games for an hour. I've tried the nachos, fries, prestle, and the chicken tenders. The chicken tenders were really good. The ranch is fairly tasty. We really enjoy the cheese balls here too. So enjoy the game. Let's the kids play. Have a drink and relax. read more

Gameday - Chicken tenders - Sports Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

4.25* (out of 5) Food: 4* Atmosphere: 4* Value: 5* Service: 4* 01/24/2023 Gameday We planned on going to another place in the mall for a beer and food, but were intrigued by some good reviews. We stopped at Gameday for a beer and food and left impressed. The atmosphere was modern and clean - and both the service and value were very good. And if you have kids that you want to keep entertained, the attached video game area can keep them busy for hours. The beer was cold and since we still wanted to use our Pub Pass at another location in the mall, we decided to share a Cincinnati Chili (see picture). While it was definitely different than the Skyline Chili that we both love - it was very unique and tasted great in its own right. This place seems to be a well-run establishment that is modern, clean and a decent value - I recommend it for a stop after work or a casual evening out. If you found this review helpful, please show your appreciation with a Like or a Follow. Photos copyright: happyhourdesmoines.com & thefoodanddrinkguy.com read more

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Excellent food! Excellent service! Well worth the stop off the interstate! If you are driving thru Des Moines stop here !

We have only come here a few times but this place is run very well. The staff is very attentive and there is someone always on the floor who appears to be running the show. It's pretty rare to get service like this at an establishment that caters to big game day crowds. Bonus the food we've had has always been decent. The mixed drinks are strong! That isn't such a bad thing though! read more

Very accommodating. Food is excellent and the staff is amazing. I go for Steelers games. We get a little loud at times. So they have us our own space. Like I said very accommodating. Go Steelers and Go Game Day! Byron read more

I've been to Gameday at least twice, maybe 3 times and it's been delicious everytime. This visit, I got the chicken Caesar spinach wrap with fries, a raspberry Moscow mule, and a side of ranch for the fries. The wrap was super fresh, chicken was tender and tasty, and the Caesar flavor was top notch. This item was fairly new to the menu, and oh my goodness it was well worth the addition. The fries were nice and crispy, the ranch was nice and tangy, over all this dish was well worth the price, and I would absolutely buy again. Our server was super nice and checked in on us multiple times. Was friendly and talked music with me and laughed during the conversation. Name will be kept for privacy, but it was a super great experience. The restaurant itself was super clean and tidy, bathrooms were nice and clean, I will be back read more

This place is great. You can play a bunch of arcade games that are all super fun. Well not all of them but most of them are and their food is really good. They have nice and clean bathrooms and they play football on the TVs. Great experience service is normally pretty good. read more

*food/drinks 5 star * games 5 star *service 4 star * looks 3 stars I went again and the food was so good the drinks are normal so good the guy wasn't there and my little girl was not frustrated she said it was great that means it was good and the service was fast but she didn't really talk to us the quotes were a good touch other wise it is kind of bland. read more

We always pass this place when we visit Flix and decided to give it a try as a fun date night adventure. I have heard relatively good things, but I was not prepared for the quality of the food we had. It was easily 10x better than we both expected. Our pretzel appetizer was the best soft pretzel we've had, probably ever. It was big and pretty much perfect in every way. My chicken sandwich was one of the best I've had too. The outside was crispy and flavorful, while the inside was perfectly cooked and juicy. The only non-5 star thing about my meal was the tomato on the sandwich, which I'm not going to fault them for. It's hard to find good tomatoes right now. My husband loved his burger, but didn't care for the parmesan potatoes, which are kind of hasbrown-ish and we're swimming in oil/butter (not really a bad thing, but just wasn't for him). The arcade was SO MUCH FUN and we got way more play time for our money than we expected. $20 in play credits lasted us about an hour and a half and we got to play pretty much every game we wanted. I highly recommend for a fun date night! read more

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Excellent place to go with a group. Great food and our server provided friendly, outstanding service!

I have been here several times and have never had a bad meal. I'm pretty sure most of their food is fresh and made from scratch. Helen is an amazing server that we've had the last few times we have been here. read more

Gameday - Buffalo chicken tenders and cheese curds - Sports Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Awesome place to hangout. Food is A+! Best management around! Employees are extra special, Rachel the bartender is AMAZING! Great choice of games in the arcade room. Watch out Dave and Busters, they are going to give you a run for your money! read more

Gameday - Sports Bars Near Me - Des Moines, Iowa

Lots of tvs and sports on and entertainment for kids. Several deals as far as food and drinks go. Everything was clean and food was delivered very fast. I tried the cheese curds and a bit of the huge pretzel and both were very good. The chicken tenders was enough to split with my wife and was very good. read more

Their food is pretty good for being an arcade place. I like that the kids can occupy themselves in the arcade while I can relax a bit. There's also cameras in the dining area so you can keep track of your kids in the arcade area. read more

Cold beer, great wings, awesome tvs, good cheese curds. 1st time and was impressed.

I was pleasantly surprised!! I was expecting mediocre food with a Chuck E. Cheese-y type atmosphere more geared towards kids. Boy, was I wrong! The food was great and the game area, while yes, mostly geared towards kids, had plenty of entertainment for adults too. And the restaurant/bar area was definitely an enjoyable area for adults. We had 4 adults and two kids in our group. We were seated right away. The dining area is pretty large with plenty of space, so it accommodates a lot of people. There were LOTS of TVs. So pretty much any sporting event you'd want to watch, they can show it. It had a sports bar vibe. Every person at our table enjoyed his/her food. There wasn't one person who was disappointed. I thought the beer cheese soup and the juicy Lucy burgers were especially good. The soup had a smooth velvety texture and the burger was so good with the cheese in the middle...YUM! And the tator tots were perfect, warm and perfectly crisp, not soggy at all. We were all happy with our meals. The service was great! The game area was decent sized. There was lots of variety, and we all had a fun time playing games. The value of the games seemed adequate for the amount of play. No complaints. This was a great activity/dining experience for something to do on a cold January night. There are several other things on the menu that sounded good that we didn't get a chance to try. Plus we have some credit left on our game card. We will definitely be back!! read more

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Stopped into this place on our way home from Branson. Love the sports vibe and all the TV's in three place. I tried the meatball sub and wasn't disappointed. There were 3 large meatballs in the sub and if I had any complaint it would be there was too much bread, however this is a trivial complaint. Great flavor and you could taste the Italian spices and they were very juicy. Now onto the parmesan potatoes, those things were awesome. Very buttery with great flavor, I would come again just for the potatoes. My brother has the BLT with homemade coleslaw and he complimented how good they were and if you know my brother that is saying a lot. Exceptional food good sports vibe will definitely be back. BTW Wyatt took great care of us at the bar. Was hoping to see Duane, however he was a no show. read more

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Drinks are at a great price. The atmosphere is super laid back. I do wish the food tasted better but they have a great gluten free bun compared to other places. read more

Great atmosphere if you get there at the right time. The food was good. Had a great time with nostalgia video games and playing Lazer tag.

Go there often because it's close to our house, The game room is small but my kids still enjoy it. Great place for drinks and apps and to watch the big game. read more

Got to check out Gameday yesterday and it was a blast! First off my 4 year old son hit the jackpot on the mallot game so, let's just say we walked away with a new light up sword, some PJ Masks little plush toys, some cars, giant dice and more! I have never seen anyone hit the jackpot on anything so that was pretty fun! He had no clue of the significance of this life altering event, cause he was to busy having fun! Cool variety of games, from football toss, to basketball, to bowling, to Wizard of Oz, to giant piano, to skee ball, to racing games and more! It was a great way to spend an hour in the mall! The guy working behind the counter was very patient with my 4 year old son has he took his 1600 points up for prizes! I dig that it's all card operated and you are not messing with dirty coins or ripping off paper tickets! Better for the environment and better to keep the hands and germs down! I didn't get to try the Gameday kitchen, but I love the option of having a brew while you play air hockey! We will be back! read more

Went to Watch the Iowa game with the family. Got the Margherita pizza(flat bread) and my wife got the Mushroom Swiss burger. We got the food fast. All the food was awesome. The pizza was amazing. We will be back!! read more

Place is a joke. They set the games with odd numbers so you are almost certain to end up with just enough left on your card that you can't use. I've never gone through money quicker. What a joke! We didn't eat but just played games. Spent 10 bucks in 2 mins and wasn't even about ready to re load the card Horrible read more

Food good but way overpriced. 14 bucks tenderloin and cottage cheese. Done learned my lesson

We've been to Game Day a few times now after it opened and have had fairly good experiences there. The arcade is plenty of fun and does not feel like the games are rigged like other arcades. The food from the restaurant side is pretty good as well. The bar has a good selection of drinks. The bartender Rachel provided the best service we've had there and we recommend her to anyone going here. read more

Was excited to try out the new place. The food was disappointing. Burgers, pizzas and appetizers but pretty bland. I like the fact the games and good is together so I can have drinks while kids play. I'm m hoping that they elevate the food. I went pretty close to the opening date, so I'm hoping that it will improve. Kids loved the games! read more

Game day Kitchen, Cocktails, Sports & Fun just opened up in Merle Hay Mall. It is a kid friendly place offering a large arcade area with fun video and interactive games - four square hoops, ski ball, pac man, race car driving and much more. Similar to a Dave & Buster set up you play games and earn points to cash in for prizes. The other half of the location is a sports bar/restaurant with TVs and seating for around 300. We were greeted at the host station and directed to a table. On this Tuesday evening it was not busy but there were people walking through to check the place out. The server took our drink orders and appetizer order soon after we were seated. The manager Jamie came and introduced herself and answered questions my husband had about private events and large group offerings. She was most helpful. When our drinks and appetizer came we had our food order taken. They offer a good selection of beer on tap, in bottles and cans, along with wines, and specialty cocktails. Our tap beer was served nicely cold. Our appetizer - crab and artichoke dip with pitas was served on a large plate - the pitas around the plate had a generous amount of melted cheese, diced tomatoes and green onion while the dip was served melted and overflowing in its bowl in the middle of the plate. The portion was very generous and it was delicious... the cheesy pitas with the dip on top! Yum! Our food came soon afterwards and looked amazing! I had the prime rib grilled cheese with au jus and tots. There was an option for horseradish as well. The grilled cheese was filled with prime rib which was tender and perfectly cooked and the cheese was melted and oozing out. When dipped into the au jus all the flavors came together! The tots were crispy - just the way I love them! My husband had the barbecued chicken flat bread and this too was better than others we have had. The crust was crispy and loaded with sweet and slightly spicy BBQ, chicken, and cheese. It was cut into 8 nice size pieces. Any one of the items ordered could have been shared easily when added to the appetizer which in and of itself could have been my meal! The service was great, the food was very good, and the atmosphere was fun! Music was playing in the eating area and the TVs had sporting events running. The arcade and eating areas are separated by a wall - keeping the noise from the game area out of the eating and sports bar area. We will be back with family! Great addition to the mall and th read more

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We went this past weekend. We had excellent service. I got the shrimp tacos and when it came out with wasabi ( which I hate) they happily and quickly made me a new meal! The restaurant was very busy at the time too. The area arcade was a lot of fun and reasonably priced! read more

Today I took my 12 yr old to the arcade, we had a blastt!!!!! The card was a little confusing at first but once we figured it we was in the move!!!!! Some of the games were being added and looked fun. We didn't eat there YET. But we will definitely be back. Btw beware the Jurassic World shooting game will get you to spend money cause your hooked!!!! Have fun Yelpers!!!! read more

Sadly I have no pics but I eat here a lot a few of my favs French dip, the nachos, chili spaghetti omg it taste like heaven lol! Mushroom burger, pizza, tenderloin if you are lucky you might get a big one! The fries are delicious but the one thing I got most of the time were the chicken wings! They make their sauce there. Give me some hot wings with their blue cheese dip and I am in heaven! I used to hate blue cheese too! read more

The bathrooms are fxcking outstanding. Tots alright too. Loved the hand dryers plus u don't have to touch anything but wipe.

Finally got to check out the new hot spot in Merle Hay! And I gotta say... it did NOT disappoint. Great service but the food was AMAZING! The lobster Mac and cheese and prime rib grilled cheese were top knotch. The arcade was also amazing. Plenty of variety of games and wasn't a rip off like most! Would totally recommend and be back. read more

Excellent patio area makes it perfect for enjoying a beverage on warm summer days. I got the charred wings which were excellent. Bar is huge with full wrap-around seating with enough TVs to see practically whatever game/event you wanna watch. Gives off a Dave and Busters vibe without the over-commercialized aspect. Excited to come here for new events in the near future. read more

Great place to eat!! Friendly bar staff with amazing service. Rachel is very personable and helpful at the bar.

This place is great! Wonderful staff. Food was great and my niece loved the games. Also very clean and great happy hour specials!

terrible customer service- servers are all rude, management was rude as well . I overheard the servers talk about my table and were yelling able how one gal didn't want to serve on us because we were black. very racist environment. the girl that did serve us was very very nice and attentive. read more

I very rarely post reviews but after our visit to Game day tonight I had to! First, hand down, Chay provides excellent service and made dinner so enjoyable. She was engaging, informative and funny. If the food would have been mediocre she would have made up for it. However, the food was great! The cheese curds were amazing...a light crispy coating is a big change from most curds. My hard to please husband loved his burger and the turkey pretzel sandwich was great as well. Tater tots were crispy with the right hit of seasoning and the parmesan potatoes were worth the upgrade. read more

The arcade was fun enough, but the restaurant was frankly terrible. The wait staff worked very hard, but it's clear that management did not have responsibilities divvied out properly. The food was bland and boring and overpriced. It all felt very cheap and tiresome. Skip the food. Stick to the games. I had the spaghetti and meatballs. The meatballs were burnt and the sauce tasted like it came right out of a can. Scratch kitchen is code for microwave dinners. read more