I have been here a few times with my friends, and I love this location because the times we have been there it was not crowded, and the bar tenders were friendly. We don't go on weekends, just during the week in the evenings. We love the drinks and the games. I wish I had better photos of us at the bar but we enjoyed ourselves there. read more

This positive review is brought to you by Ninja Turtles and various midwestern craft beer selections. Last time I went to a dave and busters type place I remember wishing there were more traditional style arcade games. Apparently I'm not the only one that felt this way. I'm loving the recent influx of "barcades" we are seeing in Columbus. A nice beer selection is almost an automatic good time for me....add in my favorite childhood games and you have an absolute winner! I've been waiting on this place to open for months since I first heard the news. I stopped by on the first day of official opening to grab a few beers after work. So glad I did! The design on the interior is very colorful and modern looking, much like the logo on the sign. The setup is nice, arcade style games in the center with pinball games all around. The trendy looking bar is in the back. They have several large flatscreen tv's all around with a huge projector screen towards the front. I made my way back to the bar after taking a gander at the games available. I immediately saw a few of my favorites including Mortal Kombat, The Simpsons, X-men, Ninja Turtles, and Blitz. Taking a seat at the bar I was greeted by a really nice bartender and I started off with a Two Hearted Ale. I was a fan of their draft selections...had a nice one from North High brewing after that. I was told that the pinball was 50 cents and the other games were free as long as you were drinking. No problem here. I enjoyed beating up on some foot soldiers(cowabunga dude!) and went back and forth between gaming and watching the football game on the HUGE tv thats off to the right of the bar area. It was a good crowd but by no means packed. There looks to be plenty of room for bigger crowds, with several large high tables available. I had a great time and can't wait to go back soon to get some pinball action in. Given the Crosswoods location, I can already see chipotle or sushi trips followed by some brew and games afterwards. read more

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Yasssssss. My husband is a huge fan of the barcade concept, but every time we drive by 16-Bit, it's so packed we don't even want to try to wade through it. (I'm really happy for them! But we're socially awkward.) We decided to try this one on a Saturday night because we were on the north side anyway and it looked like it had a lot of good games. At 7:30pm, Level One wasn't too terribly full but it was already starting to fill up. We got drinks first. They had a decent beer list and some cool-looking cocktails with local spirits. I have to take off one star because my cocktail was so strong that it was unpleasant; I drink a lot of liquor (cough) and like the flavor of Watershed gins, so it isn't a case of me being too delicate for the taste of alcohol. It was just really overpoweringly strong. I switched to mead for my second cocktail. I appreciated that they carried Brothers Drake mead! If you're into games and you don't like alcohol, they have soft drinks AND some virgin cocktails, so you can feel fancy without drinking. The video games appear to all be free play (but not pinball). We didn't realize this at first and fed those machines many quarters? I hope they check the machines for money, ha. We had so much fun that we didn't mind, though. The game selection is pretty great. AND THEY HAVE SKEE BALL, which is also free play. Most of the machines seemed to be up and functioning. A handful of cabinet games had signs on them, maybe three, which isn't that many compared to the overall number. The pinball machines seemed to be all up and going. They also have some console games. There's a classic Nintendo and another Nintendo system (a Wii? I didn't notice what kind it was). I saw some people playing Mario 3. They also seem to have Mario Kart tournaments! I need to start practicing. Totally recommend this barcade. Super fun. read more

This place was awesome. We went place some vintage games and had a few beers. It made for a nice evening with friends.

Level-One was my first bar-cade experience and it did not disappoint. I think the location for this is great. I don't have to worry about parking, I'm not surrounded by groups of hipsters just randomly standing in my way talking, and there's plenty of other things to do within the Crosswoods area. We came here with friends after enjoying a movie next door at Marcus. It was a nice touch to followup the cinema, as in older days that many an hour and quarters were wasted in those cheap theater arcades. Now that I'm older, I can still enjoy that, but with a nice mixed drink in my hand. The bar tending staff was very nice, not pretentious and answered all of our questions. Plus they made us some very tasty drinks. Note: In order to play games, it's required that you must purchase a drink. However--For those who do not enjoy the taste of flavor infused alcohol, or are a DD for the night, there's other tasty non-alcoholic contraptions for your consumption that count towards game play. What's nice is you can still bring a couple of friends here. They have multi-player games that all can enjoy. There were plenty of classics and a ton of pinball machines off to the side. Nothing like reliving your childhood/teenage years. Make Level-One a part of your date night. There's plenty of great dining options in the area, or a movie beforehand followed up with a nightcap at Level-One. The only qualm came from my husband... Since you basically have endless lives on the machines... He said it takes away some of the eagerness and anxiousness when playing in the olden days. But heck--You'll finally get to defeat that end boss without wasting $10 in quarters. Fo' Sho - My butt will be back. read more

Had a great first time here with boyfriend and another couple. Reminded us of our childhood. There were plenty of people there but still able to find open games to play. All the arcade games were free. The tabletop games and pinball were 50¢ a game. There offered a variety of beers on tap. The regular domestics were bottles. Soft drinks were $2 per glass and mixed drinks were $8 each. They had a vending machine for snacks but did not serve food. Several games were out of order and the 2 Skee Ball games were not up and running. We will be back and hope all the games are working then. read more

Not much to say but this is a very fun place if you are over the age of 35. A great selection of classic arcade games set on free play. And I was happy to see that 90% of them were in good playing condition. A few with out of order signs, but being a classic game collector myself...I know its a chore to keep these running. Beer selection is mostly Craft beers and a little pricey, but with the games on free play it evens out. REAL good selection of pinballs also. They are .50 a play which is a good deal as well considering some of the titles. Fun place, I will return often. read more

I will be back i loved the ambiance i felt like i was a teenager again the music the games were also. The staff was awesome about recommending deinks and answered all the questions when it came to playing games. Had a great time. read more

Awwwww Yeah ..... I love this joint .....Beer , Retro Video Games & Pinball ! ..... Clean , great staff good parking too ! ..... A fun place ..... and once a month you can bring kids here on Sunday's ! ( once everyone month follow them on Facebook for the dates ) . Love it . Plus they are right by places to eat like the awesome Wurst Und Bier and Chipotle ..... and the Movie theater too ..... Guess I'll be here a lot :) read more

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We came up from Springfield & spent our Saturday evening here, from about 9-1, and had an amazing night. The staff was incredible, from the friendly management who was out amongst the customers to the bartenders who were friendly & made excellent drinks. Their beer selection was impressive and we tried maybe half a dozen of their quite tasty themed cocktails. Any shots & cocktails we got were strong, which is a huge plus for a bar, but also affordable. Bartenders remembered our orders when we came up, gave suggestions for drinks, & were in good spirits all night. We had a group of 5, that grew to 8, and while the place was busy, it wasn't crammed shoulder to shoulder like other places. The building & aisles are big enough that you can stand around a 4 player arcade game & actually play. A good blend of classic single player arcades as well as the more multiplayer style games. They had an N64 hooked up on a projector with Mario Kart & Smash going. Hopefully they get ahold of a copy of Goldeneye by the next time we come out... Around a dozen .50 pinball machines, which were all really fun.... classics from the old Guns n Roses machine or Star Wars all the way to a newer Game of Thrones pinball. Due to the location, the spot has a great free parking lot, & some cool restaurants around too. Overall this is the best of what we wanted out of a barcade, so Level One is now our go-to Barcade. read more

Came here on a weeknight with a couple friends. I was surprised at how spacious it is! Granted it was a weeknight so it also didn't have all that many people there. We had free reign of everything from Mortal Kombat to Pac-Man, skeeball to pinball. As many others seem to have experienced, service wasn't great...keeping this from 4 stars for me. Still had a fun night out! read more

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This was a fun time! We've been to 16-Bit a number of times (we had our wedding reception there) but had been meaning to stop in here since it's a little closer to home. The space is larger and, although there are a lot of games, you don't feel cramped. So, if you want to flail about while playing Centipede you can. There are a bunch of pinball machines. While we were there, the repair guys were checking/tweaking the pinball machines so everything was in working order. And they have a Doctor Who pinball machine, you guys!! Round this out with a solid beer selection, interesting cocktails (the non-alcoholic ones looked better than the boozy ones) and you have a great time. The only knock would be the drink prices; they are a bit steep but they have to pay for the free games somehow, right? We'll be back... it might be our pre/post-movie destination. read more

I am in heaven here! Defender, Donkey Kong, Joust, Galaga...the list goes on. Plus all of these and many more are FREE to play. No food, but who has time for food here! There's a bar fully stocked and several brews on tap. read more

Level One Bar + Arcade - Bars Near Me - Columbus, Ohio

Awesome! Great craft beer options and good games. Definitely an equal battle for downtown arcade bars.

They recently acquired the T2: Judgement Day game, which is my absolute favorite arcade game. It is a great place to spend a fun evening with friends or waste an hour while you wait for a movie next door at the Marcus theatre. Mixed drinks are small and expensive. Beer is pretty typical ($5-$8) for a themed bar. Their selection of pinball machines is neat; however, it takes up a whole long wall of the bar and is 0.50. I rarely see anyone, if ever, playing them so I feel as though opening up that space for more arcade-style games would be beneficial. read more

Very cool place. Nice people and drinks are well priced. You should for sure check it out

Was in Columbus area for work. I ate at the Chinese Restaurant next door and noticed an Arcade sign. You can't see through the windows, so I was hesitant to stop in. I checked out Yelp while I was eating and decided to check it out. The place is great! All the arcade machines were set on free play for anyone buying drinks. The beer selection was good. I had a Fat Heads White Rajha on tap. It tasted great. The price was even cheaper than the menu had it listed ( maybe because it was Monday night). The was a decent selection of Pinball machines with quite a few people playing them. They had a lot of classic 90's Pins included My favorites Medieval Madness and Theater of Magic. The Pins only cost 50 cents to play. Overall, a very good experience. I will definitely stop back in the future! read more

I was impressed with how many games there were at Level One and how easy it was to play the ones I wanted on a Saturday night. The 80s music and the movies/ shows on TV made it a really fun atmosphere (opposed to a typical bar with pop music and nothing but sports on tv). The staff was very welcoming - I would definitely come back. read more

Best arcade+bar in Columbus. Two issues; one a small oversight, the other an act of Odin. Level One has only been open for 2 weeks, it's more than understandable, they are still getting things worked out. 1) The number of machines that were out of order. Once again they have recently opened. I'm sure the machines will be up and running soon. 2) Majority of the machines don't have a table/stand to put your drink down. There are tables near by where one's drink could be placed, but I'm not ok with putting my drink down while my backed is turned. From what I saw there is enough room for a small makeshift 2x4 stand between each game. Now for the good criticism, no review is complete without it. 1) The draft selection is awesome, 24 on tap if I'm not mistaken. Fair price for draft, $3-$8. With many styles; ale, IPA, lager, porter, and stout. A beer for every palate. 2) House mixed drinks were a flat & fair $8. Tried the Tron and Ms. PacMan; both were delicious, not overpowered with liquor. As for the recipes of the house drinks, they were kinda meh. Most shared the same ingredients. (Ex. Tron was vodka, rum, blue curaçao and soda. Ms. PacMan was the same but the blue curaçao was switched with peach schnapps.) Tron could have been made with flavored liquor, it would add a different look and flavor. 3) Great selection of games. From Tron to SSF IV. There is a wall of pinball machines, 50¢ each. Love pinball so this was a nice addition that another arcade+bar doesn't have. 4) The most important. SPACE!!! It sounds like a simple concept but this arcade+bar has the most space around. Was there till about midnight on a Saturday, it didn't feel crowed once. All in all I had a blast, will definitely be visiting again. I suggest everyone at least check it out. Would be great for a small group of 4-8, or first date. If the owner happens to read this, I do have a small suggestion. Look into getting some sort of awning, possibly make a small outdoor section. I know your smoking customers will appreciate and return when winter comes. Continue with the great work, look forward to stopping back in soon. -Dom S. *edit. I wrote this review not long after they first opened. read more

Had a lot of games! Atmosphere wasn't too crowded. Only downside was the skew ball machines didn't work very well. Otherwise, good experience for my fiancé and I. read more

The pinball machines are great with several go-to machines as well as a few that swap out with some frequency, and the space is very well laid out. Currently the lineup of 15 or so pinballs includes Star Wars, Doctor Who, Theatre of Magic, Star Trek, Medieval Madness and the new Game Of Thrones (that one is a dollar per play, but since it's a $6,000+ machine, is not as outrageous as it seems). The Simpsons pinball seems to be perpetually out of order. Drink options and house cocktails are great too; I'd give it a full 5 stars except that the bar staff quality is inconsistent. Most of the tenders are friendly and seem genuinely dialed in, but there's a chance you'll get someone with an attitude of being inconvenienced by your order, or who doesn't understand that the bar can make more from pinball than beer in the same amount of time, but they make nothing while you're standing around waiting. A little salesmanship on their frequently-changing beer and cocktails lists would go a long way in selling higher ticket items. But normally they're gracious for your business, and the attitude usually is great. The games and pinball machines are outstanding. The survey question about 'good for kids' is an interesting one. Obviously it's a bar and inappropriate for under-21, but if they had an 'all ages Sunday till 7' every week or something of the like, they could definitely increase business as the kids of adults who like videogames and pinball inevitably also like video games and pinball, and soda is a higher margin item than alcohol. If they do already have something like that, they need to promote it more visibly onsite. read more

Great, cool spot. As a consultant work in the Columbus/Dublin area from time to time. I frequent the hotels in the area around this place and so when I came across the opening of the bar a couple of months ago, I was floored that something like this existed in sleepy greater-Columbus. I've seen Arcade bars in NYC and now that I live in Chicago, I see them there too. It was amazing to see this place open. Great seletion of game and they are ALL FREE except for the pinball I think. I'm not a fan of pinball but I am a fan of drinking alot and playing the Simpsons, TMNT or Xmen games.... as you can tell, I like the pointless button mashing games... They have a good selection of beer here too, overall great place. Makes me think I should swing by there tonight and get my drink on. read more

This Barcade is nicely decorated on the inside and has a great selection of beer. The bartender(Brittany) was all alone, not very friendly, and not very good at multi-tasking. They have a large selection of pin ball games which cost 50 cents but the arcade games are free. Frogger, Donkey Kong, Mortal Combat, Pac-man, Galaga, The Simpsons, Off-Road, Marvel vs. Capcom, and Klax are just a few to name. The place would be better if it had Paperboy and Marble Madness. Hint hint;) the restrooms smelled nice and were clean. There is an ID checker at the door that was nice and asked if we had been here before. Lastly, they have happy hour specials and specials if you show them movie tickets that you purchased from the theater next door that you can stack. I gave this place a 4 star instead of 5 because of the rude bartender. In the service industry, multi tasking, sense of urgency, and personality are extremely important. read more

Great place!! Loved it and played games for hours! Everything was free expect for a few games. First time at an arcade bar and will return!

As a pinball aficionado who has played all over the country I am always looking for the next great place. Thankfully when I'm home we have a really great place at Level One. They have an awesome happy hour from 4-8pm (how many places go on that long), great staff that remembers what you order, a good selection of classic and obscure arcade games, and of course the pinball! The pinball league is really cool too. You meet and play against some really cool and nice people. Level One is highly recommended! I go there about twice a week. read more

Good place. The games and arcade set up is really cool. Only thing was we came at 5:30 and there were a ton of kids still there. Not necessarily what we were looking forward to. The drinks were good but a little pricy compared to the neighboring bars. Worth a visit! read more

I do not drink, cannot speak of the libations, but appears there is a sufficient selection to wet your whistle. However, what an awesome place! Especially, if you are are an 80's baby, like myself. All the classics are therere: Donkey Kong, Asteroids, Galaga, just to name a few. There are also screens set up, where you can play Super Mario Three and one of my personal favorites, Mario Kart. Really unique and awesome place. I will return! read more

Rocking service. The bartender found the drink I wanted in the back and later apologized and gave me the drink I wanted. It was so kind and both bartenders were attentive and lovely. One had a great beard and the other was he one who kindly gave me the drink that we thought they were out of. Honestly, the bartenders were so nice. Loved my experience--- thank you guys so much for being so kind. read more

Stopped in on Friday, May 20th. Awesome idea, the beer selection was great and I truly wish someone would do this in my hometown. My friends and I enjoyed X-Men, The Simpsons, some pinball, Asteroids, Donkey Kong, Burger Time, Spy Hunter, TMNT: Turtles in Time, Beer Tapper and many others. We'll defo be back! read more

I had never been to a bar arcade before this. The place was clean, staff was attentive, and the prices were reasonable. You buy a drink and can play pretty much any game for free with the exception of pinball. Pinball costs 50 cents per game. I would like to say that some of the arcade games are a bit worn and some do not work, but they are from the 80's-90's and have had a lot of wear and tear since then (this wasn't a surprise to me). I enjoyed this step back in time and love the fact that they have a happy hour deal. I will definitely plan another visit to this place...cheap fun date idea. read more

Cool place, games are constantly rotating. Barcade-theme is pretty much an automatic 2-stars in my book. However, the bartending staff here is awful. Lacking knowledge, lacking personability, pretty much only socialize with fellow bar staff off the clock. Girlfriend ordered Tito's and Soda, bro bartender with the goofy backwards hat and glasses poured a "mystery" vodka out of an open pint glass into her cocktail. Probably gas station vodka. Awesome concept, but there are plenty of others around town with staff that have a pulse read more

NEVER GO TO THIS BAR!!!! It's too awesome. The staff is super friendly and the pinball machines, 20 of them, are in perfect condition, and the classic 8-bit games are clean and work perfectly. Under 21 is not allowed and the drinks are delicious and fair priced and served by an awesomely friendly staff. I want you to stay away so it remains the super cool and perfect place it is now. I want to keep it all to myself. Of course, this is the highest form of praise I can come up with. THIS PLACE ROCKS! read more

Had a blast here with my coworkers. Great atmosphere to play some nostalgic games with friends!

Level One is pretty awesome. Let's face it: video games, friends + drinks = a great time...always. Tish has started up a Ladies Pinball Tournament here on Wednesdays and I'm SO grateful! I've met so many nice gals. It's like the Sex in the City girl nights I've always wanted except with cooler chicks, games, beer and better outfits. It's definitely a place you should check out. With downtown being the same-ole, same-ole (to me anyway), it's fun to check out other necks of the woods. read more

A really fun place to go and enjoy 1980's video games. It was fun reliving the 80 games, ms pac man, donkey kong, centipede - (my fav) - Q-bert, asteroids, galaga and tons more. They have a fantastic happy hour.,too. Tons of free games with the purchase of a drink. The drinks also have game names. They don't serve food but you can bring your own food or order pizza. Perfect location while waiting for a movie to start. It's a very busy place but the service is still amazing. Plenty of parking, too. Absolutely love this place! read more

Staff is very friendly. Not very busy at all and drinks are reasonably priced. They have a good selection of IPAS, domestic, imports & mixed drinks! 10/10 would recommend. First drink I got was a Bud Light which is not on the menu, I also noticed they served other mixed drinks which aren't on the menu so feel free to ask for something else. You do have to pay for games which I thought was odd considering the other arcade bars I've been to the games are all free, but considering the nice staff, fairly priced drinks and the lack of people there I understand. (-1 Star only because the games are paid for) read more

Fun place! As long as you're buying drinks, all the video games are FREE. They don't have a kitchen but are perfectly ok with you bringing outside food in or having it delivered. SO many retro video games it's like a stroll down memory lane! There are some really great pinball machines, but if you're a baller, bring quarters, because it's 50¢ per game. read more

Great selection of arcade games. Excellent craft beer list and cocktails that are inspired by classic arcade games. Pinball is pay to play but reasonable overall. Worth a visit for the nostalgia alone! read more

Came in on a Friday night, they had some one carding at the door but he didn't charge us anything to get in. Apparently they only charge a door fee on Saturdays. There's a fair amount of seating and the bar is a pretty good size. The drinks are really good, but slightly over priced for the size. I got the frogger, looks like Mountain Dew and is seriously fruity and delicious. The games are pretty good, I'm not really a connoisseur of games, I'm a girl who button mashes. But I never had to wait for a game if I didn't want to, there was always a machine open somewhere. And there weren't lines for the popular games either. The bar is spacious enough where people weren't bumping into you trying to get by. For that reason, this is my favorite arcade bar in the area. Next time I'm going to be sure to bring a few quarters for pin ball. I didn't notice any method of them checking that only people who are drinking could play the games for free, there aren't any tokens or wrist bands or anything. So a spacious bar with good drinks and lots of video games- this is my new favorite spot! I'll definitely be back! read more

Pretty fun place. Lots of interesting, classic games and only about 10-15% were out of order for our visit. The air-conditioning may have been broken or they were just using an open front door to cool the place, but it was pretty warm on our visit. No service, just walk to the bar and grab a drink. The expectation is that you will be standing and playing a game, otherwise you'll be sitting on barstools without backs. Nice for a short visit or as the last place on your stop. The part that makes it hard to stay longer is having no food around. read more