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Press Start

4.0 (36 reviews)
InexpensiveArcades, Pizza, Beer Bar
Closed Closed
Updated 3 months ago

Press Start Photos

Business Info

PRESS START ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Outdoor seating
Good for groups
Good for kids

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Reviews With Photos

The Doctor
William N.

The pizza was disappointing. I'm not sure what 'coal' fired is but it does not taste like wood fired. The place was a mad house. Very busy. Expect to wait a bit for your food. The retro arcade was great. Games range from a quarter to a dollar, most being fifty cents. The Doctor Who machine ate my money but every other game was fine.

Inside
Venecia R.

This place is cool. We are from out of town and our cousins recommended this place as we have two kids. It was a busy wait to get seated for 6. About 30 mins, while we waited we played a few games. I think this place has a higher charge for games compared to Pizza Ranch. It cost like .50¢ to play any game and barely got any tickets. We spend about $60 and barely got like 200 tickets. I dunno, I feel like it's a high cost! I was pleasantly surprised with the food. I didn't know what to expect from an arcade restaurant but the pizza and the kids nuggets and fries were so bomb. Even my pineapple mule! The server was very patient with our kids and we felt very taken care of despite all the loudness and so much stuff going on in there.

Supreme pizza
Scott P.

They changed the menu since I was there last. Now it's mainly pizzas and fried foods, with no sandwiches or burgers. I was disappointed in that. I ordered the chicken wings. However, I wouldn't call them wings, but rather chicken drummies, as they were breaded and fried instead. The retro games are cool, but they are ordinal, and the screens on some games are at least 40 years old, and hard to see the games. Next time I'd skip the food.

Menu
Henry G.

Visiting town for a family event, my girlfriend saw an ad for Press Start in a booklet of local things to do from the airport. We decided to eat here. Please, do yourself a favor, and sit at the bar if you actually want service. We sat at a table, and our server, while nice, was the worst. We ordered a couple of cocktails, which took 10 minutes to come out (the bartender eventually brought them out himself, because he didn't want them just sitting around). I enjoyed the Bahama Yo Mama, and the Sugar Rush. Koopa's Kokomelon was OK, but had some unpleasant floral after taste. I also had the peanut butter and jelly shot, and that was surprisingly good. Back to the food though. We ordered the Philly cheese steak, and the chili dog. The food also took forever to come out, probably 15+ minutes. My girlfriend said she saw the Philly sitting on the kitchen counter for 10 minutes, before the chili dog made its appearance. How a Philly cheese steak is finished before a chili dog, is beyond me, but if that's really the case, the kitchen staff needs to communicate with each other, so food comes out at the same time. When someone from the kitchen finally brought our meals out (not our waitress, again...), the chili dog was pretty good. My girlfriend said it was probably the best chili dog she's ever had. The Philly cheese steak and waffle fries, were not satisfying at all. The 10 minute heat lamp bath ruined them; the steak was dry and tough, like beef jerky. Although disappointed, I would still eat here again, but I would definitely sit at the bar, because I watched the bartender going above and beyond for multiple customers, to make up for the poor waitress. We really came here for the games. The main level, is all kids games, that spit out tickets to earn prizes. The basement, AKA the Retro Dungeon, is where they keep all the good stuff. There are probably a dozen pinball machines, 10 shooting games, a few arcade beat 'em ups (including The Simpsons), fighting games (Street Fighter, Soul Calibur), and multiple classics like Pac Man and Dig Dug. I really enjoyed the dark, dingy, atmosphere downstairs; it reminded me of arcades I went to as a kid. There's a bar downstairs too, so feel free to get your drink on, but don't expect the fancy cocktails you get upstairs; the downstairs bartender was reluctant to make me one, because he lacks real fruit juice they have upstairs. This is where I had that delicious PBJ shot instead. Unfortunately, due to the age of the machines, some of them are in disrepair. The Star Wars game was probably the worst; the screen has the Star Wars logo burnt in at this point, and the flight stick was not the most accurate. Hopefully, they reinvest money into their machines, and get them properly refurbished. The Simpsons game was probably the funnest to play, with my non gamer girlfriend. I had forgotten how awesome it is. Overall, I'd definitely visit again. If I eat here, I'd sit at the bar with the stellar service. I know I'd definitely down a few more tasty shots and cocktails. I'd go back downstairs to arcade nirvana, but temper my expectations just a little bit, because some of the machines are older than me.

Hehee uncle iroh
The M.

Definitely a very sweet place to go if ya like arcade games although warned some systems are a lil wonky (guitar hero). I don't really got anything to say on the drinks cuz I still got a year till I can sip that potion upstairs lol. Staff there are chill so that's always a plus I play guitar hero a bunch there so if ya see "Vora" in the leaderboards come test ya mettle in some songs I'd love to face off against ya sometime

Zelda's Potion. But the pouring of the color changing drink is the real magic!

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2 months ago

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11 months ago

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1 year ago

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10 months ago

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2 years ago

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3 years ago

Super fun retro arcade in the basement makes for a great way to spend a rainy afternoon or evening.

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3 years ago

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1 year ago

I LOVED THE PLACE, the pizza was good, the games were good, and the employees were very nice, I love this place, and I hope others to

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

Amazing games, the food was great the best fries i ever had 10/10 recommend, the service good

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5 years ago

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3 years ago

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2 years ago

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4 years ago

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4 years ago

Decent food here, some fun arcade games. Kids had a blast. Didn't try downstairs area at all.

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4 years ago

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7 years ago

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4 years ago

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5 years ago

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9 years ago

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4 years ago

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6 years ago

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10 years ago

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5 years ago

We were pleasantly surprised to stumble upon this place. We didn't eat anything, but the games were fun.

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5 years ago

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7 years ago

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8 years ago

Family oriented during the days and a party at night!! Affordable drinks and awesome staff. Definitely recommend this place!

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8 years ago

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10 years ago

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Review Highlights - Press Start

They even have a full bar for those old enough to drink and have some amazing offers on some great tasting pizza.

Mentioned in 5 reviews

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Independent Ale House

Independent Ale House

(555 reviews)

$$

tl;dr the food menu is equal parts fun and flavorful, while the extensive draught list will appeal…read moreto weekend warriors and beer snobs alike Across my National Parks travels, I've found bars and breweries to be the safest of bets for reasonable dining in the middle of nowhere. In Rapid City, one of the most popular spots is Independent Ale House in the quaint downtown area. This taproom boasts an extensive list of local and international brews, paired with a cheeky lineup of slightly elevated pub fare. Independent doesn't particularly pop against the well-manicured brick buildings downtown, but it's one of the few spots with steady foot traffic. Warm accent lights dimly light the interior. The exposed-brick walls are decorated with an eclectic assortment of brewery-branded neon signs and antique tchotchkes. Wooden tables flank both sides of the entrance ramp, while upholstered booths are hidden in the back. A human-height blackboard above the bar is chalked with countless color-coded rows of available beers. Contemporary music is drowned out by chatter. My group visited on a weekend for an early dinner, and we had no trouble securing a booth. For brews, I loved my Lost Cabin Lord Grizzly Scotch ale, while my partner enjoyed her Cohort Cranberry Hibiscus mead. Beyond the drinks, I was pleasantly surprised by the pizzas. The oval-shaped pies were about the size of a menu. The thin, chewy crust was more akin to flatbread, but it never felt cheap or fast-food-y. The toppings were pressed close to the edges, and each pie was cut into 8 two-bite slices. Our consensus favorite was the recommended Bob's Popper pizza, a bacon-ranch pie that added a few unorthodox ingredients: cream cheese and raspberry preserves. Put simply, the components just worked. The 3 Little Pigs pizza was no slouch either. The rich combination of meats infused a flavorful savoriness but never felt overwhelmingly greasy. The Dub's Thai pizza combined an ambitious array of ingredients (from peanut sauce to sliced coconut), with an overarching flavor of the cinnamon- and cumin/forward garam masala spice blend. The resulting pie was more fun than forgettable, even if I would try another variety over this one next time. House hot sauces and other dips on the side infused new flavors into any untopped crusts. Beyond pizza, the special Sweet & Salty High Salad (topped with pretzels and popcorn for texture) was an inoffensively playful take on a spinach-and-goat cheese salad. The service was efficient, if not somewhat absentminded -- our server didn't bring water until after food was served, and she nearly forgot one of our items. The pizza was a tad expensive (at $15 for some varieties), but Independent otherwise delivered my most enjoyable and well-rounded meal across the Dakotas.

I really liked the selection of beers on tap. It's got a flatbread type of pizza and the toppings…read moreare inventive. We tried the ham, pickle and cream cheese. Wowza- it was an awesome combo! Bring your ID- they card even if you look 80.

Firehouse Brewing Company - Beyond Veggie Burger with mashed potatoes

Firehouse Brewing Company

(1.3k reviews)

$$

Food, atmosphere, beer, all amazing!! Love, Love, LOVE, this restaurant!!!…read more From New Jersey, and can't wait to come back to South Dakota, just to eat at firehouse brewing Company. Thank you!!! Sue Schu

The good news? They are open longer hours than many of their downtown Rapid City peers. The bad…read morenews? The food is pretty mediocre and they are understaffed. We arrived around 7:30. (Hey, Yelp! This part of SD is in MST, not Central!!!) The hostess said we could site outside by the fireplace but that there was only one waitress for that area. Sadly, the other restaurants in the area were either full or closed on that Wednesday, so we took our chances. Service was slow. The waitress was very nice but overwhelmed. They have a kids menu, which is nice. They have a decent beer list. Lots of local options. I had an okay sour beer from the Sturgis area. The kids loved being able to have frozen mocktails. I tried their reuben. They claimed it's Rapid City's best, but if that's it's best, don't order a reuben in Rapid City. It wasn't awful, but it wasn't great. Just bland. Not enough sauerkraut. The thousand island dressing (served on the side by default) was pretty good but salty. I had a side of broccoli, which I thought was a nice option, but it was bitter and undercooked. My husband had the pork schnitzel meal, which he thought was okay. He liked being able to order mashed potatoes as an option. Thankfully, we sat by the TV, and there was a dog show going on. Seeing all those exotic purebred dogs kept my family distracted while we waited for the food.

The Social House - Onion rings

The Social House

(16 reviews)

In a restaurant in Rapid City and asked the bartender for the WiFi password and he said you have to…read morebuy a beer. I told him I haven't had alcohol in 13 years. He said GOOD FOR YOU, but the password is youhavetobuyabeer all lowercase. We had a good laugh. Then he brought me a club soda. Terrific smash burger, great service, cool setting!

When it comes to restaurants in Rapid City, I keep the bar low. Almost ALL of them are…read moreover-priced food straight from the food distributor, so very low quality but with a high price tag. In fact, we ended up here by accident since the place we originally wanted to check out was apparently closed on Mondays. When the "Cheeseballs" came, more like large cheese dice, and I had my first bite, well, let my pictures say all that's needed. It was TERRIFIC. I don't know what they're doing to the batter, but it was lovely, and the cheese? I have no idea what kind it was, but it was amazing. In fact, because the cheese cubes were so good, I even got a smash burger. The bun was a potato bun, very much appreciated, and the meat had the perfect Maillard Reaction, crispy, wonderfulness. I just HOPE that they can keep the quality level HIGH, as Rapid City restaurants seem to go out of business pretty fast. If you're the owner reading this, please, please, please keep the quality high. If you're a customer, it might help if you go in middle of the afternoon. We were the only customers there, so I think we got the cream of the crop experience. When they're slammed, maybe it is a different story.

Press Start - arcades - Updated May 2026

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