Round1 at Danbury Fair Mall is a large entertainment center that combines bowling, arcade games, karaoke, billiards, and a wide selection of Japanese rhythm games under one roof. It is an easy place to spend a few hours with friends, and the spacious layout offers something for just about everyone. While I still enjoy visiting, I noticed that one part of the arcade has changed significantly compared to previous visits. The biggest disappointment was the claw machine section. Many of the machines now seem to rely heavily on payout settings rather than consistent claw strength, making it feel like luck and persistence matter more than skill. I also noticed that a number of the prizes have shifted toward lower-value items like packaged snacks and small novelty prizes instead of the plushes and collectibles that originally drew me to play. Because of that, I found myself spending less time on the crane games than I used to. The rest of the arcade remains the strongest part of the experience. There is still an excellent selection of video games, including Japanese rhythm games, racing games, and other arcade classics that are difficult to find elsewhere. Bowling, billiards, and karaoke also provide plenty of entertainment, making it easy to spend an entire afternoon or evening here without relying on the prize machines. The facility itself is clean, well maintained, and large enough that it rarely feels cramped, even when it gets busy. Staff kept the space organized throughout my visit, and everything outside of the claw machine area felt like it was running smoothly. Overall, Round1 at Danbury Fair Mall is still a fun destination for arcade games, bowling, and group outings. While I no longer recommend it as strongly for claw machine enthusiasts, it remains a great place to enjoy the wide variety of games and activities the venue has to offer. read more

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Games were fun but the bar had the slowest service I've ever seen. In general they seem totally understaffed for a rainy Saturday.

This place is ideal for a date or a good time out. The arcade was so much fun, lots to do and with really cool new games. I went on a rainy Saturday and it wasn't too crowded. I would definitely go to check out the arcade! The little food area was so dirty. There was no organization and tables were left with all types of trash. There is a kiosk where you order your food if you don't want to wait in line to order and you can pick it up from the front. There was no paper to get a ticket for the food. When we went to pick up our food, we waited for almost an hour to get our food. People who were there after us were getting their food so I went to ask what was going on and literally 5 mins later we got our food. It wasn't great. The fries were good. The chicken fingers and the mozzarella sticks tasted plain and unseasoned. There is also alcohol served with one drink per ID. I will be coming back since the arcade was really fun but not for the food. read more

Round1 Bowling & Arcade - Danbury - Chicken fingers, fries and mozzarella sticks - Arcades Near Me - Danbury, Connecticut

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Great place for entertainment and experience. Great and chill staff that are operating the business providing great hospitality and customer service. My favorite part is the bowling lanes and the arcade that has a modern and nostalgic atmosphere. Overall I really enjoyed this place and hoping to return again for a road trip. Clean place and was very space with not many people. So it was comfortable and felt great not having to always watch behind and dodge through people in traffic. The food is served up to fresh and fast. read more

The service was great. cheap prices for bowling ! there was 8 of us! The drinks were cheap as well, $4 for a moscow mule ! The vibes were chill I would be back. read more

Round1 Bowling & Arcade - Danbury - lanes 11 & 12 - Arcades Near Me - Danbury, Connecticut

Don't go here to play pool. I saw people getting bowling shoes while we were in line, and the shoes looked like new, so that set my expectations before I saw the four pool tables, which are in absolutely horrible condition. Instead of choosing from a rack of sticks they hand you one per person. I got a 20 ounce stick that seemed like it had been worked over with a hammer. One piece of cheap chalk that was worn almost through. And the table felt had holes in it and was about as smooth as asphalt. Bowling and arcade games may be fine, but do not go here for pool. read more

Overall, I really enjoyed this Round One. Out of the two I've been to in New England, this is the better one. They had a lot more claw machines than the one in Holyoke MA, and the prices are cheaper as well. The money I budgeted for the arcade lasted me several hours, versus barely an hour at the one in MA. I'm a 30 year old woman with no children, and I was able to have a blast as an arcade lover. Just a reminder: Round ones don't have bags to give out, so you have to bring your own if you don't want to keep hauling the prizes you win back to your vehicle every so often like me As for the ambiance, my biggest complaint is that the music is INSANELY loud, even for a round one and I couldn't really get used to how loud it was the entire time I was there. I was here on both a Saturday and Sunday and it was very busy all day Saturday, with a LOT of screaming toddlers and small children running around all throughout Saturday with no concept of boundaries or special awareness yet. Sunday morning was dead until around 1:00pm, so that was much more fun for me personally. If you're not a family, I recommend a Sunday morning. There are a lot of fun arcade games, and a lot of claw/crane games. Personally, I'm a big crane game lover which is why this is generally my favorite arcade chain in the US. The prizes weren't too varied (a lot of Rilakumas, characters from the BTS line, some Hello Kitty plush, and a few other small plush from the same few lines. Not even any varied Sanrio characters which you usually see. I'll have to come back in a few months and see how regularly the prizes are switched out. Most crane games were the standard claw, with only like two being the one with the hook and ring type, and a few where you have to get the box to drop by pushing it over the bars, and only one or two where you have to drop a ping pong ball into a tray and see if it goes inside of a marked spot. I did feel like one worker kept walking towards me to see if I was stealing in the prize section when I went to see what they offered for ticket prizes, which didn't feel great. But I am again, a 30 year old woman with no child, who was carrying a bunch of plushies I won from the crane games on a Sunday morning, staring at what I could get with my tickets. so maybe I looked suspicious, I don't know! read more

This place is nothing short of fantastic. After years of dealing with a lack of a true, fun social hangout for teens and young adults in the area, this place's opening more than filled that void. First off, this arcade has the best rhythm game selection that I have ever seen. There are a crazy amount of options like DDR to several Rock Band and Guitar Hero-style games that were imported from Japan. Everyone there was balling out on these machines, including myself. And we all had such a good time. The redemption games are good too (albeit overpriced), but the prizes do make up for it. In terms of security, the place is very well organized and monitored to make sure that everyone is safe. This is a must visit if you find yourself in the area, and I hope that it continues to thrive. read more

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My friends and I love this place. This is one of the most exciting arcades we've ever been to. What makes this arcade unique is the fact that it doesn't have any of the classics that everyone has already played before. No Street Fighter 2, no Donkey Kong, etc (not that there's anything wrong with the classics). This arcade has games that can't be emulated or played on a console; a lot of these games are Japanese exclusives as well. If you're a fan of dancing games, they have those in spades. They also have a backlit bowling alley, pool tables and rooms for private parties. The arcade portion of the establishment gets a 5 easily. Come here and have fun!! With that said, the meal I got from the built-in food court gets a 3. It's decent enough, but it didn't wow me like I thought it would. I got a little bit of everything. The gyoza was pretty good but the dipping sauce that came with it tasted weird and fishy, so I ate it without the sauce. I've never had takoyaki before; it was delicious but there wasn't much octopus meat in each ball, plus the meat was too chewy. The bun was filled with "vegan pork" made out of tofu. It was pretty bland unfortunately. Strangely enough, the best thing I ate there was the normal chicken sandwich. Chicken patty was crispy and juicy, the veggies and bun were fresh and I asked for a side of Kewpie mayo which went perfectly with it. So all things considered, this place gets a 4. Even if you don't care for their food, it's a fantastic place to play some amazing games. read more

I visited this location on a Saturday night with friends to bowl. We were added to the waiting list by the manager, received a confirmation text, and were told we'd be notified when a lane opened up. About 45 minutes later, we noticed several open lanes and went to check in. That's when we were told we weren't on the list -- even though we showed the staff the confirmation text. The response was, "I don't know what you want me to do." When the manager arrived (a brunette woman who originally added us), she confirmed she had put us on the list but offered no solution. Instead of apologizing or offering to make it right, she asked, "Well, what do you want me to do? Do you still want to bowl?" As we calmly expressed our frustration, she called over a security guard -- even though no one was being disruptive. We decided to stay for the sake of the guest of honor, but the manager continued to hover near our lane until we finished, which felt unnecessary and uncomfortable. The staff seemed inexperienced, the manager was unprofessional, and the customer service was poor from start to finish. I won't be returning. read more

It was hot, crispy and yummy. It's tools about 15 mins waiting for the Takoyaki. I believe because there is other people was waiting on line. read more

Round1 Bowling & Arcade - Danbury - Takoyaki. It was hot, crispy and yummy. - Arcades Near Me - Danbury, Connecticut

Service is the worst!!! I ordered ice cream and they walked away for like 10 minutes! And they didn't wash there scoopers all my ice cream tasted like different flavors!!! And there throwing food!! There kitchen is dirty and I no longer want to come here and I will be telling people not too either. read more

Manager was 50 minutes late so they couldn't open. Couldn't figure out how to give me the VIP lane I requested so wasted time trying to get that sorted. Just an awful experience overall. On that note, the lane can either have graphics (VIP) or not. If your lane is VIP and the ones next to aren't then it's too bright to see the graphics on the lane. Waste of money overall. read more

The arcade and winning prizes from the claw machines are a lot of fun! The bowling and pool area are clean and easy to reserve. The place overall is clean, easy to find your way around, and a lot of things to do. However, some of the staff look like they don't want to be there. Especially in the food section; they don't seem or do prioritize customer service a lot of the time - they served my friend a raw burger and got annoyed when asked to make it again and get a refund. I really hope they work on improving their service to deliver a better experience for everyone who comes in. This place is great to bring your family or friends and have a good time with flexible hours, but some employees should/can work on their customer service, attitude, and care. read more

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Had a horrible experience at round one... The manager, Selena (brunette, female), interrupted me and my family while using the bathroom, claiming that we were having sexual relations. We had just purchase cards for our family and another and were escorted out by an army of officers, all because of a misunderstanding. Super disappointing considering we are regulars at round one. She also harassed several of my family members who tried to defend my families actions. Hope she is let go soon. read more

We love it here, a great place for family time or a date night. The game and crane selection is great and the food is pretty good! The staff is very helpful and nice. Can't wait to try the karaoke room. read more

Food and service was great. Fun atmosphere for kids and adults. Full bar, prices are decent

Don't forget. Because their system is down, the customer is being penalized. You can't get the club membership. This being said, it costs an extra $2.00. This is just wrong! read more

Nice location. Large area for entertainment. Variety of games. And friendly staffs.

Terrible experience! i've been to this place multiple times (later in the night) Our family went in around 9:30pm and my small baby wanted to fall asleep but couldn't due to the noise which is okay so we took her outside to fall asleep. When i went back in they asked for me ID which i did not have on me. I explained to the security what happened and he let us in. Less than 10 minutes later we were approached by a security guard asking for our IDs again I wasn't directly approached it was two people with me who are black. He said the first man said we had our ID inside which was never said. He basically kicked us out (with children) If the ID policy is a real thing it should be advertised which it is not. Only part of my family was asked for ID which were people of color and not the other half. I decided to not let the kids suffer for the clear target they placed on us. I got my ID out of the locked car of my family member and brought my young nephew back in. I was then followed around by the same security and who I can assume is his manager. She approached me and again asked for my ID which i showed her and she didn't even look at it properly. They did not ask a single other person in my group for their ID which they claim they did. I understand doing your job but they took it too far. The ID policy past 10pm should be disclosed. I had a baby and two children with me I clearly wasn't drinking or sitting at the bar. They're rude and targeting certain people because they're bored. Weird place I'll never be back! Can't forget the money I spent because it's grossly overpriced and I was kicked out before I could use any money I put on it. WEIRDOS read more

If you're looking to entertain your children--The "Unlimited Play Card" for arcade games is a scam, don't waste your time looking at it. There are maybe 4-5 games where you can use the "unlimited" card. The aforementioned should be posted on a sign somewhere or maybe the people they pay to congregate behind the counter should provide that information for transparency and to promote a positive customer experience. The counter staff didn't seem surprised or really care at all about trying to resolve my issue with the unlimited cards I purchased 10 mins prior. I didn't want a refund-maybe credit applied for time remaining, Something--they had nothing. I solved my own problem and spent more money on some regular play cards with credits that truly worked on all of the arcade games. 15 mins into my experience $100 later. Round 1 has no stars for this review. After the kids were in business I found Halo Fireteam Raven, I had a blast with my solo choice for the next 45 mins of unlimited play. The unlimited card worked fine for that. If you're bringing younger kids DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME WITH THE "UNLIMITED PLAY CARD" read more

Fun place for family bowling was fun. Arcade was fun but bring about $200 + for the arcade. felt safe. The full Danberry mall is connected to it. I wouldn't leave my kids in here though and go shopping. I would stay with them. read more

we had an absolutely horrible experience with Fredrick,one of the so called managers.this trip was the first time at round 1 for both me and my husband as my husband wanted to treat me to what was supposed to be a fun date night out in a long time. we at first enjoying the bowling and then moved on to pool this is where a great experience turned into a shitty one .my husband paid at the counter but was never informed we were assigned a certain pool table so we went to the only one that was available after about 1/2 hour a young man comes by and tells us we need to move ,my husband asked why did we need to move ,the pool table he said we were to be on already had other people playing when we got there and we in middle of a game .after Fredrick came over aggressively getting in my husbands face tell him he had to move , my husband had to tell him several times to back up and explained that there was no one in the pool area to direct customers like us who where first timers and when we arrived there was already players on what they claim was our table yet Fredrick did not come rushing over to aggressively get in the other customers face to tell them to move .Fredrick was also missing in action when earlier in the evening there was a 6-7 year old boy sitting at the bar while his parent drank , yet the bartenders where checking I'd but somehow missed this 7 year at the bar in front their face. Fredrick is in need of either a change in career or extensive customer service training including how to not have minors sitting at a bar illegally .the only thing Fredrick excels at is ruing customers experiences and driving away potential customer, so while he still works there no I do not recommend round 1 , read more

Pretty shitty you have to be a certain age at a certain time. Went with my bf and his friends today at 11:45 and we are all 18 besides one (22) and we didn't know about the age limit and they wouldn't let us in. The security guards were pretty rude about it when we were confused. Then we called and asked why there's a restriction and the employee didn't even know. read more

Shady establishment. I went in today with my teenage kids. When we got to the mall at 11am we noticed an older man playing a racing game. He was in the middle of a game so we sat down so the three of us could race. We finished and went on to play other games. Shortly after the arcade had a power outage so we left and went shopping in the mall. After a bit we said let's go back and use the rest of our credits. When we walked in my daughter challenged me again. The same man was sitting there still playing three hours later. Regardless he was playing his own race so she and I sat down and began our own race. After we had raced a lap or two all of a sudden we were brought to the selection screen and were now joined my the man whose name is UMI. I know this because it appeared on our screen as he decided we were going to race him. I was with my kids so I didn't make a big deal out of it, but it was strange and not ok. We went to another game. When I saw an employee walk I told him about the situation. He said he would go speak to them at the front desk. I was then approached by an arrogant man who would not identify himself other than he was the assistant general manager. He had another person with him who I assume was security. I once again explained the situation and was then told by the assistant gm that what my daughter and i had just witnessed was impossible. I know what happened and my daughter confirms this. When they told me I was lying I said I will ask the man how he did it. I approached him and asked. He immediately showed me a special card with additional marking than the normal card. I left him alone and then was approached by the same "management team". They told me to leave immediately because I was harassing the man. Not true I simply asked how he did it and left him alone after he showed me how he did the impossible. I said I'm not leaving until I get my kids. They told me I needed to wait outside for my children who are minors with UMI still playing games close by. Needless to say I got my kids and left. I was later informed by security this was one of the owners. Either way that shouldn't give him the right to interject himself into our day. read more