I haven't been to Nickel City since the remodel, so I was curious to see what it looked like…read more The gentleman behind the desk was as kind as I remembered, and let me know what the options to put on the game cards were. He even let me turn in all of my "vintage" coupons that I had stashed away in the car--there was about 2,500 worth and he added them to my card, no questions asked! The space is very open and more quiet than other arcades. We were there on a Saturday night from about 6p-9:45p. $25/per person went a pretty long way! We played air hockey, the Simpsons, discovered some cool import games, tried our luck at the egg game, etc. I believe most of our party of 4 has credits left over. They still have the gear game that I remembered, the game where you have to drop the red balls into the buckets, etc., but I was pleasantly surprised to see they had a cool, new Hot Wheels puck game, a huge Monopoly spinner, and the Rick and Morty drop game that entertained me for the majority of my time there. I have a hard time parting with my tickets (clearly, based on the stash in my car), but the "store" had a wide variety of items and fair prices. We ate dinner before heading over so I cannot speak on the cafe nor did I use the bathroom myself. There are not as many games as other arcades, but it is a very nice place to spend some time!

This place sure has been cleaned up! It's been a while since I've been to Nickel City, so I'm not…read moresure when they renovated, but it's great now! The place seems to have more emphasis on carnival-type games where you get tickets as a result of playing them, such as skee-ball, basketball, ball bucket drop, etc. They do still have the nickel arcades, but definitely it is the minority. They also reconfigured the layout, and it feels more spacious and less clutter. All, surprisingly, all games were working and there was not a single out-of-order sign when I went. Sadly, there is no more free arcade section, except for a Tetris arcade near the basketball machine. While the arcades do take the good ol' fashioned Jefferson, all other games require a game card. Load up the game card at two different kiosk, one near the counter selling overpriced prizes, or one in the back near the bathrooms. Overall experience, I like it! With just spending $11, my teenager was able to entertain himself for close to 2-hrs. That's a great price for me. This cheap parent will come back. BATHROOM REVIEW: Located near the back, the bathrooms are the only thing that appears to not be renovated. Everything was in working order, and got the job done. Don't forget to wash your hands, because we all know you'll be touching everything afterwards. Sit or squat? Squat.

I like this place so much it has something for everyone and also has deals for different days of…read morethe week. Food and drinks/bar are great except the crispy sandwich not so good. Pizza is good and toasty! My 8 year old kid likes going here to play the arcade and machine slots it's kid friendly, but after a certain timing no kids allowed. They have a parking lot which is a plus as well. The staff are great. I will continue visiting this place.

this place is very family, friendly, has video games for pretty much all ages, a really nice area…read morereserved for private bookings, and also caters to the adults with two bars. There's Apple space to move around and very bright and lightly. The food choices are pizza, chicken tenders, cheeseburger, sliders, fries, cookies, and drinks. The service is bar none where they're so helpful and inviting.

Visited for lunch today. Very large and nice Dave and Busters location. Lunch was good - nothing…read morespectacular but nothing wrong either. Chicken sandwich meal with game card and burger with fries with game card. Server was very nice and there were many seating locations within the facility! Games all seemed to be operational which is good! Had a great time on our visit.

The host put us at the wrong table and the bar manager and waitress in a very accusing and…read moreaggressive tone asked us to get out of that table area. We also received very poor service throughout the dining experience, and the food was average at best.  The bar manager woman was rude to me after I voiced my complaint and took zero responsibility.

I was here for a private event and everything went well. This location offers numerous activities:…read morewhirly ball, laser tag, and bowling. There are multiple floors - each including a full bar. The food here was OK. Our group was provided a taco bar and cookies for dessert. The tortillas were not great, the texture was off. Everything was served buffet style which led to hot items being cold. Unfortunately the cookies were rock hard. Could break a tooth rock hard. Overall this is a great place for activities. It's nice that they offer food and drinks, but I wouldn't come here hungry.

We hosted a large kids laser tag party here and unfortunately had a very disappointing experience…read more Most of the laser tag vests were not functioning properly, and kids constantly had to come in and out of the game because their equipment stopped working mid-play. They really should not be hosting laser tag parties larger than 5 people with the current equipment situation. We were told they had 18 vests available, but only about 6-8 were actually working consistently at any given time. To their credit, they did extend the play time to try to accommodate the equipment issues. However, it didn't really solve the problem when so many kids still had long wait times and didn't get to participate fully. The staff member managing the event was defensive when concerns were raised and explained they were "in a transition stage" and expecting new equipment in July. She stated she was frustrated too, but we were the ones paying for a service/event that was not functioning as promised. I would not recommend this venue for a laser tag party until the equipment issues are fully resolved.

For purely mini golf and old school style of date, this was a good time! My wife and I went on a…read moreMonday and it was still fairly busy. Make sure to have cash! They have multiple ATMs on location but also there is a Bank of America in Skokie/Lincolnwood and also a Chase across the street if you use those banks. Anyway, a lot of awesome obstacles and even if they've been opened for decades some of the decor is updated! Make sure to press the yellow foot pedals for really cool mechanical additions to the hole you're at. Although it is about $14 per person after 12 pm, I can see why! A huge location, cool mechanical additions, lights at night, arcade, and batting cages too. So a lot that goes to cost but still memorable. Make sure to support local businesses!

Other customers can seriously ruin your experience. Please teach your children rules of the course…read moreand we all can try to enjoy it.

What a fun place to be in!! So many new game machines and activities and every time we come in,…read morethere is something new. Over the years, this place has kept on investing on more items more exciting things while utilizing the space so cleverly. I think the owners are very intelligent people, they do disinfect this place pretty often as they say, and keep bathroom and floor clean too. The only downside would be the prizes, but other than that, it is awesome.

I would give this place zero stars if I could. The worst birthday party experience ever! Avoid at…read moreall costs. They (conveniently) never got back to me before the party to answer basic questions about their packages, confirm details about the food, etc. This is all part of their plan - to be as shady and ambiguous as possible about the party packages. It's a true bait-and-switch scam. They position the arcade package as "unlimited." Buyer beware - there are only like 4 games that are unlimited, all of the other games require an upgrade, which was super frustrating for the kids (and for us). Because their game cards only lasted about 5 minutes, we had to add laser tag to our party package to avoid having the kids just running around aimlessly. Turns out, only about 1/2 of the kids were able to participate because of their shoes. The party planner didn't help us whatsoever with serving the pizza, cupcakes, or cleanup. And then had the nerve to charge a mandatory "service fee" (tip) of over $100. It was a MISERABLE party experience from start-to-finish....and it cost us over $700! Do yourself a favor and avoid this place at all costs!

Excellent location for a Birthday Party any age & any size group!…read moreVery Economical & fun for all ages!

Love this place good for family and friends good food good games great parking great Priceread more

I would love to see the electric bill - I can only imagine what it must be for the largest arcade…read morein the world with over 850 playable arcade cabinets. Speaking of, how wonderful is it that this place exists? Far too many modern places are drink-focused enough that games have cup-holders, the games themselves have giant, modern LCD screens with the brightness and color turned way up, and all this for about $1.50-$2.00 a game that lasts a minute, 90 seconds at best, and does not require much skill (with alcohol, I suppose they want something winnable even while a little inebriated). This is to say nothing of the games where the goal is to win tickets to exchange for prizes - don't get me started on the shenanigans at play. Galloping Ghost has arcade games where a simple joystick and a couple buttons is all you need. There are some older shoot the screen games, and other retro games as well. Let's say that none have a modern, flat-screen, and all are old enough to use CRT (Tube) Screens. Given their age, the games are kept in very good shape! I also love that Galloping Ghost is about the love of the games, and not about the love of liquor with games being an excuse to drink. There are bottled sodas available for sale, but not cup-holders, alcohol, or food. Even gum is forbidden. This also has the effect of being a community icon! When I visited, there was a gathering of furries (not something I engage in, but power to you!) I haven't even gotten to the best part: $25 for all day, all-you-can-play access. Open from 11am to midnight (or 2am Friday & Saturday night). The ticket allows you access throughout the day, so you can come and go as you please. Better still, an extra $5 gets you access to all-you-can-play pinball a couple blocks down the street. Also a good selection of fun machines somewhere between retro and modern Stern. Final verdict: While Chicagoland has some arcades with free-play, and some even don't require an entrance fee, these, despite a modest selection revolve around booze. Galloping Ghost is a dying breed that exists to test your skills, maybe set a record if you're that good, and hang out. All this, for a very reasonable entrance fee.

I love video games. Always have. When I found out that the largest arcade in America was near…read moreChicago, I had to stop. Here is what I liked and didn't like about this place. Liked - Over 900+ games. I mean, just by sheer numbers, that is impressive as hell! Every game you can think of, and then some. So many games I had never heard of before. - Unlimited play with entry. - Its like an interactive video game museum, pretty much. Didn't Like - $25.00 to get in. Wish they had a "by the hour" type pricing. I was there for about 3 hours, and I probably just broke even, money wise, on the games I actually played. - Almost TOO MANY games if there is a such a thing. I spent half my time walking around looking at the different games instead of just sitting down playing them. - Hot inside. Little bit stuffy in there, and it wasn't even that crowded. Couldn't imagine if the place was packed during the Summer months. - Some broken/unplayable games. Most of them I tried worked, but there were a few where the controller was jacked, or certain buttons didn't respond/work well. Would I come back? Yeah, maybe. I'm glad I got to see it, and was impressed by the sheer number of games they have. I just didn't have as much "fun" as I thought I would for the $25.00 entry fee.

Great experience perfect food great assortment of games I like taking my kids here frequently we…read morewill be back

We stopped in for a drink after Topgolf and I have to say the service was excellent--very attentive…read moreand welcoming throughout our visit. The drinks, however, were a bit underwhelming compared to other locations I've visited. Not bad, but not quite on the same level as I've experienced elsewhere. I do really like the layout of the space--having two floors with one large bar and a smaller, more low-key bar area is a great concept. It gives you the option to choose between a lively atmosphere or something a bit more relaxed depending on the vibe you're looking for.

Kids love this place , arcade / go carts / batting cages / 2 mini golf courses / mini boat rides…read more Food is basic fast food , but quality was good. Fresh and service was great. Overall great place to take the kids !

Great to kill a couple hours. Fun Mini-golf courses, and the go-karts were fun for the kids…read more Cramped arcade room