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San Diego, CA

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The Grab Lab

5.0 (22 reviews)

The Grab Lab Photos

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Nathalie G.

The Grab Lab is the ultimate playground for your inner kid (or adult, no judgment). It's like a mad scientist's lab, they're cooking up a perfect storm of claw machines, anime manga, and video games. The anime section? Totally on point. It's like stepping into a world of Death Note and Jujutsu Kaisen collaboration. If they have Solo Leveling...It's game over! ARISE! The black walls give the place a sleek, modern vibe, so even the most "mature" will feel right at home while grabbing prizes and reliving their childhood memories. Even if you're chasing after the perfect plushie or just vibing with the video games, The Grab Lab is where nostalgia and fun collide. 10/10 would grab again

View from the parking lot.
Jason C.

Great claw arcade - right on the beach! They even offer validated parking. It's a fun atmosphere with a selection of retail offerings, video games and of course plushies and Labubus! Most of their claws are 2 token per play (the smaller keychain machines are 1). We had a lot of fun and were thoroughly entertained trying to collect the Wizard of Oz plushies. All in all, we won't 9 plushies which was enough to trade in for a Big Into Energy Labubu. Make sure to check out their Groupon offerings also - we forgot to do that this visit out of excitement hahaha We'll definitely visit again from OC.

Some of the loot that was won
Shanna C.

BEST BIRTHDAY PARTY EVER; my daughter and I both agree!! This place is so awesome!! The kids had SO much fun, won TONS of loot (including legit Labubus, other hot POP MART items & such, high-quality stuffies, etc) and I appreciated filling the free machine full of goodies, & making the kids work for them, lol! Jason And Lisa were so kind to me and so, so sweet to the kids; I couldn't have asked for a better party venue!! It was super fun and super easy! Parents - I highly recommend!!!

A little stuffy play fighting. The owner encouraged the kids to have fun. Even busted out a beach ball.
Maghen T.

Frank and Liz were so accommodating, friendly, and fun! They were attentive to the kids and even took time to play with them. Tables and table covers provided. Claw machines challenging but everyone went away with plenty of stuffies! Definitely recommend reserving this spot for parties. The least stressful I've ever been in an arcade.

Chris W.

This place is a blast and brings back nostalgic childhood memories. The staff is incredibly friendly and always ready to help. It has a relaxed atmosphere with cozy seating for reading. A great spot to visit with a friend, partner, or date for a fun time!

One of two walls of claw machines

I visited The Grab Lab today with my family and we loved it! The employees were really friendly and the space is beautiful. All four of us won cute plushies and had a great time.

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1 year ago

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2 years ago

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Frank S.

Thank you for your kind review and support at our Grand Opening!

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2 years ago

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Frank S.

Thank you for the kind review! We are so glad you got so many grabs!

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1 year ago

Believe me or don't believe me but I personally think this is the best claw machine arcade in San Diego. Owner is super friendly to everyone

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2 years ago

Very nice staff and good machines! I won a lot of machines and they kept giving me help if it was stuck! 10/10 recommend!!

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2 years ago

Very fun arcade with a great vibe and super cute prizes to win! The staff was very helpful and I was definitely be coming back!

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Frank S.

Thank you for your kind review! Hope to see you back soon!

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2 years ago

Love this place! Cant wait to be back with my other nerdy friends! Love the upgrade system!

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Frank S.

Thank you for your kind review and support at our Grand Opening!

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Lazerblast Arcade

Lazerblast Arcade

3.9(43 reviews)
1.4 mi

My wife and I were in Mission Beach and we had $20 to use at the arcade, being that it is mostly…read moreticket games that we don't play, we decided to go to the photo booth with Marvel characters. We got it and it takes three pictures of you and we decided on an Avengers one. The picture turned out great, but when we printed it out, there was this big white vertical line down the right side. We brought it up to the lady behind the counter and she said she would get the IT guy. We waited about 5 minutes for someone to finally come around and he goes "It always does that" We expected a refund or something, but nothing. For $5 a picture, what a rip off. If it doesn't work "All the time" how about fixing it and putting an "Out of order" sign on it, so you don't waste $5 on a picture you can't use? Terrible customer service.

Horrible service, ok games. I took my kids here recently to play some games and bought a card…read morewhich you can use to play the games. When the card gets low, you can refill it. I used the card on one of the games but the game was not responding. I tried again and still no response. I decide to go to the counter to see if someone could either take a look at the game or if i could get the credits back. I get to the counter and see 3 or 4 workers just standing there talking, no one acknowledges me. I look around some more and see one worker on the far left helping some customers and another worker on the far right helping some other people. Ok, I'm assuming there's two lines and the 3 or 4 other employees are just taking a break or something. Not a big deal, so i get in the line to the far right. There is one person currently being helped, two teens and then me. The employee finishes with the first customer and then helps the two teens. He finishes with them and when he gets to me he just turns and walks away. He does not say a word, just turns and walks away. A simple "I'll be back in a minute" or even just putting your hand up and saying "gimme a sec" would be totally fine. Instead, no communication, just walks away. I told the group of 3 or 4 people just standing there that I needed assistance and one of them went to refill my card. As i was waiting the guy who was serving the line on the far left came over and asked if I needed help. He was really friendly (he looked Asian or Mexican). Anyways, he's the only reason I'm giving that place two stars instead of one.

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Lazerblast Arcade
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Punch Bowl Social

Punch Bowl Social

3.9(1.3k reviews)
8.0 mi•East Village
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Happy hour specials
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My husband and I have always wanted to checkout this spot. As soon as we arrived, we had some…read moretrouble trying to find parking, however we were lucky to find a street parking spot on Island ave. As soon as we entered Punch Bowl Social, we felt transported. The ambiance was welcoming and full of energy. They had arcade games, bowling and food. We got an arcade card and started with the arcade. They had a variety of games from air hockey, basketball throwing etc. Everything was super fun! They also had darts, jenga and some board games. There is something for everybody. They also have food and drinks. We got some beers and a loaded veg nachos. The nachos came out pretty quickly. The portion size was good. It was topped with a variety of items - beans, cauliflower, jalapeno, cream cheese and more. We loved the flavor and crunchiness. We also tried bowling and it was super fun! All in all, we had a great time. This is a great social arena to catch up with friends and have a good time!

Great family-friendly spot with tons of fun activities to keep everyone entertained! The menu has a…read morefantastic variety of options, and we were really impressed on our first visit with our son. However, the kitchen needs to step up the seasoning. Both my chicken and waffles and my wife's tacos looked amazing, but they were completely bland. Add a little "love" and flavor to the food, and this place would be absolute perfection!

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Punch Bowl Social
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Coin Haus - Coin Haus Located in the Village of La Mesa

Coin Haus

4.2(646 reviews)
13.9 mi
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Such a unique spot where you can play games for free all day on Sunday! Combine that with their…read morehappy hour and you're in for a good time. They have classic arcade games here like Frogger Pong, Super Mario and pinball. There are a few newer games like a version of beer pong, Halo, Mario Kart and 4-person Pacman. We played every game within an hour and felt a bit bored after that. I'd love to see a Dance Dance Revolution game here! The plethora of beers, hard seltzers and ciders on tap looked like an expansive collection. There was something here for everyone. They even had a chocolate espresso martini on tap. I didn't drink but those in my party enjoyed every sip and got a good buzz goin. I love that you can pay for your drink by the ounce and you don't really have to commit to a whole drink if you don't want to. Perfect to taste test everything if that's what you desire. I'll be back in the area when I'm feelin in a fun and drinky mood.

Coin Haus is such a fun concept. They always have something going on, whether it's weekly specials,…read moretrivia nights, or other events that give you a reason to come back. It was a little smaller than I expected, but it's still easy to spend an hour or two here with friends. They also serve food, which I'll have to come back and try another time. Instead of ordering drinks at the bar, you start a tab by leaving your credit card with the cashier. They give you a tap card that lets you pour your own drinks. You can sample just a little or fill up a whole glass. It's completely up to you. They have everything from beer and wine to a few craft cocktails on tap. If you want to try something different, you can swap out your glass and keep exploring. The same tap card also activates all of the arcade games, which I thought was a really cool touch. It makes everything feel connected instead of having to carry around a bunch of tokens or cash. When I visited, they were hosting trivia night. It definitely brought in a crowd. Most of the tables were full, so walking around got a little tight because the space isn't very big. Even so, the atmosphere was lively. It felt like everyone was having a good time. I ended up trying the Cranberry Mule, which I really enjoyed. It was nice being able to pour just the amount I wanted instead of committing to a full drink. Overall, I had a really fun time here. It's a unique spot that gives you something a little different from your typical bar. Once you're ready to leave, you just close out your tab and head home. I'd definitely come back with a group of friends.

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Coin Haus - Coin Haus located in La Mesa

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Coin Haus - Self-serve taps

Self-serve taps

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Round1 Bowling & Arcade - National City

Round1 Bowling & Arcade - National City

2.8(241 reviews)
14.4 mi
•$$
Kid friendly
Large group friendly

me and my friends love going all the time and yesterday me and my boyfriend went and the girl who…read moreassisted us her name was Marley she was the sweetest girl ever she helped us to get a party room and also helped us getting our drinks literally she gave us a 10/10 service

My kids like watching a YouTuber called Minori and among other things she very often frequents…read morecrane game arcades in Japan so they wanted to find one here. Round1 is a Japanese chain that has really taken off here in the US. We love manga and anime so checking it out felt like a must. We were blown away by the size and number of machines. The staff was friendly and we had a great time. Since then we checked out one other location that is about equal distance north from us in Mission Viejo. When we went on Sep 15 for my daughter's 9th birthday (we let her skip school) this was our 3rd time at R1 and 2nd time at this location and there was an employee who went above and beyond to seal the deal as this being our favorite location, his name was Nick. He was beyond kind to our family and happily repositioned a couple plushies that got stuck in corners and let our 6 year old exchange a frog plush that had a snag in the fur. My kids kept pointing him out and waving whenever they saw him. Super nice! my daughter also asked Mr Nick if he could put some colors of these little cat plushies down from the display part of a chibi machine bc she wanted an orange and gray to match her irl kitties and he did it, no problem. This made our birthday girl very happy and she squealed after eventually managing to get them both and said they were her favorite prizes of the day--and yes I know that the staff will reposition if you ask but Nick was just so nice about it and didn't make us feel in any way that we were annoying him. We also had fun watching him fixing a machine, something my kids and I just found interesting and were so impressed at how good he was at picking up the prizes. We have eaten ramen and takoyaki all over San Diego and LA and I will say that Round 1's ramen and takoyaki far exceeded my expectations at least for what and where it is The only downside about the day was that probably 10-15 of their crane machines were out of order. Overall we had a great couple hours and I even overcame my anxiety and tried my hand at a couple skill and big claw games (I think they're called big Gemini) which I had previously been too scared to try! My kids were very pleased with their haul, sleeping with all their new plushies. Also, immediately before falling asleep, my 6 year old muttered, "That Mr. Nick sure was nice". Like, how freakin cute is that?!

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Round1 Bowling & Arcade - National City - Clean good fun

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Brewski's Bar & Arcade

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Brewski's was always this great, inexpensive dive bar with old arcade games to amuse and entertain…read morethe masses. A group of friends and I ventured in, one Saturday night in June for a few drinks and some good clean fun. We were all shocked to find the parking lot packed! We all kind of agreed that it had been at least four years since any of us had been to the venue. Brewski's got a makeover! More games. Refillable "token" cards. Loads of tables and chairs and a large patio. The bar was redone as well and took up the main long wall of the bar. It is now a cool arcade bar. The bartenders were quick and efficient. They made really good cocktails and even suggested a few. Loved the token cards. They were easy to fill and even worked on the jukebox so that's where all of my money went. I love jukeboxes!!! There were several large parties in the bar when we arrived but it was still easy to get around and find something to play. We had a great time and already made plans to go back for another group outing. Brewski's, you've outdone yourself!

A group of us came here to watch the World Cup games, and we ended up visiting three times -- twice…read morefor the U.S. matches and once for the final. Third time's a charm because we absolutely loved this place! Everyone here was so welcoming, and the beer and food were fantastic. We had an amazing time watching the games. The atmosphere was electric, especially during the first U.S. match. When the U.S. scored, the entire place erupted with chants of "USA! USA!" It was such an incredible feeling and made the experience unforgettable. The nacho portion was enormous! One of the ladies in our group loved it so much that she ordered it twice. The serving was so generous that it could easily feed three people. I tried the chicken sandwich during one visit and the fish and chips during the final game. Both were delicious and did not disappoint. Everything we ordered was tasty and made our World Cup experience even better.

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Brewski's Bar & Arcade - Pinball machines

Pinball machines

Brewski's Bar & Arcade
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The Grab Lab - arcades - Updated October 2026

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