It's so fun everytime we come here; one thing I can't thank the company enough is that the money on the card doesn't expire. We are only in town once a year and never get through the money we put on the card and come back the next year and it's still there!! The service can be a bit more friendlier but is what it is read more

Drinks where fun for the atmosphere. The service was fast. More of an arcade than a bar. This would be a perfect place for a date night. read more

The Operating Room - One game you can play is beer pong! - Arcades Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

This is aa typical stop when we make it to WDM and love that they seem to have a regular rotation of new pinball machines to check out. Especially love the machines based on bands/musicians! They have a limited menu of bar food that always smells good. And they have a variety of specialty cocktails and shots, if that's your jam. I get the rising prices but it still hurts to pay $6 for a Busch light tall boy. read more

The Operating Room - Elton John pinball and Toy Story 4 pinball machines - Arcades Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

Such a great adult arcade!!! We arrived sometime after 10P on a Saturday. Had to show ID to enter. Fantastic bartenders!!! They were the best in Des Moines! Many drinks were of the Slushy Kind and had their own cocktail names. Full bar service. Super fun games! Buy a game card to play. Food & Pizza is available until about 9 or 10PM. Can't wait to return! read more

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This place is it. I love the whole theme of this place. During the day it's family friendly and we take the kids to play on the arcade machines. At night is date night and fun for the adults. I enjoy coming I. And having a drink or two. They offer unique brews that's local to the area as well. Staff is also very friendly and funny. read more

Not the best. Price point for both games and drinks are higher than average, even in larger more expensive markets. I saw an unattended purse and pointed it out to the bartender. Played the balance on my card and was about to leave when I noticed the purse was still where I originally saw it. Asked the bartender if anyone claimed the purse and they bolted to go grab it. Expensive drinks and games, inattentive staff = go somewhere else. read more

The service was amazing, the staff was so helpful and insightful. One bartender with blonde and brown hair that looked like it was dyed was so helpful in recommending drinks and was very kind when he was telling us about the games. He took the time to talk to me about our shared interests. Over all a great night read more

This place gives Chuck E Cheese a run for it's money! Located in West Des Moines, this pit stop has fun arcade games. The energy is extremely high with two big rooms to venture in. We walked in and there were kids running around everywhere, parents sipping on beers, and some teenagers huddled in groups. We went straight for the giant connect four hoops. This seemed to be the most popular game here because we waited for 45 minutes for it. Stand your ground. Some kids cut in front of us a few times. If you are good at basketball or not good at basketball, this twist on connect four is fun and competitive. We also played skee ball, teenage mutant ninja turtles four player, an interactive snowboard game, and a four person first person shooter game. Games are played by buying a card and putting money on it. Each game is worth a certain amount of points. Earn enough points and you could win a prize at the end of your visit. We won this test tube that makes instant snow. A lot of quirky items. Some very expensive items, as well. We just ordered the cocktail slushies. The root beer flavor was creamy and strong. It was a nice cold treat to go along with some fun games. Not sure if there was food; we didn't look. Staff was nice and kindly answered any questions. Will return when back in Des Moines!!! read more

The Operating Room - Connect Four Hoops game! - Arcades Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

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I swear I wrote a review, but this has been sitting in my drafts so I am not sure what happened. I got to check out the Operating Room at a Yelp party. This place lights up and fills a young heart with excitement. The options of games is pretty incredible. There are so many options. I enjoyed getting to try and few. The people were really kind and happy to serve. I do have to say your pockets will have to be a little deeper here than other local game places. There is a whole wall of pinball, and a bar with fun exciting flavored drinks to try. I enjoy the 4 player pac-man and some of the shooting games. If you are on this side of town I would suggest giving it a try, along with a few drinks. I know I have a more detailed review on the Yelp event. read more

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Great atmosphere ! Cool drinm menu & games for everyone! This was our second visit and enjoyed it very much!

Really enjoy coming here with friends. Their bar is well stocked and it's fun to be able to grab a creative cocktail while playing newer games with nostalgic themes. I also appreciate that it's usually clean and service is always quick at the bar. read more

Expensive and somehow limited in its number and style of arcade games, the Operating Room is worth one trip but not more. The signature slushy drinks are expensive, sugary, and very light on alcohol. Selection of beers is limited and, again, expensive. The place is actually three rooms wide, but some of the games are so large it actually seems like a smaller place. Many of the games are high-tech but they are so expensive and difficult they'll make you wish this was a classic arcade from back in the age of quarters. read more

This is really cool arcade bar in West Des Moines. Lots of pinball machines as well as a variety of other games to play. The card system is nice so you don't have to handle coins, but the number of credits each game uses is kind of confusing. It's still a really great place to hang out and game with something for almost anyone. read more

This is a fun place to hang out. Great variety of drinks. And food was better than expected. Worth a night out.

So much fun! So clean, best games of any arcade in Iowa. What a great ideal to have this theme, you have to see it to believe it. It was designed by a surgeon and the artwork was all done by local Doctors. The slushees are surprisingly delicious. They will give you a sample before you choose. My favorite is the Orange Genius or the Dr Netter. The beer choices are complex thoughtful and currents I counted 19 pinball machines which is unbelievable. Most arcades never have enough pinball. There is also all of the latest and greatest arcade games mixed with the old school. Finally Des Moines has an upscale arcade!!! read more

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We went to Operating Room on a whim last Sunday afternoon. We had our 9 year old son with us so we were hoping it wouldn't be too much of a "bar" atmosphere during the day. We were most impressed with the selection of games, lots of pinball machines and a good variety of other games. Loved the giant Galahad/Pac Man game, but at a $1 per game, wasn't worth more than a single try. Decor is very cleverly themed, it's really clean, and good selections of drinks. It was perfectly appropriate for our son to be there during the day and there were a few other kids there too. My only con is that the games are expensive, many $1 per play. I'd love to see them do some sort of hourly charge to play unlimited games or something like that. Fun place though and I hope it does well! read more

The Operating Room - Arcades Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

Where else can you feel like it is the 80s again without hopping into your TARDIS? Right here in The Operating Room. It is the 80s arcade place I wish existed back then. A place I could get Slushee drinks with a kick or Shark Bite. I love pinball games and this place has a whole lot to choose from. Star Trek. Iron Man. Star Wars, yes the annoying one with Jar Jar. Walking Dead and so many more to choose from. Then there are the classic video games from the 80s like Pac Man and Galaxia. And the new ones like The Walking Dead first person shooter. It is so much fun shooting zombies with a cross bow. Head shots are a lot harder than it looks. Or maybe it was hard because I was trying to finish the Orange Genius at the same time. Oh so yummy and a wonderful mixture of alcohol. This is a great place to have fun. Try some great drinks. Talk to friends. And just relax while blowing away zombie heads. read more

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Playing the games here is a little pricey for what's available. Over 1/3 of the games are pinball machines. Decided not to try any of the drinks as they looked small for what you'd pay for them. Good place to stop and play if you've got kids or want a little more entertainment when you're in West Glen. Venue was pretty small and with the more people coming in, it got pretty crowded. The health related pictures on the wall were interesting to see and look at read more

Very cool place to visit. They have lots of adult games that are a blast to bring a friend or a dozen friends too. They have some really cool adult slushies' on hand. I tried one called shark bite and I really liked it. Lots of cool décor around the place and its easy to find. Great quality games to play and it was very clean which I liked. read more

The Operating Room - Arcades Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

Pinball Lover's dream! I LOVED LOVED LOVED This PlaceI So many Pinball machines!!!! I could have stayed here for hours. All machines I played were in good working order. I was really impressed with how new the machines were - Walking Dead, Star Wars, Wizard of Oz, etc. Played a little skee ball and enjoyed the skill shots - Couldn't hit 80K, but fun trying. OK - Now the Air Hockey game is SUPER fun. Surprise in the game makes it unlike any other Air Hockey game I've ever played before. Clean place - nice bar - life size DeadPool statue for selfies! Giant classic games - small place, but loads of fun! Great location next to both wine and beer spots! read more

The Operating Room - Deadpool!!!! Great arcade! - Arcades Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

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This place is great!!! My favorite part is they allow you bring in food from any where, so you can bring in food to enjoy while you play games. I love the variety of games, and floor isn't always sticky like other places so that is a plus. I love the shots and slushie flights, always amazing. I love they change up or add flavor but still keep the most popular ones on hand. Also the mixed drinks here are bomb.com as well. read more

I went there and took my nine-year-old son and his friend. Is a very nice place and very clean. We loved the decor. They had a blast! A couple of downfalls would be that the games at least a dollar to play. That includes the pinball and the older arcade games. Also we had no idea how this place worked or where to get our cards to play and there's nobody really readily available to help you or tell you what to do. There were two bartenders behind the bar who were not busy and we're not real quick to come wait on me. We spent about an hour there. I did see that they had specials for happy hour and I believe that they had a limited menu. read more

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My inner medical/science nerd is happy and so is my inner video game nerd!!! This is such a fun place!! I love the whole medical vibe from the x-rays on the walls to the operating room light above the bar to the awesome heart rate monitor light that goes around the top of the seating area!! There are so many pinball machines! I'm almost every genre and also some old school gaming systems! And the giant pacman is so cool! It's literally a whole wall!! The alcoholic slushees are amazing!! I had the butter beer and the small was really enough for me because they are pretty strong!!! Staff is super nice and their awesome doctor coat T-shirts really got with the vibe. I wasn't sure that medical plus arcade would work but it really does!! The prices are reasonable too, most games are only .50. Got my reloadable game card and will be back soon!!! read more

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If you are looking for something different to do.....the Operating Room is the perfect place to go. I felt like a kid again. Lots of pinball machines and video games.....and skeeball.....so fun...it was interesting mix of age groups. Everyone seemed to take turns at the games. They have a fully stocked bar. Slushy drinks and the shots are served in syringes. They do serve food as well...I did not have an opportunity to see or try any of the food. read more

The Operating Room - Arcades Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

Fun place. I took the kids during the daytime on a day there was hardly anyone else there, so it was nice and not crowded. We didn't get any food or drinks. Games were fun and the kids had a blast. read more

Family fun! We just had the best time with my three boys here! Great selection of games especially of the pinball variety. Just missing buck hunter. They had my favorites skeeball, clown game and a 4-person Pac-Man. $3.50 wells on Wednesday. Boys enjoyed collecting their loot from the prize machine too. Can't wait to comeback! read more

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Came here for a Yelp event and decided to review because I had a great time! I've only been to Updown in terms of barcades and was impressed by this space. The selling point from driving by this place previously is seeing the large Space Invaders game from outside. Very smart advertising. Hence the name of the barcade, the theme with the artwork and wall decor is medical so you'll see lots of scientific and medical diagrams/wording in a very fun way. Very creative. Updown is known for having retro games and being a bit more divey. This place does have some retro games in the back and hosts an impressive selection of Pinball, but it's nice that there are newer modern games that are impressive. Luigi's mansion, Walking Dead, Mario Kart, Air Hockey, Time Crisis 5 , Basketball are a few I can think of that I was impressed with. Retro games are fun and nostalgic but it's nice to have updated games as well. The bar is really fun. There are several specialty slushies and you can even order a slushie flight (it's cheaper on Mondays for half off around $7 to $8) I tried the Shark Bite and Butter Beer ones. The location is nice being close to the West Glen bars and Hurts Donuts. Parking isn't too bad if you can find one out in front. Loved the Shark Bite! Staff is very hospitable. Overall, I recommend the Operating room! read more

The staff was friendly and accommodating. The slushees were delish, it's kid friendly and the games were fun (I preferred pinball and skee ball!) We will be back! Only missing one star as I couldn't find an empty table or a place to set my coat while we were there. read more

The Operating Room - Like pinball? Pinball for days. And the slushees....soooo good, give me another Ectoplasm - Arcades Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

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The Operating Room is a blast! If you are into pinball, you need to check this spot out. They have a different game for everyone including my favorites: Wizard of Oz and Iron Maiden! The games are modern and anatomical/medical decor really helps put a unique spin on the regular ol' arcade bar atmosphere. And guess what! They have slushies! read more

Went to this place the first time last weekend and thought it was great for the most part, here's just some Pros and Cons of my thoughts. In summary, although Up/Down downtown may have more game options, The Operating Room's venue is much nicer. Pros: -Clean: This place is above average clean for a bar on overall had that "new" feel, Extremly impressive compared to the stick floors of Up/Down downtown. -Games: good selection of games, really liked the air hockey and the Pac man table -Crowd: i went on a Friday night and it was a pretty light crowd which was absolutely incredible compared to other not being able to walk at all in up/down. Also meant no wait for games. -Staff: Bar tenders were awesome and had great customer service. Hard to find these days. Cons: -Price: this is where Up/down has them beat and made me give them a 4 star rating. These guys are a little too pricey on their games and drinks. I guess this steers it away from being a "college bar" being in wdm but idk. They need a Thursday night 10 tockens for a dollar deal like Up/down does. Overall it was fun but a little pricey! read more

Fun place with lots of games from new to classics. Pinball, arcade, skeeball, and more. Specialty drinks are nice. Tried the Sharkbite and liked it. Fun times for sure. Clean and cool decor. Will be back! Nice selection of beers as well. Reloadable cards to play games. Cool music selection playing overhead. Enjoy!!!! read more

The Operating Room - Arcades Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

When you first walk in, it may look random, but keep looking. Look up, between machines, on top! There's so many bits and pieces all over the place that looking around can be just as much fun as playing games. The game selection is pretty great, and the food (which comes from a separate restaurant) and drinks are delicious. This is absolutely a great place to spend time, and since kids are allowed during the day/early evening, families can enjoy it here, too!! read more

Love this place, lots of games to choose from, however the food they get from next door is a bit greasy, and its upsetting that you don't get anything for playing the games. I'd think that the games would give you tickets that you could use towards stuff like $ off drinks or a free game or merchandise. But there is no real incentive for the games. I will go back again but its something to be aware of if you go. read more

The Operating Room - Arcades Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

Fantastic selection of pinball machines, some cool arcade/shooters, and even skeeball. Drinks are a little pricey, but they taste excellent and are kitschy fun. Wnt on a Thursday night, so it wasn't crowded and service was very good. Also a very good location, close to some good restaurants and easy to get to. Definitely recommend if you want to have some game fun, but don't want to go downtown to Up Down. read more

The Operating Room - A portion of their pinball machines, loved Star Wars and Ghostbusters - Arcades Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

Small ! Good variety of games for the space! Love the old school Mario and pinball machines. Great skee ball and Mario kart. It is crazy crowded on a Saturday evening. I wish they had a ticket system for prizes in place. Good value for the money overall. read more

Very interesting concept. The bar was bright and full of life. The video games were fun. They also have several slushies if you are into them. I tried one but it just had too much booze in it for me. I would not let that stop you from trying one as I don't like to taste booze. The only observation I made while I was there was I started to get nauseous with all the flashing lights and noise... they do have a warning for people who have epilepsy too. It is possibly better for a younger crowd... Glad we tried and it is worth a trip, for sure! read more

I've been here for only about an hour and have been transported back to my childhood, in a non adolescent environment. Chuck E Cheese for the +21 crowd. Great drinks (have to try a slushy!), bartenders with awesome people skills and a great selection of games. I'll definitely be back. read more

The Operating Room - Great vibe and style at the bar - Arcades Near Me - West Des Moines, Iowa

I never knew this place existed until now!! Thanks to another awesome Yelp Event I discovered another amazing place to hang out! They have all kinds of games for everyone to enjoy, from the classic skeeball to 4 player pac-man! Usually with gaming places I end up downtown, but I have to say this will definitely be a place I will be going to more than downtown. Their space is so nicely laid out and very clean! Definitely not the feeling of a dark crowded bar. Plenty of seating to relax and talk to your friends if you didn't want to play games either. But if you did want to play games, they all have drink holders!!! They have the most awesome drinks! They make different types of shots (Craft Cocktail Slushies) and decorate it with cute little gummy candy! It's soooooooo GOOD!!! You have to try all the flavors...it's a MUST! If you're hungry they can also order food next door for you to eat! At our event they catered in pizza and it was delish! The owner of this establishment was so nice and his servers were spot on with the drinks! If you want to rent out the facility for events or have a small party there, they also have some great deals! Next time I have an event for friends or work, I am going to bring everyone here! Thank you so much Patrick for another amazing event!!!! read more

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The Operating Room just opened today, and I had to check it out! It is located in West Glen near the Hurt's Donut shop. Because we went around 3:00 we parked right in front, but I imagine it would be harder to find parking later at night. There were about 10-15 people there when we went in. The games are all against the wall so it is easy to move around. There was no drink menu posted on the wall behind the bar, but they had little paper menus with their drinks. Their specialty drinks are slushee based. They also offer the basic beer selection. Prices seemed a little high for their specialty drinks ($8-$16). We did not drink this time because we couldn't stay for long, but we will be back for sure. We asked the girl behind the bar if they had any opening day or Happy Hour specials and she did not know but said she didn't think so. As we were looking around at the many pinball machines and games, a really friendly guy came up and let us know how the games worked and the app they use to pay for games. He gave us two beanbag toss games on his card. I think he was either the owner or manager, but he was super nice and personable. We played a few games and had to leave, but we will definitely be back. As we were leaving the guy thanked us for coming in and they had a greeter at the door who did the same. I look forward to going back to The Operating Room and see how business is once they get going more. read more

I didn't think much about the bar name when we got here. I was thinking operating like operating machinery... machinery that's like arcade machinery. Come to find out no, it's far more thoughtful and detailed than that. The establishment is owned by a hand surgeon and the artwork on the walls was done by doctors, there are brains floating in cylinders, the lights above the bar are operating lights, the staff outfits are Dr/body themed and there is a life/heart line going around the top perimeter of the bar. The level of detail & creativity in the decor is second to none. You may be wondering why come here.. why not just go to Up Down. The vibe is different and this place is way cleaner, the women's restroom is way bigger AND they have boozie slushies. The slushies I tried were the orange dreamsicle, naughty & nice, Butter Rum, and the one with whiskey in it. The seasonal one, Naughty & Nice tastes like Christmas. Really stuck the landing on that one. This would be a really fun place to have a birthday party, bachelor/bachelorette party, work party, etc. read more

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