Love this spot for many reasons, the classic and modern pinball machines, the rotating different games, the classic arcade style games like Galaga, the vegan menu options, the affordable food and drinks, the vibe it has in general. My wife and I enjoy date nights here as it's close to the jazz / live music spot that's right next door. They always have fun tunes playing if we step outside for some air. The bartenders are pleasant and the seating is first come but finding a spot is not that difficult most of the time. read more

The food was amazing. It was a fun place to hang out at the bar and I meant interesting people. Plus, the games are very interesting and they have the classics as well Pac-Man centipede and pinball. read more

Transmission Arcade - Main Street Special Fried tenders, poblano pimento cheese, Paul's lettuce, and smoked tomatoes on brioche. And the mac! So yummy! - Arcades Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

We heard they had great burgers here. After having the smash burger, I can confirm it was so good! The Mac & Cheese was good, but could have used some salt. The big cat bites were pretty good. The bar tender's were easy to order from and attentive for refills and getting our food. The vibe was good, there were lots of retro games, and good music. Would recommend for a great burger and a fun night with friends! read more

Transmission Arcade - Big Cat Rolls - Arcades Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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Yes, I finally made it to Transmission Arcade! I like the low key vibe and all of the nostalgia. Ordering takes place at the bar. This spot is family friendly until 8 pm which is when it is 18 and over. The smoked wings were on point, and they give you plenty. The fries were good as well. I love the hand cut style fries. Their ranch is delicious. The drinks are pretty standard. The tequila with the orange slice is great. The margarita was good. The bartender was pretty cool. I'm so glad I was finally able to make it in and can't wait to go back! read more

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Transmission definitely stole my heart. Small bar with plenty of pinball machines and some banging food! I'll start off by saying that I absolutely loved the customer service. It was my first visit and the bartender was great. We asked him what his favorite drink to make was and what were some of the go to items on the menu and they absolutely DELIVERED! The smash burgers were cooked and seasoned to perfection. The combination of cheeses worked really well and the addition of the smoked tomatoes definitely sent this burger over the top! The big cat rolls were solid but the star component of this dish was the abacus sauce. It was bright, spicy, and tangy. It complimented the collards in the roll perfectly. Lastly the atmosphere is super chill. They had plenty of pinball machines as well as a few classic arcade games to play. All in all I think I found my new chill spot for a great drink , great food and chill vibes. read more

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A cute and fun spot. This is a great place to go if you tend to get bored sitting around and drinking. You have a ton of games to choose from and the TV above the bar was playing Bob's Burgers, which is my favorite. I really wanted to play Pinball but didn't get a chance. Hopefully next time! I had the Bavarian pretzel and beer cheese. We also ordered some fries for the table. The pretzel was salted to perfection and the fries were perfectly crispy. Definitely a good spot for bar bites and stimulation. read more

Worth the trip! Will visit agn. Smoked Wings all Games are fun so many memories . No where else have I had this type of fun read more

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Really cool place! The beer and food were solid. The big guy behind the bar on 1/17 had to work to have that little personality and give off such a F-you attitude. Dude...why are you in the service industry with an attitude like that? read more

Go for the chicken and stay for the games seriously the food is good and the games are an added bonus!

If I had the option leave a negative star for this review, I would. To have a "bouncer" for an arcade is laughable. The place is a dump with no seating and minimal games. What little games they did have, majority were broken. One pinball machine ate my coins while others had handwritten signs that they weren't working. The staff was beyond rude and cursed at us. Would not suggest anyone go here and waste your money. There's definitely better places to visit in town. read more

Transmission is such a cool place! It's barely noticeable from the outside, but once I stepped inside, I was instantly amazed at how unique and colorful the inside was! The chicken tenders and fries were great, and the drinks were affordable as well. The bartenders were all really cool, and the clientele was very nice and welcoming! I didn't play any of the games this time, but everybody who was looked like they were having a great time! I would highly recommend Transmission, and I will certainly be back soon! read more

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Transmission Arcade is a nice little spot with fun arcade games and pretty good food! We go to play the game often but this time we got to try some of their famous smoked wings, which were delicious! That blue cheese dressing is also really good. We also had the cheesesteak which was just alright. It needed more seasoning and flavor. Staff were nice and helpful and made a delish Long Island ice tea and margarita! Looking forward to retuning! read more

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Fun place to visit on our college tour with my son. The best chicken wings I might have ever had! Man, this place knows how to make sauces! Best honey mustard, ever. I didn't have high hopes for the french fries, but let me tell you... They were good! Fried foods are not my jam, but man, did I enjoy this place. Worth it! read more

Great atmosphere. I heard about this place a while back and have been wait to finally get here. Classic arcade games at their finest, all the way down to a pinball machine eating my token...haha. Being here brings back a lot of exciting memories. The best part was bringing my girls here and seeing them immediately take it. The food was great as well. We got the wings, which were even better than I expected. The Super Smash Burger really hit the spot. The patties were well seasoned and the bun was perfectly toasted. I'll be back around here real soon. read more

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Amazing food and diversity of games... also good for those who are vegetarian or vegan! Great beer selection read more

This arcade bar has a lot of old pinball games, retro games like pacman, marvel v capcom, skeball, and more. Games vary between 1-3 tokens (25c per token). A chill vibe with food and drinks. I just opted for a beer and it came with a dollar worth of tokens as well. Staff was very friendly. Overall I had a good time here and would come back again! read more

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This place has the old arcade games I remember playing in my grandma basement!! It's so much fun. When you walk in you have a few tables and bar stools. The bar stayed busy the entire time I was there. Before all 8 all ages can enjoy. Once 8pm hits, it's for adults only. I went around 6pm, i saw only 3-4 kids. We did not order any food or drinks, we were there for the games. The bartenders were very busy but they made a point to speak and service the next person. I really enjoyed the games. Be sure to bring cash, the arcade games takes tokens. $1 = 4 tokens, the games takes 2 or 4 tokens, depends on what you play. This is a great date night spot. Brings out the kid in you!! I will return in a couple weeks to give a food review read more

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My husband and I went last night and it was totally a vibe!! The smoked wings that alone deserves the 5 stars, but it was a cool place to play some vintage games!! We went before 8pm so there were little ones there (which we didn't mind) but we next time we will try it after 8pm! read more

Transmission Arcade - The arcade area - Arcades Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

The food was amazing. We had the smoked wings and friend okra. The place is a bit loud, but that is expected given that it is an arcade. I felt welcome to hang out while my kids took advantage of the arcade games. read more

Great cocktails, great beer selection, great food. Highly recommend for a date night!

It's not everyday you find a Bar, Arcade, and delicious restaurant all in one. Nestled right across from the county court house, Transmission provides a one of a kind environment with great food and drafts. Opens most days around 4, with brunch served on the weekends. The Bahn mi Wrap is my go too, and will never serve you wrong, especially when ordered with the five spice pork. The wrap has a unique flavor and comes served with pea pate as well as your other standard pickled vegetables. While it was not served with a side, it definitely was worth its $13 price tag. We also ordered a small side of housemade Mac n Cheese and for $2.00 more we also added bacon. The bacon was DELICIOUS although sparse. Mac n Cheese was creamy yet not saturated in cheese sauce and carried a lovely Smokey hue. Staff is always friendly and well versed in the menu and bar offerings. read more

Transmission Arcade - Bahn Mi with Five Spice Pork. Small Side of Mac n' Cheese with housemade bacon. - Arcades Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Great bar, grade arcade.... But the food is standout! Seriously the bahn mi fries are outstanding, the chicken fingers are some of the best in town. The staff is super friendly and attentive. Seriously, give it a try, even if you think it sounds dorky. You'll be glad you did! read more

I want to like it here more than I do. Many of the games I tried to play with my husband or son had a malfunctioning 2nd player option or it was taped off. One of the skee ball machines never worked. If you're looking for grungy, the atmosphere is for you. The bathroom I used was a mess. It felt much more like a seedy dive bar than a family arcade. The younger kids that were there were running amok. I assume their parents were at the bar or a table drinking because there was no supervision as they cut in line. I don't know if there are other arcades in Columbia but Aiken and Augusta have WAY nicer options!! read more

Transmission Arcade - Marvel vs Capcom - Arcades Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Pretty cool place but bar service was EXTREMELY slow on the evening we went. Bartenders didn't seem to notice (or care about) people standing at the bar trying to get a drink and had no sense of ugency. read more

Pretty much any game a millennial would ever want to play in an arcade. Beer and food is good too.

We were in Columbia because we attended a wedding on Saturday. As avid pinball players, we saw that there was a tournament being held at Transmission Arcade on Sunday. Instead of leaving early to head back to Florida, we decided to stick around and compete in the tournament. We arrived around 12:30pm and they were serving from the brunch menu. My son and I got the egg & cheese biscuit and my husband got the biscuits & gravy. The food was delicious, but there was a mishap with my order. We brought it to the attention of Charlie, and he apologized, asking that I let him know if I wanted to order anything else. We stuck around for the tournament. The machines played well overall. There were some machines we don't get to play very often, which was a treat. Everyone was very friendly, and we had a great time. Around 7pm, my son and I were discussing getting something to eat, Charlie approached us and let us know that it was the end of his shift. He thanked us for coming in and apologized again for the mishap. I told him that it was ok and that I appreciated his efforts. He told us he asked the staff to take care of us. Not really understanding at that time what that meant, we ordered from the main menu for dinner. My son got the chicken wings and my husband and I got the Smashburger with fries. We also ordered the Big Cat Rolls. The food was AMAZING. When we went to pay our tab, I then realized just how above and beyond this establishment goes with service recovery. I told the bartender that there must be some error. She told me that they take great pride in their food and that it was only right. I paid the bill and left a hefty tip. I find it refreshing that an establishment truly cares about the customer and appreciates the business. I am very impressed with this establishment, and I can now understand why the place was packed the entire time we were there. I recommend Transmission Arcade 100%. We will definitely be returning the next time we visit Columbia. read more

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Cool dive bar with excellent food and a really nice variety of beers and cocktails. Old school arcade games in the back and Smurfs playing on VHS on one of the tvs behind the bar. Would totally go back. read more

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This was my first time trying this place and ever hearing of it and I go down on Main Street to try different restaurants often. The place is not big and only has a few tables maybe no more than seven and it has seating at the bar. there is an arcade where you can play different games while you either wait for your food or just to have fun. It was packed when we got there and we got there 10:30pm. Luckily we were able to grab a table as soon as we came in. You order your food at the bar and then try to find seating which I thought wasn't very thought out because there's no way to save your table essentially, if you get up to go order food or drinks. I ordered the dry rub chicken wings, which came highly recommended by my friend and you pick one of six sauces and I chose the ranch which was so dag on good. I promise you this ranch is second after Wingstop Ranch. I also ordered some fries which were really good and my friend ordered the wings as well and the big cat roll which had macaroni and cheese, collard greens and pulled pork on the inside with a really nice drizzled barbecue sauce on top. The egg rolls were a nice size. I ordered a lemon drop, which was good and my friend got a Hennessy margarita which was also good. Our food didn't take long to come out at all and they bring it to your table directly because when you order you get a numbered placeholder. My only plight is that there's not a lot of tables for you to sit and they're very close together, and there was only one gentleman taking actual food orders at the bar, even though there were three workers behind the bar, which I didn't understand. so he was making drinks and taking food orders, which I thought was a lot to put on him, but also it created a long time for people to wait in line to order food. You also have to remember that people were sitting at the bar, so my suggestion would be that they come up with a system to better fix that or have any worker behind the bar able to take food orders as well and not just one person. Overalloverall was great. Had a great time and the food was delicious. My wings were hot and seasoned. The fries were good. The drinks were good. It was great. I will definitely be back and they serve brunch as well so me and my friend had decided that we're going to go back and try their brunch. Ya'll should definitely give this place a try and I definitely recommend for your first time ordering the dry rub wings with the ranch it was bomb the fried and the egg rolls extra bbq sauce!!! read more

We went for brunch on a cold and rainy Sunday. My only wish was that they had hot coffee. I would gladly have added some liquor to it!

Great bar great food great people. I would recommend this bar to anyone who's in town visiting or lives here read more

Decided to go to transmissions after a blunt show and I was super excited because I've been awaiting the trip. The inside was decent pretty cool little spot with vintage video games. The drinks are pretty straightforward and the food was awesome. It's located off of Main Street and the staff was pretty welcoming. And the only reason I'm giving this three stars versus four it's because bathrooms are very important to me and the bathroom smelled a funky toilet water which is very unappealing and could have been a little cleaner. read more

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I had fantastic chicken fingers and potato salad here! The chicken wings are also fantastic!! The space is very fun and whimsical. And the bartenders were so friendly and super helpful. read more

I read a review on this site about transmission which I thought was false. They have a foodie's kind of menu and not a typical bar menu. I'm not sure what that person is used to having at a bar, but in Columbia this placce rules. I like the vibe of the place and this is where my gang meets at least twice a month. We only meet twice a month after work. read more

Definitely in my top places to visit and hangout in Columbia. Fantastic food for an arcade bar, and the cocktails and beer selection is great too! I have nothing negative to say. read more

Transmission Arcade - Arcades Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Hands down the.... BEST SMOKED WINGS! Absolutely, loved these wings. Smoked dry rub with you choice of sauce. Fries were hand cut and cooked perfectly. Ordered a side of Mac n cheese. Didn't care for the Gouda cheese but not the worst. Great spot for drinks and some delicious food. Highly recommended this place and trying the best smoke wings! read more

Transmission Arcade - Smoked Wings - Arcades Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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The menu at transmission arcade wasn't bad, it was mostly bar type food. I got the smoke chicken wings which we're very good, but as I was eating I noticed that there was still leftover chicken feathers on multiple pieces of my chicken. This was very disgusting and unsatisfactory for me as the customer, it showed the chicken wasn't clean enough for the feathers to be taken off it. They offered trivia night on Tuesday night which was awesome to watch. The environment was very chill, and in the back they had all the games. I would have wanted to give the restaurant greater stars but the chicken wing made me up easy. They do check your ID before you get in. read more

Transmission Arcade - Smoked chicken wings with ranch - Arcades Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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I love this place! I bike here. I walk here with the dogs. I bring friends! The burgers rock and the wings are even better! I haven't figured out the arcade yet, but I love OG Mortal Kombat and Tappers! read more

It's such a fun low key location with a lot of fun games! They had some interesting indie arcade games, and all of the classics we grew up with. I just wished there was DDR... Drinks were what we needed, and the bar food was very heavy in a good way. We had the loaded fries and the 10 piece wings and they really delivered. read more

Transmission Arcade - Arcades Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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Went last Friday with family and had a great time! The food was awesome and the games made it even better. We will be back!

Ordered delivery, two veggie burgers. It just wasn't it. It was sloppy & wet. It had a tangy flavor and the Burger could've been cooked a a little longer. Don't recommend at all read more