We came in from Chicago for the night and was really excited to be here.. place was super awesome but left after not even finishing 1 drink.. the brunette princess laya bun girl who bartends there is awful.. you work in a industry where you should be nice smile be friendly.. she was god awful and rude couldn't even fake it.. based on her and attitude we called a Uber and let immediately.. this was legit the first time in my life I have never left a tip and I felt good about it.. please get rid of her and get someone with good vibes in there read more

Love this place! I've been three times and had fun every time!! The vintage games are amazing as well as the pizza and drinks. The theme of the place is nice too!!! Another bonus is the daily deals!!!!! read more

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Up Down is an Awesome spot! Get your game fix on!! Old school vibe with all the titles available, i.e; Donkey Kong, Mario Brothers, Defenders, Pac Mac, etc... and new school feel with the craft beers, swanky interior and high end yard games such as Chinga and Connect Four, Oh and good pizza. All the good old arcade games of days gone by. Get in here!! read more

Up-Down Milwaukee - Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Milwaukee needs a place like this. Up Down a 2 story arcade bar with a wide drink selection; 50 to 60 classic arcade games, several pinball machines, and skee ball games; and good pizza. Additional console games like Super Mario Kart and Smash Brothers can be played on big HD TV screens either in the outside patios or indoors. If someone doesn't want to play any arcade games, several big screen televisions play videos of WWE wrestling matches, sport games, and some DVD movies from the 1980's and 90s. Unlike some bars, lounges, and nightclubs in Milwaukee, it's possible to have a fun time at Up Down on 20 dollars or less. Pizza by the slice is around 3 to 4 dollars, and whole pizzas are also served there. While local pizzeria Brick 3 serves better quality pizza, the pizza at Up Down is still pretty tasty. Several brands of beer at served on tap or in cans. Only complaints about the bar, is that there is no dance area there, and it can be loud inside with booming music. Some neighbors in the area have complained and protested about the noise level from there. read more

Great atmosphere! Every time I come meet friends for a drink or a game I get nothing but good service no matter how busy they get they always manage to get you your drink ASAP. They have a great variety of IPAs as well. The bathrooms are always clean. Bartenders are friendly and well trained, they can suggest a great drink or a shot depending on what you are looking to have. read more

Had a lot of fun here with 3 sisters. Favorite drink was pineapple cider. Pizza was delicious and cheap at 4.00 a slice. Alot of games from skee ball, arcade, jenga and video games. read more

Up-Down Milwaukee - Bbq chicken pizza. Delicious. - Bars Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

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Checked this out shortly after it opened. Place was packed. Great space. Love the outdoor areas. Good beer selection. I recommend checking out their webpage for their daily speicals. We scored cheap tokens (and still have some left over ones for next time). They have a great selection of games. Old school 8-bit stuff and newer stuff, single player and multi-players (up to 6 or 8 people). I love the Pacman Vs game. I believe they serve pizza if you're getting hungry. read more

As a collector of old school arcades myself, I was visiting from California and staying not too far from this place so I had to check it out. Very glad I did. Lots of good games, and all for 25 cents a play (including the pins!). And it was two for one for the 25 cent tokens, too (until 9PM on the day I visited). Can't beat that! Pizza slices were huge, also. And best of all, the games were in terrific shape...major kudos to whomever maintains them. My only "beef" was that I wish they had a couple of old school vector games (like Asteroids or Tempest or Atari Star Wars). But that's probably because the vector monitors are a pain to keep going all of the time. Bottom line: Check this place out as it's pretty darn awesome! read more

Expensive night out. Parking is a trap!!! The drinks were syrupy, so stick to beer. Half the games don't actually work. We were only there an hour. The parking lot next door is owned by a tow lot, and is one of the tow lot's big money makers. After making a social media post about this, apparently many of my friends have also had their car towed from their parking lot. No, you can't park there even after hours on a Monday night. All it took was an hour. read more

Came on a Tuesday evening. Virtually no wait for pizza or bar. Plus 40 free tokens on your bday - must be your actual bday and must show ID. Extensive beer list and pizza is good. A ton of games and for two people we had no trouble finding an open game. 4 stars bc games only accept tokens which must be bought with cash and ATM was out of service. Luckily was my boyfriend's bday so we got free tokens! But ATM being out of service would have really put a damper on the whole point of coming here. Overall highly recommend!!! read more

Fun place to hang especially if you love old time arcade. It's an adults only bar so bring your ID since they stamp you at the door. Saturday's are great since the games are less than a token each. Birthday parties seem popular too since you can buy a hug bag of coins for $35. Have fun playing free games as well and enjoy many tap beers on tap and a full bar. read more

A less-douchey Dave & Busters. Finally came here with a work group for a holiday party. The management staff that my boss contacted was less than helpful and suggested that if we wanted to reserve a table, we just show up at opening time and grab the first available table. WTF? They claimed they took her information and assured us that we would be taken care of. My boss had zero confidence that they actually took her info down or even if we showed up or not. She was right. In spite of that, we got there right at opening and rushed to a large table upstairs. There was a huge group finishing up a private party and they had most of the arcade occupied. There was no table service and the upstairs bar doesn't open until 5:30. This placed was slammed as soon as it opened at 4:00PM on a Thursday. The two bartenders will ill-prepared to handle the crowd and if it weren't for the fact that I am 6'4" and stand out in any crowd, I think I would still be waiting at the bar for a drink. We ordered a bunch of pizzas (the only food offer) and they were all OK. Nothing stellar, but they hit the spot. As far as the games go, they got something for everyone. The 80's classic games are well represented (they have both Tapper and Burger Time!) as are the 90's "Street Fighter" type games. There are pinball machines and even home gaming consoles. I was amped to play Skee-ball, but alas, they were all out of service by the time I could get close enough to play them. In general , the concept here is amazing but the execution is severely lacking. I didn't see anyone "managing" anything, just a bunch of busy bartenders downstairs and several employees upstairs doing nothing. We were here for about two hours, and by the time we left, I counted six video machines with fresh "out of order" signs on them. Clearly there are still some growing pains to work out. I'm sure they'll figure it out eventually. read more

I had a great time here, fun date night or even mid day drinks with friends reasonably priced and good vibes.

I tried the meat lovers and the Mac and cheese pizzas. The crust was disgusting and flavorless as well as the toppings. Spent $50 on two overpriced pizzas. I didn't think there was a pizza that I wouldn't like. Wow read more

Where did my slushee machine go I come from Chicago and that was the highlight of my life. Otherwise fabulous place. I am from Minneapolis and live for updown there so this is great and very similar which is love minus the slushee machine. read more

Staff needs an upgrade. The pizza man was nice however the bartenders need work. They talk shit at the corner of the bar about the customers and think we can't hear it. The sign says be excellent to each other not be bullies to each other. Will not be coming back. read more

Each game is one token. A lot of classic arcade games. Nice environment. Besides the bar seats, there isn't a lot of large tables for large groups inside but I'm sure during the summer when the patio is opened then there would be plenty of seatings read more

Went there for the first time. Very attentive staff. Cheap games. Super fun. Highly recommend

I mean it was ok arcade, the website makes it seem way better than it actually is! Only cool thing was the prices of the games.

my husband and I don't particularly enjoy "going out" in the way most twenty-something's do. we hate crowds and standing in lines to get into places with trash college "drinks" and beers. this place is everything dave and busters ever dreamt of being, but cooler. the arcade from stranger things, but with craft beers and ciders galore. there's something for everyone here, from pinball to aliens, dig dug and qwebert, to skee-ball, foosball, and giant connect four. this is our go to spot for entertaining; we've taken everyone from my friends from madison, and out of state, to my MIL and even she had a blast. read more

I know I'm in the minority here, but this place is just not for me. I had high hopes. Such high hopes. Maybe that was the problem or maybe it was that I first went during their grand opening, but I was so let down. I felt old here. And would seriously not recommend this spot if you have even the mildest struggle with social anxiety. It was so packed, I walked in and immediately felt my fight or flight response kick in. No games were available. Couldn't even get up to the bar for a drink. And then the cops showed up. And not long after that, paramedics showed up. All of this transpired in the 20 minutes I spent here. So I'll be the first to admit I picked the wrong time to be here, but after one big loop around the place, I just couldn't do it. I promptly walked out. I hope to try it again sometime as I've otherwise heard great things, but I'm still working up the courage to do so. read more

I had a really good time with here! It felt like being a child again! The place is set up as a bar with many many arcade games. They have super Mario cart, to the old school basket ball, Simpson's, pac man, you name it! They had a special going were if you buy coins at the bar, you received double for what you pay for. Most of the games are one to four tokens which was really really reasonable. They also serve food, pizza and other fried items I believe. There was no charge at the door which was nice but depending on what time you arrive, you could be waiting in line to get it in. It's gets pretty packed. Parking could be difficult. It was all street parking so plan ahead. In all, I had a blast. It was nice to go back down memory lane! I will definitely go back! read more

Went there with a coworker after getting off work . Had a few beers. Bartender was fast and kind. Then we played some games!!! $5 last an hour and a half of fun! Thanks !!! read more

Hosted a fundraising event and the staff was awesome! Lots of game options. Great selection of beer. Didn't have the pizza but it looked delicious. read more

Nice little addition to the awkward location of where Brady and Water collide. The best comparison I can give is that this place is kinda like Dave and Busters but in a smaller scale. Obviously lots of games but the real deal is the outdoor space. They have two patios, one upstairs and one downstairs which are really great considering Milwaukee is still lacking in that area a bit. There is a projector on the lower patio so I'd imagine a lot football watching will happen there soon. The bar was really well staffed, the bathrooms were clean and the drinks were decently priced. And there was a dog on the patio so I'm assuming it's a pet friendly place which I am a big fan of. Overall, very fun spot and I'm sure I'll be back again! read more

I love this new spot on the east side! It was just a little too crowded and I wasn't really able to play what I wanted but over all a good experience! read more

Really great environment. Had a lot of fun there and the drinks are cheap and the games are cheap too.

Huge, brand new bar packed to the rim with video games - and on Saturday night, with people. It was a little too packed to be enjoyable, but drink prices were reasonable and it looks fun when it's less crowded. Tokens are 25 cents a piece, and can be acquired at the bar as well as a token machine. I appreciated that I could add them to my tab. The decorations for this place are super trendy and unlike anything else in Milwaukee, making it seem like it was transplanted straight from Chicago. Overall a fun place that we would love to visit when it's less crowded! read more

I've been here twice and I absolutely love it! The best thing about this barcade that sets them apart from other barcades I've been to is that each machine, even the pinball and skeeball machines, take only 1 token. I'm a child of the 80s and a teen of the 90s, so I appreciate the memorabilia throughout the bar and the old movies and TV series they play on their screens (AMERICAN GLADIATORS....ask your mom). I love that I can come here and reminisce on my my youth and get taken to a place where there were absolutely no smartphones to sink my face in. Nothing could interfere with my truly pure, childhood experience of going to pizza parties and playing games with my friends, watching movies like that of The Goonies and The Sandlot and automatically wanting to be one of "those kids"! Great selection of games (Burgertime and Joust are two of my faves) and beer. They also have pizza on the menu for those drinking, game-playing munchies you might get if you are overly competitive as I am. Works up an appetite, for sure! Love their outdoor space, the giant-sized Jenga and Connect 4...one of my favorite barcades by far! I only wish they were here when I lived 4 blocks away. I'm a 10 minute drive now, but that definitely won't deter me from coming back. read more

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Lots of games to choose from and reasonable prices. They had classics like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Skee Ball plus newer games.

It's an arcade and a bar. This place is fucking fabulous and has many pinball and classic arcades along with some great drinking choices. I waz so blitzed didn't even notice of they serve food, but I'm pretty sure they dont. I played Donky Kong, Pac Man, and Mr Bubbles and this barcade is one of many appearing in n cities across the nation introducing a new generation up the eighties classics. This place is conveniently located as the last bar on Brady street and is worth a visit and hang for those into arcades and beer read more

Paid for daughter's 21st b-day celebration at Up-Down. Not something I would usually do as I don't prescribe to the Karen moms of this world celebrating idiot kids for "graduating" middle school, high school and other "no shit you accomplished.... a GIVEN" events. Anyhoo. Very good experience. Practical pricing. Just giving the place a good review because it deserves it. read more

Ok I only made a Yelp so I could write this place a review. This place is AWESOME!!! We went last weekend and I guess it's fairly new. Had a great time. The pizza was much better than we expected, sometimes game arcade bars have good deals but shitty food since their usually known more for the game, but this place gets 5 stars! Good drink specials too. Definitely will be abck! read more

Nice new environment to Milwaukee. Pizza was great! Be sure to look up the daily specials on tokens. Nice outdoor patio!

The bar is a fun idea and I like the idea of having something to do at the bar besides the usual. The pizza was nice to have accessible but also pretty low quality. The games are reasonable priced which is nice. Going on a Thursday is the best deal if you are there mostly for the games. read more

There are both token games and free games (Jenga and connect 4) throughout the bar. They seem to have deals each day of the week.

This is one of my favorite arcades of all time! The staff are friendly, the daily deals are fantastic, and they keep track of the establishments high scores, which keeps me coming back day after day because... competition. Pros: amazing drink and token deals (eg, free tokens and $2 pizza slices on Fridays, 10 cent tokens on Thursdays, and FREE Skee-Ball on Wednesday's). No admission fees. No drink requirements. You could come on Wednesdays and early on Fridays and play free games -- easy. Cons: depends how you see it, but they should allow kids with an adult up until a certain time -- like 6 PM -- throughout the week. They would make tons of money! Also, they should have more league play for Skee-Ball. And I why no billiard tables??? read more

My Solo Adventure At The UP-DOWN ARCADE BAR In Milwaukee, Wisconsin. by John Reed starting at 9:45 PM CST on 07-12-2019. http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001707266009 WEBSITES. http://www.updownarcadebar.com/milwaukee/ http://www.facebook.com/UpDownMKE/ http://youtu.be/fxxnA_txbRg With another Difficult Friday Night in Milwaukee, Wisconsin filled with Rowdy Neighbors in my vicinity currently in Session and most of my Friends either Busy or Out-Of-Town, I decided to Go Ahead, Do That Solo Thing (once more), and Briefly Visit the Up-Down Arcade Bar in Milwaukee, Wisconsin by 9:45 PM CST on 07-12-2019. Consequently, here is my own Independent Take on everything that I personally experienced. ATMOSPHERE. It's a Walk Back In Time in every corner for ANYONE through EVERYONE who is Young-At-Heart. With Pictures of MARVEL COMIC BOOK CHARACTERS on the Walls to Muted TVs silently playing classic Movies like DIE HARD, GHOSTBUSTERS, Etc., Up-Down is a Voyage for the Senses only matched by Doc. Brown's chrono-adventures in Back To The Future. LAYOUT. With nearly Wall-To-Wall PEOPLE lining the Building after 9:45 PM CST on Friday, Various 1970-2011 Games adorning its Dual Levels, and the necessary Features of two Liquid Bars and a Mini-Restaurant topping every off, Visitors will have A LOT of Standing and Walking-Around to do around its Busier Nights. Hence, it's a good thing most are primarily coming there to PLAY Video Games, Etc. DRINKS AND FOOD. Okay, with my Cranberry Juice through Gentleman Upbringing tendencies, I'm a 'Nice Guy' and Somewhat of a 'Prude' in the eyes of the Prior Acquaintances that I've casually known. (Oh, MAYBE 'this' is why 99% of my Friday Nights are spent looking for something to get into?) However, in regards to the Non-Alcoholic Beverage that I had, I only paid $2.00 USD in total for it. In addition, confirm that the thick/juicy $3.50 USD Pizza that I sampled was MORE than a deal at 1/4 the size of a Full 12-Inch to 14-Inch Entree. GAMES AND FUN. As touched on before, Visitors will NOT have a shortage of Good, Clean FAMILY FUN to get their hands on. (Just check the Websites above for more details.) Hence, when it's NOT so busy, Up-Down solidly makes a GREAT Meet-Up Location for Friends and an AWESOME Stop for those who are lucky enough to have an Annual Date on the Weekends. FINAL VERDICT. The Up-Down Arcade Bar is DEFINITELY WORTH THE TRIP whenever you're in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area. Just REMEMBER to bring a Friend and have a 'SHARED' Blast from the Past. JKER/ore. Cc. read more

We've gone here twice now. We went on a Saturday night the first go around, way way way too busy for us. There was lines at all the games and it was beyond packed. The second time we went was a Sat. during the day. There wasn't a crowd at all and we could enjoy all the games without having the wait at everyone. If you are going to visit here, I'd definitely suggest going during the day. read more

Just a good time. Ample bar area both by the arcade game and outside with heat lanterns. BTW you can by tokens on your tab and w/o cash. I'll be back here again for sure. Great time. read more