This was kind of fun. It was a work event where our manager bought a huge cup full of tokens for us. Beers, we paid for ourselves and it was nice to see a draft beer for just $5. Lots of great "old school" classic video games here and these were only a quarter. Tron. Donkey Kong. Pacman and Mrs. Pacman. Happy memories of playing these back in the day. After an hour or so, I was done. Up-Down is 21 and over most nights. ID is checked at the door. Tip: If you're like me and not interested in touching joysticks and flipper buttons and such in the current health environment, I recommend stopping at Walmart. For $2, buy a container of ten latex gloves in the cleaning aisle near the mops and sponges. Bam! No touching. [Review 17054 overall - 123 in Missouri - 570 of 2022.] read more

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Fun place to go, have a drink and hang out. If you grew up in the 80s and/or 90s, this is your place. You 2000s kids just won't get it the same way as we do! Lots of pop culture references on the walls and tvs. Fun games spread through the building, so be sure to wander around and see what's there! There were quite a few games that were out of order and not playable, as well as cups and pizza boxes everywhere. Gotta be hard to keep up on all of that with staffing issues everywhere. We were there during one of the token specials and got to play for cheap. Let's of fun! read more

Up-Down STL - Bar area - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

Going to Up Down for the first time was so much fun! They have a wide variety of games to play from classics to more recent. I stayed until 10pm and the crowd wasn't rowdy in addition to police being present which is a plus. Their specialty pizzas are delicious. I've only had the bacon macaroni pizza, but can't wait to try the others. Definitely recommend for a fun weekend outing. read more

Up-Down STL - Bacon Mac and Cheese Pizza - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

Place is very 80's retro as far as decor, and their pizza is quite good as it's not St Louis style. Bar and drinks aren't bad, but the place primarily makes their money off Missouri based beers as their mixed drink selection is very limited. Pizza service is good at first but once a rush begins they get severally backed up as they only have one or two people with a small oven to suite. Biggest issue is the setup and maintenance of all the Arcade games. Tokens to play are well priced but this bar needs to seriously improve their maintenance as at least half of all the arcades are inoperable or turned off. Then there's the horrible setup. Upstairs on the main level isn't so bad but the downstairs basement has several issues from not well seen step ups or downs, narrow corridors, horrible arrangement of arcades, and several systems that are in desperate need of replacement, updating, or just removal all together. read more

Must be 21 to enter this establishment. ID will be checked at the entrance. Great meetup spot to kick back with friends, family or coworkers (if that's your thing). Full bar, delicious pizza by the slice and all the games you grew up on. Two levels of fun as well as a cozy outdoor space. This is where you get your photo ops, grab a seat & breathe from the inside activity. Tokens required. ~Christy read more

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My first time trying this place my husband brought the veggie pizza 'MonaLisa' home from work (they order some for his job and he wanted me yo try it) it was delightful even warmed over. I'm trying to eat better so veggie pizza is just the thing for me. Then we had to drive over and by a pie for dinner later in the week (Friday evening) Unfortunately not much street parking because the CWE is always busy. But we got a spot on Maryland. We ordered the 1/2 and half Mona Lisa for me, meat for him. The pie is huge and can be ordered by the slice so we ordered 2 slices ($2 each) whilst we waited (no judgement lol ) I got Mons Lisa of course he got bacon Mac and cheese. Both were on point. It's crowded, and there is seating at the bar, plenty of games to keep you occupied, and a lively crowd. Prices are quite reasonable. I even saved a left over piece for breakfast. Yum! read more

Up-Down STL - Mona Lisa- artichoke hearts spinach green pepper and tomato - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

We came here for a Yelp event (all opinions my own though) and had such a great time! The music & videos were all from the 80s/90s and I was here for it #80schildforever They have a great variety of drafts - both local and out-of-state - and I was impressed by the variety as well as the friendly bartenders. Service was quick and samples are available in case you're in between several options. The pizza is solid: big slices (not NY style though just fyi; crust is just a tad thicker than that) and I loved that little drink side tables are availability throughout the venue. No one wants to hold a beer and attempt an arcade game, so those were much appreciated! We've already decided we're coming back and bringing along our friends too. It's a great spot in CWE! read more

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This arcade bar has it all! Cocktails Pizza Ski-ball Galaga Pac Man Tetris I was wowed by all the arcade games they had but I was even more impressed by the cocktails and the pizza by the slice. What a great place to come for some drinks and play some games. read more

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The food service was great the food was great the service there was just wonderful the workers was nice and kind and the games they was fun they are old games but was fun took me back to child hood days. read more

TERRIBLE DO NOT GO HERE! Came here to celebrate my cousin moving to Chicago I am the youngest one I turned 21 in December (over 6 months ago) and the bouncer said me and my 25 year old cousins all had fake Id's all we wanted was to have a beer and play arcade games. Absolutely terrible he was a jerk too almost cracked my REAL ID! (After he scanned it and the scanner said it was real) read more

Hip arcade bar right in the heart of it all. They have a ton of beers to offer. The cocktail list is full of sugary drinks, not my jam. The bartender was super friendly. They have a large selection of games. They all most tokens, but most only take 1 token. They had a few old games I had never seen before which was awesome. Check them out! read more

This place is so fun! It's an arcade bar that has retro shows and movies on throughout the establishment. The bar has tons of drinks, and is well staffed. Something I've had here that is more out of the box was a pineapple beer and it was very good if you're looking for a recommendation! They also have a nice little outdoor area with an extra bar I believe. They also have by the slice pizza but I've never tried that. As far as the games go, they have tons of options and coins are super cheap. A lot of times they'll even have promotions on certain nights of the week for cheaper coins! I have been here several times and always have a great time. read more

I always have the best time at UpDown. I'm from Chicago and whenever I'm in STL I make sure to have a night here. The drinks are great, and the games are so much fun. My only critique is that one should be able to win prizes- but I just love a prize. The pizza there is also out of this world and is the most perfect drunk food. TIP: make sure you get Benji as your bartender, HES the best!! read more

Up-Down STL - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

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Always a good time. Pizza, beer (ciders for me!), and nostalgic gaming. A great spot for a fun date night or just to have a good time with friends and family. read more

Up-Down STL - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

Came to "streetery" and this place had spanish music playing from the outside so we came in. FUN!!! Adult , old school arcade type of bar!!! Huge jumbo slices of pizza are avail for less then $3. Beer, wine, licquor, soda all avail. The TV screens were broadcasting old WWE fights. Music was good. Place closed at 10PM. Small tables to sit and along the windows, they were all open so you could feel outside. Will def come back! read more

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As far as arcade bars go, I can't say I found Up-Down to be a fun spot to hang. However, I will preface this by saying this take is super subjective. There's a large number of arcade consoles here. My main issue is that I do not find any of them enjoyable. I understand having a selection of retro games available but it feels like every game here came out during the Nixon era. The games here are super old and it shows. You might drop a few tokens and try one here and there but nothing really captures the attention, and they get boring quick once the novelty wears off. Unless you're a big fan of Killer Queen or are over the age of 65 years old, you may end up trying a few sparsely pixelated stations before retiring the rest of your tokens. Other arcade bars have modernized and acquired Mario kart stations and more advanced arcade consoles. They could potentially scrap some of their Family Guy pinball machines and upgrade their hardware. Among the stations I do enjoy are skee ball, except half the lanes don't work, and DDR, of which there's 1 setup total. Only god knows whether table hockey will work. In terms of food, their selection is mainly pizza. They have some interesting drinks, which is good if you're looking to make your experience more tolerable. read more

Fun place to hang with friends and grab a drink. A bunch of the games were not working and/or ate our tokens so that's the only reason it's not 5 stars in my opinion. Drink selection is great but their drinks aren't very strong, but for the price it's reasonable. Their pizza is good too. read more

I would not come back here, it was gross and totally overpriced. I have been to other places like this in other cities and they are way more reasonable priced with better options. I didn't get the food but maybe the food is better! read more

I go every two weeks for some late games and fire pizza I always bring my coworkers and friends, it's always a great time

My experience at Up-Down STL can be best described as TOTALLY TUBULAR! And I was screaming COWABUNGA for the rest of the evening. While there are a few other arcade bars in the city, I think that Up-Down STL really executes it the best. And here's why: The space - I love the decor inside Up-Down STL, because it's like stepping into the 90's bedroom I always wanted (but never had because I was totally not rad enough.) There are so many cool nooks and crannies within Up-Down STL that the actual space feels massive. I particularly loved the outdoor space that felt like a cool garden and you never would have known you were in the heart of the Central West End business district. The food and beverage - going into my first experience at Up-Down STL I had next to no expectations. And I actually am sorry that I pre-judged the space based on other arcade bars. I was flabbergasted by their massive draught wall that had more options to drink than a lot of tap room bars or bottle shops. It also seemed as if they rotate their selections fairly regularly. While they don't have a ton of options for food, I think they nailed the pizza offerings. I always order a slice of cheese or pepperoni so I can judge them for the fundamentals. The crust was thick and doughy with a perfect amount of crunch. And I swear there was an entire farm's worth of cheese on top of my slice. At first I thought I would still be hungry after only one slice, but the pizza at Up-Down STL is filling. Can't wait to go back soon with more friends to try some of their specialty pies. The games - Up-Down STL had all the games you'd expect to see, from Pac-Man to the Simpsons and X-Men. But they also had lots of less known games that I really appreciated like Burgertime! In this game you were a pint-sized chef climbing ladders to create burgers while mutant meats and veggies chased you around the game screen. Very fun! It was really easy to pass several hours in the blink of an eye hopping from game to game. Biggest takeaway was the fact that at its core Up-Down STL is an amazing bar with all the bases covered and executed well. read more

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It was Friday night and I wanted to go where it was bright. After pondering about what would excite, Up-Down sounded just right. Before I could enter, a bouncer checked my ID with a flashlight. There are over 60 arcade games in sight; they are simply located up and down the stair flight. You can buy tokens with a credit card at the bar, so not having cash should not be a fright. The arcade games currently range from Mortal Kombat to Food Fight, but check out the full list on their website. The patio with giant Jenga, Connect Four, and Shuffleboard is unquestionably a highlight. There may be lines to play certain games, so wait to play and you just might. With high score competitions coming soon, you even have the chance to be in the limelight. Offering over 60 varieties of beer and 6 flavors of pizza, I encourage you to grab a bite if you brought your appetite. The staff at the bar is service-oriented and quite polite. Up-Down opens daily beyond midnight. Bring just yourself or think of friends to invite, as this is the place to reunite. Just as it has done for me, Up-Down is sure to bring you much delight. read more

Up-Down STL - Neon signs everywhere - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

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This is the second location of up-down that I have visited. This location offers a large selection of arcade games, full bar, and pizza. Every game is just $.25 which is awesome if you're looking to spend a couple hours playing games. Ski ball is my favorite of the games and unfortunately a couple of the machines were broken on my visit. I'd definitely return here if I'm in the St. Louis area again! read more

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Up-down is a go-to bar in downtown STL. The bartenders are always top-tier and always have phenomenal drink recommendations. Tokens are cheap so it's a great night of fun if you're on a budget. They have a lovely selection of pinball, arcade games, skeeball, etc. plus some out of this world pizza. read more

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So much fun going here and the pizza was incredible. A friend and I always split a pizza between us and it travels nicely. I do wish they had some more fantasy adventure games like The Golden Axe (maybe they did have it and I missed it) but I could sit for hours playing those kinds of games and most places I've gone don't have it. I digress, still a great place and will be coming back anytime I visit STL in the future read more

Hands-down best activities bar in St. Louis and I'm not even an arcade person. I love coming to Up-Down as they have some of the coolest arcade games that you can play with your friends, whether you are here with 2 people or 5. Here are my favorite bits of Up-Down: - I love the variety of arcade games they have here. Of course they have the classics like Skeeball, DDR, and Pong, but they also have more modern games like this 10-person game called Killer Queen where you and your 4 other friends try to kill the other team's queen, get a snail into the net, or fill the hive. As you can see, Killer Queen is definitely my favorite game in the arcade by far. - People here are incredibly nice. I think typically at a regular bar, or even a place like Blueberry Hill, it's hard to make friends or meet new people. However, at Up-Down everyone is very nice and excited to share with you the games that they are playing so its a cool place to meet new friends. - The games are incredibly cheap. It's only 25 cents to play a game, and on your birthday they will give you a giant bucket of tokens that you can use on any game. My friend got one of those buckets and we are still using those tokens until today. - Apparently the pizza here is pretty good although I haven't had the chance to try it yet. Overall, fantastic place to hang out or meet new friends in St. Louis. I honestly cannot recommend it even more. I do have to say that sometimes the machines will just eat your coins, but if you tell the staff they are pretty good about getting your coins back or giving you a few extra for the inconvenience. read more

If "child of the 80's" describes you, nothing should stop you from heading to Up-Down right now! Outside: West End Bar Inside: 80's Extravaganza Food: Beer, Liquor, Pizza Service: Super friendly Price: $4/slice $7/pint, $10/cocktail Up-Down simultaneously captures all the nostalgia of an 80's arcade while eschewing sticky floors and quarter gobbling ticket machines. The bar is higher end than you think it's going to be, while still maintaining a very fun and casual feel. It's honestly the best of both worlds. Walking in you are instantly greeted with arcade machines and neon signs but approaching the bar you see a great collection of liquor and a very extensive tap list. There are also cocktails galore all with a huge nostalgia factor like "The Karate Kid" or "Legends of the Hidden Temple" The staff behind the bar was young enough that they probably never saw an episode of Legends of the Hidden Temple but that didn't matter as they made great beer recommendations, and were kind and helpful to use newbs who had never stepped into the place before. You don't need to have seen Bill and Ted's excellent adventure in order to be excellent to each other after all. Every arcade game in the place takes a single token and tokens are $0.25 each. On Thursdays tokens are just $0.10 each and a couple bucks can really go a long way. Over the course of a few hours, a group of 3 of us spent about $4 in tokens playing pinball, fighting games, and some classic side-scrollers (often on large cabinets that could accommodate all 3 of us at once). If the first line didn't hook you but you are still reading to this point, I'm not sure what else I can say to get you in the door of this place. Going out for a beer and a slice is a time honored American tradition. Supporting a local business makes you a hero. Doing it somewhere where you can get your name on the top scores of a Dig Dug machine makes you a legend. And in case you haven't watched The Sandlot lately, I'll remind you what Babe Ruth once said about those groups of people: "Heroes get remembered. Legends never die." Be a legend. Check out Up-Down STL. read more

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We've always had a great time at Up-Down. Came here last year for my husbands birthday and did the same this year for myself and my brother's birthday. The drinks are great. The games are fun. We have so much fun here and it's all very reasonable priced. read more

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Really fun bar!!! Get your nostalgia on with all the classic games and some new ones, too. Queen Bee is the most addicting team game ever. There are two floors of games so there's something for everyone. Pizza is good but a little inconsistent. Sometimes it's under done. Sometimes it's great. I definitely recommend the Mac and cheese pizza though. Whole pies are huge and have good prices. Drinks are good but I do wish they had more non-beer selection and more specials or happy hour deals. There are three bars. It does tend to get really crowded and there isn't a ton of seating. read more

Came here for a Yelp Elite treat and we were not disappointed. Super fun and super chill place with good drinks and good pizza. Lots of game choices around and we had a cute little date night. read more

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Easy parking, good customer service, affordable, great drinks, cool games!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

Up-Down STL - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

Love this place! They have so many games to choose from. The drinks are awesome. They have so many choices to pick from and a great selection with beer as well. The staff was helpful with all of our questions and the establishment itself was just so much fun! It's a must on a date night! The lights from the games at night make the place glow read more

Great ambiance, lots of fun games, great pizza, chill Vibes. As an added bonus the pizza reheats great! read more

Omg the best place for a date. Thursday night is 10 cent tojen night Super cool people and foid is good just look at this pizza. The retto arcade takes me back to the goodold days if Saturdays at the arcade in the mall. Will definitely come back possibly wuth a bunch if friends for a post Covid party. read more

Up-Down STL - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

Pretty fun will definitely go again soon. Drinks were good and reasonable. Games of course are always fun and the pizza is always

My boyfriend and I LOVE arcade bars and try to visit one everywhere we travel, we had NO idea this place was in our backyard. This is hands down the best one we've been to. Multiple stories with SO many games to choose from, old school, new games, arcade games, shooting games, DDR, outdoor games. They have cheap pizza that we'll have to try next time. Multiple bars, all big with great service and tons of options. We could spend HOURS here, it is so great. We will definitely be back. read more

Super fun place to come hang out with some friends. Beware, it is quite packed on weekend evenings! They have all kinds of beer on tap so something for everyone to enjoy. The tokens for games are quite cheap, 10 cents per token if I remember. Most games are 1-4 tokens to play so you definitely get your moneys worth. We stayed for 2 hours enjoying beer and playing the tons of arcade games they have in the building. My only regret is that I didn't get a chance on the DDR game because there was a long line, but definitely next time! read more

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Such a fun arcade! And the staff were all very sweet and helpful - particularly when machines would break down. The pizza is pretty good. And the aesthetics of the environment and atmosphere is well done. We came here for a birthday party and it was such fun. My only request would be some comfy chairs for those of us who can't stand or play games for so long. I am disabled and wish there were more than just the bar stools available. read more

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Love the games, staff, drinks, pizza, and atmosphere! Solid token deals depending on the day as well. Staff wise- Lee is the best! Always friendly, kind, and helpful. I would advise: be mindful of the time you come. If you go at the primetimes (weekend/some weekday evenings after 7pm) it can be busy and you may have to wait for a game. read more

I wanna give this place a 0 star and people read it and stop coming because I want it all to myself. Unfortunately I can't do that because this place is poppingggggggg. We've been here twice now and both times it's been really crowded. Been to the one in KC and this place definitely compares to that. They have a good selection of games (didn't see the famous time crisis, but that's okay), lots of pinball, skeeball etc. When we were there they had Mario kart on the n64 and Smash brothers melee on the cube running on their big TVs. Not too expensive; great price for food, beers, pizza, games, great place to hangout. We were here on some hot days; but it wasn't hot when you are inside Up-Down. read more

Located right next to the old Dressel's restaurant (gawd I miss that place), Up/Down is a shining beacon in this CWE spot. I got carded going in!!!! Right off the bat, bartenders - I spoke to three of them across two bars in this place - were super super friendly, helpful and enthusiastic! Loved them! Service and drinks were outstanding! I asked for a recommendation on a refreshing cocktail that didn't taste too strongly of liquor but that definitely had liquor and ended up with the Captain America, which did indeed meet my criteria. Pizza slices were good and one slice was a satisfying size. All the arcade games I was looking for were indeed there with some bonus finds with one or maybe two exceptions, which says a lot cuz I used to frequent an arcade back in the day - Pac Man, Ms. Pac Man, Centipede, Galaga, Galaxian, Mr. Do, Digdug, Tetris, Time Crisis, Joust, Frogger, skee-ball, Punch Out, Mortal Kombat, Tron, 1942, Rampage, DDR, air hockey. I think I saw Qbert, too. It wasn't as intuitive where/how to do the classic Nintendo games though. I remember maybe one station for that, which was usually occupied, and if there were others, I missed em. Which games was I looking for that I didn't see? Donkey Kong, Super Mario Bros., Tempest and Asteroids may have been there but I missed them. But I was especially looking for Dragon's Lair!! So add that to your wishlist, Up/Down! There are a ton I'm forgetting. The place was actually happening on a Thursday night, too - good energetic atmosphere/vibe. The outdoor area was nice, but I couldn't find the giant Connect Four game from other's pictures. I would have enjoyed a couple pool tables maybe. Another one for the wishlist! I have a ton of photos that I'll post as soon as I can figure out why I can't change the source to add them. So coming soon... read more

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