1 Up Arcade Bar

1 Up Arcade Bar is a blast!! Booze and video games...need I say more!! I've been to several arcade bars including Ready Player One, Pop + Offworld, and Pinball Pete's and 1 Up is probably my favorite!!! It's great that it's local and easy to get to. It's located in Downtown Farmington above Basement Burger Bar. The entrance is behind the building and there's plenty of parking behind the building too. I also like that it's not as tight, compact, and crowded as Ready Player One can get. I also had less problems with machines eating quarters or games getting stuck. The barcade itself is super cute and themed perfectly. The bar area has a giant light-up Pac-Man backdrop and all of the drinks on the menu are themed after old school video games. There's the Pac-Man old fashioned and Ms. Pac-Man cosmopolitan, a Ginball Wizard G&T, and a Diddy Kong banana flavored cocktail made with Screwball peanut butter whiskey. The craft cocktails are $9. They also have super delicious frozen cocktails! My favorite cocktail here is the frozen Donkey Kong! Do yourself a favor and order this! You will thank me later lol. It's a frozen banana cocktail with dark rum, cinnamon and vanilla. The best part: they actually flambé a banana and top the cocktail with the caramelized banana....yum!! The frozen cocktails are huuugee!! 23 oz for only $11. It's so large, it's the only drink you'll probably need for the night. I thought I had ordered the big one by mistake but apparently the big one is 51 oz and looks like a giant fish bowl to share for $22. They also have frozen Pac-Man cocktails called Blinky (raspberry), Inky (blue curaçao spin on a pina colada), Pinky (watermelon colada), and Clyde (whisky peach smash), and also a Kirby froze. They also have some craft beers on tap, some tasty $4 shots, and some bar snacks including chips, popsicles, Fun Dip and candy cigarettes for $1-$2. There's plenty of seating at the bar and also 1-2 tables throughout the barcade. Service was great! Bao was our bartender and he was super helpful, friendly, fast, efficient, and knowledgeable. Cocktails ordered come with 4 tokens for a game, and beers come with two tokens for a game. You can use tokens or regular quarters on all of the games and they have a couple change machines throughout the barcade. Most games require about two quarters/tokens and bigger games require four. I would say about $8-$10 is what you would need for tokens/quarters here to enjoy between two people for a fun night. They also have little tables by every video game to set your drink and drink holders at the pinball machines. They have about 5-6 pinball machines. I played the Pirates of the Caribbean one and it was super fun! I like how the pirate ship came to life. They have lots of nostalgic video games like Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Mortal Kombat, and Street Fighter vs. X-Men. They have some of my faves like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. They have some driving games like Mario Kart and a game where you shoot zombies and of course an air hockey table which is always a blast. I've been here a couple times recently and before the pandemic, they even had a DJ spinning on the weekends. It's a fun spot to start your night with friends and maybe head to karaoke at BBB after or Swing Dancing in the park/pavilion. It also makes a great date night too!! I came here for a date and started the evening with tacos across the street at Masa and it was a lot of fun! They're closed on Mondays and Tuesdays but are open Wednesday & Thursday from 5pm to 12am, Friday from 5pm to 2am, Saturday from 12pm to 2am, and Sunday  5pm to 10pm. I highly recommend stopping in! Feels like you're at Chuck-E-Cheese minus the scary animatronic singing robots plus now I can have cocktails, yay! You will have a blast guaranteed!

From Retro Bliss to Corporate Miss - 1Up's New Management Hits Rock Bottom...Oh, how the mighty have fallen. 1Up Arcade Bar, once my go-to haven for arcade nostalgia and friendly vibes, has devolved into a shell of its former self. Under the new management, the experience has gone from retro joy to something resembling a garish corporate money pit. If you're looking to relive the good old days of arcade glory, consider this your neon-lit warning sign to stay far, far away.First off, the bartenders. Remember last year when 1Up's bartenders were warm, cheerful, and chatty, making you feel like you were part of the family? Well, those days are deader than my high score on Pac-Man. The new bartenders treat you with the exact enthusiasm you'd expect from someone waiting at the DMV. Ordering a drink here feels like you've personally interrupted their day--and heaven forbid you ask any questions about the menu. Smiles? Gone. Friendly banter? Vanished. You're left standing there with your overpriced, uninspired drink wondering if you've wandered into a soulless high-end cocktail bar by mistake.Ah, the drinks. Once playful and creative masterpieces that added to 1Up's charm, they've been replaced with pretentious, unimaginative concoctions that scream, "We're fancy now; please empty your wallet." No fun, no spirit (pun intended), just overpriced disappointments. At their current price point, I half expected the drink to come with complimentary resentment from the staff. And don't get me started on the arcade machines. Gone are the iconic retro classics that made me feel like I'd stepped back into the golden age of arcades. Instead, the place is now stuffed with bright, flashy, wallet-draining horrors you'd find at a Dave and Buster's. What happened to the charm? The authenticity? Now it's just a playground for toddlers with no attention spans and those who value flashing lights over actual gameplay. Speaking of, if you're a Gen Z-er armed with your parents' credit card and an inability to go three seconds without dopamine overload, this place might actually be a dream come true for you. The rest of us? Not so much.Look, 1Up Arcade Bar used to be a gem, but now it feels like a soulless cash grab. Don't come here hoping for a genuine arcade bar experience because you'll leave disappointed--and poorer. Save your time, save your money, and spare yourself the heartbreak of seeing what this place has become. RIP, old 1Up. You are sorely missed.

Really cool appearance, I think they nailed the arcade feel for the bar. The actual game cabinets aren't anything too unique compared to a dedicated arcade, but fun to play with friends. Only real complaint was the air hockey table is pretty loud. Not sure if theres any way for them to help that, it was just hard to talk over on top the loud music.

Cool games, strong drinks and reasonably priced! Service is friendly in general and good time would recommend. Adults only after 8pm so if you're adult only keep this in mind

They have a ton of cool games. The beer selection is solid. I was pleasantly surprised at the number of credits I got for the price.

Took my husband here for his birthday. Though it was a small arcade/bar, it was still so much fun! The decoration at the bar is super cute! The bartenders were super friendly and helpful. We will definitely be back soon.

Fun place with good energy and very attentive bartenders ... I ordered a Mario themed tequla cocktail that was refreshing and had quality ingredients ... the Donkey Kong drink is also delicious and unique !! Bartenders were killin it and the Pac Man decor is very cute... highly recommend stopping in for drinks ... I dont game, but people seemed to be enjoying the arcade !

This was our first stop for the Bachelorette party. BEST drinks in town or pretty much anywhere! Seriously, some of the best drinks I've ever had anywhere. Such attention to detail and it was reflected in the quality of the drinks. Highly recommend. I didn't have anything to eat because we had dinner just before stopping here with the party bus. The ambiance is up-beat and spirited. Nothing dull about this place. So many different games to play and a photo booth! Great time had by all! Highly recommend!

Drinks are way over priced and the games are super mid. Less than 6 months ago they would give you tokens when you purchased a drink and now it's all digital and they don't even give you tokens for a game. I would not go here, this place is crappy

One of the only places open late in downtown Farmington so you know it's a good time. Lots of unique drinks ($$) and tons of fun arcade games. It's a cool experience for a night out with friends! They have some tables and bar seating. It was pretty inexpensive to play games here which was great, just make sure to bring quarters! Worth checking out for sure