Up-Down
500 E Locust St, Des Moines, IA, 50309
Up-Down Menu
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Address :
500 E Locust St
Des Moines, IA, 50309 - Phone (515) 243-4322
- Website https://www.updowndsm.com/
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :5:00 pm - 2:00pm
Specialities
- Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Good for Kids : No
Good for Groups : Yes
Ambience : Divey
Noise Level : Average
Good For Dancing : No
Alcohol : Full Bar
Happy Hour : Yes
Best Nights : Mon, Fri, Sat
Coat Check : No
Smoking : No
Outdoor Seating : No
Has TV : Yes
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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Melinda A.
It can get crowded on the weekends but they have a great selection of drinks and arcade games. Even free games like life size jenga, connect four, super Nintendo, n64 on the big screen. Get there early if you want n64 though! As for drink specials, they have 90s/video game themed mixed drinks and a nice selection of beers on tap, many craft beers. Depending on stock, they also have surge! (If you're a 90s kid you'll know the appeal) Sundays are six pack and a pound night! The best attraction for me is the princess peach drink and skeeball.
(5)Jacqueline M.
Love this place! Have a beer and play Pac-man! Fun for all!
(5)Chris B.
I have yet to find another place in Des Moines where you can listen to 80's glam rock, watch American Gladiators, and play Ninja Turtles at the same time. They have a great selection of free (anything they have on N64, SNES, etc) and paid (tons of arcade cabinets) games and they change some things out pretty regularly. Sunday's are the best days to go because you get 2 for 1 tokens (I'm all about that change, bout that change, saving money). They do have plenty of other deals as well, some of which pertain the the "bar" half of barcade. The one knock is that the condition of their cabinets is inconsistent (I.e. Multiple games are various degrees of broken at all times) but that is to be expected. Time to find out if I get better at skeeball when I'm drunk.
(5)Jason S.
What can you say? It's a bar with video games. And a great tap lineup. They do beer events every once in a while. They have video game and skeeball leagues. It's a fun place! Great place to go in between sets of a show at Wooly's (same owners). There are some free games. I quite enjoy the pinball selection (8 of them). The games and beers change over time so it's always fresh. It does get busy and crowded late at night on the weekends so go early or be prepared to rub shoulders and wait for games. It can be noisy too. Glad to see this place doing well.
(5)Andy S.
Up-Down has one giant flaw: It wasn't around when I was in my early 20s. It fits into the category of how the younger generation always has cooler stuff than the older generation. This place is full of old arcade games, ski-ball, pinball, a nook with a free to use Super Nintendo, a giant screen with free to play Mario Kart, and lots of good beers. Pretty much all the classics you love are here, and every now and then they switch out arcade games to keep things fresh. The place is in a basement which I think totally adds to the place. Being in a basement makes it cozier somehow. I've been to this place at least 4 times between the hours of 5-10 pm. The crowd starts out with a mix of older/younger people, but, not surprisingly, tends to get younger as the night goes on. It also gets busier as the night goes on, which is good because I want this place to stick around for a long time. If I had one suggestion for this place, it would be to get Bubble Bobble - my personal favorite arcade game. If I could give you, the reader, one suggestion, it would be this: if you are with people and have never tried playing 4 player Pacman, try it. It takes 5 seconds to learn the rules and is fun as all hell. Trust me.
(5)Kyle C.
Cool arcade bar downtown. There are tons of game in this tiny little place and the staff is very friendly. The game seemed really well maintained and kept up, despite the traffic that flows through the place. Went on a Sunday afternoon and it was not too bad, but later at night the place really fills up. All games are .25 which is nice and there are 8 pinball machines which is definitely the place to be. If you are a big gamer, then Up-Down is the bar for you.
(4)Teresa M.
This is my first time here! Went out on a limb on a Saturday night and to be honest I'm not a game playing girl but I'm so glad I came here. We got here about 9:45 the place was packed. We ordered a drink which was week. We got some tokens and started playing games. The crowd was loud and spilling drinks. I started playing Frogger which I got to play for free because someone had left $15 worth of tokens in the machine! Addicting game to say the least. The place kind of smelled of B.O but what do you expect in a basement full of guys. I played Frogger for about an hour because I was that determined and hey it was free! We moved on the the pin ball machines. I had a blast playing the TMNT one!! I was up to having 4 balls at once! In the back corner they have a NINTENDO with Mario! I haven't played this game since I was a kid. They have a couch to set on and it felt like you were at home playing when you were a kid. I got to level 5-1 on one guy and let someone else play!!! I haven't had this much fun in a long time. We ordered a few drinks and they were just weak. So we stopped ordering. Them. The bathroom is a diff story. My only complaint really. It's small, the doors don't lock, both times, there were girls puking in the stalls and I really just had to pee! They ran out of soap which by the way was just a little bottle not even a dispenser. I shrugged it off because it is a bar and I haven't found bars with decent bathrooms. Oh and there is also Mario kart!!! How cool is that, I relived my childhood playing rainbow road! I had a blast, you should check it out, made me feel like I'm chasing my youth though. Haha but I'll deff be back!!!
(5)Mike P.
My girlfriend beat me at Tetris like I was a skinny seventh grader and she was a junior in high school. I stumbled upon Up-Down, practically literally as there's some stairs that go subterranean outside of Tacopocalypse, on a recent Friday night. We entered the door and were immediately I.D.'d which I appreciate as I'm several years past having a fake I.D. - we were then each handed a "college cocktail glass" - or a plastic cup of tokens. SWEET!!! We immediately played the old school PacMan, Tetris, Skeeball and pinball. The last skeeball was broken yet folks accidentally put tokens in. Sweet sweet pinball. The World Cup pinball game is the shit. The machines are so close you're practically holding hands with the other bumper button pushers. It got loud once it got filled with people. It was a lot like going to a party in college, in a duplex basement in Ankeny and not knowing anyone. Nice local tap list of beers. I wasn't old enough to drink when these games came out in the 80s so to sip a craft beer and play them again as a tax paying adult is awesome. Get your ass UP and get Down to Up-Down.
(5)R B.
Positives. Lots of classic arcades. Eight pinball machines, and they serve drinks. Negatives. Mixed drinks are weak, shots are a bit under a shot, and as a biker I stood out like a sore thumb. (As a biker I didn't really give a...)
(4)Nick R.
Fun time waster. Old school arcade games and great beer selection. I can't personally spend a night here. It's no Dave & busters. But I can spend an hour or two here then bar hop the rest of east village.
(4)Carrie M.
Channeled my inner 12 year old...with beer! Sweet barcade with a variety of drinks. Great venue for small events. The ski ball corner was the bomb. Loved that all the games I played only required 1 token.
(4)T B.
Game and Beer Unite! Spare the crowds on the weekends, your dreams await you. Always changing games. Always changing beers. Hard working bartends and altruistic waitresses make for comfortable service. A chicago/denver bar-cade vibe makes for a well-played evening.
(5)Phill E.
Easily my new favorite bar in DSM. We visited on Sunday to take advantage of their $25 6-pack + 1lb of tokens (which was WAY more than we needed, even when it's normally $35 for this package it's still a really excellent value) + fanny-pack, and it was easily the highlight of our weekend. First, I should admit I'm an 80's/90's culture junkie - which definitely includes loving retro video games. Between the walls coated in pictures of iconic 80's/90's pop culture, 80's music playing throughout the bar, E.T. playing on one TV while vintage WWF matches played on another, and the really well kept and maintained classic pinball and arcade machines; it was clear it was a place where the owners and staff seriously consider every facet of what this bar is supposed to be. Without a doubt, my wife and I will be back, and I'm sure we'll make it a point to bring friends - local or visiting from out of town - to join us for a great time.
(5)Andrea T.
I'll admit that when I first heard of Up-Down when my husband attended a work party there, my initial thought was seriously, a place with arcade games!? I was not very excited about it and hearing my husband's explanation afterwards didn't excite me anymore. Fast forward a couple months to the Yelp 10th Birthday Party which was held here. I still wasn't super excited but knew it'd be a good time to meet other Yelp Elites. I was pleasantly surprised at my experience. One challenge is figuring out how to get into the place. You'll see the signs at street level but you have to go downstairs to get there. Yet, I felt signs were lacking to get there. Once you reach it, you'll see arcade games galore along with a nice sized bar and a few tables and booths with games built in. There are both new and old games (more older than new). The TV's play movies (Kindergarten Cop was playing), sporting events (American Gladiators and WWF were on), etc from the 80's. Even the decor on the walls are also older. It all plays part to the feel of the place. The bathrooms are pretty nice too! The bar is stocked with beers, candy drinks, and pop. The games all take only one token which is nice. I was also told that if it's your birthday, you get some free tokens (pretty good deal)! If you want a unique experience with some friendly competition, I'd say give it a try!
(5)Tyra W.
KC needs a place like this! Immediately. Looking for things to do, I found this place online and thought "oh, my boyfriend will probably like it." It may sound crazy but totally blew my expectations away! His face lit up and the 80/90s kid came out. Love the fact that it's 21&up, you can nerd out, games break down to only .25 so you have plenty left for drinks, what more could you possibly ask for?! I am in love with the concept and can't wait to come by again. The candy infusions weren't half bad either!
(5)Michelle N.
After Up-Down, don't let anyone tell you that you can't be an adult and a kid at the same time! This fun establishment combines the best of two different worlds for you; who wouldn't enjoy drinking some great locally brewed beer while playing Nintendo (while supporting local businesses!)? I personally had a blast trying out some new craft beer and playing some old arcade games I can't really find anymore. For a good time with friends, I recommend Up-Down for it's fun atmosphere and convenient location!
(5)Melissa M.
Whoever the genius was who thought of UpDown deserves some sort of award from Generation Y. What better place for kids of the 80s to come and enjoy GOOD beer [Bell's Hopslam, anyone?] and those iconic games of our childhood? I'm talking balls-to-the-wall, no-holds-barred Jenga, Mario Kart, Super Mario Brothers [complete with your Mom's floral upholstered basement couch], Tetris, Tron, Pac Man, Pinball, and yes, even Skee Ball. There's tons more, but those are just the best parts. Up Down, you're doing it right.
(5)Ed N.
Playing old school arcade games, pinball and Skeeball and drinking beer was a blast!!
(5)Thao P.
First great barcade in Des Moines! This new "barcade" is known for their large array of classic arcade games, life-sized jenga and connect four, and older gaming systems. They have great games like Pac-Man, Mario Kart, Super Mario, Galaga, Donkey Kong, Tekken and many more. There is even a skeeball area in the back. I dig how for a lot of the games, there are spaces intentionally placed so that you can put your drink there. My only complaints would be that the space where Jenga is located is quite cramped, therefore when it falls, it seems potentially unsafe. The space is a little cramped because of all the games, but I guess the more games, the better!
(4)Michael G.
Went to Up Down for the first time and was surprised to find myself in a dank dripping basement. It was crowded and tight, understandable for a Saturday night. I was impressed by the variety of arcade machines I was defiantly taken back to the early nineties. The tokens were a good deal at 50% discount. The beer selection was average. My wife ordered the house 8 bit beer which sounded better than it tasted. Returned the glass minus two sips and we're charged anyway. Ordered a blue moon and felt better. Spent half the tokens on beating House of the Dead and had a good time. Cons out way the pros during our visit maybe we will try again later.
(2)Bill L.
CREATIVE CREATIVE CREATIVE! I came here with my fiance's coworkers one day for a get-together and am glad I got to see what this place was like. I never heard about it and was taken for a nice surprise. They have old school arcade games you can play (For tokens of course). I did not have anything to drink when I was here, but will take my friends here sometime and partake in their beverages as well. It is an overall great place, the atmosphere and people are friendly.
(5)Adam P.
This place reminds me of watching "The Wizard" in the movie theater, and dreaming that Santa would bring me that bad a$$ gamer glove! It is the true essence of a barcade. Retro divey, and in a basement! Excellent selection of games and Mario kart 64 on the big screen! Really the review could end there. For drinks a nice beer selection and some fun game themed mix drinks. They pour a nice mix drink for the average person. I like that they give you tokens when you buy a drink. Good selection on pinball and they have a skeeball league. They also play old episodes of American gladiator on the tvs and I found my self cheering! I really dislike the giant janga they have. I took a block to the foot while playing another game and I was not a fan. A few of the games joystick were unresponsive but to be somewhat expected. Did I mention that they have MARIO KART 64 ON THE BIG SCREEN?!?!? WINNER!
(4)Nora H.
Woooo!!! Up-Down is such a fun spot. We went here for my sister's joint bachelor/bachelorette party and it was such a blast. It's in the basement, which makes it even more fun and nerdy. They have tons of games and gaming systems. This place is perfect for a night of partying.
(5)Jeff B.
Classic arcade games in a bar atmosphere. Good times with friends guaranteed here! Get there early for the occasional game token deals. Prices on games are only a quarter each. The drink selection is nice also. Good location downtown. Recommended! From Rampage and Dig Dug to Playboy Pinball and Mario Cart, the place has plenty of entertainment to keep you having fun all night. Skee Ball and more!
(5)Keith H.
Great beer at reasonable prices, 8 pinball machines that are all in good working order, and a handful of games that will remind you of being 12 and trying to coax the change machine to accept the wrinkled dollar bill your mom gave you to get out of her hair awhile.
(5)Duvien H.
Was looking forward to visiting this place on my trek across America. Some Des Moines residents and I invaded this awesomely divey, new age throwback to the 80's and 90's complete with Jean-Claude Van Damme AND Pauley Shore wallpaper, full bar, Strongbow, tons of games in great shape like the 2 screen X-Men, 4-player Ninja Turtles, Giant Jenga and Contra (total rip off, so hard!). They could use a few more fighting games but hey, the joint just opened. One really smart thing the owners did was install narrow platforms between the machines where you could rest your drink. Specials every night and generally a good time waiting to happen.
(4)Mark O.
Good drinks and specials, which vary depending on the day of the week. If you want to enjoy yourself, go during the week (and earlier) because this place is buzzing later at night. Service is pleasant and efficient, but I feel their drink knowledge lacks. As I'm sure has been noted, games are only 25¢ and the staff will gladly refund your money if one doesn't work. They also do a nice job swapping out games for fresh material. Downsides are that the place seems to have a filmy grime on the floor and bathroom fixtures. Fun place though to knock back a few and enjoy yourself.
(3)Ryan M.
Blast from the past! Creative idea which is sure to start catching on in other cities, but yeah old school arcade games and atmosphere drenched with good beers and cool people. Had so much fun here, they had Mario Kart 64 on the big screen with four controllers, life size Jenga, Connect Four, Skeeball, pinball, and the list goes on. Great way to meet people, and there was unbelievable amount hot girls hanging out. Also they have Bells Two Hearted on tap which is one of my favorite IPA's.
(4)Andrew M.
This place was great! I enjoyed the drinks I had (the up-down and the Mike Tysons drunk out) as well as the plethora of arcade games. It was the perfect place for my sister's 21st birthday party. Will definitely go back and absolutely recommend it! All around awesome!
(5)Brooke P.
Love this place - what a great and fun idea! Fun for a quick drink or a night out with friends. There are tons of old school video games to keep your attention and ski-ball, my favorite! I also love the race car games. No food so keep that in mind. A pretty darn good beer selection as well - domestics, micro brews, and some local stuff as well.
(5)Avolyn F.
I went here last December while home for the holidays and had a blast! If you show up early on weekends they have specials on half price tokens which was awesome! I also really liked that their tokens had their logo on them, I felt like I was a kid all over again rather than just punching in quarters. They have a large selection of games of various styles that rotate and you can find the current lineup of games on their website. The customers are friendly and maybe that's just an Iowa thing but we had a lot of fun. I played ski ball with some guys and then ended up playing Pacman with a group I hadn't met before. They also play 90's television (the night we were there they had on Beavis and Butthead) and they played a solid 90's soundtrack. The only qualms i could possibly give is that their giant connect four was in need of repair and only slightly functional when we were there and the place did get fairly crowded but of course it's going to be crowded, it's AWESOME!
(5)Moriah R.
I love this place! Games are only a quarter which makes it one of the cheapest ways to have fun for a few hours! I go a few times a month and am there for a few hours but I rarely spend more then $5 dollars if I'm not drinking. Part of that may be because before 8pm it's double tokens if you get them at the bar. It's pretty awesome. The games are in good condition and the drinks are pretty fairly priced. When it gets crowded though, it can be hard to move around so weekend evenings might make you feel like a sardine. They are open every night which I like because it means you can go even if it's not a typical bar/party night. Very limited seating, but lots of non arcade games (supersized Jenga, supersized connect 4, skiball, super mario kart) for those not quite as arcade oriented. Anyway, lots of fun and you should go check it out!
(5)Keen M.
Went into a building, down the stairs, and into my first barcade. Haven't been to any other barcades so can't really comment on that, but just the fact that it's a barcade made it awesome. I thought they had a good collection of old skool games, and I had lots of fun. It'd probably have been more fun with a group of people, though. As other people have mentioned, there is a minimum $15 for credit card, but you can put tokens on your tab. Wasn't too wowed by our bartender, but they had stiegl, which is now my new favorite "beer". I don't know why there's no barcade is EVERY city :/
(4)Julia H.
This is by far one of the coolest bars I've ever been to. While killing some time before an Iowa Cubs game, we happened upon this bar (thanks in part to Yelp!), and were quickly wishing we had more time to kill! It has all the classic games of the 80s (Tetris, Mortal Kombat, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, etc.) and you can play them each for a quarter! Plus, the bar has some great beers on tap and there are tables/ledges to put your drink next to almost every game. Next time I'm in Des Moines, Up-Down is on my list of places to go! I just wish there was one near where I live.
(5)William Aaron K.
This is a really neat bar and honestly, it's a pretty cool place to go if you're alone and want to drink. I was a little nervous, I must admit because I was going out alone in a city that I don't really know much about. So, I got my little airplane bottle of cucumber vodka, chugged it by a trash can, threw it up a bit, brushed myself off and went into Up-Down. Went down the stairs, I looked around for a second and then I thought to myself, wow! They're playing my favorite songs! However, I needed to immediately run to the bar and get myself some fireball-lemonades and thank to the high heavens, the fireballs were only $4. I'm not a big fan of places with a $10 minimum on cards, but it's worth it if you're trying to have fun. Anyway, to the arcade part of it. The place looks like a retro-80s, 90s arcade. All of the games are older and have a lot of fun classic vibes. I was super mesmerized and sat down and watch people play the South Park pinball machine. I like that the place kind of wraps around and it almost seems like there is a nook and cranny to explore. If you don't have money also, they have giant jenga blocks for you to play with. I probably will be coming back here when I come back to Des Moines again.
(5)Kelsey K.
You will be in gamer heaven in this little dug-out. I say little, but it's actually quite spacious. Decent drink specials and good prices on non-specials. It will feel a bit like a dungeon, but it's worth the trip. You will feel nostalgic when you see the old-school pac-man and Donkey Kong games. Others include Mario cart on a big screen, ski ball, and life-size Jenga. In the East Village, it's the perfect spot to hit up right after you've finished some eats at Zombie Burger. This arcade is where it's at, and anyone who tells you differently is wrong.
(5)Sylvia D.
One of the better bars in Des Moines. The drinks are relatively cheap and they are stocked with old school arcade games that make the night fun. I really enjoyed this place. I believe if you go before 9, you can get 2 for 1 tokens. Normally, it's 25 cents/token. One arcade game is around 1-2 tokens.
(4)Patrick T.
Up-Down, helps the kid in all of us have fun while drinking! This arcade/bar is a rad place to spend an evening with friends, rocking some SKEE-BALL or playing giant human sized Jenga! Tons of classic video games, and pin-ball machines in good working condition! Classic 80's movies, and WWF showing on the tv's! Couches to hang out, and play Nintendo! What else could you ask for! This might not be the best place to socialize with your friends, cause who wants to talk when you could be playing Pinball! But it's a great environment. Lots of local beers on tap, as well as other craft brews, crazy kid candy mixed drinks, and the bar is right below Wooly's a killer music venue! Solid spot for an entertaining night out! Tip: Go early in the night and get extra tokens for your buck!
(5)Dave M.
Before there was Call To Duty, Grand Thief Auto, Minecraft and whatever other games are considered "hot" today, there was PacMan, Donkey Kong, Astroids, Tron and soooo many more classics. I just discovered this bar last night and I am telling you - I was in 80s game heaven! Such a fun vibe, good music, and plenty of beverage options. Conveniently located on Locust in the East Village near Continental. There is no doubt that I will be back there soon.
(5)Nicole R.
A unique concept to Des Moines, UpDown is where your inner child can run free! Well, until that group of hipsters come over to play the six person X-Men game you and your pals are frantically trying, and failing, to beat. Usually packed to the brim, get here early to get a good spot. I hear they give out buckets of their tokens for free early in the evening sometimes, too!
(4)Rachel J.
Had a nice date night here, very nostalgic. I was surprised at how far $10 went with the arcade games. It was pretty packed the night that I went, which limits your gameplay. But I would definitely return for a fun night with friends.
(4)Allen H.
This place is full of classic arcade games. Some nights they give free tokens to the first XX people there after opening, and other nights they do 2-for-1 tokens. Full be with arcade themed specialty drinks. I have had several games eat my quarters, but beyond that, it's been a wonderful time! With a little more TLC on the games, this would easily be five stars.
(4)