Reviews of FTW Chicago (Bowling Alley)

Drew Bonasera

Nice barcade, 3 of us played on $25 for quite a while. Pretty good drink selection as well

Antwan Richmond

Great place for dates and just an all out fun night. Me and my date enjoyed or time here; I won 1000 tickets on one machine and the food and drinks were affordable.

Elahe Ataei

Not $worth it

craig ball

Clean and great staff.

Miles Royer

Very fun place to go with family and friends especially for a group of gamers which there are definitely a lot of them in Chicago. I definitely recommend this place for the people who love to play video games and that you should be here for a few hours in the day.

Jessica Chitkuer

My purse and jacket was stolen here last evening. I set it down by the ski ball machines and it vanished. (I know it was stolen as unauthorized charges were made on my credit card for parking and for Gucci's online store....). I wouldn't normally file a police report over a stolen purse, but had to in this situation in order to get a new driver's license. I was surprised to hear that a detective was assigned to my case. I was even more surprised to learn that the detective has been contacting the manager, Sean Davis, repeatedly to request the video footage of the crime without any luck. Not returning calls or requests to law enforcement is practically condoning crime.

Andrew Weaver

Really cool bar/arcade

HXRO X

This place is amazing.It is clean,has great tasting food,and the games are very fun .The only small issue is that tickets are easy to get,but the really good prizes cost a lot,im not trying to say it is overpriced though.

Eitan Redlich

Really fun place, great games and beers, reccomend for anyone looking for a fun night.

Mandy Cosme

Aside from some broken/glitched games the arcade is wonderful. A bit pricey and not a place for very small children it's a great spot to impress your friends band have a good time.

patrick wilder

Fun times we had by all!

Chelsea Webster

Lots of fun! Busy arcade, good beer list. Mini golf is a very short course but really cool design.

Hiro Campos

Love the arcade

Kevin Krayer

Had a blast at a birthday party for my sons friend. Tons of games, of all different types. Many appropriate for younger kids. Excellent debit card system to access games, and the tickets you win get added back to the same card. High quality fun.

Alayna Stevens

They have a killer Star Wars game there! You get in a pod and it really feels like you are flying this space ship! Crazy fun,

James King

Fun place!

Nadia Panda

Fun and waitress was attentive. It's kinda weird how you sit down to eat without any guidance but they immediately helped us so that was good. A good selection of games to play.

Rose St-amand

Bit expensive but funny for a night

Angela Lee

My guy and I had so much fun, it was my first time there , and I’ll definitely be back!

Eric Bruhn

Went in the afternoon for some beers and games. Game selection was disappointing at best. There was a lot of mobile games turned into arcades. Crane games, driving simulators and gun games with guns that weren't calibrated. As for the pac-man game, the joy stuck was unresponsive and it was just horrible. The place was clean and the beer selection was good, BUT the beer tasted skunky and like they haven't cleaned the lines in ages. I didn't get any food but it looked good. Will not visit again, but if you do go, the $20 game card is enough to last an hour. You'll want it to be over faster than you can spend it. also, NO retro games besides pac-man. So don't bother if you're looking for some retro fun.

Rebeca Perrone

Had an adult birthday party here over the weekend and had a great time. The planning staff was great and made the reservations without any issues. Even though the whole space was rented out for a larger party, they were able to accommodate my small group at both FTW and Lucky Strike. Felt like we were very taken care of and they even upgraded our party for free! Thanks so much for such a fun experience!

Miles Faciane

It's a good spot for some drinks and games. Great for a stop after watching a movie.

Jake Hi

This have great service

Bryan Dunk

Better if you want modern arcade games, but they do have a few pinball machines. Food is really good.

the NOC Girls Jones

Cool games and arcade vibe. Kid friendly until late evening, adult gaming time. As for food, we ordered the chicken/waffles and chicken quesadilla which was cool, nothing spectacular. Wanted to try a few other things that was no longer available from the kitchen so this might've been better.

Logan Nielsen

Had a great time, fun games and fun atmosphere. Worth every penny!

Josh Edgar

Closed for a private event on a *Friday night* and failed to disclose this on their website or post special hours on Google Maps or Yelp. We spent $15 in a Lyft to patronize this joint and were refused at the door. Absolute waste of our time and money. Clearly a disorganized business that lacks the competence or courtesy to inform you when they're closing on a popular weekend day. Spend your time and money venturing out here at your own risk. Do not trust their posted hours.

John Sorci

FTW is a great spot in the city to take your kids so they can have a good time, and the adults can as well. It’s like a Dave & Busters but way higher quality. The food is very solid for being bar-style food, and they have lots of good beers on tap and drinks. It’s a great spot for adults to hang out while the kids run around and play games. They have a pretty great selection of arcade games, though I will say that they very rarely get new ones. So if you go often it doesn’t really change (unlike D&B who get new games quite often). If you’re looking for a fun afternoon of arcades with the kids, we ALWAYS pick to go here over Dave & Busters.

Andy Clements

We (family of 5 and friends) experienced a rainy day during our stay to see the city of Chicago last May. Upon a quick search online we discovered Lucky Strike & FTW (For The Win Arcade) right next to our hotel. We had an absolute blast for several hours bowling, playing putt-putt golf, ping-pong, pool, and arcade games. Great variety of indoor activities for all ages, kids and adults alike!!! We also found the variety and quality of food to be very good; and the bar had an impressive selection of Craft Beer! Staff were extremely friendly and very helpful showing us the ropes as we had never visited before. We will definitely visit again next time we're in the city!!!

Elena O'Neal

The best place to spend an afternoon. Lots of fun and the food is great. My daughter had her birthday party here and the event planning could not have been better. Great professional staff, both back of house and up front. As my daughter will say every time we visit, Best Time Ever.

PJ Campos

Good variety of games and pinball for all ages.

Paul King

One of the coolest bars in Chicago. It's an adult's fantasy of being a kid again. Mini golf and some of the most unique arcade games with beer and giant TVs playing sports.

Jessica Mims

This place is racist & discriminates against people of color. They wouldn’t let my friend in because he was wearing a jogging suit but let in white people right before us with black jogging pants & then claimed they didn’t see them. My friend wasn’t sagging or anything.

Psychosis Promo

Cool arcade, very much like other ones such as Dave n' Busters. The movie theater is right next to it, and a restaurant right across too.

Ariel Johnson

If I could have given this place zero stars I most definitely would have! I used to patronize this place often but after my last visit I will never spend a dime here again. I'm going to make sure my family and friends don't either, Dave and Busters service is much better than this. Took an uber here with two friends and were treated very unpleasantly by the guards at the door of the arcade. Two of us had our ID and one of our friends is from out of town and lost hers but happen to have a picture of it on her phone and they wouldn't accept it. Now I do understand that policy is policy but the manner and tone in which was taken when we inquired about why it couldn't be accepted was rude. It's crazy because on multiple other occasions after 9pm when I've visited with other friends and other guards are too busy flirting that we had ID's ready and didn't get carded at all ..if you're so strict on this policy you need to be strict at all times. moral spend your money where it's appreciated

jane val

A fantastic arcade that is more for adults than kids. However they have such a wide variety of games that you will find something for everyone here. The food and drinks are also good here although a little bit on the pricey side. You can also buy gift cards for others. I would bring my friends and family here and have a fantastic time!

jarrett walsh

Great barcade in the downtown area, easily walkable from all the north loop hotels. Loved the beer list - mostly local craft brew on tap. Arcade was equally as enjoyable. Food was the star here! So much better than any other barcade ive experienced, and miles ahead of your big chain alternative!

katie dong

Service is nice, games are fun, but they never put enough plushies in the claw machine, and some of the machines are so old that sometimes malfunctions.

Remy Walker

Pretty fun place. Went first thing in the morning so the overall energy of the place was a little low - including the staff unfortunately. But my friends and I still had a great time. Try the 4 person demolition derby game!

Nick Villar

Super fun place to spend a Saturday night! They have a wide variety of arcade games and the mini golf course is great. There are a number of large TV’s around the bar area and their drink selection is solid.

Nicholas Joerger

I have gone twice and would highly recommend going if you want to pay some fun games and enjoy good beer

Rae Smith

It's always fun coming here!

Vatsal Gandhi

Great television screen, good beer choices and okay food. Video games were usual choices. Great for tourists visiting the Navy Pier and Streeterville area.

Jeremy Walton

Not a bad experience, not quite as big as I imagined it

A LaToya Cole

The wait staff is SLOW. Just go to Dave n Busters. This place to TOO expensive.

William Lo

Fun and lively. However its like Dave and Buster's not what we were looking for. The VR setup was cool though

Bill Whittaker

Not fun. Indifferent service. Expensive drinks. Really loud. Games are a rip off. $2 fee just for a game card. Most games 4+ credits to play.

David Nia

Love it!

Charles Cycholl

My eight year old daughter absolutely loves FTW and by this virtue alone I find the place tolerable. You won't find amazing drinks here, and they will be overpriced, but hey you're in Streeterville, that's just how they roll. If you're looking for kid-friendly entertainment where Mom and Dad can also have a drink, FTW is as good as any.

Dan Broderick

Excellent service and food. Great place

kent romska

Only pinball east of Michigan Ave.

bryant kelley

I had so much fun here, this is the perfect place for families

Melissa Reyerson

The arcade was really fun, but the drinks were overpriced and mostly IPAs.

Pat K

This place is pretty lame and really only for children. If you're an adult, I'd recommend somewhere else .

Todd Sutton

Fun exciting place

Keith Webb

A lot of the games don't work

David C

Arcade check, mini golf check, good food check, strong drinks check, Great place with or without kids although, i have not been without them yet. it is a much higher end type arcade, hipster like but we all have fun and it is nice to have an adult beverage while we play mini golf

Steven Hellmann

Amazing assortment of games in the arcade. Hours of fun. They lose a star as drinks are overpriced and not strong enough.

David Conner

Cool spot to blow a few bucks playing games and having a drink. Beat Ninja Turtles so that was cool.

kinit 935

Great place, looks nice and has a good collection of arcade games.

Liliana Martin

This is fun place for adults and children alike. The mini golf is small but great. The debit card system makes it easy to play games and keep track of your winnings. The selection of games is vast. It is a great place to escape the awful Chicago weather!

Denisse Clark

Best Arcade bar I've visited in United States.

Tommy Guns

Good fun environment, good selection of games, nice old school music, not to costly drinks, for a first time visit i was impressed

Jivesh Toor

Fun place to get your drink on while playing Arcade games.

Jebrone Love Kitten

This place is full of lights, sounds, drinks, and prizes. But the best part of it is that it feels more upscale than a Dave and Buster's. You can grab a pricey drink at the bar and even some nice expensive food. They sometimes have a DJ, but the main part in which I come here for is there Pump It Up machine. It works great and they're not ripping you off. They have a window pain that show cases the game! The panels work great, the right side however is slightly better. (Although it hurts me when other players stomp on the pad extremely hard) the only downside is that the machine isn't online. So you can't connect and earn points, avatars, save your settings, or go into full mode right away. Tuesdays is the day to go though, half price on most games (including piu).

Kristi Graham

This arcade was so much fun! The games were great, and they had some fun prizes for the digital tickets you win. Food there is good, and they have a huge TV that plays sports while you eat.

Cheryl Lawson

Chuckie cheese for adults. Went with a group. Had pre paid cards. Shot some hoops, played some games, drank a beverage. I wouldn't go back.

Frank Anderson

Games were just ok - mostly knock off brands. Many of the machines were broken. The food there was pretty good though and they made solid drinks.

Dan Lee

Decent craft beer selection, fairly large arcade with modern games

Derek Schultz

Bar service was horrible, other than that it is a fun spot downtown. Especially liked the indoor mini golf that was Chicago themed.

Janelle Hoban

I come here fairly regularly during off hours when it isn't crowded. Good beer and game selection.

Anthony DeWitt

We hosted our company Christmas party here for the last two years and it's been a major success each time. They keep it very clean and are quick to keep the private rooms well stocked with food and drinks. The games are fun and I believe not a single person encountered a broken machine last Christmas. Very easy event scheduling, Thanks Gina!

Richard Wendt

Fun Place w/games did not bowl or go to show very clean and nice people

Irving Ruiz

It's a fun place for adults, good selection of games. The food is good and the drink selection is good as well. The prizes available from winning are really nice compared to some places.

Sharder S. Islam

It's so fun here, I feel like a child when I came here. I played air hockey the most but I tried to go to every machine and I had fun at every one of them. So it's pretty cool, everytime you play on a machine they give you credits. You can redeem the credits for gifts or things. I couldn't be there long enough to get a lot of credits but I did win a ray gun. I recommend this place to everyone, adult or child.

Christian Lewis

Prices for the arcade were great! Drinks were reasonable for Chicago. Try the Kentucky barrel ale

Daniel Lopez

Cool place! Has this giant screen for sports that everyone in the bar area would be able to see. Has a good sized arcade with many games, although we didn't try the mini golf I saw they have that to offer too. Won't be the last time I visit this place.

Alia Hollister

Fun. Good games. Decent prizes. Good food. Cool decor. Clean. We go often. Spend 25$ waste 2 hours. Leave happy.

Philip Mohr

Very fun games and no dealing with tokens or cash. It is very easy to spend the points on your card quickly, so your money can go fast. Good food and drinks, but a bit expensive. The space is very clean and the staff are friendly and helpful.

david stewart

Cool spot, all new games, nice bar, kids had a blast!

YourBuddyJoe

Wide variety of arcade games and air hockey tables. Nice selection of beers and cocktails. Good food.

Lady Harrison

Great place, everything in one spot!!

Sai Charan Sundar Somarouthu

I love this place. Its a great place to have fun gaming. They have a very good bar menu and the food is nice too. The only problem with this place and of course any other place in Downtown chicago is the parking. The parking is expensive. But, It is in a building as AMC river east and the bowling place. This place is fun.

Kayleigh Rogers

Over priced but there was a 3d game we loved!!!! We did have fun so I guess whatever. You expect these places to be a RIP off.

EggieInBasket

There was poop on the flappy birds game

Geoffrey Thompson-Leonardelli

Good beer. Liked the cauliflower pizza crust. And kids had a great time!

Lonnie Coward

Great games who is a little high

Mark Dickman

Tuesdays are half price gameplay points. Otherwise it seems expensive, but the selection is great and the prizes you can trade for are way better than the arcades of old

Chole Roy

Arcade check, mini golf check, good food check, strong drinks check, Great place with or without kids although, i have not been without them yet. it is a much higher end type arcade, hipster like but we all have fun and it is nice to have an adult beverage while we play mini golf

Xiaotong Li

Nice and fun games! I love spending time here while waiting for my movie to start upstairs at AMC

Jamie Booth

Delicious, gourmet food and expertly crafted drinks combined with arcade games and mini golf. What more could you ask for? This is the perfect place to let your inner child run wild while drinking and eating like an adult.

Nigel stewart

a really interesting place

Latoya Jackson

The place to be for all ages until after hours. You can party and have drinks. Bowling, game room, movie theater all in one place plus good food.

arunima alex

Awesome place to hangout with friends. Also their blueberry splash cocktail is really good. If you are a cocktail person then you must try it.

Gena Alvarez

Good place to relax and play some games. Food and drinks are ok, nothing too special. The mini golf was overpriced, but fun with friends. Overall, it’s a good place to unwind for a few hours.

Victoria Alao

Fun and affordable place! Perfect for date night or birthday celebrations

Luis Iniesta Civera

Amazing place with tons of games, good beer and affordable !

Ervin Glover

Super cool spot with a bar. Would like to have seen more classic games but all In all a great spot

Merlin Burton

Great date night here. Good food, decent drinks and plenty of fun and games.

Jennelle Taylor

Awesome everything....

Ebonee Davis

Celebrated my daughter's 16th birthday there with family and friends.

Derrick Davis

Loads of fun!! Something for everyone!

Shaun 87

Can be fun, but it's basically Dave and Buster's with REALLY bad food and the bar sucks. The games are a little cheaper, but the food is really expensive for what you're getting.

Sam Giancoulas

Went to FTW on a rainy day to kill an afternoon. We had a great time. The prizes were better than average. The game selection was a little lacking. The mini golf course was way overpriced for just 6 holes but it was fun. Not enough games to take more than a few hours to enjoy.

Jesus Casanova

No too much to do

Nicole Castello

What a fun experience! The food and atmosphere was on point! The philly cheese steak egg rolls were AMAZING! Thg burger I had was grilled to perfection and the fries were delicious! The games were fairly priced easily comparable to other similar places.

Jessica

The games are so fun but pregame & eat elsewhere as food and drinks are supremely overpriced! Also prepare for there to be children present as it is an all ages arcade

Decal Commander

Bowling, movies, minigolf, and an arcade like dave and busters. Has it all as well as a bar and lounges

Doris Jones

Had fun with my grandkids. Love the giant connect four.

Dustin D

Arcade is updated and huge, craft beers are available, and food is surprisingly wonderful!

Sean Carter

FTW is basically an arcade with a bar that serves food. The machines require a preloaded card, which they charge a $2 activation fee for. The games all charge by points. So of course you end up with an odd amount of points leftover that you cannot use. We also tried miniature golf where the carpet was extremely dirty and full of stains.

Nick Schwartz

This is a cool little arcade. It's pretty much like a smaller Dave and Busters. It has a lot of more modern games like all the new fangled touch screen doo-hickeys. I shredded at this piano game... there's mini golf here too, but I never ventured that far back. The beer selection is solid.

Dianna Egan

Love FTW. This is a great spot to have some fun. Either before/after a movie, combined with some bowling at Lucky Strike, or just on its own. Love to come here especially on a weekday to unwind.

Kool Doc

The arcade, very nostalgic, get ready to spend money, but will worth it.

michael smith

It's great

Robin Lancaster

This was the best decision for a party. The staff was helpful and went above and beyond!! Thank you for making it happen,

Stephanie Gomez

Had a good time. Machines worked. Dizzy chicken got stuck but they fixed it

Brian Perry

Very fun atmosphere. Great arcade for the kids.

brian ramiro

BO-RING! It's a copy of Dave & Buster's without the kids running around and slightly better food and mini golf. But you gotta pay to play (more than you think using those cards) and no video arcade machines like at HQ. For me, arcades like HQ, Logan Arcade, and Emporium are much better.

Mark Price

Great place for kids & adults alike. Just a few blocks from Michigan Avenue for a one stop shop for movies, video games, food, pool, bowling, ping pong, etc... it’s not the cheapest place to visit but sure is nice to have entertainment all in one place on cold Chicago winters.

Jenny Death

I ADORE THIS PLACE OH MY GOODNESS! I LITERALLY COME HERE EVERY PAYDAY AND JUST GO NUTS AND RELIVE MY CHILDHOOD. <3 ...but with beer and food occasionally. The onsite staff are very friendly and helpful and willing to assist. Games are of a rather large variety from coin drop games, to touchscreen, to regular old skeeball. The giant Connect Four, Giant Pac Man, and table hockey are my favorites. Tuesday's are half price game days which gives you more bang for your buck. I swear theq st time I went I only spent $30 on credits and left with over 4,000 tickets. They do parties here on reservations with special rooms that look out into the street and the bar has a HUGE television. Great fun for all ages, if you're still bored somehow (which is impossible) they have bowling across the hall and a movie theater as well.

Miss Trust

DO NOT order the salad there. It's basically just leaves, strips of baked parmesan and dry thin bread sticks that you need to put together yourself. To be fair, you should prob not order a salad at a bar. However, the staff was kind and bartender was great.

Ryan Graham

Playing blackbeard bounty and winning so they skim the game ..... took tokens from game which I played ..... looking to win tokens and get cool prizes stay away this place ridged there games I just watched 3 guys try and fix the machine I was playing and of course it is magacialy broken

Nathan Creech

One of the coolest places I've been in a while! Definitely a must visit location in Chicago.

J. A.

Always have a great, chill time here. Good for adults who want a little getaway from the norm. Food is decent but the staff made it better. Golf course was cute.

Megan Bowyer

FTW is amazing!! Definitely one of the best parts of our trip to illinoise. The staff was great and the arcade games were awesome!! Food and drinks were delicious too!

Cas de Kock

A lot of games. Enough to keep you entertained all night. The food and beer selection wasn't bad either.

Susana I

Great place to have a drink with some friends and play games. I loved the mini golf and the good old Galaga game