8 Las Vegas arcade bars to level up and feel young again

It’s no fountain of youth, but Bonus Round Totally Awesome Bar + Arcade will at least make you feel like a kid again. Albeit a kid with the disposable income of a grown-up and a legit ID to show the bartender.

“We wanted it to be kind of retro, because it’s an arcade for adults,” says Eric Upper, assistant executive chef at the MGM Grand.

To that end, the arcade is littered with old-school games such as NBA Jam and Missile Command, and there’s a Nintendo 64 console on each of the banquettes.

Bonus Round is a bar, not a restaurant, so Upper opted for comfort finger foods with a throwback feel.

“When you were sitting around in your friend’s house when you were a kid playing Nintendo, what were you eating? Oh, pizza rolls,” he says. “So we did a panzerotti, which is basically a pizza roll.”

Those are crafted with hand-made dough, premium ingredients and nothing that comes out of a can. The menu also includes elevated takes on Buffalo wings, pretzel bites and meatball sliders.

On the cocktail side, Upper says to look out for the neon-colored low-calorie cocktails and other drinks that aren’t too sweet, even with a Nerds-coated rim.

“We wanted things to be fun, a little nostalgic, but we also wanted (them) to be very photogenic,” he says.

As long as you’re ordering food or drinks, the games are free to play.

“We didn’t want people to have to load cards or get tokens to pump them in,” Upper says. “We wanted people to enjoy themselves.”

As Bonus Round was being developed, many Las Vegas visitors were complaining about high prices or being nickel-and-dimed.

“So the thought of making somebody put a quarter into a machine was like, ‘This is literally what they’re talking about,’ ” Upper says.

Bonus Round is open 4 to 11 p.m. Thursdays through Mondays in The District near the entrance to the Grand Garden Arena. From 9 to 11 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays, guests can have unlimited well drinks and draft beers for $45.

Here’s a look at some of the other arcade bars — or “barcades,” if you will — around the valley:

Asylum Bar + Arcade

Try your luck at low-tech games like Skee-Ball and bubble hockey or only slightly more advanced video games such as BurgerTime, Dig Dug and Joust. Canned beers, including locally brewed ones, are $10, draft beers are $11, and cocktails and boozy slushies are $19. There’s an offer for $25 worth of tokens for $20 at area15.com/experiences/asylum. At Area15

Velocity Esports

This one runs the gamut from shuffleboard, foosball, darts and bowling to games with ticket redemption for prizes to an esports lounge with professional-level gaming chairs. While you’re there, enjoy some craft cocktails and mocktails. At Town Square

The Cove Bar & Arcade

This spot offers modern arcade games, duckpin bowling, air hockey and a golf simulator. All gameplay is half off on Wednesdays. Drink specials include beer buckets with five Budweisers, Bud Lights, Michelob Ultras, Alaskan Ambers or Shock Top Belgian Whites for $35 all day. At Treasure Island

Player 1 Video Game Bar

Itching to play vintage consoles from the Atari 2600 to the original Nintendo Entertainment System to the Sega Genesis? This is your place. A cover charge — $6 for residents of Nevada, Arizona, California and Utah; $9 for everyone else — includes unlimited access to those consoles and classic arcade cabinets. Meanwhile, the bar boasts 50 taps, more than 150 bottled beers and a healthy selection of meads. 2797 S. Maryland Parkway

The Nerd

It’s an arcade bar, but it’s also a wrestling bar with watch parties that serves as the home of MicroMania Midget Wrestling. The Nerd lives up to its moniker with geeky names for its cocktails like Optimus Prime and Compound V. At Neonopolis

In the Game

Just down Fremont from The Nerd, In the Game offers carnival games, immersive VR and standard arcade games. Its Tipsy Gypsy bar promises the “cheapest drinks on Fremont Street.” 310 Fremont St.

F1 Arcade

There’s only one “game” here, but it’s a doozy. The 87 full-motion racing simulators come with five skill modes and let guests drive on some of the world’s most iconic tracks, including the Las Vegas Grand Prix course. The venue’s beverage program was created by LP O’Brien, winner of the first season of Netflix’s “Drink Masters.” At the Forum Shops at Caesars

Contact Christopher Lawrence at clawrence@reviewjournal.com or 702-380-4567.