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Here’s a guide to Level Up, Singapore’s first arcade bar, in Clarke Quay. It is a bar with a full drinks list and a live band, with a floor of arcade machines, pool, darts and beer pong in the middle, which makes it a good choice for a big group, a birthday or a work night out.
It opened in November 2017, and the doors open at 5pm every day.
Full listing, hours & directions →
How the tokens work
Your food and drinks come with game tokens. Roughly one drink gets you enough for one game, and you can buy more at the counter. Buying tokens in bulk works out much cheaper per game than a mall arcade.
Because the tokens come with the round you were buying anyway, nobody has to decide whether to spend money on games, so people who wouldn’t normally play end up having a go.
Some games are separate from the tokens — darts has been coin-operated, and the pool tables have sometimes been free. Ask at the bar.
What’s on the floor
More than ten arcade machines, mostly older favourites: shooting games, racing cabinets, Bishi Bashi, pinball and a claw machine. Around them are games for a whole group — beer pong, foosball, pool, air hockey, basketball and darts.
The walls are covered in murals by local street artists, with Chun-Li and Bub from Puzzle Bobble, and neon comic-book signs. It makes a good backdrop for birthday photos.
The music
Live bands and DJs play most nights, mostly EDM and current chart songs, and reviewers mention the music as often as the games. Sometimes you can request songs by scanning a QR code at your table, and if you bring a cake, the band has been known to play Happy Birthday from the stage.
Food and drinks
Casual bar food with an Asian twist: sharing platters, sliders, wings, fish and chips and loaded tater tots, plus jugs and punch bowls for the table. The cocktails include some local ones, such as a Milo Dinosaur with vodka.
Reviews of the food range from very good to fine. The platters and fried food are the safest choices.
Who it suits
- Birthdays. Games, a live band and room for a cake.
- Work and team nights. Level Up runs private events, company dinners and team nights, and the room works for a small group or a full buyout.
- Mixed groups. People who drink and people who don’t, and people who want to compete and people who just want to watch, all have something to do.
- Before Zouk. It is a short walk from Zouk and opens at 5pm.
Six things worth knowing
- Book ahead, especially at weekends. Larger groups reserving a table may have to meet a minimum spend, so ask when you book.
- It is open late. 5pm to 1am from Sunday to Thursday, and until 3am on Fridays, Saturdays and the night before a public holiday. It sometimes closes for private events.
- Check who is playing. The band or DJ makes a big difference to the night, and Level Up posts the week’s line-up on its social media.
- The air conditioning is very cold, according to many reviews.
- It is loud. It isn’t the place for a quiet catch-up.
- Under-18s need an adult with them, and are only allowed in from 5pm to 8pm, Monday to Saturday, or from 5pm until closing on Sundays.
Check current hours and events with Level Up before you go. If something on our listing is out of date, there’s a form at the bottom of it.
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Opening hours, prices and details change. Please check with the venue before travelling — and if something here is out of date, the report form on any listing takes about twenty seconds.
