The Flipside Barcade at Daw Park
Revisit your youth and introduce your youngsters to some retro entertainment at Adelaide’s only ‘barcade’.
Review by Carla Caruso
What do you get when you cross TV shows Stranger Things and Cheers?
That’s at least how it felt when we visited the family-friendly venue in Daw Park, which opened in November 2022.
The spot boasts an ever-changing array of retro pinball machines and arcade games (like the Palace Arcade in Stranger Things), plus a delish range of American dishes, craft beers and drinks Cheers-style.
It’s a win-win all around for kids and adults.
You can come in and play unlimited games for one or two hours for a small fee. This is great as it means you’re not continually emptying change in the machines and can try out various ones.
The theme of the pinball games when we visited ranged from Ripley’s Believe It or Not! to Wheel of Fortune, The Walking Dead, band Iron Maiden, and Guardians of the Galaxy. The intricate details of the machines were so clever too.
Meanwhile, retro arcade games included NBA Jam, Mortal Kombat, and Sega Rally. You can also play old Nintento games at your booth while enjoying your meal. (We snacked on scrummy haloumi fries and churros and downed milkshakes. There’s also chicken wings, burgers, mac and cheese, nuggets, chips, vegan fare, and more.)
At first, I wasn’t sure how my kids would go with such ‘vintage’ games, having been brought up basically with iPads in their hands, but we couldn’t get them off the machines. There’s something so different about the hands-on experience of aiming a pinball at a marker compared to typing on a touchscreen.
The Flipside Barcade also has deals throughout the week like ‘half-price Mondays’, and competitions and events, such as ‘Pretty in Pin’ gatherings for its women’s pinball group. Or you can even sign up to be a member there.
The ‘barcade’ is open until late, with extended hours during the school holidays. It can also cater for parties and functions.
For something entirely different from anywhere else in Adelaide, this is the perfect ‘destination venue’!
What we like about it
- Old-fashioned fun
- Chance for adults to revisit their youth
- Something different for modern-day kids
- Parents can relax with food and drink while kids make noise and have fun in a family-friendly venue
Things to consider
- Older kids would appreciate this more than the younger kids.
Location:
538 Goodwood Rd, Daw Park
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For more information and all enquiries, please visit The Flipside Barcade website.
All photos by James Elsby for Play & Go Adelaide
At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.
As per all our Play & Go reviews, this is not a sponsored post and our review is done completely independently. All photos are by Play & Go (unless specified).
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