FOOD & DRINK Leveling Up

Patrons can play pinball, Skee-Ball and a large selection of arcade games while sipping specialty cocktails at Level One Bar + Arcade.

BY BRIAN CROSS

While plenty of adults these days have a nostalgic connection to arcade video games, it was a love for pinball that gave rise to an arcade bar called Level One. And much like playing a game of pinball, a bit of luck helped the bar’s second location land in just the right spot.

Level One Bar + Arcade, which started in Columbus, recently opened a second location in the previous 16-Bit Bar+Arcade space on Walnut St. in Over-the-Rhine.

The new arcade bar features many classic ‘80s and ‘90s cabinet arcade games like “Space Invaders,” “The Simpsons” and “Paperboy,” but what sets Level One apart is the selection of pinball titles (and a couple of Skee-Ball lanes).

Owner Paul Burkhart kept his childhood passion for pinball alive through the years, and it’s on display at the Level One locations in Columbus and Cincinnati.

“When I was a kid there were only pinball machines, there weren’t video games yet. So I developed a passion for pinball.[...] Everywhere that had a pinball machine I’d try to seek it out and play it, and I always thought someday I’d have a pinball (machine) of my own,” Burkhart told CityBeat

The first machine Burkhart bought as an adult was the one he would play at the YMCA on his way home from junior high school. That game was “Gold Strike.”

“I played that a bunch and then I thought, ‘I wanna buy another one,’” Burhhart said.

He bought a Simpsons machine in the early ‘90s, and later a South Park machine.

“I started picking up more and more machines. I had a walkout basement at the time, so I could fit a lot of them in there. I just kept buying and buying stuff.”

What’s left to do once you fill your basement with retro games? Throw a party, of course. Burkhart and his wife started hosting annual Halloween parties that were a big hit with their friends. Then came the suggestions that he should open an arcade. An idea he liked, but always brushed off. He brushed the idea off again when his brother told him about a new arcade bar in Brooklyn he visited. That bar was Barcade, now thought to be the first ever arcade and bar. Still, Burkhart mentally filed the throwback arcade idea under “someday”.

Not long after, he heard through his pinball connections that 16-Bit had beat him to the punch and was opening in Columbus. After initially thinking that the ship might have sailed on the idea, he gave it some more thought.

Discussing the idea with his wife, Burkhart reasoned, “If we’re in our 80s and we’re on a porch rocking, I’m going to regret not having done it. But if we’re rocking on a porch and we did it and it failed, I’m going to have no regrets.”

With his wife on board, Burkhart opened the first Level One in the northern suburbs of Columbus, as to not directly compete with 16-Bit which was located downtown. That was about 8 years ago.

In 2020, the pandemic put a damper on the idea of expanding to a second location. But on a trip to Cincinnati to catch a Reds game with his two sons, he happened upon a retail space for rent in Over-the-Rhine.

“We walked past this space that we’re in now and it had a for lease sign on it and I was like, ‘Hey, this looks like a good spot for an arcade bar.’ Well, lo and behold it used to be 16-Bit.” Burkart told CityBeat.

Also, serendipitously, Burkhart met previous 16-Bit bartender and assistant general manager, Jacob Carson. Carson now works with Gorilla Cinema Presents, who Burkhart eventually hired to manage Level One’s OTR location.

“They manage a lot of places and we really liked Jacob Trevino (owner of Gorilla Cinema Presents) and Jacob Carson so we ended up bringing them on to be the management,” Burkhart said.

Gorilla Cinema owns and operates some of Cincinnati’s most creative bar concepts, like Tokyo Kitty, Overlook Lodge and Tiki Tiki Bang Bang.

Now open, Level One features 12 pinball titles in addition to the video arcade games and several console games.

Burkhart says there was somewhat of a pinball renaissance in the last 10-15 years, giving rise to several companies that make new pinball games. Many of the pinball titles at Level One are newer, including the Stranger Things machine. There’s also a Deadpool machine, Godzilla, The Simpsons and Star Wars machines among others.

Visitors can play any Super Nintendo or Nintendo 64 game ever made, since the whole library now fits on a special cartridge called Everdrive. “Super Smash Bros.,” “Mario Kart” and “007” headline the Game Cube offerings.

Players can duel it out on the big screen during “Mario Kart” and “Super Smash Bros” tournaments. Burkhart says other tournaments and leagues are on the way.

“We’re still putting together our portfolio of leagues and tournaments and events. We’re going to highlight the pinball league but we’re going to try to start up a Skee-Ball league as well.“

The arcade video game selection isn’t lacking. There are about 40 cabinets at Level One, with games ranging from early ‘80s classics like “Galaga” and “Donkey Kong” to ‘90s titles like “Mortal Kombat” and “NBA Jam.” But you’ll find some less common options as well.

“I always try to work in some odd ball titles which you don’t see very often,” Burkhart told CityBeat. “We’ve got a

Japanese ‘candy cabinet,’ which is a white sit-down cabinet that plays a lot of ‘Street Fighter’ and fighting games. It’s a 2-person fighting game.”

The candy cabinet at Level One currently plays “Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes.” Games other than pinball and Skee-Ball are free to play, as long as you’re buying drinks.

At the bar, you’re in good hands with Gorilla Cinema at the helm. They’ve created a cocktail menu with drinks named after and inspired by classic games. The Kong Barrel features plantain-infused Four Roses bourbon and walnut bitters.

The Tron is a bright blue concoction of blueberry vodka, blue Curaçao liquor, lemonade and soda. For non-drinkers, there are some tasty N/A options as well.

The beer selection is huge, with 24 taps highlighting mostly local area breweries, plus a few domestics. Another 20-plus beverages are available in bottles or cans.

Burkhart says the Columbus location hosts about 6-8 parties per weekend, and he hopes parties, events and happy hour gatherings catch on in Cincinnati too. Level One is open for all ages on Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m. Outside of that time, anyone under the age of 21 is not permitted to enter Level One.

Level One doesn’t serve food, but guests are free to bring food in or have it delivered.

Level One Bar + Arcade, 1331 Walnut St., Over-the-Rhine. Info: cincinnati.level1bar.com.