IA
I/O Arcade Bar
I/O Arcade Bar: Play games your way, with pinball, arcade, and crafted drinks.
4
Bar
$$
I/O Arcade Bar: Play games your way, with pinball, arcade, and crafted drinks.
Located at 924 Williamson St, Madison, WI 53703, I/O Arcade Bar pairs social spaces with wall-to-wall arcade games and pinball, including the Evil Dead pinball, with a curated drink menu. Reviews highlight a clean vibe, friendly bartenders, and board-game options. It’s a pay-per-game venue with an on-site ATM; one review mentions restroom safety concerns for women.
No photos available
Play a wide variety of classic and modern video arcade games and pinball machines using quarters.
Enjoy a selection of beers, cocktails, and non-alcoholic beverages served by friendly bartenders.
Access free-to-play board games for socializing and group entertainment in designated areas.
Host meetups and private events in a lively space with gaming and drink options.
Experience modern pinball machines, including popular titles like The Evil Dead, in working order.
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Overall rating
Anonymous User
I/O Arcade Bar does not respect or care about the safety, dignity, and privacy of women at their establishment. I was recently here for a Mesh meetup event and was horrified to learn that I/O doesn’t have female only restrooms! I had to walk to the Wisco to go to the bathroom, and I basically returned, finished my drink/closed my tab at I/O, and left to go back to the Wisco. I feel safer at a biker bar than at an arcade bar! Women deserve single-sex spaces! Men do too! Shame on you for disrespecting your customers like this. It’s disgusting, and how this is legal is beyond me. I’m going to tell everyone I know not to come here.
Franklin Lake Improvement Association
Great space and location. Not crowded at all and diverse areas to socialize along with a ton of wall to wall arcade games. Also has an area for playing provided table games for free. Bartenders were super nice and polite when I asked for a non-alcoholic beverage. Definitely will be returning to burn some quarters!
LswaN 1
Vibes are great. They've got a nice drink selection, and some fun house cocktails. It's also far enough from campus to not be overflowing on weekends. Note, there's two types of arcade bars. Some charge an entry fee and then games are unlimited, others are classic arcades where you pay quarters at every machine. I/O is the second kind. They've got an ATM on site, but it's a good idea to bring some cash when you go.
Dory
It was clean, the games we played were in working order. Friendly bar staff, drinks were ok. A nice selection of modern pinball machines- The Evil Dead pinball was a blast! The bathrooms are "choose your own adventure"- to the left for urinal options and to the right for stalls only. There is a nice selection of board games to play if you like also.
RTFM
Overall good place to meet friends, have some drinks, and play some games. Good variety of old and new games. Fun atmosphere; I would categorize it mor targeted to the adult crowds vs some retro arcades which are geared towards kids and adults. I would say the cost per game is high (4 x quarters to play 1 game of pinball) so it’s not necessarily a place you would spend a lot of time in given other retro arcades are either free games with drink purchases or a set cost to play all games unlimited.
