FTW Chicago

Witcherns Lucky Strike connection with Roddys Root actual Beer! Agent Smith of the Matrix, epidemic pregame for the movies. Put Put Hike! New Champ, The Game For The Win!

Cool adult arcade spot located in the same building as the river east theater, it is a bit pricey but thats the area for ya, i also watched the NFL playoffs there, it’s good cuz they have a huge TV screen, and then during halftime you can play arcade games! Pretty good beer selection, some not so common choices, and the cocktails looked good, as did the food, tho i havent been able to order any yet

Yet another diversion has opened up in Streeterville. It really is where an adult can be a kid. The wifey and I came here to kill time with our daughter on MLK day. Normally, when I went to arcades as a child I would blow through my credit. But either I move slow or FTW credits really go a long way. We were there about an hour and did not even spend ¹⁄₃ of the $ 25 I loaded onto the card.
I did not eat the food or play even half the games or mini golf, but I will definitely make this place a regular stop post-​movies. I personally am partial to the football throw and the basketball shot games more than the video games they had on offer.

I was fortunate enough to be invited by some of my friends to meet at FTW The event took place at the River East Center which is at 322 E. Illinois. FTW is the newest addition to the River East building which already houses: AMC River East 21 Cinema and Lucky Strike Bowling. The FTW offers guests a chance to play arcade games, miniature golf and get light refreshments at the Gastropub.
I could hardly wait to get there, I have always loved amusement parks, casinos when I turn 21, and even Chucky Cheese when I had children, so when I got a chance to go to FTW I jumped at it! As I came to the entrance I could feel the excitement build at the flashing lights, bright colors, music and sounds of the games, it motivated me to want to play the games. Since I was invited by some friends I first entered a beautiful room with a view of the city. They had ordered pulled pork sandwiches, meatloaf sandwiches, deep fried cheese curds with barbecue sauce, for entrée choices. I tasted the deep fried cheese curds which had a thick fried crust, I found them extremely chewy, and somewhat rubbery. I would have preferred if they had less breading and the cheese would’ve melted a little more. Some of my friends and I were in a hurry to play all the games, by the time we returned to the room, the rest of my friends had ordered deserts. There was a very nice ricotta, blueberry, and whipped cream, it was like a little cookie square. The other desert was a tiny cannoli with cherry or chocolate sauce which was wonderful.
All of the staff were wonderful at FTW, their main goal was to make and keep their guests happy and they did a wonderful job. I have only positive comments about the staff, I believe they are what keeps the FTW going, they are very upbeat and out going, their service was excellent!
The arcade is a little deceiving because of the mirrors in the room that make the room appear as if it goes on and on. There are a variety of games to choose from some video, others are old fashioned the type you would have at a carnival, such as the Claw, Skit ball, basketball, etc… I was given a preloaded card with a small amount of credit to begin, that was for arcade games and miniature golf. Once the credit was used up I was on my own. The games can become addictive and very expensive if allowed to, to reload the card it is as low as $ 10 but could cost a lot more money, depended on how much money you put on the card. It was great except by the time I was done some of my friends had gone, I missed saying goodbye to a few friends! I walked over to the Claw Game one more time, I used the card one last time. I put the card in, guided the claw to a green ball and won, earlier I won a pink ball but gave it to a little girl. Before I left FTW I had to trade my points in for a prize, I had 1400 points and I was minus $ 30.00. Choosing a prize seemed to take forever because they have a lot of items to choose from. The two staff in the prize room were very patient with me as I repeatedly walked around the room trying to pick out a prize, but there were so many items with different point values mixed together in the room it overwhelming! Finally, I chose a rubber ball for my cocker spaniel that is almost as big as she is. In addition I got a plush Kiiroitori that one of the staff suggested.
I can’t review the miniature golf because my friends and I were having so much fun and spent too time in the arcade, there just wasn’t any time left for golf, oh well, there’”s always next time. I throughly enjoyed myself at FTW, and hope to go back soon.

FTW Chicago is not your typical barcade. It’s considered to be more upscale, sophisticated and not just a place to play arcade games. In fact, I don’t even consider myself to be a gamer; not even close. That’s not the reason why I went to FTW. I chose to go because of the bar and, oh, the fact that they have a 138-​inch big screen. Enough said.
Pretty good game selection, but just in case the noise emanating from the popular Star Wars game is too much for you to handle, they have a couple of adjoining, sleek lounge rooms you can escape to. It’s also a great place to watch sporting events, particularly those which are pay-​per-​view because it’s free to get in.

Stay Away!!! Unsanitary Conditions.
I ordered drinks during a corporate event (early afternoon). The bartender made my drink and served it in a dirty cup with Ugly red lipstick. So I asked him for a new drink. I then watched the bartender pour the drink from the dirty cup into a clean cup and serve it to me in less than 20 seconds. Never have I EVER seen such brazen disgusting practices in full view of patrons for a CORPORATE EVENT. When I told him I would not be drinking that drink, he then placed it underneath the bar for ANOTHER unsuspecting customer.
I WILL NOT BE BACK.

FTW is great! Indoor mini-​golf with drinks. The bar is expansive and the food looks really good. It can be a bit crazy with a bunch of people but it’s acceptable. It’s nice seeing all new games that are really fun to place. I find pricing to be a little lower than a Dave and Busters or Gameworks. Great for b-​days! Recommended!
The amount of tiny children has been minimal so far.

It’s clean and new! You will have fun here! We tried cheese curds and gravy. It was delicious! I totally didn’t expect they would have good food here. BUT omgggg the music is tooooo loud!!! Too loud!!! Ours ears hurt. Guess they need to control the volume better. Besides that, everything was good.
P. S. No outside drinks here!

you will blow a lot of money here fast, but you will have fun doing it. The drinks are good, a little pricey. The video games are fun, a little pricey. The minigolf is hard, I mean hard. and I don’t think it was the drinks. the batman batmobile game and the star wars game, I could really blow a lot of money there.
Went to the Unilocal party there, had an amazing time. also went there with two of my buddy’s it was really cool. The prizes for the tickets and points are mostly kind of lame, which stinks. They definitely need cooler stuff.

I’ve only been to FTW for free events so I can’t comment regarding the pricing. However, I can comment regarding the games and I’ve had a great time! It’s a huge arcade space and it even has a little indoor mini golf area. I liked that the mini golf has miniature sized Chicago landmark replicas of Chicago throughout the space.
The arcade games are what you would expect from most arcade places — car racing, basketball, skee ball, shooting games etc… I like they have a few 3D games as well. Off to the side in the back is a bar area and the cocktails were pretty good ($ 13). I’ve been on one occasion and had the food and it wasn’t spectacular, but pretty good for bar food.
My favorite thing I like about this place is it’s 21+. Second favorite thing is that you don’t have to carry around annoying prize tickets. The tickets you win from games are automatically stored on your game card. This is a great place to come with friends or a date night. It’s right next door to the movie theater and Lucky Strikes.

This is pretty much a Dave n busters with a miniature golf course I didn’t eat or drink here but the game selection was pretty much the same it looked bigger then what it is from the outside. It’s a cool spot to go for something different for a date but nothing stuck out besides the miniature golfing I’ll come back to check out the food when I’m in the area. The arcade selection is manly ticket winning games.

My family and I were visiting Chicago last weekend and decided to stop in and check this place out. We didn’t stick around to play games and only had dinner here but I highly recommend you eat here if you get the chance. Don’t be turned off by the fact it is an arcade the food (and especially the cocktails) are banging.
We ordered two appetizers: Portabello Musroom Fries (not very good) and Poutine with «Chorizo» and Cotija Cheese. The fries were good but the Chorizo turned out to be sloppy joe and not at all spicy. Now like I said it wasn’t bad, but when you are expecting it to be spicy it kind of left us disappointed.
My wife ordered the grilled cheese and short rib and that was by far the best thing we ate that night. She let me have a bite but I didn’t see another wiff of that sandwich again. I would order that again next time I was there.
I ordered the burger of the month which was called «The Firecracker Burger.» It was also very good but it wasn’t as spicy as they said it would be. I think this was because they had pickled jalapenos on it which kind of stamped down the spice and made the burger taste more sweet than spice.
For drinks I had the Dark N Stormy which they made absolutely by the book and it was delicious. The wife had the Rasberri Sorbet Sangree and she had two of them so you know they were good.
One of the best part of our night was the fact they let us eat dinner in one of the rooms that overlook the city. I think normally you have to reserve them or have a big enough party to eat there but it was a slow night and it was pretty fantastic. This would be a great place to celebrate an occasion.
Solid place. We will be back.

I first found out about this establishment from a Unilocal Event and while I was here the first time I was not able to have the full experience because I wasn’t really feeling that well… so I came back with my niece and granddaughter.
THEY HAD A BLAST!!!
We didn’t eat here because from what I could remember I wasn’t a big fan of the food but all those blinking lights had us mesmerized… I can’t believe I really didn’t take any pics, but next time I will for sure!
I already had $ 10 dollars on my card when we went and we added another $ 25 dollars (4,000 points) which gave us a little over 5000 points so it can be kind of pricey. I believe by the time we left we had 70 points left. Even with the tickets they won it wasn’t enough to really get them a great gift but my grandbaby loved her ball that was 700 tickets and my niece got some contraption that was that was about 825 tickets.
If you have a big family you will spend about $ 50 dollars so that everyone can enjoy their time here.
Okay, why did I give this place 4 stars because the kids enjoyed themselves from the moment we stepped into the place.
Do I think the price point is a little outrageous… YES!!! especially since some of the games are over 200 points.
I didn’t play that many games because I wanted them to enjoy the experience more than I wanted to play. I did do the Ms. Pac Man which I believe but don’t quote me was 85 points and once you die that’s it that’s all you have to pay another 85 points… they should at least give you 2 or 3 lives like the original arcade use to do but, that’s just me.
The girls loved the Connect 4 game and to be honest I don’t remember the points but they played a couple of times they also played this fish game for about 200 points but my grandbaby won 1000 tickets which helped them get the gifts that they did at the end of our FTW adventure.
I wanted to let them play the golf course but it is $ 8 per person and with it being 3 of us it just didn’t seem reasonable to pay that amount of money when our day was just starting. It was fun when I went to a Unilocal party and next time maybe I can allow them to play the miniature golf because it is an awesome space. I still can’t believe I didn’t take photos but if you want to stay for awhile don’t play the last hole because you don’t get the ball back like you do with the other holes… ijs If I’m paying $ 8 dollars I’m playing until I’m bored or tired… lol
I wanted to play the car game but it was to many points for me because I wanted them to have the best experience they could have while they were there… I will try when its just me and a few friends.
My niece loved the basket ball games the best and my grandbaby loved batman… with the batman you get a chance for a free game but note you must play 5 games at 90 points a game… I only let my granddaughter play 3 times but later I wished I had just let her get her game on since she was doing so well on the game and we kinda of wasted points when they started getting bored… lol
We went kind of early so it wasn’t a big crowd but it was still a flow of parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles with little ones in the place but, as we were leaving about 2 hours later the crowd seemed to grow larger but not to large where everyone couldn’t have fun.
I want to go back and play the dance game because it was so much fun and I can’t remember how many points it was for that game but I must defeat it… It is my mission at FTW maybe by then I will have a little more rhythm.
I will definitely return even if I’m with my adult friends that want to be kids again because I think its a great place for the kid at heart and kids as well.
All I can say at this point is give it a chance and…
Enjoy!!!

The folks from Lucky Strike Dave & Busted inside their bowling alley and out came an awesome arcade and 6 hole Chicago-​themed mini golf course. It’s everything the orange and blue-​signed franchise is only better in my opinion.
You won’t find Mario Brothers or Tetris in this house. Unlike the recent retro bar-​cades that are the rage lately, FTW is all about the most modern entertainment out there. From Skee Ball to Kung Fu Panda to 3D Zombie Apocalypse you’re going to get the latest and greatest when it comes to gaming.
Food wise, American style dim sum carts cruise around replenishing burnt calories, and if you need to hydrate there’s a full bar with a decent draft list and punch bowls that totally fit the inner-​child theme. It’s all tied together by one of the biggest projection screens I’ve ever seen outside of a movie theater and it’s always playing sports.
It’s extremely easy card based token and ticketing is probably my favorite part of the whole experience. All you do is add credits, swipe your card, and let the good times roll without having to get all Chuck E Cheeses with it. Super adult like.
Overall I’d say that this place lives up to it’s acronym.

A completely new arcade means high tech shiny new games galore! This place is awesome, like a playground for adults. With beer in one hand and a ski-​ball ball in another, I am content. Brings me back to the good old days at Chuck-E-Cheese’s.
This is definitely the best way to kill some time if you’re early for your movie next door.

FTW tag line should be — where an adult can be a kid!
My visit to FTW was amazING! I had a great time playing all the games. I mean how could one not enjoy playing games like air hockey, 6 holes of mini golf, Star Wars, a sorta kinda simulated skiing game and a GIANT Connect Four. Let me tell you when I saw that Connect Four game my heart skipped a beat because that was MY game growing up.
Unfortunately, I cannot speak to the alcohol/​beer options at FTW because I opted not to drink since my visit was on a Monday and I try to keep my boozehound persona strictly for Friday — Sunday. However, I did taste the mini sloppy job sliders and cheese curds and they both get two thumbs up.
I will be back to FTW to play Connect Four and I recommend you (yes YOU reading this review) try it out at least once.

Sitting at your desk or place of employment tends to suck all of the life out of you. The countless number of emails coming in that you dont want to respond to seem to multiply as the day goes on and the clock goes in reverse the closer the time should be for you to be going home. By the time youre on the train heading home, youre randomly nodding off on some stranger next to you and wondering how you missed your stop. Again. Break the monotony and be a kid again!!!
FTW (For The Win) provides an escape out of the mundane and it is so close to home, being conveniently located in the Downtown Chicago area and I had the chance to go as a part of a Unilocal Elite event. It is an extension of Lucky Strike which is connected in the back by a long hallway, if you dont feel like making the short walk across the movie theater lobby. The entrance welcomes you with blaring game noises, flashing lights, and a desk which allows you to purchase game cards.
There are plenty of games for your inner-​child indulgence. Skee-​ball, Transformers, Monopoly, giant Connect Four, and so much more. And guess what? NO PAPER TICKETS!!! The tickets are stored electronically to your card which you can register to yourself. Look at that technology!!! The games range in point cost but all provide the same amount of fun! There is a DJ booth that looks awesome even without a DJ behind it and lounge rooms that can hold parties and keep you away from screaming children and macho-​men who cant get enough of the punching bag machine. The bar is lovely. There were so many good crafts on tap and the cocktails that are on their menu are delicious. Of course they have most of your standard drinks as well. The food was pretty good as well. I got the chance to try the cheese curds, corn dogs that had a delicious crust, sloppy joe and turkey burger sliders which have a cranberry walnut bread, the loaded fries, and a cannoli. Flavors could use a little improvement but tasty nonetheless. Customer service was great. The workers all made sure that we were well taken care of.
As a gamer and someone who doesnt want to stop being the age of 12, I will definitely be back here as a repeat customer. Totally gives Dave N’Busters and Gameworks some competition. Nice, clean new place with a great location and tons to offer. Enjoy!

Came here as part of a Unilocal Event that was hosted here last night. This place is a total blast. They have mini golf, arcade games, food and alcohol. It is a little hard to find I’ll admit. It is located inside of the AMC theatre. You have to go up the escalators and it’s too the right.
As far as atmosphere goes its a fun place to be. It’s nice that it’s over 21 after 8. I like Dave and Busters, but when you’re trying to have adult fun, you don’t always want kids around. The food is okay. I’m not sure if it’s just not my style, or if it wasn’t that good. I feel like they tried to present it one way, and taste just didn’t meet my expectations. Dessert was on point though.
Our server Eric was a blast. He was funny and made sure our drinks kept flowing. If I were to throw an event here I think I’d ask specifically for him. He was fun! The private rooms were great. I loved the décor and the overall feel of them was welcoming. They made you feel comfortable.
Overall, great time. I will be back. I’d recommend any one here. I wish we had more time because there is so much to do.

FTW (For the win) Great place to hang out with friend and family for fun times. Good food I love the corn dogs so yummy. For the adults they have a fantastic bar stocked with cocktails, wine and beer. The place is brand new so everything is in working condition and the restrooms are nice too. They also have a family friendly restroom which is very nice.
Mini golf is also fun it has Chicago theme which is really neat concept. I loved their ski-​ball, the claw machines and their arcade games too. This place might be some competition for places like Dave N Busters.

What a fun night! Took my roomie there to celebrate her bday with our friends! FUN FUN FUN! alcohol and games in one spot! What else can you ask for??? Alcohol can be pricey tho, but it’s worth it. Games are so brand new! Newer than the ones in dnb or gameworks or any other arcade places.
Go there with a group of people! It’s very chilling and fun!