Rusty Quarters Retro Arcade & Museum

closed closed closed. sadly.

I’m officially old enough to have nostalgia :(Sigh… But what a fun place to come and relive my childhood with my favorite arcade games. The best part the price is still the same as the 80’s as the name implies… quarter to play!
We took my stepdaughter here who did not grow up with these games but still loved it and it was fun to see her enjoy the things we once loved. Even if she did call us «Vintage» :P
They also rent out for birthday parties if you wanted to «own» the place for a party which does sound pretty cool. It’s also next to the bowling place and a gelato place so you can really make an evening of fun out it.
Can’t wait for spring to hit so I can ride my bike on the greenway, get some gelato and play some games. My only con is that they didn’t have Teenage Mutant Ninja turtles game which is the one I played the most as a kid… If they get that one I know where all my quarters will be going and it won’t be laundry!

Really cool low key place to play some fun old school games.
It has classics like Ms. Pac Man, Indiana Jones pinball, and the Terminator 2 game that that my folks didn’t like me playing when I was 10 years old.
Staff if always around if a machine eats your quarters. Eclectic mix of young adults and kids. Its a fun place to spend an hour or two.

Several weeks back, I was out with friends when we stumbled upon one of the greatest places I’ve ever seen. An arcade with tons of classic, old-​school video games. If you grew up in the 80’s and can remember spending hours at an arcade trying to break someone’s high score, then you owe it to yourself to check out Rusty Quarters in Minneapolis.
Yeah, I know, it’s not a Saint Paul place, but it still rocks despite its location (which is in Uptown, next to the Bryant-​Lake Bowl). When you walk in, you feel like you have been transported back in time. Rows of arcade games, all of which were created before Justin Bieber was born. Along side the games there are also a few pinball machines. They sell soda and candy, as well as buy and trade games cartridges for your favorite home game counsel, provided you like the old stuff. No Xbox games here.
Unfortunately, Rusty Quarters does not have a liquor license and does not allow alcohol on the premises. If they did, I may never leave. The options at Rusty Quarters are great, and they switch out games every so often so the options do change. I got to play some of my old favorites like Rampage, Burger Time, Ms. Pac Man, Centipede, Gauntlet, and Arkanoid.
Would definitely recommend Rusty Quarters and will be stopping in whenever I’m in the neighborhood. And don’t worry about bringing your own quarters, they’ll make change!

Rusty Quarters is never open on time. NEVER!!! The owners constantly post on Facebook announcing their ineptitude to open the shop at the posted hours. Their unreliability has forced me to never go there again. I shouldn’t have to check their Facebook to see if they’re open or not. Sad, because they have a decent selection of games. With the popularity of retro gaming becoming a trend, there are more options, such as Insert Coins and Mushrooms & Moonshine. I hope RQ does well, but in the hands of such poor management, I can only see it failing. Shame.

«There’s a potential Donkey Kong Kill Screen if you wanna watch.»
If the above quote makes any sense to you at all, then Rusty Quarters if for you. There is not one but TWO Donkey Kong machines where you can try and achieve a Kill Screen. Not just Donkey Kong, you will also find some other classics like Tron, Terminator 2, and of course the venerable Pac Man. There’s also three pinball machines
As someone who grew up in the 80s, it’s nice to have Rusty Quarters around. Arcades were most popular in the 80s, back when gaming was a social activity. You would put your quarters up against the glass signifying you were to play next. Rusty Quarters hearkens back to those simpler days, when Russians were always the bad guys, Molly Ringwald starred in every movie, and people said the word «rad» without any hipster connotation.
It’s also located in the best part of Uptown (Lyn-​Lake) where you can get top notch gelato next door (Jackson’s), or walk over to get some tasty Yucca Fries and a cold brew at the nearby Muddy Waters. All in all, it’s a great destination if you are looking to have an interesting weekend afternoon.

First of all this place deserves five stars simply for existing. I «wasted» every summer of my youth in dimly lit arcades just like this one, and man does this place take me back. As soon as I walked in I felt 12 years old again. They have a great selection of games from the 80’s and the owners are super friendly and welcoming.
Secondly, they buy and sell old NES and SNES cartridge games. I had a box of old games that were collecting dust in my closet, so I dusted them off and brought them in expecting to get a few bucks for the whole lot. To my surprise they actually paid pretty well for the old games and it was a quick transaction.
All in all this place is amazing and I hope it’s around for along time. If I could give them more stars I would.

I came and made a «donation» here the other night while waiting for a show at the BLB next door. I say «donation» because I am terrible at old-​school arcade games. I blew through 3 lives on Defender within about 15 seconds. I’m not even kidding. But the variety of games is excellent and the vibe is super fun and nostalgic. It’s brightly lit, which is a departure from the bowling alley arcades of my youth, but that just adds to the friendly nature of the place. Games are $.50 each ($.75 for pinball). This is totally reasonable considering that you could buy a Coke for a quarter when these games came out and can’t find a 12-​oz. can for under $.75 anywhere nowadays. I loved seeing dads with their kids (daughters, actually). It’s a great, family friendly place and a welcome return to the old days when you could look over your friend’s shoulder and share in the gaming experience as he blasted through levels nearing that elusive high score. Can’t really do that with a PSP or iPhone, now can you?

I grew up with a generation of arcade goers in real arcades! It was the 80’s and if you had the gaming talent, on one quarter you could go all the way. Now a days, you can die once while playing a game, after putting in 2 bucks (just to get it started) and have to put another 2 bucks in to play again — also, there are seemingly no free games these days. You beat a racing game, come in first place and the game just ends???
Anyway, Rusty Quarters is awesome. I wish it was bigger, because it gets very busy there at times and you don’t have much room to hang out and wait for a game, let alone to stand.
I highly recommend this place and it is family friendly and the crowds always seem to be calm, friendly and nice and in no way rowdy, scary or shady.
I do recommend calling before you show up though. The first 3 times I tried to go there after their grand opening I was pretty upset to be honest. The first time I got there, they were supposed to be open an hour and a half already and I went to open the door and it was locked. Someone inside told me that they weren’t open yet and it looked like they were cleaning up inside and getting it ready. After waiting 20 mins, I left. The next 2 times I showed up and there was a sign on the door reading that there was a private party in progress. So, the second and third time I tried to go to RQ to enjoy some retro fun also was met with disappointment.
Be sure to check and make sure that there is no private party, before driving there is all I can say.
Still, this place is great and a lot of fun and I wish there were more places like this.

The graphics are cheap, the technology is old and the equipment is clunky and not at all user friendly. But only in Rusty Quarters are these attributes viewed as good qualities and celebrated. Excitement and nostalgia swept over me as I viewed the offerings… Original Super Mario Brothers, Donkey Kong, Frogger, Joust, and my personal favorite, BurgerTime. With many others as well.
A small counter works double duty as the snack stand, questions center, and old school game system resale outlet. And you too will wander over and eyeball the selection after playing a few rounds on your favorite arcade game. Why not bring the fun home?!
Aside from those 2 major elements, there are is little else that the Museum offers — no tours or interesting factoids. No alcohol either (FYI!) and plenty of kids of all ages.
When I first started visiting, the games were $ 0.25 per game and that was a steal! On several occasions I would justify my fruitless efforts to advance to level 2 on Burgertime by the price point alone. Now with the 100% price increase to $ 0.50 per game, the cost now outweighs my skill and ability. For me, it is now a once in a while donation stop on our walk home, instead of the favorite past time during the week sort of stop it was before the price increase.

Soooo mad I’m just now finding out about this place! This is officially my new favorite place in uptown.

One of the best ways to spend $ 10 and kill a couple hours in Uptown.

This place brings me back. Back to when I would watch all the older kids play the video games and the sounds it would make would frighten me away. How I loved going to the arcade!
My favorite was and still is Crystal Castles and I am so glad they have that here. I also loved Street Fighter and Ms. Pac Man and felt like a kid again.
Bring lots of quarters — this place is addicting. If you don’t have quarters, no worries — there is a cash machine to spit out the shiny goodness until your fingers bleed.
I got such an arm and finger workout that I was actually sore for a few days (guess I don’t play many video games nowadays). Also, for some nickles and dimes you can get some classic candy such as Tootsie Rolls, Dum-​Dums, and Mr. Goodbars.
This place closes at 10pm so it’s great to go before the night starts. Going during the weekday gets a bit packed, but people switch back and forth between the games that you are never really waiting too long for a favorite.
Lots of cubby hole spaces for your belongings and very pleasant staff to strike conversation with if you fancy. This is place is fun and addictive and I’m so happy that they are around.

A real video arcade? In Uptown? Where’s my Dad? I want him to see this!
What a step back in time. My Dad was in this type of game business for 30+ years, and I used to work in his arcade in the summers between college years.
This place has some of the very well known and much-​played games, one being my favorite, Ms. Pac Man, and they all cost a quarter to play, just like way back when. What fun! Only thing is, they do not have any pinball games. Does anyone have a «Silverball Mania» they’d consider selling to this place? People of all sorts and ages were in here playing their preferred game and just hanging with each other.
They have bins of «penny candy» that they sell for, you got it, a quarter a piece, and a small soda cooler with glass bottles of Coca Cola and Orange Fanta for sale at over $ 2 a bottle. What would put this place over the top for me is a popcorn machine spewing out freshly popped corn. Ahhh… those were the days!!!

This is an OK place to hang out and for a place with Museum in its name, they don’t care if you make a little noise. A fair warning to folks, these are the arcade games of the past. Before point inflation (a high score of 18,000 is pretty damn good) and fuzzy logic (the controls are touchy and you need to be square on, otherwise you lose a life) these screen games ruled.
But be careful, they will suck the quarters right out of your pockets, as they are addictive machines to learn and master. Good times for sure.
I visited on a Saturday late afternoon and the place had a predominately male turnout… but men of all ages, even a few preteens were there. But fear not, as the posted rules state, the young-​ins must be accompanied by an adult.
There are plenty of cubby spaces to store your stuff and neat posters of toy robots that line the walls above the games.
If you have spare change (or even if you don’t — they have a change machine that changes $ 1, $ 5 and $ 10 bills) and time, this is the place to be in the middle of Lyn Lake.

What a great time! Rusty Quarters has a great selection of late-​seventies & eighties video arcade games. My 20-​year old son and I went in on a Sunday afternoon and played games for an hour or so. The energy in the room is fun, we were able to get on all the games we wanted to play, and a game still only costs a quarter! We plan to bring the teenage cousins in soon.

Have a bunch of quarters? don’t do laundry, go to the arcade! Lots of fun, perfect for hipsters, geeks, gamers and weirdos. Jocks and bullies, stay away! Go to the Saloon. This is our hangout!

An arcade where you can play a bunch of 80’s arcade games for a mere quarter a play? Yes please!
This place is brand new, and it’s sandwiched between Bryant Lake Bowl and Jackson’s Gelato. They have a bunch of classic arcade games like Ms. Pacman, Donkey Kong, Q*bert, and Mario Bros. It’s clean and cozy, and they have cute cubbys to put your jackets in so you don’t have to mess with it while you’re maneuvering Donkey Kong over barrels
I got my ass kicked by Frogger (very embarrassing) and spent about $ 2 on Space Invaders before I called it quits, but I can’t wait to stop back for some more!