The 1up Arcade Bar - LoDo

Should You Book The 1up Arcade Bar?

If you're comparing The 1up Arcade Bar in LoDo to Denver's craft cocktail bars, you're asking the wrong question. This is not a competition for the leading Old Fashioned in the neighborhood — it's a different category entirely. Where Williams & Graham rewards a quiet pair looking for serious drinks, and Death & Co suits cocktail-forward drinkers who want a curated pour, 1up is the call when your group of six can't agree on anything except that they want to actually do something together. For groups of four or more, it's one of the more practical answers in the city.

The Experience

1up sits at 1925 Blake St in LoDo, close to Coors Field, which means it pulls both pre-game crowds and late-night groups on weekends. The draw is the format: a full bar operating alongside a floor of arcade games and console setups, which gives a large group a structure that a standard bar night doesn't offer. Instead of standing around a high-leading hoping conversation carries the evening, people move around, pair off at machines, and reconvene at the bar. It works especially well for mixed groups where not everyone is a close friend.

As a regular visitor, the move is to arrive early enough to claim a section near the games you actually want to play, rather than arriving mid-evening and competing for machines. The bar component holds its own as a functional drinks destination — it's not a craft cocktail program in the sense that Yacht Club or Williams & Graham are, but the drinks are well-priced and direct enough that a group can drink steadily through a long session without the bill becoming a conversation topic. For comparison, if you're weighing 1up against Ace Eat Serve, which also pairs activity with drinks in Denver, the key difference is format and footprint , 1up skews louder and more arcade-dense, Ace leans toward ping pong and a slightly more food-forward setup.

This is a high-energy room. Noise levels run loud from evening onward, and the atmosphere is designed for groups rather than conversation-heavy dates or quiet catch-ups. If your group wants to talk more than play, a different venue serves that need better. But if the goal is a long, low-stress group night with drinks that don't require a reservation months out, 1up is a practical choice with low booking friction.

Booking and Timing

Booking here is direct. 1up does not carry the kind of reservation pressure that cocktail bars like Death & Co can build on busy weekends. Walk-ins are the norm rather than the exception, which makes it a realistic option for groups that are deciding on the night. That said, arriving before 8 PM on Fridays and Saturdays gives your group a better chance of accessing the machines you want before the room fills. Weekday evenings run considerably quieter and work well for a more relaxed session. There is no meaningful booking window to plan around , this is one of the easier venues in LoDo to get into at short notice, including for large groups.

Who Should Book

The right group for 1up is one where at least half the people are drawn to the activity component, not just the bar. It performs well for birthday groups, work socials, and mixed-age friend groups where a shared activity removes the pressure of filling an evening purely with conversation. It is less suited to date nights, small parties of two, or anyone prioritizing the quality of the drinks program above the overall experience. For those use cases, the Denver bar scene offers stronger answers , check our full Denver bars guide for a broader look at what fits your group's specific needs.

If you're visiting Denver and want to place this in context alongside the city's wider food and drink options, our Denver restaurants guide, hotels guide, wineries guide, and experiences guide cover the broader picture. For a comparison with activity-forward bar concepts in other cities, Bar Leather Apron in Honolulu, Jewel of the South in New Orleans, and Julep in Houston show how different cities approach the social bar format.

Quick reference: Walk-in friendly, group-optimized, LoDo location near Coors Field , arrive before 8 PM on weekends for leading access to machines.