Sneak peek: Vintage arcade bar, restaurant brings nostalgia, pub food to Lexington

Growing up in the 1980s and ‘90s in Lexington, if you wanted to experience the very best that pinball and video games had to offer, you had to visit a local arcade like Aladdin’s Castle in Fayette Mall or Tony’s Arcade.

Now you can relive those days while enjoying pub food of craft beer, burgers, mac ‘n cheese, bourbon, and more.

Lexington’s new vintage arcade bar and restaurant, Tilty Bob’s at South Broadway and Cedar Street, is a blast from the past, a celebration of a bygone era, and “retro-tainment” at its finest.

The atmosphere is definitely “Game on!” featuring more than 70 different machines — possibly the most in Lexington — including many favorite pinball and classic video games with a theme that encapsulates the arcade fun of the 80s and ‘90s.

Tilty Bob’s is part of Louisville’s Recbar

Three years ago, the owners of Recbar, a popular Louisville restaurant and bar known for fun and eclectic food set their sights on expanding into the Lexington market. They will officially open their new vintage arcade bar and restaurant here on Wednesday at 319 Cedar Street.

Think of it as “Chuck E Cheese for adults.”

Earlier this week, I visited the three-story establishment located close to downtown and the University of Kentucky campus, for a “first-bite” review and to check out the vibe.

Owners Corey Sims and Tony Thomas opened Recbar502 in Louisville in April of 2016 with the theme of “Games, Grains, Grub: Bringing Retro Back.” Both are lifelong Louisvillians, veterans of the bar business, University of Kentucky fans, and wanted to run their own place. They hit upon the concept of a pinball and video games arcade steeped in nostalgia and it has taken off. The duo opened a second location, Recbar812 in New Albany, Indiana, in 2019.

Their third location, Lexington’s Tilty Bob’s, is named after the tilt bob inside old-school pinball machines that send the game into “Tilt” if players tip it too much.

Located at the corner of Cedar and South Broadway, the three-story 8,500-sq. ft. building was most recently the Lexington location of Napa Prime restaurant that closed in 2019.

The ground floor offers a full bar, dining, and a few arcade games, while the second and third floors each feature wall-to-wall games and a bar. Colorful retro wall art by Dirty Donny adorns the walls and there are multiple televisions throughout.

The emphasis is heavy on comfort pub food, including a variety of burgers, sandwiches, and shareables.

Tilty Bob’s menu

Starters include items such as Bacon Gouda Mac Bites ($10), Pretzel Bites ($10.50), Big O Rings ($8), Hot Honey Tenders ($10), Fried Shrooms ($8), and Wings (bone-in: $10.50, or boneless: $11.50) and more.

If you are a fan of loaded macaroni and cheese, you are in luck. There are eight on the loaded mac menu and they are made with creamy white cheddar macaroni and various toppings. The Firestarter, grilled buffalo chicken, jalapeños, pepper jack and crushed flaming hot chips ($12); and Piggie Smalls, bacon pulled pork, gouda, BBQ, topped with onion rings ($13), are billed as “slap yo’ momma good!” There is also the Buffy the Mac Slayer, with grilled chicken, bleu cheese crumbles, diced celery, buffalo and ranch ($12).

There are also eight tater tot dishes to choose from including the Rupp It Up, topped with chile con queso, ground beef, bacon, jalapeños, diced tomatoes, and sour cream ($12), and the Hottie Tots, chile con queso, grilled chicken, jalapeños, buffalo and ranch drizzle, crumbled flaming hot chips ($12.50).

The “greenery” includes a house salad ($10), a Kentucky Fried Cobb salad ($12), and a Calitalian salad ($11). A side salad is also available ($5).

There are ten burger options, and all burgers are double patty smashburgers served with tots. Standouts include the Phat Phanatic, with shredded steak, provolone, Cheez Whiz, grilled onions and peppers ($13); the Gangstas Paradise, with fried cool ranch mozzarella, pepperoni, and cheddar, served with marinara ($13); and the Spicy Brunch, with cheddar, a fried egg, Sriracha sauce, mayo, smashed tots and bacon ($13).

Plant-based Impossible Burger patties may be substituted for any regular burger item.

The “Toasties,” (sandwiches) are dusted with Bob’s blend seasoning and served with tots include the Uncle Philly ($14); the Clucker ($13); the Big Parm ($13); and the Cordon Big Blue ($13). The Cordon Big Blue is a massive mouthful.

À la carte items include Seasoned Waffle Fries ($5), Beer Cheese Mac ($5.50), and Loaded Waffle Fries ($6) and more.

There are two desserts: The ooey-gooey Flippin Chocolate, made with a blend of a chocolate brownie, chocolate pudding and whipped cream ($12); and Sugar N Spice Pretzels, warm pretzel bites tossed in sugar and cinnamon served with cream cheese frosting for dipping ($10). You cannot go wrong with either choice.

The portions are generous, and you will most likely find something to like.

Lineup: Pinball, arcade video games at Tilty Bob’s

All pinball and classic video arcade games are played using a special Tilty token rather than quarters — 1 token equals 1 quarter. Most of the games require only one token to play. The pinball machines and some games require 2-4 tokens.

Arcade games include Asteroids Deluxe, Donkey Kong, Frogger, Centipede, Mario Bros., Galaga, Ms. Pac Man, Outrun, Spy Hunter, Superman, San Francisco Rush Extreme Racing, Kung-Fu Master, Joust, Street Fighter, Spider-Man (4-player), WWF WrestleFest, and X-Men (6-player).

The pinball games include Addams Family, Breakshot, Godzilla, Jurassic Park, Led Zeppelin, Monster Bash, NBA Fastbreak, Pirates of the Caribbean, Popeye, South Park, Spider-Man, Star Wars, T2: Judgement Day, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Munsters, Walking Dead, and WWE WrestleMania, among others.

Are kids OK at Tilty Bob’s?

Tables are available on a first-come, first-served basis. All ages are welcome until 9:00 pm. when it becomes 21 and over. Delivery service will be offered soon.

So, the next time you want to spend time reliving a glorious part of your childhood and want to have lunch or dinner with your old friends Mario and his brother Luigi — or with Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo — Tilty Bob’s is for you.

Tilty Bob’s

Address: 319 Cedar St., Lexington 40508

Hours: Monday-Thursday 4:00 p.m.-midnight, Friday 4:00 p.m.-2:00 a.m., Saturday 11:00 a.m.-2:00 a.m., and Sunday noon-midnight

Telephone: (859) 303-7685

Online: TiltyBobs.com; Facebook.com/TiltyBobs; Instagram.com/TiltyBobs

This story was originally published March 29, 2022 at 12:07 PM.