Get Down at Up-Down

What a great event. Everything flowed in a smooth and efficient manner, so that I was able to relax and truly enjoy Up-​Down, the Sundry, and especially the rooftop patio. I spent the majority of the time on the rooftop, as I had been in a state of sleep deprived exhaustion from moving prior to my arrival. So my two trips up and down the stairs, and then to try to experience the games was not ideal for the state of mind I was in that day. But for everyone else, it was clearly an absolute blast. If I had even an ounce of energy, I would have been much more enthusiastic about the brilliant scavenger hunt activity.
We all were impressed with being able to converse with the folks from the Sundry about what they do, their offerings, and business model. They had a great spread that included rosemary polenta cookies, a nice variety of charcuterie (that included pastrami), and many other options. I was perfectly thrilled to try the citrus cardamon soda that they brought along. It was refreshing and delicious.
Adam had things set up so that we were provided with adult beverage options as well. The choices were Beer or Angry Orchard Cider (for the non beer drinkers & Gluten-​free folks like myself).
The atmosphere, location, food options, and activities were spot on for what anyone might want on a lovely evening after work. If I had that much fun in my state of exhaustion, I can’t even imagine how hyper and silly I might have gotten if I had been feeling 100%. Great event Adam. The thought that is put into each event is very apparent to me, and much appreciated.

Skeeball, polenta rosemary cookies, amazing view of downtown KC, or my fellow Unilocal elites… hard to say which was more amazing.
This was my first taste of Up-​Down and I will be back for sure. The staff was friendly, the games abundant, and the upstairs patio might just be my new favorite place to be on a nice summer evening. Adam could not have planned this better; with savory (and sweet) treats from Sundry, delicious Boulevard beer (and some cider) flowing freely, and larger-​than-​life versions of Jenga and Connect 4 in the «Up» portion of the even and abundant tokens to take advantage of the more than 50 games in the «Down» portion of the event. It was fun to chat with Elites upstairs and then challenge them to a little BurgerTime or Pinball downstairs. As mentioned above the fact that there are 4 Skeeball machines seals the deals… this place is great.
The Sundry’s food was all locally sourced and the Manager came around and talked with us about their food and their outlook on local ingredients. It was very nice to speak to the proprietor of the food provider, as I love to hear about where the food originated. My favorites from them were the polenta cookie, the raisin and cabbage «slaw,» and the PLT (pork belly lettuce tomato). The cardamom lemonade was pretty excellent as well.
Up-​Down is a great space, with the patio and games it has a little something for everyone. I will totally be back to enjoy both the «Up» and the «Down» aspects of this new KC spot.
Thanks Adam for providing a great night of enjoyment!

I’ve been wanting to check out Up-​Down — it’s totally close to work. It’s a nice place, but probably not really my scene. I like video games, but probably not enough for here. The view from the upstairs patio was awesome.
The food from The Sundry was good. I enjoyed trying the different cheeses and meats. I usually would kill for pastrami; their pastrami had some spices that didn’t thrill me. The bacon on the BLT was yummy. Although they didn’t make them, I’m now a huge fan of Shatto cheese curds. The other Elites are lucky I have good manners, or I would’ve eaten them all.
I took off pretty early because I’m a little sun sensitive, but still had fun.

Awesome event, as always! I had never been to Up-​Down before, nor had I eaten anything from The Sundry, so both were new and exciting experiences.
I headed to the front door of Up-​Down, and was sent upstairs. The weather was beautiful that night, so I was really happy to have an outdoor event. I had a fun time meeting Unilocalers I had seen online but not yet in person. The food brought from The Sundry was amazing. There were cheeses, meats, mini sandwiches, and awesome sodas. The owner came to our table to talk up his restaurant. Well, I will say, he succeeded with flying colors. He definitely talked me into coming to check out his place. I am really looking forward to visiting sometime soon.
After we ate, myself and my guest headed downstairs to play some games. We initially were going to do the scavenger hunt, but it became too difficult with everyone else trying at the same time. Instead, we each tried some different games (whatever was available). My guest had a fun time playing The Simpsons and bringing back old memories. I played a few as well, with limited success. My only complaint was that I noticed several games at Up-​Down were broken. I guess that’s what happens when you have a bunch of old school games, and possibly refurbished. It was also very crowded at the time (during the dinner hour, plus all us Unilocalers doubling that amount). When I return, it will definitely be more of an off time, possibly earlier in the day.
Unfortunately we had to leave the event early and missed the prize announcements. I was happy to attend another great event (after missing a few). This event was definitely creative, and I really liked that it included activities as well as food.

Adam made a great decision having a Unilocal Elite Event at UpDown KC! Having bites of food from the Sundry was a delight! Although I’ve visited UpDown before, it was nice having the Unilocal KC squad there.
The UpDown staff was very accommodating and was glad that we had the balcony area saved for us. The Sundry staff and owner was just as great. They explained their food sampling thoroughly and was very generous with the amount of food they brought. The BLT sandwich was definitely one of my favorites but the Cardamom Lemon carbonated drink was oh so refreshing! Apparently they have a carbonated coffee flavored drink that I must try.
The games are always great at UpDown as they bring me back to my childhood years playing Mario Kart, Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter and the like. It gets quite busy as you go later into the night but luckily we were early enough to get a few games in. I am hoping that UpDown continues to maintain all of their games as I have noticed that a few had sticky buttons which hindered the game’s experience. It’s a bar after all and beer plus fun always ends in liquid spilling.
There were familiar faces and new ones that I was happy to see. The team scavenger hunt/​game was a great idea, if only I could have beaten the 250 point skeeball challenge! Regardless, it was a night filled with fun, games, and of course, food and drinks!

Never doubt the guys over at The Sundry. This is what I learned from this Unilocal Event. I already knew that I had a pretty big soft spot for Up Down but The Sundry is my new go to place is the Crossroads for lunch or even just (well not really JUST but the best) handcrafted soda in town.
Up Down is a great arcade and bar in the space that Hamburger Mary’s was prior to their midtown (closer to Westport) move. I like going there for their Sunday Night beer and fanny pack special. Having the event here at the bar was something new though. The upstairs patio made for a great private party area. The staff was professional and yet still very friendly. I was impressed with their ability to host in what I previously thought to be a smaller space. As the night went on, the venue got more and more crowded. I do love this place but I do notice it can be a bit too crowded for my preferences. There isn’t a lot of space to hangout when not playing games… I would, of course, rather have more games like they do so this is just how it has to be. But it can get so busy that it is hard to find open games to play. I really appreciated the classics and the mix of new. I am happy about the skee ball and I really like the addition of the old console game systems on the big screen.
The food by the Sundry… I work nearby and had no idea what a gem this place is. All the food samples they brought were fantastic. I particularly liked the BLT, the salty semi soft cheese, the pickled raisins and cabbage, and that cardamom lemon soda. The polenta cookie and literally everything else they had gets a very high second place. At first I got the soda on a whim, expecting to only drink a sip so I asked for half a glass. I had to come back for more. I joked around with the nice guys from the Sundry about how I made a huge mistake only getting half a glass and wouldn’t doubt them or make such a mistake again. Since the event I have craves their food and gone in twice for soda and groceries already. I think I found my new favorite lunch spot. Thanks!

On my first day in Kansas Day (wedding trip), this was such a fantastic event thrown by Adam S and Sundry. Wow.
UpDown is a really cool venue. Rooftop patio/​bar with Massive Jenga, Connect 4 and a full arcade, pinball, skeeball on the main level. The food from Sundry was great. I loved with pistrami, BLT, Polenta cookies and the custom made soda’s they had. Loved them!
We got some tokens to play some games and it brought back some childhood memories. Played Skee Ball, South Park Pinball Machines, Fix It Felix, NBA Jam, NFL Blitz, and Pacman.
The vibe is really cool and I’d love to come back for happy hour sometime.
Thanks for the hospitality Kansas City!

Up-​Down captures my happy memories of childhood, adds beer, and makes the arcade experience a great update to the typical bar scene. The awesome Elite event highlighted the extensive patio area, with plenty of seating and life-​sized Jenga and Connect Four. I love the venue, perfect for chilling with friends and enjoying the great summer weather.
The Sundry provided very tasty bites — I loved the locally sourced food items including the tasty cheeses and in-​house cookies. The polenta and rosemary cookies were my favorite. I’m definitely going to have to stop by soon to try more of their offerings. I loved that the head chef stopped by and mentioned that they get a full pig every Monday and butchers it and cures the bacon in house.
After stocking up on token, I hit the Skee Ball, Terminator, and Pac Man arcade games. The place seems to be packed all the time, and I had a blast. Great job, Adam, for lining up such a fun event. It’s like adult recess, and a great way to relax after a long day.

I had heard of Up-​Down and the Sundry but hadn’t tried either, so what a great opportunity! When we walked in to Up-​Down on a weeknight, we couldn’t believe how busy it was! What a happenin’ place! It’s like certain details of my youth exploded into the multi-​tiered space… the music, the video games… but then as a grown up it’s great to enjoy the Royals and a beer while playing games. The food from the Sundry was delectable. Every item had it’s own unique flavors so each bite was a pleasant surprise.
Thank you to Up-​Down and the Sundry for hosting a Unilocal event, and to Adam for coordinating it. It was nice to finally meet you.

First Unilocal event… very cool…
First time at Up-Down…even cooler…
Still being a gamer, this place took me back to the hours spent in mall arcades, neighborhood pizza joints, or that 7 – 11 with one video game. I really enjoyed the fact that I didn’t have to stack quarters on any machine waiting my turn, there were so many old school games, my biggest challenge was what games I wanted to play. Did I still have those old school skills, I quickly realized, no.
Frogger, first game, 470 points… ouch…but after a few tokens the frog was sliding into those spots across the top of the board… wow…have graphics improved. This place has found some fantastic old games… Joust, Defender, Pac-​Mac, Galaga, Track and Field, Donkey Kong, Q*bert, and many more, including several pinball machines.
Up-​Down has hit on what makes guys click, brew and video games, but this place may actually be bad for relationships. I was with two female friends, and they couldn’t believe I was played almost 30 minutes on a pinball machine, one game. But they’ve assembled a great mix, so there will always be something to do. We saw several couples playing games together and having a great time, so time will tell.
The night wouldn’t be complete without some grub. The Sundry, a local restaurant, hooked us up with some tasty bites…
The focaccia BLT, was really good, an assortment of meats, cheeses and olives were there for the taking… my eye took me to the sweet cookie table… a combination of chocolate, nuts and cookie dough hit the spot… I will say pale ale and cookies make an interesting combination…
The young, hip, good looking crowd filled this place up… it looks like a great place to hang out… Adam, great job putting together a great night, at a great KC spot…

What an excellent event, Adam. People have already said pretty much everything there is to say about this one, so I’ll just hit the highlights.
Aaron, from the Sundry, was charming and interesting and took a long time to talk to us about his business and food and philosophy. The cheese and olives and cookies that I could eat were very satisfying. He even indulged me in conversation about cheese curds from Wisconsin versus the «curds» from Shatto. Theirs were good and as he said, a good substitute in a pinch, but not adequately squeaky. ;)
The bartender assigned to us on the upstairs deck was super nice.
Adam, you did a great job introducing us to each other. I appreciated that because there are so many Elites I don’t yet know.
I didn’t do the scavenger hunt, because I didn’t have a partner, but I had a hell of a time playing pinball and Mortal Kombat, Centipede and Ms PacMan. I actually used all my tokens before I headed home.
I really like Up-​Down. I really liked this event. I really liked everyone I spoke with at the event. Bravo.

Really enjoyed this event! Starting upstairs for drinks and light snacks was nice because it wasn’t super busy, allowing time to really mingle with other elites and make new friends!
The Sundry:
The snacks from the Sundry were really yummy, and I appreciated how they were really knowledgeable about all of the foods they served. Their lemonade cardamom is so so so delicious. Loved that. And I also enjoyed their special ham and BLT. I hadn’t really heard of The Sundry prior to this event but now it seems like I’m hearing about them everywhere. Also, I’m seeing organizations (like Bridging the Gap) seem to really like them because of their compostable to go containers. Seeing all of the positivity makes me really want to explore more at The Sundry. So, I guess their goal of getting more exposure is working!
UpDown:
The venue was pretty great. Again, the upstairs patio was pretty chill. The enlarged Connect 4 and Jenga games were so cool! I only played a little bit of the Jenga but I wished that I would have tried out the Connect 4 too.
The arcade downstairs was really cool. I hadn’t really been to many arcade/​bars and so being able to come here was pretty exciting to see how they mix. I can totally see how the whole arcade/​bars mix can totally grow in popularity. The only critique that I can think of just has to do with the games eating your tokens but that’s understandable considering they are classic arcade style games. Other than that, I really enjoyed playing several of the games and challenging Unilocal friends to rounds of Mortal Kombat & Street Fighter!
The Scavenger Hunt was a neat idea but considering how busy it was, we decided to just do away with the hunt altogether and just play the games that looked fun!
Adam, this was a truly wonderful event and I’m glad that I could enjoy it with fellow Unilocal friends! Thank you!

The weather cooperated and allowed us to have a lovely evening filled with laughter, pictures, and cheese on the upstairs deck of Up-​Down. The meats and cheeses from Sundry were a tasty treat and I appreciated that there were Angry Orchard Ciders at the bar. A delightful time was had by all; I loved chatting with old friends and making a few new ones.
The video game scavenger hunt was a wonderful idea. I grabbed a video game master and we tackled the list with all the gusto possible, only to come in 3^rd. :P Skee-​ball is my favorite arcade game and I checked that one off the list in no time. The scavenger hunt was a great way to get us to notice all of the games that Up-​Down has to offer. While Unilocalers had the upstairs patio to ourselves, the downstairs was still open to the public. Even though it was only Thursday, that place was HOPPIN’. I can’t even imagine what a weekend would be like. Glad to see that the place is so popular.
Unlimited tokens, cheese, and Angry Orchard? I left a happy camper. Thanks Unilocal

Up Down is a place where you can reminisce about your 80’s childhood (if you are old enough) or just be jealous of anyone who lived through the 80’s!
I don’t typically get to hang out at places like this, so it was a totally unexpected experience tonight. For starters, the setup was fantastic! Outdoor upstairs patio… cue the pretty fantastic weather with the breezy summer air… couldn’t have been a nicer night (especially for the end of July!)
The Sundry provided edibles galore with a spread of gourmet cheeses, olives, pickled toppings, house cured ham, mini BLT’s and more! Plus chocolate nut chip cookies and the most amazing crunchy cookies with rosemary. A highlight was their homemade cardamom flavored fizzy soda. Wow! It was amazing and the distinctive yet subtle spice and flavor reminded me of my childhood living overseas in the Middle East.
Headed downstairs for many rounds of games and I was surprised with the old school machines… awesome. Frogger? Hell yes my friend, nice to see you again. Dig Dug. Ah crud… I totally forgot how to even play this nonsense game! Pinball machines out the wazoo!
All in all, a fantastic night out with friends and fellow Unilocalers! Thanks Adam for planning a fun summertime break, the Sundry fellas for some good nibbles, and of course Up Down for a fun venue for my 80’s flashback!

Bringing the 80’s back baby! What’s not to love? !? Adult arcade with Hulk Hogan matches playing on nearby TV’S, uh Yes! The Up-​Down is a great place to throw down some tokens for some crazy pinball, cruising USA, or well — you name it video games. This place was hopping with arcade enthusiasts. Friendly environment where everyone wants to share a childhood memory involving the games. Beautiful roof top bar with a perfect KC skyline view. Games galore! Let the match begin…

This Unilocal Elite Event (YEE) was at Up-​Down and probably my first YEE I’ve been to in a very long with most of the regular elites. It definitely was a change for me since there were a lot of new faces I didn’t recognize; however, it was good to meet a few people and see other elites. The food from the Sundry Market were delicious and I especially like their Cardamom Lemon drink. What a refreshing drink for a hot day! A lot of the elites went downstairs to the arcades and that awesome! MORTAL KOMBAT!!! NBA JAM!!! I was taken back to my childhood with these arcade games and how I would spend a lot of time in the mall or whatever I was doing back then. lol It definitely was fun to play some of the arcade games using the tokens we received. I wanted to play a bunch of games but this place was packed so I didn’t get a chance. More reason to go back and to grab a beer!
Big thanks to Adam and whoever else involved for setting up this YEE!

Up Down and Sundry combo was such an epic pairing. Thank you to both for hosting as only you fine folks could. AAaaDaMM our fearless Unilocaler leader huge thanks for putting it all together.
Loved that it started out on the roof top with Sundry edibles (i was impressed with how much they actually brought not to mention how knowledgeable owner Aaron and his business partner were, seriously some awesome human beings) first and than downstairs for gaming. Scavenger hunt was an awesome idea (even if i couldn’t get 250 pts on skee ball aaarg) maybe they have it and I just couldn’t find it but I really wanted to play Tetris. Up Down more than makes up for it though with their huge and awesome beer selection.

What a perfect night for a patio event! Adam, we need to talk about your ability to control the weather!
The food from The Sundry was great. The house made meats are to die for. I was a huge fan before tonight, but after the samplings of things I haven’t tried and chatting with the great owner, my fandom has increased. I am excited to try the Cuban and thrilled it is now daily on their menu!
I have been to Up/​Down but never played the games. I probably would have skipped them tonight if it wasn’t for the video he scavenger hunt. Donna and I buddied up as a team and had a great time AND won prizes as the second team to complete the quest! The scavenger hunt was a great way to see the many game options and the various areas inside. All of the staff was great. The bartender was super friendly and makes a good whiskey sour! The other young man floating around was also super pleasant. Service experiences like these two provided will make me happily return to a business!
As with all Unilocal events, it was great seeing all of my Unilocal buddies. I love when new people I have introduced to the awesome Unilocal community are welcomed right in like they have always been a part. This is what makes me really love Unilocal and the events!
I also liked seeing a food truck outside. Although I didn’t stop, it is awesome that Up/​Down rotates food trucks showcasing some of the best food in the city. I knew they did this on weekends, but it was awesome seeing trucks are there during the week also.
Tonight was a ton of fun. I think we need to start having more UYEs so we can all hang out more often! :)
Adam, you continue to to put together amazing events with fun and varied things each time! You are an incredible CM!

Seriously, very cool.
This was a nice change of pace from the food-​based Unilocal events we’ve had recently. The weather gods cooperated and we spent a nice time hanging out on what could be the best deck in Kansas City.
Next the game room, which also might be the coolest place in Kansas City. Walking around I saw a plethora of old school arcade games that took me right back to my teens while tv screens showed mashups of the Royals games, old Wrestlemania, Karate Kid and a plethora of other goodies that had 13 year old me doing a mosh pit inside of my current 36-​year-​old self. Funny thing is my Mom called me literally when the sun was going down. For half a second I thought somebody was pranking me and she was outside waiting to take me home, just like the old days. Instead she was just calling me to let me know she was watching the Royals.
Whew.

Hell yes UpDown. They’re playing No Doubt on the radio, the directors cut of Army of Darkness on TV, and I’m playing Terminator 2. This is like the ideal date night for my 90’s self, with Boulevard and BLT’s. I guess this would have been a middle school date for me if someone would have gone out with me, but we would be drinking Coors or something. Boulevard Pale was hard to get as a middle schooler.
Seriously though, I will smack the pants off any of you at Mortal Kombat 2, and I will be your Donatello for Turtles in Time. While I await your challenge, I don’t mind watching Hulk Hogan ham it up with too much tan and not enough pants. Great party folks! :)