Level 257- A retro restaurant based on PAC-MAN

A new restaurant had recently opened based on the NAMCO classic arcade game PAC-MAN- cleverly titled Level 257, refrencing the game's "kill screen" - in Schaumburg, Illinois.

The 40,000 square foot, 180-seat restaurant integrates a larger entertainment complex, featuring 16 boutique retro-styled bowling lanes with smart technology, table tennis, pinball machines, a "Lost & Found" games parlor with original arcade machines alongside new ones, custom-built game tables, free-to-play board games, a PAC-MAN themed gift shop, and more. The new building has been praised by NAMCO as “a brand new restaurant and entertainment destination inspired by PAC-MAN”. 

 References from the original PAC-MAN game have been scattered around the menu from Clyde's Chopped Wedge -a delectable veggie filled dish- to Pinky's Baked Lasagna- a tasty Italian Lasagna. 

If you don't have time to visit, Level 257 does takeout, but you would miss the charm of the location and get a half-baked (no pun intended) experience. The building's arcade runs on a "pay by the minute" card-based system rather than the classic $.25 per turn approach in old arcades. $10 earns you 30 minutes of game time, $15 earns you an hour, and $25 earns you two hours to play any of their arcade machines in the arcade.

Level 257's Tumblr says, "Level 257 seeks to explore PAC-MAN’s impact upon our society and pop culture, reminding us all of the importance of play in our lives, while facilitating our desire to relive those times when beating the next level was the most important thing in our world, all while indulging that which we love now—great food and drink with our friends and family."

At Level 257, Eat Life Up. http://www.level257.com/