Dave & Buster's Freehold

Dave & Buster's Freehold

Reviews Summary

Dave & Buster's receives mixed reviews, with many praising the fun atmosphere, clean facilities, and friendly staff, especially during the grand opening. Food quality varies—some find it delicious, while others report food poisoning or slow service. Service inconsistencies are noted, including long waits, incorrect orders, and unresponsive staff. The arcade games are enjoyable but expensive, and some customers feel the ticket redemption process is unfair. Age restrictions and unclear policies frustrate some visitors. While many plan to return, others warn about poor management and disappointing experiences.

About This Listing

Has Arcade Cabinets
Has Food
Good for kids
Has Virtual Reality
Has Prizes
Wheelchair Accessible

Who Can Play?

Most arcades welcome all ages (some may have age restrictions for certain games)
Minors may need parent/guardian supervision (policies vary by location)
No gaming experience required - games range from beginner to expert level
Comfortable clothing and closed-toe shoes recommended for safety
Valid ID may be required for certain attractions or age verification
Groups and parties welcome (advance booking may be required)

*Note: Age restrictions and policies may vary by arcade. Check with your local facility for specifics.*

First-Time Visitors

First-time visitors may need to sign a waiver or register for a game card. Staff are typically available to help explain games and provide tutorials. Some arcades offer newcomer specials or free play sessions to help you get started.

Common Restrictions:

Age-Based Some games may have height or age requirements for safety reasons
Capacity Popular games may have wait times during peak hours

*Note: Policies vary by arcade. Confirm with your local facility.*

What to Bring

Cash or card for tokens/credits (some arcades are cashless)
Valid ID for age verification or membership signup
Phone to capture high scores and memories (check photo policies)

*Note: Payment methods and requirements may differ by arcade.*

Preparing for Your Visit

Check arcade hours and peak times online before visiting
Eat beforehand or check if the arcade has food options
Bring friends for multiplayer games and competitions
Wear comfortable clothes you can move freely in
Avoid bringing valuable items that could be lost or damaged
Check for special events, tournaments, or discount days
Set a budget for games and stick to it
Stay hydrated, especially during long gaming sessions

*Note: Tips may vary by arcade type and location.*

How to Get Started

Most arcades accept walk-ins, but call ahead during busy periods or for large groups. Check for membership deals!

Other Helpful Info

Most visits last 1-3 hours depending on games and group size
Popular games may have longer wait times during weekends and evenings
Many arcades offer unlimited play packages or time-based pricing
Some locations host tournaments and special events regularly
Prize redemption available at many arcades - save your tickets!

*Note: Policies, pricing, and features differ by arcade. Contact your local facility for details.*

What to Expect from Virtual Reality in Arcades

Step into virtual reality for a breathtaking adventure! Arcade VR stations boast advanced headsets (like Oculus or HTC Vive), motion controllers, and sometimes full-body tracking or treadmills. You’ll dive into games like Beat Saber or VR shooters, swinging, dodging, or aiming in 360-degree worlds with vivid visuals and immersive sound. Gameplay spans solo quests to multiplayer battles, with intuitive controls for all levels. Arcades offer vibrant, social VR zones, delivering a thrilling, cutting-edge experience in 2025.

How Arcade Prize Games Work

Dive into the excitement of arcade prize games! Expect claw machines, skee-ball, whack-a-mole, or basketball challenges where you test your skills or luck to win tickets or prizes directly. Claw games require precise joystick control to grab toys, while redemption games reward accuracy with tickets to trade for plushies, gadgets, or trinkets at prize counters. Modern setups boast colorful displays and smooth mechanics, blending nostalgia with fresh fun. The thrill of winning and the vibrant arcade vibe make prize games a captivating draw in 2025.

Features

Has Arcade Cabinets
Has Food
Good for kids
Has Virtual Reality
Has Prizes
Wheelchair Accessible

Contact Information

Address

3710 US-9

Freehold, New Jersey 07728

Hours

Monday 10AM-12AM
Tuesday 10AM-12AM
Wednesday 10AM-12AM
Thursday 10AM-12AM
Friday 10AM-1AM
Saturday 10AM-1AM
Sunday 10AM-12AM

Customer Reviews

My family and I were pleasantly surprised by how good the food and drinks were here. The smashburger sliders and cajun shrimp pasta were very good, and the french fries tasted pretty similar to Mcdonald?s (very good thing). The D&B long island iced teas were yummy, and we all enjoyed a round of Mexican Candy shots. Our server Greg was very nice. The game selection was pretty good, just took off a star because of how expensive they were. When purchasing cards, keep in mind that each game ranges from like 8-1

Amazing Grand Opening Experience! We had such a fun time at the Dave & Buster?s grand opening in Freehold Mall! The staff was incredibly friendly and welcoming. Elieser, our handsome host, was well-mannered and made us feel right at home. Our waitress Shelby was graceful and attentive, and Sophia kindly took our group photos. The food was delicious?especially the funnel fries?and the drinks were great. The facility is beautiful, full of energy, and perfect for a fun night out. We'll definitely be back!

Party of 8, food was pretty good across the menu. Service was good and games were awesome for the kids. We purchased the $100 summer pass which includes 20% off the food. Here's why I gave 3 stars: be careful with your bill. I didn't even ask for the check but the server came with a card reader with just a total that read ?18%, 20%, 22%?. No breakdown of food. After she took a signature, I had to request for a copy of receipt or I would have never got it. I gave her a $50 tip on a 238 total. When I got ho

Just wanted to give a shout out to our wonderful waitress! She was kind and attentive, even amongst all the chaos that normally comes with a sports bar :). She helped us to understand the menu and pointed out good deals, like the Eat and Play package. She also went above and beyond to make sure that members of our party with allergies felt safe and included. Julia, thank you for being so wonderful! We look forward to coming back to Dave and Busters Freehold soon :)

I went here after my graduation with my friends and it was the perfect way to end my night! My server Julia was super sweet and helpful with my gluten-free diet and the food was so good!! I loved being able to eat and immediately enjoy an arcade experience right after. Perfect way to end high school!

Food was amazing! Our server was very nice as well. Unfortunately the game area was a terrible experience. My party of three purchased the unlimited 90 minute play knowing it had 1500 point limit. But unfortunately two out of the three cards where wrongly given. When asking for help and understanding why mine was less of value when my friends had the ability to play credited games. I was given the same card over and over again when asking for a refund since I couldn't have the same experience as my friends

I hosted my husband's 50th birthday party here. I had great communication with the party planners through email. They answered all of my questions. The manager and the two servers during my party went above and beyond to help with everything. All of my guests were very impressed! We will be back!

If you're interested in purchasing a summer pass I wouldn't?.if you need a manager to answer questions get ready to wait 15 plus minutes to realize nobody cares enough to even show up to acknowledge paying customers. I wish I got the young man?s name waiting at the front entrance facing the inside of the mall(he had brown hair and glasses)?he was the only employee that seemed concerned however I would advise all staff members receiving more training especially on summer passes and what's included. I've been

This place is wonderful! Much bigger and better selection of games than some of the other Dave and Busters locations I've been to in the past! The servers got my food out much quicker than expected, and everything was real hot and tasted amazing! This place went well above my expectations! I'll definitely be back again one day!

This is my first time going to a D&B so I wasnt sure what to expect. But the employees were very friendly and the food service was quick. Games do take a lot of chips but you get a lot of tickets out of some of them. But I think its a good place to meet up with friends, play some games, and watch sports. Not bad for a first impression!

The host at this place is so super friendly and very professional! Dianna has been very helpful and sure knows what she is doing. Love the service here and her smile just brightens my day! Thanks for the excellent service.

me and my friends went there about a week ago, the place was amazing super fun and the service was incredible, everyone was so nice but i believe the kitchen needs some work. we ordered a burger, wings, and shrimp pasta and not even 10 mins after eating it we all got sick in the parking lot. we did not consume any alcohol so we have reason to believe it was food poisoning

Giving the place grace because it just opened. But sat for a while because they didn't know who was supposed to take care of our table. Once pointed out it was handled quickly. Then my food came out immediately 15 minutes before my husband's so I had to wait. Waitress Nika was awesome and trying to figure everything out and accommodate. I think the most frustrating thing was a group of servers in front of us who just stared at us waiting. Luckily a kind one came out and figured it out. Food was goo

Massive facility. Well organized. Well lit. Waitress even passed us and gave my daughter a super sweet compliment. General manager was kind enough to point out what each area offered while we were waiting. TV?s were ginormous and not a bad seat in the house.

Booked a small party here for my son's 18th birthday. Service was excellent, food was typical bar eats, definitely edible. There was a couple of hiccups with our party reservation but the issue was resolved pretty efficiently. For a place that's been open less than a week, I think they did a great job. Our party had a good time. Highly recommend checking it out.

Pretty good place BUT: if you're not 18 or older you cannot eat there. Didn't know this at first but I was sitting down and some server kept asking my age. I said 17 and he outright refused to serve me. Nobody else not even a manager enforced this rule last time i was eating there. Not the best experience and service practice when someone gets in your face about your age but rules are rules I guess. Honestly this rule is kind of ridiculous and the server refused money basically. I'll be back to eat there in

The Pretty lady at the mall doors today was so nice. She informed me and my guest of all the events , like Monday Vets, Tuesday trivia and Wednesday half off GAMES . The happy hour late night is definitely a vibe. She showed us how to sign up for leader board and how to buy summerpass as well as party reservations, shuffle board and darts .She is the sweetest kindest soul. She even danced with my kids. After giving us the run down, she told us about the games and how to get to dining area. I think he

Honestly more fun than I expected. It's not cheap, but for a place that opened 5 days ago, it ran impressively well. Got the dart bay for my wife's birthday, and it fully entertained 4 kids while we ate and drank. Then we wandered around the arcade for a while before leaving. Will def be coming back.

Went with a part of 8. Took an hour and 15 minutes to get our food and not all of it came out. Our waitress was a Young girl that no idea what she was doing. So many things we had to ask multiple times for. Also never even gave us a bill, the tip was included since we were a party of 8 so I'm assuming that's why she didn't care at all.

I just visited this new Dave & Buster's to observe and see what it holds for the future. The games were fun to play. Let me tell you, I feel confident it's going to be fine in the long run. Because you'll have families during the day and party goers 21 and over at night. Hopefully, this new location will succeed.

My friend passed out after asking to get some fresh air twice. The employee who caught her dropped her on her head and when she woke up the security guard started grilling her about what she was drinking and kept implying she was on drugs. My friend has anxiety and was overwhelmed by the noise and the security guard didn't do a single thing to make the situation any better. He denied her water, fresh air, kept making fun of her for touching her head even though an employee dropped her on her head, and wo

I play a lot at Dave & Buster?s and I saved up a bunch of card sets. When I went to cash them in I told the worker by the ticket department that here is 12 sets (that equals 30,000 tickets) and then the worker gave me back the receipt of only 12,000 tickets so I asked the worker why only 12,000 the worker just dumped the cards in a big box and said to bad that's what you gave me so told the worker that I said in beginning that I gave 12 sets which equals 30,000 tickets (2,500 each) so I you see that somethi

Bryan our waiter was awesome I had Cali salad n cauliflower It was bussin

Games were fun because, how can they not be. But the food is where this trip took a downward spiral, I ordered the cheesesteak eggrolls and I ordered a side of fries, I never received the fries even after reminding the waiter. about 30 minutes after I finished eating the eggrolls which did not look like the photo at ALL, I had stomach problems which resulted in diarrhea. The dave and busters up north had great food with no stomach problems after. Don't eat the food here.

They are still finding their footing?. Management needs to know how to disguise frustration? I hate when management talk to employees disrespectfully everyone was under a lot of pressure it was a very busy Saturday as should be expected you're basically a sports bar with an arcade, be nicer? food took forever to come out, drinks were good, very expensive, not very organized. Oh and if you're not going to sale ICEE please order new menus without it on there.

The best D&B to which I've ever been. The arcade and general atmosphere was something else. This felt like a Dave& Buster's from the 22nd century. I genuinely felt like I was going into the future. In addition, Adrian (not sure about my spelling) was awesome and incredibly patient as a waitress, keeping up with my changing request ?? I went on opening night, and I kind of can't believe that this Dave & Buster's exists. I think has I need to take a few more trips to make sure that I didn't dream or imagine

The manager was amazing. We lost a bag and she called me back within minutes that they found it. She also helped with transferring digital credits on a physical card for my daughter.

This was the 1st time I was ever at a D&B and my kids and I had a blast. Incredible game selection, We have not eaten yet however have been there 2x since it opened and we will absolutely be back soon!

Bursting with happiness that a Dave & Busters is finally close to us!! Our server, the food and the arcade were all amazing! We had an awesome night, can't wait to go back!!

Mall closes at 7, we were going to go to Dave and Busters that literally just opened not too long ago, the doors were locked where it says entered, so I knocked because they're open until 12am, the security guards completely ignored me and then I knocked again and they completely turned their backs to me, then me and another person knocked and then they decided to say we need to go around granted there's no one telling anyone this nor was their directions on how to get out of the mall to get in because whe

We really enjoyed our the food is 10/10 our server NIKA service was outstanding she was very patient and helpful her smile and her personality was phenomenal ?. We love Dave & Busters freehold

I was just there earlier today, Had lots of fun playing the games and riding the rides but not as exciting as seeing that beautiful girl at the mall door with the cute blue hair and that beautiful bright smile and them jaw dropping curves, I'm definitely coming back just to see that pretty face!

Well... it's Father's Day and they messed my order up. Service is slow and inaccurate... waiting 30 minute's for food!!! Truly disappointed... worst experience ever. How do you mess up a hamburger?? My family ate while I watched... I never even tasted the food... unacceptable!!!

Very clean, spacious, always something new to do, no lines, and just ovarable better from all the other D&B I've been to.

the food was really good! not too crowded. i had Zahara as my waitress & she was a sweetheart!

Had made reservations weeks ago for father's day. Come in and they are fully booked, "trying to make it work". Laughable. Never come here!

So much fun! The restaurant has great food and there are a lot of games to play!

Great place to spend time with your family, kids or adult you will find something for you over there, staff are nice and helpful food is good

Food came out quickly. Place was clean- employees are friendly.

service was horrible the server was soo rude and the food took forever to come out and the games keep giving error codes and when we bring it to the attention of the attendants they kinda just brush you off

Food was good waitress wad good but when it came to the game cards terrible not worth it

Great new place to visit . The food pricing is a bit high

Super friendly staff, yummy eats, cool drinks and an awesome time!

You have to be over the age of 18 to even go which is dumb especially for a place meant for kids terrible policy

Lavina was AMAZING! What a sweet soul. Give that lady a raise!!!!!!

Kikki is the best server , so much fun

food poisoning & terrible service

My fianc? and I went here for a little fun. Newly built and just opened, the first experience was great and was the perfect addition to the mall. Games were all clean, operable and lots of choices. The restaurant was really cool and vibey. All fresh furniture and a really clean environment. Menu was great. Our server was really nice as well.

My friends and I had a blast. It was so much fun and I needed a night out . Food was good and it was a perfect night .

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s it like visiting an arcade today?

It’s a mix of nostalgia and high-energy fun! Many arcades blend retro classics like Pac-Man and pinball with modern VR games, racing simulators, and rhythm challenges — often with music, lights, and a social vibe.

Is it better to go alone or with friends?

Both can be great! Solo visits let you focus on your favorite games, while going with friends adds competition, teamwork, and laughs. Many people plan arcade meetups as a casual hangout or even date spot.

What should I bring to an arcade?

Usually just yourself and a way to pay (some arcades still use coins, others use cards or apps). If you're competitive, bring your A-game. If you're social, bring friends or meet new ones over multiplayer games.

What’s the best time to visit an arcade?

Weekdays or early afternoons are usually less crowded — perfect for focused play. Evenings and weekends bring the buzz, especially at barcades or venues with DJs, tournaments, or themed nights.

Can I meet new people at arcades?

Absolutely! Arcades attract a mix of casual players and serious gamers. Whether you're jumping into a four-player co-op or chatting between rounds, it's a fun, low-pressure way to connect over shared interests.

Are arcades still just for kids?

Not at all. While many arcades are family-friendly, there are also adult-oriented ones with full bars, 18+ nights, or vintage nostalgia themes. Arcades today cater to everyone — from first-timers to lifelong gamers.

Are there events or tournaments I can join?

Yes! Many arcades host regular competitions, retro nights, cosplay parties, and more. Whether you're into high scores or just want to watch and vibe, events add an extra layer to the experience.

What if I’m not great at arcade games?

No worries — arcades are about having fun, not being perfect. Try a variety of games, ask others for tips, and remember: the vibe is more “let’s play” than “let’s win.”

Are virtual reality games in arcades worth playing?

Yes, virtual reality (VR) games in arcades are a top attraction in 2025! Titles like Beat Saber and Half-Life: Alyx deliver immersive thrills with cutting-edge headsets, motion tracking, and responsive controllers. High-resolution displays and spatial audio create heart-pounding experiences, from slashing rhythms to battling zombies. Arcades feature multiplayer VR zones and tournaments, fostering lively communities. VR booths are regularly packed, proving their captivating, next-level gameplay makes them a must-try arcade experience.

Why are arcade prize games so exciting to play?

Arcade prize games are a thrilling highlight in 2025! Claw machines, skee-ball, and ticket-redemption games like basketball offer a rush of skill and chance, with rewards like plushies, toys, or electronics up for grabs. Modern machines feature vibrant lights, digital scoreboards, and responsive controls, amplifying the fun. The lively arcade atmosphere, with cheering crowds and buzzing energy, makes every win feel epic.