Rossi's Vintage Arcade & Pizzeria in Monona, WI

DaveD · April 26, 2014

I learned about this place somewhere here on the forums and I finally got around to visiting this week. A short hour or so drive from the Milwaukee area in Monona, WI. Arrived with a friend and an appetite early afternoon. The first thing I noticed when I pulled open the door was the Pulp Fiction poster of Jules and Vincent greeting me as I walked in. They were surrounded by other pictures and movie, music and games memorabilia. The next thing I noticed was the ample booth and table seating. This was a good sign telling me they take the pizza portion of their name seriously and not just a Showbiz/Chuck E. Cheese like gimmick to the games. We were not disappointed. The pizza arrived hot with a thin, flaky crust with generously sized, fresh ingredients. It was simple, comfort food that didn't mask the delicious flavor of the fresh Italian sausage, mushrooms or onions we topped our pizza with. I only wish we had ordered a larger size.

After lunch we followed the hanging "arcade" sign that pointed to the back/side room. The arcade was dark and lit mostly by the screens and marquees of the 40 or 50 or so classic arcade and pinball games. More classic music and game memorabilia on the walls here along with a healthy dose of old-school, black light posters. The perfect arcade vibe. Aside from a few expected glitches from 30-year-old games (sticky right rotate button on Asteroids, non-working or unplugged Battlezone, no sound on Q*Bert, etc.) all the games were clean and in good working order. We had a blast playing Burgertime, Tempest, Pac-Man, Centipede, Q*Bert, Frogger, Ms. Pac-Man and more. And I'm happy to report that the Robotron machine not only worked flawlessly but it seemed to be set to an easier setting than the MAME version I've been playing for years. I got further than I've ever gotten on a single quarter and was able to sign number 5 on the all-time high scores on the machine.

Overall we had a great time and a great lunch. We were only able to stay for about an hour and a half but we're already planning our next trip where we hope to spend more time and money. Rossi's is a great, comfortable, clean, delicious and fun place to spend an afternoon. Monona seems to be a really nice, small town too. Next time we might try to make a day of it and visit some other local shops too. Highly recommended!