EightyOne Arcade Bar to open this month in downtown Sioux Falls

The chance for a unique partnership opened the door to downtown Sioux Falls’ next arcade bar.

EightyOne Arcade Bar will give adult gamers a place to enjoy a beer while they compete over a round of Mortal Kombat or maybe dust off their old Dig Dug skills.

Owner Errol Stewart plans to move to the old Myer’s Deli location in the Carpenter Building at 221 S. Phillips Ave. and is joining with the deli’s owner to add a menu of gourmet meals to the arcade bar’s lineup of offerings.

“We’ve always wanted to find a place in Sioux Falls, and it just kind of happened where Dan Myers, he was looking to focus more on his catering business and he was looking for somebody to partner up with,” Stewart said.

Stewart is leaving behind EightyOne’s original Harrisburg location to bring his business and all of his arcade cabinets and pinball machines to the new Sioux Falls location. His machines – all belong to Stewart and are part of a collection he started years ago – include a wide variety of classic arcade games, fighting games, dance games and arcade multi-player favorites such as The Simpsons.

Stewart has been working on setup in EightyOne’s new downtown location and hopes to open later this month with safety measures that meet City Hall’s rules for entertainment businesses that have remained open during the coronavirus pandemic.

Stewart has bulk quantities of hand sanitizer for players to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

He loves the idea of bringing his collection to downtown Sioux Falls, especially to a historic building such as the Carpenter, Stewart said. His passion for arcade cabinets is rooted in the machines’ history, and he feels a similar affinity for historic buildings. He also is looking forward to adding to the downtown scene.

“Downtown Sioux Falls is very nightlife-oriented and it’s very culturally rich,” Stewart said. “I think it’s just a great location.”