Level Up is OPEN: Ballymena’s new all-ages entertainment centre brings arcade action and a seriously tempting Shake Bar
- Love Ballymena
- 1 hour ago
- 6 min read
GAME ON, Ballymena — Level Up Entertainment Centre has officially opened its doors, bringing a spectacular new place to play, eat, meet and make memories at Pennybridge.
And while the neon-lit arcade is packed with games designed to bring out everyone’s competitive side, there is another big reason this new arrival could quickly become a favourite well beyond family days out.
Wait until you see the Shake Bar.
Level Up has paired its all-ages entertainment centre with a striking American-inspired diner serving loaded sundaes, indulgent milkshakes, dirty sodas, brownies, desserts, matcha, frappes and coffees — creating somewhere that works just as easily for a date night or catch-up with friends as it does for an afternoon with the children.
Located at 23 Pennybridge Industrial Estate, Ballymena, the new venue is the latest venture from husband-and-wife team Chris and Joanna Robinson, the local couple who pioneered and founded the hugely popular Honeybees Playtown next door.
This time, however, they have created something for all ages — including the grown-ups.
Neon lights, big games and plenty of competition
The arcade delivers the first hit of excitement.
Level Up is packed with bright, modern amusement and skill games, with racing machines, head-to-head challenges and other attractions creating an energetic, colourful space where families and groups of friends can compete together.
It is deliberately not somewhere adults simply bring children and then stand at the side.
Parents can race the kids. Friends can challenge each other. Teenagers have somewhere new to meet. Couples can turn a visit into something a little different from the usual coffee or meal out.
And with Level Up staying open until 9pm on Fridays and Saturdays, the potential for an evening visit is obvious.
Play a few games, discover who is actually the competitive one — then head for the Shake Bar.
The Shake Bar could be a destination in itself
If the arcade is bold and high-energy, stepping into the Shake Bar reveals another side to Level Up entirely.
Think retro American diner meets modern dessert bar.
Pastel pink and turquoise interiors, booth seating, chrome detailing, a classic black-and-white chequerboard floor and glowing pink lighting give the space a distinctive look — with plenty of room to sit down and enjoy it.
It’s fun without feeling exclusively aimed at children, and that is important.
You don’t have to be visiting the arcade to appreciate the appeal of meeting a friend in a booth for coffee, bringing the family for dessert or calling in for one of the Shake Bar’s more extravagant creations.
And there are plenty of those.
Milkshakes, loaded sundaes and the mighty Bruce Cake
Level Up’s fantastic new Shake Bar
The milkshake menu alone is formidable.
Priced at £6, flavours include Twix, Snickers, Bubblegum, Kinder Bueno, Mint Aero, Nutella, Milky Bar, Biscoff, Oreo and Crunchie, piled with combinations of sauces, cream, chocolate, biscuits and toppings.
Kids’ strawberry, bubblegum and chocolate milkshakes are available for £4.
Then come the £6.50 loaded sundaes, with names including Milkybar Kid, Bueno Bliss, Oreo Overload, Smartie Party, Choc Overload, Caramel Freddo, Dubai Dream and Chocberry.
The Dubai Dream combines pistachio, kataifi and chocolate, while Chocberry brings together Nutella and fresh strawberries.
But if you’re arriving hungry, there are bigger decisions to make.
The £6.50 Brownie Tray pairs warm chocolate brownie with ice cream and a choice of sauce and topping, with premium additions including Dubai kataifi, milk cornflake crunch, brownie pieces and fresh strawberries.
Then there is the £9 Dubai Tray — warm brownie, strawberries, pistachio and milk chocolate sauce, kataifi, soft serve and cream.
The menu for Level Up’s fantastic new Shake Bar
And yes, Level Up has Bruce Cake.
The £6 dessert consists of triple-layer chocolate fudge cake with soft serve or whipped cream, with the option to “Level It Up” with chocolate cornflake crunch.
There is also a £6 Banana Split, £6 Sherbet Fizzbomb and classic £4 sundaes for anyone who somehow still has room.
Ballymena gets a taste of the dirty soda craze
Then things get particularly interesting.
Level Up has brought the American dirty soda trend to its Soda Bar — taking familiar fizzy drinks and transforming them with flavoured syrups, fruit, cream, cold foam and other additions.
The OG, for example, combines Coke, vanilla and cold foam with lime, while Summer Nights mixes Sprite with pineapple and strawberry.
There’s a Jolly Rancher, Hula Girl, Cherry Bliss and Dirty Doctor, while Shark Bait combines Sprite, blue raspberry and strawberry topped with a gummy shark.
And if none of those combinations is quite wild enough, visitors can build their own.
Choose a base including Dr Pepper, Coca-Cola, Coke Zero, Diet Coke, Sprite or Fanta before adding flavours such as strawberry, peach, vanilla, pineapple, coconut, raspberry, green apple, cherry, blueberry, mango, caramel, blue raspberry, dragonfruit and mango, pink lemonade or cloudy lemonade.
Finish it with whipped cream, vanilla cold foam, raspberry or strawberry purée or fresh lime.
Standard dirty sodas are £3.25, while selected energy-drink creations are priced separately.
Coffee, matcha and something for the grown-ups
Perhaps the cleverest thing about the Shake Bar is that it hasn’t relied entirely on sugar-loaded treats.
Coffee drinkers are well covered, with Americano, cappuccino, latte, espresso, flat white, tea, herbal tea, mocha and luxury hot chocolate available.
There are iced coolers, iced and pink lemonade, frappes and frappuccinos too.
Among the more unusual options is the £3.75 Strawberry Matcha, while the £4.25 Iced Vanilla Dot Cake Latte comes topped with vanilla cold foam and nonpareils.
And then there’s the Glow Getter Smoothie.
Made with strawberries, banana, Greek yoghurt, honey, coconut or oat milk and dates, it costs £4.25 — with the option to add a shot of collagen for £1.
It’s a menu that gives the Shake Bar a life of its own: somewhere for an after-school treat, coffee with a friend, dessert after dinner elsewhere in town or a Friday-night shake before taking on the arcade.
Selected dairy-free and gluten-free options are also available, with customers advised to speak to staff about any allergies when ordering.
Two attractions — one growing Pennybridge destination
Behind all the colour and excitement is another significant chapter in a home-grown Ballymena business story.
Chris and Joanna Robinson have already turned Honeybees Playtown into a hugely popular attraction for younger families, drawing visitors from Ballymena and much further afield.
With Level Up opening alongside it, the couple have effectively widened what Pennybridge can offer.
Families with younger children have Honeybees; older children, teenagers and adults now have Level Up — while the Shake Bar provides a social space with an appeal stretching across the generations.
Speaking as plans for the new venue were being revealed, Chris said:
“We are passionate about creating somewhere that people can have fun and make lasting memories.
“Honeybees has been incredibly well supported by both the local community and further afield, and we’re so grateful for that.
“Level Up is the next chapter, and we have put our all into creating an exciting experience that people of all ages can enjoy.
“We can’t wait to welcome everyone through the doors.”
Now, that wait is over.
And Level Up isn’t finished yet
The opening of the arcade and Shake Bar represents the first phase of something even bigger.
A fully themed indoor mini golf course is planned for the next phase, promising an immersive experience with creative obstacles and interactive features.
That will further broaden the attraction and give visitors another reason to return.
For Ballymena, meanwhile, the opening gives the town something valuable: another substantial indoor leisure experience capable of attracting local families while also giving people from further afield a new reason to make the trip.
And crucially, Level Up doesn’t ask everyone in the family to enjoy the same thing.
Race the kids. Challenge your mates. Settle into a booth. Order the ridiculous milkshake. Try a dirty soda. Grab a coffee. Come for date night. Or simply call in because you’ve seen the Dubai Tray and resistance is futile.
Ballymena has officially Levelled Up — and the games, shakes and sweet treats are ready to go.
Plan your visit
Level Up Entertainment Centre
23 Pennybridge Industrial Estate, Ballymena
Opening hours:
Monday: 10am–6pm
Tuesday: Closed
Wednesday: 10am–6pm
Thursday: 10am–6pm
Friday: 10am–9pm
Saturday: 10am–9pm
Sunday: 10am–8pm
