Dining Out: Allevity
Aberdeen Magazine | Annie Scott
ALLEVITY ENTERTAINMENT IS known for exciting arcade games and fun prizes, but now residents of Aberdeen can add food to that list.
For this Aberdeen Magazine food review, we sampled their new expanded menu. Allevity’s new kitchen and dining area were completed in October last year and reopened after some employee training events. The new addition features seating with 15 TVs as well as an expanded food and drink menu. Now patrons can enjoy appetizers, entrees, mixed drinks, and mocktails in between rounds of laser tag.
Manager Dave Novstrup said that their operating hours were expanded to accommodate diners, and that there are daily food specials as well as late-night specials starting at 9:00 PM.
Nacho Supreme
We started out with the Nacho Supreme, one of Allevity ’s new shareable dishes. These nachos come with white queso, pico, lettuce, green onion, jalapeno, chipotle sour cream, and black olives, and a choice of meat, all double layered so each bite is guaranteed to have a little bit of deliciousness. The jalapenos provide a little bit of heat and the queso is smooth enough to balance it all out. And they’re not kidding when they say it’s shareable – we took the rest of the small mountain of nachos to share with the rest of the staff back at the office.
Pulled Pork Quesadilla
The Pulled Pork Quesadilla was another shareable we had. Other meat options include beef and chicken, and all the quesadillas come with a jalapeno cheddar tortilla, mixed cheese, sauteed peppers, caramelized onions, as well as sour cream, pico, and guacamole. These quesadillas were packed—both in quality of flavor and quantity of ingredients. The flavor of the meat itself was noticeable right off the bat, and the rest of the ingredients highlighted that flavor. Although they’re a shareable, they could easily fill you up if you decided to order them as an entree.
Nashville Hot Flatbread
There are six different flatbread options at Allevity, and we tried the Nashville Hot. Complete with Buffalo sauce, crispy fried chicken, mozzarella cheese, dill pickle slices, and a hot honey drizzle, this flatbread was a very pleasant mix of flavor. The hot-and-sweet kick of the honey paired well with the sharp tang of the pickle, and we loved the crunch of the flakey crust as well.
BBQ Bacon Burger
Allevity has a variety of smash burgers, all served with fries, tater tots, or a side salad. We tried the BBQ Bacon Burger, which comes with applewood smoked bacon, cheddar cheese, and barbeque sauce, all topped with a fried onion ring. The barbeque sauce was nice and sweet, which paired well with the saltiness of the bacon. There very well may be a new contender for the title of Aberdeen’s Burger Battle Champion on our hands here.
Hazelnut Cocoa Crunch
We finished off our meal with the Hazelnut Cocoa Crunch–a cocoa and hazelnut meringue with a hazelnut crunch, dusted with cocoa powder, whipped cream, and chocolate sauce. It was light, fluffy, and sweet, and the delightful crunch of the hazelnut reminded us of Ferrero Rocher candies. For those looking for a slightly different treat, Allevity also offers churros, sundaes, milkshakes, and rootbeer floats.
Passion Fruit Smash
With the expansion of their restaurant space, Allevity now features specialty alcoholic beverages as well as mocktails. Their mocktails are a great addition for those who don’t drink that also want to have something fun to sip on. We tried the Passion Fruit Smash, which included passion fruit, mint, lemon, and club soda. Our drink was served with a smokey bubble on top, and the smoke show that followed added a nice bit of whimsy to the drink.
Our Picks
Annie Scott: I’ve had my fair share of days working up an appetite after some intense laser tag, so I was pretty excited to try Allevity’s new menu. I enjoyed the variety of the dishes on the menu, and there are still a few things that I’d like to try again on a different visit. My favorite thing we sampled was the pulled pork quesadilla, but everything we tried was delicious. As someone who doesn’t drink often, I enjoyed the selection of mocktails too. The quality of the food was great, but the overall atmosphere of Allevity made the experience even more fun. The friendly staff was the finishing touch that made our visit special.
Anna Jahraus: Fun for the whole family! The number of sharable items on the menu was a highlight. You’d have to take a group vote to make a final selection out of all the foods offered. I couldn’t stop munching on nachos between sampling the full spread we were served. The green onions really added a fresh taste to the mixture of toppings. Nacho cheese is a big make-it-or-break-it aspect for me, and the cheese was delicious, not what you’d think dining at an arcade, not even close. Picture flavorful queso that lets the ingredients speak, less liquid orange in a cup. Best arcade nachos ever, but more importantly, those were the best restaurant nachos I’ve ever tasted.