RAD Retrocade — Restaurant in Las Cruces

My recent visit to Rad Retrograde Bar and Grill left me utterly unimpressed, with an experience that falls far below what one would expect from a supposedly trendy establishment. From overpriced games to a painfully repetitive playlist, this place managed to disappoint on multiple fronts.

First and foremost, the exorbitant prices for the games left me feeling robbed rather than entertained. Not only did these games drain my wallet, but they also had the audacity to devour my daughter's coins, leading to her tears of frustration. It's a shame that the supposedly "rad" experience turned out to be nothing more than a money-grabbing scheme, tarnishing the supposed retro charm.

Speaking of charm, or rather the lack thereof, the musical selection was an absolute nightmare. I couldn't escape the never-ending loop of "we are young" and "feel it still" that played relentlessly for the entire two hours we were subjected to this sonic assault. It felt like being trapped in a musical prison with no chance of parole. If you have any fondness for variety or the concept of sanity, this place will undoubtedly test your patience.

While the atmosphere was passable, it was far from enough to salvage the sinking ship that is Rad Retrograde Bar and Grill. Any hope of redemption quickly vanished when the food arrived. Bland, late, and consistently incorrect, the dishes failed to elicit even the slightest hint of excitement. Adding insult to injury, we discovered not one, but several hairs in different meals. Nothing kills an appetite faster than finding someone else's DNA intertwined with your food.

Although our waitress was pleasant, it was clear that she was fighting a losing battle. Overworked and understaffed, she struggled to keep up with the demands of the customers. It's unfortunate that Rad Retrograde Bar and Grill failed to prioritize the well-being of their staff, resulting in subpar service and an overall underwhelming dining experience.

To top it all off, I made the mistake of ordering a milkshake, only to be served a concoction that could best be described as a diabetes-inducing disaster with a splash of artificial food coloring. The sickeningly sweet taste lingered long after leaving the premises, leaving a bad taste in my mouth both literally and metaphorically.

In conclusion, Rad Retrograde Bar and Grill is a prime example of style over substance gone horribly wrong. With expensive games that disappoint, an unbearable playlist, mediocre food with added "extras," and overwhelmed staff, this place simply isn't worth your time or hard-earned money. Save yourself the frustration and explore more worthy establishments that won't leave you yearning for a time machine to undo...

If I could rate RAD Retrocade less than one star, it would absolutely get it. Without a doubt the worst possible customer service I have ever experienced in my life. As someone who has tended bar, and had over 10 years worth of customer service under his belt, I can say with full confidence that this bar-cade is truly the pits of service. Every time I have gone I have been met with nothing less than rude servers and barkeeps. Tonight, my wife, myself and my friend visited and was met with immediate hostility regarding showing our IDs to the barkeep. None of us had any level of a problem in doing so, but the barkeep’s incredibly rude and arrogant attitude made us feel incredibly uneasy and upset. We told her she did not need to be rude, as we had no problem with showing IDs, yet her hostility towards us only increased. The funniest part to me was that the only people seemingly around were other workers, and little to no actual customers. Ironically, we weren’t even there to drink in the first place, and now I certainly won’t ever be returning to attempt to do so.

If showing identification right away is such a problem, consider having a host at the door in the evenings to decrease probability of minors or unwanted patrons into your establishment. But approaching people who are willing to put money down in your bar with immediate hostility and belittlement is a sure-fire way to lose business. I’m sure they don’t care much for my two cents on the matter, but all I’ll say is there is a reason Little Toad Creek two buildings over is packed wall to wall while there’s more open space than the workers know what to do with at RAD Retrocade. I have never had a pleasant time within their establishment. If you want good customer service, please refer yourself to Little Toad, The Boneyard, Bosque Brewery, or nearly any other bar in the city...

Fun place with good food and a really neat vibe. When you go in, the entire place is a cool throwback. They have always have music videos playing on at least one of the TVs, usually some dated (in a good way) music. The menu is themed like a retro sports almanac ala Back to the Future and the names of the menu items are almost all retro movie puns and references. (The McFly, Revenge of the Nerds, etc.) Of course some of the stuff is original and not pun-related, but it was a cool thing that added to the experience.

Had their pork burger (can't remember the name) and they engraved their logo into the bun. My wife had their beer cheese pretzel which was also great and came hanging on a metal hook. We both had the Revenge of the Needs drink, which tasted fantastic. We originally planned to get a different drink, but they were out of grape vodka. Not gonna dock them for that, though, since it's probably out of their control.

Ran around and played a few retro games to MmmBop by Hanson after we ate. All in all a pretty good time and I will be coming back soon.

For anyone wondering what kind of games they have: A good mix of 80s games like Galaga, Ms. Pac-Man, etc. with some other stuff like Tekken 5, Mario Kart Arcade, Marvel vs. Capcom 2, and even some newer party games like Giant Space Invaders. They also had Skeeball and a healthy selection of Pinball machines. Oh, and one tiny thing: The Player 2 side on their Giant Pac-Man game has a broken joystick. It kinda sorta works, but not really. I should've told someone about it but forgot to. Otherwise I had no issues with any of the games.

TL;DR: Good food, good drinks, good games. Will...