Andretti’s Is Fun For the Whole Family!

If you have kids, you know how difficult it can be to make them happy! Our family consists of three teenagers, and I’m sure you can imagine how hard it is sometimes to find a place that everyone will enjoy with minimal complaints – a place that hubby and I would enjoy too, of course!

So when our family was invited to an exclusive experience at the new Andretti Indoor Karting & Games facility in Marietta, GA, I was excited but also nervous to see if it would pass the teenager test. 🙂

From the moment I walked into Andretti’s, I was in total awe. Not only was it made to be fun for kids, but it was a wonderland for adults too! The kids were absolutely speechless (which is a feat in itself, no less). They could not wait to get their gaming on! We met up with Operations Supervisor William Knapp, who gave us the “run-down” on all the fun things that Andretti’s has to offer. (Hint: Imagine a thrill seekers’ paradise!)

Our tour guide guy, Operations Supervisor William Knapp

Now I consider myself a food fan-addict (no pun). And when it comes to dining delights I don’t play games. So when I heard that Andretti’s has a restaurant, naturally I was a bit skeptical because we all know that arcades and good food don’t typically go hand-in-hand. Well, Andretti’s Grill will surpass your notions of what to expect at an arcade eatery. And although the name Andretti is synonymous with “speed” one thing is for certain, the eats here are not of the “fast food” variety. Prepared in-house with fresh ingredients by award-winning Chef Anna Firmani, you can definitely taste the difference in this specialty fare compared to offerings at similar places.

Andretti’s also features a Sky Bar upstairs that overlooks one of the upper level karting tracks. So, now patrons can have a “zoom with a view.” 😛 And, for those who don’t want to miss one moment of their favorite sport in action, there are HDTV’s and 25 ft projection monitors at every turn…literally! Over 100 to be exact! Needless to say hubby was in heaven. And if you have a special event like a birthday or corporate affair, Andretti’s is the perfect place to party. From b’day bashes to breaking the boredom of the boardroom, Andretti’s has everything to make your day one to remember! What’s even more cool is that there is no fee to enter Andretti’s. You simply pay to play. Whether you choose to kick back at the bar and catch the latest score, or go for the high score on one of the many extreme attractions, Andretti’s is the destination for fun!

Now let’s get back to their fabulous food for a sec. Here’s a taste of what Andretti Grill has on the menu:

THE FOOD…

Our menu sampling began with the Sky High Nachos, which were practically stacked to the rafters! These were tortilla chips smothered in queso, cheddar, and Monterey jack cheeses with pico de gallo, sour cream, jalapenos and green onions. We also tried the Cowboy Stack: Sweet potato waffle fries topped with queso, pico de gallo, jalapenos, and BBQ sauce to finish it off!

For the main course, we tried the Grilled Steak Apple Salad, which included tender steak, grilled apples and onions, roasted red peppers, and toasted almonds over mixed greens and tossed in citrus peach balsamic dressing – a yummy summer salad! Then there was the Brickyard Burger, which was a burger topped with two fried eggs and American and cheddar cheeses, and it was served between two grilled cheese sandwiches! Talk about a monster! The burger also had bacon and jalapeños for added flavor. We also sampled the St. Louis Style Ribs, Grilled Salmon, and the Andretti Wings. The salmon came with fresh spring rice and veggies as well as a glaze of your choice. The wings were a zingy lemon pepper flavor, and grilled to perfection.

After all that food, you’d think we’d say no to dessert, but you know how the saying goes: There’s always room for dessert! To satisfy our sweet tooth, we sampled three delectable, made-in-house confections. There was the Home Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake, which was a light lemony soufflé cheesecake, topped with a tart blueberry compote. Then we got into the guilty pleasures: the Hot Skillet Cookie Sundae – which is big enough to share and topped with vanilla ice cream, chocolate, caramel sauce, and Hershey shavings – and the classic Brownie Sundae topped with vanilla bean ice cream which made my taste buds wanna go for another lap. 😉

I, of course, washed down all this amazing food with a special cocktail called the Bob Marley. Needless to say, it was delicious. Andretti Grill also offers craft beer and wine in addition to cocktails, which is a really nice bonus.

We were stuffed and satisfied to say the least – and our server Eric made the experience even better. The service was fantastic!

By now our excitement was just beginning to rev-up! Now it was time to take Andretti’s for a test drive!!!

THE FUN!

First, we got our gaming fix in the state-of-the-art arcade, which has over 100 awesome games! Andretti’s has everything to keep your troops busy like Simulators, multi-player games, Laser Tag, and Georgia’s only 7D Motion Theater Experience! Heck, you can even take your excitement to new heights on the rope course located two stories high above the gaming floor!

For those who have a need for speed, Andretti’s has 3 karting tracks that feature adrenaline inducing excitement at every turn. Andretti’s SODI RTX electric karts are the industry’s best and can rocket up to 35 mph! It was so exhilarating to skirt around the tight loops and break loose on the straightaways! And if you’re not a speed demon (like myself), amateur drivers and even the littlest speed junkies can still go for a spin on 1 of 3 tracks designed for any driver’s skill level. We chose the upper deck track that’s overlooked by the Sky Bar. Hey, there’s nothing like whizzing past your opponent with an audience to cheer you on, right?! It was sooo awesome!

Last but certainly not least, we had an absolute ball at Andretti’s Boutique Bowling lanes. When I said this place had it all, I was not kidding! The 12 lighted lanes are specially designed to look like racetracks, which were a cool touch – but the coolest part of all was the colorful lights! The “cosmic” lighting made the experience even more fun. And, of course, hubby was thrilled to see even more HDTV’s right above the lanes, so he didn’t have to miss a single minute of his sports!

Overall, Andretti Indoor Karting & Games was a family experience we didn’t know we could enjoy so much! It definitely passed the teenager test, and we adults were big fans as well.  We truly had an amazing experience and are so grateful that Andretti’s provided this wonderful opportunity! I never knew that a place could be fun for kids and adults at the same time! But be warned… You’ll have so much fun that you may forget that you’re the adult. 😉

Be sure to make a pit stop at one of two Andretti Indoor Karting & Games locations near Atlanta at 11000 Alpharetta Hwy. in Roswell, Ga, and their newly opened facility at 1255 Roswell Rd. in Marietta, Ga.