Mars Pub and Arcade

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  I was all about this place when it first opened, but since they changed the laser tag to an arcade, I'm not so sure about it anymore. I didn't even play laser tag very often, but I feel like the great drink deals and selection has been slowly slipping since they re-opened. Attendance seems to be down recently as well. In any case, I'd recommend going if you haven't been before and checking out their arcade, and then deciding on your own if it's for you or not. It does provide a good alternative to some of the other bars and clubs around it.

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  Posted on 01.01.13 Matt P.

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  All you can drink for $10 after 10pm on Friday nights with a free show. That's a hell of a lot of beer. Too bad I would never make this a destination on a Friday night, laser tag or not.
  
  It's the perfect spot for getting down on a cheap brew while waiting for a show to open, that's what this place is good at. Then again, I applaud them for opting for laser tag instead of the traditional board game standard that seems to come with most bars. I mean, who plays laser tag sober anyways? Saves me the trouble to have beer built in.
  
  The food menu is decent, too. Definitely not what I was expecting. You can expect a long ass line out the door for late night if there is a show going on, though. Unless that was a line waiting for laser tag...

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  Posted on 11.05.11 Michelle H.

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  The newspaper clipping on the wall reads that the owners, disenchanted with the job scene after graduating college, decided to open up a bar. A bar with laser tag. While this idea sounds incredible as hell, the cynic in me wonders how much of it had to do with not wanting to "grow up" into a traditional after-college job. Whatever your perception the choices made, Mars Pub and Laser Tag stands proudly on a quiet stretch of University Ave right next to one of the worst venues in existence (The Florida Theater of Gainesville) and two doors down from Country Music Line Dancing Terror at Eight Seconds. Yikes. Not hard to shine on the block when that's the competition.
  
  Mars Pub serves up pretty decent sub sandwiches at reasonable prices that are perfect for staying sated whilst you wait in line for one of the venues. They also have beer. Beer is nice. Couches are also nice. Bathrooms are clean enough and there's the whole Laser Tag thing as well which I did not partake in.
  
  Perhaps if I had lasered my ass off I would drop another star upon this place, but without that it's really just another bar that serves cheap, generic and ultimately pretty boring beer with no liquor. We've all seen it before, know what I mean?

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  Posted on 11.02.11 Andrew C.

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  Wow, this is a tough one because there's so many things to think about....so here goes:
  
  Concept (5 stars):  Bar with Laser Tag arena and video games to play.
  
  Atmosphere (5 stars): Dark and video game themed, pretty fun.
  
  Drink Selection (1 star): Not doing good in this category.  Beer only, no liquor.  Beer selection is pretty dismal.  The usual national brands, plus heineken and newcastle, only 2 beers on draft - neither of which was interesting.
  
  Prices (2 stars):  $8 per game for laser tag.  Being that there's nothing to compare it to, that might be reasonable -- no way to really know for sure.  Beer prices a bit high.  $3.75 a bottle -- the lux lounge next door is cheaper.  
  
  Location (3 stars):  Average Gainesville location, located downtown amongst all the other bars and clubs.  Being that it's right next door to the Venue, sometimes you might have to work around the long Venue line to get to their front door.
  
  So, in the end:  5+5+1+2+3=16 / 5=3.2 stars

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  Posted on 12.19.10 Thomas B.

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  "You guys want to check out the bar that has laser tag?"
  
  Uhhhhhhhh, letmethinkaboutitYES!
  
  My weekend trip to Gainesville was exponentially improved by my visit to this fun little bar. The staff was incredibly friendly and the beer selection was decent. If you're visiting Gainesville and have one night on the town, you must include Mars in your plans!
  
  They've got two big flat screens behind the bar and the walls are decorated with cassette tapes.
  
  A few beers in, and you're ready for laser tag. Sign the consent forms and you're in. You can play in teams or just go free-for-all if your buzz has made or difficult to determine who is who.
  
  I must preface this with the fact that i've never played laser tag before and cannot compare to other experiences. The laser tag area was about average size from what I gather, and the music played inside was appropriately chosen for hipster kids pretending to be in an action movie.
  
  After laser tag, we had our choice of board games to play to finish off our rounds.
  
  There's really no reason to bar hop once you get to Mars. Lots of fun, great people, great ambiance.

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  Posted on 08.29.10 Elizabeth D.

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