Chuck E. Cheese's Patio Santa Fe

What it is. A place built for children to enjoy being children: skill games and video games, with the floor divided into three large areas so that younger and older kids play separately. Food is pizza and the usual family menu —the games are the point, the meal is the excuse.

How it works. Games run on tokens or a card you top up, and prizes are exchanged at a counter; set your budget before you start, because that is where the cost adds up. Birthday packages are the main business, so weekends are loud and busy —weekday afternoons are far calmer.

Where it is. Inside the Patio Santa Fe mall, in the west of the city. Santa Fe has no metro: come by car or taxi, or take a bus from the Observatorio metro terminal, and allow extra time at peak hours.