Three stories above 42nd Street is Coney Island, a million-dollar midway, Disneyland, Las Vegas, and penny arcades all rolled into one giant complex. But above all other things, it’s big: This huge fun-and-games colossus holds more than 200 games, a back-lighted bar with a humongous stock of booze that stretches to the ceiling, 16 big-screen TVs, two ten-foot projection screens, and a restaurant that serves, yes, big portions.

Although much of the emphasis at Dave & Buster’s is on virtual speedways, skeeball, basketball tosses, shuffle board tables, and high-tech amusements, the food is far better than its theme-restaurant counterparts. It’s a fun restaurant that offers large servings of American comfort food.

Certainly the high-ceilinged dining room, with its stained glass, white tablecloths, overhead fans, and Harlequin floor, is a cut above the competition. The organized bedlam from the carnival-like game room is mercifully distant from the dining room, permitting civilized conversation there.

The good-food category includes juicy, easy-to-eat St. Louis barbecue pork ribs laced with a rich, lush sauce; a chargrilled sirloin steak & tender shrimp combo; two grilled, moist chicken breasts crowned with Boursin cheese and tangy peppercorn sauce; and an appetizer of eight red-hot “firehouse” buffalo wings on a hill of crisp french fries. Three desserts scored high points: an intense, decadent triple chocolate cake bursting with flavor; a frosty mug that held a vertical chocolate sundae loaded with vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, whipped cream, etc.; and a bananas Foster pie that tasted a lot like the best banana cream pie ever.

Other dishes that satisfied were six crispy potato skins holding melted cheese and bacon bits and six grilled, stuffed chicken quesadillas that would’ve been even better had their surfaces been browned. A cheese steak sandwich’s steak and cheese was overflowing with onion, mushroom, and pepper add-ons and a turkey chowder soup special was a thick meal in itself.

Dave & Buster’s chatty, upbeat waitstaff, serene dining room, large portions, and fair prices are a very welcome addition to the 42nd Street scene.

234 W. 42nd St., 3rd flr., 646-495-2015; www.daveandbusters.com