Vintage garage rock and classic indie on the stereo system. Who Framed Roger Rabbit? on a flat-screen TV in the corner. Lots of red accents and dark wood. The ambiance at The Racket Bar & Pinball Lounge in downtown Bellingham, Washington, is hard to beat for a hip contemporary dive.
What truly sets The Racket apart though, is what awaits patrons upstairs: a bank of over a dozen pinball machines, from retro favorites like Godzilla to current pop culture obsessions – John Wick has his own cabinet now! These, along with the tabletop Pac-Man and a claw game, give off the speakeasy whiff of “if you know, you know” hiding upstairs in the narrow bar.
In its post-WWII heyday, the pinball industry was so lucrative that even organized crime muscled in. Initially classified as gambling, pinball fell prey to the same shady dealings as most games of chance in those days. In Seattle, city leaders turned a blind eye for years as millions of dollars in revenue attracted "pinball cartels."
Pinball is fully legalized now, yet also more niche. Pop culture has come a long way since the Who’s 1969 hit single “Pinball Wizard,” but for a certain type of person, the allure remains.
Something about the tactility of fingers on flipper buttons, the pull on the spring, the thwack and plongs as the metal ball bounces off a variety of bumpers and bonus buzzers: for a certain temperament, it’s a practically hypnotic experience.
Not to mention the hilariously dramatic in-game narration, bizarre animations on the LCD scoreboards, and the addictive explosion of numbers as your points multiply into the half-millions. A case can be made that pinball is the platonic ideal of an arcade experience, much like The Racket is the platonic ideal of a dive bar.
As local pinball enthusiast David Burchhill put it while nursing a Rainier beer at The Racket, a true pinball aficionado appreciates “the radical geometry that you have to have an eye for.”
Down in Seattle, Ballard’s Ice Box will host the Emerald City Cup later this month. The semi-finals start on Feb. 28 and run through the weekend, culminating in the finals at 4:30 p.m. on March 2. Since opening in 2018, the Ice Box has become something of an institution in the Seattle gaming scene. Organized play includes weekly Friday tournaments put on by the International Flipper Pinball Association (IFPA), women’s cups every fourth Sunday, and match play every first Sunday.
For the truly devout, the IFPA recently posted a nearly nine-hour video of this year’s Washington State Pinball Championship Finals, also hosted by Ice Box. This level of play, as Burchhill put it, requires players to “stay in the pocket for the duration,” remaining focused and keyed into the rhythms of the game.
The tournament maintained a friendly atmosphere of competition, as a diverse, all-ages set of players took the plate at each cabinet: Congo, Tron, the Mandalorian. At the end of the day, winner Richie Terry walked away with the prize for the second year in a row, after a grueling match on 1980’s classic Star Gazer. The video includes legitimate sports commentators, for those interested in the intricacies of each board or playstyles analysis.
If all this championship talk has you itching to try your hand, consider making a trip to the Greater Tacoma Convention Center June 6- 8 for the Northwest Pinball & Arcade Show. After paying for tickets, which range from $20-130, over 400 arcade and pinball machines are all set to free-play.
Perhaps part of the reason pinball maintains such a presence in the Northwest is the same reason why we flock to coffee, books, or the cinema: They’re a perfect way to while away a grey, drizzly day, or a prematurely darkened winter evening.
Alongside the aforementioned spots, here are some other places around the Northwest keeping the flame alive for flippers of all ages:
In Bellingham’s Fairhaven neighborhood, the 1-Up Lounge has a nicely curated pinball selection, along with video games (console and arcade). On the last Saturday of the month, folks dressed up for cosplay night as their favorite characters/creatures/etc. get $2 knocked off drinks. The equally geek-friendly Cardhaven trading card store is next door.
As mentioned above, this Bellingham bar and pinball lounge checks the boxes for a hip contemporary dive. Attached to the Shakedown live music venue, The Racket has 14 pinball machines, plus full menu and bar.
A veteran-owned entertainment center in Oak Harbor, Tossin' Axes offers, obviously, axe throwing but also an arcade with 13 pinball tables. Ranging from 1983's Firepower II to 2024's John Wick Limited Edition, many of the machines offer multiplayer mode. There's a pinball tournament with a $5 entry fee on the last Friday of the month, flippers up at 7 p.m.
If you’re itching for some classic arcade action in Mt. Vernon, get to the Phoenix Nest, connected to the Docking Bay 93 tabletop gaming store. Boasting a nice, albeit modest, selection of pinball machines alongside a bevy of classic arcade games (most costing a quarter per play, old-school), the Nest is, oddly, closed on the weekends.
The tap house in downtown Snohomish offers 12 pinball tables along with over a dozen styles of beer. The lineup includes Guns N' Roses, Avengers, Iron Maiden and Star Trek, to name a few. Three Bull Brewing hosts bi-weekly IFPA tournaments every other Wednesday and on Sunday they offer free play for $10.
Quazar’s in Victoria is your best British Columbian bet for classic games, with some nice Stern-produced cabinets from recent years (Deadpool, Monster Bash Remake) as well as the classic Lord of the Rings machine from the turn of the millennium.
Port Angeles is home to “the most northwesterly mixed-use building in the continental United States,” known as the Wharf — and the Wharf is home to a pretty decent arcade! Everything from prize games to skee-ball, plus: The strangely ubiquitous Taxi pinball cabinet, by Williams Electronics.
The Ice Box Arcade's name is a fitting tribute to the Ballard building's former use as the longtime facility for Allied Ice, an ice supplier. Now, as mentioned above, the Ice Box is a hub for the Seattle pinball scene and hosts regular tournaments. They offer beer, hard cider and seltzer, plus non-alcoholic beverages. Snacks are also available and outside food is welcome.
Located on Leary Way, 4B's offers pinball, pool, a classic console gaming area, and often has karaoke. They've got an extensive draft list and the kitchen is open until midnight on weekdays, and 1 a.m. on weekends. In 2022, 4B's was acquired by the owner of the Ice Box Arcade, which is right around the corner, leading more gaming options and pinball events.
Sometimes, you hear Add-a-Ball before you see the entrance, partially tucked down an alley in Fremont. Open from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. daily, the bar and arcade (21+) hosts a large collection of pinball machines, along with vintage arcade games. They hosts monthly tournaments, plus regular DJs and live music.
Eastlake Zoo Tavern*
In 2024, the Zoo turned 50 years old and more than doubled its pinball lineup from three to eight machines. The neighborhood institution hosts a tournament on the third Thursday of each month. There's a plethora of other games too, including pool, snooker, darts and Skee-Ball.
A Coney Island-themed barcade mecca in Seattle’s Belltown, Shorty’s hosts their own annual pinball tournament – last year the winner went home with their very own pinball machine! Also serving a variety of hot dogs, a Coney Island classic, along with sandwiches and nachos — all of which can be smothered in sauce or toppings.
For the history heads among you, the Pinball Museum in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District offers a comprehensive trip down memory lane, featuring historic machines all set for free play (after you pay admission, of course). With loads of contextual detail explaining pinball’s evolution through the years and cool mini-exhibits, it’s worth a visit for even the most casual arcade enthusiasts.
The new kid on the block, you can see how this brand new Pioneer Square arcade in Seattle measures up at its grand opening set for Feb. 22.
More of a family-friendly grab bag of activities (including a Spongebob VR game) than a dedicated pinball destination, this Alki hangout nonetheless hosts one of the crown jewels of any pinball collection: Bally’s classic Addams Family cabinet.
Located in Columbia City, Full Tilt offers "fresh ice cream and an old school arcade." The arcade is available for private party rentals and otherwise open to the public Tuesday through Friday. On the weekends, it's open during the day unless there's a private party and always open after 5 p.m. This location, the last one operating under the Full Tilt name, carries on the festive atmosphere cultivated by founder Justin Cline.
Located on Airport Way S, Georgetown Pizza & Arcade offers a family-friendly environment until 8 p.m. Home to over 20 pinball and arcade games, and three Monday night pinball teams, they also host tournaments and weekly karaoke. Pizza, sandwiches, salads, and snacks are available, including gluten free options. It also features a Teacher's Lounge back bar area for ages 21+ only.
Located in downtown North Bend, Volition Brewing is popular with hikers, bikers, skiers, families, beer lovers and pinball enthusiasts. They host tournaments open to all skill levels every two weeks, along with a pinball beer league. Last year, Volition's machine line up got an update with Premium Uncanny X-men, Godzilla and Ghostbusters.8-Bit Arcade
Downtown Renton’s 8-Bit has been serving up throwback gaming for over a decade, with a whole wall devoted purely to pinball alongside other arcade gaming. Everything’s 50 cents a play, plus there’s bites, beer, and best of all, milkshakes.
Located in the heart of Tacoma, the tavern/arcade hybrid Triple Knock boasts a fine collection of pinball (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!) alongside its full-service bar. Praise must also go to its ambience: high ceilings, exposed piping, and bright wood all present a much more welcoming image than what one perhaps associates with the cliched arcades of yore.
Located in the Historic District, Legends is your best bet for pinball and pinball-adjacent gaming in Olympia. Every Wednesday they host a free-to-enter pinball tourney, alongside their same-night foosball competition. Skeeball and assorted other classic arcade games round out a friendly and inviting downtown hangout.
Centralia’s Insert Coin is the only game in town, arcade-wise. Besides pinball, it has your standard-issue coterie of video games, plus air hockey. Family-friendly with a bar and food available, along with ticket games (kids of all ages!) and pull tabs (for the grownups).
Find more places to play in the Northwest and beyond using Pinball Map, a crowdsourced database of public pinball machines.
What did we miss?
Let us know about your favorite PNW pinball destinations by emailing outreach@knkx.org.
*Additional recommendations from KNKX readers. Thank you!
