New Location Round-Up
If you are a pinball enthusiast in Seattle, the opening of a new location can be both a glorious event and business as usual. (Yes we are spoiled!) The following is a list of some of the notable new locations that have opened since last year’s NW Pinball and Arcade Show.
Coindexter’s, in Greenwood, opened at the beginning of September where there was once a dive bar called the Crosswalk Tavern. While the
Crosswalk was undoubtedly loved by many, it was also renowned for its broken pinball machine and a lot of empty space. Coindexter’s has changed all of that by packing it full of arcade games and 12 pinball machines! Operated by 20XX Amusements, which has a great reputation for maintaining their pins, it has become one of the nicest locations in the city. It has also helped anchor the neighborhood as one with many unique pinball machines – all within a half block from each other.
Belltown’s Jupiter Bar also opened in September in a huge space that seems like it was once going to be a live music venue. Jupiter is equal 
parts art bar and arcade. There are beautiful murals covering its many walls created by local artists, including Joey Nix, who is also one of the owners. The popular and large arcade room in the back is packed full of over 30 pinball machines, including a solid lineup of Bally widebodies! Since Jupiter is located in the heart of Belltown, it is an easy walk to many other downtown locations, as well as a light rail station.
The Ice Box opened in December and is located in-between Fremont and Ballard, known locally as Frelard. The name Ice Box alludes to the 
previous industrial ice making business that the large building once held. Only about a quarter of the space is currently open to the public and packed full of arcade games and around 30 pinball machines. The business is owned by Grand Champion Games, and this is where they bring their latest acquisitions to fix them up before routing them out to other locations. So there are often nice surprises in their lineup. Ice Box is also a very easy walk to other pinball locations, as well as the #40 bus, which can take you to even more pinball!
Full Tilt Capitol Hill finally opened in January after many years of rumors and anticipation. As one of the premiere ice cream shops in the city, the newest Full Tilt was welcomed by both pinball players and fans of their eclectic frozen treats. The location on 15th avenue is a good fit for them as it’s a few blocks away from the main concentration of bars the neighborhood is best known for, which makes it better for both parking and kids. 20XX operates the games here, so there’s a good mix of both new and old pins in pristine condition.
Another Castle Arcade Edition: Marysville opened in March and is a bit of a drive north from Seattle, but it’s well worth the effort. Also
known as a beer-cade, AC Marysville hosts the first Nitro Pinball Showroom in the states. Nitro Pinball is a Canadian pinball supplier and the showroom part of the beer-cade contains many of the newest pinball machines that are available to play and purchase. Naturally this includes the latest Stern and Jersey Jack games, as well as the smaller companies such as Spooky and American. When they first opened, they even had one of the few Alien pinball machines! If you want to take a break from the new pins, there are also older games next door at Another Castle’s retail store.
Corner Pocket in West Seattle is a long-standing Seattle dive bar that reopened in April with new owners and 8 pinball machines. Previously known more as a pool hall, the Corner Pocket is now part of the 8-Bit Arcade family of locations (as is Tacoma’s Triple Knock). While the number of pins is
more modest than other locations on this list, there are still some unique games there that make Corner Pocket worth making the trip to West Seattle.
Check out the Skill Shot website or download the Skill Shot app for a complete list of Seattle-area pinball locations and games!
– Bola Salvada!
Originally published in Skill Shot 51