Date: June, 2018 Location: Jupiter Bar, 2126 2nd Ave A, Seattle, WA 98121, USA In June we had another opportunity to visit Seattle and check out a very small selection of the city’s many great pinball locations. We always pay Shorty’s a visit on every trip to pump some quarters into their games, but we were told about a new location which had opened in Belltown just a block East on the same street. Jupiter on 2nd Avenue in Seattle Jupiter bills itself as having “art, games, food & drinks” and there’s no doubt they heavily push the art angle, even calling themselves an “Artcade”. We’ve had arcades, barcades and now artcades As you walk inside the art references are revealed, with huge murals painted on many of the interior walls. Some of the mural art at Jupiter More of the mural art at Jupiter More of the mural art at Jupiter There are also numerous pictures and paintings on the other walls from well over a dozen different artists. At the front of the building is the food preparation area and seating, while to the right is the bar. The bar at Jupiter We say “food preparation area” rather than “kitchen” as the food options are relatively modest, consisting of three salads (house/Caesar/Italian), soup, sliders and a selection of eight grilled sandwiches. Eight is also the magic number when it comes to the choice of tap beers. While that’s pretty good in many places, in a craft beer heavy city like Seattle it’s a relatively humble offering. That said, the range was good and there’s nice selection of cans in the fridge, while the spirits, cocktails and winter warmers are some of the bar’s strong points. But we are mainly here for the pinball, and Jupiter certainly doesn’t disappoint in that regard. The arcade area is at the back of the building and under the subdued lighting they have an impressive selection of pinballs from across the decades. Some of the pinballs at Jupiter The Medieval Madness was getting some attention when we visited This row of classic Bally games is a signature feature of Jupiter’s arcade All the machines we played were in great condition. We were there on a Tuesday evening and it turned out there is a weekly “three-strikes” tournament at Jupiter, held every… Tuesday evening at 9pm. Playing in the Jupitourney Along with the entry fees, a sponsor kicks in a nice boost to the prize pot The pinballs have a second use familiar to many home owners – providing a safe, convenient storage space beneath the cabinets. No point wasting space It’s not all pinball in the arcade though. There are plenty of video and mechanical games as well. It’s almost obligatory to have a Killer Queen these days Slugfest from Williams Time for a Rainier-branded Ice Cold Beer There is a long row of video games on the left side of the bar leading into the arcade And more when you get inside There’s a well-stocked jukebox with an eclectic selection of CDs. From Ray Charles and Bowie to Wham! and ZZ Top, there’s a lot of choice here There’s also a pool table and a second bar inside the arcade which opens up when there is sufficient demand. The second bar Of course, with this being Belltown it wouldn’t be right without just a touch of gratuitous swearing and the opportunity for everyone to leave their mark. Well…. quite! This way to the restrooms… Let’s just assume the women’s restroom has similar decor, shall we? We really enjoyed playing at Jupiter. The food choice isn’t the best and the beer selection soon gets narrowed down to one decent brew (Black Raven), but the vibe of the place, the wonderful art and the equally wonderful game selection more than makes up for that. Being so close to Shorty’s and several other downtown location means it’s an easy cruise around the area dropping in and sampling the best of each, while turning up on tourney night means you just might win enough cash to pay for the entire evening. 🙂
