(Images: Suzi Pratt for CHS)
Last week, we told you Capitol Hill’s new pinball beer bar was set to open on E Olive Way. Here’s a look inside John John’s Gameroom.
The owners behind Fremont’s Add-a-Ball have turned around the former Faire Gallery and squeezed in a lot of games. Considering the odd layout, John John’s and the woodwork guys from Sparrow have made pretty good use of the space.
John John’s holds about 20 machines, mostly pinball and a good scattering of old arcade classics, too, including Dungeons and Dragons, Tales From the Crypt, The Addams Family, and Dracula pinball, two types of Pac Man and Street Fighter. Even the narrow second floor manages to squeeze a pinball machine and a Pac Man along the narrow walkway stretching around the bar’s front. Unlike many bars that rent their machines, Travis Echert and Brad Johnsen most of theirs — or borrows them. With help from a friend and collector, John John’s Gameroom will also feature the occasional one-of-a-kind specialties that sometimes rotate through the Fremont location.
John John’s emergence is the start of a small overhaul of the corner at E Olive Way and Melrose. We’ll have more information soon about the work underway next door with the new bar being created in the old Living Room space.
The new game room is 21 and over and cash only, with coin machines inside to break your bills. John John’s will be open seven days a week, 2 PM to 1 AM. If you’re trying to track down your favorite pinball wizard, you might want to start here.
You can learn more on the John John’s Gameroom Facebook page.
