The mall arcade of the 1980s and '90s has mostly faded into memory. But the sound of a pinball knocker and the glow of a CRT cabinet haven't disappeared from Ontario. They've moved. These days you'll find them in basement bars, cafés, a beach town and a museum on a highway between Ottawa and Montreal.
A few things have changed since the days of a pocketful of quarters. Many of today's spots charge a flat entry and then set every machine to free play. Several are bars at night, with all-ages hours earlier in the day, so check each venue's age policy before you bring the kids. Here's where to go.
Toronto and the GTA
Tilt Arcade Bar — Parkdale, Toronto
Tilt is the big one on Queen West. It has more than 90 machines, including arcade cabinets, pinball tables and console booths, all on free play once you're in the door. The pinball lineup alone runs from 1973 to 2025, with tables by Gottlieb, Bally, Williams and Stern among others. The kitchen serves the kind of food you'd hope for: smash burgers, corn dogs and deep-fried Mars bars.
ZED*80 — the Danforth, Toronto
ZED*80 comes from the same team as Tilt and brings the formula to the east end: old-school cabinets and pinball on free play, plus Ontario craft beer and food. It's a solid pick if you live on the other side of the Don Valley and Queen West feels far away.
FreePlay — College Street, Toronto
When FreePlay held its grand opening in January 2020, CGMagazine described two floors of games spanning the late 1970s to the early 2000s. There was an original 1992 Mortal Kombat cabinet and a Nintendo 64 hooked up to GoldenEye. The owner skipped the coin slots and went with unlimited play. Today it runs as a family-friendly arcade during the day and a 19+ bar at night.
Antisocial Pinball — Koreatown, Toronto
In a basement unit at 570 Bloor Street West is what blogTO called the largest pinball arcade in Canada: more than 70 playable machines when it visited in March 2025. Owner Steve Lefort, who also runs the Meeplemart game shop, opened the lounge in late 2024. A few of the machines are rarities, including what blogTO reported was the only publicly playable Pirates of the Caribbean table in the country.
Antisocial Pinball at Meeplemart
The Pinball Gym — Mississauga
If pinball is your main event, it's worth the drive to Mississauga. The Pinball Gym, which grew out of Maple Pinball and Toronto Pinball Repair, keeps more than 60 machines on free play. They range from 1974's Bow & Arrow to 2025's King Kong. The Pinball Gym also hosts sanctioned tournaments, if you want to find out how good you really are.
8-Bit Beans — Whitby
8-Bit Beans opened at Whitby's historic four corners in 2019 as a coffee shop with a few 1980s and '90s cabinets. It has since grown to more than 40 arcade machines and nine pinball tables. It's still a café, and it's also a bar. Leagues and tournaments run regularly.
Central and Southwestern Ontario
Last Level Lounge — Barrie
On Dunlop Street in downtown Barrie, Last Level mixes classic arcade cabinets, pinball and sit-down racing games with a full bar and menu. Destination Ontario name-checks the classics: Pac-Man, Donkey Kong and Street Fighter II.
Pin Up Arcade Bar — Waterloo
Pin Up, a basement arcade bar on King Street North, has classic games, including skee-ball, with one flat price for the whole visit. Destination Ontario included it in its 2026 roundup of retro things to do around the province.
AOK Craft Beer + Arcade — Kitchener
In downtown Kitchener, AOK pairs more than 20 retro games with a dozen rotating craft taps. Since it's on King Street too, it makes an easy second stop after Pin Up.
Eastern Ontario
House of TARG — Ottawa
House of TARG might be the most Ottawa thing on this list. It's a basement on Bank Street, across from the Mayfair Theatre, where you can play pinball, eat handmade perogies and catch a live show on the same night. 613today counted more than 17 pinball machines and 45 arcade cabinets in April 2026.
Canadian Pinball Museum — Alfred
On Highway 17 in Alfred, between Ottawa and Montreal, the Canadian Pinball Museum is run by Pinball Medics, a pinball sales and repair business. Kineticist, a pinball location directory, lists it among the region's places to play. Opening times are limited, so plan ahead. In September 2026 the museum held a weekend to help rebuild Experience Social, the Nepean home of the Ottawa Pinball Arcade, which flooded in late August and has since announced a soft reopening.
Northern Ontario and cottage country
The Tilted Turret Pinball Pub — Thunder Bay
On Archibald Street, the Tilted Turret bills itself as the best pub in Thunder Bay, and it's a pinball pub at that. The lineup puts modern Stern tables like Godzilla and Jaws next to classics like Bally's The Addams Family and Williams' Funhouse. More machines wait in storage and rotate in from time to time.
Giggles Arcade — Sauble Beach
Not every arcade memory involves a mall. For a lot of Ontario families, it's the beach-town arcade, with sand on the floor and a prize counter full of things you didn't need. Giggles in Sauble Beach, across from the beach, keeps that tradition going with more than 50 games and a big redemption counter. It's seasonal, so check before you go.
A note before you go
Some of these places open only a few days a week. Machines also rotate in and out, so the table you came for may be away for repairs. Check the venue's website or social feed on the day.
Details checked October 2026. Hours and seasons change — confirm with each business before you go.
