Autumn d.

Came in on a Friday night. The bar has a classic dive bar feel. Pretty limited bar, they had a few beers ciders and seltzers on tap. They had two bottles of natural wine that night. Drinks are very reasonably priced, wine was $8. Bar tenders were friendly and quick. All machines take quarters and their is an atm machine and a coin dispenser. Not too many bathrooms and a few tables. So many fun older and newer machines! Definitely going to be a place we frequent.

Will L.

I hadn't been back to Add-a-Ball in a few years. We decided to pop by after a nice dinner in Fremont. Add-a-Ball is tucked away in an alleyway just off Phinney, between 35th and 36th. Signage is poor, and you wouldn't even know it was a pinball establishment. (This ended up being good because I was able to surprise my date, who loves pinball. She had no idea that we were going to be playing pinball until after we had already entered the place!) The place is pretty funky, with many rooms, some small and difficult to pass through, and machines littered throughout. There's also an upstairs with even more machines. Machines very widely in age, with some vintage machines (including my childhood favorite, Eight Ball Deluxe). There are also some great vintage video games too. Service is hit or miss. When one of our machines ate our quarters due to a stuck ball, one of the staff came up to help us with the machine, spending several minutes playing the machine and giving us some pointers on how to win. Another staff member gave us a small stack of quarters, and we ended up playing that machine for nearly an hour. Great service! On the other hand, if you want a beer or a drink, you need to order at the bar, which is just inside the entrance. It can sometimes take quite a while to get a drink since the line at the bar can get quite long. At one point while we were there, when we went to get a couple of more drinks, the line was super long, and the waitperson at the counter, oblivious to the line, proceeded to stand and gab with a friend at the counter for nearly 10 minutes, taking no orders for that entire period. Of course, the line only got longer, and people were getting really frustrated. All-in-all, however, we had a great time at Add-a-Ball. If you're lowkey and chill and really like pinball (and vintage arcade), plus don't mind occasionally waiting for a drink, you'll love this place. We'll certainly be back. , and we'll certainly be back again.

Nathan Z.

Maybe it was just our lucky day but there was heavy metal soundtrack to the place when we were there on a random rainy Monday in November. The selection of beer, cider, and wine was solid nothing fancy but something for everyone. Hooks for coats and seating are all over. The selection of pinball machines was great. Most were at least $0.50 a play but some of the newer ones were more. All worth it. BYOQ or they have change machines. It is decorated in punk bar/skate park chic. There was an ATM onsite. The gentleman pouring that day gave us a good rundown of the place. If you have a few hours to kill in the Fremont neighborhood this is great option.

Emili A.

Ever since my college days, I've always loved this place. Quirky decor, eclectic games, friendly staff, cheap drinks, and fun customers: what's not to love? Around the corner through a very scary doorway you will walk into what seems to be a portal to another era. The beers and most drinks are about $6 which is pretty rare for seattle prices. The game prices do range depending on the type of game but $20 for three people took us very far; about 2+ hours of gameplay before heading back home for the night. They have a lot of options for games but mostly a lot of the machines are for pinball of various themes. Along with pinball, there is jenga (with dares written on them), pac man, air hockey, fighting games, etc. Parking: Be careful because the parking lot outside is actually one where you have to pay. Somehow we missed the sign and did get a parking ticket on a random thursday night. Very fun place and worth visiting, definitely won't be disappointed.

Tammie W.

Neat arcade in the Fremont district of Seattle which had the hubby and I playing PacMan for hours and failing hard on Pong. I showed the AC/DC pinball machine who was boss though. The location is tucked around the corner in a parking lot, so don't give up because it's worth checking out. You can get your drink on if you'd like and munch on the snacks they sell. Make sure to check out every corner and wander upstairs to play the games as well. Take a picture with the awesome Bodhi mural downstairs which will have you wanting to go out and catch the big wave.

Eddie G.

Very nostalgic place. Had lots of fun using all my laundry quarters. Lots of pinball machines. Got lost playing Simpson old arcade game and time crises 2. Not many of these places exist anymore it was fun playing played for over an hour on about $8. Beers were $6 and had a good selection. Definitely recommend this place might be 21 and over since they sell alcohol.

Katy C.

Add-a-Ball wasn't on my extensive list of places I wanted to check out while visiting Seattle, but I'm so glad we ended up there because it was one of my favorite bars! I really like checking out arcade bars and this one has so many unique games that I've never seen before, including "Bad Cats" which goes with the theme of the bar. There are cat pictures everywhere! As a cat lover, I was endlessly amused by this. I asked the bartender about it and he told me that the owner just really loves cats. Cool. Me too. The vibe inside Add-a-Ball is like being in someone's basement in the 70s. It's super funky with so much to look at! I loved the Star Wars wall over by the Pong table. When we were there on a Friday afternoon, Add-a-Ball wasn't busy at all, which was really nice as our local friend told us that it can get packed. We were able to check out all the different games, try Bad Cats, and have a couple beers. There is an upstairs level that has a tiny cash only bar which I'm sure is popular on busy nights. I loved this cool retro bar and would definitely go back to snap more photos and play some pinball during the day.

Sarah L.

I visited Add-a-Ball a Friday night with some friends. We actually ended up stopping by twice - first we checked out the location after dinner and it was too crowded to enjoy ourselves. The one bar serving drinks had a line that looped around a couple times, and most of the arcade games were occupied. We left for another bar and returned later in the night, and had much more fun the second time around. All the games we tried were enjoyable and even found a table to chill at in the back.

Linda K.

Dude. Just go. This was the best pinball we've ever played! The machines are very well maintained, and there's such a large selection! The pong was super fun as well! Could've stayed here all night!

Brian F.

This place is a fan favorite among my friend group and I finally got the chance to see what it was all about. It's not a huge place and is actually hidden away and not easily seen. There are tons of pinball machines everywhere and has a small upstairs as well with a couple more games. You might have to wait to play during the busier times because it was really crowded on a Saturday night. Some games that we wanted to play had queues for up to about five people. We played this Pac-Man game that was $2 for four players and seven rounds. It was just really fun to be competitive with friends while still having fun and laughing. We played that for most of our time there. Rainiers were $3 and well drinks were $5 which is really cheap. I always love places with cheap drinks and cheap entertainment!

Scott L.

This is the most punk rock arcade I've ever been to and I LOVE it! We weren't sure how to get in at first as there's no entrance on the main street. There was a band playing the back, and we discovered that going past the band WAS the entrance! The place is just loaded with nostalgia. Lots of older pinball tables as well as arcade games. They're serving pizza slices and slinging drinks while the best music plays overhead. In the back area was more space to sit down in almost feels like a Chuck - E - Cheese wonderland. Everything here had its place and I'm thrilled to come back for more.