I'll be the first to admit I was not screaming in excitement when someone mentioned a new pinball place had opened up in downtown Bellingham. In fact, it's possible I may have yawned. Having grown up a part of Generation Video Game, pinball just sounded...well...kinda boring. Well, I was wrong. I've been to The Racket three times now and have had more fun on each visit. The place is small, with a full bar (including good taps) downstairs and a long row of pinball machines brightening up the upstairs. Food can also be purchased from the legendary Shakedown kitchen right next door (um, falafel anyone?). The crowd is lively and skews toward "fun" rather than trendy, which is always a nice plus. My only complaint is it's hotter than you-know-what in the pinball area - they've set out a fan but it doesn't do much more than blow the warm air around. The easiest solution I've found to this problem (as with most temperature related problems in the Ham) is simple: wear layers! The thing I like most about The Racket is that it's different. And in a smaller city like we have, different is good! BTW, the pinball machines all take quarters; but if you don't have any cash you can use your credit card to buy a roll of quarters at the downstairs bar ($1 service charge). This is also a 21-and-over place and they do card at the door. read more

The Racket Bar & Pinball Lounge - Bars Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

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They require vaccination proof to come inside. If I hadnt drove the distance to just play pinball, I would have left over that. I showed them my papers and played some pinball. Friendly bartender. Nice machines. Only one was out of service. read more

Saw this place next to Old World and love Philly steak sandwiches. The decor is pretty standard when you walk in. It looks like any other long and narrow bar on the top. I didn't have time during lunch to go to down and check out the basement where the pinball machines were. Maybe next time. You could hear them banging away, that's for sure! Got the Philly to go. Shot back home and broke open the plastic box. I had ordered the Philly, and the server asked if I wanted fries with that. When I paid and took my sandwich, noticed it was about $2 more then what it should be. Without saying, the charged the fries as extra with the meal. I wouldn't have minded if the meal was was higher priced and included the fries. But the server padded the bill up and didn't say anything. When I did get to taste the sandwich. It did taste like a normal Philly sandwich, but the bread was very dry. It had little to no sauce and very little moisture. The 3-star rating really is pretty accurate about the overall experience and taste of the food. I hope this review helps you out when you try this place out for yourself. read more

The Racket Bar & Pinball Lounge - Philly steak sandwich - Bars Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

Good selection of PB tables but service isn't the greatest. Bartenders have made comments about tips from customers and it often takes a bit of time to get helped. read more

This is one of my new "go-to" date places. This might seem an odd spot. However, it's a great place to relax, have a drink, and interact with one another. Happy Hour is ridiculously good. One cider and one gin and tonic cost a total of $6.50. No joke! A change machine is available on the second level with the machines. It does get very warm upstairs. I usually peel a few layers off. Machines are usually in good order. One or two needing repair. Low lighting can make some machines challenging. The food looks amazing but I've yet to try it. Goal for my next visit is the Veggie Philly. Sounds amazing. read more

Took an Uber 30 minutes just to get here. As soon as I walked in with my buddy, was immediately carded AND denied service after providing 2 different ID cards. One card was my personal California REAL ID and my second was my Drivers License. I was denied with my drivers license because she said it was flimsy, then provided my California REAL ID and just said no. Lady was heavier set and had a gnarly haircut. Literally denied service for no reason, I'm assuming because she couldn't do math and figure out my age. read more

Stopped by on a Wednesday evening and was happy that they were verifying Vax status before allowing folks to order drinks. Our bartender Martin was an absolute delight and very helpful in making drink recommendations as my husband and I were visiting from out of town and wanted to try some local drinks. Good choice of brews, they had two ciders, and all the cocktails. Kudos for the clean bathroom too. read more

Royce was our bouncer and had incredible pinball recs! He was so sweet and helped our party with drink specials. Dan was our bartender and was so sweet as well. Come here. spend a few quarters and have an awesome night. Special thx to Royce and Dan! read more

When a friend came over and we were browsing Viking Food, they mentioned the contemporary philly made by the racket... a philly with cheese whiz... I thought "disgusting... who would eat that?!" I would eat that. It's now one of my favorite Viking food orders haha! read more

The Racket Bar & Pinball Lounge - Contemporary Philly (via Viking Food) - Bars Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

Nice selection of pinball games. They are upstairs and away from the bar. Felt secluded from what was going on.

After taking a 30 minute drive from my hotel, I was denied service as soon as I walked in after providing not one, but TWO forms of ID. The lady who denied me service said my drivers license was too flimsy? Then I showed her my California REAL ID and she didn't even look at it lol. She was a bit on the heavier side and had a gnarly haircut. Unfortunately I was not able to get her name, which is why I'm describing her. Do not come here. read more

Okay. I felt this was a full three star review. My first piece of advice: If you are a HIPSTER and aren't already shacking up here, you're missing your life blood. We went on a Friday night and saw every single hipster in the Bellingham city limits. I kid you not- we made it a game by the end. Pros? Fun machines, great location right next to the shakedown and by Old World Deli and friendly staff! Drinks looked great and I enjoyed the cup holders attached to lots of the pinball machines. Cons? Really rude (I mean, I'm not overly sensitive- it's a bar scene) regulars upstairs. Pushy, generally sarcastic and impatient to us regular folk trying to have a good time. Really crowded- this could be a pro and a con, but there was always a (strangely passive aggressive?) fight for space. Three separate times the pinball machines took quarters without registering them. As in, fully operational but takes our money without any result. I'm going to give this spot another try for sure- with high hopes that maybe it'll amp up to how awesome other reviews say it is. read more

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I LOVE pinball, so this place was quite the find! Some of the games include Ghostbusters Game of thrones Black knight AC/DC (personal fav) Addams family Demolition man Dracula Mid-evil madness Star Trek Tales from the crypt (broken) Doctor who Creature from the black lagoon A few others I can't remember Great beer selection too. The hipster vibe was off the charts. Two women were knitting, they weren't even at the same table. Another gal kept talking about coke and pretty sure she didn't mean the beverage. Just sayin. read more

This place is really cute. Came in late at night. Though I'm not a pinballer, I scored so many free games on the AC/DC machine that I got bored of playing. So if you are broke or suck at pinball, you can still stretch those quarters! The machines do seem to be on the pricier side, at least compared to other arcades I've been to. They are located in a long and narrow space upstairs so there isn't as much room to cluster around a machine and watch your friend play - everyone kind of stands in a row and faces forward. I feel like this place has the potential to be hella awesome but may not have the audience for it in Bellingham. The claw machine upstairs has handmade ugly dolls - so cool - and they had some really neat local art on the walls, too. And that Dole Whip cocktail was delicious! Support it and grow it! We'll definitely stop by the next time we're in town! read more

I really love this place. The philly cheese steaks are sooooo good. And for you veggie folks out there, the mushroom philly is amazing. No flavor was lacking even though it was missing one of the fundamental ingredients of a cheese steak. I am awful at pinball so I can't say much for that. However the crane game is loaded with one of a kind creations. And unlike other crane games this one is actually moderately win-able. I really like that the bar is chill. And that they are a great place for lunch. I will frequently get the hummus platter when I am just looking for a snack that isn't as heavy as a cheese steak. Also a great place to pre game if you're headed to a show at the shakedown. (There is also a passageway through the two bars) so you don't have to go out in the rain just to go watch the bands. Bravo! read more

The Racket Bar & Pinball Lounge - Bars Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

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I didn't love my service but everything else about this place shines! I walked into a place I'd never been and looked over the beer menu under the eye of a bartendress. I asked if the pinball was upstairs. She said yeah. She probably gets asked that hundreds of times a week. I asked if I could get quarters from her added on to my tab. She said, "No, you can get cash back and use the machine upstairs, or you can buy them from me on your tab." I wasn't drunk, but the nuance hit me kinda funny, like okay, so I *can* get quarters from you. Semantics! After that tiny blip, I ordered a delicious mango sour and paid $1 to get a roll of quarters (totally reasonable to not go back out in to the rain) and had myself a ball. The bathroom is wallpapered with soldering board electronic diagrams of all the arcade boxes. That was fun and I admit to staging a full-on selfie session in there. There are about 10 pinball machines plus 4 player PacMan. 1 arcade was out (Tales from the Crypt, I believe). Most were 50 cents, some were 75 cents. This was a very cozy spot to spend a Saturday night! read more

AWESOME place for a date! Make sure to come with lots of quarters, although they will help you out if you need to make change. They have so many different pinball types (star wars theme, LOTR theme, movie related machines, etc.) AWESOME place for a falafel and hummus platter as well. They have good beers and fun cocktails. It can get a bit loud but just the right amount. read more

Really enjoyed this place. Came on a Monday night for music trivia. Amazing amazing amazing phillys!!! The real deal apparently. I'm from the south, so I am easy to please when it comes to sandwiches but they put the cheese wiz on them :) makes everyone happy! Only thing I did not like about this place was the way the trivia was set up. It wasn't very organized at all. However, it did not stop my friend and I from having a good time. I didn't even get to play the pinball machines so I have no idea what's that's yet, but I will be returning to do so. read more

If you love a good Philly Cheese Steak, you must hit up The Racket. Wow. So good!! I chose the Mushroom Philly without peppers (I loathe peppers; sorry not sorry). Loaded with meat and super cheesy, with the softest bread (flown in from PA!), it was a real treat. My hubby ordered the Beef Gyro and that was also very tasty! They were showing Peewee's Playhouse on the TV when we were there and I must say, this thirty-something gal loved it. But the best part, in my opinion, is the pinball. Quite a few to choose from and just fun fun fun! A pinball bar where I can eat delicious sandwiches and get my drank on? Count me in every time. read more

The Racket Bar & Pinball Lounge - Bars Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

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Honestly I expected slightly more out of this place. The drinks are subpar and the tiny room or pinballs upstairs are very overpriced , your rack of 10 dollars in quarters will not last very long .. read more

Unwelcome gestapo vibe. Door lady asked for ID and vax proof. Dumb policy but I gave her my ID and pulled out my phone to find my vax pic. As I was finding the picture of my vax card she wouldn't even look at my ID and she stated three times that I must show her proof of vax even though I was obviously looking at my phone to find it. I told her she could at least look at my ID and give it back and she said "not until you show me proof of vax" so that she could closely compare the names. I felt like I was being accused of trying to fake a vax card or something, just an overall negative energy because it took me a few extra seconds to find the pic on my phone. My girlfriend showed her vax proof and stated that we have been trying to avoid businesses that are requiring vax proof. The girl said in an incredulous voice "I don't know why you are fighting me on this" even though we weren't and then she said in a hostile way that we can go to a different nearby bar. Despite the obnoxious overzealous and rude door girl we went inside and as we were walking up the stairs to the pinball another employee shouted at us from behind us. He loudly told us we need proof of vax to be inside, even though we just showed them to the off-putting girl at the door. We didn't like the overall gestapo vibe so we left, never to return again. read more

I have picky, stupid food allergies, and can't eat anywhere. The ONE bartender handled my allergies (above and beyond what I even asked) in a crowded bar, and everyone was taken care of. By above and beyond, I mean she and whoever was in the kitchen checked my large order for anything I couldn't have, and when I found out I couldn't have bread, even put together a little salad out of the sandwich for me. Amazing, wonderful goddess. The pinball is amazing, and you can have a great evening for a decent price. read more

Fun bar with cool bartenders. Upstairs, generally very well maintained small collection of machines; I've been coming here every year for the last 3 or 4 years and the small selection of tables is made up for by the dive bar atmosphere and the above average quality of their working order. Be sure to check out some of the super cool pinball tourney posters on the walls. Also: Located within walking distance to a bunch of other cool places (bars, stores, etc.). Never had the food there (I keep my diet liquid), but they can also feed you should you require non-alcoholic sustenance. Silly humans. read more

The Racket's is awesome! I wouldn't be ashamed of coming here by myself on my lunch break in the future. I look forward to coming here when I have more time and playing pinball upstairs. Anyway, I ordered the Contemporary Philly with a diet coke. I deliberately ordered the Philly with the cheese wiz in the hopes of a more authentic experience. Unfortunately, my personal tastes and cheese wiz just don't mix. I didn't like the weird film it left in my mouth. I should have stuck with the classic with provolone instead. I think the cheese wiz took away from the flavor of the steak. The sandwich lacked the "meat juice" I was eager for. I'm going to try the Traditional Philly and give a more rounded review of that sandwich. In the meantime, I would rate the racket's contemporary Philly 6.5/10. read more

I really like the racket but tonight I had a bad experience. The bartender added an extra $5 to my tab. When I asked for my receipt she acted totally guilty, cold, and wasn't able to look me in the eye. She presented a receipt that wasn't accurate. I'm a pretty good judge of character and of a situation and I wouldn't be posting this if I wasn't 99% sure she was trying to rip me off. Maybe I'm wrong but I'll be double checking my credit card bill. read more

The Racket Bar & Pinball Lounge - Bars Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

From the $3 tall Rainiers to the good pub eats, the Racket is a fun place to be. They usually have something quirky on the TV to entertain you while you have your lunch and there is an awesome pinball selection upstairs. Definitely worth a visit! 2pm-6pm happy hour and ALL DAY SUNDAY! read more

Came in on a Sunday. Happy Hour all day, food and drinks $5 and under. Personable staff, good service, great eclectic mix of tunes pumping, friendly patrons, decent selection of pinball games upstairs. Will be back! read more

This isn't a great place to play pinball. There's only about 20 games and 5 of them were broken or out of order. The tilt settings seemed to be in PAPA or tournament settings. Any nudge and they'd tilt. I even tilted a game leaning on it with my hands while I was playing it. If your a tournament player, this place is ok. If your an enthusiast then look somewhere else. I was disappointed. I didn't not try the food, so this review is only related to the pinball lounge portion. read more

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The staff is fast, professional & on their shit & super friendly too. Awesome pinball tables upstairs

Love this place. From the decor, which includes a picture of Nikola Tesla on the wall... to the food and the pinball. Awesome philly's, tots/fries and drinks. The pinball machines are well maintained and it is rare to have one out of order, plus they have drink holders on the side to hold your tasty beverage. The staff is friendly, drinks are tasty and the bathrooms are clean! read more

Yes, it is a pinball bar but I tend to use the 'bar' part more than the 'pinball' so this review is going to focus on that. The bartenders are always friendly, the drinks are strong and the food is so good (get the cheesy tots, you won't regret it). read more

The bartender told me to keep my voice down. This is a bar...with loud pinball machines. Are you kidding me?

This place is one of my new favorites I bellingham! We want in March at the end of our date night and I wish we had more time to stay. They have an amazing variety of machines to play on, everything from old school treasures to bright and flashy new fangled contraptions. They don't jack up the price per game either. Super affordable place to hang out and do something a little different. read more