Satellite Pinball Lounge — Restaurant in Oakland Park

Going here was a complete accident. My friends and I had attended a banquet and as usual with such things, we were all still hungry afterwards 😅. The original plan was to meet at a local pizzeria, but it was closed. So, a quick Google search revealed this place. It's part of the Oakland Park entertainment district, but located right on Dixie. Don't be fooled by street parking, there is ample parking at the rear of the establishment, just go down the side street.

FIRST, this is NOT your grandpa's typical pizzeria. It's WAY cooler, meant for hip, young adults who just want to have fun. It was early in the week, so the place was slower than it probably is on weekends. It's kind of a cool funky place with wall to wall pinball machines just begging to be used, lit with colorful neon, along with choice movie posters and film memorabilia, mainly from the superhero and horror genre. There's also a bunch of electronic pinball motherboards mounted as art which look really great. In the middle was a nice sized bar with a few people gathered and casually talking while a few others passed the time on pinball machines. This is a really cool place that is perfect for groups of friends to hangout; a few drinks/beers, play some pinball, eat some pizza and enjoy some conversation.

As for the menu (go online), this place has a separate pizzeria incorporated that handles the menu, with a ton of combinations plus a few Italian side dishes; meatballs, Calzone etc. They offer plenty of alcoholic and non alcoholic beverages and keep the menu fairly simple. They have a great selection of thin crust pizzas, but you can build your own. The combinations would probably satisfy most any group. The place is set up for you to "entertain yourselves" and they are open late which was super convenient for my group. It's a great way to casually pass the time with a bunch of friends, day or night. I liked that this place was just totally different with a great, upbeat fun arcade vibe. It was a nice surprise as I walked in and saw the place. Not being busy, I was able to stroll about and look things over. It's fresh and new, colorful, well designed and nicely appointed with interesting memorabilia.

The bartender who was also our waiter that night, was great. He was friendly and pleasant, engaging, took our order quickly and answered any questions we had. The pizza we ordered, once we decided on toppings, was good and definitely hit the spot. It was enough for three guys with moderate appetites. I will definitely be back with friends in tow to demonstrate and laugh at each other for just how awful we are at pinball, have a few beers and just have a good time. That's what this place is meant for. The fun quotient is totally up to you... You don't have to be great at pinball, but I understand that tournaments are held, so if you're a pinball wizard, this is ABSOLUTELY the place for you.

Also, in the event you want to bring something home, the pizzeria has its separate section to order takeout. I would say gather your homies and give this place a try for...

To the tune of The Who’s Pinball Wizard: Ever since I was a young kid, I played the silverball. But from the beaches to the Everglades, I couldn’t find much at all. Well I ain’t seen nothing like it, this new amusement hall. This new Oakland bar sure has some mean pinball.

Ok but for real, this is SUCH an excellent addition to the area. It’s a beautifully-designed pinball bar with a lot of machines and drinks to enjoy. The machines are pay to play individually with a cash only to tokens machine, but they’ll be getting an atm soon.

The pinball machine selection is excellent. They have some newer favorites (looking at you, Godzilla) plus some machines I’ve never seen before which is always exciting. All of the machines run smoothly and appear to be very well-maintained. They have cup holders on the machines so you can take your drink around with you. The machine selection currently seems to focus on mostly newer machines but these games are a lot of fun. That also gives them some more current pop culture machines which anyone can enjoy.

The space is beautifully designed. I frequent a ton of pinball spots in Florida, nationally, and internationally and I’ve got to say, this pinball has the best interior design I’ve ever seen in these kinds of businesses. It’s very thought out, stylish, vintage game inspired, and inviting. There are rock and roll, horror, and pinball decorations that harken back to the history of these fun games. It’s a silly thing to call out, but they even have a true neon sign above the bar, and I feel like real neon signs are increasingly rare so I appreciate the dedication to analog.

The space is super clean and our bartender was incredibly nice. Looks like they have some outdoor seating and a small attached parking lot. There are also a few public parking spaces along the south side of the building.

Satellite Pinball Lounge is an excellent addition to the area and I can’t wait to visit again to try their pizza and keep...

I was going to give this place 5 stars, until I was at the bar waiting to order a drink, after I had just finished ordering food, when a lady came up and asked if she could bring her dogs inside, and the bar tender said "sure no problem, they're chill, right?". Then she proceeds to trot in 2 large pit bulls inside a relatively small area where people are eating, next to me and my 5 year old daughter having pizza, so now I have this to worry about. I can't stand people that do this and since the staff don't seem to have any consideration for people that would like to eat without having other people's animals in close proximity to where other people are trying to eat, i have to knock the stars down. This is just gross, not sanitary when you're a place serving food, and god forbid, they decided to bite me or my kid for some reason. Now you have a huge lawsuit on your hands. Why do you allow this? I hope you change your policy on this soon. I might come back for a beer and pinball, but I'm not eating here again. If you change your policy on allowing animals inside, I'll bump it up to 5 stars. Until then, I'm staying at 2,...