The Rewind Arcade proves time travel is possible
The Rewind Arcade proves time travel is possible
The Barlow’s latest venue offers retro video and pinball games, plus a futuristic beer wall
Gamers and beer drinkers everywhere, take heed: A new venue has arrived in the Barlow, and it’s a game-changer. Literally. The Rewind Arcade, located next door to Fern Bar, offers a unique and surprisingly fun combination of exotic beers on tap at a high-tech self-serve “beer wall,” and a rotating cast of classic arcade video games and pinball machines.
Word on the street is that the Arcade is spotlessly maintained to showroom standards, and on a recent Thursday afternoon outing the venue did not disappoint. For a beer bar/arcade, the Rewind is very, very clean and shiny. The pinballs themselves actually gleam.
The setup at the Rewind is simple enough.
Upon entry to the Arcade and while waiting in line, customers may pause to read several bulletins posted on the wall—a Code of Conduct, a “No Smoking or Vaping” posting and reminders that proof of age is required for alcohol purchase and that adult supervision is required for minors under the age of 13. In addition, a dry-erase board lists upcoming events. Customers may then purchase or top up a game card at the machine next to the check-in counter before showing their ID to the attendant, providing a debit or credit card for drink payment and receiving an RFID drink card.
They are then free to wander.
The space is just large enough to hold 30 games, a table up front with stools and the beer wall—and just small enough to feel cozy. The walls are adorned with collage pieces made specially for the arcade by a friend of general manager, owner and creator Adam Lam. The dim-ish interior is perfectly counterbalanced by the lights and sounds of the games and machines. Part of the rear wall opens, literally, onto an open porch with a table and stools, adding pleasant outdoor space to the back of the venue.
The beer wall dispenses drinks—beer, hard cider, hard kombucha and hard seltzer—through a 20-tap system using PourMyBeer wall technology. When patrons fill their own glasses directly from the taps, they are charged by the ounce via their RFID card. The beers and hard drinks are curated and ordered by the keg from around the world, in a constant cycle. To date none of the beers have repeated and many or most of them are obscure enough that customers will not have heard of or tried them before. In addition, every time a new keg is tapped, the website is immediately updated.
Food options include an on-site vending machine that offers non-alcoholic drinks such as hop water, Abita root beer, Japanese bottled tea and Red Bull, as well as kid-friendly snacks including Hawaiian-style Kettle chips, protein bars, popcorn, trail mix and nori (seaweed). In addition, menus allow customers to order food for delivery from local Barlow restaurants Barrio Cocina Mexicana, Acre, The Farmer’s Wife and Fern Bar.
The pinball machines, which line one long wall, include many Stern premium editions from the ’80s, ’90s and modern era. They are each maintained once a week, and polished inside and out regularly—balls included. The ever-increasing selection includes Led Zeppelin Premium, Star Wars Premium, Stranger Things Pro, the very rare and popular Scared Stiff (1996 Bally), and more. In addition, the pinballs themselves are switched out every 300 plays because they get pitted and can ruin the playing field on the games.
The vintage video games, which fill much of the rest of the room, include Pac Man, NBA JAM, Robotron, Mortal Kombat I and more, with Ms. Pac Man and Galaga coming soon.
Game cards cost $20 minimum, which equals 40 credits. Games vary between 2 and 5 credits each, with pinballs costing about $1.50 and arcade games less.
The game and pinball consoles are constantly wiped down by employees, keeping them looking and feeling clean. The beer wall is also kept hygienic; the system is torn down every night and cleaned, the lines are cleaned every week and the beer kegs are switched out every 4-to-7 days.
Regular events include karaoke paired with “(Service) Industry Night” every Tuesday from 7-10 p.m., which includes a free first pint, plus a 10% discount for all service industry workers. Peacetown brings local outdoor music from 5-7:30 p.m. every Wednesday through Aug. 16; and a well-attended Magic: The Gathering event happens every Wednesday from 7-10:30 p.m. A wildly popular Smash Bros. tournament is held once a month, with interactive games projected on the wall screens.
At any given hour owner Adam Lam is liable to be on-site, parked at a game or talking to a customer. The venue is a labor of love three years in the making. Lam, who hails from San Francisco and has strong ties to Chinatown, grew up playing video games in bars and 7-Elevens and arcades, later exploring arcades in Asia while living there.
He’s been collecting arcade and pinball games for four years and now owns about a hundred. A fairly recent transplant to Rohnert Park, he finds the North Bay a friendly place. “I’m very grateful for [Sonoma] County, because it’s a beautiful place and a lot of people have welcomed me from San Francisco,” he says.
Regarding The Rewind Arcade itself, he says, “This was my vision all along … to kind of bring a more elevated kind of approachable arcade experience to the market.”
But there’s more to it—he explains how he also wanted to build a space where adults and children could have wholesome fun together, adding, “I’m always trying to figure out how to build community.”
The Rewind website states, “The goal for the arcade is to make anyone of any age feel like they are 10 years old again through a retro arcade time machine.”
And that’s how the experience feels. One can pour a drink and indulge in a pinball machine or a 40-year-old antique video game, retreating—for a moment—to a safer, simpler place. It’s one way to let the troubles of the world fall away.
In the two months since it opened, The Rewind Arcade’s popularity has exceeded Lam’s wildest expectations.
“When I’m here I always feel happy no matter what’s going on, you know,” he says, “… and I feel like a lot of people feel the same way.”
The Rewind Arcade, 6780 Depot Street, Suite 140, The Barlow, Sebastopol. Open Sun-Thu noon to 10 p.m.; Fri-Sat, noon to midnight. 21+ ONLY after 7 p.m., every day. (828) 595-4728. www.therewindarcade.com
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