# CHICAGO PINBALL SITES 2016 **Source:** Pinball News Website **Type:** article **Published:** 2016-10-12 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2016/10/12/chicago-pinball-sites-2016 --- ## Analysis A October 2016 pinball news article surveying the Chicago area's pinball location scene, documenting the resurgence of quality pinball venues across Chicagoland. The article lists 18+ locations with their current pinball machine inventories, noting the presence of both classic and contemporary games from manufacturers like Stern and Williams. Logan Arcade, Emporium Arcade Bar, Headquarters Beercade, and Galloping Ghost Arcade are highlighted as major venues. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] The once dismal pinball on location scene in the Chicago area is now characterized by an immense variety of quality pins — _Article opening statement describing market transformation_ - [HIGH] Logan Arcade had Ghostbusters Premium, Metallica Premium, Hercules, and Batman 66 in rotation in October 2016 — _Venue update listing current machines_ - [HIGH] Brixie's in Brookfield featured five pinball machines including Ghostbusters Pro, Metallica LE, Medieval Madness, Game of Thrones Premium, and Batman The Dark Knight — _Venue update with specific machine listing_ - [HIGH] Headquarters Beercade River North location features over twenty top pins — _Venue description noting collection size_ - [HIGH] Bottom Lounge features nine pinball machines including classic titles like The Addams Family, Funhouse, and recent releases like Metallica — _Machine listing provided by Gavin Miller_ ### Notable Quotes > "The once dismal pinball on location scene in the Chicago area is a distant memory. There is now an immense variety of quality pins available to play in Chicagoland." > — **Article author**, Opening > _Sets the tone for the article, highlighting Chicago's pinball market recovery_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Logan Arcade | venue | Chicago-based pinball arcade featuring Ghostbusters Premium, Metallica Premium, Hercules, and Batman 66 | | Emporium Arcade Bar | venue | Wicker Park location with Big Guns and Diner in rotation | | Headquarters Beercade | venue | Two Chicago locations (Lakeview and River North) with 20+ pinball machines combined | | Galloping Ghost Arcade | venue | Chicago-area pinball arcade | | Lemming's Tavern | venue | Chicago venue featuring Game of Thrones Premium and Attack From Mars | | Brixie's | venue | Brookfield location with five machines including Ghostbusters Pro and Metallica LE | | Bottom Lounge | venue | Chicago live music venue with nine pinball machines including Metallica and The Addams Family | | Blind Robin | venue | Chicago bar with Ghostbusters Pro, Metallica Pro, and Scared Stiff | | Brauer House | venue | Lombard location hosting six collector-owned machines including Kiss, Metallica, The Walking Dead, and Rolling Stones | | Chicago Street Pinball Arcade | venue | Joliet arcade location | | Game Works | venue | Schaumburg location with five machines including Iron Man, The Sopranos, and Family Guy | | Emporium Logan Square | venue | Logan Square location of Emporium Arcade Bar | | Gavin Miller | person | Pin collector who provided machine listings and supplied machines to Brauer House | | Stern | company | Pinball manufacturer with multiple games in Chicago venues | | Williams | company | Classic pinball manufacturer with games in Chicago locations | | Ghostbusters | game | Stern pinball machine appearing in multiple Chicago venues | | Metallica | game | Stern pinball machine in multiple Chicago locations | | Game of Thrones | game | Stern pinball machine featured at multiple Chicago venues | | Batman 66 | game | Pinball machine scheduled for rotation into Logan Arcade | | PinballMap.com | organization | Pinball location database resource for Chicago area | ### Topics - **Primary:** Chicago pinball location scene recovery, Venue inventory and machine rotation, Stern and Williams pinball machines in circulation - **Secondary:** Community resources (PinballMap.com, Pinball Rebel) ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.85) — Article expresses optimism about Chicago's pinball market resurgence, celebrating the variety and quality of machines available at local venues. Tone is informative and enthusiastic about the scene's recovery. --- ## Transcript Date: October 2016 Location: Various, Chicago, IL, USA The once dismal pinball on location scene in the Chicago area is a distant memory. There is now an immense variety of quality pins available to play in Chicagoland. ![Chicago Street Pinball Arcade in Joilet, IL](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/chicago-2016/28.jpg) Chicago Street Pinball Arcade in Joilet, IL Visiting some of the sites I was able to enjoy playing old favorites, such as Taxi, Big Guns and Banzai Run, and the latest pins Game of Thrones and Ghostbusters. The Pinball Rebel website and PinballMap.com both have additional locations with pins in the Chicago area. | | | | | --- | --- | --- | | 1. | Logan Arcade – Chicago See report Update: Ghostbusters Premium, Metallica Premium and the incredible Hercules pin have been rotated in. The Batman 66 is going to be added soon. | | | Logan Arcade Logan Arcade | | | | --- | | | | Headquarters Beercade (Lakeview) Headquarters Beercade (Lakeview) 3. | Emporium Arcade Bar (Wicker Park) – Chicago See previous report Update: Williams’ Big Guns and Diner were rotated into their line-up this year. | | | Emporium Arcade Bar (Wicker Park) Emporium Arcade Bar (Wicker Park) 4. | Lemming’s Tavern – Chicago See previous report Update: Game of Thrones Premium on tournament and Attack From Mars are now featured here. | | | Lemming's Tavern Lemming’s Tavern 5. | Brixie’s – Brookfield See previous report Update: The always well-kept pin count has increased to five. Ghostbusters Pro, Metallica LE, Medieval Madness, Game of Thrones Premium and Batman, The Dark Knight are the current pins. The Big Lebowski is going to be rotated in soon. | | | Brixie's Brixie’s | | | | --- | | | | Galloping Ghost Arcade Galloping Ghost Arcade --- | 7. | Game Works – Schaumburg See previous report Update: They now have a five pins with Mustang the redemption machine, alongside Iron Man, The Sopranos, 24 and Family Guy. | | | Game Works Game Works Level 257 Level 257 Chicago Street Pinball Arcade Chicago Street Pinball Arcade | Here is the list of pin locations that I have not yet reported on. I have listed their websites and some additional information about them. | | | | | --- | --- | --- | | 10. | Bottom Lounge – Chicago Website: bottomlounge.com Pinball list courtesy of Gavin Miller: Bobby Orr Power Play x 2, Seawitch, The Addams Family, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Funhouse, Gilligan’s Island, The Champion Pub, Metallica and Bugs Bunny’s Birthday Ball. | | 11. | Blind Robin – Chicago Website: theblindrobin.com Ghostbusters Pro on tournament, Metallica Pro and Scared Stiff are the current pins. | | | | Blind Robin's pinballs Blind Robin’s pinballs | 12. | Headquarters Beercade (River North) – Chicago Website: hqbeercade.com/rivernorth Headquarters’ second location features over twenty top pins which are listed on their website. Ghostbusters Pro and Game of Thrones Premium have been into their collection. | | | Headquarters Beercade (River North) Headquarters Beercade (River North) | | | | --- | | | | Emporium Logan Square Emporium Logan Square --- | 14. | Brauer House – Lombard Website: www.brauerhouse.com Pin collector, Gavin Miller, loaded up the Brauer House with six of his pins: Bally Kiss, Metallica, The Walking Dead, Monster Bash (with a ColorDMD), Stern Rolling Stones and Dracula. | | | Brauer House games Brauer House games Five & Dime Five & Dime --- | 17. | FTW – Chicago Website: ftwchicago.com Medieval Madness and The Walking Dead Pro. | 18. | Replay – Lakeview Website: replaylakeview.com Junkyard, Kiss (Stern) and The Sopranos. | | _(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 2e070563-0a28-4ef0-90b5-3bf2f7f2a175*