# BEER & BUNS

**Source:** Pinball News Website  
**Type:** article  
**Published:** 2015-12-02  
**Beat:** Pinball

**URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2015/12/02/beer-buns

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## Analysis

A November 2015 venue review of Beer & Buns, a Japanese craft beer bar in London's financial district that features two pinball machines (Guns N' Roses and Tommy) alongside table football. The venue offers free-to-play pinball on Mondays and operates as a permanent bar above K10 restaurant, representing part of a growing trend of pinball in London's commercial venues.

### Key Claims

- [HIGH] Pinball is making a comeback in London's financial district, with The Pipeline, Brewdog, and Beer & Buns embracing pinball machines. — _Opening statement of article noting trend across multiple London venues_
- [MEDIUM] Beer & Buns pinball machines are changed quite frequently, rather than being permanent fixtures. — _Article states 'we are told they are changed quite frequently' regarding the two pinball machines at the venue_
- [HIGH] The Guns N' Roses machine had operational issues including right ramp shots not registering, making multiball nearly worthless. — _Direct observation during venue visit: 'shots to the right ramp not registering which made multiball almost worthless'_
- [HIGH] Both pinball machines at Beer & Buns had sensitive tilt mechanisms. — _Direct observation: 'Both also had quite sensitive tilts'_
- [HIGH] Beer & Buns started as a temporary pop-up bar but became a permanent fixture due to success. — _Article explicitly states it 'began as a temporary (or 'pop-up') bar...However it proved to be sufficiently successful to become a permanent fixture'_

### Notable Quotes

> "Pinball is making a bit of a comeback in London's financial district."
> — **Pinball News author**, Article opening
> _Establishes the key trend being documented: pinball venue expansion in London's commercial district_

> "shots to the right ramp not registering which made multiball almost worthless"
> — **Reviewer**, Machine condition section
> _Specific mechanical failure impacting core gameplay on Guns N' Roses_

> "Another good reason to visit on Monday is that the two pinballs and the table football are all free to play."
> — **Reviewer**, Pricing/free play section
> _Highlights operator strategy to drive Monday traffic through free-play promotion_

### Entities

| Name | Type | Context |
|------|------|---------|
| Beer & Buns | location | Japanese craft beer bar and pinball venue in London's financial district, located upstairs above K10 restaurant on Appold Street near Liverpool Street station |
| K10 | location | Japanese restaurant located at 3 Appold Street, London EC2A 2AF, with Beer & Buns bar located upstairs |
| The Pipeline | location | Earlier pinball venue in London's financial district that began the trend of pinball bars in the area |
| Brewdog | location | Pinball venue in Shoreditch, London that opened earlier in 2015 as part of the pinball venue trend |
| Guns N' Roses | game | Pinball machine present at Beer & Buns during visit, featuring right ramp registration issues |
| Tommy | game | Pinball machine present at Beer & Buns during visit, noted as in good condition |

### Topics

- **Primary:** Pinball venue expansion in London, Location-based pinball machine operations and revenue models
- **Secondary:** Machine maintenance and operational issues at commercial venues, Free-play promotions and operator strategies
- **Mentioned:** Japanese craft beer and food culture in London

### Sentiment

**Positive** (0.72) — Reviewer is generally favorable toward the venue's concept and location, though notes mechanical issues with machines. Recommends visiting, particularly on Mondays for free play deals.

### Signals

- **[business_signal]** Operator employs frequent machine rotation strategy at Beer & Buns rather than static game lineup, suggesting deliberate approach to maintaining novelty and player interest (confidence: medium) — 'the we are told they are changed quite frequently' regarding the two pinball machines
- **[business_signal]** Pop-up bar model successfully converted to permanent venue, indicating market viability of temporary hospitality concepts in London's commercial district (confidence: high) — 'began as a temporary (or 'pop-up') bar above the K10 restaurant. However it proved to be sufficiently successful to become a permanent fixture'
- **[market_signal]** Free-to-play promotion strategy on specific days (Mondays) used to drive venue traffic alongside food/beverage sales (confidence: high) — 'Another good reason to visit on Monday is that the two pinballs and the table football are all free to play'
- **[market_signal]** Pinball venue expansion in London's financial district documented across multiple new locations (The Pipeline, Brewdog, Beer & Buns) in 2015, indicating growing commercial interest in pinball as venue amenity (confidence: high) — Article opening: 'Pinball is making a bit of a comeback in London's financial district. The Pipeline began the trend, Brewdog in Shoreditch followed earlier this year, and now Beer and Buns is the latest'

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## Transcript

Date: November 2015 Location: Upstairs @ K10, 3 Appold Street, London EC2A 2AF, UK Pinball is making a bit of a comeback in London’s financial district. The Pipeline began the trend, Brewdog in Shoreditch followed earlier this year, and now Beer and Buns is the latest to embrace the appeal of the silver ball. ![Beer and Buns in Appold Street](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/beer-and-buns/1.jpg) Beer & Buns in Appold Street Beer & Buns is a Japanese craft beer bar located above the K10 Japanese restaurant in Appold Street close to Liverpool Street station. A neon street sign and another in the window announce Beer & Buns’ presence. ![The window of the K10 restaurant](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/beer-and-buns/2.jpg) The window of the K10 restaurant A somewhat dingy staircase takes you up two flights to the bar itself which is equally minimally lit. ![This way up](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/beer-and-buns/3.jpg) This way up ![The main bar](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/beer-and-buns/8.jpg) The main bar Beer & Buns specialises in imported Japanese craft beers, and steamed ‘Hirata’ buns with assorted meat, vegetable and shellfish fillings. Neither is exactly cheap. ![The beer menu](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/beer-and-buns/4.jpg) The beer menu The house draught beer Asahi Super Dry ‘Super Cold’ Draught is £4.95 (€7.05/$7.45) a pint, and the alternative Hitachino Nest White Ale is £7.15. 310ml-500ml bottles or cans range from £4.75 (€6.75/$7.15) to £9.95 (€14.20/$15) each. Buns are £3.95 each or £7.50 for two, while jumbo chicken wings are also available. ![Japanese TV is shown on the big screen](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/beer-and-buns/7.jpg) Japanese TV is shown on the big screen The best choice is to visit on a Monday when you can get a pint of Asahi Super Dry and two buns for £7.50, or to buy one of the other deals such as 10 bottles of assorted craft beers for £50 (€71.25/$75.30) or 2-for-1 on draught beers on Tuesdays. Beer & Buns has two pinball machines. On this visit they were Guns N’ Roses and Tommy, but the we are told they are changed quite frequently. ![Guns N' Roses and Tommy](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/beer-and-buns/5.jpg) Guns N’ Roses and Tommy The Tommy looked in good condition and played fine, but the Guns N’ Roses had a few issues such as shots to the right ramp not registering which made multiball almost worthless. Both also had quite sensitive tilts. Pinball is not the only game in town though, as next to the pinballs is a table football (foosball) game. ![The table football machine](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/beer-and-buns/6.jpg) The table football machine Another good reason to visit on Monday is that the two pinballs and the table football are all free to play. The pinballs are not set on free play but have enough credits added by the staff to ensure you won’t need to buy any more. Beer and Buns began as a temporary (or ‘pop-up’) bar above the K10 restaurant. However it proved to be sufficiently successful to become a permanent fixture. ![Asahi beer boxes line the walls and act as table mats](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/beer-and-buns/9.jpg) Asahi mats It is now open seven days a week from 5pm until late and is certainly worth a visit to play some pinball, discover some Japanese craft beer and nibble on a bun or two.

_(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_

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*Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: cee434fb-844b-4dc4-ae2a-51cbca2f763e*