# BUTTON MASH **Source:** Pinball News Website **Type:** article **Published:** 2019-03-20 **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.pinballnews.com/site/2019/03/20/button-mash --- ## Analysis A venue review of Button Mash, a bar/arcade/restaurant hybrid on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, visited in March 2019. The location features 11 pinball machines ranging from 1987 to 2019 titles, a craft beer selection, video game arcade, and dining area. The authors note friendly atmosphere, good game condition, and diverse player demographics, though they experienced a technical issue with Total Nuclear Annihilation requiring a power cycle. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Button Mash contains eleven pinball machines ranging from 1987's Arena to 2019's The Munsters — _Direct observation during venue visit; machine list provided with dates and manufacturers_ - [HIGH] Total Nuclear Annihilation experienced a technical issue that required a power cycle to resolve — _Author experienced the issue firsthand during gameplay on busy Sunday night_ - [HIGH] Button Mash dedicates roughly equal space to dining tables and games, with most gaming space given to video games rather than pinball — _Direct observation and description of venue layout_ - [HIGH] The venue has twelve craft beer taps plus additional options in fridges — _Visible in photographs and described in venue review_ ### Notable Quotes > "Most 'barcades' focus on the games and the beer, with food almost an afterthought. Button Mash dedicates roughly the same space to dining tables as it does to games, with most of the gaming space given to videos." > — **Author/Pinball News**, N/A > _Characterizes Button Mash as unique among barcades by prioritizing dining alongside gaming_ > "On a busy Sunday night we only got to play two games – Total Nuclear Annihilation and Banzai Run – and both were in good condition, at least until we experienced an issue with TNA which the game couldn't resolve by itself and which prevented any further play." > — **Author/Pinball News**, N/A > _Reports machine condition and technical issue encountered during visit_ > "It was also encouraging to see the number of women playing the games – something we saw quite a lot in California." > — **Author/Pinball News**, N/A > _Social observation about venue demographics and regional patterns in pinball player composition_ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Button Mash | organization | Bar/arcade/restaurant venue located at 1391 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90026; features 11 pinball machines, video arcade games, craft beer selection, and dining area | | Pwnshop | organization | Store adjacent to Button Mash serving as primary entrance to the venue | | Arcade Expo | event | Gaming expo held in Banning, California that authors attended before visiting Button Mash | | Texas Pinball Festival | event | Pinball tournament event in Dallas that authors traveled to after visiting Los Angeles | | The Munsters | game | Stern pinball machine from 2019; newest machine at Button Mash during visit | | Total Nuclear Annihilation | game | Spooky pinball machine from 2018; one of two machines played by authors; experienced technical malfunction | | Banzai Run | game | Williams pinball machine from 1988; played by authors during venue visit | | Deadpool | game | Stern pinball machine from 2018; available at Button Mash | | Guardians of the Galaxy | game | Stern pinball machine from 2017; available at Button Mash | | Indiana Jones | game | Williams pinball machine from 1993; available at Button Mash | | Iron Maiden | game | Stern pinball machine from 2018; available at Button Mash | | Star Trek – The Next Generation | game | Williams pinball machine from 1993; available at Button Mash | | Star Wars | game | Stern pinball machine from 2017; available at Button Mash | | Twilight Zone | game | Bally pinball machine from 1993; available at Button Mash | | Arena | game | Premier pinball machine from 1987; oldest machine at Button Mash | | Barcade | organization | Trademarked bar/arcade concept; mentioned as trademark holders who object to generic use of 'barcade' term | ### Topics - **Primary:** Venue Layout & Design, Machine Condition & Maintenance, Pinball Machine Collection, Barcade/Bar Arcade Format - **Secondary:** Community Demographics, Craft Beer Selection, Venue Visit & Travel ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.75) — Authors express favorable impression of Button Mash, describing it as 'friendly' and 'fun,' with positive observations about game condition, staff service (bill presentation), and player demographics. One minor negative: technical issue with TNA machine, though quickly resolved. Overall tone is welcoming and recommendatory. ### Signals - **[community_signal]** Diverse player demographics at venue including significant female player participation noted as encouraging and reflective of California gaming culture (confidence: medium) — Author observation: 'It was also encouraging to see the number of women playing the games – something we saw quite a lot in California.' - **[product_concern]** Total Nuclear Annihilation machine experienced technical malfunction on busy Sunday night that required power cycle to resolve, indicating potential stability issue (confidence: high) — Direct observation: 'we experienced an issue with TNA which the game couldn't resolve by itself and which prevented any further play. A power cycle seemed to make the game operable again.' --- ## Transcript **Date:** 18th March, 2019 **Location:** 1391 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026, USA After attending the Arcade Expo show in Banning, California, we spent a night in downtown Los Angeles before flying over to Dallas for the Texas Pinball Festival. We picked an affordable hotel on Sunset Boulevard and after checking in, went out to explore the area. As we walked up Sunset, we stumbled across a brightly-lit business called [Button Mash](https://buttonmashla.com/). The name rang a few bells, and sure enough we could see some pinball machines through the front window, as you can see below. It was time to investigate. ![Button Mash on Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/button-mash/01-button-mash-1024x576.jpg) Button Mash on Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles At first, Button Mash was a confusing proposition. In the windows facing the street we could see people eating at tables, so was this a restaurant? ![So it's a restaurant?](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/button-mash/02-button-mash-1024x576.jpg) So it’s a restaurant? We tried to get in to find out, but the entrance seemed to be through a store next door called Pwnshop. There is another entrance on the opposite side, but from the street it’s not clearly marked. Anyway, we eventually got in and found a mix between a bar/arcade (colloquially known as a ‘barcade’, even though the people who own the Barcade trademark get upset when we use that generic term) and a restaurant. Most ‘barcades’ focus on the games and the beer, with food almost an afterthought. Button Mash dedicates roughly the same space to dining tables as it does to games, with most of the gaming space given to videos. ![The video games area](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/button-mash/05-button-mash-1024x576.jpg) The video games area ![Seating in the video games area](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/button-mash/06-button-mash-1024x576.jpg) Seating in the video games area To the left of the video area is the bar. This isn’t the typical sports bar design, and only has a few seats available if you’re taking a break between games. ![The bar](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/button-mash/03-button-mash-1024x576.jpg) The bar They have a reasonable craft beer selection, with twelve taps featuring an eclectic mix of styles, including one cider. ![The beer tap list, with more options in the fridges below](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/button-mash/04-button-mash-576x1024.jpg) The beer tap list, with more options in the fridges below On the other side of the bar is the pinball area. This contains eleven games, ranging from 1987’s *Arena* to 2019’s *The Munsters*. ![The main bank of seven pinballs](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/button-mash/07-button-mash-1024x576.jpg) The main bank of seven pinballs The pinballs are split into two banks of seven and four with the newest, most popular titles nearest the window. ![The second bank of machines](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/button-mash/08-button-mash-1024x576.jpg) The second bank of machines The full list of machines available on this visit was: * *Arena* (Premier, 1987) * *Banzai Run* (Williams, 1988) * *Deadpool* (Stern, 2018) * *Guardians of the Galaxy* (Stern, 2017) * *Indiana Hilton Jones* (Williams, 1993) * *Iron Maiden* (Stern, 2018) * *The Munsters* (Stern, 2019) * *Star Trek – The Next Generation* (Williams, 1993) * *Star Wars* (Stern, 2017) * *Total Nuclear Annihilation* (Spooky, 2018) * *Twilight Zone* (Bally, 1993) All the pinballs and video games use 25c tokens which are available from a token machine in the video game area, or in $5 packs from the bar. If you have a tab running at the bar they can add the cost of the token packs to your tab to avoid having to use any cash at all. ![Two tokens (50c) to play most games](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/button-mash/11-button-mash-1024x576.jpg) Two tokens (50c) to play most games On a busy Sunday night we only got to play two games – *Total Nuclear Annihilation* and *Banzai Run* – and both were in good condition, at least until we experienced an issue with TNA which the game couldn’t resolve by itself and which prevented any further play. A power cycle seemed to make the game operable again. ![Annihilated!](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/button-mash/09-button-mash-612x1024.jpg) Annihilated! Button Mash seemed like a friendly, fun location to visit. There were quite a few young kids running around in the video game area, but everyone in the pinball section was well-behaved. It was also encouraging to see the number of women playing the games – something we saw quite a lot in California. One final nice touch; when it came time to pay for our drinks, rather than using some generic plastic wallet, the bill was presented in a paperback book which served as a reminded how book cover art has improved since the ’80s. ![The bill was presented in this paperback](https://www.pinballnews.com/site/wp-content/uploads/sites/button-mash/10-button-mash-577x1024.jpg) The bill was presented in this paperback Button Mash is open six days a week – closed on Mondays – from 4pm (weekends) or 5pm, until midnight or 2am (Friday & Saturday). [Their website](https://buttonmashla.com/) contains details of the games available, as well as the food and drinks menus. _(Acquisition: raw_text, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: ece82b1a-9705-42d5-9c07-166985cddb9b*