Date: November 2022 Location: 600 E Riverside Dr., Austin, TX 78704, USA Aerosmith Pro (Stern, 2017) Avengers: Infinity Quest LE (Stern, 2020) Batman: The Dark Knight (Stern, 2008) Deadpool Premium (Stern, 2018) Godzilla LE (Stern, 2021) Guns N’ Roses (Jersey Jack, 2020) Jurassic Park Pro (Stern, 2019) Kiss (Stern, 2015) Led Zeppelin Pro (Stern, 2020) The Mandalorian LE (Stern, 2021) Monster Bash Remake Special (Chicago Gaming, 2018) Rush LE (Stern, 2022) Spider-Man (Stern, 2007) Star Trek Premium Vault (Stern, 2018) Stranger Things Pro (Stern, 2019) Striker Xtreme (Stern, 2000) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Pro (Stern, 2020) A large number of classic stand-up arcade games including: Skee Ball Super Chexx Dome Hockey Shooters Driving Games Air Hockey NBA Jam 4 Player Pac-Man Guitar Hero Killer Queen Death Ball Rhythm Nation Bishop Cidercade Austin opened in late-2019 and is the newest in the growing Cidercade family. It has the largest number of square feet (13,000) of any Cidercade that Joel Malone’s Bishop Cider Co. of Dallas, TX, has opened so far. The location on East Riverside Drive was formerly a Joe’s Crab Shack restaurant which closed in mid-2018. We visited Bishop Cidercade Austin during the time of the year when local public schools were in recess for winter break. Because of this, the place was packed. Nothing wrong with this other than the persons under 18 conducted themselves as if they were raised by Yeti in the forest. Having the option of unlimited supplies of sugary caffeinated beverages available probably contributed to this.  Parents Austin The hard ciders on tap include the popular Tiger’s Blood, Nectar, Pineapple Paradise and French 75. There are also new favorites like Pecan Pie, Blackberry Seltzer, and Eleven (from Stranger Things) that I am told has notes of waffles and maple syrup(?). Undecided? They have flights of five five-ounce pours available. Current food and beverage menus are available on the Cidercade Austin website.  After necessary  The bar at Cidercade Austin: order food and beverages here – cashless payment only Food and beverages must be ordered at the bar area for now, although it appears as if self-service kiosks are planned for the near future. You are given a numbered pager that will alert you when your meals are ready to pick up from the kitchen’s self-serve window.  Kitchen pick-up window with pizza rolls After placing our food and beverage orders, we discovered that tables in the dining area and on the enclosed patio were hard to come by, even though we visited well after the lunch hour. The only option we had was to wait for a table to become available and snag it as quickly as we could.  Play some Skee Ball while waiting for a table Some in our party ordered 10” personal pizzas and some ordered chicken wings. Everyone seemed satisfied with their meals even though they were slightly on the pricey side. About what I would expect to pay at a comparable ‘theme’ entertainment venue.  Air Hockey table  Stand-up arcade games  Guitar Hero  Four player Pac-Man Bishop Cidercade Austin has a good line-up of games of all types (see list above) but it was shocking and disheartening how the general public beat and banged on the pinballs as if they were indestructible.  A view of the pinball room  The other wall in the pinball room A couple of pinball games were out of service when we arrived – and were tagged as such – while a few others suffered stuck pinballs and other unknown problems which made them unplayable.  Just a few games wore this sad message The majority of the games were in good and highly-playable condition. Most of the newer Stern games were equipped with Insider Connected hardware. I would say that if you are at all concerned about germs, etc. in the age of Covid, remember to bring your own hand sanitizer and masks. I think that this is especially important given the number of people squeezed inside on the day we visited.  More classic arcade games After a little more than two hours of eating, drinking and gaming rivalling anything previously hosted by the Krewe of Bacchus during Mardi Gras, we’d had enough of the din and exited to the relatively tranquil shore of nearby Town Lake, which I am told during the summer months has its very own ‘Party Island’.  The view of Town Lake and the Austin skyline But take care, swimming in Town Lake is illegal due to strong currents from the Colorado river. Interestingly, rentals and use of kayaks, canoes and stand up paddle boards are perfectly legal, but signs inform you not to fall into the lake or else find yourself faced with fines up to $500.  At Cidercade Austin’s – inside Other Bishop Cidercades are located in Dallas, Houston and Fort Worth. A new Cidercade is coming soon to Arlington, TX. Check details such as hours and machines on the Pinball Map before you visit. Each location also has bottled and canned Bishop Cider products available for purchase and take-away.  Take away beverage service if you wish The bottom line is that the Bishop Cidercade Austin is a great place to visit for affordable all you can play pinball and other games, relatively good bar food and Cider adult beverages. I’d advise visiting during the early day hours or when school is in session, unless you want to take your own brood to run amok among the games like the Austin parents do. Here’s the executive summary of what you need to know about Cidercade Austin: $10 all-day or $15 recurring monthly membership. Includes admission and free play on all games Cashless payments only Limited food menu: artisan thin-crust pizza, pizza rolls, wings, salads, desserts Limited craft hard drink menu: dry cider, semi-sweet cider, sweet cider, and hard seltzer Maine Root sodas, flavored waters and energy drinks with unlimited refills for $4 Private parties and facility rentals available for up to 200 guests Beautiful views of Town Lake and the Austin skyline from their outdoor deck area Complementary parking 21+ only after 8pm, all ages prior to that Open until 1am on the weekends * Dining area table reservations can be booked online (suggested)