The Memphis pinball pub opens in the Crosstown neighborhood
About the fun and games at the new Memphis pinball pub.
Flip Side opened March 25 at 1349 Autumn Ave. in the Crosstown neighborhood. It’s located at The Doghouzz Restaurant.
As soon as you walk in the front door, you know this is not your usual bar. The room was filled with the sounds and flashing lights of pinball machines.
This is the latest restaurant and bar from Tony and Stephanie Westmoreland of Tandem Restaurant Partners, which has restaurants such as Zinnie’s, Ben Yay’s and Side Car Cafe. The couple worked with pinball fans David Yopp and Michael Muhlert.
Memphis Restaurants:Restaurant Group Save: What to Do to Save Some of Memphis ’Favorite Restaurants
Great pinball
The Flip Side features 16 pinball machines, many of which are old machines that Yopp has restored.
“I was hooked on a pinball machine when I was 12. The first one I played was the Royal Flush – like this one here,” Yopp said, pointing to the 1976 Royal Flush pinball machine he had restored. “45 years later I’m still playing.”
Yopp said he owns 70 pinball machines. “We only have space for 16 here, so I’ll turn them around.”
The oldest machine was started in 1964. The newest was released a month ago.
At the top of each machine, Yopp listed the year it was made, the manufacturer, and the number of machines produced.
NEW RESTAURANT:Limelight: Germantown acquires a new restaurant on its former Farm & Fries location
Signature Flip Side tokens can be sold at the bar for guests playing the machine. “We think we might keep them as a memory for some,” Tony Westmoreland said. “Think adult Chuck E. Cheese.”
Every Thursday night, the pub hosts a weekly pinball tournament. The event will be held monthly by the International Flipper Pinball Association. Guests can watch all the activities of the competition and special events on the screen above each machine. Yopp called the live-shot screen a “galleries monitor”.
Yopp said the daily competitions and games are open to pinball fans of all levels.
To eat
Jordan Beatty is in charge of the kitchen. With the help of sub-chef Ben Wilson, he created a Caribbean-Latin fusion cuisine.
“We wanted to show another side of bar food … you know, the‘ flip side ’of bar food,” Westmoreland said. “It’s harder to eat at the bar than burgers and fries.”
“I like to take Caribbean and Latin ingredients and put the southern part of them,” Beatty said.
Beatty has created a mix of toppings and sauces to decorate many dishes. “Flipsauce is made with pickled sauce, sour cream and our Flipside mixture.”
Dishes like Avocado Fries (pounded and fried with avocado) are garnished with Flipsauce.
BARS COCKTAIL MEMPHIS:‘Great Drinking Time’: What to Expect at Cameo, Midtown’s new cocktail bar
The quick service menu includes appetizers that can be served, tacos, quesadillas, burritos and rice bowls that are available throughout the day. For dinner, dishes such as Shrimp & Grits and Flipside Tamales are served.
“I’ll be making it special, too,” Beatty said, as she described the ramen beer she would be serving. “My husband is Japanese, so I love making fusion food like this.”
There is also a full bar with craft cocktails and cold beers.
Pool tables, darts and corn games are some of the fun at Flip Side.
“We chose not to have video games,” Yopp said. “It’s about a game that just works with gravity and physics.”
Jennifer Chandler is a food and nutrition journalist at The Commercial Appeal. She is available at [email protected] and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @cookwjennifer.
Flip the edges
Where: 1349 Autumn Ave.
Time: 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Sunday-Wednesday; 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Thursday-Saturday. The kitchen is closed for an hour before closing.
Online:flipsidememphis.com
