Pinball wizards are about to flock to Victoria’s Chinatown. Pinhalla Pinball Pizzeria will open Thursday (Feb. 1) at 516 Fisgard St.
The creators of Quazar’s Arcade have put together one of Canada’s largest pinball arcades with 33 machines.
“We have a cool collection of machines from the ’70s and some that are brand new,” said co-owner Sterling Grice. “We wanted to create a great place with something fun to do.”
Pinhalla will initially be open Wednesdays and Thursdays from 4 p.m. until 10 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Out of the gate, the Sunday hours will be 11:30 a.m. until 10 p.m.
Grice hopes they will get a liquor licence in around three months.
“At that point, we’ll be open seven days a week and bump it up an hour. The application has been in for a couple of months but they have a real backlog. This is a place that is family-friendly in the day, but at night, it’s a bit more adult-oriented. Our game plan here is maybe to have no kids after 9 p.m. Adults like pinball and video games too.”
Pinhalla will also be temporarily selling canned beverages on Fridays with special event permits.
The kitchen will remain open until Pinhalla closes.
“Come try our hybrid between a Sicilian and New York-style pizza,” Pinhalla operations manager Mark Carrillo said. “It’s a lot different from what we’ve seen in Victoria. You get the same chew as in New York, but ours is a little thicker. We’re very excited.”
Homemade cupcakes, Twinkies, Twix bars, cookies and mocktails are all on the menu.
“Eventually we will also have an amazing cocktail beverage program,” Grice said.
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