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    Pins Mechanical

    4.0 (246 reviews)
    Closed 4:00 pm - 11:30 PM
    Updated 1 month ago

    Pins Mechanical Photos

    PINS MECHANICAL ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Dogs allowed
    Outdoor seating
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Pins Mechanical

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    Hannah S.

    Drinks, games, and fun! Fire pits, swings, and a slide outside. We have a blast everytime we come here!

    Outside
    Deedrah B.

    Fun spot to play some games, enjoy tasty drinks, and catch up with friends. Came here on Friday around 7pm- group of 4 and spent a few hours outside first and then headed up to the duckpin bowling. I got a spicy mezcal drink and then a couple glasses of prosecco. Our server Krystal was fun, friendly and attentive. She checked back on us several times throughout the evening. I wish they had basketball here but they do have skeeball and that is free. I like the open layout and plenty of seating areas (outdoor swings were my spot). No food but there was a halal truck and its close to a bunch of restaurants, markets that you can bring stuff in from. Parking is kind of a nightmare, the lot is small so your best bet is probably on the street. @azfitfoodfun

    Retro
    Kari W.

    I don't see how this place doesn't have a perfect 5 star rating. From having so much to do (for basically free), to having beverages for the adults and some fun ones for kids too, to the insanely clean restrooms, oh and the super friendly attentive staff, this place just rocks. This was our second experience at a Pins Mechanical, our first being in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh was the reason we found this one, but this one is winning in our book! The slide might not be as awesome, but the hybrid indoor/outdoor play areas and the location bring this location to the #1 spot. Not only is the ratings strictly for Pins Mechanical, this place smokes any and all arcade options anywhere that I have ever been. This was my first time playing duckpins and gosh, I am pretty darn good! I was a bummed that there are no drink specials on weekends, but the kids bowling for free on Sunday was a nice touch. The ski ball might need a tuneup but other than that, high five! I forgot to add if you're into 80's/90's memorabilia (including the OG Nintendo), and slightly risky sayings on their signage, this is a place for you!

    Kamilia L.

    I'm so 2000 & late! I had the best time. This barcade is dope. 3 bars and a slew of games. There's everything you could imagine or need and it's on a massive scale. 30 beers on tap with a robust and diverse mix menu. I tried the Atomic Blonde, Smurff, and Dragon Fruit drink. They were all delicious. Its open but has little nooks everywhere to chat. I loved my experience on a busy Saturday. I bet it's super chill on a weekdays. It's great vibe

    Denise L.

    Came with my work team after work and was surprised how large this place was. We had a section reserved with our own personal server who took our drink orders and brought them out so quickly. She was fabulous. I did start with a sparkling glass of wine, but it was not bubbly at all. Found out it was from a can so changed over to aperol spritz which was much better. Tried their Carrie Fischer drink and that was tasty as well. Tried duckpin bowling for the first time and it was fun and much easier than your usual bowling. The pinball machines were not working for us, but lots of fun activities here. Oddly they don't serve any food but they do have a food truck outside and we were able to bring catered food in. Love the kid activities that are fun for adults like the slide and swings as well.

    Derek N.

    Pins Mechanical is a lot of fun, and is one of the most unique bars, restaurants, and even barcades that I've ever been to! I loved the duckpin bowling, which was my first time playing, (or even hearing the word "duckpin") the massive ping-pong tables, and, obviously, the skee-ball pit! The outside concourse was really fun as well, which included larger than life-sized adult swings and even a slide! It seems like the perfect place to sit outside and relax on a warm-weather day. One of the nights I went they also had a food-truck outside, which was a nice addition too. Finally, they have a great selection of beers, to include pale ales along with IPAs. I have gotten their cocktails before as well, which were solid, albeit expensive. All-in-all, I would definitely recommend Pins for a night of fun!

    Vic C.

    Pins Mechanical and 16 Bit Bar + Arcade is one giant bar that is dog friendly and kid friendly (please note that no one under 21 is allowed after 9 pm) with free parking, fun arcade games, bowling, pinball machines, a fun slide to go down and so much more. While visiting Charlotte, my husband, our little girl dog and I ended up coming here 3 days in a row because we really loved this place so much. What initially brought us here was the annual Wag-O-Ween dog costume contest on Wednesday, October 30. This annual dog Halloween event is free and open to all costumed dogs and is also encouraged for the owners to dress with their pet. Since we are traveling, only our little girl dog had a costume (she was Tinkerbell with a wand and lit up leash). Although we did not win the contest (our little girl is still a winner to us), we still had a great time. Although food trucks may be here during your visit, you are welcomed to bring your own food (just no beverages since they do have a wide selection of beer, cocktails and also some non- alcoholic beverages too). Over our three visits, we played one game of Duckpin Bowling. This is slightly different from regular bowling, as the ball is smaller and it looks like you have three tries to get a strike per frame. We actually played this game this afternoon. A friendly employee came by to take our drink order while we were getting ready to play. The arcade machines and skeeball are free. But if you place a quarter in the machine, all the quarters are donated to the local Ronald McDonald House which is really awesome. With this place being so busy at night, I was surprised how clean the place was, including the bathrooms. The ladies stall was always adequately stocked with toilet paper and was very clean. The communal sink area was also stocked with soap and paper towels as well. Although there are barcades back at home in Los Angeles, there aren't any that I know of that offer so many different type of games and are also dog friendly. If I lived in this area, I would probably be here every month.

    Drink with coconut rum, pineapple and rock candy!
    Maria C.

    10/10 drinks , 10/10 games , 10/10 service, 10/10 atmosphere. Absolutely loved this place. Can't ask for more

    Lite-bright-ish
    Lisa D.

    Super cool and fun place for all ages! Relaxing, fun drinks, and great atmosphere with plenty of room.

    Chinyere U.

    Our group really enjoyed our visit! It was clean, inviting, the staff was kind and attentive. This is a great place for adults just looking to relax and experience that childhood nostalgia! I wish there was food, but...you can eat at a food truck or neighboring restaurant and bring the food in! Great experience

    Lea L.

    Amazing!!! Great bar! Let's get some Hennessy though. Free skeeball and videos games. There is a bowling alley. And random games to play throughout the place. Swings are on two sides of the building. I would say this place is kid-friendly in the AM. Bartender was very nice. We didn't get any drinks but overall still had a good time. Definitely a great place to have a group of friends meet up. Have a great date night. They don't serve food but there is a taco truck on the front side. An amazing place to go!

    Cheeky humor is found throughout the bar.
    Tharin W.

    An easy 5 out of 5, and the best bar/lounge I visited in Charlotte. Free parking and free games made it easy for us to stay for 4+ hours (a long time for our group) at Pins Mechanical. We played HUGE Jenga, IRL Pong, arcade games and Duck Pin Bowling, plus tested cocktails and got beers. Returning here will be a no brainer! I come from Orlando, the king of entertainment offerings in the south, and I wish we had a place like this. I would go out more often.

    Of course they've got plenty of pinball machines (15+), but Pins Mech also has duck bowling and "trash can beer pong"

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    2 months ago

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    5 months ago

    Such a fun place for adults to enjoy being a kid again! Had so much fun playing all the games and going down the slide!

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    2 years ago

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    3 months ago

    Will was the most accommodating bartender! 10/10 experience at Pins! Amazing experience!

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    Pins M.

    Thanks for the amazing review Lea. Stop back in and see us soon!

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    4 months ago

    There was ample space for large groups. The food trucks out front were good options and the food was good

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    Page 1 of 7

    Pins Mechanical Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Pins Mechanical

    Is this place 18+?

    No, anyone is welcome.

    Is outside food allowed? (i.e- a birthday cake)

    Yes

    Are kids allowed?

    Until 8pm every night.

    Are dogs allowed inside?

    Yes

    Can you reserve duckpin lanes in advance?

    Hey Lisa! All lanes are first come, first serve. You can put your name in and check out some of our other free games while you wait!

    View All 6 Questions

    Review Highlights - Pins Mechanical

    We played HUGE Jenga, IRL Pong, arcade games and Duck Pin Bowling, plus tested cocktails and got beers.

    Mentioned in 6 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    Runaway Whiskey & Wine

    4.3(48 reviews)
    1.7 mi

    First time at RWW and let's just say I'll be back very soon…read more Ordered: - First in Flight - flight of 4 espresso martinis - Bartenders choice - Friend asked for Tequila inspired and she loved it. - Calamari was lightly fried, delicious and well seasoned. They should include a side of the sauce instead of it only being on the plate. - Burger - Friends ordered Medium, had to send back it was well done. 2nd came out Medium well but it was close. Everything was great & I recommend the menu. We had a group of 10 for a birthday and only compliant was the burger. It was slightly warm, not because of the drinks lol. A tad warm but manageable. Bartender who was also our sever mentioned it's much cooler than a prior day after AC was fixed I guess lol.

    Stumbled upon Runaway Whisky and Wine while looking for a spot to kill some time before a flight,…read moreand wow--what a find. The atmosphere is moody-chic in the best way, with dark walls, glowing chandeliers, and a cozy, elevated vibe. We tried the espresso flights, which were delicious and not overly sweet. The heated espresso ended up being our favorite. I ordered the avocado toast and absolutely loved the combination of avocado, pickled onions, salmon, and feta. My husband asked for a bartender's choice--essentially their take on a Penicillin--and it was perfect. My sister went with the chicken wrap and had zero complaints. We will be back at some point.

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    Blue Door - Booth seating

    Blue Door

    4.3(24 reviews)
    0.6 mi

    This place blue my mind…read more I was visiting my best friend while in town for a conference on amusement ride standards. We had a reservation for Blue Door for Saturday night, and it was amazing. Now while she was vaguely aware of their "spirited kingdom" menu, I had NO CLUE. It was the best surprise! They have such a cool menu with a full theme park map containing 4 lands with 4 cocktails each. The cocktails all match the type of ride they are, it's honestly such a cool idea, and it was so well done. I loved the art. I will say, I was skeptical that all of their drinks would actually work and worried that they'd be too caught up in the theme to make results but . . . Oh my goodness I was so impressed by the drinks here. I think a lot of bars these days can get so caught up in trying to be unique that their drinks become nearly undrinkable. This place definitely doesn't suffer there. They brought us an aperitif when we came in, but unfortunately I have a blueberry allergy so we skipped that. We had 4 drinks between the 2 of us and they were all awesome. I ordered the star breaker and the green dragon (what can I say, I love gin and a good coaster), and they were both balanced and tasty. My friend got the diablo and the neon shift, and they were both fantastic as well! The neon shift was served with a black light too which was super cute. The one drink I have to call out specifically is the green dragon. There was something about this drink that was so unique, I have genuinely never had anything like it but I would order it a thousand times over. It's so good. It keeps me up at night. It haunts my every bar order. I will be writing home about it. What else can I say about this place - the service was great, the atmosphere was fun, and the DJ was amazing. I thought "wow this guy really likes sax covers" only to look over and see him PLAYING HIS SAXOPHONE LIVE?? Iconic. This place was perfect and I wouldn't change a thing about it. The spirited kingdom menu will only be around for 6 months according to the waitress, so definitely catch it while it's there! If I'd heard about it sooner, I would've maybe descended upon them with 200+ theme park engineers in town for the conference (maybe it's a good thing I didn't know they were there until after it was over), but instead I will just say DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND MAKE YOUR RESERVATION NOW

    3.5/5 stars. Went back to Blue Door to give it another chance with the new menu... it's still my…read moreleast favorite cocktail bar in all of charlotte. The menu this time is theme park theme... again, a fun concept but not well executed. Pretty overwhelming, especially with the bartenders explaining the menu to us twice with the same spiel there is too much to look at it makes it difficult to pay attention to the drinks. I really did not love my drink (starbreaker?) you could only taste the lychee The bartenders not a vibe, it was not that comfortable to sit at the bar. They now serve food, hotdogs... which do NOT match the vibe at all, so that was interesting that their only food (other than the free popcorn) is not hot dogs..

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    Blue Door - Lounge seating.

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    Backstage Lounge

    Backstage Lounge

    4.1(99 reviews)
    0.5 miSouth End, Dilworth
    $$

    This cool little speakeasy in South End is worth a visit any time of the year, but is especially…read morefun during the holidays, when it turns into a festive wonderland of cocktails and magic. Located behind the SoundBound taqueria on South Blvd., this small space comes alive between Thanksgiving and Christmas with fun decor, holiday-themed drinks and even indoor snow. On a recent visit, I enjoyed a delicious Snowball Old Fashioned while my wife sipped a rum-infused Yippee Ki Yay MotherF*****r! The menu also includes non-alcoholic cocktails and shots. In classic speakeasy fashion, you access the lounge by picking up a hallway phone and giving a 'secret' password that's available on the Backstage Instagram page. On our visit on an early weekend evening, the phone wasn't working and the freezer door leading to the lounge was already ajar. A bit disappointing, but nothing that took away from the overall experience. Service was great at the bar, and the lounge also has booths and tables for larger parties. Definitely one of the best speakeasies in Charlotte, and one of the most enjoyable pop-up holiday bars you'll find anywhere.

    Stopped in to Backstage for the Christmas pop up and was not disappointed. It's Christmas overload…read morein the best way, if you're looking for something fun and kitschy. They have a Christmas drink menu, mostly sweet, but they also offered to make some minor modifications. I had the Koala LaLaLa, which was more tart with some apple and bitters. Probably not everyone's jam, but I loved it. All the bartenders were great-Star kept us laughing, and they moved quickly considering how busy the place got. I recommend going early to get a good spot to people watch. I plan to come back at least one more time during the holidays. 10/10!

    Photos
    Backstage Lounge
    Backstage Lounge - Snowball old-fashioned and hot buttered rum  | IG: asianadventuretime

    Snowball old-fashioned and hot buttered rum | IG: asianadventuretime

    Backstage Lounge

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    Chapter 6 - Bellini carafe

    Chapter 6

    4.5(115 reviews)
    0.1 miSouth End, Dilworth

    It's been awhile, but this place is still amazing and so good! Hoping it won't be almost 2 years…read moretil I come back. Monday night, half price wine by the glass or bottle, all of them on the list! Love when they do that without limitations. So we went with a glass of champagne! Because why not when it's half price! Service was excellent , and the food just awesome . So fresh and delicious. The menu here is so nice and varied with so many options. We started with the prosciutto carpaccio, paper thin prosciutto with olive oil, and fresh Parmesan and fresh greens, white balsamic and hazelnut. This was amazing, just yummy. The roasted mushrooms, come on a sliced yogurt, with verde hummus, and sumac onions. Again so flavorful and so many different things going on in this dish. Highly recommend this. The short rib bolognese. A fabulous small plate, but plenty for two . This sauce was so good with the fresh grilled bread they serve. The pasta was perfectly cooked, spinach flavored. Truffle ricotta, and crispy prosciutto on top, nice pieces of short rib too. This was an excellent dish. We were truly full so had to pass on dessert but we did get a after dinner espresso martini, called the Salud! A Spanish table toast, peppermint infused tequila, espresso, licor 43, coffee liquor and creme de cacao. Served frozen, this tasted like an Andes mint. Perfect after dinner drink. I hope this stays on the menu! So good. I'm so glad this place is still going strong and busy on a Monday night! I love everything about Chapter 6, such a great spot.

    My two friends and I tried this place last night for dinner. A girl dinner if you will. We were…read moresuper excited to try it as none of us had been able to make it there before since they've opened. However, to be honest, I wasn't very impressed and neither were they. We started with the Prosciutto carpaccio and the Whipped Ricotta appetizers to share. Both of those were pretty good and the bread that came along with it was good too. It was grilled and nice and crispy. For drinks, one of my friends ordered the rosé wine flight, I ordered their house red wine, and my other friend ordered wine as well. The wine selection was good so we are pleased with that. It was our main entrées that we ordered that we were not pleased with. For example, I ordered the steak skewer, which I understood would be a small plate, but when it came out to find that it was just one skewer was a little bit misleading, and I wish that I had ordered something else because that was not enough for my dinner. Our server didn't come back to check on us after our food arrived so I wasn't even able to add any more small plates. In addition, my friend did not enjoy her pasta at all, and I tried to bite, and it was not good. Only my friend who ordered the Bolognese pasta was pleased with her dinner choice. Due to our server not coming back to our table to check on us and also didn't really give us suggestions of what to order or how to order I wasn't very pleased with our experience. I don't know if I would come back because honestly, the meal was pretty mid for how expensive it was priced. The inside of the restaurant is cute and the patio as well but the food is mid and expensive for the service to be so poor.

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    Chapter 6 - Interior dining room

    Interior dining room

    Chapter 6 - Biscuit

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    Chapter 6 - Spritzes during brunch

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    Spritzes during brunch

    Pins Mechanical - bowling - Updated May 2026

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