Go inside this Memphis pinball pub
It’s all about fun and games at a new Memphis pinball pub.
Flip Side opened March 25 at 1349 Autumn Ave. in the Crosstown neighborhood. It is located in the building that was most recently The Doghouzz restaurant.
As soon as you step into the front door, you know this is not your ordinary bar. The room is filled with the dings and flashing bright lights of pinball machines.
It’s the latest restaurant and bar venture from Tony and Stephanie Westmoreland of Tandem Restaurant Partners, who also own restaurants such as Zinnie’s, Ben Yay’s and Side Car Cafe. The couple partnered with pinball aficionados David Yopp and Michael Muhlert.
Pinball fun
The Flip Side features 16 pinball machines, many of which are vintage machines that have been restored by Yopp.
“I got hooked on pinball machines when I was 12. The first one I played was the Royal Flush — just like this one here,” said Yopp, as he pointed to a 1976 Royal Flush pinball machine he has restored. “45 years later I am still playing.”
Yopp said he owns 70 pinball machines. “We only have space for 16 here, so I will be rotating them out.”
The oldest machine dates back to 1964. The newest was just released a month ago.
On top of each machine, Yopp has listed the year it was made, the manufacturer, as well as how many of that machine were produced.
Signature Flip Side tokens are available for sale at the bar for guests to play the machines. “We think some people may keep them as souvenirs,” Tony Westmoreland said. “Think of it as an adult Chuck E. Cheese.”
Every Thursday night, the pub hosts a weekly pinball tournament. International Flipper Pinball Association-sanctioned events will be held monthly. Guests can watch all the action at the tournaments and special events on screens above each machine. Yopp calls the live shot screens he designed “gallery monitors.”
The eats
Jordan Beatty is in charge of the kitchen. With the help of sous-chef Ben Wilson, he has created a menu of Caribbean-latin fusion fare.
“We wanted to show a different side of bar food ... you know, the ‘flip side’ of bar food,” Westmoreland said. “It’s a fresher take on bar food than just burgers and fries.”
“I love taking Caribbean and Latin ingredients and putting my own Southern spin on them,” said Beatty.
Beatty has created a signature seasoning blend and sauce that garnishes many of the dishes. “The Flipsauce is made with our adobo sauce, sour cream and our Flipside seasoning blend.”
Dishes like Avocado Fries (battered and fried slices of avocado) come garnished with the Flipsauce.
The quick-service menu features shareable appetizers, tacos, quesadillas, burritos and rice bowls that are available all day. At dinner, entrees such as Shrimp & Grits and Flipside Tamales are offered.
“I will also be doing specials,” said Beatty, as he described a birria ramen that he will be serving. “My wife is Japanese, so I love making fusion dishes like this.”
A full bar with craft cocktails and cold beers is also available.
Pool tables, darts and corn hole games are also part of the fun .
“We chose not to have any video games,” Yopp said. “It’s all about games that work just with gravity and physics.”
Jennifer Chandler is the Food & Dining reporter at The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached at jennifer.chandler@commercialappeal.com and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @cookwjennifer.