BISHOP CIDERCADE

We were in Dallas for the Texas Pinball Festival, but before the drive up to Frisco we spent a couple of days in the Market Center area of Dallas.

One of the principal reasons was to visit Bishop Cider and their new-ish arcade, called Cidercade, and to check out their collection of games (and ciders). After a 30-minute walk through hotel loading bays, past various car repairers and furniture warehouses, we arrived.

Cidercade is a little tricky to spot from the road. It’s on the corner of a row of light industrial units and is referred to as Bishop Cider Co. on the street-facing side and The Cidery on the unit front.

Cidercade is called The Cidery on the signage above the entrance

Once through the doors you find a minimalist industrial look to the building, with exposed air conditioning ducting and bare walls.

Entry to the arcade for a day costs $10 + tax after which all the games are set on free play. Monthly passes are also available and are good value at $20. Payment can be in cash or with a credit card using one of the Square card readers.

The entry desk is also the bar, from which twenty-four varieties of cider are sold. They are unapologetic about selling only cider and no beer or wine. They are a cider-maker, after all. They do sell soft drinks for younger guests, drivers or for anyone not looking for some alcoholic apple juice.

Not all ciders were available during our visit, but most were. They appeared to be priced according to their strength, and the prices shown were before tax was added.

They don’t serve any food, but you are welcome to bring your own or they are happy to hand you a folder of menus from local restaurants which will deliver to Cidercade. You can’t bring in your own beverages though.

So, what about the games? Well, Cidercade has an impressive selection of all kinds of arcade games.

But of course, we were mainly there for the pinballs, and the selection of these was just as impressive.

Many of the modern classics are here, and they are kept in great shape. While we were there a technician was fixing a couple of issues with stuck balls and a weak flipper.

All the games are DMDs, so no classic solid-states or electromechanicals.

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The pinball area is kept reasonably dark, which helps show off the games’ lighting effects and reduces any reflections or glare.

Cidercade extends into a second room where some of the larger games are located along with seating and sport on TVs.

At the end of the room is a large window where you can view the fermentation tanks and canning equipment in the cidery.

at the side of the second room is a covered outdoor seating area with some swing chairs for the younger visitors.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit. The games all looked attractive and played well. The only thing we noticed was how the flippers seemed to be set slightly too low which made some of the shots trickier than they should be. Of course, with all games on free play some people would walk up to a game a hit the start button over and over to begin a four-player game by themselves and then leave it part-way through – something which doesn’t happen if you are paying for the games.

Cidercade is a great addition to the Dallas pinball scene and an excellent place to try out the latest games as well as many modern classic DMD titles too. At $10 for unlimited play, it’s also good value if you have the time to take full advantage.

Before you leave, you can pick up a pack of cider to take home.