10/06/2026
After 10 years, Pokey’s Pinball Cafe will be closing its doors. Our last day of operation will be December 19th, 2026.
I’ve rewritten this a dozen times because there’s no easy way to put 10 years into a few paragraphs. Pokey’s has been a huge part of my life. It started as an idea that seemed a little crazy, and became a place where people came to eat, drink, play pinball, celebrate, meet friends and make new ones, and just hang out for a while.
There have been busy nights when the place was packed, quiet afternoons when I wondered what the heck I was doing, broken machines, kitchen disasters, great staff, difficult days, ridiculous laughs, tournaments, leagues, and more memories than I could ever list here.
But the best part of Pokey’s has always been the people.
To everyone who ever walked through those doors — whether you came once, came every week, played every machine, ordered the same meal every time, worked here, played in a league, brought your kids, had a date, celebrated something, or simply stopped by to say hello — thank you. You helped make Pokey’s what it was.
To everyone who worked here over the years: thank you. Running a restaurant and a pinball arcade at the same time was probably a little ambitious, but you made it possible, and I’m incredibly grateful.
And to the Saskatoon pinball community, league and tournament players, collectors, operators, repair people and all the other pinball weirdos: thank you for taking a chance on Pokey’s and making it part of the community.
There’s still some time before the doors close, so let’s enjoy the place together one more time. If you’ve got tokens sitting in a drawer, dig them out. Same goes for those gift certificates you’ve been saving.
The pinball side of Pokey’s isn’t disappearing. We’ll still be renting, selling, repairing and restoring pinball machines. And there are some things we’re not quite ready to say goodbye to yet — including the machines. None are for sale at this time.
But the cafe as you know it is coming to an end.
I’m proud of what Pokey’s became, grateful for everyone who helped make it happen, and incredibly lucky to have had the opportunity to do this for 10 years.
Thank you, Saskatoon, for making Pokey’s Pinball Cafe one heck of a place to spend the last 10 years. — Jason