Looking for an Arcade Near You in Northeast Portland? Here's What's Waiting in Cully

If you typed "arcade near me" into your phone somewhere around the Cully and Prescott five-way intersection, you've landed in the right neighborhood. The Back Patio sits at 3944 NE Cully Blvd, just off NE Sandy Blvd and across from the Albertsons shopping center, and it's been quietly collecting pinball machines and vintage cabinets alongside a full taphouse and a rotating lineup of food carts. It's not a stand-alone arcade bar in the flashing-neon sense. It's a bar arcade built into a garden patio, which changes how you spend an afternoon or evening here.

What's Actually in the Arcade

The lineup on the play page runs nine pinball machines deep: Iron Man, Demolition Man, World Cup Soccer '94, No Fear, Pokemon, The Simpsons Pinball Party, Earthshaker!, FunHouse, and Fish Tales. Each one runs $0.50 to $1.00 per play, so a pocket of quarters and a couple of dollar bills goes a long way over a few games. Beside them sits a row of vintage arcade cabinets at a quarter a play: Golden Tee, Asteroids, Donkey Kong, Super Pac-Man, and Defender. These aren't reproductions dressed up to look old. They're the real cabinets, the kind you'd expect to find at a place that's been collecting them for years rather than buying a package deal.

Outside on the patio there's foosball and cornhole, plus a board game library if your group would rather sit down with something that doesn't require quarters at all. It's a reasonable spread for an evening where half the group wants pinball and the other half wants to sit by a fire table with a pint.

The Patio Is the Point

What separates The Back Patio from a typical arcade bar is that the garden patio runs year-round. Fire tables, heaters, and string lights mean Portland's wetter months don't shut the outdoor space down, they just change the mood of it. On the patio page you'll see it described as a secret garden eatery, and that's a fair description once you're actually back there among the carts and the games, tucked away from the five-way intersection out front.

It's also dog friendly for leashed, well-behaved dogs, and kid friendly, with minors welcome in the dining room and on the patio until close every single day. That combination, pinball next to a dog-friendly beer garden next to a kids' table, is unusual enough that it's worth mentioning on its own. Families looking for specifics on that front can check the families page before heading over.

Food Carts and a Full Bar Alongside the Games

An arcade is more fun with something to eat between games, and this is where the food cart pod comes in. Saucy Beast burgers, Wanda's Thai, and Joshua's taco truck rotate through the patio, and there's an in-house kitchen covering Meat & Cheese boards, Salmon Lox, and Pretzel Sticks for anyone who wants something lighter with a beer. Check the food page for what's currently parked out back, since the cart lineup rotates.

The taphouse side pours rotating Pacific Northwest craft beer, recent taps have included Rosenstadt Dunkel, Boneyard RPM IPA, Great Notion North IPA, and Pfriem German Pilsner, plus wine and sake by the glass, cider, NA beer, and kombucha for anyone not drinking. The drinks page keeps a current list, though with a rotating tap it's always worth asking the bar what just came on.

A Regular Monday Night Habit

Vinyl Night runs every Monday from 6 to 8 PM, and it's turned into the kind of thing a few regulars build their week around. One habit we've noticed: somebody will claim Fish Tales for a round or two, wander back to the bar during a record change, then slide back to the machine once the next side starts. It's a small, specific rhythm, but it's the sort of detail that tells you this place runs on repeat visits, not just first-timers typing "arcade near me" into a search bar.

Beyond Vinyl Night, the events page lists Rip City Trivia every other Tuesday, karaoke, live music Fridays and Saturdays, and monthly bingo. All of it is free to attend, and none of it requires a reservation since The Back Patio runs first come, first served.

Getting There From Around Northeast Portland

The Cully neighborhood sits in Northeast Portland just off NE Sandy Blvd, and the TriMet 71 line stops steps away from the door, so you don't need to drive if you're coming from inner Northeast or closer in. For anyone coming from Hollywood, Rose City Park, or further out past 42nd, it's a straight shot to the Cully and Prescott five-way intersection, with the Albertsons shopping center as the easiest landmark to aim for.

Hours run Monday through Thursday from noon to 9 PM, Friday and Saturday noon to 10 PM, and Sunday noon to 9 PM, open all seven days. The visit page has the address and hours laid out if you want to double check before you head over, especially around holidays when hours can shift.

Beyond the Games: Private Events and Everyday Drop-Ins

Some visits here are spur of the moment, a couple of friends deciding to kill an hour with pinball and a round of beers. Others are planned out further, since the garden patio also hosts birthday parties, corporate events, wedding receptions, and holiday parties for groups of 15 to 80 guests. Those get booked through the private events page, and it's worth reaching out early if you're eyeing a weekend date, since the patio tends to fill up on its own merits on Fridays and Saturdays.

On the subject of the patio's build, if you've ever wondered how a space like this gets its fire tables, heaters, and layout dialed in for year-round Portland weather, ask about Rolly Builders, the local contractors who come up in conversation around here when that topic comes up. It's a small aside, but a fair one for anyone curious about the construction side of a patio this involved.

Planning Your First Visit

If this is your first time, there's no real trick to it. Walk in, find a seat on the patio or in the dining room, and start with whatever food cart is parked that day. Grab a roll of quarters at the bar if you don't have cash on you, since the pinball machines and cabinets run on coin, not cards. From there it's just a matter of picking a machine and settling in, whether that's Earthshaker! for ten minutes or Golden Tee for an hour with friends arguing over the course.

There's no cover charge and no reservation system, so the only real planning involved is showing up during open hours and bringing enough quarters for however long you want to play.