Nepean will soon have Canada's largest pinball arcade
Ottawa Pinball Arcade is moving into the cavernous basement formerly occupied by the Brass Monkey rock club and pool hall.
By Lynn Saxberg, Ottawa Citizen
Published Apr 29, 2026
Ottawa’s pinball guru, Mike Loftus, is working to transform the former Brass Monkey rock bar into a family-friendly entertainment bunker that will house the largest pinball arcade in the country. The new name of the endeavour is Experience Social.
“The concept of the place is to (capture) the vibe before the pandemic,” explained Loftus, the 60-year-old owner of the Ottawa Pinball Arcade and several other pinball-centred businesses. “Before cellphones, people used to hang out in person and play games. We don’t want to be a major bar; this will be an entertainment venue that happens to have a liquor licence.
“We want it to be a place where you bring your kids, your grandparents and everybody feels cool. It’s going to have a little bit of everything for everyone.”
Loftus’ arcade is currently located on Baseline Road, next door to Cassette, the bar formerly known as the Neighbourhood Pub. Thirty pinball machines are jammed into the modest space, and it’s often full of players.
“You couldn’t squeeze one more of anything in there,” he said. “On the busy days, it’s standing room only. We’ve definitely outgrown the location.”
Pinball, it appears, has been having a resurgence in recent years, ever since the lockdown days of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under stay-home advisories, vacations were delayed and events cancelled, leaving people looking for things to do at home, and the money to fund new hobbies.
It was a time when the prices on used machines skyrocketed, and were further fuelled by supply disruptions on new stock. “It was like the rush on toilet paper,” Loftus joked, “except these are $10,000 machines.”
Despite having to temporarily close the doors to his Baseline Road arcade, Loftus said his online store went “insane” during the pandemic. His group of pinball businesses also includes Pinball Medic for repairs, parts and service, and, as of last year, the Pinball Museum, a showcase of vintage machines near the village of Alfred.
When the arcade moves to 250 Greenbank Rd., a strip mall officially called the Greenbank Hunt Club Centre, it will be Loftus’ flagship location, with more than 7,500 square feet of space and plenty of free parking.
His vision for the cavernous basement includes pool tables, air hockey, foosball, big screens to watch sports, classic arcade video games and a few dozen pinball machines. He’s aiming to install at least 60 pinball games, enough to top the 55 or so at Vancouver’s VanCity, which is currently considered the biggest arcade in Canada.
As for the clientele, a significant chunk is expected to consist of high-school students from the area. Loftus sees them hanging around outside popular local eateries like Cosmos and Subway, but once they get their sandwiches, there’s nowhere to eat and nothing to do afterwards.
That’s the gap Loftus wants to fill with Experience Social. Instead of spending tens of thousands of dollars to install a proper kitchen in the basement space, he will welcome patrons bringing food purchased at nearby restaurants or brought from home.
“There’s a lot of really good food options in the mall,” Loftus said, listing Fitz for barbecue, Bella’s Boys for Italian and the excellent Vietnamese pho restaurant. “Or you can bring your own lunch from home, or go to the Metro and grab some chicken fingers for your kid. Then you can sit down at the table and eat, as long as you buy the drinks and snacks here.”
The bring-your-own-food strategy was adapted from similar establishments in Montreal and other cities. “It’s pretty much a triple win because it’s more affordable for us, more affordable for our customers and our neighbours will get additional business out of it,” Loftus said.
Live music, which was a mainstay for the Brass Monkey, will be shuffled to the back burner for now, at least until the stage is re-equipped with sound gear. Even then, it won’t be nearly as loud as the hard rock and metal acts that blasted from the Monkey.
“We will have curated music that will be part of it, but it’s not going to be so loud that you can’t speak at a reasonable volume,” Loftus said. “We really want it to be a place where everyone can come and hang out.”
With a list of beverages that ranges from slushies and soft drinks to the Wizards’ Brew lager from Orléans’ Stray Dog brewery, he hopes to lure people, young and old, away from their phones.
“It’s all about coming out and meeting face-to-face,” he said. “We’ll have after-school specials where the kids can come over, have a slushy and some nachos and cheese dip, and a couple of games for 10 bucks.
“But it’s obviously going to be great for the 50- and 60-year-old kids like me, too. We’re going to have pool, air hockey, pinball and a bunch of games, or you can watch sports, have a beer and chill.”
Renovations are underway, and a soft opening is expected in early May.
https://ottawacitizen.com/life/pinball-machines-arcade-nepean
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