Looking for a night of fun? Check out House of Targ!
When I learned about House of Targ from a friend of mine who lives in Ottawa, I knew that I absolutely had to go there. I’m a little bit obsessed with classic arcade games. Justin and I are regulars at our local Dave and Buster’s. While that isn’t a classic arcade and has more modern video games, we’ll take what we can get.
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However, House of Targ is a place of dreams. Video games line the walls of the establishment. On one side, there’s a long row of pinball machines. On the other side, you’ll find retro machines of all kinds, from shooting games to driving games. There’s even a Super Mario cabinet and a Tetris machine.
PINBALL MACHINES – NOT ILLEGAL IN OTTAWA
This might sound silly, but having more than two pinball machines in any establishment in Toronto is actually illegal.
Back when Justin and I first started dating, we visited Toronto’s Pinball Cafe quite frequently. It was a favorite spot of ours. The cafe was filled with retro pinball machines, and you could also order coffee and snacks. We’d bring a stash of quarters and loonies and spend the evening playing games. Unfortunately, the Pinball Cafe was short-lived, and not for a lack of customers. In Toronto, there’s an outdated bylaw that doesn’t permit more than two pinball machines in one place at a time.
Sadly, the Pinball Cafe closed down and we hadn’t seen a spot like it again…until now!
MY VISIT TO HOUSE OF TARG
Unfortunately, Justin didn’t accompany me on my trip to Ottawa. I felt a little bit guilty visiting this awesome spot without him. I know that we’ll both eventually go to House of Targ together.
The machines don’t take any tokens or anything like that. They take standard Canadian coins. For the classic arcade machines, it’s only a quarter to play. Pinball machines are $1 for a game. However, the best time to visit is Sunday night. That’s when I went to House of Targ. They unlock every machine for unlimited game play. Just pay $5 at the door after 9pm, and you can play all the games that your heart desires.
My favorite games included the pinball machine, Taxi and the Bubble Hockey machine. Grab a friend, or meet some new friends at House of Targ, and challenge them to a Bubble Hockey match. I grew up playing this game, so it was a real blast from the past to play it again.
The House of Targ website features a full listing of their pinball machines and video games, so feel free to take a look.
THE FOOD
While I was super full from dinner and didn’t dine at House of Targ, they serve only one type of food – perogies! Perogies are delicious. Maybe it’s my partial Ukranian heritage, but I adore them. The one that caught my eye was The Vegan.
THE VEGAN: A faux “cheddar & bacon” perogi made with a traditional Polish dough. Served with a dill cashew cream sauce on the side & a generous portion of wine sauerkraut.
On the weekends, House of Targ offers a brunch option:
CRUCIAL VEGAN BREAKY: 6 Vegan perogies, cashew cream, mixed fresh fruit, white or brown toast, endless tea or coffee.
Sounds delicious, right? That’s another reason why I need to return to House of Targ.
Step 1: Bring Justin. Step 2: Eat pierogies.
LIVE MUSIC
There’s also live music and shows at House of Targ. There’s even pinball tournaments. For a full event listing, be sure to check out their website.
All shows happen after 9pm and they are 19+ events.
While I’m on the topic of 19+ events…House of Targ is family-friendly before 9pm. Families and kids are encouraged to visit and play the games. After 9pm, House of Targ transforms into a venue for adults only.
THE VERDICT
While I hadn’t heard about House of Targ until I talked to a local, be sure to pay this place a visit. If you’re looking for a unique venue to have a beer, you’re a fan of video games, or you just want to hang out with friends and eat perogies, you’re in the right place. I can’t wait until I get the chance to return, which will obviously be on my next visit to Ottawa.
Want to see more photos from my winter getaway to Ottawa? Check out my complete Ottawa travel photo album.
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House of Targ
1077 Bank St.
Ottawa, Ontario
Wed: 5:00pm – 11pm (or later if there’s a band booked)
Thurs & Fri: 5:00 pm – 2:00 am
Sat & Sun: 11:00 am – 2:00 amClosed Monday and Tuesday
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What’s your favorite video game? Do you like the classic ones or the newer ones?
Lauren is the full-time travel blogger and content creator behind Justin Plus Lauren. She started Justin Plus Lauren in 2013 and has travelled to 50+ countries around the world. Lauren is an expert on vegan travel as one of the very first vegan travel bloggers. She also focuses on outdoor adventure travel, eco and sustainable travel, and creating amazing travel itineraries for cities and small towns.
Arcade Rewind
Monday 26th of March 2018
This looks incredibly fun to play, and I wanna try to eat that Pierogies, it looks tasty. I hope to see more of these places pop up around the world especially near from my home. Thanks for sharing this!
Bubble Hockey
Tuesday 16th of January 2018
Bubble Hockey is my favorite. My friend and I used to play it for hours whenever we'd run across one, but sadly they've become rather rare in my part of the US outside of some hockey rinks. I bought one for home a couple years ago, every time people come over it gets played a ton. I also have some pinball machines but the bubble hockey usually gets played more.
Mark
Saturday 1st of April 2017
Hey Lauren, Thanks for this post. It’s always interesting to see these types of places on blog posts, very much appreciated. I grew up in the 90s playing Tetris, Mario Kart, and messing around with pinball machines. This just brings a lot of nostalgia to me. Also, the vegan sounds amazing. I hope to see more of these places pop up around the world. Cheers, Mark
Samantha
Thursday 30th of March 2017
This seems like a place that could be from my hometown of Columbus, OH! We have a bar called 16-bit that is all old arcade games just like this one and the people of Columbus are strangely obsessed with Pierogies hahaha! What a fun establishment!
Annette Richmond
Thursday 30th of March 2017
This looks like fun! Spending the day eating Pierogi and playing video games, could life be any better? Add the live music and you've got a party! Thanks for sharing!