Location: Upstairs @ K10, 3 Appold Street, London EC2A 2AF, UK
Date: November 2015

Pinball is making a bit of a comeback in London's financial district. The Pipeline began the trend, Brewdog in Shoreditch followed earlier this year, and now Beer and Buns is the latest to embrace the appeal of the silver ball.

Beer & Buns in Appold Street

Beer & Buns is a Japanese craft beer bar located above the K10 Japanese restaurant in Appold Street close to Liverpool Street station. A neon street sign and another in the window announce Beer & Buns' presence.

The window of the K10 restaurant

A somewhat dingy staircase takes you up two flights to the bar itself which is equally minimally lit.

This way up

The main bar

Beer & Buns specialises in imported Japanese craft beers, and steamed 'Hirata' buns with assorted meat, vegetable and shellfish fillings. Neither is exactly cheap.

The beer menu

The house draught beer Asahi Super Dry 'Super Cold' Draught is £4.95 (€7.05/$7.45) a pint, and the alternative Hitachino Nest White Ale is £7.15. 310ml-500ml bottles or cans range from £4.75 (€6.75/$7.15) to £9.95 (€14.20/$15) each. Buns are £3.95 each or £7.50 for two, while jumbo chicken wings are also available.

Japanese TV is shown on the big screen

The best choice is to visit on a Monday when you can get a pint of Asahi Super Dry and two buns for £7.50, or to buy one of the other deals such as 10 bottles of assorted craft beers for £50 (€71.25/$75.30) or 2-for-1 on draught beers on Tuesdays.

Beer & Buns has two pinball machines. On this visit they were Guns N' Roses and Tommy, but the we are told they are changed quite frequently.

Guns N' Roses and Tommy

The Tommy looked in good condition and played fine, but the Guns N' Roses had a few issues such as shots to the right ramp not registering which made multiball almost worthless. Both also had quite sensitive tilts.

Pinball is not the only game in town though, as next to the pinballs is a table football (foosball) game.

The table football machine

Another good reason to visit on Monday is that the two pinballs and the table football are all free to play. The pinballs are not set on free play but have enough credits added by the staff to ensure you won't need to buy any more.

Beer and Buns began as a temporary (or 'pop-up') bar above the K10 restaurant. However it proved to be sufficiently successful to become a permanent fixture.

Asahi beer boxes line the walls and act as table mats

It is now open seven days a week from 5pm until late and is certainly worth a visit to play some pinball, discover some Japanese craft beer and nibble on a bun or two.

© Pinball News 2015