Solid State at 53-22 Roosevelt Ave.
Oct. 17, 2017 By Nathaly Pesantez
A bar with a focus on craft beer and pinball has opened on Roosevelt Avenue on the same block as the 52nd Street station.
Solid State, the name of the locale, opened on Oct. 10 at 53-22 Roosevelt Ave., and offers a rotating menu of 20 New York-based craft beers from places like Rockaway Brewery, the Bronx Brewery, and Transmitter Brewing. The bar area seats about 20 people, with additional seating around the 1,800 square-foot site.
Kristopher Medina, the co-founder of the bar who also founded the Pinball New York City league about a decade ago, said the idea for the site was borne out of a desire to combine two passions—craft beer and pinball.
“I’m very excited that pinball and craft beer are experiencing a bit of a surge in popularity,” Medina, a Woodsider of roughly eight years said. “The growing number of breweries is phenomenal and I think thats absolutely worthy of celebration.”
Seven “solid state” pinball machines, the type referring to the machines built in the 80s and the bar’s namesake, are already at the bar, and with room for one more. Some of the games featured at the bar are exclusive, and not found anywhere else in the city, including “Mousing Around”, “Tales of the Crypt” and “Super Mario Brothers”.
The site will also introduce food soon, but will primarily focus on craft beer. Board games are also available for patrons to play.
Medina, who worked as a Hollywood stuntman and as a web developer before fully going into running his own bar, said he has received positive feedback since opening a week ago on a stretch of Roosevelt Avenue that he hopes to make more bright and welcoming.
“So far our reception has been strong and I think, more importantly, very diverse,” he said. Medina added that the project wasn’t about opening a bar in Woodside, but more about combining his two interests in a communal place.
“We have a welcoming vibe and so far everyone is enjoying what we have to offer,” he said. “All backgrounds and all budgets are welcome to come in—my sense is that you don’t have to be a bearded white man to enjoy good beer.”
Solid State is open from 3:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. every day, and times may be subject to change in the weeks after opening.
