M
M.G. Brown
Guest
PINSPOTTING APRIL 2025 EXTRA
M.G. Brown
Cafe One is a cozy, family-owned diner in Ormond Beach, just north of Daytona Beach, celebrated for its homemade American comfort food and a unique pinball arcade room.
They have a small sign on US-1 but it’s easy to spot their building
Cafe One is located in a small strip plaza off US-1, close to I-95, making it an accessible stop for locals and travellers. There is plenty of free parking in the nearby strip mall.
The diner is run by Karl Strode, a pinball enthusiast and skilled cook, his wife Sanya, and their team, who create a welcoming, nostalgic atmosphere.
Pinball banners on the walls
Their cuisine is American comfort food, focusing on breakfast and lunch.
Examples:
Breakfast – Homestyle Biscuits with gravy, Cinnabon pancakes, New Orleans omelette (with shrimp and andouille sausage), several breakfast sandwiches (e.g. The Original: egg, toast, cheese, meat), and Florentine Croissant. Breakfast is available all day.
Lunch – Half-pound burgers, fish and chips, hand-breaded shrimp, and club sandwiches like grilled rye with Swiss cheese and turkey bacon. Soups sell out quickly, and their fresh-ground coffee is excellent. Vegetarian-friendly menu options are available.
Spinach omelette with fruit
The generous meal portions have made Cafe One a popular stop with riders on the way to the annual Daytona Beach ‘Bike Week’ events. In recent years Cafe One has offered their own Bike Week souvenir t-shirts.
2024 Bike Week Shirt Artwork Shown
Cafe One is billed as Florida’s first pinball diner, with a dedicated room featuring a line-up of high-quality, well-maintained pinball machines. Most games cost $1 per credit, quarters only. There is a change machine in the game room that can handle $1 to $20 bills.
They typically have 15-20 games, but please refer to the Pinball Map for the latest game selection. The games rotate, on average, every 90 days.
Quite a line-up of modern titles available to play
Various walls in the café have pinball or retro art for their decoration.
Pinball decor
Cafe One hosts pinball leagues with the Wizard Beach Ballers every other Tuesday at 7pm and occasional IFPA-sanctioned tournaments.
It’s fun to compete
The pinball room draws from the local enthusiast community, with visitors noting the machines’ excellent condition. It also can be a fun activity while waiting for food during busy times.
Cafe One has some of the latest games- all in perfect condition
Cafe One has some of the very latest games from Stern, Jersey Jack and Spooky to drop a few names. The Stern games have insider connected hardware but I didn’t see an I.C. leaderboard display. This might be a future addition.
The Cafe One founders have started work on a second location called Tap and Tilt at 175 N. Yonge St, which will expand their pinball, beverage and dining offerings. They plan for the second location’s game room to be “much larger.” In addition to pinball, they plan to have video games and redemption games such as claw machines. It is planned to be a bar+arcade with craft brews on tap and wine, but only a limited menu of bar snacks. They will initially be open mostly weekends in the afternoon and evening.
Cafe One offers a little of nearly everything to please anyone. We had great fun during our all-too-short visit. We would suggest that you stop in when you are visiting the Daytona Beach-Orlando area of Florida.
Continue reading...
M.G. Brown
Cafe One is a cozy, family-owned diner in Ormond Beach, just north of Daytona Beach, celebrated for its homemade American comfort food and a unique pinball arcade room.
They have a small sign on US-1 but it’s easy to spot their building
Cafe One is located in a small strip plaza off US-1, close to I-95, making it an accessible stop for locals and travellers. There is plenty of free parking in the nearby strip mall.
The diner is run by Karl Strode, a pinball enthusiast and skilled cook, his wife Sanya, and their team, who create a welcoming, nostalgic atmosphere.
Pinball banners on the walls
Their cuisine is American comfort food, focusing on breakfast and lunch.
Examples:
Breakfast – Homestyle Biscuits with gravy, Cinnabon pancakes, New Orleans omelette (with shrimp and andouille sausage), several breakfast sandwiches (e.g. The Original: egg, toast, cheese, meat), and Florentine Croissant. Breakfast is available all day.
Lunch – Half-pound burgers, fish and chips, hand-breaded shrimp, and club sandwiches like grilled rye with Swiss cheese and turkey bacon. Soups sell out quickly, and their fresh-ground coffee is excellent. Vegetarian-friendly menu options are available.
Spinach omelette with fruit
The generous meal portions have made Cafe One a popular stop with riders on the way to the annual Daytona Beach ‘Bike Week’ events. In recent years Cafe One has offered their own Bike Week souvenir t-shirts.
2024 Bike Week Shirt Artwork Shown
Cafe One is billed as Florida’s first pinball diner, with a dedicated room featuring a line-up of high-quality, well-maintained pinball machines. Most games cost $1 per credit, quarters only. There is a change machine in the game room that can handle $1 to $20 bills.
They typically have 15-20 games, but please refer to the Pinball Map for the latest game selection. The games rotate, on average, every 90 days.
Quite a line-up of modern titles available to play
Various walls in the café have pinball or retro art for their decoration.
Pinball decor
Cafe One hosts pinball leagues with the Wizard Beach Ballers every other Tuesday at 7pm and occasional IFPA-sanctioned tournaments.
It’s fun to compete
The pinball room draws from the local enthusiast community, with visitors noting the machines’ excellent condition. It also can be a fun activity while waiting for food during busy times.
Cafe One has some of the latest games- all in perfect condition
Cafe One has some of the very latest games from Stern, Jersey Jack and Spooky to drop a few names. The Stern games have insider connected hardware but I didn’t see an I.C. leaderboard display. This might be a future addition.
The Cafe One founders have started work on a second location called Tap and Tilt at 175 N. Yonge St, which will expand their pinball, beverage and dining offerings. They plan for the second location’s game room to be “much larger.” In addition to pinball, they plan to have video games and redemption games such as claw machines. It is planned to be a bar+arcade with craft brews on tap and wine, but only a limited menu of bar snacks. They will initially be open mostly weekends in the afternoon and evening.
Cafe One offers a little of nearly everything to please anyone. We had great fun during our all-too-short visit. We would suggest that you stop in when you are visiting the Daytona Beach-Orlando area of Florida.
Continue reading...
