Not doing things is pretty much my favorite thing to do, but I recently set aside a Saturday afternoon to hop in a car with a couple buds, Ryan and Doug, and make a pin-grimage to East Moline to check out Midwest Ale Works.
By the time we arrived, Ryan and I were in the middle of an impassioned debate over which cereal from the ’90s reigned supreme while Doug sat in the back reading aloud passages from Foucault’s The Order of Things. As we piled out of the truck, we took a moment to admire the charmingly dilapidated sprawl of a brick building, which looks like a backdrop for a scene from The Last of Us.
Local brewery Midwest Ale Works (MAW) is part of a series of interconnecting stores that includes Iron + Grain Coffee House, music venue The Rust Belt, restaurant Jennie’s Boxcar and hair salon Dark Horse Aesthetics. Each business has clear demarcations, and the design of the building allows for easy cross pollination of customers.
We ordered a sampler flight of beers, which was served on a metal plate that looked like a shield from the movie Krull (and if you don’t get that reference, you probably did a lot better in school than me). MAW also offers THC drinks that range from 4 to 10 mg, an added draw for out-of-staters. (Iowa law limits beverages to just 4 mg THC.)
With drinks in hand, we made our way to the back room: a long hallway between MAW and the Rust Belt, flanked by 20 pinball machines lined up side by side in two groups of 10. The lighting had the intensity of a reading lamp, which is ideal for pinball, as this ensures you can clearly see the playfield. The hallway was wide enough and machines spaced far enough apart to mitigate what could otherwise be a claustrophobic atmosphere.
The roster of machines is Stern heavy (X-Men, Metallica, Venom, etc.) but also includes an old school Harlem Globetrotters, a Theater of Magic for any old Bally/Williams golden era fans, Toy Story from Jersey Jack and a boutique Aliens, which are rare to find in the wild, especially in such fantastic condition. To that point, big shoutout to Dennis Keppy, who does a stellar job keeping these machines in pristine shape. He also coordinates regular tournaments at the brewery, the next of which is happening March 6-9.
After a few rounds of pinball, we decided to order from Jennie’s Boxcar, the adjoining Mexican restaurant. Along with locally sourced ingredients, the menu includes a wide variety of vegan options. Though I don’t typically order vegan, the option indicates a level of care and consideration for patron needs I like to see.
We opted for a plate of Boxcar Nachos, which came with housemade chips, fiesta queso, crema and barbacoa, and an order of seasoned chicken and barbacoa tacos served on flour tortillas, as well as sweet ancho chile rubbed shrimp tacos on corn tortillas. After taking our first bites of the artfully presented tacos, a reverent silence fell over our table. For the first time on the trip, we all shut up for a few seconds, happily savoring the flavors.
The homemade chips were the perfect consistency, free of that common excess and gut-busting melted American cheese. Instead they came with a perfectly portioned layering of fiesta queso and exceptionally prepared barbacoa, which practically melted when you picked it up. The tacos were even more on point but the surprise hit was the shrimp taco, the Pipsqueak. I typically shy away from ordering seafood in the Midwest, but the shrimp had a perfect tender texture that paired exceptionally well with the corn tortilla, red cabbage and artfully arrayed avocado. Our only critique was that there wasn’t any more of it, a minor issue that we quickly resolved by ordering another round for the table.
As our trip came to a close, the folks at the Rust Belt were just getting started. The band was warming up next door, patrons piled into Jennie’s Boxcar and a slew of local players occupied most of the machines in Midwest Ale Works.
It’s rare to find a location with such a balanced trifecta of good food and drinks, exceptional pinball and live music. All are excellent in their own right, but shine brightest when Voltroned together — not unlike the dynamic between my buddies and me.
Fortunately for us, we have an excuse to head back March 6 for the Battle at the Rust Belt Pinball Tournament. If you’re already a fan of pinball or just looking for an excuse to get out of town for a little bit to enjoy some good food and/or live music, do yourself a favor and round up a couple good buds for a good-time getaway. You won’t be sorry you did.
This article was originally published in Little Village’s March 2025 issue.
