Hot Shots Pool in Pismo Beach
Daily offerings of fun for the entire family
The best souvenirs to bring back from vacation are good stories. With pool tables, beers on tap, video games, and fried frog legs, Hot Shots Family Entertainment Center is the best place in Pismo Beach for the nightlife and hilarious hi-jinks that make for memorable tales.
“We offer an experience that’s different than any place else,” said owner Phil Schwent. “You get a lot of different kinds of people here, and there’s plenty of space for everyone and enough to do to keep you from ever feeling cramped or bored.”
Located near the pier, this one-of-a-kind spot is right in the thick of Pismo Beach. From the street, the building looks like a novelty t-shirt and poster shop but once inside, the room opens into a huge billiards hall. The savory aroma of pizza and burgers fills the air, and the sudden cracks of cue balls breaking new games can be heard over the rock ‘n roll from an Internet jukebox. It’s a scene that starts the good times rolling.
Family-friendly fun
This is no ordinary pool hall – Hot Shots is a family-friendly establishment that is far from the norm. It features two air hockey tables, lots of arcade-style race games, and first-person shooters, claw cranes with candy prizes, and more. An entire kids section, perfect for birthday parties, is set off from the adult area and still in full view of watchful parents.
“It’s an adult atmosphere where the kids are welcome and can stay safe,” said Schwent. “Grown-ups can have a beer and shoot some pool while the kids play a few games.”
Hot Shots is a place where everyone can have a good time. Bring the kids and let them have the freedom to be loud, and play side-by-side with adults doing the same. Everyone wins.
Great food, local beers and pool games
It’s not a party without good food, so Hot Shots hooks it up. The pizza is made from scratch; the burgers are juicy and dripping with cheese, and the fish and chips are rated among the best in town. Add fried pickles, artichoke hearts, and frog legs to the mix, and you’ve got a menu that delivers the carefree, fun-loving lifestyle of the Central Coast at an affordable price. The beer menu includes everything from typical macro brewery beer to a West Coast style IPA and beyond, with a bevy of local microbrewery beers and those lesser-known rare brands that are sometimes difficult to come by.
“This old building used to be a Vaudeville stage and a movie theater,” said Schwent. “It’s a great place for entertainment, and that old attitude lives on.” Nowadays, pool rules at the old theater. Leagues meet weekly to compete for bragging rights and the competition is more friendly than fierce.
“There are a lot of couples that come out for regular date nights as part of the leagues,” said Schwent. “Teams are placed into brackets by skill, so you’re playing people at your level. Everyone is invited to join the league, even beginners.”
Hot Shots Family Entertainment Center, located at 250 Pomeroy in Pismo Beach, is open Fri and Sat 11 to 1 a.m. and Sun – Thur 11 a.m. to midnight. Call (805) 773-4542 or visit hotshotspismo.com for more information.
