On a recent Monday night in an unassuming Mission warehouse, lights flashed onto a rotating disco ball, a DJ hit play on Mac Dre’s “Feelin’ Myself,” and the final match of a high-stakes Skee-Ball tournament began. It was a friendly match between service industry workers, not necessarily pro rollers, but finalists T Rex and Shellskee were indeed in the presence of greatness: The tournament was hosted by current world Skee-Ball champion Joey “The Cat” Mucha.

Although it doesn’t look like much from the outside, Joey the Cat’s Mission Arcade is a nostalgic funhouse slash sleekly polished private event space, opening to the public for the first time this Thursday. There are games scattered throughout, from Pop-A-Shot to classics like Galaga and Donkey Kong, which are in a loft area inside the warehouse. Cavaña bartender Sam Diaz created a fresh cocktail menu for the arcade’s full bar, and the kitchen is helmed by culinary veteran Jessica Sullivan (Boulevard, Prospect, Delfina). But front and center are five Skee-Ball Model S machines, which make it clear that this is foremost a temple to the sport Mucha has been obsessed with for 18 years. 

The interior of Joey the Cat’s Mission Arcade in San Francisco on Feb. 27, 2026.

Joey “The Cat” Mucha launches a ball between his legs up a Skee-Ball lane at Joey the Cat’s Mission Arcade in San Francisco on Feb. 27, 2026.

Classic arcade games at Joey the Cat’s Mission Arcade in San Francisco on Feb. 27, 2026.

“The whole arcade universe that I entered started when I joined the competitive Skee-Ball league back in ’08 and bought a machine on eBay to practice for said league and then........

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