'Futuristic' Ping Pong Venue Opens In Astoria, Promising 24/7 Gameplay

ASTORIA, QUEENS — Astoria's latest business opening is not a restaurant, nor is it a clothing store or a smoke shop: it's a "24/7 futuristic table-tennis-on-demand concept."

PingPod opened its doors Friday on Steinway Street just south of 30th Avenue, the newest location for the table-tennis venue that describes itself as the "future of ping pong."

Consisting of six tables spread across a 3,200-square-foot storefront, it also includes private pods with a separate entrance, as well as a "robot table" for anyone tired of competing against human opponents.

PingPod opened its first location in 2020 on the Lower East Side and has rapidly expanded since then, inaugurating a Midtown location last year and a Williamsburg venue in February.

Its founders include Ernesto Ebuen, a table tennis coach and former player who was once ranked first in the U.S.; Max Kogler, a former COO of the youth program Super Soccer Stars; and David Silberman, who designed the PingPod concept.

"When we first started exploring Astoria for PingPod we were struck by the vibrancy and diversity of the neighborhood," Kogler said in a statement, adding that PingPod could help improve one of Astoria's few shortcomings: a "lack of recreational activities."

The 24/7 model is made possible by the table tennis "pods": street-level spaces that can be rented out online in 30-minute increments, with no employees onsite. (For safety and security, the sites are monitored by video 24/7, according to the company.)

Reservations are made using a web app, with prices ranging from $15 to $40 per hour, according to PingPod's website. Once inside, customers check in at a kiosk and proceed to their table, which features a basket of "high-quality balls" and paddles.

Since the mini-chain first opened, more than 14,000 people have registered to play at its three locations, according to a news release.

Find out more at PingPod's website.