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Albany Bowl
Category: Active Life Bowling Bowling [Edit]
540 San Pablo Ave(between Brighton Ave & Clay St)
Albany, CA 94706
(510) 526-8818
- Hours:
Mon-Tue, Fri-Sat 9 am - 2 am
Wed-Thu, Sun 9 am - 1 am
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
170 reviews for Albany Bowl
170 reviews in English
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Review from Anne Marie M.
Oakland, CA
3/20/2012 1 Check-in Here
In middle school school, our local bowling alley was turned into an "adult" bowling alley seemingly overnight. Cherry cokes replaced with cocktails, cosmic bowling no longer just an evening activity. We got the picture when they carded us at the door and told us we were no longer welcome. Much to the chagrin of our little twelve year old selves, we had to kiss another activity from the Friday night rotation goodbye. It was a sad day. Finding Albany Bowl, however, was like that feeling, but reversed.
Albany bowl is the best of the "adult" bowling alley and that place my awkward, butterball twelve year old self so enjoyed. Family friendly but still able to host a round or two of cosmic bowling at night. And it should be duly noted that there is a sports bar inside the bowling alley for those of you who might enjoy a brew while ya bowl.
But really, im a fan of this local business because they really look out for members of their community. In addition to seniors and student deals, there's $1 bowling and free shoe rental Mondays and Tuesdays for people with disabilities. They even have supports (literally-- large metal supports you put the ball at the top of and it glides down picking up momentum) in place to teach people with the most significant needs how to score a strike. No extra charges.
Albany Bowl strikes 5 stars with me. Now if only I could learn how to keep the ball out of the gutter...Listed in: Get off the couch!
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Review from Gabrielle L.
San Francisco, CA
3/31/2012 1 Check-in Here
On a rainy Saturday, we decided to go bowling somewhere in the east bay. It turns out this is the closest bowling alley without going in the city, even though it was a good 20 minutes from where we were in Berkeley.
Right away this looked like a fun place to come as a kid. There were tons of games to play, and the lighting for bowling looked like a fun laser/cosmic style bowling. I even wanted to play some of the arcade games, but the only token machine was being hogged by some kids. Oh well.
Bowling was fun, I was super impressed at how quickly the ball got returned after your bowl. And the tv screen also showed the speed of your last bowl, so that added a fun new element to it. The software to set up your game was confusing (the blank red button is the "Enter" button, why not just write that on it?), and I had to help the dad next to us set up his game for his kids too. You would think the software would be designed to be a little easier.
The game came out to $9 per person including shoes, which wasn't all that bad. They made us leave one shoe behind the counter as collateral, which I thought was a brilliant idea. No one is going to leave with your shoes if they can only get one.
I had a good time here, and was glad there was a parking lot. Also they played bar mitzvah music and it was fun to see all the kids (ok and us too) dancing
the Cha Cha Cha while they bowled. Fun! I don't think there's anything really unique about this place, but I'm glad it exists and might end up back there again if I'm in the area. -
Review from Olga M.
Berkeley, CA
3/9/2012 1 Check-in Here
Honestly, there's nothing amazing about this place. The balls and lanes are kind of old and the pool hall side is always so empty.
Cosmic bowling is the only highlight. The fact that it's the only bowling place around campus makes it a popular attraction.
Oh, they do have a parking lot! :) -
Review from Teri H.
Berkeley, CA
4/15/2012
This is just a cheap & fun night out with the kid. Bumpers go up/down automatically for the kids so the adults can keep frienemy style bets going on winners/loser. Nice selection of beers on tap. Glow in the dark bowling - genius. Can't speak to the food, i think they have just installed a new menu but overall its a couple times a year place for sure.
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Review from Isaac H.
Fresno, CA
4/7/2012
This place is a good place to go bowling. But the place should be cleaned up and the parking lot should be cleaned up too. Also I love the diner here.
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Review from Michael S.
Richmond, CA
2/3/2012
Nice bowling alley, clean, well lit, friendly staff.
Watch out Saturday nights. Too many young thugs after 7:00. -
Review from L P.
Berkeley, CA
3/28/2012
I love this place!!! Always a good crowd. Mix of veteran and beginner bowlers. The discount days are awesome. The staff remember you. Pool tables. A rad cafe/snack shack. The sports bar has strong and affordable drinks. Perfect place for company/family outting or a nice date.
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Review from Elaine L.
Berkeley, CA
Updated - 11/20/2011
We came again but chose the wrong time. -___-'' Thursday nights are $5 a game. Pretty expensive compared to the $1.50 games we did before.
On campus at Cal, people from albany bowl were passing out free bowling game tokens. I was able to get three so in the end it wasnt too expensive for my bf and me. (however it was for my friends ).
Again, it was pretty busy and we had to wait an hour for two lanes to accommodate our group of 8. Pool time it is.
This time, I stopped by the bar and saw all these people playing darts and OMG they are so good! I want to try next time I come. :)
I suggest checking out their website before you go to strategize what day and time you want to come in to get the cheapest rates.
Oh and to note on my previous post..... they played teach me how to duggie AGAIN.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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12/8/2010
I used to come here when I was in high school so maybe there were some nostalgic points given but I… Read more »
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Review from Kevin W.
Berkeley, CA
11/15/2011
For a bowling alley, this place is pretty decent. 40 lanes I think is what they have? I don't remember exactly, but its around there. It's been a while since i've been there but this place is very popular during the night times.
$1.50 games on thursday and Friday from 9am-5pm and I think they recently started $0.99 wednesdays from 9am-5pm as well but i'm not entirely sure.
This was once a weekly event for my girlfriend and I as we were practicing to be very good bowlers. We even bought 2 bowling balls, rags, our own bowling shoes and what not. We came here a lot. Before we came for their pool table but that was severely overpriced at $15 an hour =[
Anyways, this place gets very packed and noisy at night and during the day on the specials you'll see a few lanes getting taken but nothing too drastic. I recommend coming during the morning unless you absolutely have to go at night. If that's the case, I suggest going in about an hour early to get a number and then going out to get food to bring back and observe the other people play and try to learn a few tricks or two.
Great place to hang out none the less. -
Review from Andreas T.
Berkeley, CA
3/21/2012
A nice, clean bowling ally and pins that you must knock down with ball.
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Review from Anand G.
Berkeley, CA
3/12/2012
I was here on Friday night with a bunch of friends to play a couple of pool games. They have decent pool tables and the bowling lanes here are pretty good too. Would recommend this place if you want to hang out with friends in the Albany/Berkeley area.
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Review from Karma B.
Richmond, CA
10/28/2011
This place is a hub for teens and adult alike in the Richmond, El Cerrito, and Albany areas.
Great place to come and spend an evening knocking down some pins with a pitcher of beer.
Depending on when you go, the crowd can be a big difference. A lot of the more intense bowlers go during the mornings, to avoid the crowded nights. Afternoons are packed with high schoolers who come down to kill time. But in the evening you get everyone, from ghetto people, to simple family outings.
They have a lot of funk 80's music playing in the background.
Cheap bowling Thursdays and Friday afternoons.
If you're a fan of bowling or just looking for something fun to do for a couple hours, come here. Just be weary of the time of day you go, because that can impact the atmosphere -
Review from Nissa A.
San Francisco, CA
1/22/2012
LOVE this joint! Even though it's 510 and I'm 415, still worth the trip across the 'Bay. Not only are the lanes and the people are awesome, but there's a fun games area and a bar (after 5pm) for those of us over 21. Great place for a birthday party for kids or adults!
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Review from SD D.
Richmond, CA
2/24/2012 3 photos
After reading so many great reviews about this place, I decided to take my kids to check it out. It was going to be there first time bowling and I wanted to find a great place that they would love and enjoy. Well, yesterday was our BIG Day! They just LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE to Bowl now. They were amaze with every little thing, from the funny shoes (that at the end they thought were cool and they want there own pair) to the lanes and how they saw their Tia (that's me..:)) fall on her butt cause she passed the line were the oily part is at. They just fell in love with everything here. And ofcourse the staff there was so nice and helpful. Oh yeah I almost forgot.. I had taken them a couple of days before to see what they thought about trying out bowling, I actually left my purse there and I didn''t remember were I had left it. Than my niece said "Tia are you sure you grab your bag when we left the bowling place".. than that made me wonder and I called them and guess what.. I did leave it there and I was sooooo happy they had it. From all of this, I will say that this was our first and only stop to go bowling from now on. Thanks everyone for taking your time and leaving all the feedback on all the places you visit. This tells you that everything you write people read and believe what you say. Thanks Everyone.
P.S. Thank you to all the Staff at "Albany Bowl" you guys made my kids and mine experience wonderful.. :) -
Review from Kenny L.
6/19/2011
Even lanes compared to Presidio Bowl!
And shoes are $4.
Notice the perfect game banner hung here? We saw the perfect 300 game!
Be sure to request Mr. Bowling Pin for your birthday party. -
Review from Hadrian C.
Oakland, CA
1/6/2012 2 Check-ins Here
Always good deals on bowling and beer for better bowling
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Review from Nina L.
5/15/2011 1 Check-in Here
I am sorely disappointed by this establishment. We planned a special outing for a group of hospitalized kids and spoke with the staff a day before regarding the trip. They were not only rude but gave us a hard time about everything. When we arrived, were required to rent shoes (most of the kids were in wheelchairs and casts), pay for 8 people so that the 4 kids could have 2 lanes, and "inconvenienced" when we made a request for them to put the bumpers up.
To make things even more difficult, after we paid for 8 people and got the kids started, someone came by and said that we only had 2 names on each lane and insisted that we have 4 names up on each board. How ridiculous is that?!
We've brought the kids to Albany Bowl in the past and have never had such a horrible experience. Sorry guys...we're not planning anymore trips to your bowling alley anymore. So much for good publicity for you guys. The manager eventually came by to refund some of our money but it was too little too late. We aren't going to pack up 4 kids wheelchairs and drive 30 minutes for another afternoon like this. -
Review from Evelina E.
Berkeley, CA
1/5/2012 1 Check-in Here
I was put to shame here by the high schoolers who were way better at bowling than me. Things I love! The fact that it is a bowling alley. Grab a beer and get your bowl on! Things I don't love :( I am afraid of visiting the cafe next door because of several accounts of food poisoning. I want french fries while I bowl!
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Review from Markus N.
2/20/2011
Oh my. Albany Bowl, what didst thou do to me?
Past visits I remember Budweiser in bowling pin-shaped bottles. The containers last night were more traditionally shaped but apparently (from how my head feels right now), no less seductive.
The economics of Bay Area real estate have condemned most of the older lanes to reinvention by Costco or condo. Some have hung on. Thank you Albany Bowl for having your fingernails sufficiently dug into what's still important.
Good clean fun. Me and Davey rolled three games last night, filling the time before and after with air hockey and the basketball game and joke telling with the lovely wait staff. Families and dates, real bowlers, faux rollers, all there in a United Nations kind of mixed up ethnicity. Seriously, if the General Assembly went out drinking it would look like the lanes last night. Gives a guy a little hope.
When I woke for the second time this morning I had a vague recollection of writing last night after being inspired by a song on the radio. I thought of taking it down. I'm no Bukowski, after all, and need a measure of sobriety to put up something you might like to read.
It closed by saying that's me, thinking. It should have said that's me drinking, but my head presently isn't up for splitting hairs.
Bottom line is this - you don't need pin-shaped bottles to have fun, especially at places like Albany Bowl. I'm ready to go again whenever you are. Call me. -
Review from Cynthia L.
San Jose, CA
6/27/2011 1 Check-in Here
Single PRO: Cheap bowling on Thursdays
CON: Umm..the crowd is HELLLLLA ghetto. And I'm from East Side San Jose & currently live in Oakland. That's saying something.
The music is ridiculously loud. Like louder than the club loud. I don't need to be gettin' my groove on while I'm bowling or watch other people attempting to get theirs on either. It's just weird. -
Review from Lorrayne L.
Oakland, CA
2/21/2011 1 Check-in Here
My family's been coming here for years to bowl; I'm second generation here. But, despite our penchant for this All-American pasttime, we'd been going to the Alameda and Castro Valley places instead the past couple years. It was nice to go back last night.
The place looks pretty much the same, and it was super packed on a Sunday eve. The kids were out in force; we had to get on a waiting list for a lane. I love the DDR machine, and I would've totally gotten my groove on last night if it weren't for the fact that they ran out of tokens when I went to get some. Sadly, they got some more right when it was time to bowl. I'll have to do it next time.
The wait staff are super awesome, and props goes to our 'tender and Martha for feeding our libatious ways. Gods, beer and bowling apparently do not mix well for me. I want a rematch! lmao
But what really made me super happy and loving the lanes last night was when they put on the blacklights and started pumping 90's hip hop. LOVE IT! Martha informed me that the music selection tends to be random, depending on the attendant's mood and what he has on-hand that night. So I can't be guaranteed that the next Sunday night will have the same music. But I'm so glad they pulled it out last night. It made getting my ass pwned hardcore that much more sweet.
So maybe I'll see you there the next time. And if they pump the tunes again, we'll dance in the lanes with our balls in hand together. -
Review from Stephanie M.
Dublin, CA
4/29/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Shake your tail feather! Oh, and bowl while your at it.
I went here for a fundraising bowl-a-thon and had an absolute blast. Where else can you get your dance on while bowling? Don't forget to order a pitcher of beer and some cheap eats at the cafe up front before you get rollin. Lighted, sparkly, clean, glossy floors, some bowling shoes, a cup o' beer, curly fries, and let's get this sweet party started. -
Review from Amy J.
4/11/2011 1 Check-in Here
This is a decent bowling alley. Bill B hooked us up with a deal where all we had to do was pay for shoes. We took over three lanes and we had a decent time. I'm not sure how much food and drinks are here because I stuck to the vending machine for the time being. According to Kenny L, he said the food tastes like cafeteria food. I dunno. I had some nachos which were on par with any other place.
The lanes are nice, especially if you take over one that kids were bowling on. Bill invented the "Bill Bounce" and beat most of his yelp friends in attendance.
Overall, this is a decent bowling alley to gather some friends and have a good time. It's no better or worse than any other place. Just watch the signs because the parking lot kind of sneaks up on you. -
Review from B-Rye H.
Albany, CA
4/1/2011
I like to bowl and I live about 2 blocks from this place. I used to go Monday and Tuesday nights when they have a deal, but the service is so stinking bad that I would rather get in my car and drive to Pinole and give them the business. The people who work the front counter are all jerks.
They don't care about your business.
I still go on Friday mornings because there is no one there and even though they don't care about your business, it is hard to ignore you when you are the only one in the place.
The bar staff are really nice.
The pro shop guy is solid.
The restaraunt has great red curry.
The lanes are OK, but numbers 1-14 seem to get stuck a lot. The place is aging and you can tell, but it is a bowling alley that is still open, so you take what you can get. -
Review from Megan H.
San Jose, CA
2/2/2011
Five stars for the inflatable bowling pin that came out for our neighboring lane's kiddie birthday party. He danced around, and the kids loved it. Very entertaining. Then, he started to deflate and promptly left. Very fun.
A great, clean family spot for the east bay. Would definitely come back, and I think they sport some good deals for groups and weekdays. -
Review from Anthony H.
San Francisco, CA
6/26/2011
I went to a friend of a friend's birthday celebration. The bowling and games are fun. The night bowling adds some extra ambiance...and I loved all the 70/80's Funk music played...Brickhouse, Rick James, Rock-Skate and of course 80's MJ. There is a Bar that shares the same building...in the same place down a long hall away from the general gaming area. Overall we had fun bowling, snacking, drinking (OJ for me!) and playing everything from Skeetball to pool to air hockey at reasonable prices. Good for a large group fun night! We did not leave until after 12 midnight!
If you want to eat, I would suggest eating elsewhere...the Thai Cafe that is in the same building is so, so for Thai food...but the basic American cafe food is OK. -
Review from Susan C.
8/30/2010 1 Check-in Here
Flashback:
15 year old Susan. Trying to be a cool kid. Darting around amid flashing lights, top 40 remixes, arcade beeps, and crashing bowling pins. Memories of underage teens trying to get booze and hormones raging around the DDR machine. This place smells like high school and elementary school birthday parties.
Came here with some of my beloved Yelpers yesterday. We tried to hit pool balls with sticks. We tried to hit pins with balls. We danced around to over priced jukebox songs. We fell into puddles of laughter over our mistakes and celebrated our successes. All with the pleasant buzz of alcohol served buy a very rude and disgruntled female bartender whose name started with an S I think...
Despite "Bartender Buzz Kill", I just think this place is a great time. It is super affordable and just a ton of fun. -
Review from Justin F.
Berkeley, CA
12/12/2010
Cal students: there's a pretty good group (10+ people) deal if you come on Thursdays, so bring your Cal ID and your friends if you're concerned about value. Also makes for a decent club event.
The wait here on weekends is LOOONG so be prepared for that. Also, they liberally Lysol the shoes right when you put them on the counter whether or not your face is right in front of them or not, so check yourself if you don't want a mouthful of aerosol + chemicals. -
Review from Joe B.
12/9/2007 ROTD 12/20/2007
Bromance level? High. Where else can you bond with other guys but a bowling alley? Or pay a particularly poignant bromage to another man's ball speed? Nowhere but the alley. Not Rod Dibble's Alley, although you can sing a bromage there if you're REALLY smitten with your bro. :-)
Thug factor: high. On a Saturday night at least.
Baby thug factor: possibly high. An 8 year old kid sporting a gold $ chain and Run-DMC glasses? Ok, I can let this one slide - maybe he's just an impossibly cool little kid who has respect for the old skool.
Secondhand chronic smoke? Check. Apparently, while Albany is famous for netting drunk drivers, lettin' a thug smoke is AOK. Fine by me, I just want consistency here y'all.
Nasty balls? check. I wanted to get mine polished on the ol' polisher, but polished nasty balls are still . . . nasty balls. Still, they glide down the lane soooo much nicer that way. :-D
Great company? CHECK! Saved from a 2-star. Lise's birthday bash was in effect, and it was great to see Steven, Lise, Douglas, Gracie, etc. I found out I had excellent ball speed. Who knew? If you can't have accuracy, at least throw the damn thing down the lane with gusto! ;-) I still need to bowl over 100 some time in my life. Gracie just can't stop dancing wherever she is. The Crixa birthday cake was great, I'm just not a super citrus-and-chocolate guy. I'll take my chocolate straight.
Dancing to a strike? Check. Got to see and participate in a few of those - I even got to dance to a little MJ.
Crazy bowling shirts? Check. Douglas and I had on loud shirts that could only have worked at a tiki bar or backyard BBQ.
Punks throwing balls down the lane like they couldn't give a damn? check.
Super-kitschy signage? check. I wanted to rip off some of the cocktail lounge and food signs and take them home. Very '50s diner style. Reminded me of the places I used to go for pizza and arcade games when I was a kid.
I'm kinda hooked on bowling now, I just need to find a nicer venue. Or come during the week. Damn, I forgot to order a White Russian, even though I went home with one. The Dude abides. ;-) -
Review from John r.
Concord, CA
Updated - 3/9/2009 ROTD 1/6/2010
Jason C. is a bowling shark!
He told me he bowls a 160... I bowl a 160: he actually bowls a 180 and kicked my ass... AFTER he got me to agree that the loser had to dance for the winner... (ahem) he made that bet when I was 20 points ahead.
Then he kicked my ass at a video game.
Then we left and I got a ticket for making an illegal u-turn in a business district.
http://www.flickr.com/...
Then he kicked my ass at pool.
What was good about this night?
Oh yeah! The bloody Mary was good, and Jason C paid for it.
(Cheers to Jason)
Also, the lovely Debbie L. is always a pleasure to watch gliding across the bowling alley, heads turning everywhere she goes.
http://www.yelp.com/us...
Even the lunch bucket joes who refused to take turns and kept barging into my peripheral vision when I was trying to focus, yes; even Fred and Barney, checked out Debbie L.
Debbie, on the other hand, accused me of checking out Jason C's ass!
Well, I wasn't checking out his ass... I was... taking a picture of my bloody mary!
See?
http://www.flickr.com/...
Albany Bowl is definitely a good time, but be warned, if a little Asian guy with buns of steel challenges you to a game; be afraid.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/5/2009
Albany Bowl is fun, it's true
They have bowling and booze for me and you
Videos and Vodkas and Strikes… Read more »
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Review from Lisa T.
San Francisco, CA
8/30/2007
My friends and I OWN Albany Bowl!!!
We are MAGIC. Put your business card in the fishbowl, win a free bowling party for two hours, two lanes. We've done this, oh, three times in the last six months.
I am NOT a good bowler, either, but this place makes me love bowling. Thai food, beer, and bowling. Bowling for FREE! With bowling balls in psychedelic colors, too. For those of us who are TRUE novices and choose our ball based on its aesthetic value, rather than its weight-appropriateness. Which only makes your bad bowling worse, but WHO CARES?!
AND... When you're bowling for free, you can add this extra bit of excitement... It's called SPEEDBOWL! When your free lane is about to expire, you get a 15-minute warning on your screen...
"OKAY, PEOPLE! We are down to 15 minutes before they shut down these free lanes. We are SPEED. BOWLING. Speedbowl. You are no longer thinking; you are only throwing. Turn off your brains and ROLL."
That's a direct quote from ME!!! Gettin' all Walter Sobchek on my friends' asses... SPEEDBOWLING RULES!
All of a sudden, you forget all your weird quirks and hesitations, and you just STRIKE, STRIKE, STRIKE!!! It's RAD!!! Once, five of us rolled like two strikes in a row each, and our scores shot up, and because you take a roll out every time you strike, we finished a game that was nowhere NEAR finished at the 15-minute mark! HOW COOL IS THAT?!
Say it -- cool.
GO PUT YOUR BUSINESS CARD IN THE FISHBOWL RIGHT NOW!!! -
Review from Berna T.
10/27/2007
Funny story on how I ended up here. One sunny Saturday afternoon, we tried going to the Albatross but apparently, we are such raging alcoholics that we got there BEFORE THE BAR WAS EVEN OPEN. So we tried to move the party over to The Mallard, but one of our friends had his six-year-old with him, so we couldn't go in. So...we went to Albany Bowl.
Here's the deal - Albany Bowl is a pretty decent bowling alley, with two rooms of lanes. But the best parts are not the lanes...they are the cocktail lounge, clean bathrooms, free parking, snack bar (with some really good chicken nuggets), and an arcade area with a more Asian (if that's even possible) version of Dance Dance Revolution called "Into The Groove".
That, my friends, is worth crossing the bridge for. Take THAT, Serra Bowl! -
Review from Drue C.
San Francisco, CA
1/6/2007
Let me start by saying I am not a world class bowler, not even close. I usually end a game hovering in the 40-50 range. So, this place, and night, hold fond memories for the fact that I bowled a game over 70. I know, sad, but I am only competing against myself in these situations, as I already know I will take the prize for last every time.
So, my friend won one of those business card drawings (yes, people actually do win, wow!) and 10 of us met up at Albany bowl for 2 free lanes and two free hours of bowling. You know it will be a good night when you get something for free.
Good bowling alley with all that a bowling alley should have;
#1. People watching....boy do you get a mix here, and everyone is cool as hell to everyone else
#2. Full bar - something our little Presidio Bowl lacks
#3. Coffee Shop, and I mean the old school greasy spoon variety. Oh, and they serve Thai food.....strange but, hey, variety is the spice of life.
#4. Flourescent bowling shoes. Yes, you heard me right. They are HOT!
#5. Pool tables, in case bowling wasn't enough to satisfy your need for a sport which requires skill, yet no athletic ability.
I am not sure I would ordinarily make the drive to Albany to bowl but if invited by friends in the future, especially if it is free, I would definitely go here again. -
Review from Emma K.
Oakland, CA
3/18/2007
Why did no one tell me that Saturdays are disco night at the Albany Bowl, complete with super awesome music videos? And that they also have a bar and Thai restaurant built-in? I had a reservation or two when I found out that we would be celebrating the 30th birthday of a friend of my boyfriend at a bowling alley. Little did I know the gloriousness that awaited us at the Albany bowl - kids with ice cream cake, twenties-ish folk like us knocking a few back, league players, bowlers of every age, race, class and level of ability bowling side by side to the strains of "Lady Marmalade," "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy," and "I'm Every Woman" ... This place is a true gem, and I'm going back on disco night dressed up like this:
http://blog.tilos.hu/m...Listed in: East Bay Essentials
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Review from Kara R.
12/2/2009
I threw a pretty successful birthday party here for D last month. On a crowded Saturday, I only had to pay a $60 deposit to reserve 3 lanes, and they pretty much let us bring in as much food as we wanted. The people over the phone were very helpful and, well, I really just want to brag that I somehow rolled A TURKEY!!!!!! That's 3 strikes in a row, bitchez!!!!!!!!
The only reason I'm knocking a star is that I felt payment could have been arranged differently. At $18 per person, they refused to collect money from our party and instead put everything on my credit card. It felt kind of douchey to welcome people to the party and then hold my hand open for $18 plus foot the bill for any pizza ordered. Thankfully, the Thai Cafe was surprisingly tasty and didn't get charge happy on my credit card. -
Review from Anne K.
1/10/2009
For the second year in a row, my department had its low-key winter party in January (instead of December) at Albany Bowl. While it is a great place to bowl anytime (with reasonable prices, rentals, hockey, pool, etc), Albany Bowl offers a great group package with multiple lanes and shoe rentals complimented by pizza and beer and 80's music. When we called to make our reservation they remembered us! The service is friendly and they are quick to fix any problems (like the ball that the four year old kid of a coworker got stuck for lack of speed).
I was genuinely impressed and should probably take advantage of this place more. I had a lot of fun this evening, inviting my brother as my +1, and winning him both games. I may have got stomped by lots of others but my 10-year old competitive self didn't want to loose to him. -
Review from Bill B.
11/18/2008
A fun place to go with a group or even by yourself. Bowling rates vary depending on day and time, but if you can get a weekday off, it's just $1 per game from 9-5! They have about 3 dozen lanes, so there's usually not much of a wait, and they do a good job keeping everything working smoothly. (I'm always amused by the vending machine that offers socks!) They also have a pool hall section containing about a dozen tables and a jukebox, though pool rates are a little steep. A small selection of video games is available, as is a small burgers-and-fries type diner.
If you're anything like me, however, you need to hit the attached bar/lounge for a pint or pitcher before your game gets any good.
TRIVIA: Bowling-style games date back to ancient Egypt and Germany c.300 CE. Modern 10-pin bowling was standardized in New York in 1895 and is now played by an estimated 95 million people in 90 countries worldwide. -
Review from Lise L.
Oakland, CA
12/9/2007
Had my Almost 40 Birthday Party here with about 20 of my nearest and dearest and I was blown away by how much fun it was! The rate for four lanes was really reasonable, and it was really handy having the lovely lady in red coming around to bring us drinks.
The disco lights and booming music added a little extra excitement (a little too much for one hungover friend) and fun between rounds of throwing balls. While loud enough to induce spontaneous dance moves mid-bowl, it was still low enough that we could hear each other make excuses for the latest poor shot (OK OK I was the only one making excuses, but my audience still heard them and because it was my birthday, pretended to buy them. Great friends!)
Albany Bowl allows for ordering pizza in, as long as the pizza is from Albany Pizza. The pizzas were good enough and at a really great price so this option worked out really well for us. Some folks did pick up food in the cafe as well and said it was really good.
The only bummer was the monsters hogging the Dance Dance Revolution game. They refuse to get off the game, cut in line and if you dare try to get a turn, their big brothers (dads?) come threaten to beat you up. Not cool.
All in all, I highly recommend it for a goofy fun party with very little fuss. and a very reasonable price tag. -
Review from Joanne Y.
2/13/2009
It's fun here, but the last time I went here the workers here weren't too big on customer service. I had won 2 hours of free bowling for 8-10 people, and we had 7 people--two were late. They would just NOT let us start our game without all the people there, so we ended up waiting around for our friends (who were stuck in BAD traffic) to show up.
We had a reservation for 2 hours of free play and 40 minutes had passed. I TRIED to negotiate with them, asking if they would let us just start and pay the difference for the 2 people who were late, and we would even just play until our original 2 hour reservation was up. But NO, they would not let us because they said we could either walk away from our reservation or everyone had to pay another $4.50 per hour on top of $4 for shoes. Seriously?! (In my opinion this was a bad business move--you might as well get what you can out of the customers your have rather than not using the bowling lanes at all--it would be really hard to find anyone to fit into a 1 hr 15 min time slot.)
In the end, my friend had to talk to them again, and they finally let us bowl, with the exception that my two friends had to pay full price to play if they joined us later. Shouldn't have had to deal with all this trouble, but whatever.
My friends and I also put money in the DDR machine there to play and they would not open up the machine to fix the problem we were having, even though it was clear we had put money in the machine. Lame.
But I GUESS besides the bad service, it is a pretty decent place for a bowling alley. There is decent food and drinks right there, arcades, and cheap bowling games on certain nights. Good enough for the east bay... -
Review from David O.
Walnut Creek, CA
5/12/2008
A friend of mine had a birthday party here last Saturday. We had a huge group of people here bowling on 2 lanes + one additional bowling lane on the end just for the kids. Still, with 6 people bowling per lane, the games took quite a while to finish so we in fact only got to bowl one game. Thankfully, though, we had plenty of time to order several pitchers of beer from their cocktail lounge: $14 for a pitcher, slightly steep but that's inflation I guess...
The high score, I think, was 151. I personally had the next to last place coming in with a 59. Hey, at least I beat Barack Obama, right?
Oh, and my wife was eyeing these stiletto heel bowling shoes that were so hideously money... :)
