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Elitch Lanes
Rating Details »
Neighborhood: Northwest
3825 Tennyson St
Denver, CO 80212
(303) 477-1633
3825 Tennyson St
Denver, CO 80212
(303) 477-1633
Bowling, Drink and Food Specials
Great deals every Monday through Thursday. Click here for more info: http://www.elitchbowli...
- Hours:
Mon-Thu. 9:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Fri-Sat. 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
22 reviews for Elitch Lanes
This business is a Yelp Sponsor
1/7/2009
8/29/2009
8/26/2009
5/31/2009
11/17/2009
11/10/2009
11/4/2009
10/31/2009
9/4/2009
3/2/2009
4/10/2009
Updated - 2/21/2009
2 photos
2/4/2009
1/24/2009
12/29/2008
9/4/2008
2/3/2009
10/2/2008
9/3/2008
11/14/2008
8/24/2008
1/27/2009
One of the Business' Favorite Reviews What's This?
Just call me Kingpin :o) I haven't bowled in years but I was kicking butt last night. I've been in a few bowling alleys over my 20 years of living in the states (usually when Brit friends are visiting) and they always seem to be seedy, 70's looking joints. Elitchs is no different but it was awesome. Tues & Thurs 9pm to close its $5 to get in then .25c shoes, games and hot dogs. We passed on the hot dogs!
At the counter the lady was very welcoming and told us there would be a wait as there were 6 other groups ahead of us. We then told her that we had called ahead and made a reservation so we got hooked up straight away. At the bar they have to ID everyone and you get a wristband so I had to go and grab my friend before she would give me two glasses. On tap they had Bud, Bud lite, Stella and Avalanche Ale. I got a pitcher of Avalanche and it was $13.75 which seemed reasonable? It was all kinda bright with the lights on when we first walked in but during one of our four games the lights dimmed, the music got cranked up a notch and the neon lights were glowing along with my limey Green shoe laces :o)
On the way out we had a quick game of air hockey in which I got beat 7-1 so I see a rematch in the near future.
This place gets busy so I highly recommend you call ahead and make a reservation. I am a fan.
I'm a fan of Elitch Lanes because they have a program for neighborhood kids to bowl after school for cheap ($5ish) - plus a hot dog and drink were included too.
My son participated two different sessions - it was great exercise (better than watch TV or playing computer games); counter service was always attentive and respectful.
My son always looked forward to eating fries and playing air hockey here too. Plenty of parking available.
It's the real deal; affordable for all; "yes" to a cool "old-school" institution in the 'hood.
I am surprised that this establishment has such great reviews.
I have spent my money at Elitch Lanes over a half dozen times, and have always been less than impressed. I decided after my last visit that I will never return.
First of all, the bartender is extremely rude each time. She acts as if every drink order is an inconvenience to her rather than an opportunity for her to make money. I think she believes that every person who orders a drink is sneaking that drink to some 18 year old kid. My entire group was in their late 20's, and she treated us like we were criminals when ordering drinks.
In fact, when I went to get my shoes, the man taking money there acted the same way, as if I was inconveniencing him by making him do 'work'.
Staff rudeness aside, the prices here are decidedly astronomical. Bowling is cheap, $7 for three hours and shoes. But drinks? Out of the question. A pitcher of Stella is $14 and even a pitcher of Bud Light is $10. My favorite joints in New York City charge less! My friends spent around $500 for a night of bowling. That is ridiculous, especially considering how poorly we were treated all night.
When I was there, the place was pretty filthy, too. The bathroom was so gross, I actually had to hold it until we left.
This is where we slum. Usually on a holiday weekend of some sort when you are fed up with family gatherings or stifling heat. Come to Elitch Lanes and order some pitchers, have some pizza delivered, and relax! (yes, you can bring outside food!! how many places let you do that?)
Never had a problem with reservations, service, anything. Its always amusing that everyone in your party who will be drinking, even grandma, will have to bring an ID to the bar and get a bracelet (a la Fillmore). Usually about 2 games in, someone feels the need to feed a lot of quarters into the jukebox for some Journey. Kitsch has its price.
And did someone say "people-watching"? Its almost the best part about bowling... and there is some good stuff at Elitch Lanes.
I heart Elitch Lanes. I even eat their hot dogs. I will not go to Lucky Strike. Ever.
I occasionally leave the highlands, but why bother when it has everything I need. And sometimes, I just need to bowl. Elitch Lanes is the jam. Cheap bowling, a few video games for the kiddies, and a decently stocked bar. I'm not sure what else you'd be after in a bowling alley. It's a little older, but the ball still rolls the same. And the other yelp comment about the staff being rude is utterly ridiculous. Nice people work here, so don't let that fool you. Open late, but packed on the weekends. They do not get a 5th star from me because drinking there can add up if you don't go on one of their draft special nights. That's all from me yelpers, good luck and good bowling!
Old skool bowling, $1 games and $1 drafts on Wed nights as well as other specials. This place was packed but the attendant was very cool and even though we were told it might be up to 2 hrs wait, he remembered to grab us and we got a lane within 20 minutes. They are open until 2am every night and it seemed to quiet down around 11pm. I had fun even though I'm a terrible bowler!
I'm not a bigtime bowler but this place is a total blast. It's a dive for sure, but not gross inside. They often have cheap specials on shoes, beers and hot dogs for 25 cents to $1 depending on the day and time. That's tough to beat. I've always come on weeknights or Sundays and never had to wait for lanes, but I'm sure it's busy on Friday and Saturday nights. I like how they have half the lanes set up for disco bowling and half lit regularly because it's usually quicker to get set up on the less crowded "normal" lanes. They have a decent beer selection if you don't like $1 Bud Light in a plastic cup the size of a shot glass. But when in Rome... Maybe next year I'll join a bowling league!
The bowling was pretty affordable. The lanes and the bowling area were clean (we went on a Saturday night).
I liked the environment - it was chill, clean, and had good music playing at the right volume. It's a big step up from your typical old-school alley that has never been cleaned or updated since it was open.
There can be a wait - but only because this place is popular. The staff was good about getting people to open lanes as soon as possible, though.
I didn't do the food or the bar, but if you go just to bowl it's great. It's pretty available for families and kids of all ages most of the time (closer to midnight some people had their drunk on, but it was pretty minimal).
Bowling is bowling but the bartenders were rude. We were watched like hawks without reason and the bathroom floors were soaked. I'd rather bowl elsewhere and will.
Great bowling movies, ok just bowling Movies! Big Lebowski & King Pin, if they were to ever film a bowling movie in Denver this is where is would be filmed! This place has character, on any given day you could see Walter Sobchack, The Dude & Donny bowling on lane 4 while Roy Munson and Ernie McCraken go at it on lane 10, and Michael Moore might be doing something for Columbine on Lane 8.
It is small and it is old, the they do have the standard up to date electronic computer controlled scoring systems with the new fangled graphics, I wish it would have been the old school pong style scoring system with the block letters and minimal graphics. There is a cool small bar in the back behind the counter where you get your shoes and pay for this leisure activity. We had a work outing here and they put out some brats and burgers for us, This is a bowling alley and the bar on your expectations on the food are is pretty low, however the brats were exceptional and I forgot to ask what brand they were because I would eat them again.
Admittedly I am not a very good bowler, I honestly go just to see how hard I can throw the ball and one cool thing most alleys do now a days is show you the speed of your ball, I however have a gripe here I think they have a regulator and or the MPH readout is capped at 23.3 MPH because there is no way I could throw that exact MPH on 6 straight balls.
Bowling is one of those "sports" where you feel at home drinking beer and eating chicken tenders while "sporting." This may come off as a snide put-down on bowling but it's not. Bowling is awesome. Those of us that are "twice a year" bowlers can go from hitting two strikes in a row to complete gutterballs on the next two frames. And you know what? We don't care. It's not a big deal to suck at bowling. In fact, you do get looked at kind of funny if you're doing too well. And if you have your own gear? Forget about it. You might as well be from another planet as far as us mere mortals who use the public shoes are concerned.
Elitch caters to us spontaneous bowlers. It's good fun and an inexpensive way to spend your evening. It's even better if you've got a huge group and you make fun of each other after every throw. Elitch Lanes doesn't care if you're boisterous and loud because everyone else is.
Plus with the computerized scorecards, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out who won and how strikes/spares carry over. I said this out loud one day and SV mentioned that she learned how to score bowling in gym class. My response was deafening silence. I concluded that this is something that they taught in the Midwest (SV is from St. Louis), but I could be wrong.
You can try those other fancier bowling lanes like Lucky Strike; LS has its place on a evening of ribaldry, but most don't bowl for the ambiance. Bowling is supposed to be raw, a little dingy and cheap. Elitch Lanes is all of those.
Just when I thought this old school bowling alley couldn't get any better, they laughed in my face and showed me how wrong I could be...
Ladies and gentlemen, they have the fast version of Ms. Pac-Man now.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/29/2008 First to Review
You know what I like about this bowling alley? They give you choices. Say you walk in on a Friday… Read more »
Cheap fun alert: Tuesdays and Thursdays after 9pm are $5 entry and then 25 cent shoes, games, and hot dogs!! Yesssssss.
I played two games and had a hot dog for 6 bucks. Tons of fun, even if I can't bowl over 100. My only gripe is that they wouldn't let me use the 6 pound ball (its for kids) - I have carpal tunnel and anything heavier hurts my wrists.
Reservations recommended - it was pretty packed on a Tuesday night!
I just returned from an afternoon of bowling with the kids from the Tennyson Center for Children, hosted at Elitch Lanes. This is a really cute place tucked into the heart of Berkley with plenty of parking and an eclectic mix of folks - everything from little girls celebrating their birthdays to our group to older folks brushing up on their bowling form.
As bowling lanes go, this place was pretty clean and seemed to have a never ending selection of bowling alley-fare such as hot dogs, fries and drinks. I'd definitely go back to Elitch Lanes next time we're looking for a place to get our bowl on!
I have been going to this bowling alley for almost 8 years as a Christmas tradition with my father's side of the family and it's been absolutely incredible to watch it transform from family fun spot to hipster hangout.
I, of course, went bowling here on Saturday evening (we planned on going Friday, but when we got there at 10, there was a 2 hour wait) and found the place unchanged from the year before.
Well, maybe there were a few more skinny jeans than I was used to seeing, but that was about it.
What I like about this place is that Elitch Lanes never really modifies their image. Sure, they upgrade their technology, but it's still essentially a neighborhood bowling alley, complete with extremely watered down Bud Light and guy at the counter missing half his teeth.
See you next year, Elitches!
Took a step back in time. My first year at Horace Mann Jr High. It was 1966, Mr Bogadi's intro to bowling class. The first time I stuck my fingers into a bowling ball.
Zoom forward 30 years. I walked into the bowling alley gig and kind of laughed to myself, a band in a bowling alley. Shit the smoke is thick in here!
Just a few days ago... I'm surprised that the place doesn't still reek of smoke. It had to have been absorbed into the bricks as smelly as it used to be in here. This is one of the reasons that the smoking ban makes life better, this is a place a family could come to. They've kept the place up nice for all these many years and with the automated scoring it makes bowling a simple matter of trying to keep the ball out of the gutters. Very cool.
This is a reasonably priced place to go bowling. It's very cute inside and I like that you can be on the neon black light side or the "normal" bowling side. I wasn't too impressed by the staff there unfortunately. We had lots of trouble with one lane and got some "hey man machines just break sometimes" attitude when we went to complain about it. But it got fixed and we bowled a few games, and drank a few pitchers of beer and had a good time there. I would strongly suggest reservations for a lane on weekends because this place was slammin' on a Saturday night.
Wednesdays are the best! $1 shoe rental, $1 games, $1 beers!
Went here with a large group from http://MeetIn.org and had an absolute blast!
They lose one star for their very strange way of assigning lanes. We were able to reserve one lane at 8pm and 2 more at 9pm. We got our 8pm lane and the one next to us was open, so we took that one as well. As 9pm rolls around, we start asking about our other lane. There were several vacant, but they put us on a waiting list anyway. It wasn't until after 10pm that we got our other lane. WTF?
I agree with the other reviews. I love this old school bowling alley. The staff is great as is the music selection, the food is above average and there are almost always lanes available. The air hockey table and prize machines are also an added bonus if you like a little variety.
I love this place! One of the greatest landmarks in north Denver. Its a little expensive if you just want to play one game and leave, but if you stick around for awhile you will get your $$$$ worth. It would be great if they added a few more games, like pac man or fooseball or something. For a good time go here!
This is bowling at it's finest. It's similar to the lanes the Dude, Donnie and Walter would appreciate rolling on. The staff is great and the pizza and beer league is awesome!
you'll love it here...old school bowling lanes and great service
