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Fireside Bowl
Rating Details »
Neighborhood: Logan Square
2648 W Fullerton Ave
(between Talman Ave & Washtenaw Ave)
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 486-2700
2648 W Fullerton Ave
(between Talman Ave & Washtenaw Ave)
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 486-2700
- Nearest Transit:
-
California (Blue O'Hare)
- Good for Kids:
- No
66 reviews for Fireside Bowl
Well, it's a good and cheap bowling alley. About what you expect-- kind of grungy and nothing fancy but...cheap. And you can have food delivered. And it was fun. There were seven of us, plenty of room to spread out, and only one other group was even at the alley. In general, a good time.
I enjoyed the time I spent here with the exception of ANY interaction I had with the lone employee. What a JERK. I mean, he was seriously not interested in even acknowledging any of us, even if it only meant accepting our money, because he was too busy watching the Lifetime movie on the TV behind the counter.
Next time, I will let others try to deal with THE JERK and just focus on enjoying my time.
When I first moved to the City in the mid-90's I remember seeing an ad for a Fugazi show at the Fireside Bowl. I never did make it to that legendary show, but I made it to many others back then. I even remember bowling a few games back when the lanes weren't really fully functional and the punx would be bowling between their legs or doing their best bowling imitations of Fred Flinstone, just having a ball. It's good to see some things haven't changed, but others could use an upgrade into the 21st Century.
Although there are only 16 lanes, they are now fully operational. Scoring is computerized but there are no overhead screens, only a small screen that reminded me of those Airport TV's you could plug with a few quarters, before everyone had On Demand on their iPhones and shit. It was virtually impossible to find a bowling ball that was less than 16 lbs. I finally found one named "Cookie" that most of us had to share! It was mentioned by a few in our group that the punk aestethic seems to have also gone away with the price of $20/hour per lane. I wouldn't have minded the lack of pre-1970 bowling amenities, but when they're socking it to me, they better have the 'balls' to justify it!
One holdover from the old days is the old man bar, which looks just like I remembered. Adorned with old Budweiser globes, a pool table, and a jukebox; there's plenty of seating and space to enjoy $10 pitchers of PBR, little tiny bottles of the High Life, or your fave mixed drink. An extra star for the history of the Fireside, and the old man bar; but dollar for dollar there's better bowling experiences very close by.
OK, despite the fact that the lane dude pretty much screwed me, and looks like he hates his job, I love this place.
Whats not to like? Awesome history that I'm jealous I was never a part of. Cheap drinks, old school bar, cheap lanes and shoes, and close to home.
I love the fact that I got drunk off of PBR bowling an embarassingly low score. but you know what?! I had fun anyway. More fun than I'd have fun paying through the nose at other alleys around the north side. And The RANDOM songs played on the video jukebox only made it better.
Just don't elbow your pitcher of beer and then knock it over. And just hang out, hope for some semi-awesome punk rock to play, and have fun. I know I did.
I love this place. 'nuff said.
I am just reminiscing about all the great shows I have seen here over the years. I have never bowled here so I have no opinion on that. I just remember the beer soaked floor and ugly drop ceilings from the days I would get really drunk and see shows here. A fine establishment!!
I had a surprise birthday bowl at Fireside Bowl.
There were 8 of us. We were easily accommodated. The place was sort of loud. Crazy people were playing PacMan and screaming at the TV.
The lanes were clean, the balls were great. The old school electronic scorekeeping did my math for me. What's not to like?
For a Saturday night, it wasn't super busy and we got 2 lanes. We had a great time.
Street parking is hard to come by in front of the place, try on the side streets or across the street.
The past:
The only place I can recall almost dying by freezing waiting to get in, of heat because I was stuck in the pit, of noise because I could not hear for 2 days after getting pinned against the monitor, of toxic air because of 100% smoke, 0% oxygen, of mold because I was there when they turned on the vents in the summer of 01 or so, maybe for the first time since the 70s and black mold went everywhere.
Some great shows there, 1994-2002 or so for me, not sure when they actually stopped doing shows there.
The present:
I love bowling, I'm happy to see more bowling alleys. I am not sure I can bring myself to step back in to bowl here, but I hope to always see the fireside around in some form.
When I lived in Chicago this was my favorite place to see shows. I saw some good stuff here: Swingin' Utters, US Bombs, Peter and the Test Tube Babies, The Forgotten and the list just goes on and on. The venue is cramped but that's how you should see these shows. The bar was small the prices were alright but I always had a good time.
Never actually bowled here so no comment on that.
I'm not reviewing this place based on long-ago rock shows or storied punk history. I'm reviewing it as a bowling alley. On that tip, the quality depends on when you come.
Head here on a Saturday night or during league play at your own risk. The counter guy treats a crowded lobby as an excuse to get in touch with his inner asshole. I've never dealt with such aggro contempt from somebody working a service job.
Come when it's not crowded, though, and the Fireside offers a good time. The antique equipment may be error-prone, but I'll take it over Lucky Strike Lanes any day. On a quiet weeknight, you'll see local hipsters enjoying ironic beer and old-school bowling at a reasonable price. Absent a crowd, the counter guy keeps his fight-or-flight vibe at bay. Waveland Bowl may be bigger and more conducive to serious bowling, but for low-key social outings the Fireside fills a niche.
This place is a part of me as much as my left arm is a part of my torso.
List of bands I've been able to see here include:
Strung Out, 88 Finger Louie(RIP), Mad Caddies, Big Wig, Face to Face, Homegrown, Alkaline Trio, Drunk in Public, The Ataris, Apocalypse Hoboken, A.F.I (yes afi), Ignite, Blount, Smoking Popes and Jimmy Eat World(together), Anal Cunt(on my 16th birthday), The Vandals, Jugheads Revenge, Guttermouth, Assorted Jellybeans, Lagwagon, Snapcase, Down by Law, Rise Against, Thursday, Finch and Good Riddance.
I hade to write these down on a piece of paper and I'm sure I'm missing some bands in there. Each one of these bands were seen in a space no bigger than my basement now. Each show holds a special place in my heart. Shouting out what song you want one of your favorite bands to play next and them actually playing it, just doesn't get any better than that. Shouting out a song you wanted played that your favorite band already played Priceless!
I hear there's bowling here now... fuck that.
Maybe this place has a glorious past, but you can only ride on history's back for so long.
This was my first bowling experience ever, and hopefully not all bowling alleys are this...underwhelming. Our game kept getting delayed and interrupted by faulty lanes. We had to switch lanes once but even at our new lane we had issues. I didn't know I'd signed up for manual bowling. We had to hit the reset button after just about every frame, and even then that sometimes didn't work and we had to have the staff intercede.
Speaking of the staff, they are really good at shrugging and acting helpless.
Maybe this place is best left in Chicago's bowling archives.
Last year my "boss" at the time wanted to have a bowling party. After getting raped over the phone by certain other establishments, I decided to try the little guy. The place I remember being dragged to as a kid. With the big giant bar and the bowling machine.
So I call and a nice man tells me the low down on group rates. Nice. Fair. Fabulous. Then I ask if we can bring in our own food. Not their policy but if it would be easier for me, sure, why not?
The night of the event comes and we have people of all backgrounds....kitchen guys and their families, Yupster friends of owner, crazy staff both gay and straight, just a huge mix of peeps. And it went off without a hitch. The staff was so awesome that when our party grew a little bigger than expected, they locked the front doors and let us take over.
I don't know if they have bands anymore and I don't know if they have the bowling machine I spent my childhood playing but I know this......I love this way more than the disco ball chain bowling and the over priced nostalgia bowling. Give me down and dirty with a side of cheap and nice any day of the week.
I was pretty underwhelmed by this place. The guy running the front end (shoes, lanes etc.) was a little bad tempered (not in a cute way) and the place was just a little shabby.
I think that if they played music (even when people are not paying for the juke box) and did something cooler with the lighting, the ambiance would be much improved. There seemed to be a good mix of people there and the potential for it to be really cool - just needed some minor touches.
It was reasonably priced and the bar was cool - just needed a little something else.
The Fireside was fucking amazing. So many important moments of my life were experienced here. This place was like no other venue in Chicago: you won't find a vibe this authentic and The Beat Kitchen, you won't find bathrooms this grimy at The Note, and goddamnit, no one will ever write a song about Reggie's fucking Rock Club. Every night spent here you felt like you were part of something.
Nowadays they're trying to be a plain old bowling alley. How depressing is that?
Apparently I missed out on your glory days, but I don't care. Every time I go I have a great time. I prefer my bowling alleys to be old school and Fireside delivers. No fancy gimmicks here, just bowling. I went on a Sat night and paid $25 for the hour, shoes are $2 rental. A night of bowling for less than $30? I'm in. Go on a Sunday-Thurs and it's even cheaper. You can get beer by the pitcher (although they ran out of PBR the last time I went). Fireside Bowl you are still cool in 2009.
I recently visited Fireside Bowl for the first time in ten years. Last time I was there I was playing a show with my old band, Longwayhome, opening up for the Jazz June. Back then it was awesome and my favorite place to see a show in all of America. I know a lot of people are salty about them stopping the music venue. I don't know the circumstances behind why that happened but I'm sure they had good reasons. As a result, I'm not going to be all "man back in the day was so much cooler, blah blah blah aging rock dude crap." So, now Fireside is just a bowling alley and it is a great bowling alley at that. You can have drinks at the bar while waiting for your lane and the bartenders are super old-school Chicago dudes who are funny and talkative. It looks exactly the same as it did back in 1998, just no rock bands.
I loved this place before and after their big transition.
I just started going there for a while since when I went there for shows, I wasn't at all impressed with their "bowling" situation. Things have improved so much since back in the day. For one thing, the beer is cold now (no seriously, cold beer at the Fireside?). Pints of Guinness and Newcastle. The lanes are still pretty cheap depending on time/day. The guys behind the counter and who own the place are still sweet and great. Some of the lanes aren't 100%, but they'll comp you for the time. Also, there's usually someone's abandoned birthday cake hanging around. I really like abandoned birthday cake.
You know what else has changed? The bathrooms. For one thing, the toilets flush and don't flood. According to my friends, the men's bathroom is equally modern now. There's also soap now and an abundance of paper - not just on the floor or TPed across the stalls.
The jukebox is pretty dope for a cheap bowling alley. Everything Johnny Cash to Jedi-Mind Tricks and a whole lot of Latin music I know nothing about, but I haven't been disappointed yet by what I hear people select. It would seem they have an abundance of depressing mid-90s alternative music because once someone selected every Pearl Jam and Nirvana hit single.
I don't know what the bitch-fest from "punk rock" kids (cough, cough, hipster douchebags, cough) is all about. When the place was open, did the kids show appreciation? No. The "scene" was sneaking in alcohol, faking IDs, ODing in the bathroom, and getting into fights. Did the family-owned business want to put up with that shit and make no money (ahem, actually pay-out money in insurance)? No. I guess it's much more effective to bitch about it on the internet 5 years after the fact. Let's drop a few more names and talk about how it's the owners' faults that you didn't own up to your community. ::roll eyes like zombie::
Jose, Hammer, all the guys really. . . they just care about providing a decent and affordable place to have a good time. They thought it'd be great to let kids have a place to rock out and the kids screwed them over. This is a great and affordable place to bowl. Probably the best bang for your buck in the world of Chicago bowling.
This place is probably 10 millions times better than when it was a concert venu. When I lived in Logan Square, I wanted to bowl here SO bad it was walking distance from my house, but everyone is BORING and didn't want to go. Besides, since like 2000, no good concerts were ever here anyway and the Fireside hey day was long gone.
I spent a large chunk of my high school years here and now my lungs are probably black with asbestos poisoning. I also probably have the clap/AIDS from using the bathroom. Sometimes, if there was nothing to do, my friend April and I would just go here for no good reason. Good times, man, good times.
Me and Fireside Bowl; all grown up
Numerous people, places and things have molded me into the...interesting adult I am today; but nothing is fonder in my mind than the influential Fireside Bowl. Many of my high school adventures involved piling into a car with my suburban punk rock counterparts for a trip to the city for the Fireside. We followed our favorite band (Allister), saw fellow classmates' bands, experience headlining bands before they went to their main stage show (VooDoo Glow Skulls) and even saw random bands based on their creative names (Vic Vacuum and the Attachments). Ah, the hundreds of kids packed into the former bowling alley with nothing but an orange plastic fence keeping us from the actual lanes. The extreme heat, unique stench, disgusting bathrooms and the bar we were all too young to enter; I can't think of a better music venue.
Stepping into Fireside Bowl today is like stepping into a time warp. The memories rush back as I realize not much has changed. Sure, now I'm old enough to enjoy a beverage at the bar (which is incredibly cheap) and the bathrooms are a bit cleaner, but it felt sacrilegious to bowl on the lanes that were so forbidden during concerts. For those of you looking for a good bowling alley, Fireside might be it, but for me it's just plain wrong.
Bottom Line: Fireside will always be more than a bowling alley to me.
Great drink prices, bowling lanes typically open, and a great staff all make Fireside well worth the trip if you want to go bowling. My husband and I go here a few times a year when we are looking for something different to do. I have never been disappointed. I like the feel of the place....I am convinced I bowl better at bowling alleys that are "vintage." My average raises to 90! I suck, but love to bowl anyhow.
This is a "vintage" bowling alley. While its not all sparkles and shimmer, the place gets the job done. Its low key, no fuss, and the people who work there and frequent the joint are friendly. Husband and I participated in a bowling league here, and while I don't recommend the food, drinks are reasonably priced and there is street parking available. Can't beat that.
The Fireside sucks as a bowling alley. The only brightside is the bathrooms are decently clean and don't constantly have a couple inches of standing water on the floor.
I'll never forget the shows I've seen there though, especially my first: The Bouncing Souls back in 1995.
This was THE place. I met so many people. Saw so many bands over the years. Music actually mattered - to me in my young, naive days.
I've been meaning to come bowl here, now that you actually can, but I just can't stomach it.
I'm sick of this sissy shit, everyone whining about no more shows... boo-frickin-hoo. Bowling is what made this place open its doors, bowling is what should see this place through to the end. Without the bowling it would never have became a punk, metal and ska show venue. So please stop complaining about the fact that it only has bowling now, because, beside it not being true... it is just closed-minded.
Sure I saw a ton of shows there, have a lot of good memories there and such... but come on, bowling is what gave this place birth. So please, stop the outrage and go see a show or two again and keep bowling... if this place closes, it's because all the people who use to support it abandoned it. They still have shows, in fact I saw one there last week. Not demolished, not closed, not failing to do shows... plus they have non-synthetic lanes... even if they do have automatic scoring.
Ok, sure, I miss going to see Side Kick Kato in the mid 90s. I miss the gangbangers and Mexican cowboys throwing shit at everyone in line, I miss the poisonous bathrooms and it sucks that there really isn't a place left like the old Fireside. But come on, how annoying was it to go to shows where parents were picking up their kids in mini vans??
All things being equal, this is a decent place to bowl on a Saturday night because you are almost guaranteed a lane. Try getting a lane at Diversey Bowl on Friday night. They have electronic scoring and have done some remodeling / painting since the days of punk shows. The one thing that does remain is the bar and the man behind the bar, Hammer and all his jewelry.
What suprised me was the crowd and then the jukebox in the main room. I was expecting some leftovers from the Fireside days but I guess those days are long gone. Seriously, it's the worst juke box I have seen in a long time unless you like groups that start in either Lil' (as in Lil' John, or Lil' Bow wow) or Los.
If you want to bowl and you want to bowl now and you don't feel the need to do it in neon lights then the Fireside should do just fine.
I have a lot of fond memories from when this place used to have low end shows. The 'Cockroaches in the peanut machine, whiskey refilled with ten high' era will always be etched into my memory.
Now this place is trying to make a go at being a real business and I am uninpressed. Give me the hepatitus carrying fireside of the past with punk kids stretched around the block being harassed by the locals.
An extra star because Hammer still works there.
I haven't visited this place in several years, ever since they stopped putting on shows. So mainly this review is for the past and what it once was. Is this to say that it's a bad place now? No not at all, it's just the only reason I ever attended was to see a hardcore show.
I've been to Fireside twice now. My first experience was nearly 5 years ago when I went to see a band with a friend. I hated it. Truly hated it. That's harsh for someone originally from Detroit who would often go to see bands in dive bars in the rough parts of Hockeytown.
I hate it because it was packed with, I believe, underage kids chain smoking, getting wasted, and trying to look cool. There was a girl fight outside when we left. Awesome.
Flash forward to last night when I went bowling with my boyfriend and our good friends. TOTALLY different vibe. I couldn't even believe it. It was still a dive, but exactly what I wanted it to be. The drinks were cheap, the staff was gruff but efficient, and renting a lane wasn't too expensive.
After some initial issues with our lane (it kept missing my friend's second frame so it would be off for everyone), we managed to make it through. And I won the second game we played. Bonus.
The only beef I had was that they didn't play music unless someone actually put money into the jukebox. Most places I've been to will play, but it was dead silent. I can definitely say the mood picked up when the nice collection of music started: Prince, Cream, CCR, Crosby, Stills & Nash and an interesting remix of "Under Pressure."
So just like some of the other reviewers, I remember going here for the myriads of punk shows during high school and beginning of college. Nevermind that the bathrooms were so gross, I would go outside b/c that just seemed cleaner. For $10/15 to see a bunch of punk bands? It was awesome.
And now they have only bowling. So sad to see that place die. I guess everyone has to grow up sometime. :(
It functions just fine as a bowling alley (though I might suggest that there is, as my friend put it, a "Michigan Lean" to the right as you bowl... or maybe we just sucked that night... who knows...), but the ornery employees seem to take away from the experience.
Both the pin guy and the bartender seemed pissed off when we went, as if they just watched someone plow into their car with a renegade forklift or got punched in the junk by a kangaroo.
But I simply know this place as a bowling alley, not a punk haven. Bowlers range from yuppies to entire families. I'd go back, just because I find the cross-section of people (including employees) to be humorous and rather unique.
I like to bowl, I'm not a big bowler or anything, but I think I would go to Fireside alot more if these things were changed: the beer was cheaper and bowling wasn't charged by the hour (just charge by the game!). I don't think I am asking for too much!
Cheep bowling, yelling at Hammer, and beer. I have enjoyed evertime I was at this bowling alley. I started a league here last year and let me tell you it was so much fun. And yes, I loved it when it was a place to see punk shows too. Always a fan of being able to escape to the bar when the band sucked and you could make fun of them from the bar.
And I know, that the bathroom there sucks and that you have to go across the street to get cash because that damn atm is always out of order and their jukebox is terrible, but hey what can you do? Its a shitty bowling alley!
five stars for the memories
one star for the sticky bowling balls
how many stars for andy rivera? you decide...
They get one star until they stop trying to be a real business and start doing shows again, then I will give them 5 stars.
Good memories here, but I heard the owner was a crumbum which is why people stopped booking shows here, supposedly
I can kind of see why they stopped having all ages shows here--I mean sooner or later some 14-year-old kid was gonna OD in the bathroom and they'd probably have to shut the place down altogether--but I have to admit, I do miss it. It was a great dive bar that played host to a lot of up-and-coming bands which have all since broke in recent years and moved on to bigger and better venues (bands like the Fiant and Blonde Redhead). Now it's just a bar and bowling alley that hosts the occassional Thursday night show.
Too bad.
Ahh, how I miss coming here twice a week as a teenager, moshing, smoking and drinking to my heart's delight, ogling at the hot twenty-something punk rocker boys. It was glorious in its dumpiness, a place where fat, thin, ugly, gorgeous, sweaty, dorky, outcast souls could come together and be angry at society, together as one.
Those days are long gone, but the memories...ahhh, the memories.
On Thursdays, there's $2 bowling and $2 PBR/High Life to be had.
As a bowling alley, it's not much. The computers are old and busted, and the lanes don't seem to be smooth or level. The jukebox is random, as it has lots of obscure, crappy music, but is missing some things that should be necessary. No Parliament? How can I bowl without the funk?
As a bar, it's a nice dive. They have 4 taps but I've never seen them actually on. The cheap High Life is nice, as I prefer that over PBR when I'm slumming.
Why 4 stars? Well, because combine a dive bowling alley and a dive bar, and you have a fun and cheap Thursday night. Definitely a case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts.
One star for what it is now.
Live music??? Bands??? Punk Rock shows??? WTF....
I bowled in Friday night macho men leagues at Fireside in the early 1960's. I remember watching Paul Krumske, the pro bowler, standing behind Lanes 5 & 6 watching his pro bowler girlfriend bowl.
We routinely closed the wonderful and large Fireside bar down on a Friday night at 2am and then went next door to Archery Inn (Chester & Sophie) and closed that place down at 4am...
I first bowled at Fireside when Hank S. owned the place. Then Rich and Mac took over. I personally cleaned the windows, lanes, etc for a few bucks so I could bowl more games at Fireside as a young punk kid.
I remember playing catch with a 16" softball in front of Fireside late at night. I threw the ball to high and C R A S H, right through the f....ing marquee sign...Never ran so fast in my life.
One quiet afternoon, my buddies and I were hanging out by the counter when I noticed some of our girl gang coming into the front door. Being the goof that I was I hid myself in the ladies room. When the girls opened the bathroom door, I YELLED HELLO!!!!! You should have heard the girls SCREAM.....
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10/21/2008
After the church wedding at St. John Berchmans, we went to Fireside bowl to kill a few hours before… Read more »
Fireside Bowl is the shit, plain and simple. Let's start with the Bartender/Owner/Best guy ever: Hammer. Hammer is a Chicago icon in my opinion. (God I wish I had a picture of him to include...) He is your average man on the surface in terms of height/weight/appearance. But he's far beyond average... First, he has an extremely and delightfully high-pitched voice. Second, he wears some bad-ass gold jewelry. Figure about 6 big gold rings and 5 large gold medallions on some serious chains on an average night. Lastly, he's really funny, and has given us nuggets such as: "Jennifer Anniston ain't no different than you or I" upon being asked about "The Breakup" filming that took place there. Also, "What do I fuckin' look like, Bank One?" after being asked for change, and "You want another beer there Sears Tower?" to my tall friend who had an empty bottle. He also has one item on the menu there- "Hammer's Chili." I can't really comment on the chili because I've never ordered it, but I have to imagine it's good.
The bowling there is great- cheap and it's not usually packed to the gills. Good pool table and juke box too.
One night after they closed they let us stay and we got to go behind the bar and make shots- this place rocks.
Even though the lane needed to be reset five times and the jukebox is pretty confusing to operate (though the one in the bar area isn't) this is a decent bowling alley.
