Danforth Bowl

My friends and I were bored one afternoon and decided to check this place out. It’s a small, cozy, 5-​pin bowling alley in the basement. They have cosmic lights and friendly staff. Would definitely recommend if you have a small group !! We had a lot of fun and because it was our first time there, they gave us our shoe rental for free. I also hear the hot dogs are quite good!

I hate this place. Mean staff. Bad service. Closes too early. Expensive. Gross beer selection. Go elsewhere. Make you take off your shoes even if you’re not playing.

Its not what you’d expect! But I think that’s the beauty of it. It’s really homey and humble. Idunno what makes this place so special but I think you’re just destined to have a good night here. The bar and the bowling are literally two feet apart. How convenient! Really chill place, low key and warming environment.
This is the type of place you go to bowl if you’re not really serious about bowling lol. Its more about the gang, and the fun of something to do. I kinda felt like I was in That 70s Show

Loved this place. We visited one night after volunteering. Staff was wonderful. Like others have said, it has a super casual feel like visiting an old friend. Drinks are ok priced ($ 6 bottled beer). The washrooms were impeccable, spotless! Others should follow their lead for bathroom cleanliness standards. Music was great too, a nice mix of old an new classics. Will definitely be back for more. Cost just $ 10 each to book the lane for one hour, 6 people, and shoe rental too. Awesome value.

On né pense pas forcément à dépasser Bloor and Yonge pour sortir a Toronto mais on y trouvé d’agréables surprises comme cette petite salle de bowling situé au sous sol.
Composé d’une dizaine de pistes vous pourrez jouer au mini bowling, oui il s’agit de la version miniature du bowling standard donc habituez vous à manipuler une boule plus petite.
Le personnel est trsè sympa et vous pourrez commander des bières et des chips tout en travaillant votre lancer.
Je recommande donc cet établissement pour une soirée bowling entre amis.

I loved bowling when I was younger, but living in downtown Toronto I seldom get much of a chance anymore. Though rather far east on the Danforth this is a great option for those not willing to make a hike to find a bowling spot — and it’s right on the Bloor subway line!
I was expecting a much larger venue, but Danforth Bowl is quite tiny — maybe about 6 lanes, and 5-​pins only. The spot definitely has a retro vibe and I was told it’s been around for 65 years, and with the same family for the majority of that time. I really like how intimate the spot is. You walk down the stairs and feel like you’ve stumbled upon someone’s rec room, complete with bar and snacks!
We had the place to ourselves for a special event, so not entirely sure on the price of bowling, but I’m certain it’s inexpensive. I barely put a dent in my wallet buying a few Heinekens. The staff was super friendly and nice! Highly recommend this spot.
Most definitely will be coming back to work on my game!

Had such a great time here last night with my fellow Unilocalers for another edition of «Cheap Pours and Sticky Floors!»
Loved this little gem of a bowling alley, the owners are so sweet and friendly! Enjoyed bowling with the smaller balls (lol!), great ambiance with the lights and retro music.
I can’t even begin to tell you how immaculately clean this place is kept! The bathroom was totally spotless along with the rest of the facility. Such a sense of pride with how this place is maintained.
Will definitely return for another night of fun!
Thanks for organizing Evelyn!!!

What Can I say– I love this little gem! Growing up in a family that bowls made me love the sport. This place reminds me of home SO much– Probably because one of the owners is from my hometown.
I have been to some other bowling alleys right downtown and they just don’t have the same vibe and feel like this place does. There are about 8 lanes (I think) and if you wanted to you could book the entire place for birthday parties or events for around 500/​3hrs which is a steal. Plus if you like to party while you bowl they have a great selection of beer and liquor for reasonable prices.
Make sure you call ahead if you are planning on coming for a bowl as they have events and leagues here regularly.
OH and sorry no computers friends. You score your game the old fashioned way with pencil and paper– So no cheating!
Also might I add I got 3 strikes in a row while playing a game here. just showing off a bit, sorry about it.
I will for sure be back!

This is not your typical Bowlerama. It is a refined variation on the theme. It’s small, cozy and inviting. It only offers 5 pins and has but a handful of lanes. But that only adds to the charm.
Your average Bowlerama would be noisy, with sticky floors and would offer Coors light. This place, in contrast, plays nice retro 80’s tunes, the facilities are super clean and you can order wine and other premium alcohol. The rental shoes are in good shape, and the staff is very friendly.
We were here on a Unilocal Event, and the place was fantastic. It seems to be a great venue for private parties.

Darn! Someone beat me to the Big Lebowsky reference! This place is a great retro bowling alley that doesn’t even have computers. The couple that owns it are definitely in business for the right reasons. Every time an alley malfunctions they fix it right away. They are warm people who make you feel welcome. The music is a good mix of retro classics and current pop music. If you want to book a bowling venue without a whiff of cooperate atmosphere I can highly recommend this place to you.

This place is definitely a local gem and has definitely kept the Canadian bowling tradition going for a long long time! I had a great time coming here as part of the «Cheap Pours and Sticky Floors» unofficial Unilocal event Evelyn hosted (thanks!).
I was quite impressed and intrigued by this venue overall — from the atmosphere to bowling itself. The music played there was awesome! It was totally my style haha, with a mixture of the current Top 100 plus the top hits from few years back :) The place also had cool purple/​blue retro lighting and twinkle decors.
What’s more cool is this place offers five-​pin bowling. One of the most traditional bowling variant that’s only available in Canada and Danforth Bowl has kept it! Talking to Wayne (who is an employee there), this place has been in the same location/​store for 65 years! WOOT — too awesome to describe! It was really a new experience for me.
I’m usually good at bowling in general (ten-​pin kind), but turns out I really suck at five-​pin. It actually is really difficult to score strikes and spares because the pins are more apart and doesn’t knock the other down easily either. Moreover, the bowling balls are half the size of usual ones.
The employees there are super friendly and nice too. It was fun chatting with them about the place, bowling and themselves. Wayne wanted to give my friend an extra coke too since he didn’t take a beer in the first place — very sweet of him.
P. S. Their bathroom is super clean! Full of toilet paper and soap! They even have a sign saying something along the lines of: they pride themselves on having a plentiful and clean bathroom, and let them know if they are low on something lol.
P. S.S. This place is also cool for a date or party if you want to try something different.

I recently had a friends night here and the staff at Danforth bowl were amazing! There were about 18 of us and we were loud and rowdy, but they completely loved us and when the end of the night came they had taken a giant bowling pin and written «Sheen & The Gang» on it and took a bunch of pictures. It totally made my night!
This throwback bowling alley does rock’n’bowl on fridays and saturdays and it’s a totally fun way to spend a night. It’s five pin and you must manually add up the score, but that is pretty easy and hardly an inconvenience. They place super cute bowls of snacks out for everyone and the bar flows all night long. I recommend Danforth Bowl to everyone, no matter how old you are. It’s a guaranteed good time! I can’t wait to go back.

«SHUT THE F*** UP DONNIE, YOU’RE OUTTA YER ELEMENT!!»
This place is REAL. You can almost still smell the cigarettes burning from a bygone era (don’t worry, you can’t). Danforth is super throwback vintage 5-​pin, manual scoring nostalgia. I was here with a Bachelor Party and there was a kid’s Bday right next to us and we all played in harmony.
Loved the staff, beers and willingness to indulge the ‘Big Lebowski’ fun if need be. Go here and shut your phones off and enjoy some quality 5-​pin. You won’t be sorry.

This place is small and cozy perfect little old school spot. The folks were nice very helpful. The music seemed dead on we had loads of fun. No food, just had beer and light snacks.

This was a terrific night out! It’s the second time I’ve been here in the last couple of months and the experience was top notch both times. We will definitely be back, and so will the 10 other people that were with us!!!
The first time we went was a Saturday afternoon and there was a dad with the little girl playing with a bowling ball bridge to help her make a ball going to straight-​line to knock out a pin.
Last night I gathered a group of friends together and we all loved it. We had two lanes side-​by-​side, the owners were helping us to have a terrific time. They are very conscientious, the place is in excellent condition, it is immaculately clean and does not have any bowling smells. (nothing like smelly shoes or too much cleaner or dust.)
It is within arms reach Coxwell station, and open late on a Saturday night. Drop in for a couple of unforgettable hours. Just remember to stretch or you will feel it the next day.
The five pin bowling makes it easy with the little ball. They spice it up with a sign for your name if it is your celebration, they have some black lights.
The best of all is the soundtrack of hit songs one after another!!!

Danforth bowl is pretty good. An anomaly that works because it is so surreal. When my friends told me that we’d be having a surprise party for my friend tonight, and they had booked a few lanes there, I was excited to experience the magic of bowling in what can only be described as someone’s grandfather’s converted basement. But with music and a disco ball. It wouldn’t be right otherwise.
So, when we arrived only to find the doors locked and the lights off, we called to learn that there had been an electrical issue and they had to shut down. My low rating is a result of not informing people who have made reservations that the venue wouldn’t be available. I understand things happen, but not even a sign on the door?
We were a group of about 10 who wound up surprising our friend at the bloody Coffee Time. Nothing says «SURPRISE!» quite like Coffee Time at Coxwell and Danforth.
Hopefully in the future, Danforth Bowl will consider to let people know they’re unable to open.

Bowled here last year with some guy friends after birthday dinner at Gerrard Spaghetti & Pizza House. Really fun times!
Growing up in California, this was my first time at 5 pin. I think it was harder. It was certainly more enjoyable.
I actually really dig the fact that it feels like what it is – a little bowling alley in the basement. There are just a few lanes. Basic bar and snacks, friendly help and a fair price – it is another reason I love my ‘hood so much.
When we went there were a few other young adults playing. Another time I tried to bowl it was all booked up with a private party.
I suspect this would be excellent for:
–first dates
–small team building/​company parties
–birthday parties
Highly recommended!

A very hesitant myself walked in through the doors and down the narrow steps to this place with my work colleagues and first sight, I wasn’t impressed. It does look like a basement and a musky aroma may rise to your nose. However, one grows to like the old school charm. Additionally, it was my first time 5 pin bowling with some super awesome people, so at the end of the day, I did have fun.
The place is not bad. The best bit is that they serve alcohol (thank god) and it’s not just limited to beer (thank god, again). I was surprised at their selection — mixed drinks, smirnoff coolers and… wait for it… CIDER. I have so much trouble finding cider in little places in Toronto, so I was seriously taken aback at the mention of Strongbow cider on their placard. Grub? Next to none.
I had fun, so why the 3 stars? Here’s why:
1. The scoring is SUCH a fuck up. Basically, you get a pen and paper to score yourself, and if you’re lucky like us, a grouchy old lady explaining how to score. We gave up trying to understand (more on that below), and made up a scoring technique that made sense to us.
2. The grouchy lady (GL); also the ONLY person working that day. My name — Ankita (Ann-​key-​ta) — is really not that difficult; one of the more easier Indian names if you will. Whilst explaining the scoring, GL wanted to use an example and a conversation followed:
GL: So young lady, what’s your name?
Me: Ann-​key-​ta
GL rolls eyes, slaps the table and looks at the table for 5 seconds, then looks back up at me
GL: You people… I am not even going to try
My mouth drops open. My office colleagues are just shifty-​eyed and «hawww» faced. That wasn’t cool.
Grouchy old lady was really grouchy. McSigh. /​endrant

Holy crap this place is awesome! It’s like bowling in someone’s basement. In the early 1980s. They have glow in the dark embellishments for night-​time rock and bowl. And a disco ball! On the day of my visit there was even a big ol’ sign in the shape of a bowling pin with the words «Happy Birthday Marg» written on it. Does it get better?
I was here for a fundraising event so I don’t know much about the price of renting lanes or anything like that. They seem to do a lot of group rentals for fundraisers and things like that, so their rates for that stuff are probably pretty good. The beer is pricey for what it is (standard domestics plus heine and corona), but that’s what I would expect.
There are 4 small bowling lanes. Five pin. And old school. So old school that scoring is done with a pen and paper — it’s not even on one of those super old «computers» that many alleys have. Never fear, google works in this basement so, if you’re like me and have absolutely no idea, you can learn the scoring rules on the fly.

What a fantastically awesome venue for an event! I came in here with a group of around 10 people and we were left standing outside on the street 5 minutes before our reservation time wondering why it wasn’t open at 7pm on a Sunday. And then while we were all fumbling around with our phones trying to look up hours or an answer to «do we have the right place» this jolly guy comes up to us and says «bet you guys are trying to get a hold of me!». Yes I was slightly concerned as this area does not scream out «safe neighbourhood» but at the same time the gentlemen didn’t seem to be crazy/​threatening.
He goes on to point out that he’s the owner and does not own a cell phone (Yeah I heard that audible gasp you just made!) and they only open up if there is a reservation (I don’t know if he meant for just Sundays or in general) and unlocks the door leading us down this small staircase.
As other reviews have pointed out, this place is old school to the dime! Like a place from the hay days of bowling alleys it was so well maintained and clean it was as if those steps were a time machine bringing us to a place least expected (Well YOU wouldn’t find it very «blast to the past“since you’re reading this review presumably before checking the place out)
All I knew about this place before coming was that it was a 5 pin bowling alley, what I found out when I got here was we do our own scoring which can get complicated when strikes and spares are involved but the guy was always willing to help out with our questions (I’m sure he gets a lot of them!).
It was funny how each time a latecomer to our group naturally comes down the stairs and heads towards us he/​she was screamed at for not taking off their shoes before entering. So yeah, take off your shoes right as you get off the last step!
I can’t remember the exact rate but it was very affordable, there is a small bar, serving a few different beers and some hard liquor, but don’t expect much in terms of food.
It was so much fun bowling at our own pace, and dictating the noise levels of the venue with no one else occupying the remaining lanes. It was like our own secret area in Toronto for a few hours.
I don’t ever see myself going to a certain place entertainment district when a gem like this is just a not so short TTC ride away!

I am about to tell you how an avid bowler can save $ 154 per month and get a free Hyundai. It all hinges on the premise that you never go to Danforth Bowl.
The pros:
— This place is amazing for 5 pin bowling.
— The staff are nice and helpful.
— Everything is clean.
— Rock & Roll bowling was SO. FUN.
— The music was amazing.
— The other reviews of the staff being amazing, the bowling being incredibly fun, the environment being clean and cared for are all completely accurate.
— I really liked keeping score manually with the paper!
— Resetting the pins between turns was fun too.
The okay:
— $ 6 for a bottle of steamwhistle
— $ 1.5 for a can of gingerale
The terrible:
If this was so amazing and I had such a great time why would I only give it 1 star?
Because for one hour of bowling (with shoes) for 4 people we were charged over $ 120, and when I emailed them to ask about it the next day, the owner said that the total was $ 44, we had we paid $ 46 and that we had probably spent our money in a bar after we left.
(Actually the verbatim email said [all carriage returns and case choices theirs]:
«Sorry Sarah I am sure you would not have paid 3 times more than you should have nor would norm charge anyone three times more than
They are to pay ONE OF YOU NORM OR YOU OR ONE OF YOUR FIENDS WOULD HAVE COTE THE MISTAKE
EVEN IF A MISTAKE FOR A COUPLE OF DOLLARS was made THAT WOULD JUST BE A MISTAKE $ 76.00 More three times as much no sorry that is not
Correct. I THINK YOU SHOULD TALK TO YOUR FRIENDS AGAIN MAYBE WHEN YOU LEFT DANFORTH BOWL YOU SPEND IT IN A BAR»)
So in summary:
— I had a good time here
— I paid 300% more than I should have
— The owner told me I didn’t pay the bill that I did pay and there was no way we could have been charged that much
— The owner told me I went to a bar after and spent the extra money they collected
— They only have shitty beers
— the music is very good
Danforth Bowl seems to bank on people coming here because it’s on the subway, but it’s so expensive that if you came here every week you could use the savings incurred by using a bowling lane in the suburbs to buy a Hyundai to drive you there. And then you would still have the Hyundai. And one hundred and fifty four dollars. Per month. Because these people are crooks.
[Free Hyundai math:
To bowl here once a week for 1 hour with their affronting rates would cost you $ 480.
A 2012 Hyundai can be yours for $ 0 down at 0% for only $ 96 per month!
Even after insurance and gas to drive you to a different bowling alley ($ 50/​mo) and paying that [better] bowling alley for shoe rental and one hour of bowling ($ 45/​wk) the monthly cost is only $ 326 which is a savings of $ 154 per month for a bowling hobbyist!]
— — — — — —
* note: the owner offered to give me one hour of free bowling to because of the price «mixup» (?) and continued to blame my rampant alcoholism. I did not accept the voucher.