Bowlero Mar Vista

I wanted to reserve a couple lanes for a group of 10 – 15 old friends & their kids on a Tuesday evening. I called and spoke with Blanca who described the details about lane reservations (2.5 HR reservations for each lane). However, when I asked about costs if we just wanted to come and pay by the game, the prices she quoted were not what I was seeing on their webpage. She told me that before 8pm, the prices were 5.89/game and after 8pm, it was $ 10/​game. However the website says the 5.89 price is between 8 & closing, while the 4 – 8 price is listed as 8.39 (before 4, it’s $ 4.09), and there are NO $ 10 prices listed, unless that includes tax (which seems about right for a $ 8.39 game but odd that she didn’t add tax when quoting the 5.89 price).
Anyway, price confusion aside, I ended up booking 2 lanes for the designated 2.5 hours and expected to provide my credit card to her. However she had to email me a frustratingly annoying Docusign contract (which I’d only done before when signing mortgage docs) which I signed and returned. Soon thereafter, she called to say we can’t have the lanes for the full time, only 2 hours (unless we wanted to start earlier which wasn’t an option for us) because they got double booked somehow. After some negotiation, we worked it out and I had to stop what I was doing, turn on my computer again, and resign the annoying Docusign docs.
The evening itself was great. Our server (whose name I wished I could recall since she was fantastic) was attentive, friendly, and food & drinks arrived pretty quick. The food/​drinks were good (we had pizzas, fries, & Fon Dude), though on the pricey side.
The atmosphere is lively and fun (various old movies like Back to the Future were playing on screens above the lanes that stretched 2-​lanes wide), although it’s loud, so not great for sustained conversation, but about what you’d expect at a party-​alley.
The only other complaint is our lane (#1) continually froze up throughout the night, so we ended up spending a considerable amount of time dealing with that. We weren’t rushing to cram in as much bowling as we could in our 2 hours, but if we were, I would’ve been VERY unhappy.
Overall, fun place, a bit overpriced unless you go during their cheaper off-​hours. But their reservation system… a mess (& the primary reason for the 2 stars). Seems like it’s all handled through some central location for all their lanes across the county instead of each alley handling them individually. And the need for the whole Docusign stuff seemed to be a very excessive and unnecessary process.
If you just want to bowl, find somewhere with less tech & lower prices. If you want a fun bouncing vibe and don’t mind paying for it, go here (but if reserving for a group, make reservations in person, which would hopefully prove easier than the phone option).

I would never consider stepping foot in this establishment due to the fact that they kicked out the the little restaurant that was there before. When the remodeling and ownership change was announced Pepy’s Galley was asked to leave. Open since the 60’s Pepy’s was our favorite spot for breakfast when visiting the farmers market across the street.
Of course it was completely legal for the new owners to kick Pepy’s out. This is without question. That being said, it was completely heartless to do so. I would never patronize owners who would do such a thing.

Came here for a birthday event for the first time tonight. Nice re-​design of the place and seemed like a very cool place. Overall we had a couple issues with our lanes shutting down mid-​game which had us waiting for about 20 mins. The mgmt extended our time for that period so we were happy with that. Where his place falls apart is service, especially our waitress Lindsay. Absolutely apathetic, rarely checked with the group on orders and we literally had walk over to her to give her our orders. One of the worst service experiences and I didn’t want to cause a scene as to not ruin the bday celebration. One would think when you spend $ 1k+ bowling for a couple hours the servers would at least be responsive and friendly. Not this place, a complete fail. Such a disappointment and I really hope mgmt/​ownership take this feedback to heart + attempts to fix things. Even when I asked for the check she didn’t even hand it back to me, rather she placed it on the table across the way from us so we’d have to break conversation to get the bill! Bad attitude and poor service. They should have just left the old bowling location in place as it would have delivered a better experience. Highly do NOT recommend and really disappointed with a place that seemed to have a lot of potential. Negative stars + a refund if I could, especially dealing with our servers tonight.

The staff is learning customer service (1^st job) but management knows this and comps you for their repeated mistakes. Music and new design are great. Food good bar fare. Could be better in months to come?

Cool bowling spot in Marvista. I came here for a work outing and had a wonderful experience. The staff was very pleasant and nice, good food, and fun ambiance for bowling. I was also a fan that there’s a fully stalked bar to enjoy a nice drink while playing a game. Better than average bowling shoes & a pretty big space so you don’t feel so cramped. I’d come back the next time I want to bowl.

I’ve been here twice, on weekends both times. As those who have gone before me have mentioned, this place is way expensive. I think the first time I brought my family here we played two games and bought food and shakes and paid about $ 120. We’re a family of three and the alley was empty. Food’s good but nothing incredible.
This time we came at the cheapest possible time (Sunday after six), and they put us on the waiting list with fourteen people ahead of us. They said they couldn’t estimate the wait time. We waited about an hour and a half to get a lane, but we used the time to grab a bite to eat so we wouldn’t have to pay for food at the alley. This time we walked out after paying $ 33 for two games, which is WAY more reasonable (but I think the math was wrong, because when I added it in my head I figured we should have paid $ 39 – but I wasn’t paying much attention, so I don’t know if they offered a discount since my fiancé complained about the shoes sticking really bad on the floors). But we’ve noticed that the shoes tend to stick to the floors, which messes up your game a bit (though I still managed a turkey here, so I’m pretty happy about that). Tough to find a ball that works for you. I like to bowl with an 11 with small finger holes, but they only had even numbered weights. Ten worked well enough, all the twelves had large holes. I’m not rude enough to sort through the balls on other people’s lanes.
I’m glad we ate before coming, ’cause the server came by our lane three times while we were there but only helped the group next to us and left the dirty dishes on our table from the previous group. We ended up getting his attention for some water toward the end of our last game.
I do like the ambiance, and one of the girls went out of her way to bring me the size shoe I needed because they didn’t have my size when I first asked for shoes in a size six. So overall, pros and cons. If they could estimate wait times, get a better service system down, and drop prices to something more reasonable, I’d grant five stars. As it is, I won’t be able to come here much. I miss Sunday bowling that costs $ 25 for four people during the daytime hours.

I came here unplanned and last minute. At the time we arrived around 10 pm all lanes were being used so they took our name and cell phone number. We were informed that within a few minutes we would be texted. We were also informed that after 8pm they have bowling all night for 18 bucks including shoes. We wanted a beer anyway so we walked over to the bar to order a pitcher. Within 15 minutes we were texted that a lane was available for us. I haven’t bowled in so long but it was sure a great time. I also enjoyed the choice in music it made that much funner.

Came here to kill some time and ended up playing two games with my boyfriend. One game with two people is counted as two games. So our two games was marked as four. «Four» games with two shoe rentals came out to almost $ 50. Waste of money considering our lanes kept resetting and we had to constantly head to the front counter for assistance. Save your money and go elsewhere.

I would give 5 stars for the staff — the service was very nice!
The vibe is nice and modern.
Overall being a non bowling players we came in Mothers Day 2+2 and we enjoyed — 4 stars
Food and drinks are on the steep side — offset with the low cost playing. If you can’t afford $ 9 beer, just don’t buy one.
Equipment: I believe it’s one of the lowest quality I’ve seen, as the balls are all beat-​up, and the rails can’t control by the players (playing with kids), so we had to choose rails up for everyone, we also experienced once computer counting error — 2 stars

Excellent place to kick back with friends. Great Dj, movies, and staff. Very nice local spot with a good vibe. Bowling for the next generation!
Rented 2 lanes and came with friends for my birthday. Strikes for days!

Gentrified douchebag-​o-​rama. If you have a small party and actually want a lane reservation you’ll have to ***Docusign an actual contract*** to get the lanes. Getting a mortgage was less complicated. I desperately miss AMF Mar Vista and Pepe’s Galley. The makeover is really a blight on the neighborhood.
It is, however, well run and clean albeit in an airport like generic way. Certainly WAY overpriced for bowling… RIP AMF Mar Vista and Pepe’s.

Called to book a lane for a late week night and the lady tried to sell me an open bar experience and never revealed the price. I asked if there were simpler more affordable prices and she gave me a price for 2 hours/​2 lanes with 2 frozen microwaved food options for $ 33 per person.
I think that’s pretty steep. Then when the invoice came, it was a weird legal document that you sign electronically for the full amount so they get their money upfront without you being able to experience any service yet or see the food or anything.
I declined and can easily spend that sort of money somewhere else.
Remember when bowling was simple and fun? Now it’s owned by corporations with old, outdated, bad user experience marketing and heavy package price structures.
gross.

Overall, I’d say that Bowlero is a nice and much needed upgrade on the aging AMF bowling alley that once stood in it’s place. It’s everything it promotes itself to be, a hip and trendy hotspot for a new generation of bowlers, without the pretentious attitude of places like Lucky Strike. I also understand that Bowlero is trying to create a more upscale bowling experience, but in reality, it’s just a slightly nicer than standard experience for a lot more money.
The food is okay and service was great. However, the music was a bit too loud for my taste. The ambiance is a step below what you’d find at Lucky Strike. Not that Lucky Strike is the greatest place in the world, but if you want to say that Lucky Strike is like The Grand Lux, then Bowlero is like Chili’s. There’s nothing wrong with Chili’s, but it’s just not the most impressive place in the world for a night out.
It’s a totally a fine place to go bowling and I’m happy that the old joint got upgraded, but I’m not sure if the higher prices justify the upgrades that were made.
Would I come back? Yes.

If you’re reading this, you’re probably considering bowling here. I’m here to save you time. Let me give you three reasons why you should take your business else where.
Overpriced– With the amount of money that I spent here, I could feed the entire continent of Africa.
Rude staff– you could find better service at a brothel
Fun– You would have more fun setting up cans in an alley and using your shoe as a bowling ball.
XOXO,
An obviously happy customer

I’ve being bowling for over 20+ Years w/​my own ball upon my ball return 0n Lane #17 there was a big CHUCK MISSING out of it. .Talk to management he told me there’s nothing he could do about it. He stated all Bowling alley have the same policy which not TRUE…
Beware My Fellow Bowlers Please don’t bring your Personal Ball USE A HOUSE BALL .They need to POST SIGN EVERYWHERE HOUSE BALLS ONLY. …I’m feeling very Pissed. .By THE WAY You could have Kept 1 Free Game at $ 8.95 per game what a RIP OFF…
People that know me I never Complain about anything

This place is Soo mean and rude the workers don’t explain charges correctly and then they get rude with u and you end up paying a lot more just because you want to get out of there they wouldn’t even help my children put up the rails or give them the balls back from the lane when they got stuck their nachos were soggy and tasted rancid I will never go back to this place

Nope! Overpriced!
Such a bummer that a cool old bowling alley was taken over by such an arrogant entity.
Bring Pepe’s back!

Eye watering!
$ 100 for 2 games for a family of four! And then the waiter comes running over and says «you haven’t paid for your drinks or food yet!»
Shame. It was good fun up to that point!

DO NOT GO TO THIS PLACE. Horrible horrible management. 17 of us went to bowl on Sunday afternoon and we could only rent for 3 lanes, which was understandable when it’s busy day like on Sunday afternoon–
But, they told us that we need to finish it by 4pm because they had a birthday party reserved (we went in at 1:30 and waited for about 45min, so we started playing around 2:15ish). we only played 2games and at the end of our 2^nd game about 8^th frame it was 4pm already so the staff came to us and said they will shut our game down if we don’t finish the game now. So i went up to the manager and told him, Hey as you can see we are almost done and one of our lane was playing 9^th frame! The manager said he will give us 10 extra minute to finish the game (never said that he was going to actually shut down the lane if we didn’t finish the game at 4:10pm). I said, I understand that you have a group coming in who reserved the game so I will try to push everyone (17 of us) to play as fast as we can! Then I went back and played my 9^th frame and as I was going to play my last 10^th frame (@4:10) THEY SHUT DOWN ALL THE LANES ON US! WTH??? You don’t just shut down the game like that! Yes, he offered us at 4pm that we could move the all 3 lanes and finish our game but that’s so inconvenient for all 17 of us moving the lane in the middle of the game when it’s especially towards the end of the frame, so I said no and I told him we will play as fast as we can to finish our game.
This was very very RUDE of him. They could’ve offered us another lane (which I asked of course but rejected) when it was available after our first game to finish this whole game earlier like they want us to do. Just straight up RUDE and RIDICULOUS. It is 100% their fault of not managing the time right. They are blaming on us that we didn’t finish the game on time. What kind of bowling alley actually sets the time and shuts down the game when people are still playing?
We were asking for refund for the 2^nd game but they end up charging us for 1^st game+9frames (yes, charged us by frame) for 2^nd game. And 10shoes were reimbursed as well. Of course we had a huge argument with the both manager and we end up leaving the place around 4:35pm and guess what? The people who reserved the lanes at 4pm didn’t even start the game!
I’m pretty sure that the people who reserved their lanes at 4pm would’ve understand this situation and gave us extra 5mins or so and this whole drama wouldn’t happened.
SHUTTING DOWN THE LANE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GAME IS JUST RUSE AND UN-​COOL. ESPECIALLY WHEN IT’S A BOWLING GAME! YOU DON’T TAKE SOMEONES PLATE AWAY AND KICK THEM OUT JUST BECAUSE THEIR TABLE WAS RESERVED AT CERTAIN TIME!
SHAME ON YOU BOWLERO MAR-​VISTA! NEVER GOING BACK!

DON’T, JUST DON’T
Horrible management. I stood in line for two minutes watching two managers laugh and joke with each other while their employee were acing around trying to help customers. After finally noticing the growing line, they lazily waved me over and grumpily asked ‚“Yeah?“
5 minutes later two different «managers» are standing around watching a busy bar while the only guy actually working is racing around trying to help ten people at once. Do they try to help? No, one of them walks up to the bartender and tells him to organize a stack of napkins.
It makes me sick when I see lazy managers bullying a hardworking staff.
Also overpriced and poorly designed.
These guys don’t deserve to be in business. DON’T GIVE THEM YOUR MONEY!!!

This spot is a really cool place to hang out at when you want to go drinking but have fun with friends and do an activity! The server Danny was really nice and really helped my friends and I because we were a little lost on what to order. He was really polite and even helped clean up our table really quickly when my friend spilled her drink everywhere. The prices were a bit high. But the staff, music and vibe was really awesome. The music the dj played was dope too. The music videos dont match the songs but still cool. And they have BP tables. its cool bowling for adults. Really funn check it out

Your typical bowling alley. Everything is pretty average — food is decent (fries are a bit salty, chicken tenders are better), and drinks are their usual pricey self ($ 10 for a mug of beer). Free parking lot in front which is nice. But the total cost can be pretty damaging — I spent about $ 22 for 2 games of bowling (came with a group of 5, so that’s $ 110 for 5 peeps), and $ 13 for 2 rounds of pool (split by 4 is $ 3.25 which isn’t too bad). Pool is determined by how long you play — I think it was $ 0.33 a minute.
Overall, it’s a fun spot but too pricey for me to be coming all the time.

Manager was weird. I was about to pay for two games but he intervened and demanded to see my shoes before I play which is understandable. However as I was trying to inform him he cut me off mid sentence to tell me they won’t be held responsible for damaged gear. I don’t find a problem with either of these policies but his tone was all wrong. You know when people say things with a peculiar tone as though they are asking a question while simultaneously making a statement?
Anyway I left. I gotta say I almost went back in with my gear to «prove» him wrong but his rude demeanor should not be rewarded. I’ll probably go down to a bowling alley in Torrance or Gardena. 15 or 20 min away but half the price and guaranteed to be one less bowling troll asking me riddles at the front desk.
Girl at the front desk was nice btw. Oh and if the person I spoke to wasn’t the manager management should not allow strange people behind that front desk.

Friendly staff, but ridiculous prices and poor management.
I came here with my wife, and found that it was $ 9 per person per game, and $ 5 for the shoe rental.
We got a pitcher of their cheapest beer during «happy hour», which was $ 20, and two small plates of food, each about $ 10.
After 2 games, we already had a $ 100 tab… so while we wanted to play more, we didn’t want to add another $ 20 to the already enormous bill.
To boot, though the lanes were completely empty, all of the people that were playing were crammed into 4 adjacent lanes, making for very tight quarters.
Our lane had some sort of sticky spill on the approach, which had not been cleaned up for some time as it was already black with dirt and goo stuck to the floor.
Not to mention, the approach is extremely short, with the bench seats built right up against the starting point… this is really dangerous if you’re around people that start their swing early.
Finally, the assortment of balls left a lot to be desired. Each lane had several balls already on the rack, and you kind of just have to find what’s around and see if it works. Needless to say, I couldn’t find a comfortable combination of weight and finger size, and I had to roam around other peoples’ lanes and ask if I could sort through their stash of balls to find something suited to me — which I wasn’t able to find anyway.
Not sure what they’re up to, but some black lights and big screen TVs aren’t all that’s needed to make a bowling alley successful.
Not coming back here if I can help it.

Nice place to go hang out, BUT the drinks were ridiculously overpriced… My birthday, paid $ 20 for One shot of Patron and a Newcastle… pitcher of Stella $ 45!!! This place isn’t a club… lol! First and Last time I visit what once was Mar Vista Bowl…

Fun spot. I was anti when I heard that the old AMF bowling place and restaurant were closing down — I remember going in junior high! I went recently and it was cool — fun music and looks nice. However, the lane kept malfunctioning and they would have to keep rebooting. Looks like they didn’t upgrade the lanes — just their appearance. It was also a little pricey. I don’t see myself going often but if I do, I will go on a Monday when it is way cheaper!

RIP OFF!!! DO NOT GO HERE!!!
I’m a league bowler (weekly competition bowling) and the most I’ve seen alleys charge normal price without league player discount was $ 3 a game!!! When I was here… They charged $ 9 a game (dropped to 8 now).
You bet I was surprised when my bill was $ 162 and some change… NO FOOD OR DRINKS… Strictly games and shoe rental for 2 friends.
Also, if you actually bowl, you’ll notice their seats are STUPIDLY PLACED TOO FAR FORWARD!
Look on their website… The seats ARE ON THE APPROACH!!! ***THAT IS SOOOOO DANGEROUS!***
–imagine you’re sitting in the corner seat (which each lane holds around 4 people), if someone swings too early you’ll get a ball to the skull.
Also, they operate on an open tab… Which I do understand that they serve alcohol but I think that should be something separate… You don’t know your starting price until you check out.
Side notes:
–Their staff is not well educated in bowling. They are just there to serve people (judging from the 4 people that asked me WHY I have my own ball and shoes…)
–please please please be careful if you do decide to bowl here because of the seats.
–I’m not sure if they oil their lanes, or it was just the oil was already messed up but damn I had to play with a straight ball the 3 games I played.

Avoid this place at all costs. The expense is astronomical to bowl — like 80 a person for two games with food and a drink or two… just insane. Worse, however, is the unbelievably difficult and unclear process to actually reserve lanes and know what you are being charged. Hidden service fees, differences between discounts you are promised for reserving a lane and what you actually see, no explanation from anyone as to what items are discounted and what items are not, poorly operating lanes (we had to hit reset abut 15 times for a group of six playing two games, twice the pin sweeper came down out of nowhere when a ball was rolling down the lane), and incredibly cramped seating.
Worst of all, however, is German, the manager — he directly contradicted himself several times when we pointed out inconsistencies in what he was telling us himself, inconsistencies between what he and servers were telling us… it took us 45 minutes just to get our bill, because this stupid contract you have to sign (really? a contract to bowl two games for a group of six???) was completely inconsistent with what we were told we had to pay.
This is easily the most frustrating and not fun bowling experience I have ever had — for a lot of money to boot. Bowling should be like The Big Lewbowski — you get to slacker out for a night and have a chill evening with friends/​family. If you want to make it a bit nicer for the patrons, feel free, but to make it $ 80 a person is just out of control, especially when the customer service is horrible, the food aint that great, the lanes don’t work well, and the manager doesn’t know what the hell he is talking about.
Avoid at all costs.

The biggest fucking rip off of all time.
We booked through their corporate office for a New Year’s Eve party– the rate was $ 28.99 per person, plus tax and fees. After was all said and done, it worked out to like $ 40 ish per person. We signed a contract for 4 people, but I was told we could add up to 6 people no problem. Since we paid upfront, I didn’t want to book more than we knew could come at the time.
So, given all that– we were looking forward to a fun night out at Bowlero. Indeed, the alley has been remolded to look cool and it’s definitely hipster. Everything is clean and nice. But truly, that is all the good I have to say.
We were overcharged for adding two additional people (by nearly double, $ 52.50 per person, as opposed to be contractually signed $ 28.99) the night of. When I asked the manager German, why two people were significantly more expensive, he very rudely explained that this included all their service fees. However, anyone with half a brain or calculator could easily see through this bs. Like other reviewers have said, I honestly believe he must be in charge of some scam or crooked operation. Not to mention, a pitcher of Pabst was $ 22 which is highway robbery. Our lane continually needed to be reset, which indicates that the Bowlero upgrades are purely cosmetic with remaining old/​shitty infrastructure. The icing on the cake happened when they shut our lane off during our last frame, despite our asking to finish (with a 70% empty alley, mind you). Just terrible from start to finish. Never again.

This place is just ok. If you want to really bowl, Than look else where. This place has movies running all the time, which is awesome. This place is great for big birthday parties. The food is great but it takes a long, long time to get. They also have games so if you have kids you can keep them distracted. If you found this review helpful please help me out and rate this review.

OVER PRICED AND RIP OFF!
I grew up going to Mar Vista Bowl. I wanted to check out Bowlero tonight and was very disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, it has the atmosphere of a club with the loud music and nice bar area. I went with my 6 and 9 year old and they thought the music was too loud but we were here and were going to make the best of it. We were joined by my brother and sister-​in-​law. We initially had one lane but the lane next to us opened up so we asked for that lane as well. Since they have this wait list policy, they did not allow us to use the lane until everyone on the wait list were contacted. I could understand that but we wound up getting the 2^nd lane half way into our game. We let the kids use the first lane and started playing on the 2^nd lane. We played 2 games each. The kids finished our first game which had 5 people named and we had 3 people on the 2^nd lane.
FOOD: The food was way over priced. For 3 sodas, 2 fries, 8 hot wings and chicken strips the bill was $ 37. The food sucked… I don’t know any kids that don’t like chicken strips but these were gross and the buffalo wings were horrible. Everyone barely ate.
COMPUTER SYSTEM: There is a serious delay on Lanes 17 & 18. The pins would be set up by the computer wouldn’t be on the correct name. When it was time for the kids to start the 2^nd game, it took 20 minutes if not longer to get them started because we had trouble deleting the additional names… the computer had a serious delays.
When we went to check out for 5 people, 2 lanes, 2 games each our bill was $ 227.00. This was purely for the bowling. They said we played 18 games and had 8 people. We only had 5 pairs of shoes, how can you count 8 people. The way it was explained, because our first game had 5 names listed, and our 2^nd game had 3 names listed, they charged us for 5 pairs of shoes. In addition, they said the kids played, 3 games… what? No one had a drink and know exactly how many games were played. They would not supply us with a list of scores to show proof of how many games were played and said the computer doesn’t lie… WT?!@#…The computer was messing up all night causing further delay of both games in both lanes. The balls had to be recalled by an employee because the recall button wasn’t working.
This place needs to be investigated… If you’ve been drinking make sure have someone with you that’s not because I can see how they rip you off… NOT COOL… The sales person was an ass. She charged my car before showing me the bill. When I asked her to give me a break down, that’s when I was received the shocker. I couldn’t find the corporate number on their website but I’m definitely going to report this young lady. She needs to be fired. You’re better off at Lucky Strikes… You at least get what you pay for. They changed the bar and bathrooms but kept the old computers from Mar Vista Bowl.

Bowlero is awesome. Completely new from the previous bowling alley that was here before. I came here on a date on friday noon and there was actually a decent crowd.
The whole setting and ambiance of this lane is hip and modern. Colored florescent bulbs, uv lit bowling lanes, and full bar/​clubby area. There’s a mini arcade area with a pool table and I’m pretty sure I saw a folded beer pong table too.
As we were bowling my lane wasn’t too oily and one of the workers always cool enough to oil it for us and restart our game. Also note it was midday on a friday.
The whole staff was super friendly. The manage Drew and our waiter/​bartender Rory were on point.
Honestly this place is awesome for a date, a group of friends, or even a family outing. The bar area with the lounge tables looked super cool so I’d want to come back and check what it’s like on a weekend night time too.
Definitely a great spot in Venice

WOW what a change from the stinky old bowling alley I went to 10 years ago.
Came here for a work event and had such a blast! The bowling was super fun and the shoes didn’t smell. The full bar was on point and the bartenders were fun and fast to serve drinks. The food provided was super yummy! From the minty lamb chops to the steak and blue cheese everything was a winner.
The music had some great throw backs and the staff didn’t mind us starting a mini dance party in our area. Super duper fun night, I will defo be back!

I haven’t been here since it was Mar Vista Bowl, always the spot for a lot of birthday parties I went to as a kid and early teen. My how that has changed. Def enjoyed to 21+ ambience after 9pm on Saturday. The DJ was amazing!!! In fact myself and my fiancé spoke to him after our game and are heavily considering having him DJ our wedding. Played bomb oldies and 90’s hip hop and today’s top 40. He’s gets the full 5 stars.
I recommend making a reservation for Saturday nights. If ur group is over 8 People GET 2 lanes so ur seated comfortably and have enough time to get as many games in as u can for the 2 hours.
Get reliable people cause they charge ur card right when u reserve. So if people back out ur screwed so get the money from ur group upfront.
The staff was very nice. One of the managers checked on us a lot and made sure everything was going good and even offered a round of drinks if my fiancé got a strike… of course my fiancé didn’t get one lol.
The food and drinks were good! Me and my team played Booze Bowl. Google for instructions haha gets very fun and you find urself dancing a lot in ur area.
The ONLY reason I’m giving this 3 stars was when I got my bill and noticed 2 taxes. Apparently there is a separate tax for Beer and separate tax for Hard liquor. Either I’m new to this or I missing something cause I’m bars and clubs from here to even Vegas I have Never seen that before. So was a little shock. But if we do return to Bolwero we def. know no beer (we only needed it for the booze bowl game) and just straight Jack and cokes.
Over all had a good time here. Hopefully it’s the same DJ if we come back on a Saturday.

I attended opening weekend, and was impressed by some things and not-​so-​impressed by a few more things.
Granted, I did visit a few months ago, so maybe their policies have changed since they first opened, but here’s a quick summary: it was very hip and there was a good selection of food and drinks on the menu, but the quality/​portion size of the food was just OK, and the price (for both food and bowling) was way, way, way too high.
The place is an improvement over the old bowling alley that used to be here. Yes, I know the old bowling alley was a community classic, favorite, etc., etc — there’s been some controversy for months about Bowlero opening up to replace it. But honestly, the old bowling alley felt old, in desperate need of a refresh, and I understand how businesses work, so I understand why this needed to happen.
But if they want me (or others) to keep coming back, they need to lower the prices a smidge (or a lot). They have a lot of deals on weeknights, so they have that going for them, but the weekends are a different story. The vibe at night is like a club. Lights turned low, with loud music playing. It has a good, young, vibe, but the prices don’t make me want to come back.
The food portions were small — meatballs were OK, and though we ordered a few other things off the menu, they were all forgettable and unremarkable.
I’m glad I went and checked it out, but I still have a bad taste left in my mouth because it wasn’t worth the price. I’m not expecting gourmet quality from a bowling alley, but the prices should match the quality, and they definitely didn’t. Two people who had mediocre appetizers (I was still hungry after) and one beer each, plus one game of bowling paid well over $ 140. I’m willing to pay for quality, but this place just didn’t deliver.

I have not bowled or eaten here since it has become Bowlero. I used to bowl here and I stopped by to check out the new remodel. The bottom line is I guess I am more old school and enjoy the larger lanes of the past. It seemed like the staff were tripping on each other in the area where you pay for the lanes and shoes. The music was very loud and basically it is mostly a party atmosphere (which is apparently what the new owners were looking for ?) The prices are much higher than in the past.

First off, if you’ve ever read any of my other reviews then you know I rarely complain about prices.
In Bowlero’s case, this place is overpriced. The only nice part is that the bowling alleys actually work and the black light is fun. I could do without the TV’s showing Dogtown skaters and Back To The Future above the pins. Too distracting.
My date and I played three games. Add an order of nachos and two rounds of beers and we passed the $ 100 mark easy. Keep in mind this is a Sunday late afternoon with half the lanes open. Not like it was high traffic time. Just expensive.
Speaking of it not being high traffic time, I think their MO is to keep you waiting before they bring your food and drinks until you’re almost through with your game, so you’ll feel obligated to buy another game. That’s the only way I can describe the horribly slow understaffed service. There has to be an ulterior motive.
As for the food, while I scarfed down the nachos, it was more out of delirium from hunger than because they were worth the 12 dollars. They came out lukewarm and soggy. Fun fact: They’re called «Nacho Avalanche: Need we say more?»
Kinda, yeah. When I asked the server if they were really large he basically said «Oh no, that’s just the name. They’re not that big. They’re just like a regular order.»
I should have listened to the server.
Even before Bowlero arrived, the Mar Visa/​Venice locals were upset about their intentions. Now I can see why. Gentrification is par for the course, I get that, and with gentrification comes a cynical mentality of «throw a fresh coat of paint on it, and that’s worth the 50% markup.» Or in this case, throw a black light on it. Whatever. My point is, who wants a gentrified bowling alley, anyway?
Hate to say it but reading the majority of extremely uh, passionate one and two star reviews, I am more than a little skeptical of any 4 or 5 star reviews here.

Went here for a Sunday Funday which is advertised as $ 4/​person. We had 7 people and played 2 games. Bill for bowling was over $ 250.
Two hundred and fifty dollars. For 2 games.
WTF
We ordered a ton of food separately. The food was bad and overpriced. To top it off our waitress forgot orders and then while we were eating the hummus the waitress cleared the table while we were bowling and put out wetnaps and dirty plates on top of the hummus and when I stopped her she was like oh here sorry and tried to give it back and take the dirty stuff off it. Gross. Total for 1 pizza, 1 chicken strips, 2 beer, 2 drinks and hummus was over $ 200 more.
Skip this place. $ 400+ for 2 games and food.