East Village Tavern + Bowl

We liked coming here because its so close to our apartment and we’re new to the area. Tonight was rediculous, we came in for taco Tuesday and after a half hour of waiting and the bartender ignoring us serveral times he finally desided to tell us that their emloyees have horrible communication and our food wasnt going to be ready until they thawed out the chicken. Mind you as we are sitting here i watched several people get servered that same food as us within 5 mins of ordering. WE ORDERED TWO tacos. Not once did we get an apology but we did get charged full price for the food we never recieved

By far the worst service I’ve EVER had. The bartenders were awful and the servers even worse. My friend asked for a refill on her water and 15 minutes later she ended up finding a pitcher at the bar and refilling it herself. It took so long to get our checks we could’ve left without paying. I’m currently writing his review 15 minutes after I gave the server my card to pay for the check. No idea where she or my credit card is!!! This place is so ridiculous I would NEVER come back!

Wow what a missed opprotunity here. This review generally reflects the servers incompetence.
The host who helped us with shoe rentals was very helpful and friendly, I wish I would’ve gotten his name. After we were all set up and began bowling it took about 15 mins for our server to greet us, (we had to go find menus ourselves) we ordered the father’s day special and told her we needed more time to look over the menu (one flatbread pizza would not feed our family of five). After that we never saw her again. The pizza came out pretty quickly (before our drinks) and was very tasty. We waited for the server to come back to order more food but she didn’t. After about 20 mins after the flatbread came out I decided to go look for someone to help us. I found a waitress and she took our order with no hesitation and didn’t seem annoyed that I had to stop her from what she was doing due to our lack of service, which I was thankful for. As I was walking through the place looking for someone to take our order, I noticed our original server who greeted us, sitting at the bar and in the process of taking a shot, just lovely. I was hoping she was off for the day and they maybe have a loose drinking policy, but sure enough about 30 mins later she came back with rosie cheeks to tell us she was back from break (which she never disclosed she was taking a break) and wanted to know if we needed anything. During her break, a another waitress had taken our order and brought me my drink, a very friendly food runner brought us our meal and we continued to bowl. I asked her for water, it never came, maybe her shots on her break made her forget.
A few highlights though, the food came out fast and was delicious! Father’s day special was an incredible bang for your buck. Two hours of bowling including shoes, a flatbread pizza and two pitchers of soda for a group of up to six people all for 49 dollars!
I was overall disappointed in our server, besides the bowling lanes the bar portion was completely empty and I don’t see why the service lacked as much as it did. I ended up tipping the busser separately for his help and friendliness, but did not feel the tip belonged to our waitress drinking on the job. I would maybe try to go here again and just hope for a more attentive server. I wish they realized they’re offering an experience more than just a typical bowling alley where you pay to bowl, they offer service with bowling, unfortunately we just didn’t get service.

I don’t know why Tavern & Bowl doesn’t get more credit for their food. I love everything on their menu, especially the paleo burger. Depending on the bartender you can get amazingly strong drinks as well. Don’t just write this place off as a bowling alley, they’re great for catching a game and having a meal. In fact, I’ve actually never gone bowling here. Also, don’t forget to get a five stars account to earn points for amounts spent here, they add up fast!

Great Place! Good food and good people! This is my go to. Always have a fun time with the staff… Also, great place to watch sports… a lot of quality tv’s.

The concept of having a bowling alley in the immediate downtown area is great. However, when I came to East Village Tavern, my dining/​drinking experience was horrible. I came here with a large group and unfortunately, they seemed to have lost my order. I was starving and parched after patiently waiting for my missing food and drinks. Also, they had nerve to try to charge me for a drink that I had already paid for… they seemed to have forgotten that I already paid. One of the waitresses tried to make amends for this horrible experience, but then she forgot about me too as we made our way to the bowling alley area. Bowling here is actually quite pricey… for our reservation on a Friday night, it was $ 55 per hour just for the bowling lane. I like the fact that you can reserve the lane, but rather expensive.

Seriously. Where do they find the help that was serving me tonight? Does she practice being this bad? The manager? Well at least the guy that claimed to be. Clueless. But in fairness I think he just was saying he was the manager. No way a guy that clueless could be in charge.
The food wasn’t bad. Service was slow, they were busy, but they also had lots of staff to handle the crowd. Or at least they had enough that should have been able to. Unfortunately the waitress was bad enough to sufficiently discount any positives.

We weren’t expecting much… And then the food was AMAZING! FANTASTIC wings and the ribye sandwich was on point! Highly recommend eating here!

Best bar in East Village. One of the only places in the Downtown area to catch all of the games. Management and staff are excellent and the food is top notch. Highly recommend if you want a non-​pretentious time.

To sum up this weekend’s visit to EVT: Yikes. They failed as a bowling alley, a bar, and a food-​service establishment, all within the course of about an hour.
We were meeting a friend who had reserved a lane at 7pm on a Saturday, and we arrived a little early and so decided to get a drink at the bar. Despite only about 10 people at the bar and 3 bartenders, it still took us a good 10 – 15 minutes to even get the server’s attention. We took some comfort in knowing that we would have an actual server at our lane, and so service should be much better (turned out to not be the case, service was all around slow). Beer selection was okay at best.
We go to check in/​pay for our lane and learn that reservations are $ 55/​hour, so we decided to only bowl for one hour, not two like we had originally planned. $ 110 + tax to bowl? No thank you. So we go to hunt for balls, and I can’t find one lower than 10 lbs (I have small hands, so I need the kid-​sized balls). It took them 20 minutes into our $ 55/​hour time slot to hunt me down a ball. I finally get to start bowling, and the ball immediately gets stuck. They tell me that tends to happen with the lighter balls — «here’s an 8-​pounder, throw it at the ball and they’ll both come out» (never mind trying to aim for pins…). And so that became my strategy for the rest of the night.
Then we decide to order food (after a very long wait to get our drink order taken and filled). I ordered a turkey burger. 15 minutes later the manager comes out to apologize for the ball mishap earlier — and to tell me that they are out of turkey burgers. Grr. So I order a Hawaiian pizza flatbread. Manager comes back out 5 minutes later… they are out of Canadian bacon. I give up on ordering food at that point as our hour of bowling is almost up, and leftovers at home sound more promising than placing a third order. The manager comes back and tells our group that he is going to refund our lane charge and give us a free dessert (the only redeeming portion of the night). We ask the waitress what they have for desserts, and she lists an Oreo cheesecake, some sort of cookie/​brownie thing, and a crème brulee. We decide on the crème brulee… and what do you know, they are out of that too. Sigh. The food that actually arrived was decent for a bar/​bowling alley (my friends let me pick at theirs…), but what a fiasco to get any food served at all.
So, moral of the story… don’t waste your time or your money. They are overpriced for the quality of bowling and service they provide. I’m going with two stars (instead of one) because the manager did genuinely try to right the many wrongs of our visit.

Went here for Wing Thursday (50 cent wings). It was our first time here. There was no one around when we walked in so we just sat down. Eventually someone came to our table and took our order. The service was pretty bad. When they brought our food out, the guy literally said, «Here’s your wings. I don’t know which flavors are which, sorry.» ?? Umm, well are you gonna go find out? The wings were OKAY. We also ordered their pretzel and cheese app. Seriously repulsive. The cheese … I just don’t even know. It kind of tasted like that canned cheese that you squirt on Ritz crackers but somehow worse. It was honestly amazing that its possible for any restaurant to make food that terrible. Anyway, when we wanted to leave, we had to go ask some random employee if they could find our waitress to bring us our check since we hadn’t seen her in a good 20 minutes. Safe to say I won’t be back, no matter how CHEAP their food is.

We had a great night at East Village. Had dinner beforehand there and we were all surprised how good the food was. I had cedar planked salmon, my friends had the meatloaf, flatbread, and burgers. We also had tator tots … Yum!
A few cocktails too then off for bowling. It’s amazing the more cocktails you consume, the worse you bowl!!! Funtime had by all.

Probably one of the most consistent bars/​restaurants in the area for food and service. The first time we stopped in a few months ago it was sort of a miss because it was a game day and the bartenders seemed more into doing shots with themselves than they were paying attention to people. But, have been back several times since and all the bartenders, none of which I remember from that day, have been great. This is our go-​to spot for NFL games and also for food when we are getting take out. We have ordered food here several times and it’s never been wrong or bad. That says a lot… especially for being this close to the Gaslamp. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had orders messed up around here. This place and Knotty Barrel are always on point.
The bar has a nice setup. Horseshoe-​shaped so you can actually feel like you’re sitting at a bar and being festive. Several TV’s playing several different events from football to basketball to (unfortunately) the UFC. I’ve been here for one UFC fight and I was surprised that the crowd was cool and laid back unlike most UFC peeps that you see all amped out at other places wearing their tight fight-​designed fashion shirts.
We’ve tried everything from brunch to lunch to wings and dinner and back. Always spot on food. Noticed they label their menu for Gluten Free items and seem to have a quite a selection of food for meat eaters, vegans and non-​wheaties. Haven’t ever been to the bowling side as I’m not a bowler and last time I did not only did I slip and fall I also lost miserably so I avoid it at all costs.
Definitely a go-​to in the East Village.

Every time I have had a chance to visit East Village Tavern me and my group have had a great time. From bowling to happy hour, the staff has always been attentive even when at the lanes they come by frequently to make sure we don’t need anything. This is definitely our go to for a chill night!

People in charge of bowling took away our sensor to tell us when to bowl because people canceled then hours later called back to get the reserve again even after we waited for 45 minutes. Complete bullshit. Shitty service and flat beer. Do not come here.

Confused a reservation twice in a day. Completely incompetent receptionist who we were initially dealing with. Frustrated doesn’t encompass the feeling we had today. At least they tried to make up for it with some free bowling passes.

Awesome food! Ice Cold Beer! Great craft beer menu. Great time bowling with friends, Manager let us extend our bowling game a little longer to finish up a second round.

This was SO fun! A group of us reserved a lane for two games on a weekend. Such a great time and close to everything if you want to go bar hopping after (or before). They also have a great bar in front, too if you would rather stay there all night. The place is pretty small, so book early.
We ordered some food and everything came out quick and was tasty.
Overall, I had a great time and thought it was something different to do on a weekend, but still be in the heart of it all.
As for parking, I think it’s probably difficult always, but when we went there was a Taylor Swift concert that night so it was pretty crowded and lots of traffic/​people. My friend parked in the grocery story parking lot (which I don’t recommend) but his car was there at the end of the night! Be warned, yours might not be.

Went there to watch a football game, so we got there breakfast. I found green stuff in my wafflea, apparently they out onion in it? Orange juice was bad, I didn’t get asked how I want my eggs and having them over easy with all the rest makes me worried I’m gonna get sicks. The tater tots were ok. But generally both my boyfriend and I, who got the breakfast burrito, feel concerned about getting sick later.

Wow! Gilbert who answered the phone was extremely bland and rude. Didn’t even try to say bye and hung up on me. It’s time to work on your customer service skills. This place isn’t even that cool. thumbs down for sure.

Don’t take your own ball here. 2 balls in our group came back from the ball return with huge scratches and chips. Hoping they can fix it. Will update my review once I hear back from them.
Update: they have covered the repairs. Just wish it never happened in the first place!

Wow, I’ve heard so much about this place before, so how have I not been here yet? Finally went to try it out, and it was pretty damn cool. They have decent beer selections (kind of wish there was more for being downtown and being in SD with all of these great local craft breweries). Bowling lanes are nice, and we were in the second alley room, which was pretty nice since we ended up almost having it all to ourselves. Drinking and bowling is a great concept, and we got some of the pizza too, but it wasn’t great pizza… Smelled kinda weird (like an excess of stinky parmesan cheese). I def want to return here, just for the beers and bowling aspect. They also give you a $ 1 Wild Turkey 101 shot if you bowl three strikes in a row (I got 2…). Def worth checking out if you’re into drinking and easy going sports.

Nice place to hang out for a drink, some pool or bowling. Small lanes though but still fun if you are not a serious bowler. I came here for a couple of company sponsored events and had a great time every time. The in house food was nothing to write home about but still food all the same.
The plus for this place is the nighttime atmosphere. The lighting, is really cool with lots of neon, fluorescence and club like lasers. The music pumps nicely but still quiet enough to keep conversations going.

This is a fun place, trivia night is cool, service was ok. I didn’t bowl this time around, however it was a fair price. We will for sure go back and try the food since we only had drinks. The atmosphere is cool and of us it’s a central location and only cost us a few bucks in an über.

Kind of bummed out we didn’t have the greatest time here. We came in for some drinks and appetizers during labor day weekend super hungry and thirsty. The tavern wasnt as packed as it usually had been when we visited in the past, however the service was dragging its butt on that day. It took way too long to get an order in. In addition to this, their menu is over priced in my opinion, 14 dollars for pork nachos and almost 15 for a paleo burger that wasn’t able to stay together and was on the tough side. I recently moved across the street from it and am sad to see that some of the reviews on here are true.

We came here to switch up our date night and I think surprised ourselves by having a blast. Neither of us are bowlers (our last game was 71 to 72…) but we had so much fun!!! I’d definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for a different night-​out.
We got here around 6 on a Wednesday night. The bar part of this building seems enormous– at least as big as their bowling alley. The alley is in the east side of the building, out of the way of the bar traffic, and they have small, raised tables for you to eat, drink, and store your stuff at. Looking back, I’m still shocked at being allowed to drink and eat right over the bowling lane (I’m guessing this is why they give you little handwipes with every food order) — count me in! Definitely meets my ideal of having everything– food, drink and entertainment– all within a hand’s reach. The games are well priced, and they seem to have a lot of good happy hour deals on drink (we can never agree on beers, but we got an Angry Orchard cider pitcher under their happy hour menu). Tried the food, as well– mahi tacos and mac and cheese– both pretty good for a bowling alley (although, be warned– I’m comparing to Kearny Mesa Bowl, here, so not much of a comparison).
The bad: the pins kept falling over, which worked in our favor, but if you’re a serious bowler you may want to go somewhere, well… a bit more professional. My guess is that they took one look at us and figured it wouldn’t hurt us. They were right! Also, the lanes are very small– I think there are only about 6 lanes, so it fills up quickly, especially when they have a bowling group come in, like they did while we were there. Parking, like all of downtown, can also suck in East Village, though usually you can get lucky by looking a few blocks east of the building.
Overall, though, definitely worth the money and we will be back!

I’ve actually been bowling here now, so it seemed time to update my review. I’m not the best at bowling, and it is usually the last thing I want to do with friends — I really am that person Jim Gaffigan talks about who thinks it would be hysterical if we went bowling. But it was actually a lot of fun! We had 7 people and you can only put 6 to a lane, so we had 2 lanes, but there wasn’t a huge price difference. We paid per person per game, so it was really great value. You can also pay per hour, but since we ordered drinks and food, we figured we might need more than an hour. There are 8 lanes, so it’s not a particularly big bowling alley, but it works. Our waitress was nice and attentive. Also to note, if you happen to find yourself here without socks, they will sell you a pair. It’s like $ 3.

Beer, location, late night and bowling?! How can you complain about that?! Having been to the north county tavern and bowl, the east village location is actually very well done and really large in size. This place is actually a great time as you combine drinks with late night bowling and a DJ spinning some great tracks. Lanes cost $ 55 per hour, which isn’t too bad, especially with friends. Overall, highly recommended to anyone looking to grab some drinks and/​or get this bowl on…
Pros–
Location
Bowling
Drinks
Cleanliness
Shows UFC fights
TVs everywhere
Cons–
Service a bit slow
$ 5 cover for UFC
Parking

First time here and I love love love it!!! Good vibe, good food, good people, and def good prices!!! Next time I come down here to SD I’m sure to visit again! The only downside is parking. We got lucky and found parking around the block. Everyone else? Not SOO lucky.
PS they do I. D you! ;)

Came here for a Meetup event. What better way to meet new people than to show off how horrible you are at bowling. At least you’ll have this place to put you at ease.
Located near downtown (East Village, as the name suggests), it’s in a great location if you need to grab a bite to eat before bowling or grab a drink after. Not that you couldn’t do that here. IT’S ALSO A TAVERN.
You walk in and the bar is right there. You continue on to the next area and there’s some pool tables on the way to grab your shoes. The bowling alley is divided into two sections: one for the loud crowd and one for the less loud (like us 30-​somethings). There’s also another bar there, so you don’t have to venture far if you’re thirsty.
I ordered a couple of appetizers: chicken tenders were delish, crispy, not greasy, and had a good sauce to pair with, thinking an aioli. They were paired with fries, which were the perfect texture. On the other side, I ordered their asparagus (because I’m a health nut) and while it was a little on the salty side, still good to nom on. There was a spinach and artichoke dip that I would’ve gone to town on, but I try to stay away from pita bread as a struggling Paleo person, and lest I’m spreading the spread on my hand (that’s frowned upon), I can’t just eat it straight from the bowl.
Bowling was entertaining, the random pictures of people for spares and strikes are standard, and after 10pm a video DJ starts mixing music. So come on down!

We came to bowl after the padre game! When we got there it was a few hour wait (yikes!), but luckily the party in front of us who had held four lanes cancelled! We got to play for two hours and had a blast!!! It’s great the option to have drinks and bowl!
It’s a super fun atmosphere with cool lighting!

Awesome little bowling spot for a mid-​afternoon game and a beer! There are only a handful of lanes here but this place is so much fun. If bowling isn’t your thing they also have a pool table and a bunch of TV’s if you prefer to just kickback and watch your favorite team kick some butt.

So Im Here Bowling Tonight For My Birthday. A Little Bummed They Took The Kona Big Wave Off The Tap, Good Thing It Was Replaced By Another Kona, The Firerock IPA.
Its A Good Night So Far, Plenty Of People, Waitress Taking Care Of Us. And A Shout Out To The Guy At The Bowling Counter, Takes Care Of Us Everytime Im Here.