Bowl & Barrel

Awesome experience. Great date night, food was amazing. All appetizers were amazing but the best one was the hummus, and the pretzel.

Perfect for dates. Awesome music..peak ambience. Amazing burgers 🍔

I have been to bowl and barrel a couple of times over the years and have always enjoyed it! It is our go to bowling place in the area. It has a nice atmosphere and good for all ages. The food has always been tasty too! I would say the service is average. It has been well kept over the years!

I really wanted to like this place. Our first visit to Bowl & Barrel was actually decent, which made us confident enough to book a second event here — big mistake. Trying to make the reservation was already frustrating. I was left on hold for 15 minutes, then hung up on. When I called back, the person who answered said they weren’t a host but would “pass on the info” to the right person and that I’d get a callback within 10–15 minutes. I waited over an hour — nothing. I called again, and a different employee told me they had “tried” calling me (they hadn’t) but confirmed our reservation. Once we arrived, the experience completely fell apart. The host gave us our lane and tossed the shoes on the floor, then walked off quickly before anyone could even thank her. Her attitude was cold and unprofessional. We waited 20–30 minutes for a server — no water, no greeting, no one checking in. The place was nearly empty, just us and a small family, yet all the staff were gathered at the bar chatting, giving us the occasional stare, and continuing to ignore us. Eventually, I had to get up and place our order at the bar myself — just waters and one draft beer. I returned to bowl and we waited another 20+ minutes… still nothing. The drinks were just sitting on the counter the entire time while the staff kept socializing. My sister finally started walking toward them to ask what was going on — only then did they suddenly rush to bring the already-warm beer and waters that had been left sitting out. This place is nice in theory — the bowling setup is modern and clean — but the service and attitude from the staff are unacceptable. No professionalism, no sense of urgency, no visible management. It felt like being served by a disinterested group of teenagers at a fast food joint. If this is the standard now, I don’t see this business lasting much longer. I wouldn’t recommend Bowl & Barrel to anyone looking for a smooth or enjoyable group experience. There are much better spots in Houston where customer service still matters. Update(8/18/25): I emailed the email they commented below saying sorry for the bad experience and to please email them so they can make it right I sent the email on Aug 14,2024 they still haven’t responded to my email just so everyone is aware they don’t care to make it right or care if you email them. Them saying that is just for looks to act like they care about the customer when they don’t.

Let me be clear…the service here is absolutely terrible. We booked a lane for 2 hours and not once did a server come to greet us, check in, or offer help. The front desk girl had a horrible attitude right from the start, and it only got worse from there. The servers? Too busy standing around at the bar gossiping and laughing amongst themselves, then scatter like roaches the second you walk toward them. It’s unbelievable. There was zero customer care, zero effort, and clearly zero management presence. I honestly don’t know how most of the staff got hired it looks like they just throw anyone in a shirt and call it a day. As someone who manages a large team for a major corporation, here’s my professional recommendation: clean house. Start with management and every single server. What I witnessed was a crew of people stealing company time with no intention of actually working. It’s not just bad service it’s a lack of any work ethic or basic standards. Until serious changes are made, I would strongly advise anyone to take their business elsewhere.

Everything was great, but you do have to pay for parking at this location, it’s not expensive though, like $15 for 3hrs I think.

This is a great place for a private event. Lots of laughter and fun was had as we were all equally bad. Lots of food, nice pours from the bar, and very attentive staff. 10/10 recommend.

YouTube PreettyP I wish the staff was a lot more friendlier. No one came over to our lane to offer us anything. I like the look of the establishment. But other than that, me and boyfriend enjoyed our time bowling.

TKOI at the front was so amazing! She was fast and friendly when it came to her service. We had a late addition to our party and she accommodated us with a breeze! I work in customer service and would love to have someone like TKOI on my team. Keep up the great work!

The family bounced into Bowl & Barrel as part of my wife's birthday celebration weekend. I'd searched several bowling alleys and although all had mixed reviews, B&B had a strange appeal due to the different decor. We checked in our party of 5 and began placing food orders as our lane time had already started ticking away. The waiter seemed a bit "off." He barely responded to each person placing their order and only entered a few of the items into his tablet. And it showed because although we ordered a pepperoni and sausage pizza, this dude brings out a whopping veggie loaded pizza. They did fix this--maybe by removing all the veggies and popping it back into the oven so the cheese would remelt, but hey...it was fixed. We also had two orders of the burger sliders. Everyone said all the food was "bussin'!!" The guy missed one of our soda orders but I was able to get it from the bartender along with several refills of water. The bowling was pretty standard. No complaints there, but we're not frequent bowlers so maybe we just didn't notice anything. We did have to go grab the waiter a few times, as many people here complained about. Overall this was a fun outing and I would recommend B&B to all but the super serious bowlers.

If you're looking for an upscale bowling experience, then this is a good option. I will say it could be pricey but definitely have deals on certain days.

Celebration for a 50th birthday The food options are vast and delicious the best are the empanadas and the sliders along with the stuffed mushrooms ‍. Love the lighting for bowling not so much for photos . But the lanes are well spaced for large parties. Service was good my only concern is servers should ask all celebration attendees if they would like something to drink. And food should stay covered. I highly recommend setting up an event.

I came for a birthday bowling party, and it was fun! It was family friendly, although the kiddos next to us, the parents really paid them no mind and let them jump on the furniture and let them be loud and rambunctious. Other than that, we had to find a waiter to take our order and when it was time to leave we had to find the same waiter to get our tickets to check out. I got fries and an Old Fashioned. The Old Fashioned was NOICE!!!! I would have loved another one. The fries, meh, they weren't nothing to write home about, nor were they hot. But it's fine. The environment was clean, bathrooms were clean. I would definitely go back if they happen to have an adult night.

Horrible experience last Friday when we came out for my sister's birthday. We had to switch lanes 3 times because the first was broken and then they overbooked another lane. I had to go into the Men's restroom because the woman's was a disaster (both my mom and myself had told staff previously). We had to walk to the bar every time to order things, even sodas and waters. I had asked if they were training trying to give them the benefit of the doubt but they said no. Everyone was just standing around. They perceive to be an upscale bowling alley but they do not treat it as such. It's way too expensive to spend the money on the service and treatment you get here. Honestly will take a lot to want to come back.

Awesome place to come for a good date night. I love how it's not a regular bowling alley where it's crowded and there are a bunch of kids running around. It feels almost like a speakeasy bowling alley. The bar and the bartenders are amazing. The fact that you can order from where you play and they bring it straight to you is great. We had an amazing time and we will definitely be back. The food is amazing as well I almost forgot but the sliders were definitely a top ten. One negative thing I do have to say is that you are paying for the experience and the ambiance because the price for one bowling date here will hurt your wallet a bit. We went one year for my wife's birthday and spent almost $300. We still had a good time though. I very much recommend this bowling alley for anyone looking for a cool new spot.

I like the theme and location of this bowling alley. It is good for a group outing just make sure to make your reservation in advance. If you arrive at the bowling alley early be sure to stop at the front to fill out your name cards so the registration agents can program your lanes accordingly (i.e. names, bumpers). We had a group of seven so they gave us two lanes side by side which switched automatically after the each group bowled a frame. Some minor grips would be while bowling I noticed the lanes appear to be shorter than regulation but if you bowl starting from the arrows nearest your seats then you can make up the difference. Bowl & Barrel might need to redo the bowling lanes because I heard some dead spots on few rolls from ours and the surrounding lanes, the lanes appeared to be waxed too slick and they need some newer bowling balls or fairly used bowling balls with less chips on the surface. On the positive side, good place to hangout with a group, the bumpers come up automatic for the bowlers who needed them and the food was delicious. If I remember correctly everyone ordered a different appetizer or small food plates and the bill was not bad considering the size of the party. Now the adult libations bill is another story, sharing is caring!!!

While in town visiting I came across this spot for happy hour deals and they didn't disappoint. I got there around 315 and got me a Lynchburg sour and lemon drop martini for $3 as well as two burger sliders for $3. Place wasn't crowded and the bartender was helpful and attentive. The drinks were not weak either. If I bowled I probably would've gave it a 5 star but I was just enjoying happy hour. If I ever come back to Houston again this will be the first stop.

We had a Valentine's Playdate here with the kids. The guy at the front overcharged us, to begin with after I asked why was it $132 for six ppl to bowl, $40 was refunded. Everyone makes mistakes, no big deal. No issues with the food at all, I ordered at the bar and left my card for the tab. The game ended, and while putting on our shoes the lady from the bar with the paid shirt came and told us to move to one of the sitting areas because there was a reservation and they needed the area. The picture below shows how empty the place is at the moment, she's asking us to move to finish putting our shoes on.

Showed up at 3:10pm on a Wednesday to bowl for an hour with my husband. They told us we could only play until 4pm which I knew but would still charge us for a full hour. I said that was no problem but they tried to charge us $56. I showed the guy the advertisement and he said we had to have children with us for that offer. I told him it doesn't say anywhere on the advertisement or the website that we can't bowl for that price without children. The guy was so rude and just kept saying the advertisement was wrong and wouldn't honor the offer on the website. Terrible customer service and false advertising. Definitely won't be going back. Emailed management as mentioned below and a week later and still no reply! Really terrible customer service when they can't even follow up with a customer they have asked to reach out.

The customer service wasn't the best. We tried to extend our bowling time and they said no because someone was coming right after us. They said, that if the party didn't arrive in 15 minutes they had to give the lane up. There were two lanes open on each side of us the parties never showed and they still wouldn't allow us to extend our time. Our server was rude and caught an attitude but the I gave it a 2 because the manager came in and resolved the situation. Our server was allowing people who came late to our event to order Sprite after we told her it was carbonated with no syrup in it. She also failed to notify the kitchen. We tried to switch a spinach dip to a different item because of how big it was and she told us no, "Because I'm sure your spinach dip is ready and just waiting there in the kitchen." We waited a whole 20+ minutes and the spinach dip didn't arrive. I wouldn't recommend this place nor would I attend again.

Great place for a hangout with friends, date night, or family night. Great vibes and music. 100% recommend calling ahead to reserve a lane, especially on weekends that way you're not sitting there waiting as there are not other activities to do, just eat and drink while you wait. There are only 14 lanes available, 6 people per lane. If you like real bowling, this is not the place for you. Pins are on a string and they were having issues where you'd hit a pin but that pin would be placed back on the lane. Manager was very accommodating, we switched lanes and continued to have the same issue and they took care of us. We ordered the spinach artichoke dip which was okay but I'd say not worth the $15. All in all, I'd be willing to go back again and hopefully have a better experience than the first.

Christmas day and most things were closed. Bowl & Barrel was open and we have wanted to go here for a while. This place has a cool bowling vibe with a bar and servers who come by for a limited menu. We were able to play 3 bowling games in 54 minutes. The team comes by to ask if you want more time, and we asked for 2 30-minute slots. This visit satisfied my curiosity. The staff wasn't overly pleasant.They seemed ready to get the next customers in. Parking: challenging Can park down the street in covered area in garage . Menu: limited only had pretzels and burgers today Customer service: fair For a 1st visit they didn't make an effort to make us wish to return Fun : definitely. Loved the way the lanes were set up and comfortable sitting . We had a good time playing . Not sure will return.

Dont go here if you actually like bowling, the pins are on strings and the lane feels poorly oiled. The food was good

Bowling and eating/drinking is what's going on here. Great atmosphere with cool decor. We had a birthday party with 8 people. Food was pretty good. Drinks were very tasty. Easy in and out access, even over the peak weekend hours at City Centre. We all had a lot of fun and would go again!

it's nice inside and more of a bar vibe. no aggressive neon lights or anything it's soft lighting. the setup is nice and staff were helpful. they were out of angry orchards.

I truly enjoyed the atmosphere at Bowl & Barrel. We'd gathered to celebrate the 48th birthday of a close family friend and loved how family friendly the evening turned out to be. We brought our children raging from ages 6 to early teen and we all had a wonderful time. The staff were friendly and the food tasty. This location has a full bar for the grown and sexy to enjoy as well. The entire place is covered with several large televisions displaying the game's score and appropriate entertainment all through out.

The food was great. Our server was excellent, we had a blast. This bowling alley had an inviting ambience.

Jose did a great job hosting our party. He kept the drinks and snacks coming and was even our photographer. Great experience!

This is my favorite bowling alley. The servers are attentive, atmosphere is nice, and the food is tasty. Tonight, I have to give props to Brian at the check in counter. He went out of his way to ensure me and my family had a good time. He was very accommodating and honestly, he made our night of bowling a GOOD NIGHT! Thank you Brian. Until next time....

This was a cool spot. I came on Saturday night and they said there'd be a 20-30 min wait because we didn't have a reservation. It's a small bowling alley compared to the others I've been to. Parking was kinda of annoying seeing as it's located in city centre and on a weekend nonetheless. But the margarita pizza was really yummy and the drinks were good.

Good for chill vibes. Good service. Bowling alley meant more for adults but kids are welcome.

Not much of a bowling alley, more like a restaurant that has a bowling alley in it. The pins are reset via string system which made me picture marionette puppeteers behind the walls. I am sure this is quieter and less expensive, it did make for some awkward shots since we believed the pins would act differently if there were no strings and they were allowed to be real boys. But alas, the Blue Fairy must have Sundays off. The ball selection was very easy to navigate either. There are no spare balls, only those in the lanes so you are forced to break social distancing and dig thru other ball returns hoping you don't take someone else's 14lb extra large with a blue swirl. Things feel a little cramped, maybe because of the way the building is laid out, or perhaps because you're a few feet above street level to allow space for the machinery needed for the ball return. The food was exceptional, and they had a pretty decent choice of local craft beers. However the staff wasn't knowledgeable on the choices. While the staff was mostly on their game, they felt somewhat aloof. It was almost as if they were serving you at an event where the staff was better neither seen nor heard. While this can be nice sometimes so your party isn't interrupted, it was somewhat off putting. In the future, I'll likely eat before or after going to a real bowling alley rather than return.

We have came here many times and we have never been disappointed. The food and atmosphere is amazing. The service is sometimes a little slow, but not too bad. I just wish they would have a better online reservation system, but besides that it's a great cheap option. (11:00am-4:00pm is $10 per person on weekdays and kids get free pizza)

It's a small bowling area compared to other ones I have been to but the place was clean, there were not that many people and they offered complementary socks (if you happen to forget yours). One thing to keep in mind is that it's not a cheap place, I paid $72 for an hour (for a party of 5) and the cashier took like 10 minutes to start the line and provide us with bowling shoes.

Julian was amazing!! He took great care of our team event and we had an amazing time. We can't wait to come back!!

Came on a random Wednesday night and enjoyed myself for the second time here. The first time I came during the day abs had just as much fun. The only thing that threw me off was it was about $52 fir 2 people which I thought was pretty high for a week day. Nevertheless, I enjoyed my time there but will only stick to earlier times instead of evenings there.

Paola was amazing, super attentive and so friendly! Will come back again just for her to make my drinks.

Had an 8:30 reservation, my total for an hour was $95. Around $70 for an hour and $6 per a pair of shoes (we were a party of 3). Our server only came once and never came back. At the end of our allotted hour we had to close out ourself at the bar. Horrible service, will not be returning. Everyone should be wary, not the upscale bowling it advertises.

Jose our server was absolutely amazing. He was attentive to our needs and kept checking in on us. Great service

It was chilled. I came on the night of my birthday and it wasn't crowded so we were able to get in fast. The only thing I did t appreciate was my friend ordered a shot of liquor and was charged $30 for it. I drank water so there was no reason 1 shot should've cost so much. Robbery if you ask me. Bowling shouldn't be so expensive and we paid 36 for an hour. Not worth it to me when I can bowl somewhere else for half this cost.

Attended a networking event here on a Wednesday evening. This place is a little hard to find, I had to look for it. I heard multiple people from my group say the same. Our group had 5 lanes. Staff was very friendly but service was extremely slow. I had to ask for my soda a couple of times because I think the waitress forgot the first time. When I did get my soda, it was very watered down. It also seemed like they only had one waitress working all 5 of our lanes, which may be why service was slow. We did have some finger foods including artichoke dip, pretzel, and charcuterie which were all good. Bowling was fun. They had some shoe sizes already out for us upon arrival, which was nice. Overall, it was a fun event, but not sure if I would return due to the slow service.

I visit City Centre quite often and this was my first time visiting Bowl & Barrel. I took my kids on a Sunday afternoon because they had posted on their Facebook account regarding family Sunday's where they have a deal from 12-3pm kids can bowl for an hour and get a slice of pizza and a drink for $10 (shoes included). Great deal! We arrived exactly at noon and the place was empty except for one couple there bowling. So happy we had the place to ourselves! The pizza was not that great but I ordered some French fries for the kids and the were pretty tasty. We ate them all! There is a bar inside so you can have a drink/cocktail as you bowl. The staff was friendly and helpful. Very safe everyone had masks and the place was really clean and well kept. I really don't have anything negative to say. Highly recommended

So I came here to bowl on a Saturday with some family and friends. I had pre-reserved two lanes for two hours. I did it about a week in advance. The lanes cost $40 per hour, per lane and an additional $6 per pair of shoes for each person bowling. Each lane can have 8 players. They do not bring the shoes out until your bowling card is filled out with everyone's names and shoe sizes and then they bring the shoes. This is all a bit tedious, I wish I would've known before because I ended up wasting my entire 2nd lane but for 30 mins in which other players had arrived. My total for the two lanes was $203 with two shoes. So to say I wasted a lane is pricey. If we would've been able to start the game and maybe add the other players in the second hour when they arrived it would've been great. Because we weren't allowed to use the lane til the entire party arrived it was a big waste and extremely inconvenient. Like if I pay for the lane I should be allowed to play even if all the players haven't arrived. Anyways the place is nice and staff seemed fine, but all the rules behind the bowling is annoying. Not too mention a big waste of MONEY. So I will go elsewhere in the future. Tip - tell ur group to be on time or before time so y'all can gather names sizes etc .. because when ur bowl time is up, it's up whether U played or not.

Fun and good food for a bowling and bar place. Cute place snd something different to try! Nice selection of adult beverages too!

Food and service were amazing. Had a great time with the family and the ambiance was exactly what we were looking for. The waitstaff was excellent and you can tell this establishment is managed the right way!! I'd come back here again for sure.

This was my first time visiting, but it definitely won't be the last! Very friendly staff, we waited at the bar ordered drinks and food! Before our food came the lane was ready! I ordered a Cesar Salad, crab hush puppies, and burgers in the bag. It was hot and fresh very tasty. Also ordered a pretzel. Overall it's a great friendly adult time!

Pretty cool spot but the lanes are too close together and the food is just okay! I would visit again but hope I don't get a lane with a lot of folks next to me. It's too close for comfort. Perfect for date night.

They were very accommodating even after we arrived after our reservation time. They have a really nice facility and the staff is was very helpful. My kids had a great time here.

Allison was literally the best person ever definitely would come back to see her again gave me perfect service give her a raise management material

The location is nice inside the City Centre and when you walk in the building you can tell it's a nice place for a teenager Birthday party to bowl and for the adults in the family to enjoy the food and any beverages needed for a fun time. The establishment is on the higher end for pricing but the food they ordered was well worth it. They had two types of pizza (four cheese & Sausage, peppers and mushrooms), small hot dogs, burger sliders, spinach-artichoke dip, and chips. The servers were friendly and attentive. I would recommend this place just to hang out and have some fun with friends, family or a business event for teams.

Julian was awesome! We will be back! Great service and great ambiance! Came for a work event and he was on top of keeping our drinks full and ensuring we had a great experience! Thank you Julian!

Great services n summer deals! The managers were nice .. I'd recommend.. Ok now let me post!

It was so much fun!! Julian, our bartender, was amazing! Super kind and helpful. He would regularly come by and check on us, and he would make fun small talk and was very friendly and funny. Thank you for everything!!!

The absolute worst service. A place to go and just waste time and get no service or no real bowling. Not recommended

Nice food, enjoyable ambiance and good service! A bit expensive but worth it . We will go again

Beautiful atmosphere, terrible service, decent food and malfunctioning lanes for a pretty penny.

Julian Murray was perfect and tasty drinks! We enjoyed our time. Get his tiki drinks!