Bowlski's Lakewood Theater

Interesting alley, but a complete mess. Came to play some casual games and brought my own shoes and ball. My girlfriend used the rental shoes and got a nasty pair of worn down shoes. Told myself I probably shouldn’t be throwing my personal ball into the shotty ball return, but I did it anyway. It took one game for my ball to get stuck and eventually return with tons of chips/scratches (see photos). Overall extremely disappointing. Do not come here with your own personal gear - maybe this would be fun if you just came to drink and chuck house balls.

0 stars. I visited this location with a group on 12/30/25 and had a very poor experience. The white male cashier at the front appeared completely lost and unprofessional. According to both Google and another employee, the location closes at 12:00 a.m. While playing, our lane had ongoing issues with the machine not properly setting up the cones—not a huge problem on its own. However, at 11:15 p.m., our screen clearly showed we still had 20 minutes of play time remaining, but the machine got stuck. We asked for assistance, and the cashier was extremely rude and unhelpful. He claimed our time had ended despite the screen clearly stating otherwise. What made the situation worse was that the cashier smelled strongly of marijuana, acted aggressively, and refused to help or allow us to pay for additional time. He seemed more focused on smoking and talking with his friend—both appeared visibly stoned—than assisting customers. Overall, this was a very unprofessional and unpleasant experience. Not recommended. Will like a talk with manager. Thank you

Always having lane issues and have maybe 5 lanes out of 10 working. Food is delicious bar prices are decent. Staff are very friendly and helpful.

This old theater, converted into a bowling alley, has a great atmosphere, but things go downhill from there. Charging $17 per person is crazy, especially when most of the equipment is broken. Customer service acted like we were a nuisance when we arrived, as if they were about to close. Our lane broke twice, requiring us to wait for repairs. There's a service button taped to the keyboard with duct tape, but it didn't work. I had to go to the front desk to get it fixed. Each breakdown took about 15 minutes to repair, and since the clock kept running, we kept losing time. We told the staff we were losing time waiting, and they hesitated until we pushed them to give us some extra time, only 20 minutes. Bowling balls were cracked or scratched. There weren't a lot of choices on weights, plywood for the flooring, and sticky tables. Great music choice though.

Ruben made my day! Perfect service and pretty funny. And damn cute too!!!

Bowlski's is so cute - I love how the Lakewood Theater has been restored! There's ample parking available; however, I went on a weekday, so not sure how the parking situation is in the evenings or on weekends. If you go there during 3 to 6 pm on weekdays, you can get the happy hour bowling rate. The staff is very friendly and accommodating! If you get hungry, you can always munch on the delicious pizza and if you're thirsty, there is a full bar available. Very fun place to go bowling!

They use dark practices, preselecting tips for the consumer which is supposed to be a discretionary payment. Honestly disappointed do better. SMH. but always ball up top. Stay up!

Amazing spot. I'm mad that I've never been here prior to this cause this place is awesome. Get you some Double Daves and an hour or two of bowling and a tall boy. The atmosphere is awesome - theater from the 30s preserved and turned into a bowling alley with bangers playing on the speakers. They're also got some quarter pool tables upstairs. Billy, Garrett, and Stella were all amazing. Top tier service. There's 10 lanes, it can get a little busy but they'll keep you updated on the wait.

"Where do old movies go when they retire? Apparently, they lace up their bowling shoes and hit the lanes at Bowlski! This place is like the ultimate crossover episode between Hollywood and the bowling alley. I mean, where else can you knock down pins while feeling like you're in a scene from Casablanca? And let's talk about the drinks! I had a Deep Eddy Lemon mixed with lemonade that was so good, it should win an Oscar. It's like the perfect pairing for a strike - smooth and refreshing, just like my bowling technique (or lack thereof). But enough about the libations, let's talk atmosphere. It's like stepping into a time machine where the '50s collide with modern-day coolness. You've got the retro vibes of the historic movie theater mixed with the eclectic energy of a trendy bowling alley. It's like if The Big Lebowski decided to throw a party in an old cinema. So, whether you're a movie buff looking to roll some strikes or just in need of a killer cocktail in a seriously cool setting, Bowlski is where it's at. Just be warned: you might leave feeling like a bowling superstar, even if your score says otherwise. Cue the applause!"

Cool spot with retro vibes. I love that they preserved the historic Lakewood theater exterior. Much of the interior has been preserved as well. Me and my sister bowled for 30 minutes and checked out the upstairs area afterwards. My only complaint is that the place could use some sprucing up. The carpet is heavily stained, and the bathrooms have a bad smell that lingers in the bar area where they serve food and drinks. You can tell that this is due to the old pipes and not just a temporary smell. Pros: - Preservation of the historic Lakewood theater - Nice staff - Retro decor - Games upstairs (cornhole, ping pong, etc) - Small arcade downstairs Cons: - Facilities are slightly dilapidated- could be freshened up - I wish their were more game options similar to what I see at other bowling alleys (skee ball, basketball, etc.)

What a cool place! Took my granddaughters here to bowl in the old Lakewood Theater. Historical features intact and seats removed to add bowling lanes. Very retro and fun! Full service bar and pizza/wings available. $35 for an hour for 3 people with shoes. Highly recommend!

A pretty dope venue for an interesting night of bowling. There's a bar next door and an arcade with billiards upstairs. While there is a lot going on with the bowling down stairs it's quiet relaxing to just chill upstairs. The drinks next door aren't the best but they get the job done. Everyone was super friendly too.

Super fun spot that's got something for everyone in the family. Bowling / arcade for the kids. A full bar attached for the grown ups. A double Dave's inside for everyone!!! I don't thing I've had those amazing pepperoni rolls since college days in austin and these did not disappoint! The other cool thing is there is a stage set up above the bowling pins. We didn't see a show but they did have some cool 90s hip hop and corresponding music videos playing! We've also been for a birthday party in the past and those are fun too. Can get to be a bit chaotic with all the little ones running around!

Why to ruin a night. So I came here after being complete sober! And guess what, I had two beers and my friends accidentally nocked a beer over and they cut us off! Wild. Never been cut off in my life. Peace out never gonna go here again. Bowlmor or Pinstack for the win!

Best pizza & bowling in the area. The pepperoni rolls are amazing & the bar has great drinks (biggest bottle of modelo ever)! Kid friendly & great atmosphere with superb service :)

Great place for a fun evening. The owners are making a big effort to bring new games and concepts to the business. There is a really cool new bar they created out of a converted projection room of the old theater, go check it out!

We had a very unsatisfactory experience tonight. I want to say that the woman working the front desk was the only one working tonight, a Saturday night, and she is basically a superhero. She was expected to ring up customers, provide rental shoes, wipe down lanes between customers, AND fix broken lanes (and there were MANY broken lanes). She was basically set up to fail, and yet she had an amazing attitude. This would be a 1-star review if not for her. First of all, the price is $17 per person, when most bowling alleys charge per lane, so it cost $85 for a group of 5 of us to bowl one lane for one hour. Except we didn't get our whole hour because the lane broke when we were halfway through our first game. It was 15 minutes until it got repaired, and I'm sure that the lovely employee would have gladly added the time to our session, but the experience killed the vibe. Mainly because the people in the lane next to us had their lane break 4 times in their one-hour session.... we weren't down for that.

This was our first visit...we will try again and hope for another bartender. I ordered the Lakewood Lemonade, and it tasted like lemon juice (not lemonade), vodka and Topo Chico. I took it back to the bartender and said that something was missing. He offered to add more vodka...which I declined. I told him that it didn't taste right and he put it in a shaker to mix it up and poured it back in the cup. He insisted that it was made correctly. When I came home, I looked at the recipe, and it was supposed to be made with lemonade (not lemon juice) and should have had Rose wine and fruit...which it didn't. It was undrinkable and the bartender wasn't even remotely interested in making it right.

If you don't care about bowling but want to say you went bowling this is the place for you. Cool venue with a lot of potential but the bowling equipment is expired. Lanes two and three are slanted and your ball will not roll straight. I almost requested bumpers because the slant is that bad but elected to leave instead. Don't recommend for any non-novice bowlers. Didn't see an arcade either.

I've been to Bowlski's in the Lakewood Theater multiple times since its opening in 2019 and will go again soon. I love the beautifully restored Art Deco building as well as the bowling and the bar (including frozen ranch water)! This is a really fun place--very unique and special--for everyone!! When in Arizona, I also visited the Bowlski's in Flagstaff. It's in a new mall and is a really great place too!

I loved this place, the staff here treats you like family. The food is quite good, me and my friend ordered cinnamon sticks and we were surprised with a cinnamon pizza haha. Overall this place is so much fun, it's hard to get bored here.

It was a nice place to go bowling my 30 something year olds had fun. The food was not appealing everything on the menu was fried and greasy. They rave about their menu but not appealing at all.

Blake and Garrett are amazing, old school vibes great alley amazing food prompts service. Should definitely bring your family and friends here

Awesome place kids had a great night very family friendly, good food, drinks and music Definitely recommend them

This is a great place to go family orientated. They treat everybody with respect and love and care food is good. The bowling is great. It's a great fun place to bring your family and kids the bartenders. The waiters are very excellent people we like this place and I recommend to anyone that has a chance to go.

Definitely a gem in Lakewood and East Dallas! Great for small groups to come together to bowl and get drinks. We needed a few extra minutes to finish our game and the staff were happy to extend our time so we could do so. Great staff in the front as well as in the bar area. Fun drinks like beer towers and shotskis!

Myself and a girlfriend brought our boys to bowl. The time I waited at the front desk was 10 or longer. I finally walked around to find someone sitting in the booth and asked if there was someone to help us. He went and looked for someone and came back stating she would be with us soon. Needless to say she took an even longer time and we waited patiently. Upon the employee arrival I waited for her to complete what looked to be a whiteboard. She then helped us with shoes and payment and gave no further instructions. I had to ask what lane and when does the time start or how much time we have. She was not tentative to the customer (me) at all. I then came back to ask her for assistance on how to get started of there were instructions and she then proceeded to work behind the counter after telling me no. I waited patiently to receive assistance. Needless to say we will no longer attend this establishment. She was very unprofessional.

Ah!!!! I was so disappointed after trying this place out! It's run by two sisters, and seems like an old family business. After waiting 40 minutes for a lane (on top of the original 30 minute waitlist), we finally got to bowl in Lane 10. Unfortunately we never got to bowl one round with all pins standing straight up. At least one was always knocked down from the very start. Eventually, about halfway into our purchased session, the entire lane stopped working completely. After notifying the two sisters/ owners about this issue, my girlfriend was promised a free game at another time for us both. About 15 min later, that promise was 100% shattered when we called it quits after no mechanical improvement of our lane. They refused to reimburse us in any way. After calling them out for lying to their customers, I very politely tried to ask them for some sort of coupon of reimbursement one last time. Immediately, they refused to respond to my request. They wouldn't look or talk to me from then on. Seemed somewhat illegal to be honest, but they weren't worth any more of my time. Bottom line, this place was disgusting. I mean literally the entire place smelled like feces. Showered immediately when I got home. Seriously. Sticky bowling balls, beer glasses, etc.

Friendly. Fun.... And always a good time. Brings you back to the days when life was simple. Just throw a 10 pound ball down a lane, hit some pins, drink a beer and enjoy life.

0/10 do not recommend to anyone. Only one lane worked, we had to switch lanes 2 times and it wasn't getting the score right. We asked for a refund and got told no.

Don't recommend this place seems like all their bowling equipment is out of date, old, beaten up, balls don't even roll smoothly down the lanes, place smells like sewage, bathrooms are disgusting. Don't recommend if your actually trying to have a good time and your moneys worth. Only received one star because none isn't an option.

I enjoyed the chill and vintage atmosphere of Bowlski! Bowling, food, and live music make for a great time!

Great little dive spot bringing in nostalgia of earlier years of bowling. Great bar and snacks!

I love that this place is close to where I live. I also love bowling. However it smells like sewage. They were supposed to have a live band playing upstairs on 1/29/22. For some reason the speakers weren't working upstairs. We were already downstairs bowling during this discovery bowling. They moved the band downstairs then made us pay an extra $10 per person as a cover charge. This place has potential, but from the sewage smell bad management it sucks.

Cannot recommend this place less. Our lane didn't work. Granted they told us before we started which we we were cool with - they told us to start the lane we would press a button. Didn't work. When we went to ask for another night instead of a refund, they were rude as hell. We walked out. Do not spend your $$$ here. Y'all will have to find new careers soon. When I brought up the sewer smell she seemed shocked / looked at reviews from TWO YEARS AGO this is a thing. Lol seriously please don't go here unless you want to smell poop and liars. How do we turn them into BBB I cannot believe this has been kept in business this long.

I have been coming to this venue for multiple years now. Even cooler (to those select few) my father, who is 71, grew up near this wonderful shopping center. The Lakewood theater is one of his fondest memories... Anyway - side tracked as usual - Had my first incident with an employee there tonight, and it went as well as it possibly could. The young woman at the entry desk seemed annoyed but I am sure she just felt stressed as the place was busy. I probably (definitely) used some attitude when I said "thank you for your help". So, not entirely her fault that we butted heads a bit. She wanted us out due to the attitude but the manager understood the situation as we stayed respectful. Management made up for it - I am now sure this is an anomaly because it is such a cool vibe and really a one of a kind experience. Hats off to the managers - you wont regret any time spent at Bowlskis.

BOWLERS BEWARE!!! If you're an experienced bowler, do not ever come here. They should hang a sign on the front door that says "leave your personal equipment at the door." The minute we started bowling with our own balls we realized they don't oil the lanes. Not only did the lane trash my ball, but it took a nice chunk out so I will forever remember this awful experience. When I asked for a refund the one person working said they didn't have the authority to do so. Do not come here with your own equipment unless you already have a ball that's on its deathbed.

Barely stepped one foot in this place before I was yelled at by the man working the register for bowling. Me and two of my friends, all who are 19 years old and college students, went here at around 11pm on a Saturday. However, we were immediately yelled at aggressively for our IDs. We were confused if they had an age restriction after a certain time because we didn't see anything about it on their website or reviews, so we asked the man if it was 21+ to bowl right now. He refused to answer the question and just kept aggressively yelling "IDs LADIES." We asked one more time if it was 21+ but we were given the same response. We were startled by the mans aggression towards us before some of us even walked in the building that we just turned around and left. Completely ruined our moods and will never ever come back to this place despite being eager to go bowling here.

Don't bother if you actually care about competitive bowling. The scoring systems don't work and they know and they don't care. They have a band and they don't let you know ahead of time that there is a $10 cover charge per person. They said 45 minute wait but we waited almost 3 hours.

BOWLSKI'S this place is awesome perfect place to have company parties birthday parties or just party good times always

Lanes so janky. Might was well buy pins yourself. Don't recommend. Should only cost $5 to play.

Went here tonight and they didn't have anyone working the check in desk..... or anyone working really at all. There was one lady, who you could see working behind the lanes, who came up to the front desk after my group and another group had been waiting for ~30 minutes- she was very apologetic and kind, I do not blame her at all and it was not her fault! It seems whoever was working the check in straight dipped.... once the lady got to the desk we were informed it'd be a 2 hour wait, again not her fault, but something needs to be figured out at this place.... cause like yikes

It's so nice to have a place in the neighborhood to bowl, grab a bite, while sipping on a cocktail. The old Lakewood theatre which is now home to Bowlski's Lakewood still has the charm and many of the original details of the theatre. If you don't feel like bowling, you can enjoy the restaurant on the first floor. This is a perfect place for the entire family or grownups alone. I look forward to seeing you guys bowling soon! Xoxo Lorenzo

Really fun atmosphere. There was something for everyone in my party. The bartender, Jennifer, was super awesome, she was attentive, fun to talk to, and made really good drinks. Will definitely be coming back!

My husband and i have been coming here for years as East dallas residents and let me tell you, we will never stop coming back after this last visit. Purdy, Jacob and of course, Billy Mitch made our experience AMAZING this time, specifically. We called ahead just to make sure we could get a time slot and they fit us in. Once we got there, Jacob helped us and got us set up on our lane. Purdy was very helpful and attentive when it came to keeping the lanes moving quickly and grabbing our bowling balls from the back. Billy was extremely helpful behind the bar and friendly as always, we had a few questions about the beer on tap, as we are service industry and patient but he was so attentive and helped everyone at his bar and had an upbeat and lively personality! Thank you bowlski's. You never disappoint and we will always come back to keep this hidden gem alive!!!

Pretty fun place!! My friend and I went on a Friday night. We just happen to stumble across this place. It was cool place. I look how they took an old movie theater and made it into a bowling alley. They also had a DJ and he's was fantastic. the bartenders Ivan amd Miranda were fun and provided great customer service. I'll definitely be back.

Was fun at first, we were waiting for a lane at the bar. Bartender was great. We were about to get our lanes and someone in our party asked about a military discount and ONE Of, I put emphasis on one because all of the other employees were so pleasant. One of the employees shouted anti military slurs at us and cackled. I would not recommend. 1/10

Favorite place in town! They've done such a good job to space everyone out and keep it all super clean during COVID. Awesome retro feel, great fun for adults and kiddos loooooved it! Can't wait for another visit during this holiday season!

Came here about two weeks ago for the first time. Enter to two workers who didn't even greet us; they were on their phones. My group of 5 all paid ~ $18 per person for an hour to bowl, but only bowled for 20 minutes since the lane broke down and no one was there to help us. We ended cutting our loss and left. I know it's not a pro bowling place but the lanes are probably one of the worse between lanes not being properly oiled and multiple lanes breaking down while we were there. Heard the pizza rolls were good there, but didn't even try it since the bartender was super slow. Save your money and time and go somewhere else.

A great place for family fun! We had my daughter's 10th birthday at Bowlski's and it was wonderful. There's truly something for everyone! Located in the iconic Lakewood theatre, they did an awesome job of preserving the history and architecture of the building, and repurposing the space. What a fantastic entertainment destination for Lakewood!

Fun time, cool atmosphere and good bar. The only complaint I could make is that the size of the alley is not very accommodating to larger groups. 4 people max would be my recommendation.

All I did was go in the bar and eat nachos. My review if regarding cheese and booze. I know nothing of bowling and such. I was shopping in the area and decided I needed booze. Don't judge. Bowlski is new and has a bar. My FAVORITE thing is the bowling lane on the ceiling. My second favorite thing is the nachos with steaky bits on it. Delish. The peppers are fresh and seeded, so beware the heat. I love the cheese. I also had a Lakewood Lemonade to drink and it was yummy. Good beer and cider selection, as well as craft cocktails. Service was great. Our server was a sweetheart. And everyone working there popped by our table to check on us at one time or another. I'll be back! Might bring my bowling shoes.

I was so excited about this place opening. My boyfriend and I went on a Wednesday night. We really liked the decor and how it held up the integrity of the Lakewood Theater. I will say this was their 9th day open and I hope they improve. If they do, I will edit. Bowling: $9 per person, per game. $3 for shoes. We were switched to 3 different lanes due to mechanical problems. Our balls kept getting stuck on the return belt as well. There are 10 lanes. There is karaoke and a golf suite upstairs. After being switched a second time, the manager 'Cash' on duty said to let him know if we need a free round instead of taking the initiative. On the third switch we were pretty heated, and we didn't get to start any games over, even though our balls were unreturned mid-turn. Our server Izzy was great but Cash took no responsibility(he blamed the equipment being 60 years old, the mechanic leaving and then being new). Read on for the outcome. Food: They were out of 3-4 things on the menu. Seemed overpriced for what was being offered(bar food). Granted they are new, but there didn't seem to be a lot of staff or initiative for customer service. We chose not to eat here. Beer: They had 4-5 beers on draft and a list of Big Cans. Moderately priced. Management: After all the issues our bill for $76 was brought out. We were baffled that our two games of bowling (stretched out over 3 lanes and two hours), plus two beers each was $76-- There was no apology, no compensation and no invite to come back to try them again. I escalated and the manager Cash said he'd 'take care of the bowling.' We didn't expect 100% free bowling or free drinks but he offered both at different times and delivered on one free game of bowling. He then awkwardly grabbed my boyfriends shoulders and shook him like my boyfriend was a 12 year old on his t-ball team. It was inappropriate and an odd way to fix things after not really caring or taking responsibility for anything that had gone wrong. We hope it gets better. Has a lot of potential. We should have been offered a gift card to try to get us to come back. We weren't. So our date night that was ruined by bad customer service still cost us a pretty penny.

Went on Wednesday and the hostess said there was an hour and 30 minute wait for bowling which was fine so we went to play pool on top for a good hour and not one bowling lane was opened but just 1 was open for the same couple that was playing since the time we got there, very unprofessional i suggest calling to reserve?

Visited the new Bowlski's in the Lakewood theater building on a Thursday night. My wife and I had a great time bowling and having a few drinks. They've done a really nice job with the renovation, and there are like 3 levels of stuff to do. Ground floor - bowling and bar Balcony - arcade games, pool Upper Balcony - Party room and full-screen golf game Top floor - A super awesome 'hidden' bar serving special drinks. Great addition to the neighborhood.

Horrible service payed for a hour and only played maybe 30 minutes the pins kept getting jammed employee offered to give us a extra 30 minutes for the inconvenience and when I told him we were out of time he told us he could only give us 6 minutes because people were waiting for the lane when I went to speak to the manager and she was drinking at the bar and just was very unprofessional definitely telling everyone to avoid this place at all cost if your a minority they gave the lane next to us a whole extra hour and we couldn't even get 30 minutes

New spot at the Lakewood theatre! This is only the first floor. Check it out! Second floor arcade!

Reserved two lanes which cost about $400. Showed up and our lane was trashed and had empty beer cans/towers on it. Had to ask them to clean it up twice. On top of that our lane jammed and I had to go ask the front desk to fix it. After the delay are game kept getting shut down by the timer. They didn't really care that it was taking us longer to bowl because of their faulty machinery. Felt like I spent more time at the front desk than I did bowling. This place is mis managed and I do not recommend this place to anyone. Go somewhere else to bowl.