Montrose Bowl

This place was super chill! I love the retro decor and vibe. The lighting can be a little more dimmed but it’s not a total vibe killer. Very easy, straight forward. Went back a second time but they had a private party. So I’d call ahead and check to make sure that doesn’t happen.

We recently celebrated a birthday party at Montos Bowling and had an amazing time! The atmosphere was fun and inviting, and the lanes were well-maintained. The staff went above and beyond to accommodate our group, making the day stress-free and enjoyable. The food and drink options were delicious, and the overall vibe of the venue added to the celebratory spirit. We highly recommend Montrose Bowling for anyone looking to host a memorable birthday party or any fun gathering. We can’t wait to go back!

This place is SO cute. Cozy vibes that make for a great date night spot. The vegan menu was DELICIOUS! The staff is so friendly and welcoming. The music choices were excellent. Such a charming place - very unexpected for a bowling alley. We Will absolutely be back!

Excellent all-around 6th Birthday Party for my son. Really good venue, food was great (sliders, wings, salads, pizza all prepared on-site fresh). We had nearly 100 people, lots of kids, no mishaps, kids got to enjoy bowling, and a couple of classic arcade games. Staff helped with clean-up. Our three hours flew by. Highly recommend.

This place is sweet! Really cool, immaculately restored vintage bowling alley (manual scoring!) with good snacks and friendly employees. They do have adult beverages. The food is all vegan but surprisingly tasty. A hidden gem, just like Montrose.

I have been going here since i was a little girl- it recently got remodeled and has a VERY GOOD VEGAN restaurant and a little bar - you can watch a baseball game and have some fun! Nice Vibe!

Love all the retro decor. 8 bowling lanes for perfect private-party fun! The owner is very cool, the service is nice & you will have a great time here for sure. Get your reservation in early because this place is popular.

Came here for My Boyfriends company party. Nice little location in a nice area. It has a old fashion feel to it...the employees were very friendly as well.

Open bowling fundraiser for Friends of Rock Haven. Still waiting for my chicken sliders and fries. Sliders and fries got here! Tasty! Crunchy! Fun place, love Montrose!

What a gem this bowling alley is. The aesthetics and how retro it is will charm you. The staff were so welcoming and helpful. We will be back many more times.

Cool little old school alley. For old fashioned bowling. But definitely still pricier than what I remember. I can see how it would be fun to rent out the locale. It was perfect for my littlest to try bowling for the first time. We just did an hour. And that was a fun short outing.

Loved the old school experience. The service was wonderful! Definitely would recommend

Great Spot for kids. Small Vintage Bowling alley . I would say for busy weekends call ahead to book. only has 8 lanes so fills up fast . Not Fancy but gets the job done

This is such a cute old school bowling spot! Montrose Bowling provided a fantastic and welcoming atmosphere and helped us host a few clients for a fun networking event. It was so chill and fun! They have a variety of fun bites on the menu such as burger sliders, chicken sandwich sliders, wings, fries, salad, pizza and other appetizers. Beer and wine on tap as well. Our clients had a phenomenal time. Thank you!

Located in a cute downtown area, with plenty of parking and many shops around. Came here for a private event and it was perfect for the amount of people, maybe 50 of us. I can see this place being great to host bday parties since it felt ptivate. Decor was absolutely cute! Felt like a time machine back to the 50's. My only complaint...music! They didn't have music until I asked which was the last 10 minutes of the party. Wish we had known. I should have asked sooner but eh. Now I know. They sold beers and pitchers. Food is vegan but was surprisingly decent. Staff was great. Based on other reviews, maybe we were lucky it was a private event. Would hate to go to the venue and see that it isn't open to public b overall a great experience.

The bowling alley needs to be upgraded -- the lanes, equipment, and overall setup all feel very old. It was just okay, but with some improvements it could be much better.

We had such a great experience with here! We had my son's birthday party here. The team was friendly, responsive, and went above and beyond! I'll definitely be recommending them to others!

Montrose Bowl is an all out VIBE!! It's like stepping into a Time Machine with your friends!! "Aurelius" goes above and beyond to make sure that you're having the best time from the moment you walk through the door until the moment you leave! Me and my friends really hope he is given the love and appreciation he deserves for the work he does! Bowling aside (because that's obviously great)......the....WINGS!!!!! Are soooo freaking good! My friends and I did an hour and a half of bowling and treated ourselves to some wings and fries! I'm honestly surprised that people have not raved about these wings before because they were melt in your mouth delicious! I'm normally a Buffalo Wing guy, and tried Lemon pepper for the first time and boy oh boy am I glad my first lemon pepper wing experience was here!!! ALSO I LOVE 80'S MUSIC AND AURELIUS MADE SURE THAT IT WAS PUMPING THROUGH THE SPEAKERS OUR ENTIRE VISIT! If you all want a memorable night out with friends and family with great vibes and food! Go to Montrose Bowl!!!

Very unprofessional establishment. My kids really wanted to go bowling so I called ahead of time to see if they had private parties. It took me 20 tries to reach someone and the guy told me after 6 o clock they are open for walk in bowling so I called a few other friends and told them to meet us there. When we arrived at 7 o clock the doors were locked and lights were off (they're open until midnight). There were other people waiting in disappointment, we waited for 30 minutes, called several times again and no one answered. They could have at least left a note on the door they were closing early or that they would be back after a certain time. Overall it was extremely unprofessional and it makes you not trust them to return, I felt bad that I invited people there and the place was closed 5 hours before closing.

Had our daughter's 10th birthday party there in April!! We had a large group and everything was fantastic. Service was wonderful and surprisingly the food they have there was really good!

Firstly, the food service was not up to the standard I expected. The Coca-Cola ran out, and one of the staff members tried to convince me that Diet Coke was the same, which was disappointing. Even worse, when I was asked when the food should be served, I assumed it would all arrive at the same time. Instead, when I requested 11:15, the salads didn't arrive until 11:30, and the main food trickled in over the next 45 minutes for a 2- hour party. This left my guests with minimal food for quite some time, which was embarrassing and uncomfortable for me as the host. Regarding the payment issue, I paid the second installment online. When I was charged again for the second payment at the end of the party and even showed the receipt, the staff member was unprofessional, insisting that I hadn't paid. Despite showing proof of payment, I had to endure a frustrating back-and-forth in front of my guests, which was extremely embarrassing. I was so upset that I didn't even ask for an itemized bill for the food so I have no idea what I was even charged for. I am very disappointed with how these issues were handled, and unfortunately, it tainted the entire event for me. I did communicate this with their admin and received zero response.

I had my family friendly birthday party here last weekend and it couldn't have gone more smoothly!! The whole process was so easy! From reservations to food selection to set up and clean up...and everything in between! First off, I love the new look. They did a great job with the remodel and I'm glad they kept the retro theme going. The two gentlemen who were my hosts for the evening were stellar. I'm so sorry, I can't remember their names at this time. They helped set up the tables and tablecloths and were patient with me when I was trying to figure out the timing of what food should come out when. They definitely kept me organized! The food was surprisingly good for a bowling alley (no offense to bowling alleys) too! There were different lighting options, different music options, bumpers for the kids, plastic bowling helpers for the kids, free arcade games for the kids, and scoring was old school on sheets of paper! The hosts set up the soft drink and beer pitchers, and made sure the water pitcher stayed full. They were constantly around if my guests or I needed anything. At the end of the evening they brought out to go boxes and foil and helped with the clean up. Absolutely fantastic staff! One constructive criticism point is that a lot of random people wandered into my private party to use the restrooms. Granted I don't think they realized the place was booked (or maybe they did but didn't care?), but it was a little annoying. There was a sign outside that said party in progress or something to that effect. I know it's hard to control but wanted to bring it up nonetheless. In conclusion, I had the best time and am so grateful for Montrose Bowl and its staff for helping me make this the best party! Time flew by because I was having so much fun. Thank you for helping me host such a great party. I got wonderful feedback from my guests too, keep it up!

such a cute, retro spot. feels like you've stepped into a time machine! aurelius (hope i spelled that right!) was awesome & so welcoming. i love the old school feel here, vibes are immaculate. mac & cheese was super delicious as well & a great portion size!

Located on Honolulu Ave. in Montrose (the town that time forgot) Montrose Bowl is a really sweet little alley with only 8 lanes. It's been restored to a classic Fifties look and has a nice intimate feel. I was a little surprised that they don't have electronic score-keeping (see picture) so you have to do it the old-fashioned way with pencil and paper (if you care about who's winning). We didn't and had a great time anyway. I was there for a private party which is their main focus. And although I didn't have anything from the snack bar, Never Caged, others who did said the food was good. It does have the distinction of being the only vegan cafe in any bowling alley!

Very fun nice place. But food is not good and they only do private parties which really is a shame

THIS PLACE WAS SO FREAKIN CUTE!!!! I stumbled upon it and have been thinking about it ever since. It is free to bowl for however long you want and the balls and shoes are already next to the lanes. There is a small bar and menu to choose from as well. The music is also poppin. I would highly recommend!!!

I'm giving them a one because I have never bowled there. They never pick up their phone. And when I do call it's to a random person personal number. I tried to call ahead to see if they have a party scheduled because every time we have gone there we can't bowl because they have a private party. The guy at the counter said they only way they notify people of their schedule is on their instagram. I am instagram savvy but didn't think to check instagram for their schedule. They should have a voicemail with their schedule or update it somewhere else. If you are going to advertise on Eater or wherever to announce a reopening and then rarely have a time when people can actually come bowl independent of a private gathering there is a problem. Get a better system. Because you are alienating customers.

Just popped in for the grand opening weekend and loved the food from Never Caged! The new vegan restaurant located inside the bowling alley. I had a smashed burger and my husband had the Nashville hot chicken sandwich and both were delicious! The fried pickles were a little overdone for my taste - it was more dehydrated than fried.Great beers too! The vibe inside was a little off but I'm wondering if it just because of the opening. They were having free bowling which sounded nice in theory but was a little intense in person. We didn't feel comfortable bowling with all the kids screaming and slamming balls down the lane. And with no music, it really brought down the vibes. I'm looking forward to checking back in the next few weeks!

We had an amazing birthday for my husband and kids! Our guests had the best time, and the food and staff were excellent. I can't say enough great things. Some of our bowlers bowled 4 hours straight!! You can't get a better party venue that is so great for adults and kids.

Place is ok service is not too great. Over all had an ok time rather go to Lucky Strike for a better time

Great place last minute bowling Clean Kid friendly Street parking Bumpers and kid ramp available

Not going to give a local business a bad review but GUYS!! If you're going to be closed 50% of the time for private parties, PLEASE start to answer your phone more often so we can see if we can come. So frustrating.

This review is in regards to a private party we hosted with them. The staff was great and attentive and the food was delicious. The whole area was clean and our whole team enjoyed themselves. Overall we were very pleased.

Went here for my Birthday with my daughter. This is a small great place to hang out and do some bowling. (8 lanes) The only catch is there is no automatic scoring .... you do it by hand. FREE Bowling when you buy there awesome tasting Vegan Food! (Until the end of 2023). (no, I do not work there... lol) They have a few beers on tap and a decent bottle selection of beers. If you wear rubber souled shoes, you do not have to deal with wearing those goofy bowling shoes. If you just want to hand out, throw just a few balls down the lane and chill - This is The Place.

I went to the Montrose Bowl recently for my brother's birthday party. The place is nice. I enjoyed my time there. The place has ample seating, tables, and standing room. Restrooms are on-site. I like that there is an arcade game area. I like that there is a bar. I like that there is a digital jukebox that can play songs. Parking was the only thing that I could see being difficult for someone.

Mary is absolutely amazing. So sweet and friendly! Chatted with us for a bit while we waited.

Did a birthday party here and absolutely loved it. For the amount you pay you get your moneys worth. Time can be a bit tough and you're limited to about 3 hours (for the package we selected) but it's none stop fun. The alley itself is older and hasn't really been updated but there's some nostalgia behind it. Gives it this 1950's Grease vibe. Not much entertainment wise for the kids except some old arcade games and a claw machine hit seriously you come here for the bowling. 8 pretty decent lanes that are all yours when you reserve the whole place for the party. No real food here but there's plenty of pizza joints and other options nearby. Staff is super friendly. The couple that runs the place are very professional and will answer any questions you may have. The young man that helped us today who was our show guy, bowling helper, bartender and all around great was terrific. If you're looking for something different for a party try this place out.

Went here for a birthday party.. and the place is cute! Small bowling alley big enough to host a party at. The food options are vegan and they have a good beer selection.

Food was vegan, would have been fine but food was not cooked all the way. When we tried to speak with the workers, they were rude and said it was fine. Will never use this place again!

Have tried to come here 4 times when it's listed as open on Google. The "we're closed for a private event and you would only know that if you checked our instagram" thing is getting old.

Wanna go back to 1957. Spage age cars with jet wing fins, Guys in flattops, crew cuts, jeans, white t-shirts with rolled up up sleeves, women in beehive hairdos, cat eye glasses in capri pants. Well, you probably won't see that at the Montrose Bowl now in 2018, but the decor is definitely sometime in the 1950's. In fact this bowling is so retro that there is no automated scoring. It is all done on paper & pencil so make sure you have someone in your group who can keep score in the old school way. Only 8 lanes. There are bowling shoes, good collection of bowling balls. Well stocked collection of beers, ales, IPA's. Private event space. I was a guest of Friends of Rockhaven, which is the group trying to preserve a historic retirement home in Montrose, so have no idea about how to reserve this frozen in the midcentury cool time warp. Refer to their website for more info.

Held my son's 7th birthday party here and had the absolute best time. Great venue for a kid's party and the food at Never Caged was loved by everyone including the non-vegans. The staff was incredibly helpful and friendly and made the whole experience really great. Would recommend and will definitely be back. Plus, the place itself is so cute. Thanks to everyone at Montrose Bowl for a wonderful experience.

Cage free food made on premises plus you can bowl. Great neighborhood place. Try it you'll like it.

It's a charming little antique bowling alley right in the middle of downtown Montrose next to Citibank. The theme is 1950's but it was built in 1936 and has been owned by the same family for over 30 years. Yes, I do agree with other Yelpers that's it's not up to modern bowling alley standards by any stretch of the imagination - but I don't think that takes away from its charm if you know what to expect. It is only rented out for private parties and movie shoots so don't expect to come strolling in if you're in the neighborhood. A family I know was having a triple birthday party so that was my opportunity to experience Montrose Bowl for myself. They do advertise that it is one of the smallest bowling alleys in SoCal with only eight lanes. We took over the place on a Saturday night and really had fun. They have over 70 international beers available at their bar as well as wine and soft drinks too. We drank a lot of ACE Hard Ciders - Pineapple and Pumpkin flavors. We also brought in our own food, decorations and cake. The family paid for an open bar up to a preset $200 limit and this didn't run out too quickly because their drink prices are super reasonable. They have maybe eight booths that are comfy. Onto the bowling...you get your bowling shoes and then pick out a ball that feels okay weight-wise that your thumb won't get stuck in...and you're off to your lane. There isn't any automatic scoring - which was great for me and my little crew since we SUCK at bowling. We just covered the screen with the paper score card provided and threw a ton of GUTTER balls. Until...I made the VERY FIRST STRIKE of my life! And so did David W...then the lane mechanism jammed...but the kind employees got it running again for us in short order. It was a fun, relaxed experience with a super chill staff. I'd come back again if invited to an event. Yelp Challenge 2017: 86/100

3.5 Stars (Mostly for overall venue, not necessarily bowling alley) Looking for a venue for your next special event? I'd definitely put Montrose Bowl on my list. The bowling alley has 1950s decor and a popular filming location for films including "Teen Wolf" (1985), "Frankie and Johnny" (1991) and Clint Eastwood's "Jersey Boys" (2014). Apparently, the movie "Pleasantville" (1998) provided the current decor when it was redecorated for the film. I was invited to a bridal shower which occurred over the weekend. This venue is used primarily for private parties and their website states they have "open bowling" Monday-Friday from 11AM-5PM for $25/hour. There is street parking, but with a 2 hour limit. I'd recommend driving just a little further down Honolulu and making a left on Wickham Way. There's a public parking lot there with a 9 hour limit. The actual bowling alley has 8 lanes and smaller than I was picturing, but for a private party, it was just the right size. They have a 95 person capacity, but I think a party of 40-50 would be more comfortable. Our party had less than 30 people. For a Saturday afternoon, they charge $390 for 2 hours and $100 for an additional hour. (3 HOURS = $490). A 50% deposit is required. You are allowed to bring in your own food/catering, but NO OUTSIDE DRINKS. They have fountain drinks, wine, and beer in their bar. For the bridal shower, they catered with Big Mama's & Papa's Pizzeria which is literally just across the street. There was one guy working at the bar who would take our drink orders. There are restrooms, a handful or arcade games, a jukebox, booth seating, bar seating. Bowling shoes and balls are provided. You have to keep score by hand though! LOL I'm not a bowler and only played for like 15 minutes. (too busy eating and chatting with folks to actually bowl). Overall, it was a unique and cute venue. If I wanted to throw a birthday party or something, I'd consider this as a viable option. 59/100 Reviews for 2014

Hmm...Imagine taking the time machine to 1955 and walking into a bowling alley. This is what Montrose Bowl feels like. It seems like the bowling alley had not changed since it first opened. It may look cool but expect not to play real bowling because everything is so worn out. There is a piece of clear sheet of plastic with boxes that is projected on the wall above your head (its very obscure and fuzzy). This is where you and your teammates try to tally your score. As you bowl, you throw the ball to a bowling lane that is very run down, squeaky, not leveled and rotten from old age. Instead of bowling correctly, you will need to find out how to bowl according to the imperfections of the lane. The bowling alley is really tiny with 8 lanes. People would give it 4-5 stars because of its historical reference but my purpose is to play bowling not to be in a museum. It would be like wanting to watch Avatar but ending up at a drive-through movie theater and missing out on the Imax screen, Surround Sound, stadium seats and 3D view. Come to Montrose bowl to just check out the atmosphere from the 1950s but dont come here to bowl, it is pointless.

Bob and his wife were incredibly helpful. I had my 30th birthday here last night, and it couldn't have gone better. My friends, family and I loved the charm of this retro bowling alley! Around 70 people came out for the party and fit in the venue comfortably even with a DJ and a Taco Cart taking up space. If you are thinking of booking this spot for your party, I strongly recommend it.

This bowling center was extremely fun! We celebrated my granddaughter birthday party there. But not only was the venue fun, the owners ARE AMAZING!!! By the time you leave, you will feel Tara and Bob are family! They are helpful, attentive, FUNNY and totally enjoying. I will surly return and highly recommended using MONTROSE BOWL for pure family fun!!

Not a great way to run a bowling alley. My kids and a friend (16,14,13 years old) were just turned away from bowling because a parent wasn't with them. That is ridiculous, I used to any bowling alley when I was 13 with my friends and there was never an issue. They had walked there (15 minutes) and walked all the way back home and were so sad that they were not able to bowl. That is the last time I tell anyone to go to this bowling alley. How is a local bowling alley not kid friendly. Ridiculous.

Attended a birthday party at Montrose Bowl and although the party was fun for the kids but I could not ignore all the issues I notice this place has. First of all it is a very outdated place, it's like they have 0 maintenance routine! There were a lot of broken equipment which were hold together using tape!!! There were no one hosting the party from this establishment! Everything must be done by the party's host and the guest parents! No one is supervising the lanes and the kids closely. You are pretty much on your own. Basically it's more like you rent the place out as opposed to getting birthday party services. I am not sure how their contract is but that's how it sounded to me as a guest. Children were about 30 min into playing when a manager (or whoever) closed the lanes and said they won't reopen until there is one parent per lane supervising the kids! WTH!!! Also there is no napkin or dryer in the ladies room to dry your hands. If running a business and more importantly staying in business is that easy and you can put 0 effort and make $$$ then I think I should consider opening a similar place too!

Now this place screams historical (in a good way). Tiny, cute, keep your own score, how can u go wrong? Went here last night for a private birthday party, in fact, I have only been here for private parties never when it's open for regular business. If you are in the market for a great place to socialize and have fun, then consider Montrose Bowl. I haven't met a person who hasn't liked it.

I have lived in this area since child birth and have walked by, driven by, ran by this little bowling alley my entire life and finally just had to chance to step inside for a birthday party. This little bowling alley is usually private party only and I've seen them use it to film shows and lots of Sons of Anarchy episodes on this street and inside. For this particular party, my daughters school friend was turning 5, the kids and adults got to wear their own shoes and it was as much bowling as you wanted. With kids that little (and a kid that looked about 10 that was really out of hand, bowling in lanes that were not his) there really are no rules and no one is keeping score, it really is disorganized chaos at its finest. They do continue to keep the lemonade, fruit punch, and water full, cups have to have lids on them at all times, and food and drinks are not allowed past a certain point. This was a great little throwback and a great way to introduce my daughter to bowling and to help her get a feel for it, I'd consider having a birthday party or two here myself. Parking is metered street parking on Honolulu and an open, free parking lot right next to the CitiBank. Don't park in any lots that belong to the neighboring businesses and banks as you could be towed or given a ticket. Make sure to take the time to read the signs!

Great idea and fun place for an event! We recently went for a friends bday party and had a great time listening to music and bowling. For you serious bowlers out there just know there isn't any automatic scoring, but fear not, just break out a free app on your phone to keep score.

Just had my son and husband's joint birthday party here and it was great! We had tons of family and friends, of all ages from 3 months to well over 70s. It's definitely vintage style lanes but they still work great. We were able to bring in our own food and purchase beverages from the venue. The only con was no dedicated parking lot. Bob was great in response when I would email and was straight forward with everything. This was the perfect venue for our milestone birthdays and everyone had a great Time! Would definitely come here again!

Attended a private baby shower for a good friend of mine at Montrose Bowl. It was my first time at this bowling alley. The family of my friend's wife rent out Montrose Bowl every year for Halloween/Thanksgiving so that's how they knew to have their baby shower there. It was Halloween theme which made it fun. Costumes all around for the kids and adults. The only downside was that it was scheduled on a Sunday around lunch time which coincides with the weekly farmers market on Honolulu. There were street closures and detours just to get to the bowling alley but we made it. The food provided by Montrose Bowl was decent. We had burgers, cheeseburgers and hot dogs to choose from. French fries and onion rings were also provided. There were chips, pour your own sodas and candy. Nothing fancy but it would have been nice if there were a couple of more options for food. Maybe corn dogs? cheese fries? The bowling alley is a little dated. It gives it that charm so dont expect a modern bowling alley. Old school for sure. The ball return is visible and the lanes are pretty dented. There are bumper rails for the kids when they bowl so that's good. There are about 8 lanes total. It's not a big bowling alley. There are some arcade games, a few booths to sit in and some counter seating. Parking is out back or along Honolulu when there isnt a farmers market out front. I would recommend it as a spot for casual private parties.

This place is perfect in every way. A small 8 lane private bowling alley located in Montrose. Great for parties or events. Has a fun vintage vibe. Glow party is also very cool.

Its cool that you have classic machines for video games and vending machines. Not great when they don't work and take money and your reply is "I don't know how they work" there's nothing I can do.