08/10/09

Needs more parking

by WillieWilmette

Parking lot fills quickly. Cars partially block the sidewalk near the entrance. Boring frozen pizza.

• Pros: Only bowling alley in Wilmette better ones nearby.
• Cons: Bad food, service, usually closed, and lack of parking.

01/29/09

KID HEAVEN

by MISHY2104

NICE PEOPLE, VERY CLEAN AND GREAT PIZZA. VERY KID FRIENDLY. WE HAD A PARTY AND THE KIDS WERE IN HEAVEN

• Pros: NICE PEOPLE
• Cons: NONE

12/03/08

Love it

by JuiceyJuice

Michal Strange is a babe. I stared at her the whole time. She was wearing this high waisted skirt and it was hard to peel my eyes away from her. The bowling was fun though. Recommended for families.

• Pros: Michal Strange
• Cons: Her outfits

07/19/08

if i could have put zero stars i would've

by hatmanman

This place used to be awsome, but now you should avoid it like the plague. I had so many great fond childhood memorys of this place. i went there with schools, camps, friends, reletives and always had a good time. I had heard rumors about how the place had been bought by so lawyer guy and i wanted to go back. But when i did my opinion about the place was changed. Getting a lane was easy but the scoring machines were impossible to use and the staff were to busy watching some Steven Seagal movie to help us. Then after we (on our own) impropely set up the scoring machine needed the bumbers up. So we went over to the nearest imploye and asked him to put them up. He replyed "ok just a second though" and waited till the next commercial break! When we went up to pay we were told we had played 8 games which would cost $44. I told the casheir "their are only two of us and we played twice how could we have played 8 games?" he swore a few times and called someone. After 15 minutes of repeatedly telling the person on the phone "I think they trying to cheat us" he said "I have to charge you for all 8 games you played." So i told him one last time "we only played twice we must have set the machine up wrong" we had to pay the full $44 dollers.

Willmette Bowling Center

:Bad food

:Bad service

:Bad machines

:Rude and lazy staff

• Pros: lighting
• Cons: food, service, staff, music, parking

05/18/08

The lawyer bowling alley.

by galeso

Mr. Strange, one of Wilmette's 10 largest landlords, a few years ago bought this historical manual pin setting bowling alley. Soon the manual pin setters lost all hope of working there when lawyer Strange automated the pin setting. The very busy carpeting and other "improvements" wiped out any historical feel.

Like all bowling alleys they have several ball weights and rent shoes. Many times you may be the only group in the building. To fill up the lanes, they offer good prices for party bookings. Then the few lanes they have can quickly fill up. You can not make same day reservations. Limited hours and party bookings can make the wait unbearable especially with children.

For food order a previously frozen pizza.

There is no handicap ramp and cars parking in front of the bowing alley park on the sidewalk. There has never been a fire at the alley, but if there was, getting a reasonable distance away in a wheelchair could be blocked by poorly parked cars.

If you must go to this bowling alley, use their nearly unmarked parking lot across the street. Plenty of long term parking on the street if you have a neighborhood parking sticker.

Pros: Bowling alley with ultraviolet lights for kids. No beer for adults. If they are full, Skokie, Niles, Morton Grove, and Northbrook bowling alleys are not far away.

Cons: Limited parking, few lanes, limited hours, no reservations, below average food and beverage selection.

• Pros: Ultraviolet lights. No beer.
• Cons: Empty or long wait. Limited legal parking, limited food & beverage selection.

07/14/07

A great, very low-key place to bowl, especially with kids!

by katejthomas

This is a nifty, very easy-going place. Friendly, helpful staff. Very child-friendly, and easy on the budget. The building has been a bowling alley forever, so it has a well-loved charm to the place. It was owned by the same family for a long time, and got new owners a while back. Shoes are available for rental, and they have a small assortment of snacks and soda available at the front. They also have 'bumper bowling' for smaller children, and lighter weight bowlingballs can be found mixed in with the others theu have. You can also order a thin-crust pizza (limited topping; not gourmet/execptional pizza but very reliable and a good option for adult snacks or lunch for hungry kids) at the front desk - they have a small pizza place attached to the bowling alley. This is not a huge bowling multi-plex with bells, whistles, light shows, etc., so if that's what you're looking for, you'll be in the wrong place. It's not high-tech and brand-spanking new. There's no video arcade or loud music or vending machines, etc. It's just a bowling alley; small - maybe 10 lanes? - music in the background and not in-your-face, kind of place. (They do have computer consoles to keep track of your game and scores.) My kids pick this place over all the other "fancy" bowling places in the entire area. They do fun birthday parties at a reasonable pice, too. Usually there's plenty of on-street parking.

NOTES: At peak times, the place can fill up, BUT if you call, they can usually give you a timeframe when lanes will probably open up. A real bonus that saves waiting around with restless children while they wait for a lane. You can't reserve lanes over the phone, but it does cut down on the waiting time. ALSO: NO CREDIT CARDS. Cash/check only.

FINALLY: If pizza doesn't grab you, walk down one block to the Ridgeview restaurant. Ridgeview has a broader menu, is kid-friendly/has kids menu, reliable food, good milkshakes, and accepts plastic. They also have a cash machine.

• Pros: Low-key atmosphere, kid friendly, low-hassle parking, nice staff, reasonably priced
• Cons: No credit cards accepted, so be warned! Can get crowded on weekend mornings.