Bayside Bowl

Stop looking through Unilocal reviews trying to decide if you should go– you could already be there by now! Not your typical night out bowling. It’s clean, it doesn’t look anything like every other bowling alley, and you’re not gunna feel weird sitting at the bowling alley bar. I’d hit this bar even if I wasn’t bowling! You get what you pay for here– the prices are higher but so is the quality of your night. You’re still reading this? Go!

Honestly, best bowling experience ever. Yes, there was an hour and a half wait for a lane (there are only 12 total) and then we could only bowl for one hour but I’d definitely do it again. The bar isn’t like a regular creepy bowling lane bar. In fact, I would go to this bar even if I had no plans for bowling.
In general, Bayside Bowl was about a thousand times cleaner, trendier and less creepy than regular bowling places. Also they played Michael Jackson all night which I was pretty down with.
If you’re looking for a great place to hang out with friends or go on a cool date, this is it. A little expensive but I’d rather pay to bowl here than anywhere else.

Hipster bowling place. Bowling isn’t my favorite, but I like what they’re going for at Bayside. If you like to bowl in a place with good craft beer on tap and a different food selection than pizza and fries, Bayside could be for you. There aren’t many lanes, and what there are seem sort of close, but the environment is fun and friendly. Plenty of parking out back, close to downtown. Plenty of all the basics (balls, shoes, functional lanes). You could do worse!

«You have always liked bowling, but have never been much good at it, but that has never mattered because it’s FUN!» My mom recently texted that to me when she found out I finally caved and went bowling with friends.
When she says I’m not much good at it… she’s being nice. I’m TERRIBLE at bowling. As in, my high score doesn’t go over 60, I roll the ball between my legs like a little kid, I call the lanes «courts», and on and on the embarrassment goes. So, as a general rule, I don’t go bowling with friends because its difficult to do something that puts one your biggest weakness on display for the whole world to see (because, yes, the rest of the bowling alley really is watching you fail miserably). Just remember, I could beat you all in a whiskey drinking, jigsaw puzzle making, or creative gnome naming race.
All of that being said, I think I’m in love with Bayside Bowl.
I recently came with a group of 12 people and for under $ 150 we all bowled ($ 25 per lane/​per hour) and rented shoes ($ 3.50) for two hours. That’s a pretty good price when you break it down (FYI: there aren’t many lanes, so make sure you make a reservation)! And even though I was an awkward and clumsy bowler, I got to spend quality time with people I genuinely adore — and who do not judge, so were supportive of my blatant terribleness — making the night out one of the more fun I’ve had in quite some time.
The staff at Bayside Bowl? On point. We had better service here then we’ve had at many of the restaurants in town. They were relentlessly accommodating. «Can I have these two lanes in particular?» Yes. «Can I just tell my people to tell you that they’re with me so they don’t have to pay for their shoes, but I can when we settle our tab?» Totally. «Speaking of tabs, the twelve of us are going to need separate checks. Is that okay?» Absolutely. Our server was this patient blonde woman who remembered every.single.person’s name (after just one introduction), checked in on us all the time to make sure we were okay, and made our evening seamless and even more enjoyable. We were never wanting for anything.
The cocktails were strong and well-​priced. I had the Dark and Stormy ($ 8) — having convinced myself that the ginger was good for the demonic head cold ravaging my head, throat, and chest — and it was very, very delicious.
And the food? I will probably be making this a regular haunt for eats, because the food is so.flipping.good. We had the Tater Tot Poutine ($ 6)… and people were fighting each other over who got to lick the bowl clean (not a joke). Tater tots, way too many cheese curds, and a vegetarian mushroom gravy? As far as I know, it’s the only poutine in town us herbivores can have. And the price point for what you get is a stupid amazing deal. I can not wait to come back and try The Rachel (smokey tempeh, sauerkraut, and vegan thousand island dressing)!
Overall, I am an idiot for not coming here sooner. I don’t know what totally ridiculous preconceived notion I had about this place, but… I’m an idiot. Great for bowling, great for big groups, great for nights out, great for cocktails, great for food. Y’know, this is probably one of the best things happening in all of Portland, ME.
P.S.
Is it only me, or are bowling shoes super fashionable?

This is a classic bowling alley.
No loud dance music, no security guards, no flashing lights. Just good old fashioned lanes with great service.
Love the fact that there is live music going on in the restaurant area, really brings the entire atmosphere to a whole ‘nother level.
Paid for an hour, which seemed to be a very fair price to split among 6 people, and had a great time!
Lots of fun to be had when you bowl here!

I went to Bayside bowl last night with a group of friends after work, and did not have the best experience. I did not interact with one staff member there last night that was pleasant or helpful. I asked the woman at the desk if I could grab my shoes while we waited for our lane so I could get them on, she told me it would be a long time until our lane was free so no I could not… we decided to wait at the bar-​the bartender was not personable and turned us off immediately. We waited a long time to get our second round of drinks. I went and found a server to wait on us so we didn’t have to continue dealing with him. I was hesitant to tip the bartender because I was so displeased with his service. I DID TIP HIM out of common courtesy and experience from serving myself for 10 years. The server I found took our food order — 2 chicken nachos. When they came out they were plated differently. Mine was in a bowl and my friends on a larger plate. There were 3 pieces of chicken on each of our orders and not exaggerating 50 or so jalepeno’s, which I enjoy but not that many! Because mine was in a bowl, the cheese was not cooked all the way through and was cold on the bottom. The chips underneath the toppings were all cold and soggy. I ate literally 5 bites of it or so. When the waiter came back at about 9:50pm we let him know the nachos weren’t great and we would like to order something else. He told us that the kitchen was closed– even though they are open until 11:30… and still charged us full price for our nachos– which I believe were $ 11 each. Not cheap. We stayed and played our last round. next thing I know, staff members told us we needed to switch lanes because the one we had been playing on needed to be worked on. Although, they had been working fine all night for us and we only had one game left. I was just irritated at this point. I will probably come back here but not for a while after last nights events. My profession is in customer service and the staff on last night did not meet my expectations for quality service. I know it’s a bowling alley, but I truly believe in going above and beyond for guests while I am at work so I suppose I expect the same when I go out. I was disappointed that a fun night out turned into more hassle than relaxing and having a good time with friends after work. Everyone has their opinion– I am just sharing my feed back to let others know of my experience. Hopefully next time, my experience will be different. My hope is that a staff member will read this and encourage the team there to put a little more effort into guest service. I am organizing a weekly outing for my staff to go bowling– I will probably not choose Bayside after this experience.
Thank you.

When I moved here (in the dead of winter) I had heard about a funky chic bowling alley in the rough parts of Portland. Little did I know, I was living in the rough part of Portland because this place is a 3 min walk from me. Anyways, it took me 6 months to get in on the bowling scene and boy was I surprised! My friends and I decided to go on a Saturday night around 7pm without reservations. Daring, I know. The place does take lane reservations with a 24hr notice. We all filtered in around 7ish and wanted a lane. Do not purchase the lane time until all of your party is ready because the time starts 5 mins after you pay. Since it was prime time we paid $ 30/​hr but split between the 5 of us it was pretty cheap. Shoe rental is a one time $ 3/​person. We were being pretty casual about getting a lane so we ordered drinks at the bar and some tots to take down to the lane. I ordered a dark and stormy and boy was it dark with a hint of stormy! Not complaining. The tots were perfect! Super hot and crispy. I wish they offered some additional sauce choices but it’s a bowling alley, right? Let’s not get held up over the food here. Even though it’s kind of amazing! They have a happy hour where the burgers are half priced, 4−6pm M-​F. And on Tuesdays, games are only $ 2. You know where to find me on Tuesdays. We played a couple games then headed into the bar area to order dinner and watch some live local bands. Overall, it’s a great way to spend your night if you’re sick of the regular bar scene or want to do something out of the ordinary with friends.

Love this place. Great atmosphere (a stylish bowling alley!), great food, great staff and great prices.

Great atmosphere and good. The drinks were fantastic. Bowling was a lot of fun, you can have up to eight people per lane and more can just hang out and watch in the same space. Will definitely be headed back.
Once you are on the lanes, don’t expect any kind of service. We tried to order drinks from several staff members to no avail. Ended up walking over to the bar to order. In general the staff seems rude, especially the female waitresses and bartenders. The guy at the bar was patient with us for our large drink order, but not by much. There were a lot of «Hold on» and «You’ll just have to wait» from the waitress on the lanes.
Parking is free for all. There may have been more spots we were unaware of, but the sand lot to the right gets crazy real quick. Park on the edge so you know you can get out.

I have been bowling here for the restaurant league and this is by far the cleanest prettiest bowling alley I have ever stepped foot into. I am from ny and nyc and I have been to some raunchy alleys. I haven’t had food here yet but their drinks are awesome. Very happy that I know this place exists.

I mean, this place is just an awesome bowling alley. There was a group of 14 of us and Bayside couldn’t have been more accomodating. We trickled in by couples, so our space of choice was constantly changing and growing. We ordered a few apps and drinks at the bar to start. The wait for a lane was about two hours, BUT that being said, on a Saturday night most people rent the lanes for at least an hr so it’s understandable. We were able to saddle up at the bar and watch some of the amazing bowlers crush it while we waited.
My 4 yr old nephew also showed up and was bowling a few lanes down, which was the cutest thing I’d ever seen; his excitement after barely managing to knock one pin down was so humbling.
Food, not amazing, but definitely a great selection and tasty (they sell BOWLS OF TATER-​TOTS, can it get any better?!), the service was on point and the drinks range from great Maine brews to a full bar. Always a great time at Bayside, whether you’re a one or ten star bowler.

Great downtown bowling alley. Great atmospere, staff and food. Can’t wait to go back for the music on the weekends… A little more expensive than other bowling alleys but well worth it.

Possibly the best hamburger, fries, and onion rings I’ve ever had. Also a great cocktail menu. Yum! That said, I’m not sure I would go back because between the cranked up (and bad) music blasting and the thud of the bowling balls, it was close to impossible to have a conversation. Food: solid 5 stars. Acoustics/​noise level: 0 stars.

I’ve been here twice, and it’s a pretty solid place to bowl downtown. I’ve only been on the weekends, where it’s $ 30/​hr per lane to bowl (which when split with friends, isn’t bad at all — also includes shoes).
I’m pretty sure it’s $ 25/​hr per lane during the week, and I think you can reserve a lane if you call 24 hours in advance. They also have pay-​per-​game bowling as well. In addition, they play movies on their patio in the summer on certain days.
There’s only 12 lanes, so it can get crowded fast. But it also houses a very nice, large bar area with a great selection of local craft beers on-​tap (Rising Ride, Oxbow, Bunker Brewing, etc). I also enjoyed their mixed drinks, especially the Bayside Derby. My friends and I also got their nachos, which were very good. Surprisingly, there’s not many chips (which were nice and buttery) but TONS of meat, cheese, green peppers, etc. on top.
If you’re in the Old Port, want to bowl, and maybe have some drinks and/​or food too, then look no further!

Me and my family used to love bayside bowl when it first opened its doors, now 3 years later we go back a few different times to see if it will improve, we had the worst 3 times there in a month. They have very poor service with getting food out. We waited 40 minutes just for nachos, our waitress argued saying we’ve only been waiting 20 minutes. 20 or 40 minutes, it’s still too damn long for chips with melted cheese! Front desk woman was extremely rude and sarcastic. We’ve never had issues with their staff before but today was a terrible way to treat customers. Had 3 mechanical issues with 2 lanes in 1 hour. That took 10 minutes of our 37 $ hour, they added 2 minutes to our lane with attitude. Too pricy for what they offer. We have found our favorite bowling alley for luxury bowling at easy day. Same price too, amazing atmosphere and staff. We will not be returning to bayside bowl again, neither will friends.

I have been to this establishment twice in the past two weeks and I will have to tell you, the experience was different both times. The first time that we came here to meet some friends at about 11pm, it was both thinned out and the music playing as Gang Starr on repeat over and over again (Old school hip hop band) and although I love the music, the same thing over and over is a bit monotonous.
The bathrooms also are mens and womens combined where you had to go through the womens to get to the mens which was wierd.
The second time that we came here (with 5 friends) we had a blast with great service, cold beer and really good finger foods while slinging the ball down the lanes. It was very crowded but you couldn’t even tell because we were taken such good care of.
What a tale of two different experiences but the consistent between the two was the great service we received. The staff was attentive and fun making this a go to place. I don’t know if this place is one that I would take my 8 year old son but it was a hip and fun place with some good food.

I love this place. The bowling isn’t cheap, and there’s usually a long-​ass wait, so that’s a bit of a downer. But they sometimes have live music, which is fun, and they have delicious food and awesome drinks (including BOOZY MILKSHAKES).

This hip bowling alley may have a wait, but has a much better atmosphere than those other chain bowling alleys! Good food, good drinks, good company, and friendly staff! Nigel was extremely helpful and pleasant.
I will definitely be back next time I’m in Maine!

Being a fan of both the old-​school family-​friendly bowling alleys I grew up with in suburbia and the above-​average food and drink you can get at swankier bowling lounges in NYC, Bayside Bowl is the best of both worlds.
My boyfriend and I came during Viva Lebowski, so we got lucky and didn’t have to pay for a lane or shoe rental (it came with the small amount we paid for admission). We split the lane with this super cool couple (one member was decked out in full Dude attire) and played/​gossiped for two hours over Maine brews and gnarly cocktails. Aside from that fantastic White Russian I had to have (it’d be wrong if I didn’t drink at least one on Lebowski night), I stuck with my Brooklyn Brewery lager. Since it was was their Beer of the Day, my pints only ended up being only $ 3 each! You definitely can’t find that price in the BK.
After we finished our games, the couple told us that we HAD to get the mac & cheese with pineapple and bacon. They vouched that it might be the best of the best on the East Coast. BF and I decided to split a bowl, which was the right choice because it was HUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE. With the addition of crumbled Ritz crackers on top and a bath of hot sauce mixed in, I can definitely say that it was, indeed, the best mac and cheese I’ve had in a long ass time.

Hey — not bad! We ventured down to Bayside Bowl on a Monday night during vacation. I haven’t bowled in YEARS and I don’t think hubs has either. We got in and were greeted by a slightly apathetic hostess… We asked if we could bowl she said «it’ll be about an hour and a half». Welp, okay, looks like we’re eating at the bar then.
I had the chili and hubs had a veggie burger. Yummy fries and my chili bowl was E-​NORMOUS. I’ve had better corn bread in my time. It was pretty loud so expect to speak up whilst ordering.
We got a lane and got two games in with my hubs and my father in law. All in all, we had fun and the food was a-​okay. $ 25 for a lane, $ 33 total with three pairs of shoes.