Bowlmor San Jose

Came here for a company social event and it was so fun! Loved the music blasting while I was bowling. The only downside was that the service wasn’t the best (they never refilled the utensils and so many people had to eat with their hands… not the most sanitary).

My sister and I were looking for a place to bowl and came across this place on Unilocal.It was amazing! This is my new favorite place to bowl. When you start you have a choice of more than 10 different themes for the scoreboard. There is also a big TV on top of the pins on each lane. When you set up the game you have the choice to set up bumpers for each individual, which was perfect for me and my sister because I prefer no bumpers where as she prefers them up. Another cool feature is if you don’t get a strike, a tutorial pops up on the scoreboard that shows you exactly how you need to bowl to get a spare. This feature is perfect for anybody that’s trying to learn how to bowl like a pro. Overall it was a very fun and neat experience. I would recommend this to anybody looking for a fun bowling experience.

Lanes: 4.5
Ambiance: 4.5
Food: 3.5
Service: 4.0 (Food Service 1.0)
Cleanliness: 4
Price: 3.0
Overall: 4.0
It’s very well maintained «new style» bowling alley. Big screen TVs over every lane, pop music playing throughout, black lights, the whole 9 you would expect with this type of alley. The lanes are in OK shape given the amount of traffic and abuse they endure. The gates never got stuck and we always got our balls returned. No mechanical issues.
I was decently impressed with the food. The food wont win any awards but it was OK for a bowling alley. I had some Pizza cupcakes and a hamburger and they were both alright. Hamburger could have used a little more seasoning.
It cost us about $ 50 for three people to bowl two games with two pairs of shoe rentals. Food was just under $ 50 for two Cheese Hamburgers, the Pizza Cupcakes, and two soft drinks.
The service at the front desk was great, Very friendly, quick and helpful. I can not say the same for the wait staff serving the lanes. It took nearly half of our first game before our drinks (an iced-​tea, water, and soda) even arrived. I was told they were short staffed. Despite that, our server moved at the speed of swimming through peanut butter. He had no sense of urgency or customer service. This from someone who served tabled for over 10 years. He was the quintessential Millennial stereotype. He couldn’t be bothered to give half an effort and move his feet to service a busy bowling alley a little quicker. It was sad to watch. Lastly, when our food arrived it was missing an order. He then told us, «Yea, I found out we were out of that. Sorry I didn’t come back to tell you. But you were not charged for it.» Thank Jebus we were already full on what we did order and didn’t need it. If it wasn’t for the fact that we enjoyed everything else that Sunday, the service alone would have made us not return. We even had to pay for our food and drinks at the front desk because we could not find our waiter.

Decided to risk going here at regular price. This was in the afternoon of Friday, June 10^th.
It was not that busy. Within minutes of getting to our lane, one of our kids decided not to bowl. Immediately I took her pair of shoes and handed it to an employee behind the counter, told her that the person is not bowling, and our lane number, and she looked like she checked the computer right away.
No servers bothered to stop by and offer a menu. The bus boy was the one on the floor on top of his job. The chicks were just strolling around looking cute. That’s all. So I had to walk to the bartender to get our food and drink order. Hey, more tip for him! He did a great job.
Lanes had debris on them. When we were leaving I saw there was a new server on the floor being very attentive.
Today upon reviewing my receipts I found that they still charged us for the shoe rental I returned unused. I have to let this go because how will I prove they ripped us off a couple days ago except my word??! Over 5. per pair of shoe rental and we are on a budget. Thanks A LOT for nothing.
I’ll pass on the season bowling pass then.

Pretty cool bowling alley but sooooo ridiculously expensive with crappy service. Pretty much sums this place up.
Pros: modern, huge flat screen tvs around bar area, bar could be a nice area if the service wasn’t so awful, new machines, nicer lanes
Cons: just generally rude and unfriendly service, most expensive bowling alley I have ever been to, shitty drinks, black lights are always on (even during the day — why?), stuffy environment

Something blissfully fun for my husband and I to do on Mondays. All you can bowl for $ 14 each on Mondays after 8pm. Do it.

Of course bowling is fun, but I think Bowlmor takes it to a different level in a few ways — some good, some bad.
I have very fond memories of bowling in an old-​school alley with a full diner and pro shop with my family when we would travel to true Northern California to visit my grandpa so naturally nothing will come close to that. Because of this, I think it has been hard for me to see most bowling alleys in the area become varitable nightclubs, but I can completely understand how someone else might enjoy the vibe. To their credit, I have bowled in their «Back 9» and it’s a cool experience all around, though sometimes bowling the main lanes isn’t as enjoyable.
Every time I’ve gone, there have people from wall to wall — be it a birthday party running wild or friends who may have pregamed a little too hard and plan to continue going HAM. Despite long lines to pay, get shoes, etc. the staff works as quickly as it seems they can and the response for food and beverage is typically fast. During our last visit, I ordered a plate of mozzarella sticks as they seemed to be the most unintimidating item on a pretty inventive menu; they came fast and looked great but when I realized I needed a fork, I basically had to fight with the attendant for it. I get that not everyone has a hang-​up about sticking their fingers into a communal ball and then grabbing a stick to eat, but I unfortunately do. He had me follow him to the kitchen to retrieve it (which I already thought was odd) and practically berated me the whole way for asking for the utensil («Who eats mozzarella sticks with a fork?» is a direct quote and one of the many charming comments I had the pleasure to hear). I wouldn’t consider myself overly sensitive but I also wouldn’t consider myself overly immune to a buffet of germs so I didn’t see the harm in asking. Oh well, I’ll bring my own next time.
It’s really fun to come with friends but it may be worth it to plan your visit ahead and pick a more tame time to bowl if you’re serious about the sport. The prices are a little steep for me to want to come on a consistent basis, but if someone were to ask if I wanted to bowl every once in a while, I wouldn’t say no.

On a Friday evening, April 8, 2016 my friends and I wanted to go bowling, so we ended up here at the famous Bowlmor. It’s a great place to go play for a few games, they also have pool tables in case you want to continue ball playing some more! lol They have these huge screens along the alley that plays music videos with an average sound. Their food, bar and waitress service were pretty good. When it came to the cashier service though, it seems as if people weren’t properly trained. My group was trying to pay individually, the cashier got all confused and she wouldn’t take individual payments. So one of us ended up paying the grand total then later we had to divide our portions. Overall great place to play bowling!

They asked for credit card on file the moment that we checked in, then we checked out with different credit card. After few days, i saw that they charged my credit card even if we already paid for it, SO THEY CHARGED US TWICE, i called many many times, spoke to the bowlmor customer service filed a complaint they said that they will email the san jose manager and district manager and they will get back to me within 24 – 48 hrs, but NO CALL BACK! Called the san jose manager and he said he will check it but 1 week have passed and still NO CALL!!! Hopefully bowlmor will get back to me after this review!!!

My son really wanted a bowling party. Having had a negative experience previously, I checked out the couple other bowling places in town. O. K. … So, all things being relative this place is looking up.
Ten kids bowled 3 games. Had a blast. Front desk was courteous, snacks were tasty and services very attentive. This place really turned itself around.
Came back again a month later, on a rainy day. Even though it was crowded we all agreed that it was much improved.

The service here sucks! I’ve had multiple bad service here & the management isn’t even better. On one occasion the worker told us the wrong lane, when we went back to correct her she made us sound stupid & told us a different lane. When we went to that lane it wasn’t even the right one. We then went to the manager who didn’t apologize or anything. For 15 mins we were wandering around a not so crowded bowling alley with no lanes to goto. We decided to just leave.
Another incident happen when we ordered Parmesan fries & it never came out. The worker accused us of lying & hiding the plate! Who would want to steal a $ 5 plate! At this point we had to wait for the manager to waive the fries off our receipt as if we were asking for a favor. We never got the fries so why would we pay for it. They didn’t even try to deliver the fries or anything.
Worst service & management ever! If your wrong apologize & make it right. The customer should never feel at fault or made feel stupid.

Second time coming here for a group event with my work famiLy and I must say… Second time was the charm. ALthough tonight’s visit was enjoyabLe, I’m confLicted with my overaLL experience at BowLmor.
Our first visit here was absoLute chaos. We made reservations for about 12 peopLe and nothing was organized. Food came out at random times, there weren’t enough pLates to go around, utensiLs weren’t given, and we constantLy had to fLag someone down for extra napkins. NeedLess to say, the gaL (who checked us in) was incorrect when she said someone wouLd be assigned to heLp our party with whatever our needs were.
It was a Letdown to receive haLf a** customer service and the estabLishment wasn’t even busy. Our party expected a whoLe Lot more especiaLLy since the event cost a hefty penny.
Tonight’s visit went without a hitch. I can confidentLy say our party of 11 aLL Left happy.
BowLmor’s staff was very attentive and constantLy asked us how everything was. The empLoyees approached us a number of times and asked if we needed anything additionaL. BowLmor had our foods set up buffet styLe and we were not Lacking in utensiLs or pLates.
I guess it took for my manager to compLain about our Last visit… But whatever gets the job done right?

Definitely one of the more nicer bowling alleys I’ve been to. Looks new and hip, not your typical. I do like that they had a nice bar and lounge area to hang out at. But you can find cheaper places to bowl at

Absolutely terrible service-​asked for a cocktail server eight times… The lazy bartender said they had four on the floor but if we really wanted a drink we had to come up to the bar…
Lane 4 Sat 13 March…
Edited at departure– here for 2.5 hrs. No service…
Nothing was ever a cleared of food-​neither one of the lanes around us.
Absolutely filthy property…
Will never return-​came here with friends what an embarrassment
Sam Hernandez

The bar is epic. Personally it’s my favorite drinking spot as of now.
The prices of the food prevents me from wanting to try it which docks a star from my review but on the whole I mainly love this place for the bar and have been pleased every time I’ve walked in.

My boyfriend and I came to bowl last night. The positives? Even though it was jammed packed, they had a lane available. Also, when we finally got a waitress, she was very nice and friendly. Take that and the fact that I somehow beat my boyfriend and bowled the best game of my life (I’m no pro…) and that’s where the positives end.
They are super unorganized. I mean straight chaos status. You have to hold your lane with a credit card while playing. What happened to the days of paying upfront for x amount of games? Due to this… You wait in a long line after playing to check out and get ripped off. (More on that in a minute.) They have two registers and apparently only one allows checkouts. Really? Yet there is no indication of which line to wait in for checkout. So you may be in the wrong line, and even if you ask– they aren’t sure themselves. Don’t get me started on the fact that the guy who couldn’t do checkouts on his line, in fact did.
All this in consideration, the real problem I have is the cost. For three games it cost us almost $ 60! (Games only.) Are you kidding me?! This far outweighs any positives. I really don’t think I’ll be back.

Update… per reply from bowlmor thanking for my comment and advising they will improve efficiency.
Got drag back. a year later
Unlike last time, there are a few private parties on a Saturday night. So expected to be busy.
That said efficiency is pathetic! 1 person running the cashier on a Saturday night for ~40 lanes.
You wait in line for 15 – 20 mins to just put your name down to wait…30−1.5 hrs… so when your buzzer or name is called you go up again and wait 15 – 30 in the same line to get your lane. Once you do that… then you have to go wait in the shoe line and hopes that the same cashier girl comes and help the shoe line.
But…if you look over at the bar. there’s 4 bartenders. Makes business sense. largest margin on alcohol.
Also while you wait you can play pool. Great! $ 15/​hr… However you have staff coming and clean off the tables but when you ask to order they say that’s not their job. And then we watch same guy went and took order from people in the lanes lol
I would imagine pay min wage for a few more employees to assist in traffic during peak hours would actually make your business more money, get lanes cleared quicker, and have higher customer satisfaction.
That said after waiting 50 mins while play pool and told we couldn’t be helped. Instead of spending $ 200 – 300 on a group of 5 (pretty easy to do with food, alcohol, pool and bowling fees)…we left and I’m writing this in the car while we find food.
Unilocal…can I put negative stars?

We had our work holiday party here. This place has a TON of bowling lanes, 6 pool tables, and plenty of seating for everyone. I really enjoyed the displays on the bowling lanes, which played random music videos and had interesting visuals. The staff was very polite, but I didn’t have much contact with any of them since I was bowling for most of the time. I also scored my first game over 100 here (#biasedreview).
Overall, I was for sure entertained the entire time I was here. This is a great place for a party. They keep the whole place clean and looking fresh! I was impressed by how many lanes they had here and how big the place was. Also there is a bar ;)

Do not come here for pool. The pool tables are in terrible condition. There is no chalk. We had to ask other tables to share racks. Check out the balls they gave us in the pic. So much for 9 ball.
Oh and it is more expensive than cuetopia.

My boyfriend and I have bowled in leagues so we had our own bowling ball and own shoes. Games are $ 3 and some change. Not bad considering the surrounding bowling alleys have higher prices per game. You can choose different themes on your screen displaying your bowling scores.
This is a great place for family outings or a date. Loved the atmosphere and set up of this bowling alley. There is a bar and attentive service for food and drinks. The bar area has a nice area to relax on sofa chairs or at the bar with plenty of seats. Air conditioned and has pool tables.
Overall great experience! I will be coming back.

Definitely one of the nicer looking bowling venues in San Jose!
Although pricing may be a bit more then other bowling alleys, If you’re looking to impress your hot date with your bowling game on Friday or Saturday night, I believe its around $ 8 a game plus shoe rental. So yes, peak hours can be expensive! Bowlmor SJ offers many promos offer. For example, Sunday nights are $ 3 games (starts at 6pm-​which is nice because many «night» offers don’t start til’ 9pm) and unlimited games/​shoe rentals for $ 15 on Monday’s.
I been visiting this location quite often due to their «Summer Games» promotion. You can bowl up to 3 games a day (with shoe rental) for only $ 29. This pass is good from late May all the way to September. holy cow. Super cheap!
It offers nice lounge area with a huge projector screen for sports and the room to shoot billards is nice. They usually show the big games, so if you’re in South San Jose and BJ’s/Buffalo Wild Wings is packed, you might want to consider Bowlmor! Drinks are priced fairly for a bowling alley so no complaints.
Management is always on top of things, one time our lane got jammed up. Not only did they fix it, they gave us some comp passes for next time. The front register area can be a little slow checking people in, especially if only one cashier is working. Drink/​Food service is great without being too annoying.
I would avoid this place if you get annoyed by little kids. I hate being next to big birthday parties because the kids just come here and screw everything up. They prance around on your lane and never follow any rules. I almost struck a kid with a bowling ball because he decided to cut into my lane and I was getting ready to bowl. Instead of scolding the child, the parent didn’t even look up from their iPhone… lol
Overall, it’s a decent spot to bowl! Lots of parking (unlike bowlmor cupertino) and way better service! Come by and check it out!

I recently picked up bowling within the past year and with this bowling alley being located the closest to my house, I have found myself visiting this Bowlmor quite often. Other than the expensive prices and the occasional really busy nights, this location is really clean and quite nice.
Compared to other bowling alleys around San Jose, this location (and I believe Bowlmor, in general) tend to be a little pricier. However, to offset the expensive price of a single game and shoes during the day, are the Sunday specials as well as the unlimited bowling option after a certain time on the weekdays. In addition, while a game may be more expensive, Bowlmor, especially this location tends to keep everything more up to date and clean. This location is rather large with a lot of lanes available as well as private room with a few more lanes in there. The bar and lounge area is nice and usually not too busy until the night. The equipment and chairs are clean, and the bowling balls and lanes are also well maintained. At night, the lights are dimmed, disco lights appear, and music is played slightly louder than during the day.
While I have never ordered food at this location (since it’s a little pricey too), I have ordered a pitcher of beer for about $ 20. Tasty, as always.
Based on my interactions, the people that work here seem to be friendly and welcoming for the most part. Even though it can get busy during the holidays and weekends, they all seem to keep their cool. They are attentive and help retrieve balls that kids accidentally throw into the gutter when the bumpers are up and are even willing to adjust the music volume of requested to by a customer.
If the prices weren’t so high, I’d give this place 5 stars.