Sports & Play
Does new Toronto bowling alley live up to the hype?
When we broke the news back in November that Toronto was finally getting a downtown bowling alley, most of us couldn't contain our excitement.
The Ballroom quietly opened its doors to the public on Christmas Eve and from a purely aesthetic perspective, is a complete success. The team behind the project has managed to wedge a boutique bowling alley underneath a mammoth sports bar, wrap the whole thing in a gastro-pub sheen and actually make it kind of work.
Even without an official launch - due early February - the nine available lanes have been booked pretty solid since day one and depending on when you arrive, expect between a half an hour, to a two and a half hour wait for a lane. Of course, the brilliance is that you'll spend that wait time upstairs in the bar alongside Ping-Pong, foosball, pool tables and a handful of arcades. And if that's not your thing, there are plenty of video screens to ensure that your line of sight never be interrupted.
The venue is part of the new Entertainment District, a multi use neighbourhood that is less aggressively clubby and equally inviting at all hours of the day. For the most part, the concept works. Sure it's not going to be for everyone, for one thing it's a bit pricey, which is to be expected, this is the Entertainment District after all--you don't go bargain hunting in Times Square.
That being said, an hour of bowling on a Saturday night clocks in at close to $70, but daytime hours are half that. So depending on the number of people playing (maximum eight per lane) it can be reasonable.
The menu is a mix of polished lowbrow cuisine including house made corndogs ($9 for five, $17 for 10) and southern fried chicken ($13 for three pieces); and more sophisticated items like an organic quinoa salad ($10-$16) and grilled white tuna ($18).
The lanes themselves have that new car shine and to be honest, after a few hurls of the bowling ball, the price tag becomes easier to swallow. Growing up with mostly five pin lanes available, it's a treat to be able live out a lifetimes worth of Fred Flintstone, Al Bundy, Big Lebowski fantasies. I spent my first few frames trying not to launch the ball directly into the hardwood, but once I found my rhythm it was easy to get hooked.
Once the hype dies down a bit it would be nice to see some weeknight leagues spring up, but it's a bit early for that still.
Photos by Dennis Marciniak
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Somebody should clip Skeet Skeeter's wings.
although im pretty sure they're working on getting in live bands? ...
The wait for a lane was crazy, and the food - overpriced.
Don't go on a Saturday night whatever you do.
I think for the real bowling experience leaving downtown is the way to go. C'mon, Bathurst & Glencairn isn't that far to travel...
whats most funny skeeter and JAMB is that the entertainment district is mostly visited by 905ers and suburbanites dieing for a little downtown experience. this bowling alley will make those 905er feel right at home, I bet you they'll all be sitting in their cars driving 1 hours to come to this bowling alley instead of going to there local suburban one. ha
I recall a few modern locations being constructed when I lived in the UK that were similar to the Scotiabank Theatre in being a large downtown multiplex but were tied with a bowling centre more like 30 lanes in size (3 stories with 10 per level so not as large a footprint) and a bar/pool room with a dozen full sized tables you could rent by the hour and reasonable but not excessive food so you could catch a movie and/or bowl, or play pool or just hang out and have a drink/food etc. pre or post doing something else and being downtown you didn't have to drive out to a suburban complex but everything was sufficiently modern to be enjoyable but not to the point where it outpriced itsself.
then you do deals in the week on afternoons when it is quiet for unlimited bolwing for $X between say 2pm and 5pm and it fills up with university students and so forth.
The other big question is does having a live band translate into increased profits/success? You'd think that if you have more people inside that translates into more drink sales. But you have to take into account that someone watching a band may not drink as much or at all.
If you can fill the place without a live band then you're best investing your money elsewhere.
I may take a walk over to find out since it's nearby. No actual bowling there until the prices come down out of the stratosphere.
BTW, before 5pm, it's $50/hour/lane not $35 (half of $70).
They have Steam Whistle on tap ($8/pint) ... yum!
Will the club pay for my paddle when i wind up with my massive backhand and peg the wall ?
Too bad. I like bowling.
Sounds like a place to avoid. Why can't we just have a real bowlign alley with decent food and bevvies at decent prices? Why must everything be "boutique?"
The trendy-chic-foodie things has its place, and I enjoy it sometimes, but it's taking over everything.
"arguing equally stupidly".... you mean "arguing stupidly, equally" or "both argued equally: stupidly"? Either way, your diction is horrible.
Glass houses, stones, etc.
The concept sounds perfect for that comment above re drinking + light activity = fun.
The place in Brooklyn must be pretty cool - the fact that their idea (if its origin is even from there) is repeated here is flattering for the Brooklyn place, and they should come visit the Ballroom.
I will definitely go, and I will bring friends in order to: keep the cost down, the fun level high, and the experience positive. If the bowling sucks, I'll drink the Steamwhistle, or whatever's cold.
I love my overpriced box. Quality over quantity.
Thank you for finally marrying youthful fun with adult environment.
Anyway, it's clearly because of the area, and they're definitely capitalizing on the hordes with money to burn who frequent the district. I just don't think they'll be able to keep the place full at that price, once the initial interest dies down.
Big screens at the end of the lanes......CrashVegas for sure!
Ping-Pong table room looks lame
Long waits.......zzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Hopefully bands upstairs would be cool :)
Good luck to them, but I won't be going.
my suggestion to management if they don't want to lower costs - at least offer a happy hour special to offset this with special drinks/food...or...I dunno, but balance the expensive cost with something else...
this place looked super fun and i was gonna go with friends for my birthday because i like bowling and ping pong and beer. but loooool at the prices. i hate that section of the city, and i know why it's expensive, but they can shove it. it's not even that i couldn't pay if i wanted to but at $8 for a pint of beer from down the street and $70 to not finish a game... haha
and boo on your prices......assholes!
some fun that is not about getting dressed in a mini skirt.
and fending off drunkin' dance floor pick ups... .lol.
YEAH!!! the ladies of TORONTO thank you :)
GAME ON!
Bowling was invented in the 1800's now that was original. Brooklyn Bowl is great but far from 100% original.
The decor maybe slightly different from the upscale alleys to the grittier alleys BUT all bowling alley's have bowling lanes, a bar, other games on hand (pool tables, video games, foosball, pinball machines).
There is a time and place for live music, and I feel any business that limits themselves to one or the other also limits their potential clientele.
Uh, I'm pretty sure this makes you a snob.
Thorncliffe is two-thirds cheaper and is easily accessible by transit from Broadview Station (10 min bus) for all your fellow snobs.
(I live downtown too, btw and am NOT under any circumstances, paying $70 to bowl for an hour, for the privilege of eating organic salad and seared tuna).
Guess what? On occasion you have to venture beyond Ossington or Sherbourne to get a sense of what Toronto has to offer culturally. Where are the Pakistani/Afghani/German/Greek/Jamaican et al restaurants in the core? Let me know.