Bored on a Sunday? Need something to do that's fun and most certainly amusing? Then bring your friends and come here. It's bowling with a twist. A martini twist, that is. This isn't your average bowling alley, that's for sure. It's a bar and it's flashy too, with all it's neon lights and music videos. The best part is that the wait staff brings your libations to you, while you bowl. Excellent concept really. Oh and their Sunday special is 3 hours of unlimited bowling including shoes all for the low price of $15 per person. So what if you're terrible at bowling, that's no excuse not to come here. Anyways, you couldn't be any worse or more comical than I was rolling one gutter ball after another in hopes of breaking 50, but I still managed to put down a few martini's and have a few laughs at my own expense, and that's what made it fun for me and my crew! read more

If you like to toss balls down lanes and knock down pins Sunday's here are awesome! Simple as that. It's 15 bucks for 3 hours of bowling, they have four dollar pizzas and two dollar shots. Lots of fun for very little scratch. The food and drink really aren't going to knock your socks off or anything, but while you're cosmic bowling it's pairs pretty decently. Our erver was nice and the bowling shoes were more stylish than most. Definitely makes for a fun couple of hours if you're up for a little something different. read more

I came here with a date on a Friday night to use their recent Living Social (? - it was one of those Groupon-y type places) coupon. The most negative aspect of the whole experience came right off the bat. We went to sign up for a lane and were told there would be a 30 minute wait. No problem, we expected that. We moseyed over to the bar to grab a drink and were ignored for at least 10 minutes. After finally getting drinks and hearing our name called, we headed back to the front desk for lane assignment and shoes. The staff seemed totally unfamiliar with the deal and what was included. A woman at the desk tried to charge us for shoes, which was included in the coupon. When we pointed this out she literally rolled her eyes at us, spat out "fine", and took the coupon. That's some less than stellar customer service, 10pin, especially for the prices you're charging. When we got to our lane, the bumpers were up. Though this would have improved my game significantly, it hardly seemed sporting. We pressed the service button and waited for someone to come over and put down the bumpers. That wound up being the lane server, who was actually very sweet and who came by often to see if we needed anything. As we were bowling, a piece of the lane next to us literally fell off (or fell from the ceiling) and landed in the middle of the lane, leaving those people unable to bowl until another staff member came over to fix it. Several times during our game the pins would get stuck and it would take forever to reset. At one point it got totally stuck and we, again, had to call someone over to service the lane. Again, for these really expensive games, I'd have expected maintenance to be better. So yeah, food and drinks are expensive, maintenance seems pretty shoddy, and several of the staff members were rude. So why three stars? We DID have a lot of fun. The music playing was heavily skewed towards the 80s and 90s, which made my old person ears happy. As previously mentioned, the server at our lane was great and in general it's hard to hate bowling. That said, I don't see myself making an effort to come to 10pin again. If I want to bowl, I'd far rather do it at a cheaper, more laid back place like Lincoln Lanes. read more

If this is what the state of bowling has turned into, i am disappointed. The lanes stink and have no arrows on them...even non-bowlers sometimes use arrows to guide their ball. The ball selection was limited and thus not so good. The food was average, run-of-the mill bar food, and waaaay too many boy band music videos. I understand that the concept is more bar than alley, so I see how it can attract multitaskers looking for a side project while drinking. Just not my style, i'll stick with Brunswick Zones. read more

In a bid for style points, I accidentally lobbed the ball into the neighbouring gutter, where it bounced onto the light strip and back into my own gutter (so at least I didn't have to go grovelling for my ball back...).... we didn't get thrown out. later in the evening, my 'friends' screamed at me to put me off, at which point I let go of the ball at a somewhat backward angle.... we STILL didn't get thrown out. This tells you 3 things: 1. on a monday, both beer and bowling is super cheap, which is dangerous 2. i'm really bad at bowling 3. 10Pin is pretty forgiving as bowling alleys go (in my experience) Additional points of note: The mens' bowling shoes are, apparently, 'fly' (I have less than no idea what this means). The TV played two baseball games and the basketball game. Lots of sports. Tater tots: yum! Cheese sauce that comes with tater tots: scarily similar to the 7 eleven mac n cheese i have previously described. It might have been alive. $2 a game, $1 shoes and $3 beers = monday nights sorted for me (come on, I need the practice). only 4 stars because I have an aversion to UV light, it reminds me of being 15 and in really bad clubs, and a gin and tonic should never glow. sorry 10pin. read more

Really fun smoke free bowling. Great customer service. Loved the socks! Clean! The free ice cream dessert was perfect and such a bonus for checking in via yelp! When in Chicago, this is a must! Wish y'all had shirts!! read more

10pin Bowling Lounge - A little lane time before the plane time... - Bowling Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I liked this place a lot. It was super chill and even though I'm not a huge bowler (wrist issues) I was invited to tag along and give support to those who did bowl by drinking beer and eating bar food. The music a 90s mix at the time I was there and the lighting was low and very relaxing. Since we were there for a few hours we got to know the bartender/server who was very polite and attentive. read more

You should only go here if you are desperate for some bowling and this location is convenient for you. Otherwise, skip it. For a place that is billed as sort of an upscale bowling alley, it sure doesn't seem very upscale. Some of the drawbacks include: -The Seating: They pack customers into side-by-side lanes instead of spacing them out when there is plenty of room to do so and they have high-top tables with stools instead of traditional bench-like bowling seating. Bowling alleys use that bench seating for a reason. It allows for ease in changing shoes as well as just being a better arrangement for a team "sport." Sitting and standing around a high-top table is awkward and you're constantly having to negotiate space with the tables pressed up on either side of you. - Service: Both times I've been there we had a hard time flagging down our waitress to get some drinks. We ended up going to the bar ourselves most of the time. Not the end of the world, but either have servers or don't. Also, they have been out of a number of their alcohols/beers both times I've been there. We have not sampled the food. - Space: Related to the seating situation above, this place just did not give any thought to how things would work once they had actual customers in the place sitting at and standing around all of these tables - especially in the winter. We had all of our coats stacked on chairs and across the table, as did a lot of the customers around us. Only now because I've read some of the other reviews on Yelp do I see they have a coat check! Why don't any of the workers point this out when they see so many people struggling for places to put their things? In conclusion, if you are really hard up for something to do, and you happen to be in the area, and you don't mind dealing with any of the above, then give it a whirl. read more

OVERRATED!!!!!!!!! This is just an overpriced bowling alley with a fancier bar. I was here for a work Christmas event...and had a good time, but lets be serious. $90 to rent a lane is just a little ridiculous. Not to mention, if you are not just being a drunk throwing a ball down the lane, and want to play a little more serious, you cant bc their balls are all dented and cracked!! I will admit the drinks were a plenty, the bartenders were very good at what they did, and the rental shoes were cuter than the average rental shoe...but that's all this place had going for it. Id rather pay $4 in the burbs for a game and a better ball, and spend the big bux at a real bar. read more

If you're going to call yourself "10 pin bowling" don't have lanes that rack 7-9 pins all night. We played two games and almost never had a full set of 10 pins on the first rack. Also, "upscale bowling" just seems like an oxymoron to me. It should be called "Dimly-lit expensive-drink bowling". The service and food were alright, but this place just didn't do it for me. read more

Fck this place. Waited over two hours to bowl when the receptionist said one hour. Best part was when we got to our lane it was FILLED with dirty dishes, salad bits all over the floor and nasty shit everywhere. There wasn't even a table for us - the only nice person in the entire place ended up fetching one for us about 20 minutes later. Go somewhere else, this place blows read more

I'm glad I didn't see all the crummy reviews before going! I had a great time. My fiance and I got there Sunday at 5 pm-- until 6pm, they have a special: 3 hours of unlimited bowling, plus shoes, for $15 pp. Not bad if you're planning to play a few games. As far as parking being pricey, I called ahead to find out the parking situation-- I was told if you park in the self-park lot on State and Kenzie, and you spend at least $35 at the bowling alley (easy to do between 2 people for sure), parking is free. So yeah, parking was free! Freeeeee! (they will validate your parking ticket) The food was decent-- we had toasted ravioli, coconut shrimp, tater tots (who can resist a good tot?!?), and smores. They're not cheap, but they're pretty good and it's nice to have options other than pizza and burgers (but they do have those too). I saw lots of complaints about the scoring system freezing or the pins getting stuck-- we didn't have any issues. Bonus points for halfway cute bowling shoes :) All in all, yes it's not cheap but it is on the nicer side and we had a lot of fun. We'll be back! read more

I was excited to try this bowling lounge since I had a groupon type certificate. It was a change from the usual LuckyStrike. When I first approached the counter, I asked for 2 lanes for 9 people, and showed her my certificate. She gasped and complained outloud to me that there have been too many certificates. I thought to myself, "Shouldn't they be happy they are getting new business?" We still paid at least an extra $300 in food and drinks. It took 2 1/2 hours to get our lanes! That's ridiculous especially since I saw our name on the top of the list. The atmosphere is nice, but I did not appreciate the attitude from the front desk gal. read more

This is my first time here and I'm loving it! Right now they have a special where you can bowl as much as you want for $20 (weekdays); can't beat that and the food is very reasonable and so good highly recommend! My server is so amazing and accommodating everybody here has been wonderful to me! read more

10pin Bowling Lounge - Bowling Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I hosted a birthday party here last night for my boyfriend and about 14 friends. We were able to get a great rate and the staff was very accommodating with all of our requests. They even put the candles on the cake, lit them, and brought it out on cue. Everyone really liked that the music/videos that play on the huge screens are all selected by the patrons. It's like a video jukebox... pretty cool! The ladies who attended really appreciated being able to bowl and sip a signature martini at the same time. The guys enjoyed the hard stuff and Fat Tire bottles. It was really nice having a waitress serve our 2 lanes. This meant that we didn't have to wait for someone to return from the bar to resume the bowling action. *If you valet in Marina City, get your stub validated at the shoe counter for $14 parking. MUCH better than driving around for an hour trying to find a street spot in River North. read more

I will admit to being a bit spoiled on my first few trips 10 pin, as i was only there for the Kerry Wood event every year, so everyone and everything was at its best. so checking it out on a regular nite gave me a little more insight on things. it's basically a club with a bowling theme.the lights are cool, the drinks are...well, come on, you're bowling across from Housed of Blues in downtown Chicago, what do you expect? i never know how to dress at 10 pin...better to look good than show up in pajama pants and a hoodie is my best suggestion. with all that said its a great place to take a date or hang out with friends for a night, as the place looks and sounds amazing. your best bet is to go on Mondays..its cheaper and there's a much cooler crowd of people who come out. plus the tv's are huge! and they do play some good tunes if that's your thing. its a great looking bowling club, basically. read more

The closing time listed on their door is 11PM. I arrived at 9:25PM and the doors were locked. While at the door I called and finally got someone to pick up. She stated that they are open until 11PM but closed an hour early tonight at 10PM.... except it wasn't 10PM yet. It was 9:25PM and it was also I complete waste of time going there. I chose 10 pins over another bowling alley due to the closing time. Don't bother or call ahead. read more

I went to a work function here, so this review might be different than say if I had actually paid for anything.. the bowling alley is *cool*, but from someone who was in a bowling league, I cannot call this bowling alley a legit place to bowl competitively. The lanes are colored, and there are no arrows. The balls suck, honestly. The fingers aren't drilled right, etc, etc. BUT, you aren't actually coming here to bowl are you? It's a fun place to hang out, and I enjoyed all the fun music they play. Just don't take any bowling here seriously.. it's about the drinking and having fun. Food: The mac and cheese is awesome! I hate mac and cheese, but this one with smoked cheddar was quite good. All the food they served us was rather like being in a cafeteria again in elementary school - hot dogs, burgers, mac and cheese, etc. Drinks: The 10 pin signature martini was good, but I fear it's alcohol content might not be that high. The sangria martini was disgusting. They earned major points, however, when the watiress came by to check on me and saw the still-full sangria martini in front of me and said "let me get you another one for free, people tend to not like that one". You might not be that lucky though.. so stay away from that martini just in case. Sangria does not belong in a martini! read more

Bright lights, red felt, flashy bowling. I would never venture into downtown tourist sites without a company party, birthday or fundraiser on the line. While playing on well-kept pool tables and having disco neon lights bowling is pretty cool, I don't think the juice is worth the squeeze. In a period of economic turmoil my money is better deployed in Wrigleyville or Lincoln Park. Being a northwest sider it is a hassle to go all the way down here, deal with tourists and the like and then cough up like $100. read more

This place is closed made a reservation on open table put my credit card information. Once we got there walking for 20 minutes in the cold place was chained up. read more

There are a couple places downtown where you can bowl, but trust me when I say this is the best bet. The place is stylish, but completely unpretentious, and the staff is friendly. The bartender deserves special recognition. Not only did he guess my drink before I asked, but for the whole night he remembered the drink of choice for each of our party of 6 (each with a different drink). Where else can you get service like that? The bowling is... well... bowling. But the fact that you're doing it in a bar makes it extra enjoyable. The music is solid if a bit predictable. If you want something different than the club scene... but not TOO different, give this place a shot. read more

What, no bumper lanes? Only kidding, people. Apart from this glitch, the concept of the multitasking bowling alley (drinks and bowling, plus cheesy videos- a win win) seemed appealing at first. Little did I know the pricing structure of $100 for a measly set of games, plus the overpriced drinks, would hold my party and me captive for the duration of our Friday after-work game. Overall, the experience was a diversion at the end of the work week, and I am glad to say I can check this off my list of Chicago experiences. For myself, a wine bar or lounge with decent music would be preferable to this (repeated) violation of my wallet. But then again, I am not a bowler of Homer Simpson proportions, so those that are more serious than me about getting their game on can take this review with a grain of salt... read more

What a blast. A fantastic video jukebox blasts multiple screens behind the very nice lanes. Day-glo bowling balls and automated scoring, really good bar muchies and drinks make for a fun place to party. It gets crowded the later you go and if you have a big group you can call ahead to reserve lanes. I would go back anytime, especially since I found some cool obscure tunes on that jukebox. And the bowling was awesome! If you are looking for a fun downtown active thing to do, its right next to Marina City, The House o Blues and the Hard Rock Hotel so it is a great location to take out of towners. read more

Way better than your average bowling alley. And better than your average lounge/bar - because there is bowling. It is a little pricy, I guess, but it is downtown and it is awesome, so really worth it. The Bowling part is fun - I'd say the environment is a little more relaxed, so if you are wroking your way up the ladder on the Professional Bowling Circuit this is not the place to get into the zone. If you are looking for a fun place to chill for the night this is it. The Bar is great too. Very good drinks, good service, impressive. The food is also above average. They have a couple seperate areas where you could host a party with a bigger group. I'll probably be doing that next time I'm out there with a bigger group for work. This last time it was just 4 of us. read more

My interest in bowling would be beneath the threshold of resolution of an electron microscope, but as part-time resident of Marina City I felt obligated to check out the bowling alley bar, on the second floor of the office building next to the Chicago Hotel. I was there in the afternoon, during the early innings of the Cubs-St. Louis NLDS game; not a single bowling lane was in use, and I was one of only three patrons at the bar. Surprisingly good beer selection for a bowling alley bar. Oh, of course the usual industrial stuff, but also a selection of craft beers in draft, bottle, or canned form--and the bartender assured me that these, at least collectively, outsell Miller. Among items on hand: Southern Tier Pumking and 2X IPA; Goose Island Matilda, Green Line and 312; Dogfish Head Namaste; Lagunitas IPA; Half Acre Getaway. I tried a local product that was new to me, Temperance Gatecrasher IPA. Clear bronze, light head. Minimal nose. Delicious taste of hops against slightly sweet malt. Long, mouth-filling bitter fade. Carrie Nation might have pawned her hatchet for this one--nah, probably not. On the 36-Broadway bus line southbound, 36 and 22-Clark northbound; a few blocks from Grand or Lake on the Red Line, and Clark-Lake on the Loop (Brown, Green, Pink, Orange, Purple Express) and Blue Lines. Half a block from Harry Caray's and Public House; two blocks from South Water Kitchen. read more

Nice place. Too bad the big screen is 80% goddamn commercials. I mean if you like to bowl with tide ads, old people products, and dog food... Beer prices good, food too. Just please put Disney movies or anything. I don't care. Just no cancerous commercials messing with my bowling. read more

I wouldn't recommend it for any bowling champions, but if you're looking for an alternative to the same old bar scene be sure to check out 10pin bowling lounge. The bowling is a little pricey and the lanes are crowded, but it's definitely a blast. Just be careful not to lose your grip on the bowling bowl after a few of their martinis! read more

My boyfriend and I love going here! Super fun, clean, and not too expensive for an hour of bowling!

I am terrible at bowling but this place was tons of fun. They have great drinks, bar food, and a great vibe. The skittle martini was excellent but the sangria one left a little to be desired. The sliders and toasted ravioli were good as well. The bud light beer even comes in bowling pin shaped bottles! This is a great place to go with friends or business. We went on a Wednesday night and paid per game and got a lane right away. read more

I went to 10pin on a date and must admit that while neither of us were great, uh good, bowlers, we had a blast. Cocktails, music, throwing balls down the lane was more fun than I expected. The music was great and big screens above the alleys added an eclectic element.....to a bowling alley!!!! I deducted a star because they really need to get better balls. They are generic and have the smallest thumbholes ever!! read more

This is a great place for a large group. I recently hosted a happy hour here and worked with Randy the event coordinator. It was super easy to set things up and he provided some really great recommendations on food. Overall the service was great and everyone had a great time. The inside is very clean and nice. There are huge projection screens everywhere and the food is delish. This is a great place for those who like to bowl or those that just like to hang out with everyone while they bowl. read more

So Yelp censored my review of my update so here I try again: Monday night bowling is now $5 per game. While we were playing, I went to the front desk to ask some questions as I wanted to thrown a party there. The woman at the front desk was talking to another employee and saw me but didn't stop talking to help me. So finally, she stopped talking and just looked at me with a "WTF do you want?" expression. She really hates her job. read more

I love you, 10PIN. Or maybe it's just that ...I love bowling and drinking I've only been here twice, but I always have a great time. It's close to a lot of stuff and it's just such a great space! They have music videos playing at each end of an alley. Their bathrooms are nice too, cuz we all know that is important, too! read more

Came here for my cousin's birthday. The food (3 types of pizza, salad, breadsticks, and pasta) was pretty good, and the waitstaff was friendly and prompt. The jukebox had a really good selection of music, with music videos playing on the big screens, which was pretty cool. Unfortunately, as a bowling alley, this place is pretty weak. Our lane was broken, and it wouldn't record anyone's second ball. We constantly had to put in manually. And the scoring screens looked smaller than my laptop screen. For a supposedly upscale bowling lounge, the equipment looked old and out of date. There are classier, cheaper places to bowl that also have free parking. read more

We went here on a random night because we didn't know what else to do. So....why not bowling right? I'm sorry, but I've never heard of bowling games costing $15+ per game per person. Where I come from, we paid at most $7 per game, and often times it was much lower than that. We all agreed to still play so between the 4 of us, we played one game and all had a drink each. Bowling was just normal, we bowled, danced to the music being played, and ended up leaving. We asked for out tab...$100. REALLY?? I forgot one thing...it was rainy that day and when we sat down, we had our umbrellas literally right next to us. We stand up to go to a lane and as we reached for the umbrellas, they were missing! Really? People would steal 4 umbrellas?? Unbelievable! Not again. I'm sorry, but even though it's Chicago and this place might wanted to give off the vibe of being classy and "worth it", it's not. If i wanted to play a baller's game of bowling I would just go to pinstripes and really go all out. Not to a place in the city that's not even "all that". Not a fan. read more

I had such a great time here. i was pleasantly surprised by the quality of their bowling shoes. They were brand new and very clean. Black light also made our shoes and clothes glow. lots of 80s and 90s music with music videos. All in all a great experience and would like to come back with our friends! The only thing I disliked was that the lanes do not have the arrows on the floor. I found it difficult to aim and follow through without them. read more

We had fun on a Sunday afternoon during their bowling special - $15 for up to 3 hours of bowling and shoes. It would be expensive if we bowled on a peak night. We had a few drinks the night before. Expensive martinis but very tasty, great bartenders and heavy pours. Some technically problems a couple times on more than our lanes. I would hope that they would fix it or calibrate more often and we'd have a great time. On a busy night this place is great! It's fun on a quiet afternoon too. It's nice to watch a game at the end of the lane on giant screens too! read more

Went here on a whim with a group of friends on Friday night. We arrived around 9pm and waited 5 minutes for a lane. We bowled one game, and with having to purchase socks (because what ladies wear socks on a summer Friday night in Chicago?) it was around $15 per person. Steep, but expected. The ambiance was fun. They play a good mix of music videos on big screens above the lanes, as well as sports. The lanes were fine, shoes seemed clean, and there were plenty of balls. We didn't order any food or drinks so I can't speak to that, but a server did come by to take orders, which was appreciated. So why the 3 stars? The bathroom was a mess. No toilet paper on the roll, trash on the floor. The place wasn't super packed so there really was no reason why that couldn't have been tidied up a bit. Fun place when you're looking for something to do besides sit at a bar. read more

Ooh, boy. Where do I begin? My friends were all dragging their heels about New Year's Eve this year, so when I saw 10pin's deal--$89 ($96 with fees) for 5 hours for bowling, premium open bar, food, dancing, and bowling/shoes--I thought it'd be perfect. Of course it sounded too good to be true because it was. Doors were supposed to be at 7:00; my friends and I were outside around 7:30-7:40 and didn't get in until probably 8:00 (we're just lucky it was unseasonably warm this NYE), when the open bar and food was supposed to be ready. They said they were "setting up," but I have no idea what exactly they were setting up because there was NO food out, and it didn't show up until 9:30. Asked numerous people about it, and half of the ladies were beyond snide in telling me that they were waiting for more people to arrive so it would be fresh. Well, that certainly wasn't in the description. Also of note was that the bowling and shoes were a total clusterf*&# and we only got to bowl ONCE all night. You couldn't put all your party together unless you all arrived at the same time (they neglected to mention this on the phone when I asked how it worked before purchasing tickets); you had to go back and return your shoes after each game; and oh yeah--the bowling capacity was 144, and they sold 300 tickets. SMART, right? No wonder it was completely disorganized, not to mention "understaffed," as nearly every employee told me when I had a question or concern. Not sure how that's my problem or why you didn't anticipate doubling your staff when you doubled your capacity! The good news: when the food finally arrived, it was really tasty. The drinks were good and strong, bartenders fast and on point. There was a small dance floor, and the DJ played decent music, but was he mixing music videos all night on their 128" video wall, like the description had said? No. Football was on. It's NYE, I think we can take a break from football for one night. There was also supposed to be "bowling for prizes" - there wasn't. It took a ridiculous amount of talking and nagging to get the manager to come out. Front desk employee Charles was a COMPLETE jerk to my friend and me, talking to us as if we were incompetent, belligerent drunks (neither of us were), when we simply wanted to see what could be done for us since we were NOT getting what we paid for. He also told us he called our name when he didn't and would not stop talking to us like we were children. After a lot of waiting, the manager finally came back and gave us a certificate for another party that included free bowling, food, and drinks for up to 12 people, and he also handed us 3 bottles of champagne. I think this is pretty decent, but unfortunately it doesn't help any of the out-of-town guests we had (and there were at least 5). I plan on using the certificate, but I don't know that I'll be a returning customer after that, at least not for package deals like this where too many things can go awry. 10pin had good ideas but no follow-through, and everything was executed extremely poorly. If it had been what it was advertised as, it would've been pretty darn awesome. Instead: hugely disappointing. read more

Great location and reasonable prices! The employees are very nice and accommodating to the group I was with. read more