I came here just to try it out, but the whole meal exceeded my expectations. From the first course to the last dessert, it made me feel that this is a restaurant worth visiting again. read more

I came here for a conference event and had a really good time. Although I didn't bowl, the attendees who did had fun. The food and service was good and the bartenders were very efficient serving a bunch of raucous conference-goers. The venue is clean and spacious and it's really a good space for an event. read more

Bayside Bowl - Bars Near Me - Portland, Maine

I hosted a company event at bayside bowl earlier this year to celebrate the new year and all of our accomplishments. The staff at bayside bowl was very helpful and gracious during our time bowling and at the bar. Checking in/checking out was a breeze. The food was a hit too! It is a relatively pricey endeavor... but I will say that we thoroughly enjoyed our time! read more

Bayside bowl has lots of fun different areas. They have two sides to the bowling lanes, one side typically has events, music and bowling. They also have a large bar over there. The main part has about 10 lanes, a bar and some different games like ping pong. Then in the summer they have a rooftop bar which is so fun, with live music, a taco truck and a bar. It has amazing views of Portland. Overall it's a super fun place with bar food, drinks and lots of activities! read more

Bayside Bowl - Lanes - Bars Near Me - Portland, Maine

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Such a fun place with friends or by outsell, the people are friendly and willing to answer any questions you may have. It's clean, big and has lots of options of drinks. 15/10!!! read more

Bayside Bowl - Bars Near Me - Portland, Maine

What a fun-looking place! With shoe rentals, I bowled 1 lane for 1 hour for $50. They have a great bar with a waitress who comes to periodically take your order and pass food to you. It's a great system and was always patient with me, silently clearing my food, and let me bowl. Ordered: Philly Cheese steak with many many tots came out hot and fresh. We bowled quickly just to spend more time eating this sammie before it got cold. Pro Tip: If I had to do it over again I would eat before or after a game of bowling to save time, as it's getting more expensive these days. read more

Bayside Bowl - philly cheese steak with tots - Bars Near Me - Portland, Maine

We went to this bowling alley as part of a get-together before a wedding that weekend. It was pretty crowded for a Thursday night. The kitchen could not keep up with the demand. There was a private party there that night and we were told that the kitchen could not accept any new orders for 30 minutes in order to serve the private party. The space that we were able to find was perfect for socializing and had a very relaxed vibe. We started of with beers. I had the Down East apple cider beer, which was refreshing. My husband had the Moosehead lager. They carried a wide selection of local brews. Some appetizers finally cam out. The poutine was good but very salty. The nachos were baked and hard to separate and not easy to share. We ordered a steak sandwich, which was greasy and very forgettable. Overall, it was a nice place and we had a nice time. My recommendation is to go for the bowling and drinks but go somewhere else for food. read more

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A large facility with plenty of game options, rooftop patio, multiple places to grab a drink, and a good number of menu options make this a good place to host an event. The beer was cold and reasonably priced and although the food was a bit on the unhealthy side for all the different options, the portion size was good, textures were good, and flavors were as expected. read more

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The most condescending staff I have ever met. I called Bayside Bowl to make reservations, and they gave me an email to contact. I contacted the email, which ended up being around a total of 12 back-and-forth emails. They finally agreed to a time and sent a contract. I signed the contract and realized it was for the wrong times. I wrote an email stating this. I then paid, and the whole time, the title on the email said, "Bayside Bowl". I then went to Bayside Bowl, and the cashier told me the reservations were for a different timeframe (so she did state I had a reservation at Bayside Bowl). I showed her the last email with the correct time, and she said, "I guess we can move some people around, but you'll probably be late. Come back at 1 and check in." I tried getting shoes at that time, and she stated that I could not even check in until the exact time I scheduled. This made us lose 15 minutes of bowl time. The cashier was extremely condescending, no manners. The bowling experience was decent, although we were jipped out of 15 minutes of our bowling game. The food and bar were lovely and staff friendly! I then received two charges for bowling on two different days. I waited 10 days and proceeded to call to have them take off the charge. I was not upset; I just assumed it was a typo and didn't want to dispute the charge prior to letting Bayside fix the issue themselves. The lady I spoke to kept saying, "Are you sure it was Bayside?" and I said yes, that's what the receipt states. This lady proceeded to berate me until I thought I may have been at a different place. She then started asking me if I knew the difference between Portland and South Portland. I said not really, since I don't live there and I'm not from Maine. She continually berated me and said, "How do you not know where you went?" I stated I did not drive there, since I have a seizure disorder due to my time in the service. I am a disabled Veteran and can't drive due to this. She continued to laugh and tell me I should have known where I was. I said I was at Bayside Bowl, like it says on the receipt. I then told her she was very rude and obviously isn't willing to have an intelligent conversation, so I excused myself from the conversation. I then wrote to the person I made the reservations to, and she was just as rude and stated I made reservations at another facility. I told her the cashier told me my reservation was at Bayside but for a different time due to an error, and the receipts say Bayside Bowl. I was at Bayside Bowl. The title of the email from the reservations said from Bayside Bowl. I will never do business with this establishment, and I hope other disabled Veterans make an educated decision not to accommodate establishments who mock disabled Veterans. read more

Bayside Bowl - This photo is the payment transaction at Bayside Bowl. - Bars Near Me - Portland, Maine

Great business with a great price. I have had several events here before and the pricing and food are pretty good. The smoked wings were a little dry. Nachos and the tenders were pretty good. On top of that if you just want to have beer with bowling their 10$ pints you can't beat the price. It gets busy at times and has a pro league so call ahead just in case they have an event. You can't book via phone but just good to have the information read more

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We got frozen margaritas (blueberry lemonade and lime) and they were pretty good. They are light, it wasn't as strong as I wanted them to be. We sat at the rooftop with a beautiful sunset view. read more

Bayside Bowl - Margarita slushees - Bars Near Me - Portland, Maine

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Portland has grown and changed A LOT in the past several years. And there's a lot of cool restaurants and bars that have come and gone, many others which have changed/adapted with the times as well. Bayside Bowl is one of those spots, but I'm conflicted as to whether it's for the good or for the not-so-good. They've physically expanded their space so much, and while it offers many more bowling lanes, ample space to hang out, and totally feels more family-friendly - they've lost a little of the charm that made them such a hip place 'lo those many years when they first opened. Also - the menu has changed. And this is where I'm mostly frustrated. You see, for the longest time they were one of the only places I knew that offered vegetarian friendly poutine. GINORMOUS bowls of tater tots topped with loads of cheese and smothered in a thick, creamy mushroom gravy for $6. And, despite it being one of their best selling items, they got rid of it. This makes no sense. Neither does the removal of their veg-friendly reuben. Sure, you can still get a BLT with tempeh (which I super appreciate!), but... it just feels like a really big step backwards from what they were originally offering. However, their rooftop bar is AMAAAAAAAAAZING. Happy hour from 4 to 6pm, Monday through Friday, where I can get $5 pours of frozen drinks?!?!?!? YES, PLEASE. This is without a doubt one of my favorite things to do in the nicer weather now. There's a fire pit, there are movies sometimes, and the sunsets are otherworldly from up here. It can get stupid busy, though, so come early or come late (and we're talking early/late in the seasons not just early in the day). read more

Bayside Bowl - Bars Near Me - Portland, Maine

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Visited with a group and had so much fun! We booked 3 lanes for 2 hours and bowled! BB has a nice selection of all types of alcohol. I got a Substance, lots of people had hard seltzers, ciders and they have cocktails and wine too. They have a food menu as well but we had dinner plans. read more

Bayside Bowl - Bars Near Me - Portland, Maine

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Came in right before closing and got the whole room to ourselves. We had so much fun! Definir yooo long forward to coming back to stay a longer time and really experience the vibe. Very spacious and clean during these times. Can't wait to come back for the rooftop as well! read more

Bayside Bowl - Bowling lanes - Bars Near Me - Portland, Maine

Always a good choice. Last minute adventure to go bowling. They do not do same day reservations so show up. They have many lanes so for the most part you can get it. Unless there is a league night. Check the website. Rent a lane for a hour for your party of four. Not bad deal. If a lane is not ready. No big deal. Hit the bar for drinks and food. A pretty big selection of both. If a lane is ready, there is lane service. Yes sir. All the way. Try the tots. Man so good. And with a beer and bowling. You vent go wrong. The roof deck is awesome but closed because it's too cold. Ha ha The staff is great. Friendly and helpful. Take your friends and family out to bowl. Check out Bayside. read more

Bayside Bowl - Food truck on the roof. Pretty awesome. - Bars Near Me - Portland, Maine

Bayside Bowl is cool on a lot of different levels. Wanna have some frozen margaritas or beer and sit on a rooftop watching the sunset? Maybe eat some tacos while you're doing it? Bayside is your spot. Want to pay a little more money than you want to while bowling in a decent semi-crowded ally? (Get it, because it's expensive?) Bayside is the spot. How about listening to some jam band/hip hop local music from the area with a couple dozen other folk? Head to Bayside. Want to get creeped out walking from your parking spot to the building because of the chemically impaired homeless? Again, think Bayside! I will say a couple years ago the food menu was pretty decent with some fun and yummy appetizers like poutine, but now all you can get are burgers and basic flat pizzas. My boyfriend and I looked at it because we wanted dinner and literally nothing on it looked appetizing. Thank God for the taco truck on the roof ;) read more

Bayside Bowl - Bars Near Me - Portland, Maine

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Loved it all. All. People. Lanes. Food. All. We were family of four. Met great people. Great music. Go!

Great spot to come with friends and grab some drinks and watch the sun go down (this review is only for the rooftop). When we got there, we went straight upstairs and found a spot to sit. Drink prices were fairly reasonable and people watching was good as well. The view of the skyline was excellent and it was nice since the building was one of the highest (coming from NY, we're not used to having unobstructed views of the sky in the city). We caught the sunset which was killer! They have a food truck serving up tacos and such. I got a bowl of corn ($4) which I didn't realize would only be corn.. in my imagination it would be like a vegan bowl w/ rice. Regardless, it was delicious AF. My friends got tacos which they loved and I was eyeing (for next time). I would like to come back and mb bowl / have drinks on the rooftop. It seems like more a local spot which is nice and good for the 25+ crowd (at least when I went). read more

Bayside Bowl - Primo sunset spot!! - Bars Near Me - Portland, Maine

Bayside Bowl - best bowling alley around and the food is SO good. Chef Michael Allen brings the heat in the kitchen. The fried chicken sandwich is better than most I've had around the Greater Portland area. Tacos here are a must have as well. Head up to the rooftop bar and you've got one of the best views in Portland. Bowling alley is massive and the leagues are filled with the best of the best for bowlers in the state. LOVE BAYSIDE BOWL! read more

Bayside Bowl - Steak & Cheese with Fries. - Bars Near Me - Portland, Maine

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Spent $100 on food and drinks and was charged twice for a total of $200. The second charge was a "pre-auth" that was equal to the amount I spent. The staff don't tell you they're going to charge you double for everything before you make your purchase. The pre-auth stayed on my account for FIVE DAYS. My bank told me the business sets the hold times, and they were not at fault. The bowling alley staff and manager were super rude when I came in to ask about the extra charge. Customer service is bad all around. Will not return. read more

A huge improvement from Easyday bowling. Great atmosphere, service and upkeep. What a difference

Great food and drink selection! The staff are honestly gems. Extremely polite and quick to fix any problems. As with bowling sometimes the pins don't come down or a ball gets stuck and they were attentive and noticed we had a few delays. They came over and apologized and even said they would give us more time as an apology! We were shocked as we didn't even think it was that big of an issue but the employees are good people and had great costumer service. The music was also so fun everyone was dancing or singing. Great time! Great date night! Loved that the pros play here it felt super special. read more

Bowling is good, but this review is for food only on the roof top. The view is good and it's Portland. This means that I expect higher price tag. But oh lord, where should I begin? The two tacos I got in the photo is $5 each. So about $11 including tax. I cook fairly often, so I have a pretty good idea how much things cost. These guys are thieves. 1x1 Fried piece of fish and teaspoon of guac for $5? Come on. That like $0.24 max. It was too salty. I don't even understand how you can make fish so dry with great raw fish you can get in Maine. The pork was dry too. The quantity was small, but I can sort of understand the logic - overcharge privileged portlandians. The meat was too dry. Give it a try, if you have a slow cooker. You can make better pork than these guys. The sauce is mediocre, but not good enough to hide the awful meat. I don't think they have a legit chef. The food is wayyyy over priced. Get food somewhere else. Come here for the view and atmosphere read more

Bayside Bowl - Bars Near Me - Portland, Maine

What a transformation Bayside has taken! When it opened in 2010 it was the "serious" bowling alley for the Kingpin/Big Lebowski types. Real bowlers came here (back when bowling wasn't so cool) for league play. With limited lanes compared to Spare Time, it often wasn't worth the effort for the casual bowler. Let's warp seven years later and Bayside is now a full destination while being one of the best bowling alleys in New England. For many reasons... -The Lanes: These PBA-sanctioned lanes are the best in Maine, and with the recent expansion, there are now a lot more of them. While there still can be a long wait on rainy days/winter to bowl, it's much less of the ordeal than it was. Prices are $25-$30 per hour which is very reasonable. -The Rooftop: Everyone is talking about the rooftop and it's the new Portland hotspot. It's the only true rooftop deck bar in all of Portland (I don't count your semi roof Brian Boru). There's fire pits, live music, a taco truck in an Airstream, and a full bar. Just don't delude yourself into thinking it's a beautiful view, unless you enjoy homeless shelters and panhandling. It actually bears a striking resemblance to the mall roof scenes in the 2004 Dawn of the Dead ("Let's shoot Rosie!"). -Food/Beer: There's at least three full bars here with a fantastic variety of local craft beer, and Moosehead Lager for those who want the cheap stuff. Cocktails are creative and fun. The food is much better than bowling alley food should ever be. It's very strong as a restaurant and bar independent of other activities. -League play: In 2017, bowling is really, really cool. There must be a dozen leagues here and it's a wild party during every one. There's a DJ, drink specials, dancing. I was shocked by the scene and eventually joined one. The Bad: -There's no excuse for long waits for lanes in 2017. Have lane reservation available online. You pay in advance when you book. If you don't show, oh well, it's paid for. Currently if you book in advance (only available by phone) there's an extra fee. Really? Frankly, that's dumb and insulting. -This area of town is one of the worst. There's limited parking but not nearly enough. At night it's difficult to feel safe walking to your car. The massive expansion this year that added 8 new lanes, another full bar, a mezzanine overlooking the action (what is this, Aura?) and a hip rooftop deck has completely transformed Bayside Bowl into a top Portland destination. Heck, the main event of the PBA tour comes each year and is televised on ESPN. That should tell you something. With live bands and great food and drinks, bowling is barely even necessary. read more

Talk about a remodel giving a space completely new vibe! The Bayside Bowl of the olden days is no more. Welcome to the super cool "NYCesque" rooftop bar and burrito stand, second story music venue and bar area, and additional bowling lanes. The long waits for a bowing lane and inconsistent service of the precious years seems to have been remodeled along with the building. Don't get me wrong, I loved the OG Bayside Bowl, but the remodel has ramped up this venue and taken it to a whole new level of Awesomeness. I'll be spending a large chunk of my summer on that rooftop, sipping a cold one and relaxing with friends. This place is a definite winner! read more

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Fun spot to spend an evening. Bowling, bars, music, food....it has it for groups and individual couples. Just a fun spot with lots to offer and plenty of parking. I enjoyed myself bowling and had a burger and tots, which was very good. I'm a solid four stars here....check it out. read more

Taking bowling to a whole new level! Bayside isn't just your traditional bowling alley, they are set up to cater to bowlers who are looking to have a more social bowling experience with their great full service bar and waiters to make sure you don't have to leave the game. They typically have solid choices on draft too! Their lanes are modern and everything is updated and clean. In the bar area, they also have a stage set up for live music and serve a decent menu of nicer bar foods. The only thing keeping this place from five stars is the narrowness of the lanes when you're trying to bowl league style. It's a bit tight when you get a lot of people. Regardless, I'll be back over and over again! Update: since the expansion (which I hear includes an AMAZING roof deck that I haven't found a sunny day for yet), the service has been AWFUL. Not just bad, really really bad. I sat at the bar for 20 minutes without even a hello from the bartender. We finally left. Wish I could say it was a one-time thing, but I've been back since with similarly terrible service and wait times for "hellos" and for bowling lanes. They had a hard enough time keeping up with patrons before the expansion, so I seriously hope they hire more staff to help with the new and much larger space. Let's do better guys! I want to love you! read more

New to Portland and got asked to join a bowling league. Bayside has been so much fun. The lanes are great, the staff has been great, the atmosphere is a tad upscale for what most people think about for bowling alleys, but it's done well. It's got great spaces to hangout away from the lanes. It also seems super family friendly. I haven't tried too much food yet but I have seen a lot of it come out to fellow bowlers and it all looks like really good pub fare at a reasonable price. Also there are a few DJs that have been killer, they totally made the night so much fun! Last night there wasn't a DJ and it was a noticeable loss of energy. read more

This review is for the food only. I did not bowl. The service was good. Friendly, polite young lady who let us relax and enjoy our time there. The atmosphere is definitely hipster, with marquee light up letters, wood picnic tables, siracha on every table and lots of IPA on draft. The food was good but definitely pricey. $10 for 3 chicken fingers that were probably frozen then deep fried. While the chicken fingers were good and served with a small side of fries, it was expensive. And the sauce you chose is for dipping, it is not coated. The BBQ pork cigars were egg roll wrapped filled with tender shredded pork and a side of BBQ sauce to dip. The tater tot poutine is yummy but needs to be served in a different dish. They arrive in a tall deep dish and if you don't eat them quick they become soggy. The top ones were nice and crispy. All of them had lots of cheese which was great. While there was nothing bad about the food or experience, it's difficult to come spend 35$ on apps read more

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Wonderful facilities and bar! Good draft beer list and many lanes. Relatively inexpensive for a bowling place. read more

Bayside Bowl - Bars Near Me - Portland, Maine

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! read more

Bayside Bowl - Bars Near Me - Portland, Maine

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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. read more

Great place to bowl. Staff is totally easy going. Music was good bowling is covid safe. Masks are a must at all times.

Rooftop bar with frosé: automatic five stars in my book! Came here for happy hour with a colleague yesterday. I'm new in town, and she graciously showed me her favorite (what I understand to be the only) rooftop bar in Portland, and it was a home run - even with rain! Their happy hour special is half priced drinks, including the array of frozen drinks. On tap last night was piña colada, frosé, and a couple different margaritas. We opted for a frosé then piña colada. The bartender was super nice. Even though it was raining and they were closing the rooftop, he let us stay until the end of HH before closing down. I haven't even experienced all that the inside of this place has to offer, but I will definitely be back! Bayside Bowl, you had me at rooftop and took it to a whole other level with frosé! read more

Downtown Portland has a swank new place to check out! Yeah, it's a bowling alley, but it ain't your dad's bowling alley (unless your pops is a svelt hipster who rolls 10-pin in the Portland area). The place has twelve lanes to bowl on, 14 beers on tap, and nice, big bar for when you are done throwing rocks. They often have live music playing, including a live karaoke band on Wednesdays. The food is pretty dang good here, too! Eat while you bowl or eat before/after, either way works at Bayside. Hell, you could even come in and bowl/eat on your lunch-break from work! Mondays are the day to hit up Bayside for bowling deals (before 6pm). League bowl begins at that time. Wednesdays is live karaoke. Weekend evenings are pretty busy so far. read more

Bayside Bowl - Bars Near Me - Portland, Maine

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! read more

Have always loved Bayside Bowl, but their parking situation is a disappointment. Admittedly it was clearly my fault for not paying attention to the parking signs, but my car was towed yesterday from the premises and I was charged $260 cash to retrieve my car from Riverside Street in Portland. It was my birthday and we were celebrating first at Batson River and then we planned to go to Bayside's rooftop deck to continue our evening's celebrations. After leaving the distillery, after only one hour, I was shocked to see that my car had been towed away. Again, my fault. Please be mindful of the parking signs if you visit this establishment. The money charged for an accidental parking violation is greedily exorbitant and predatory in my opinion. I hope that the owner is not profiting from this, and if he or she is, I hope they are putting the money towards a good community cause to better the Portland Bayside neighborhood. read more

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. read more

Bayside Bowl - Bars Near Me - Portland, Maine

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Awesome experience to bowl where the PBA league is held. Rooftop bar is also really cool. Good view of Portland. read more

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Front desk staff was the opposite of nice and welcoming. Yikes this j they need a big time hug and maybe a beer....or two