I was expecting a big group of about 18 people to bowl on a Tuesday (promo night). I knew it would be busy, so I showed up 30 minutes early to try to secure 3 lanes. Initially I was told that it wouldn't be possible because they didn't take reservations (huh?). Finally, I was put on a waitlist, which was fine. But an hour later, my group was getting antsy so I asked the front desk if we could pay in advance or get our shoes. We were told that this wasn't possible until all 3 lanes were available. 2 lanes had already opened up, so I requested to start getting people checked in, but I was told that we needed to wait until all 3 were available first. We ended up getting in eventually; however, it took another 15 minutes for our group to pay and get their shoes. The teenager at the counter kept having to ask her boss questions and not once did he come over and talk to us directly. Considering we had the potential to bring in lots of revenue that day, I would say that the whole experience was pretty disappointing. Won't be doing that again!!! read more

I'd give zero if I could. I used to love this place but everything is changed, everything is insanely priced which would be fine if we had wait staff! They sat us. Then no waiter came around for 15 minutes. They had an order online QR code so we did that but there was no way to get a kids drink on there for my son they didn't have all the sides and you couldn't substitute anything. It was really impersonal and then they ask for a tip online. It was equal to a cafeteria type experience but for 80 dollars worth Of burger and pizza and two drinks' . The Netflix and chill drink was not the same as its always been and honestly it's just such a disappointment. The person I came with also was not happy and he isn't even from here. All the wait staff just stood around talking. I'll revise my review IF I go back and things are better. Don't go here. It's not an idaho kinda place anymore. read more

$25.00 Nacho's is not worth the $25.00. Pics in menu is not accurate compared to what you get!!

For the love of God do not eat here! The French dip was not toasted, the au jus was watered down, and the mozzarella sticks were caked in Parmigiano. The western burger was saturated in BBQ sauce to make up for the overcooked burger. On top of everything they have no real wait staff, and we found a hair on our food disgusting! The only redeeming quality was the Cajun fries. Thanks for the hundred dollar waste of food! read more

Ok so usually I like this place.... But today I'm so mad and 100% disgusted at this place. We came in close to 9pm and I didn't know they close at 10pm. We(party of 4) just came In because they were open. We told them 2 games and we paid. So 4 games into our 2nd game it shot down completely. We told customer service we either wanted a refund or a free game for next time. The guy had the to tell me ALL sales are FINAL that is says so on the receipt ‍. Wtf you foolish idiot? You mean the receipt that I got AFTER paying ‍. So they let you pay for games KNOWING you don't have the time to finish so they steal your money and hide behind their bs warning on the receipt that you don't see until after they take your hard earned money. It's THEIR JOB to let customers know this BEFORE taking your money. ITS Literally their dang job. I'm a customer that just came in so it sure isn't my job to know they let you in yet won't let you finish nor that they don't give you some kind of compensation for screwing you over. Id rather donate that money to those who need it yet it's stolen by this awful customer service person. Honestly I'd give this 0 stars if I could. I do not think it's ok to do this to ANYONE, doesn't matter if you're rich or not, if it's $500 or $30 we all work our butts off to earn it and NO ONE should be able to steal it without consequences PERIOD!!... I HATE thief's so much no matter what form they take... so disgusting read more

Big Al's - Bowling at BIG ALs - American Near Me - Meridian, Idaho

So came here on Monday thought it would be nice to bring my family bowling since they were visiting. Ended up doing the cosmic bowling the girl at the front was super nice I'm giving this place one star because after that we ended up heading to the bar. Got assisted by Megan she wasn't very nice at all ordered a couple of drinks was very snobby short and rude. We waited for our drinks patiently asked if we could make the drink a long instead of a short drink she took the drink out it in a bigger cup and filled it with more ice. Was actually hoping for more juice asked her if we could get another shot instead on the side to put in the drink charged us $8 with some attitude like hoping we were going to say no or something. Paid her that for the shot and after had to remind her to hand us one of our beers because she forgot that. Best advice is pay more attention and handout the drinks that are ordered so atleast you can have a terrible attitude with being efficient. Not being efficient with that attitude gets you no tips which maybe why she looked like she hated life that day maybe she wasn't getting any. She def didn't deserve any still tipped her but very low for sure after the constant attitude through the night I almost felt like I she didn't deserve even 5 bucks to be honest. Went back ordered more drinks to finish off our second round of cosmic bowling this time got a couple more drinks and ordered 2 side of fries. Well by the end of our game still no fries go over to the bar and I see this manager named Josh I ask him if we could check on the order and he said he only saw one order and brought it out let him know we were having terrible service all night and I let him know we paid for 2 sides and the drinks he then tells me I have to pay again so I told him I was fine with it if that was what was needed to be done. At first he seemed rude too but I let him know what was happening and he just sent some guy from the kitchen with another order of fries. No apology no nothing. Sad to say this place has great potential but man it must suck to work there. No one looks happy and like they don't want to be there even the managers which is sad. Also I tried calling a few weeks ago to see if I could rent the vip space upstairs and this place definitely never answers the phone either. If this was a terrible experience on a Monday I can't imagine the weekends with triple the people in there. Hopefully training gets better. Bartenders learn how to be nice and bartend so you can make money and hopefully there can be someone on phone duty or a manager to return calls would be nice. Glad the slots are filled with the titles but this place definitely needs to clean house or step it up. A couple of days ago I had a customer myself at my job who brought up how sad she was I of course asked what was happening. We ended up exchanging stories. She shared with me that she ended up losing a part of her shoe there and she tried calling also mentioned she has been calling for 3 days in a row trying to get someone to pick up the phone. Finally she said she got an answer and let the person know on the phone and they immediately laughed and hung up on her. She tried calling back and back to constant ringing the phone went. Sad to say even a customer a total random person I don't even know shared that with me. Sad to see in a way that even word of mouth the service and experiences for others here are negative. Do yourselves a favor if your having a special day/night event with people you care for and are having a good time with don't bring them here. All I wanted was a fun bowling night with my family since I see them twice a year. read more

Big Al's - American Near Me - Meridian, Idaho

We bought gift cards to Big Al's from Costco. Came in for their late night $10 all the games you want deal. Well we couldn't use our gift cards to pay for them so had to pay separately. We were initially told by a manager, that there was a $2 activation fee for their cards. Come to find out that fee doesn't apply to the late night cards. After playing for about an hr and a half, all the game swipers shut off at 9:50 instead of the advertised 10pm time. Don't advertise 8-10 if you can't actually play 8-10pm read more

Ok so we went to big als back in 2018 for a company party and we had a blast. Just went back with a group of friends for the $10 night deal or whatever it's called and we are all sorely disappointed. Half of the arcade games were broken and didn't work, the food was decent but then they turned off all the arcade games 5 minutes before they closed. They say you can play until 10pm not until 9:55. We'll be finding a better place to go hang out. At least until they update and fix their arcade. read more

Staff was nice and restaurant was clean. This Review is based solely on the menu. Absolutely no vegan options here, and barely any vegetarian options. Seems lazy and like you don't care about all members of your dining community. It's almost discourteous in this day and age. Yes, there is a $60 hummus platter, but a single diners won't order that. Most restaurants nowadays have at least 1 viable option. You have a restaurant that caters to large groups of people. If one person in the group doesn't have an option for eating, the entire group is likely to choose another restaurant. read more

Y'all gotta do better. Our game kept messing up !! Lane kept shutting off. Staff was very nonchalant and lazy about handling the issue with our game messing up and the lanes getting stuck! Telling us the mechanic is on it meanwhile its still messing up but not willing to accommodate the disruption in our experience says a lot about how much this place cares about their customers experience. I was more excited about leaving this place then I was actually sitting in this place to enjoy a game or two of bowling. Y'all need to do better because ill never recommend this place to anyone looking for a good time and a good game of bowling. I usually leave room for mess ups and I don't usually leave reviews but y'all have the staff present on 09/2/2023 between the hours of 2 and 5 at the front desk to thank for that!!! read more

Don't expect any service in the restaurant area. Once you select a table, ou sit down and and order online while the wait staff stand around and visit with each other. When your order is ready they drop off drinks and food to your table and they never stop by again to see if everything is okay or if you need anything else. If you do need anything (like refills, ketchup or a to-go box) you have to go find someone to help you. The food is expensive and the service is non-existent. read more

My wife and I went to enjoy a meal and listen to the band they hired. The service was slow and the place was not that busy. The nachos were by far just average and my drink was wrong. When we asked for our check I pulled out my wallet to pay with cash. I was told that they had changed their policy and do not accept cash as a form of payment. If a business chooses to go cashless and support a digital currency policy, then I as a customer will choose to never support this or any other business that does so. read more

Food is beyond bad. If they had some good food this place would be a dream for sports fan.

We (party of 2) waited 10 minutes to be seated. Not sure where the hostess was. We were finally seated and several servers passed and not one asked if we wanted a drink or ready to order. We gave it a little over 15 minutes and just left. I don't care if they have big screens. We went down to Sids and sooo glad we did! Big Al's needs to do something about their bar/eating area. Also looking at the menu, it seems a bit over priced compared to other bars in the area that serve food. We won't ever be back! read more

I came to Big Al's with a group of high school kids for bowling and snacks. We had a teenager who had some special needs, employee Morgan and manager Alex went the extra mile to make it a special night for this kid. Seriously, they just made this kid the happiest! I have so much appreciation for Morgan and Alex for their kindness. Plus, the food order was fantastic! Thank you. read more

We loved this place and loved A-Aron. He was the bestest. Couldn't have asked for better for service for like 16 of us! I would soooo go again! read more

Big Al's - American Near Me - Meridian, Idaho

Tipped off to this place by a stranger, and it turned out to be a very fun experience! Located in The Village complex, Big Al's is a massive facility that is customer friendly and wide ranging in scope. There's a sit-down restaurant, a sports bar, plenty of arcade-like games, multiple private rooms, and a large bowling alley. It's clean, well laid-out. Moderate pricing, tons of parking. Their staff was kind and pleasant, with Austin being a real positive and customer service oriented person in the bowling area. Enjoyed my time bowling, even though I am truly brutal! Plenty of shoe and ball options. Video screens add to the experience. Thought the darkened building at certain points of the night made it fun, lot of lights. Bumper guards available if needed. Easy to use scoring system. read more

This place does reservations now so people book the lanes and never show up. We went and there were 10 lanes open and they told us it was a 2 hour wait. Ridiculous. This place is going to go under. So many people showed up and left including ourselves when we were told this. read more

Review for the restaurant only. The Food: My tri-tip was likely a flank steak as noted in another review. It was neither tender, nor correctly cooked. Taste was below average. The accompanying mashed potatoes with cheese were dry. I'd guess they had been uncovered in a refridgerator for most of the day, and then warmed to order. My dining partner's chicken lettuce wrap was equally disappointing. The chicken cubes appeared to be reconstituted from something dried - think Mountain House meal that hasn't adequately soaked before eating... no... really. The vegatables that came with the meals were cooked to a nice crispness and had great seasoning. The drinks: Good selection of cold beer. The wine was good, and the after dinner cocktail was tasty. The service: Quite good, and what redeems this from a 1-star review. We checked in at the desk and were told there was a 20 minute wait. We went upstairs to get a drink and were texted shortly after. When we learned that our table would be near the bathrooms (I'm not sure why, there were plenty of open tables in a much nicer location), we opted for upstairs. Upon returning, we went right to ordering drinks and dinner. All was well in the service dept. The advice: Eat somewhere else. Come over for the bowling, arcade, wide beer selection and drinks. We won't have dinner there again. read more

Big Al's - American Near Me - Meridian, Idaho

THIS WAS THE WORST ARCADE IVE EVER BEEN TO, most of the machines were broken and we couldn't get a refund, super expensive and all the prizes are marked up a ton, plz go to whaooz and not this crap read more

I've been coming here for months... I honestly can tell you every time I show up, Its nothing but rude people at the front desk to go bowling! especially by Angelina.. the one that wants to play on her phone all day and be completely rude when you wanna come up and ask her a question! ... they charge us for a 6 inch in diameter plate of chips 7.00$!! Haha what a joke!(they were disgusting) Complete crap! This place is definitely overpriced and overrated and full of a bunch of rude ass people that serve us! We work hard for our money, but they want us to pay that bill and that amount of money! Complete joke! I can honestly say Angelina was one of the rudest people I've ever encountered anywhere I have gone! read more

Sherry and I went to enjoy Smooth Avenue Band on the patio, and we were both pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food and drink. This is not your average bowling alley. Our server nailed it with his recommendation of a Peanut Butter Bacon Burger, Cobb Salad, and Lemony Stardust libation. The burger was large and juicy with the charbroiled flavor of the beef blending perfectly with the smokey bacon and peanut butter sauce. The Cobb Salad was generously sized and topped with a flavorful sliced grilled chicken breast. And the Lemony Stardust was an amazing combination of a mojito and a lemon drop, a perfect drink for a hot night and sizzling blues. Unfortunately while the back of house rocked it, the front of house needs a major tuneup. Our food was served without utensils, napkins, or the ranch dressing Sherry had asked for on the side. After waiting 5 minutes, I had to hunt them down from the hostess inside. We had to ask our server (who was scrambling to cover an area that should have been staffed by three) four times for fry sauce and a drink menu. To his credit, he comped our drinks. The service experience diminished what could have been a five star evening down to two stars, and that's a shame because of the potential of presented by the menu and the location. read more

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Our lane sucks and kept freezing. The customer service here sucks. Go somewhere else

Located at The Village in Meridian. This is a huge two story building that contains a restaurant, a sports bar, a 21+ bar, a bowling alley, an Ice cream parlor, and an arcade. We have eaten at the restaurant a couple times. If Big Al's was just a restaurant then I would probably only rate it 3 stars. But it is so much more, and the arcade is fun for kids, so that bumps up my rating. The restaurant is a sit down restaurant with waiter/waitress service. They have a build your own burger section of the menu where the vegan Beyond Burger is available as an option. One of the ingredients you can add for 50 cents is sautéed mushrooms. They only put about 4-5 slices of mushroom on the burger though. The kids meals are 7$, but they come with Icee (slushee) drinks if the kids want, as well as a 5$ game card for the arcade. Once we were done with our meals it was time to go upstairs to the arcade. I wouldn't recommend cashing in your game card for tokens because there are only a couple games that take tokens. The kids had fun playing games and then going to the prize shop afterwards. They have handheld shopping baskets and the kids get to pick and choose which prizes they want. Then they bring it up to the cashier counter with their game card (don't forget to swipe your game card after each game to put the tickets on your card). Fun experience for the kids. Next time we will probably just skip the restaurant and go straight to the arcade. read more

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Love big Al's! Great arcade and amazing deal on $2 buck tuesdays (5pm to close). The walking racks for 2$ aren't bad either. It's Always clean and employees are friendly. Give it a go! read more

I don't know why I ever come here for food. It always lets me down. It's the definition of insanity. I keep hoping for a different outcome. I had gotten the chicken taco salad. The lettuce was so finely chopped that I couldn't pick it up with my fork. It was shredded. The red peppers weren't fresh. They were soggy. Red peppers raw are supposed to have a nice snap to them. These didn't. The cilantro dressing was really good though! Ordered the s'mores Sunday hoping it would be good. It wasn't. The marshmallows weren't even toasted. Super disappointed. The chocolate sauce they used was Hershey's. Nothing wrong with Hershey's, but if I'm paying $8 for this, please make it better. The gram crackers inside the Sunday were also soggy. Couldn't eat it all and left it less than half eaten. I even had someone trying to eat it with me. We both gave up. read more

Big Al's - S'mores Sunday. Not that good. - American Near Me - Meridian, Idaho

This was our first time back to Big Al's in several months. The food was good but the portions were small. Service was really good up until it was time to pay. When they would not accept my cash payment. WOW..... I will not be returning to this establishment while this policy is in place. I will also make sure that I tell everyone I know that they WILL NOT ACCEPT CASH. What's next? Will they only accept a chip in my hand? read more

Terrible Experience!!! I would urge others to not support this establishment! Came in and paid for two games. we limped through the 1st game with staff having to manually reset pins every time (not exaggerating) the lane finally shut down for good two frames into our second game. we asked for a refund because we did not want to switch lanes and move away from our group (large group) They told us we could not get a refund because the game had already started. After speaking with the manager, they agreed to refund us 4 games (only four of us on that lane). they showed up and gave us a card with $8. Mind you we had already spent over $200 on food alone. management seemed clueless and the experience was overall very regrettable. I will not be returning and urge anybody else reading this review to find somewhere else with a better business model. I have already canceled the company event we had planned on having here next month! read more

Would never spend another penny at this establishment. Everything is broken, and that is very understandable once you interact with the management. Bowling lane was broken, had to ask three times to get anyone to even care. You know service isn't a priority when the bowling lane doesn't have a way to call for help, you have to just walk back and forth to the front desk (that is busy checking in other customers). Half of the arcade doesn't work. read more

We went there today and had such a blast! First, we had this incredible lunch downstairs and it was nice and quiet, thoroughly lovely. Then, we went upstairs to the arcade and oh it was soooooo much fun! I am mobility challenged but they have an elevator so it was no problem. I can't wait for my sister to get here and show her this place. They even have a French Dip sandwich (her favorite) on the menu. read more

Big Al's - This is in the sports bar and grill where we had dinner. - American Near Me - Meridian, Idaho

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yoooooo, i as just there t big als the on in meridin, and there was this watier Amy that was so helpful, i didnt know like ny of the drinks or what not and she helped me out big time, i would have looked like a fool in front of my girl if it ernt for her, thnks amy. read more

Jules was amazing !!! She gave great recommendations for drinks, but mostly she gave great energy, conversation, and a warmth that made us want to go again! Amazing service, but Jules goes above and beyond ! read more

Had an excellent date night here!! My bartender Jules was absolutely wonderful, so accommodating and friendly. We will most definitely be coming back, if not entirely for her service. 10/10 read more

Came in last night to watch the Bowl Game. The food here is not what it used to be. The giant 30-plate of nachos was 90% chips and very little toppings. The Onion rings seemed under cooked and you get 6 for 6 dollars. The server told me the Iced Tea was $4.00 per refill and charged me for two until I stopped ordering after she told me only soda was free refills. ( Asked an employee on the way out and they confirmed Tea is free refills). We were surprised at how expensive the cocktails are, be sure and ask for pricing before you order. I hope the Kitchen gets some good managing, we used to love the food here. read more

I went there two days in a row and got kicked out for no reason at all. they falsely accused me of harassing an employee and gave no reason at all. i recommend to never go there again. read more

Impeccable service and tasty drinks. A-aron really gave it his all. He was hilarious! Will definitely be back. read more

Big Al's - Impeccable service and tasty drinks. Aaron really gave it his all. Thank you for the awesome experience. Will be back . - American Near Me - Meridian, Idaho

Terrible service. THU 11 NOV. Waited 5 minutes to be seated by hostess while 10 employees were talking among themselves 5 feet away. Hostess finally came up and said I could sit anywhere I wanted. I've been seated 20 minutes (and counting) and no one has bothered to offer a menu or and initial drink while in plain view of the bartender and 3 other employees that walked by and said nothing. Four other tables in my area with patrons seated with food and drinks. No servers checking on them either. Recommend going to the Ram sports bar in Meridian and NOT Big Al's if you liked to be served food and drinks at a sports bar. read more

Went to watch Sunday football. Has the chicken strips and they were very dry.Onion-rings weren't bad. Wanted to watch the Bronco/Raiders game but they had the Seahawks game on the main TV. Ick read more

I've gone here a couple of times and I would give it three starts for a couple of reasons; there food is awesome and tastes amazing, in the summer kids get 5 free arcade games free and 2 bowling matches. I would only give it three stars though because the lanes are old and don't work very well. They break down often and most of the time you go there you have to get an employee to come and fix the lanes read more

Tonight, we celebrated my brother's birthday there tonight. The food was great... we ordered pizza and nachos. They brought him a huge ice cream sundae with cake and five cookies!! Alex was a fabulous waitress!! After, we played in the arcade upstairs while the other half of the party stayed in the restaurant watching the basketball game!! Great night. read more

Big Al's - American Near Me - Meridian, Idaho