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    Circle Lanes

    3.5 (65 reviews)
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    Maronda H.

    I was out walking in my neighborhood. And I discovered a bowling alley right down the street from where I live. It's maybe literally 3 minutes within walking distance from my apartment. How Cool? I went inside to browse around and ended up bowling. The owners were so sweet and kind. The prices are reasonable. I was super excited to see a couple pool tables on the side. Pac man video game. Just a cool and chill place to come and spend a day bowling or shooting pool with family and friends. Old school neighborhood vibes bowling alley. On site ATM and bar with beer specials. I The owner stress to me that it gets super busy and crowded on the weekends. Bowling league are also held on the weekends. I will be coming back soon to practice on my bowling skills.

    Crystal N.

    Classic bowling alley without the frills. It's a cash-only place with billiards available by the hour. The bar is a divey with your typical dive bar array. It's a standard bowling alley and if you like to bowl, this is the spot in Oak Park!

    It's a moving image of me getting a strike at Circle Lanes in my Thursday Night Mixed League.
    Eric H.

    It's definitely the definition of a older type bowling center. 18 lanes. I bowl in a Thursday Night league there fall winter league. The lanes dry up quickly. So I would definitely recommend a urethane ball if your bowling there. Reactive type bowling balls work for at least 1 game but then after that a urethane ball is your best option. They only take cash to be able to bowl there and you must show proof of Vaccination card. They have a atm onsite if you need some cash to pay for bowling.

    Brent W.

    Big fan of Circle Lanes and no i'm not going to say bc it's "RETRO" like every single reviewer has probably stated before me. And it is def throw back but for me this is what a bowling alley should be. Stripped down to its essence, no frills where you come to bowl, drink a few High Life's and have a good time. It is like walking into a time warp and as someone has mentioned, they have the coolest dessert/cactus garden as you make your way back to the bathrooms....it is like the crown jewel of this place. Cash only (boo, but just deal I guess) where you can bowl for anywhere from $3-$5 per round, depending on hour and day of week. You can also play some pool or get your Galaga and Ms Pac Man on to re-introduce your arcade skills that have fallen dormant over the decades. [X] A Forest Park Gem !

    Loved the retro feel of this place!!!

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    14 years ago

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    18 years ago

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    13 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    15 years ago

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    17 years ago

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    16 years ago

    PBR on tap plus an odd cactus display on the way to the ladies lounge! I felt like I was in a time warp and it was amazing!

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    16 years ago

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    12 years ago

    I love Circle Lanes. Old fashioned. Independent. Easy parking. Fun.

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    11 years ago

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    16 years ago

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    16 years ago

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    7 years ago

    They don't inform you of how much time you can bowl and then they cut your game off in mid play and they have terrible customer service

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    15 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    14 years ago

    Love this place. Super old school bowling lanes with $2 beers. It just makes you feel like your living in a different time and I like it.

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    17 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    Page 2 of 2

    Ask the Community - Circle Lanes

    Review Highlights - Circle Lanes

    And it is def throw back but for me this is what a bowling alley should be.

    Mentioned in 11 reviews

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    Timber Lanes

    Timber Lanes

    4.3
    (145 reviews)
    8.2 mi
    $

    I just did an event here and was pretty impressed by the whole process. This is an old school…read morebowling alley that is old fashioned in a few ways, but still worked well in 2026! Yeah, it was a bit small, but it really had a cozy atmosphere! Probably the star of this place is the service. From creating an event to day of, Timber Lanes showed some really good customer service. We had a party reduction and they adjusted the lanes and the price. I really appreciated the help! Also, every employee my group met the day of my event were excellent. This place has a bit of a hipster vibe, but everybody was so kind. Their drink prices were also pretty good (perhaps a steal). The only downside to this place is that its cash only. I get the want for cash only, but it is 2026. I was particularly confused that I was able to use a credit card for the deposit, but not to pay for the whole event. That part was pretty weird. Either way, this really fit the bill for our group so if we do this again, Timber Lanes is on the top of our list. We really had a great time and as long as you can get past the cash only aspect, this place is a real winner!

    Timber Lanes is an anomaly in today's bowling alley experience. There is no arcade and no flashy…read moremonitors. This is an old school Bowling-with-a-capital-B alley. There is a bar and there are 7 lanes and decades of bowling paraphernalia lining the walls. The establishment is cash only, furthering the analog ambiance. Shoe rental was $3 a pair which felt like a steal. The lanes run for $45 an hour. It's very popular to those who know what they're getting into. The pins do get stuck and the machines could use a little love but the staff is quick to resolve or solve issues as they arise. You can easily book online but know that spots fill up quickly. I recommend you take yourself out for a good old fashioned night of bowling with some friends, keep track of your scores on the paper sheet they hand out, and take pleasure in the ritual of throwing the ball on the waxy lane. I'm sure it'll make you smile just like it made me.

    Photos
    Small, old school place. Manual scoring.
    Small, old school place. Manual scoring.
    The view from lane 1
    The view from lane 1
    Timber Lanes

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    Pinstripes

    Pinstripes

    3.9
    (802 reviews)
    9.8 mi
    $$

    I really like pinstripes. I hosted my company party here and we were thoroughly looked after…read more The food was great and they were very accommodating for allergies. I highly recommend any of the pizzas

    I have heard of Pinstripes but haven't had a chance to visit until we had our workplace holiday…read moreparty here. I was skeptical but honestly, because of Pinstripes, this may have been the best work party I've been to. I didn't see a lot of the place because I didn't visit the bar upstairs, and we were downstairs for our meeting-party. The meeting room is quite large and accommodated our group of 50 or so people easily. The food was really good too; we had some chicken, Mac and cheese, ribs, and more. The sliders weren't my favorite because they were really pink inside, so I skipped that. The other stuff I had was quite delicious. But the best part was the games. I mean I'm a board game enthusiast but have never played bocce and now I am wondering why not. It was so much fun. I mean I'm ready to buy a lawn set, or join a bocce league or whatever. The rules are simple but it's fun. They also have a really gorgeous patio area that another group was apparently going to be using, and that space is along the riverfront. I would be super glad if we came back to Pinstripes, to the extent that I'm going to make sure our VP knows how much we enjoyed it. There's no dedicated parking so you'll need to take a taxi or find a spot in a nearby lot. Spothero was great for that, since my spot was cheaper than the validated parking that Pinstripes offers.

    Photos
    Cute and delish!
    Cute and delish!
    Pinstripes
    Pinstripes

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    Twisted Pin

    Twisted Pin

    4.1
    (99 reviews)
    28.2 mi
    Locally owned & operated
    Private events

    This was my first time at Twisted Pin, and I was very impressed. The prices are pretty high but as…read morea non-bowler, I am not sure how they rank compared to other places. On the other hand, this place is also a little more high end compared to your old fashion bowling/dive bar places. The location was very easy to find. We used Google Navigation and it lead us directly to the place. If you miss the entrance, it might be a little annoying to backtrack but no big issues. Parking was no issues and it is very big compared to the size of the building. We showed up on a busy Wednesday where it is penny pins so you only pay a penny per pin you knock down. Essentially...the worst you are, the cheaper your game will be. Inside the building is very nice and clean. There are two entrances..one is a "restaurant" and the other is the decent sized arcade and bowling. There is a self serving beer tap. And they do serve food. They do a little star less due to the prices of the food as well. It is better than your traditional bar/bowling food but it is a little more expensive. Also, I do enjoy the service of the self serving beer tap. They had a lot of selections of beer, 1-2 seltzers, 1 cider and ~5 wine selection. Also, they do have a "limit" of ~32 oz where the bartender can allow you or less depending on how you act. I do appreciate that so while you can drink feely, no one is getting drunk. I think we were paying ~.60 cents an oz and it does tell you how much your drink will cost as you are pouring. Also, they do have a small water station will is greatly appreciated. The arcade is decently sized. They do have a lot of selections of games but it is not a place where I would go just for the arcade. The size is good for after bowling or while you are waiting for your lane. Overall, I am very impressed with this location. Food, self serving beer tap, and arcades... I am fan of Twisted Pins and I would be back in the future.

    Went here recently. It's been many years since I've been there and the whole place has been…read moremodernized. They changed names they've got all new lanes, got a pro shop, they got all sorts of crane games and video games etc. I did not bowl, but my kids all bowled with their cousins. What I didn't like, was we got there at 245 and the kids wanted to bowl for an hour, 3 games and there was really nobody on the main lanes except two of the lanes which were already in use and they didn't want to rent lanes to my kids because they said the Plainfield teachers group is coming in. And I'm sure they wouldn't be there till 4 o'clock but this is it like at 2:30 2:45 and so they made my kids rent a lane which cost more dollars an hour and the shoes were more and they had to rent a lane in the VIP section which had colored lights and video on the wall and because they're worried about taking care of this teachers group and school wasn't even close to being over yet but they just wanted to make money on whoever was there. So we got stiffed by having to pay a lot higher prices and I didn't like that. So of course my wife liked the fact that they had a pour your own beer area. With like 20 different beers, some wines, some seltzers etc. etc. And you give them your card upfront they give you a separate card which you wave over the selection that you want , and then it weighs by the ounce how much it pours for you and then charges you a fee. It was in the afternoon and I didn't feel like drinking although the wife drank with my nephew. That was a good thing but I'm really only gonna give them two & 1/2 stars because they were obviously didn't want to rent to us so they gave us the expensive lanes. I just didn't like the service so at our expense they made extra money which was wrong. I personally wouldn't go back.

    Photos
    Hot, oven-baked pizzas served fresh at Twisted Pin, offering classic comfort food with a modern twist--ideal for bowling night...
    Hot, oven-baked pizzas served fresh at Twisted Pin, offering classic comfort food with a modern twist--ideal for bowling night...
    Craft cocktails, indulgent desserts, and crave-worthy appetizers come together at Twisted Pin, creating the perfect pairing o...
    Craft cocktails, indulgent desserts, and crave-worthy appetizers come together at Twisted Pin, creating the perfect pairing o...
    Be happy about splitting - dive into juicy boneless wings drenched in the sauce of your choice (shown w/ buffalo), indulge ...

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    Be happy about splitting - dive into juicy boneless wings drenched in the sauce of your choice (shown w/ buffalo), indulge ...

    Circle Lanes - bowling - Updated June 2026

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