It has been a while since I checked out Commodore Lanes and I recently had the chance to stop by. Bowling is always a fun chill event in my eyes. The look is a bit older/dated looking. There are plenty of lanes for bowling along with pool tables and some arcade games. The name of the game here is 5 pin bowling. It's a fun and relaxing experience. Pricing is fairly decent and won't break the bank. I had a great time bowling here. I can't wait to come back with friends and play more games. read more

It was a rainy weekend so me and my friends decided to do an indoor activity. Commodore Lanes were the only ones open so we went there. Since they only have 5 pin bowling and they didn't allow us to drink by the bowling area, we decided to play billiards instead. It was around $22/hr for each table. They had multiple tables that were really close to each other which made it tough to play. I would recommend them to space their tables out more so that players are not bumping into each other and have enough room to play. They also did not have a water fountain at the venue so I asked their bar if I could get a glass of water. They said that we have to pay for it and they would only take cash. I wasn't looking to buy a bottle of water, just wanted a glass with tap water. But they said that we would have to pay for the cups, luckily my friend had some change so I was able to get water. I feel like for such a big venue space that serves alcohol, serving a glass of tap water shouldn't be such a big ask. The service was ok! read more

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This is retro old school fun. There is nothing modern about this place. You feel like you time warp backwards. The green screen computers and displays kind of say it all. They only have 5 pin bowling and for us Americans, that means no finger holes in the balls. Balls are small, which worked well with our elementary age kids. The scoring is different but it really evened the playing field for the good bowlers in the group. Price is per hour with max 6 people per lane. Reasonable price for a group. We had a lot of fun! read more

Me and my man love to do this activity. It was our first time here and we were a bit confused but after a bit, we had fun. If you plan on getting anything from the snack bar, make sure to bring cash because they don't do cards. if you're getting shoes, you should get a size up because I asked for a size 8 and I should've got a size 9 because they are small!! I would say the experience was fun overall and it's not regular bowling. It's little softball sized balls and five blown up pens. It's kind of cool. Thanks commodore and Billards!! read more

GREAT FOR GROUP EVENTS! Recently planned a family friendly grade event for my child's school at Commodore Lanes. Cynni the manager was super helpful and easy going. We rented out all 12 lanes for 2 hours- and had 78 grade 1 kids and their parents bowl, eat pizza, and have a really great time! Romano's pizza offers 20% off to Commodore Lanes, and it was delicious. Cash bar for beers, brought in our own veg platters. It was inexpensive, fun, and easy. Highly recommend. Would be great for birthday parties too. read more

The first thing I will mention is that this place seems to be the only pool hall/Canadian bowling spot in the Downtown Vancouver area so if that's what you are looking for, I think this is your only option. Commodore seems to pride itself in being a historic spot for Canadian bowling and pool/billiards but from an outsider's perspective, I just saw an outdated, overpriced, smelly basement business. First of all, I personally thought the pricing was a bit harsh. I get that they are the only business of its kind in that area but geez. I was told that bowling would be $57/hour and that's not including shoe rental. We opted for the $16/hour (I think) for pool, which I thought was still a little wild. The pool table we were on was definitely in need of servicing as our balls would regularly shift around and not roll straight. The biggest downside for me besides the pricing was the smell. I understand it's an old spot and in a basement, but something needs to be done there. Also, drinks were not allowed in the pool or bowling area which I found very odd. Last thing, I promise, is that the bathrooms are pretty gross. If these things would bother you, it may be worth it to take a bus or ride share somewhere else! read more

Commodore Lanes & Billiards - Lanes - Pool Halls Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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Loved the service and ambiance! It's a chill laid back place to hang with friends. Never seen mini bowling balls before so that was fun and then got to play pool afterwards. read more

Very loud. Uncomfortable seats and no room. But the veggie pizza is weirdly incredible.

I didn't know that this place exist. When my colleague set up this event bowling at the Commodore, the first thing came up in my mind was bowling at the ballroom. I didn't know this place existed downstairs. Came and its a pretty good size. There are billiards table at the far back and some arcade games as well. They have bowling lanes but not a lot. There are chances you will have to wait for lanes to open up. So we also ordered pitchers of beer. Each pitcher is $20. No alcohol allowed in the bowling lane. So they have table ledge for you to put your beer on. So when it came to bowling, I had a shock. The bowling balls were super small and there are only 5 pins. I prefer the 10 pins and bigger bowling ball. Yes these bowling balls are so small that there are no holes for the finger. This is pretty challenging. Another thing is that they have bowling shoe rental as well. If you want food, you would have to get it somewhere else and have it delivered or you pick it up. No food serve here. Price for bowling is all you can bowl for one fix fee each hour. Yes they charge by the hour and not by game. Maybe they have a price per game that I don't know about. Overall, it was fun. read more

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Owner spilled my beer and didn't offer to replace it. Had my beer under my hat at a table as you're not allowed to have them near the pool tables and he spilled it onto my hat and didn't offer a new one. Will never return. read more

Commodore Lanes & Billiards - This guy - Pool Halls Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Absolutely rude and disgusting disregard for customers when calling to make a booking. 0 customer service and no interest in our business. - Called, old man staff member (guessing owner/operator) picks up and says "Commodore Lanes, please hold" and immediately puts phone down on counter (couldn't get a word in). Can hear him stacking shoes in background. Waited for 5 mins, then he picks up the receiver and immediately hangs up. - Called back few mins later, he picks up and says "I'm at other end of building and not at counter, can you call back in a bit?" Ok, sure. - Called back 10 mins later, phone is off with auto-message saying "We're sorry, this phone number is not accepting calls at the moment". - Call back 20 mins later, he picks up at desk again, says "Commodore Lanes, please hold" and immediately puts phone down on counter again and starts stacking shoes -- same shit as the first time I called. Waited a good 6 minutes before finally hanging up. HOW DARE YOU DISREGARD POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS LIKE THIS!!! To the staff member/owner/operator who did this and thinks this is acceptable customer service, you should be ashamed and fired immediately. If you don't want to take phone bookings, disconnect your phone number and don't list it anywhere or better yet, just close up shop. What the hell is this place thinking, people are trying to book a bowling lane and give you business, but the blatant disregard for a customer just trying to get ahold of you was SO FUCKING RUDE!!! Will never recommend or support this place, they clearly only do walk-ins and could care less about people trying to make a booking whether for personal or business (or maybe hosting a huge party). How this place continues to stay in business is beyond me, but I'll be damned if I ever give them a dime. To the person that answered the phone, FUCK YOU!!!!! read more

Meh. It's just ehh. The vibe seems like hum-drum and 7 bux on Fri / 1 game? Euh. And FTR, 10-pin is MUCH better than 5-pin... but I could be biased growing up with 10-pin. =P It's decent space overall, averaging all of it out. It was kind of fun, though, giving 5-pin a shot. The ball return is neat, although kind of funny when one was returned from down the alley. o_O read more

Commodore Lanes & Billiards - Pool Halls Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

Sunday febuary 7th, closing time. -- I walked out forgetting I had a drink in my hand (well tried to exit) then bartender fella (Asian guy dark hair with glasses maybe mid 40s) instead of reminding me nicely, he grabbed me by the hood and yanked me down the stairs. I got upset and told him not to harrass a person like that (especially women) and we threatened to call cops and he was swearing at me "fuck you, call the cops blah blah" I don't know who to report this to. Just saying worst experience ever. I hope he gets fired, people violent like that shouldn't have a job in customer service, dangerous! Throwing this out here for awareness to be careful at the bowling lanes, this guy is a nutcase! read more

A true vintage bowling alley and billiard hall! This is old school entertainment at it's best. Thank you Commodore for NOT completely renovating this place. Its one of the only original hangouts on Granville that still reminds you of the good old days of Vancouver. Hope you remember how to take score bowling, cuz there's none of those fancy computers at this place! Which makes me wonder why they have a modern digital "jukebox"? A vintage one would be so much more fun. Let's not forget there's lots of pool tables, friendly staff, a bar (beer & wine) and drinking area. If I remember correctly it's cash only, and reservations are recommended - but don't be late, or they'll cancel it. This place get's crazy busy on the weekends. read more

Fun place to spend a couple hours. Five pin bowling where you can enjoy some drinks on the side. Not the cleanest but not too expensive especially if you take advantage of their deals during slow times The lane we were directed to kept giving us four pins instead of five so we were moved to the next lane which was no big deal read more

We were visiting from the US, and just popped in here to look around. We were really surprised to see that the bowling balls are significantly smaller (with no finger holes) and there are only five pins on each lane. The employees were very friendly, they explained all about Canadian bowling and so we had to try it! We only did a half hour, but we were able to play two whole games plus a little more in that time (only two of us). The bowling area is very nostalgic and I loved the feel of an old time alley. We had a really fun time. P.S. I think they take credit cards now, and they definitely have automated scoring as well. read more

Commodore Lanes & Billiards - Pool Halls Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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We came here after the Canada v. Norway hockey game to escape the madness for an hour after Canada kicked Norway's butt. Commodore Lanes actually charges by the hour, not by the game, so I guess if you have a small team you can fit in more games by the hour than the six of us did. You are also only allowed six people per lane, so luckily we just squeezed into one lane. It cost about $6 per person including the shoe rental, and about the same for the purchase of beverages. I have to admit, keeping score (adding) is a lot harder after you have spent a few hours at the pub. Those new computer monitors that add up the game for you sure are convenient. Especially when you have to sit in the lounge area a few meters away from your scorecard if you want to drink. This makes the designator scorekeeper not a very fun drunk, and a potential cheater since the rest of your team is inebriated and too silly to notice the extra points that are tallied on the scorekeeper's card. Hmmmm.... shall we play the next game sober to see who wins? read more

Commodore Lanes & Billiards - a bowling alley - Pool Halls Near Me - Vancouver, British Columbia

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There's something about bowling that makes me really happy. I don't know if it's the energy in a bowling alley or if it's the fact that I can release some stress by throwing a bowling ball at these pins. Either way, bowling is my sh*t. I've personally never had a bad time at the Commodore. It's the perfect place to hang out if you want to feel like you're going out, but don't actually want to go out. They've only got 5-pin bowling here. If you've never played 5-pin bowling, you're in for a treat. The balls are a lot lighter and smaller and you get 3 tries to knock all the pins down. They've also got 2 beers on tap (a bit pricier), so you can enjoy a brewski while you get your bowl on. In addition to bowling, they have a pool hall on the other side. Friends, beer, pool, and bowling? This Granville relic sounds like a pretty damn good time to me. read more

This place is pretty average. The pool tables are setup close to each other which can result into plenty of bumping into others or waiting on them to finish their shot.. not so convenient. That said, location is great, right in the heart of downtown which works great for any party or hang out in the city. Other places have a better bar service with sexy waiters coming to you and taking orders, another reason why this place lost some stars. read more

Place is dirty and expensive. Can't believe they only have hourly rates. Usually most places you can bowl one or two games for cheap in the afternoons. Not into paying close to 30.00/h read more

Came in with a large group of friends. $144 for 4 lanes for an hour is ridiculous. And the cashier of place even if the people aren't playing will have stay in lobby. Don't waste your money here. read more

I was here for a friend's birthday party recently and this place bites when it comes to customer service. My pal made a reservation 3 days prior knowing that she would have a large party in attendance. When we all arrived (15 mins early) she was told that her lanes had been given away because when her number was called for confirmation, the message "this customer is out of the cellphone service area" was encountered and the twit at the desk claimed that this counted as unconfirmed and grounds for cancellation. When she protested and demonstrated that her phone was indeed in good working order and that she had booked in advance, he claimed that the best he could do was rebook her in an hour. No apology. No acknowledgment that the cell message was not her fault, no discount offered for the misunderstanding. Now I run a business where I need to call to confirm clients and I have encountered this cellphone error message as well. I would never consider this grounds for canceling a client's pre-booked appointment. And if a situation like this should arise, I would graciously offer some form of restitution. This is just good business sense. I won't even get into the over-priced, watered-down beer they serve. This place is GROSS. read more

This place is OK. You can grab a drink while you bowl, but they're strict about keeping your drink in a very particular place. I understand wanting to keep lanes spill-free, but you can't even keep it at the tables and chairs where you wait for your turn (which isn't too close to the lanes). Also, the bowling pin reset machines are terrible, it feels like they got them in the factory's faulty merchandise bargain bin. Note: for any of you non-nationals like me, this is 5-pin bowling with a smaller ball, not the 10-pin you're used to! read more

Per the exterior, my boyfriend and I were pumped to date it up at Commodore Lanes & Billiards on a Friday night. The opening music from The Big Lebowski permeated my brain while we walked down the stairs; Steve Buscemi passed me, I swear; and then we got there. The music screeched to a halt. Five-pin bowling? Is this old-school style? I stood gaping at middle-aged men who took out two pins with one roll despite the wide space between them. We decided to play pool instead. We suck so much. The paintings of Pacific Northwest forest along the wall almost made the evening worth it. They created nice scenery while I took five turns to sack a striped ball. I know this isn't correct terminology. The Dude wouldn't care. read more

Super fun place! You wouldn't know what to expect from the inside of this place by looking from the outside. From the busy street of Granville, all you can see is a sign that say Commodore Bowling and Billiard with stairs leading down in some kind of basement. It's a total Narnia, once you pass the front door, it's almost as you're catapulted in the nostalgic universe of the movie Grease. Multiple bowling alley (5 pin bowling with the smaller bowling ball) and even more pool tables in the back. There are also other things such as dart and if I recall correctly there even an old school jukebox. They really got the ambiance right in there. The staff is very friendly and playing there is very affordable. Parking, as it is anywhere in downtown Vancouver is going to be a hassle, but there are plenty of buses running close by and the skytrain also. A must to just hang out with friends and happened to be walking on Granville St. read more

Wandered in here to avoid the rain, and what a lucky move. This is a 1920's 5-pin bowling alley with all the original equipment. We tried our luck with the mini-bowling balls and fared decent. You have to keep your beer off the lanes and go upstairs and outdoors to smoke but hey this is history. They also have a large pool table area. read more

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Fun place for families. Walked in on a Saturday night not expecting to get a lane, and expecting a long wait. I was pleasantly surprised to get a lane immediately after a short wait. I estimate the wait was under 5 minutes! Pick up your shoes, and bowl immediately. The beauty of Canadian bowling is that there is no need to find a ball that has holes fitting your hands and fingers, and no need to find one that is the right weight either. All the balls were the same - small balls, slightly bigger than a baseball. No holes for a grip! You get 3 tries to get 5 pins down. Not as easy as it looks. Scoring is automatic so no need to figure anything out. You pay for time, not number of games. We had one frame left before we ran out of time and they were nice enough to extend our play time by a few minutes to let us finish our game. That's really nice customer service! Incidentally the shoes were new and clean. This place is huge. There's a small Kiosk to buy liquor and snacks. If you buy drinks, you have to consume these away from the bowling area. So that wasn't as much fun, but it keeps the bowling lanes clean I guess. There are 12 Lanes Of 5-Pin Bowling, 20 Billiard Tables, an arcade area, fooseball tables, even a virtual Dart Arcade Game - play against other players across the world! Will be back. Oh, bring your ear plugs, the place can get noisy when people get really excited about their bowling. read more

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As Granville Mall morphs from a bastion of indie and underground shops to one that is looking more like, well, a mall, Commodore Lanes is one of the relics of the former personality of the area... gritty, independent, un-shiny, and fun. This ain't no glow-bowling palace. What you get is very good five-pin bowling, pool, and arcade games. They have a tiny, but licensed snack bar where you can grab a Sleemans and a bag of chips - although like most lanes, you must not drink or eat anywhere near those lovely polished floors. The staff can be a bit cranky, but only because they're wearily accustomed to dealing with an interesting clientele. If you're nice to them, though, they'll be nice to you. read more

Not impressed. Weird smell, cannot take alcohol anywhere near pool tables or bowling. I understand why, but I'd rather go to any bar play pool for cheaper than here and with my beer next to me. $7 for 30 minutes of pool didn't convince me to come back. Bowling is with 6 mini pins read more

All right if you've got a big group to entertain yourselves. To me it's like lawn bowling without the lawn. Three shots to hit 5 pins with a small heavy ball. Then you write your scores on paper for each round and tally after each game. I do like how the pins get hauled up like aliens into a spaceship. Haha. Obviously I'm easily entertained, even without a crowd. read more

My experience here was less than stellar... Originally went for the bowling, but there was a 30 minute wait. We stayed patient and played pool...The billiards area however, was NOT licensed to serve alcohol (brutal). They had a ton of tables but the nice onces were all reserved by other people. Damaged felt and warped tables, didn't make it super enjoyable. Fast-forward 30 minutes - the bowling area is Cash only and the bar selection was pretty bad over here as well. They wanted to charge 2 of us $35 / hour! that's insane - and they tried to justify it because they are the "oldest bowling alley in Canada" I'm pretty sure there is no novelty around bowling - older does not equal better when it comes to mechanical equipment I'm pretty sure. What a freakin' joke. We bailed at this point.. read more

What a fun place! The retro lanes are so neat. Love the random toys and displays in their front lobby area, too. Super friendly service last night! Huge selection of pool tables, they even have darts and arcade games! A great place for all! read more

Get ready to feel like you've been transported back in time thirty years, because this place is cash-only and you keep your own score when you bowl. The five-pin balls will leave decades of other people's filth on your calloused palms, while the velcro bowling shoes feel like something out of The Jetsons (retro futuristic). I think that a rockabilly-themed birthday party would go really swell at Commodore Lanes. Every time I'm here, I forget that I'm hanging out beneath Granville Street, because it feels authentic and cozy and fun. One time, in 2006, I went "prom bowling" here with a group of friends - we dressed up in ballgowns and tuxes and slipped all over the place throwing balls down the old wood lanes. It was great, and we didn't feel self-conscious about it because, as I mentioned, you don't feel like you're on Granville Street. read more

Really only found out about this place recently...never knew about it when I was a kid. It's a great casual and affordable place to hangout with a bunch of friends. Place is completely underground, large and grungy, it has (now) vintage decors and has kept this feel by likely not renovating; carpet at pool hall is filthy, some tiled areas don't get moped etc. but it's because of these attributes that gives it character and makes it affordable. I'm glad to see this when Vancouver is getting an involuntary facelift. read more

True, the major downside here is the corralled drinking area. We generally end up at the Commodore when we're feeling a bit competitive: from air hockey and pool to the knock-em-out punching bag, there are definitely plenty of feats of strength for an active date. Strangely, I've never actually bowled here. Likely because that takes some planning: something that's a bit lacking when I find myself on Granville late at night. As far as Granville goes, I'd rather be in this subterranean gem than the bass-thumping street-level options. But if I have my pick of bowling lanes, I'll take Rev's lane-side drinks. read more

Fun 5-Pin bowling ally, still pretty old fashioned inside and a surprisingly big space. The very old school scoring interface is especially awesome (think a screen straight out of Star Wars). The only downside is the service and inexplicable cash only policy. It's beyong comprehension for any business in any city to be cash only today. Not only does this suck for customers, but it does the business out of prospect income. Ridiculously unnecessary. read more

Wow what and utter disappointment. The place seems like it is in a time warp - but there is and always will be a difference between "retro" and "old" - and this place is definitely the later. Ignore the Visa and Amex stickers at the the door - the place accepts CASH ONLY. The restrictions on where one can consumer one's adult beverage(s) are onerous and baffling. The fact that the place lacks a kitchen is also a major annoyance, not to mention the fact that one had to reset the bowling lane after every three throws. What a waste of prime real estate. read more

Did you know these bowling pins are 5 pins? That was something new for me. Takes a little more skill to strike those suckers!!! We went out for a social, all guys. Pretty good times. The other side of the place is all billiards. You have a few unused computers in the back waiting for suckers to pay for internet usage. The place may need to be redone. It's a little old and run down. But that may be the whole experience of it all. read more

This may just be me, but when I first came to this place with my best friend, we loved it. Sure the place is "old" and "retro", but this place has character. It has a story. Perhaps we just really appreciated it. Another time, I had a friend who was from Austria. He wanted me to take him someplace special, different. I took him here and he was very impressed. Why? Because it's a "hole-in-the-wall" type of place. Of course this place will be a hit-or-miss for folks, but it wins my vote. Prices of course, could be better. But I'm sure they're just trying to make a living. Just like clothing or purse companies. You know they're ripping you off ;-) read more

The prices here are awesome! About $15 per hour for billiards. Came with a couple friends on a Sunday night, not too busy and the crowd was rather quiet. Had a lot of fun and will definitely come back in the future, maybe for some bowling too! read more