So I learned about this gem (Emerald Bowl) via Groupon which was an absolute STEAL (a two hour bowling session with shoe rental for 6 people for the grand total of $45.90)! Emerald Bowl is a clean, family friendly bowling alley that offers a good time! There are PLENTY of lanes, plenty of bowling ball options, and decently priced hand foods for purchase. Needless to say my family and I thoroughly enjoyed Emerald Bowl. This is definitely now our family's go to bowling spot. read more

I've been here couple times in the past and my friends and I enjoy coming here because the wallet friendly and economical to the society with their reasonable price! We paid one lane with 6 people for 2 hours including shoes for $100.13. So if you split them, it's $16.69 on each. The music seems to be loud so we were shouting the entire time but we had a good time. By the time we got there, the place was almost packed and we had to wait for 15-20 mins since we came with the group of 18. But with smaller group, they could definitely get a lane right away. Over all, we all had a good time and enjoyed a lot there! Hope you come and enjoy Cheers read more

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I made a reservation online for a birthday party to celebrate my boyfriend. It was a super quick and easy process and I received communication very quickly about how to reserve, making a down payment to save my lanes at least 24 hours prior to the date of the party, etc. On the day of the party, my group was running late but the staff were very accommodating! They said I could wait at least another 30 minutes for my group to arrive before we started. But once we began, we had at least 2 hours per each lane we had, which was 2, with supposedly 6 people per lane. Luckily a majority of my group, minus 4 people out of 12 arrived and we just played for them when their turn came up. We ordered several pitchers of beer, some pizzas and fries to enjoy while playing the game. It was a really enjoyable time for all of us for 2 hours! Big shout out and thank you to Ian who made the process of reserving super easy and quick! Also checking up on our party on the day of! Definitely plan to come back for any future parties. Highly recommend making a reservation for groups of 6+ otherwise you'll be waiting for at least 1-2 hours because this place is PACKED on the weekends with pros coming in to practice and so forth! read more

This place is great! Izzy was helpful and friendly. The whole place was clean and well kept. We'll be returning for sure!

Good experience, clean and safe! Fun for the whole family. The food was ok and the service was great. Would recommend to friends.

It's a few things you can ask for in a bowling alley... clean, safe, doesn't smell. Lol this place is great. They just needed to turn the music up a lil. Customer service was great ... we showed up after margaritas so we only got a water there. read more

Emerald Bowl - Lane 13 - Bowling Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Had fun with my friends bowling last night. The place was well kept and clean. Family friendly. It's 35$ per lane and almost 12 dollars to rent out the shoes. It is worth coming out here with a big group of friends. Would recommend read more

Emerald Bowl - Bowling Near Me - Houston, Texas

They are so rude and very dismissive. The worst customer service and fix that broken phone

Great place to bowl the lanes are always oiled well. The staff is friendly and the food is pretty good, quick delivery.

Love this establishment, best place on the planet to bowl. Outstanding conversation makes you feel so comfortable. HE remembers as though you were here just yesterday. I truly enjoy bowling and comIng here. Will never select anywhere else and they have upgraded their snack bar menu. read more

Emerald Bowl - Wall sign - Bowling Near Me - Houston, Texas

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If you live in the southwest Houston area I would recommend coming here if you are in the mood to go bowling. When we got to Emerald Bowl they told us that their Groupons were not accepted after 5 pm on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. But, we got an even better deal by using a family deal which made the cost of bowling even cheaper for the 5 of us. In total it was $50 for 2 hours of bowling, including shoes. While this is not the newest bowling alley, everything was in good condition and we had a blast. read more

This was our very first time here and I was pleasantly surprised. From the outside it looked kind of....lifeless. Once inside though, there were many people bowling and having fun. A straight path from the entrance doors is the counter where you get your shoe rentals and are assigned a lane number. The person helping us was friendly and very efficient. There is a food court across from the welcome counter. I can't comment much on that since we didn't have anything to drink or eat while we were there. It was a good size area that was separate from the bowling portion. This visit was really more of a test run that day. We only bowled one game to see if our child would even like it. He enjoyed bowling there and asked to come back again! They had plenty of tables and chairs to sit at near the lanes. The tables were all staggered and I felt like they did a good job with the social distancing aspect of it. They had hand sanitizers stationed where the bowling balls are kept. The bathrooms are clean and are located next to the gift(?) shop where they had bowling balls, bags, gloves, etc...for sale. Along that same wall are lockers. Near the front entrance but tucked away to the side is their arcade room. It's small and pretty bare bones containing an air hockey table, a few crane games, one wall of riding video games and that was it. I like that it's more about the bowling than a bunch of arcade games here. It gives off more of a classic bowling alley vibe. We enjoyed our time here more than I thought we would and can't wait to come back! read more

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Great place to hang out with family and friends. Always clean. Great food. We always have a good time. Great staff. read more

Emerald Bowl - Bowling ball - Bowling Near Me - Houston, Texas

What a special spontaneous bowling night! Found this place on Yelp! and thought "We'll give it a try". So glad that we did!! Upon entering we were warmly welcomed and the place is very nice. We were looking for a way to end the visit and this was nice. If you have a chance to come by do it. The Groupon deal is fantastic!! read more

Thank you to Izzy and his staff for an amazing time today. I had my birthday party here and was a great time had by all. read more

Emerald Bowl - Bowling Near Me - Houston, Texas

Cool low key spot... bowled unlimited for 2 hours for 2 ppl for 28 bucks! I'll definitely be back. The food was ok... they need me in that kitchen! read more

Emerald Bowl - Bowling Near Me - Houston, Texas

Last night was my first visit and it was great! With friendly staff and a clean facility I will be back. Groupon saved me some $$ but even without it the prices arent bad. Also, love the new tech that makes scorekeeping easy to setup so you can hit the lanes that much quicker! read more

Its an old style bowling place. I went on a Saturday evening at around 8pm and played for two hours. Their website says they have cosmic bowling events, I expected that would include weekends. However, there was no cosmic bowling during my visit. Myself and my group of 8 people with 2 kids were disappointed with their too simple old style ambience. Having said that they do have some big pros though. They have very good groupon deals, we got 2 hours of bowling for 6 ppl at $42. They are kid friendly. As for food, we ordered fries and it didn't have any taste at all. So we decided not to order anything else and have our dinner outside. The location has bowling only, it doesn't have any arcade or pool. Its a good place for bowling at a very reasonable price (with Groupon deal). Not much of an exciting and happening place though. read more

Not a bad spot. Not much I can say, but it's aight tbh. Felt like it was a bit too expensive on the price for the time rate bowling. But overall, just to chill it's ok. read more

Old school bowling alley, but compared to the big name alleys around town, they don't hold a candle to Emerald Bowl. There's people that go bowling, and there are bowlers. If you are a bowler, this is the place to go. Clean lanes, working scoring machines, equipment is kept up to date and maintained, ball returns work as they should without waiting five minutes for an oil coated ball to come back. Sundays are the best bet with $4 games all day, but check the calendar on their website, as they hold events regularly. I drive all the way from Spring to go here because the experience is worth it. Thanks for keeping the bowlers spirit alive! read more

Decent place to bowl. Very cheap on Sunday. 40 lanes and pizza is pretty good. Customer service when I was checking in was horrible. I hate to make individual experiences about race but this definitely seemed to be the case. I won't get to detailed but it was frustrating to experience. 3 young ladies not black walked in before my 3 sons and I. They were greeted with smiles, cheerful conversation and laughs. Well once they paid and left the counter I stood there for a good minute and was not greeted by the older lady or gentleman that had just provided excellent customer service to the young women before me. I finally said something and the tone and responses were poor! I wanted to hold a math class when they were calculating the amount of games but I just shook my head. The older lady was kind of rude to my son when he asked for a different size shoe!! I will say I won't be coming back and if my kids weren't so set on father-son bet, I would've left. read more

Did you know that they have Sunday special on bowling? 4 games for like $12? Did you know that you can add chili cheese on top of your mozzarella cheese sticks??? read more

My favorite bowling alley I've ever bowled at while practicing for a tournament would definitely go back

Disclaimer:  This review solely represents my experience with this business on one or more occasions.  It is not my intent to encourage nor discourage anyone from patronizing this establishment but rather, to offer my opinion of the facts that occurred during my visit(s).  Bought a groupon so I decided to treat my family to a day of bowling. I get there and there are 6-8 empty lanes in the middle of the alley but ol girl at the counter tells me there aren't any free lanes because there are 2 tournaments going on. Ironically (ahem) this was right after I told her I had a groupon. So I was suspect of her timing and of course, disappointed. My family was disappointed but we lingered a little while longer. I went to talk to a mgr who told me they just decided to go ahead & open up some of those empty lanes. We've been standing here, when were you going to tell us? After that was worked out and shoes passed around, we bowled, 6 ppl on one lane. They make it so they give you as minimal as possible with that groupon, so just be prepared if you use one. All in all, my family who typically never bowl enjoyed the outing and we made it work. The food here is as expected, bit on the pricey side. Decent restrooms and there's a bar in there to escape. This place wasn't a complete strike out but it's definitely nothing fancy like I'm used to. And if you purchase the groupon, weekend usage probably not ideal. read more

First time going here and we loved it! I wanted to surprise my bf bc he loves bowling and hadnt in a long time. They have a special price Monday- Thursday unlimited bowling for $13 (that's including shoe rentals). What a great deal! Today was a Tuesday and we arrived around 9:30. There were a lot of bowling leagues there but there were plenty of lanes available for us to play. It's a really old school bowling alley but they take care of their lanes really well. i wished they had lighter balls than 8lbs tho. After a while, my arm was giving out bc I'm a weakling. My boyfriend said that the balls are kinda worn out but that's what you can expect out of house balls. Regardless, we had a blast here! They also have concessions if you're hungry. They have food, beer, and fountain drinks. Their fried chicken smelled so good--We didn't buy any food tho. We'll def come back. Everyone there was friendly, and even tho I'm not an avid bowler, the atmosphere and the leagues bowling there didnt make it intimidating for newbies like me lol Def a new favorite date night spot! read more

Emerald Bowl was clean and neat. The personnel were so friendly and eager to help. The prices for shoes, ball and game were also very reasonable. I'll definitely be going back soon!! read more

I was just talking with my friend about how it's so hard to find an old school simple bowling alley nowadays. And boom! I ended up being taken here on a date AND I LOVED IT! It's very vintage/classic. So don't expect the flashiness of modern bowling alleys. They have lots of lanes, a GREAT BAR (and the bartender makes good strong drinks), and good bowling alley food. Everything is also fairly cheap. We went on a Tuesday night and it was actually super packed with bowling teams competing so we had to wait for a lane but that when we went to the bar and ate and drank. It's a separate area if you're not interested in watching other people bowl. The staff was also very friendly and accommodating even though it was crowded. The lady at the front forgot to call our names when a lane opened up and so she gave us a voucher for 2 free games which was really nice. It's a cool place to go if you're into old school bowling vibes. read more

Ahh nostalgia! Growing up in tha 'lief means bowling at Emerald. Plenty of hours were spent in my younger days on the lanes for midnight bowling complete with blacklights and laser light shows. Went back recently for a get together and had a fun time! It was pretty busy (Thurs night), but we had the lanes at the very end which worked out well. Typical food/beverage offerings, but quite tasty. The lanes were a little unevenly waxed it seemed, causing some near faceplants... Service was really friendly and I'd def visit again :) read more

a group of us were here last night and there were gnats all over our drinks and we had cover them with napkins. they kicked us at 1am but they actually didn't close til 2am. read more

[As of July 26] All the cousins and I wanted to get out of the house. Do something short and sweet. Emerald Bowl was the answer to that! The alley is a bit off the beaten path. There is ample parking, so finding somewhere to park is no problem. Entering through the double doors, the alley is laid right out in front of you. You don't have to walk to far to get to the front counter. Buying game(s) wasn't too difficult for us. You can decide to pay by the hour or by the game. One of my cousins order some food. I was able to snag a fry from him. It was pretty good. I didn't hear any complaints from him saying the food was bad. The bowling alley has a private room catered for the grown who want to get their drink on. The only problem I ran into was with the bowling balls. Usually, the bowling balls are shelved right there in the lane. At Emerald Bowl, all the bowling balls are right next to the front counter. It didn't help that our lane was the furthest away from them. I think the reason behind this is b/c they allowed more table and seating for large parties in the lanes. It's just inconvenient to walk so far to carry not so light bowling balls back and forth. It can mess up a guy's bowling hand. The bowling wasn't bad at all. Funny animations that you are used to. Fall pins. It was a cool afternoon. Quick tip: Emerald Bowl is a Gym for all my Pokemon trainers. Happy battling. fin. read more

Emerald Bowl - Bowl - Bowling Near Me - Houston, Texas

If I could get this place a zero star I would. I came here 01-07-23 and the staff was very rude. Their is no customer service and the place is not only dirty but their is no true management here. You complain but nothing gets done. They are all about making a sale and then you don't get the entertainment you paid for. Drive a little further and go somewhere else because this place is trash. read more

Good pricing on lanes and drinks are good price on drinks. Hit a couple of 200 games the other night. read more

Emerald Bowl - Bowling Near Me - Houston, Texas

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Sweet place for a Good Friday night outing! Everything is reasonably priced. Friendly staff great food! Although it's in a sketchy part of the neighborhood, it's always filled with ppl so I'm not too worried. Also there's a security guard outside. Would come again! read more

This bowling alley is close to my house so I find myself here quite often. I don't always bowl but they have a full bar so it makes for a fun night out! When clubbing or midtown/downtown bars aren't appealing or driving more than 10 miles isn't going to happen, I find myself here with friends. There are many lanes but during League season it takes FOREVER to get a lane if you come at prime hours (7-10). The owners/workers are usually the same and they offer a groupon discount even without making you purchase one. I believe its around $40 for 4 bowlers and 2 hours. There is a small arcade area for children. Some days are cleaner (smoother lanes) than others but never had a bad time here before. Don't forget to get a pitcher, or three, of beer to improve accuracy when you bowl. The drinks come in plastic cups but this is Alief- so set expectations where they can be met ;) read more

My complaint is with Groupon and Emerald Bowl. Purchased a Groupon....CAREFULLY read the the fine print, purchased the Groupon, arrived and saw a sign that the don't accept Groupons after 5pm on Friday's-Sunday's. No where on Groupon is this mentioned. Then, the Groupon price is the same as the regular price. Groupon refunded our money, but it will take 10 days later. They need to update their info on Groupon. Never again. read more

We went 06/04/2023. Disgusting service especially the food. We originally bought food to take in since they used to allow it literally less than a month ago but all of a sudden we couldn't anymore due to HR SUPPOSEDLY. So we decided to get something and the cook was wiping down counter tops while being on the phone using same gloves for it all, including to charge. Got a refund and they got upset since we complained. They then stopped our lane to bowl after 30 mins of already having a 5th player( 3y/o TODDLER) come on now. Then the lady came to our table saying the 1 canned drink we had needed to go in the trash because they don't sell it. As if they sold something way better and clean compared to it. Saying she wasn't going to leave until it was thrown away. Hire better employees and preferably let others bring food it's a lot cleaner than eating there!!!!!!!!! If anyone knows corporates number I'll be glad to call ASAP!!! Or find it myself either or! read more

If you have watched zootopia, the speed of the staff is that of the sloths at the DMV.. it's literally as if they don't care. Super slow, expect to wait an hour for a lane or more.. read more

There is nowhere else to bowl in Houston. Well, there may be, but nowhere as easy to get into, comfortable, organized, CLEAN, and with good food! I have been coming to Emerald Bowl since I was little. I love how easy it is to find. You're driving through Alief in the dark, worried about whether you're going in the wrong direction when you see a GIANT HUGE bowling pin in the sky. Voilà you have arrived at Emerald Bowl. I went on a league night, but they keep certain lanes open for free bowling, so we went straight in with no wait. $12 for two games and a shoe rental (you can get a special for two hours of unlimited bowling that works out cheaper, but we just wanted to bowl two games). We typed in our names and had a blast. I love how all the extra bowling balls are centrally located and organized by size & weight--at other places it just wastes so much time to find the right bowling ball; this way was much easier. Super friendly staff, nice atmosphere (read: not all smoke filled like other bowling alleys) and loads of fun. There is a room with a pool table for those who want to switch up the activities a bit as well. Overall, I love coming here. read more

Been coming here for over 20 years and it looks the Exact Same inside and out. Maybe the restrooms got a makeover bc its pretty clean. Well, the one close to the bar is. I Love and appreciate their various daily specials: Sun--all day 1.99 games Wed --$5 cover and $1 games, shoes, hot dogs & popcorn Thurs and some other day-- all you can bowl for $10 9-12a Rent a lane is $40 for 2 hrs Kids under 14 bowl free every weekday before 6p. More specials but thats all I can remember. I would be ecstatic to see cheaper prices during the day. Its $4 per game. Dynamic Lanes (behind celebration station back then) had $1 games before 6p! ------ Thurs 6/23 2p fairly empty with a league going on. They took up less than 10 lanes. Other than them, we were the only other customers. Decided to take my cousins bowling for some family bonding. We got hooked up with bowling for the 2 kids, they werent suppose to bowl free but the nice guy allowed them 3 games each. Saved me $25 bones. Gyeaa. 2 hrs of rent-a-lane 4 Adults & 2 Children's shoe rental = $59. Add to the mix party platter $21, 2 pitchers of tea $11 = $33 Shoes were in good condition, clean and Not grungy (but I had my own) Platter- all fried, decent amount of tator tots, ff, mushrooms, wings, jalepeno poppers, mozzarella sticks. If the platters were $15, I woulda bought 2. Service was top notch. My cousins were a handful. A zillion questions and I directed them to the employee to answer. haha. They kept changing their minds about having bumpers so we had to bother them for that a few times. They wanted to see their score after each game so they went to the counter and asked. He was sooo sweet that he printed their scores. The concession lady had a smile on her face and did her job enthusiastically. I like that. The man in the bowling store was helpful too. If I could rec something, it would be to change the lighting or ceiling..it looks old. The carpet too. Buuuuut, I dont care about those things much. maybe some music? I dont think I ever hear music here before. Oh, maybe some more balls with smaller holes. Majority are big. Oh! Why do they not have rock n bowl???? (bc they dont have the black light and glow in the dark designs, duh). Ive always liked rock n bowl tho. read more

Fun, CHEAP, bowling in DA LIEF!