Awesome staff. Place was nice they adhere to mask guidelines. The place was kinda busy last nite but the staff was able to still locate a 11lb bowling ball for me. Server came out with our drinks pretty fast. She kept her calm and cool during the time she was serving around 5 patrons around our lanes. I noticed they do a thorough disinfection at this place. They clean the shoes and bowling balls constantly in between customers. Place is better than the one in mission Viejo. read more

Ruby was rude and unprofessional Never going again. We were there to have a good time but our experience wasn't good Would not recommend!!

Ignore any old reviews because Forest Lanes deserves a full 5 stars post-pandemic reopening! It was sooo easy to book online. Staff was wonderful and helpful when we arrived. Everything was so clean and it looked like fresh new shoes?! We also ordered some food and I usually have low expectations for bowling alley food, but I must say those tater tots were on point . They also delivered the food to our lane which was awesome! Great staff all around! read more

Extremely rude from desk lady. We called and she said they would have a few lanes open. So we made the twenty minute drive. When we got there she said she didn't have any open, then said she didn't say she would. She is to old to work this front desk and needs to retire. She did nothing to try and accommodate us and didn't even offer a later time. I will never return to this rude place again. read more

I am a bi-polar bowler. In the same game I can get strikes, spares and then just enough gutterballs to completely trash my score. Maybe the cheap beer has something to do with this - I'm not sure. Oh well, guess I won't be quitting my day job to join the PBA anytime soon. Forest Lanes has been remodeled since the last time I was there well over two years ago. Much, much cleaner! The restroom no longer qualifies as a Superfund Cleanup Site. Lucky Strike it is not, but pretty nice for Lake Forest, eh? Improvements include new scoring systems, better lighting and nice big flat-screens above each lane. You can even summon a waitress from your terminal (sweet!). Rental shoes are, well, rental shoes but they do sell socks at the desk for those of us who are unprepared (and refuse to put our bare feet into foreign footwear!). Need an ego boost? Bowl with me - my crappy score will make you look good... read more

Cosmic Bowling starts at 4pm on Saturdays. For my daughter's 14th birthday she wanted to do Comic Bowling with her friends but without any of the parents. .. I guess it makes her feel a bit more "grown up" and not such a little kid party if it's just her and her friends. Being that Cosmic started at 4pm I felt comfortable enough with the kids being on their own for a few hours because it was still early enough in the day... this is also why had the party here and not at Irvine Lanes which is much closer to our home. I called the bowling Ally on Thursday to reserve 2 lanes for that Saturday. I spoke with DeeRon and booked my reservation with him. I reserved 2 lanes at $30/hr per lane for 2 hours along with pizza & soda for each kid at $6/per kid and shoes at $4/per kid. I put $50 deposit to book the reservation for 4pm - 6pm. Easy enough...good to go. Our group of 6 kids get there a little before 4pm to get shoes and get setup. Once the kids had their shoes and the 2 lanes were setup, I went back to the counter and asked DeeRon if he needed anything else from me before I left. He said no and that everything was taken care of. He would also open a tab under my credit card just in case any of the kids wanted anything else. I said great! I'll be back by 6pm, please call me if you need anything else... otherwise I'll be back by 6pm when our time is up. At 5pm my daughter calls to see if they could get their pizza and drinks. I told her to let the front desk know that her party was ready to eat and I would see her in an hour. At 5:30pm my daughter calls to tell me that they still don't have their pizza and the lady at the counter said that the snack bar would call her when it's ready. I get to the bowling ally at 5:50pm and the kids still have not gotten their pizza. When I asked my daughter about it, she said that the girl at the counter told her that she "didn't know anything about it" and there was no reservation under my daughter's name or my name so she had no idea as to what we wanted. I went to the front desk to close out my tab and pay for the party. I asked about the pizza...why I would book at bowling party WITH pizza and drink and the kids never getting it. The girl at the front desk said that they had a shift change and that "no one" told her that there was a party with food for our group. When asked why she would tell my daughter that there was no reservation under her name or mine (and we were reviewing my reservation sheet together to see what I booked and what the kids actually got) she said she just didn't understand what my daughter said. Huh? So ask her to repeat it if you don't understand her or cant hear her. In the end I paid $120 for 2 hours of bowling and piss poor customer service with a group of hungry kids that I needed to feed after wards (because I told the parents that pizza would be provided). Nice bowling ally with fun atmosphere and clean but don't seem to have their act together and cant host a party to save their lives. We wont be back. read more

Very nice bowling alley. I've started coming here with my kids and my son just loves it. Not hard to get a lane. The staff is very friendly except for the concession stand where they area a little slow and not too customer oriented. They always have fun events going on and good music videos on the big screens in front of lanes 1 through 20 or so. Best of all they have a good pro shop with equipment and they do fitting and drilling. Had a ball done for my boy and the man that runs it was extremely friendly, patient and helpful. I'd recommend it over Irvine Lanes or Tustin Lanes. read more

Forest Lanes - Forest Lanes with my boy - Bowling Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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OMG! They have this machine that mechanically makes all the drinks and perfectly portions all the alcohol - even shots!! If you drink here, you are getting totally ripped off. The free drinks in Vegas have more booze in them. If wayyyy over paying for alcohol doesn't bother you - the bartenders are nice and the bowling was fun. read more

Nice new, clean facility. Great counter service for Lanes and for food. It got real fun when they turned down the lights and gave a light show while we were bowling. The kids really loved it. Tap beer was fresh, fries good n hot. However, don't order the Nachos! Chips were fried flour tortillas and tasted and felt like they were soaked in grease. Not much cheese and way too much sour cream. They were lack luster at best. read more

This bowling alley made me feel like I was 16 again. Partly because everyone in there was younger and probably got dropped off by their parents since there is nothing else to do in Lake Forest. Partly because I went on a Friday night and played a round of DDR by the end of the night. Don't judge me. I do like this alley because I bowled a decent game here, 113 is DECENT. OK? The balls are lined up according to weight, which I thought was a nice touch. I like knowing how much my ball is going to weigh so I can choose the appropriate ball. Some alleys have balls of all sorts of different shapes and sizes all over the place! Balls everywhere. Balls. As said in previous reviews the "security guards" here are no joke. Some chick had smuggled in some Jack Daniels in her purse. She was pouring herself a drink and the guards went up to her and swooped on it. Sucks! I played just about 3 games in an hour, so for $44 bucks for an hour plus shoes (and one pair of swap meet socks for this idiot who was wearing sandals) I thought it was a pretty good deal. The obnoxious music videos and shitty fog that lingers in a weird cloud above one lane are completely free of charge. read more

Caveat emptor: I was completely jacked up walking into this place at about 12:30am last night and I was completely jacked up walking out about an hour later. Wearing a polka-dotted dress to bowl here didn't exactly help either. But I love places like this -- really old school bowling, and even though I can't bowl for shit (I got maybe a high score of 58? I think I am being too nice to myself there) I had an amazing time. There was this random "live band" in the bar, so I'm a little sad that I missed out on karaoke that I've heard such wonderful things about. I don't even know how much I paid for beers. I don't even know how much bowling came out to be. But I do know that My Favorite Joe and my bestie and I had this ridiculously repetitive conversation about a bet and some weddings involving $100. I also remember thinking that the lights were a bit too much directly in your face. But then again, I was hammered, so maybe that perspective was a bit skewed. I do have to say one thing however. Bowling while wasted and in a cocktail dress with ballet flats is one thing, and renting sketchy shoes without socks is another. Not to fret, fellow Yelpers. Ladies: do you want to know what the secret is to true love? It isn't flowers, or candy, or jewelry, or extravagant vacays. Nope. It's your gentleman running out to his car to lend you a clean pair of socks so you can bowl with him. Trust me, if I had a camera and was sober enough to remember, I would have taken a picture of myself, polka dots, beer in hand, throwing gutter balls with reckless abandon in Proverbial Boy's socks and some size 11 bowling shoes. Not only did I wake up wearing PB's socks, but I also vividly recall him telling me that he bought brand new bowling shoes in order to avoid paying the fee every time he would bowl somewhere. And sure enough, he sported them last night, drunk ass and all. Le sigh. Hands off, bitches, he's all mine. And we'll always have Lake Forest Lanes. I would like to come back and make a night out of karaoke and proper bowling someday soon. read more

Last week I accompanied a group of 18 special needs teenagers to Forest Lane for their kick off week of their new bowling league. The staff at Forest Lanes had everything under control and were amazingly helpful. They were accommodating, very patient and genuinely kind. I was really was impressed, I freakin' love bowling so much and bummed that this isn't my local bowling alley. read more

The man that helped us was very nice and helpful. Was sweet to my kids etc., however the old lady with the red hair is rude beyond belief. This wasn't the first time I've experienced her bad attitude either. If she can't be nice to people then maybe it's time her crotchety ass stayed home! read more

Actually, my review is on their food. They have the best homemade potato chips and tortilla chips (nachos). Their pizza is pretty good too.

I really don't bowl often enough. I used to love it as a kid, but as an adult I find trips to the alley are so infrequent it's like a new experience all over again when the time is found. And that should change, because it's a damn fun night and great exercise, too. I'd been here once before, but it was a few years ago. Looks like they've put in some fancy digital scorekeepers since my last visit. As much as I'm all about maintaining the vintage aesthetic most bowling alleys enjoy, a minor upgrade like this makes a lot of sense. In nearly every other aspect, this still feels like a bit of a relic, which I consider a good thing. My gf & I didn't come here for anything fancy, just an hour of chucking balls down the lane, trying to kill the pins. Funny thing is, we wound up having so much fun that an hour just whizzed right on by like it never even happened. So, we went to the bar, ordered up another pitcher and added an hour to our lane time. Now, the pitchers here are small. What you know a pitcher to be comes out looking like someone shrunk it to 1/2 the size. Why? Hell if I know, but it doesn't look very standard to me. Beer prices are good enough that I'm not exactly complaining, though it is peculiar. They have "quarter night" and "cosmic bowling" here on certain days. I've heard the quarter night isn't all that good of a deal, but it sounds old-school and fun, two things I'm all about. Cosmic bowling sounds like a fantastic trip I'd like to take sometime. Hopefully that time is soon because bowling is a nostalgic night of fun every time, and feelings like that are what I chase as an adult. read more

You know what the best part about bowling is? Seeing everyone's facial expressions after they bowl. There are lots of variations of :D and :) and -_- and T_T and =O. Then the cursing. The cursing is the best. Whether you bowled a strike or you got a gutter, the cursing always comes out. *strike* FUCK YEAH! *gutter* FUUUUUUCK. Like everyone else, I came here last night for Wednesday $1.50 games. Get there early and put your name down! The deal starts at 9 and we put our names down at like 8:30 but didn't start bowling until 9:30. The league peeps were taking a good while. Maybe you can grab a pastrami sandwich next door at the Hat while you wait. read more

This place is a perfect 300! Definitely my favorite bowling alley, although all of the sister alleys are pretty good too. Forest Lanes is always clean, the lanes are well maintained, and the staff is always friendly and helpful. Jeff and Quinn in the pro shop are experts in their craft and will help you with anything you need. I played in my first league ever here and it was a lot of fun. This should definitely be your regular go to bowling spot! read more

Review for Splits Lounge and not the bowling alley. My fellow coworkers and I have been here a couple of times for happy hour now at Splits Lounge. We typically come right after work (arriving at like 5:20-5:30ish) and the place is usually kinda dead (often times we are the first one here). They have pretty good pricing for pitchers of beer during happy hour, but unfortunately, they don't have much in the way of food specials. This place would be awesome if they had specials on stuff like their pizzas. The only other negative is that when the bowling alley gets busy at around 7:30ish, you need to start placing your food orders as early as possible because the kitchen gets crazy backed up. We have ordered pizzas before and not get them until like 30-45 minutes later. Overall not a bad place for an inexpensive happy hour. 3 stars. read more

I found myself bored on a Friday night and unmotivated to sit and watch a movie or go out to a club and dance. The perfect medium called for Cosmic bowling and so my bro and I ventured out to Lake Forest to meet up with 3 friends at Lake Forest Lanes. You can't go wrong with Cosmic bowling - lowered lights, neon colors, cheesy music videos blaring on the television, what more could one ask for? We arrived at 10:30 and realized that the best deal on Cosmic bowling didn't happen until midnight. There isn't much around the area to go and "kill time" - so we listened to some people karaoke at the adjacent bar & played an hour of pool for $12 (if you don't play the full hour, they won't charge you the full rate.) From midnight - 2am, Cosmic Bowling is $10/person for two hours. Shoe rentals are $4 and I got a large glass of Stella Artois on tap for $6.50. Overall, a pretty affordable and enjoyable time if you're looking to avoid the same-old same-old on a Friday. read more

Cosmic bowling! It was a ton of fun for the whole family. And, we arrived just before 5 p.m. so we received the discount rate. The staff was very friendly, the music was a good mix and it was clean and upbeat. So why only a three star review? Well, when I go bowling I like to have a cocktail or two. I've been to a few local bowling alleys, say Saddleback Lanes, where the bar is dark and the drinks are strong - just the way I like it. At Forest Lanes, I nearly dropped my ball when I saw they were using a gun with measured liquor pours to make the drinks. Oh the horror. Even the bartender was depressed about it, saying we were guaranteed to get a weak drink. Definitely not a strike. Saddleback, you have my business. read more

My favorite bowling alley cause it's the cheapest you'll find in OC. They have amazing specials at night like quarter night and other nights it's 50cents a game along with good booze specials to boot! They have Guinness on Tap here too which makes my little heart flutter. They also have big TVs playing music videos up by the score boards it's a pretty cool joint as far as bowling alleys go. Defiantly a place THE DUDE would frequent. read more

Most weeknights have deals that you can take advantage of! If you frequently come, then it would be best to purchase your own bowling shoes to save yourself some money in the long run! Things to take note of: - Check each bowling ball before you take it to your lane. There are some rare occasions where the ball is a tiny bit dented or scratched so that it isn't as smooth as you want it to be. - Forgot socks? No problem there is a vending machine with them. - Staff is pretty nice. Never had issues with them! read more

Probably best to bowl in the morning when there might be wax on the lanes. By the time we were bowling after work, the 2 lanes we were assigned were very inconsistent. Doesn't help to use the house balls which are probably as old as the building itself with multiple cracks and chips in each. That being said...its actually really fun here. Time your arrival right and you'll be bowling without waiting. Friend's rental shoes were kept in nice shape and the scoring system is easy to navigate. Food was...eh. Thank goodness you're surrounded by the best greasy spoons that South County has to offer. Eat before you arrive here and just buy your beers to drink while you sling that ball down the lane. Good times... read more

I love this place. Their Cosmic Bowling feels almost unreal - I felt like we were a part of an American teenage flick. The lights were dimmed, the music was up and we were having a blast bowling and people watching. There were the nerds, the cool kids, the mean girls :) Sooo much fun to watch them interact! The place is clean, totally casual and inexpensive. On Tue and Thur Quartermania Special (after 8 pm) the entrance is $7 and then each game is only 75c, pizza slice is 75c, beer is $2. How can you beat that! I will be definitely back! I have just learned how to spin the ball - I need to practice, practice, practice :) read more

Love this place. We bowl here on Thursdays and it's always a good time. Wednesdays and Thursdays are discount nights so you get really cheap bowling starting at 9pm, sometime after that they turn the lights out and it becomes disco bowling and they actually play really decent music. Staff is friendly and helpful, shoes are clean and everything is in tip top bowling alley condition. The little arcade nook could use a few more essential games, but the basics are there. There's a little bar in the back with cheap, strong drinks and overall this place makes a cheap and fun date night. read more

When I decide to get my roll on, Lake Forest provides the avenue. My preference is for Cosmic so I can't fairly comment on what the facilities offer a true connoisseur as far as lane quality goes etc. I've rolled many a night here in years past where I've felt like the oldest person on the lanes. That seems to have changed in recent visits. The bar has been "upgraded" to include a somewhat strange smoking hut/patio that doesn't quite seem up to code. I don't smoke but people who do seem to enjoy the heck out of hot boxing it. Some nights you'll see some fine karaoke and their new pool tables are straight out of a professional tournament - a bit too modern for my poor taste. Last little note, and I kid you not, I've had two pizza experiences here that I would rank among the best in recent memory. Perhaps I was famished or maybe the Fruschetta was packin performance enhancing ingredients, but it was on par with pure delicious. Give it a whirl. read more

So I came here yesterday (Saturday night) with the boyfriend and 2 friends of ours that live around the area. We came around 10:30pm and for one game it was $5.75 and the shoes were $4. BUT, if we decided to wait till 11:30pm, we can bowl all we want until their closing time (2:00am) for $14.00 w/ shoes included. Win! So we decided to wait and so we went to the bar they had inside. For a Saturday I must say it wasn't really busy or maybe it was for me since i'm not from around the area and my ass is use to crazy L.A. Everything is pretty clean, spacious. For a pitcher it was $11. Not bad. We ended up killing time playing billiards (they have 2 tables in the bar area) and for each hour on weekends they charge $6 an hour, $10 on the weekdays. ($10 on weekdays??? that's ridiculous!!) They had a Dj playing there and had nice big screens everywhere so that we can watch music videos, olympics etc. Pretty awesome. We were hungry and decided to check out the pizzeria but it was too expensive so me and my friend went to Dominos and got pizza there which we brought inside and ended up getting told that we couldn't eat it inside by these 2 fat fuck "security officers" who were making smart ass remarks saying that we apparently can't read their signs that say no outside food/drinks and that it must be the alcohol affecting us. Umm, fuck you. My dominos pizza was awesome! and i don't care about your stupid signs that you can't even see. Anyways, we ended up just playing billiards the whole darn time we were there but it was fun. I'll probably be coming Thursday since they have a beer pong tournament and you can win $125! Get drunk AND win some money? Ooooh yea ;) read more

In the past I would have said come here!!!! But I guess it's the crowd that determines your experience. Brought my kids and they got to experience the "F" bomb constantly from a group of adults, only to be surpassed by the smoking with the door open. People can be really disgusting and when management accepts this behavior they shouldn't wonder why attendance is down. Packed up and went to Saddleback Lanes. read more

Didn't have to wait on a Friday night for cosmic bowling. I went with a group of about 12 people, reserved 3 lanes. We arrived, paid, got our shoes and were bowling in a matter of minutes. They serve beer by pitchers and food, which is a plus. A little expensive than other places that offer cosmic bowling but I still had a lot of fun. Service was quick, not too many people, huge parking lot and very chill staff. AND IT'S CLOSE TO ALBATROSS for some after-bowling munchies. read more

Okay so I am the fill-in bowler for my friend's league bowling team at this joint. It's nothing serious, but it means that I end up bowling here about once a month. What a great opportunity to hang out with friends and have a few drinks. I have to tell the truth...it's pretty fun. They play great music and have tv's to show videos for most of the songs. It's kind of hidden off of Rockfield or Lake Forest, but when you find it and walk in you'll be happy to see that it is pretty well maintained and clean. They've got all of the requisite amenities: snack bar for tasty bowling alley eats...most fried, full service bar, newer rental shoes if you need them, and arcade usually full of kids. We always have some beers when we bowl and this brings me to the only reason that I didn't give 5 stars. Know why they give you small plastic cups when you order a pitcher? It's because they give you small pitchers. A junior pitcher of Sierra Nevada runs you $12. Give me a full sized pitcher and I'll give you that fifth star. I haven't done the cosmic bowling yet, but I'm sure that will happen sooner than later. read more

This place is great. I love bowling especially cosmic bowling, so I was super excited when I discovered this place. its pretty freaking cheap, and nice. not GHETTO at all...unlike Linbrook. its quaint and cozy. not to mention the have a bar there called PINZ. good too pick up a few drinks or pitchers. there Long Islands are pretty strong. they also have great deals throught the week, like quarter Tuesday..or dollar wednsday not quite sure on what the days actually are but some dayes you can get a pitcher for $2. I dont drink beer personally but the deal is VERY appealing. Friday nights 12am-2am $10 a person $3 for shoes..did I mention it is unlimited bowling? me kicking everyones ass at drunken bowling PRICELESS read more

Are you like me who puts a spin on their bowling? If you are then bowl at Lake Forest Lanes with caution. There is a huge inconsistency when it comes to lane quality at this bowling alley. For those who bowl straight, the difference will not be noticeable. But for those who bowl with a curve will notice the difference immediately. This issue is very inconsistent meaning you'll just have to hope you get a good lane. The spin does NOT catch on for most of the lanes. This is extremely frustrating when I expect the bowling ball to curve to the left into the pocket but instead does not curve at all and gets only a couple pins on the right. The problem is that when I played on the bad lanes I had to adjust my spin (or be careful not to put spin on it at all because it wont catch anyway). Then when I moved lanes to a lane that would catch spins my throw would be off. (Muscle memory habits are hard to re-train everytime!!) Normally, with this kind of frustration I would give a place 1-star. But given the pricing on Tuesday and Thursday (quartermania) relative to other bowling lanes near where I live (Irvine) I can't complain. It is $7 cover charge per person, 75cents per game and 50cents for renting shoes. This pricing starts at 9pm (this info is on their website) I would suggest going on Tuesday though, The place becomes pretty busy on Thursday. read more

It was an okay facility and we had a decent time. My biggest issue is the cost. Bowling has gotten very expensive! In fairness, all places may be this costly. I don't recommend the hourly as our game was cutoff mid-way and all were disappointed. read more

Great place to bowl. Bar service is horrible. It takes the bar tender 30 minutes to serve you. If you request to speak with the manager/supervisor, the bartender tells you, "you are no longer allowed to order for the night." My company has it bowling league there. But, I will be requesting we moving to Saddleback lanes after tonight's services. read more

Though they didn't take my friends free game pass...that only states that it can't be used on Fridays and Saturdays. We had a really good time. We came here on Christmas. Nowhere on the pass did it say you could'nt use it on the holidays. Games were still cheap. Been by the pitcher is a little pricey since there was no happy hour going on. We still all had a really good time after eating Chinese food and having booze and Bowling made for an amazing Jew Christmas night out! read more

Forest lanes by far has the best deals for bowling weekly with Sundays from 9am-12pm being $10/$11/$12 an hour and 8pm-12pm for nearly the same price. During the week they always have deals which is a huge plus. If you stay late on Saturdays, you can bowl all you want after 11:30 for around $15. Overall, the place is a little old and hasn't been remodeled for quite some time. I don't really mind, they still oil the lanes and do a good job at it. Sometimes pins drop, but you can easily ask the staff to reset things. Unless they're way crazy busy, which they normally are an understaffed. The food pricing is ridiculous. That's the only thing I really have to complain about though. But most of the time the staff really doesn't care if you bring outside foods or drinks. Plus you can always just bring a sandwich in your bag or something. Really, who cares? You're spending money to bowl there anyway. The atmosphere on the cosmic nights are fantastic! Fun to bowl, good music, great big screens. The seating and spacing are great too. Some other lanes keep it all cramped. If they spent a bit to remodel, it could become a huge hit. Its got more potential to grow! Thanks for the great deals every week! Food: 2/5 Atmosphere: 5/5 Price: 4/5 read more

So I called last night around 6 to ask about there hours they said they close at 1 I had a party of 7 people they said it was ok to arrive at 11:30 we arrived before and they did not want to let us in because they were going to close early they had ruined our night!!!! read more

The staff was really nice and the pricing was very cheap on Sundays! even though they close earlier, we were able to stay a bit longer to finish our games which was very kind of them. It is very clean , service is good, and my friends and I had a great time! read more

The most fun I've had at a bowling alley in years. We went on Tues. night for Quarter Mania. $7.00 cover and only $0.75 a game to bowl . And with all that bowling we got thirsty and drank $2.00 beers!!!!! Gotta love Quarter Mania!!! See ya on Tuesday nights read more

NOT impressed. I saw a flipping rat while bowling my triple spare! Is this allowed at Forest Lanes? UNACCEPTABLE! Never paying a visit to this alley ever again. I am informing my team to bowl elsewhere. This is not the environment for a professional striker. Good riddance. read more

Forest Lanes - Bowling Near Me - Lake Forest, California