I love this bowling alley. It is clean and quite large, with no issues parking. I definitely love the cosmic bowling $16 per person unlimited from 10pm to 1am on Friday and Saturday nights. They pump music and dim the lights and the neon paint glows. It's easy to have a good time here. Even though it is very close to UCI and you think there would be a ton of college students here, I guess they're busy studying because I am always able to get on a lane in less than 30 minutes. read more

Water is FREE! But they charge you for cups?!? Really, you can't afford to give out free cups when you charge how much per game now? I love bowling! If you can afford to bowl in here, good for you. But I would much rather go to Lake Forest or Fountain Valley and get my bowl on there. I get it, Irvine is an affluent community, but you have to stop charging for cups. Until then, you won't be seeing me at Irvine Lanes... unless the games are free... because someone else was paying! d=) read more

We love this bowling alley! My kids and I go once a week on Saturday. They are so accommodating, the food is surprisingly good and the AC is awesome. My son has his bday there last year and plans to again this year. read more

TIPS: - On Sundays - $7 for 2 games with bowling rental shoes - Plenty of parking - Next to Boomers if you want to take your kids (or adult kids?) out for mini-golf, race car driving, etc. - A bazillion lanes, small pathetic arcade, and concession stand available - It's in Irvine where all the good Asian restaurants are at read more

Tip number one: Don't eat the food here. It tastes... strange, to say the least. TIp number two: Galaxy bowling is the way to go. Especially if you want to hang with the cool kids that stay up past 9 PM in Irvine to do something. I think this is one of the few places that actually opens past 10 in the area. I've been here a few times in the past three years that I've been living in the immediate area. Decent bowling alley- good area, lots of parking, and there's a hefty number of lanes here. On certain days, there's a series of food trucks that come here and sit outside for a few hours before galaxy bowling begins, and in case I need to repeat said previous tip: don't eat the food inside the alley. It's just gross. The service here is a little slow. Prices are alright- a little steep for bowling if there are no specials so be sure to check their website or Yelp before you go for any deals going on. IF you're doing galaxy bowling, come a little early to reserve your lane. Balls might be a little old, and there may be 16 year olds attempting to impress their dates and trip and fall into your lane, but all that aside, not a bad place to be if you're looking to get some strikes and spares while listening to the "Cha Cha Slide." read more

I come here so much with my co-workers, we're practically on a bowling league. The best part about Irvine Lanes is that it is such a good deal! I LOVE the $2 Monday through Thursday after 6PM special. It's $2 games, $2 shoe rentals, $2 domestic beers, $2 well drinks, and $2 nachos. It's hard to find a better deal than that! FYI, It's cheaper to get individual domestic beers than to get a pitcher. Irvine Lanes can get crowded if you don't come before or right at 6PM. The alley is clean and well kept. It's your standard family friendly bowling alley, none of that fancy darkly lit/practically a club stuff. The people at the counter have always been very nice. They let us break up the cost of the lanes into complicated multiple credit card/cash combos that most restaurants would frown upon. Also... not to get your hopes up, but we found Kobe Bryant bowling here once! read more

Came out here since the Tustin bowling alley was being over-run with people who were playing tournament. The bowling alley is right next to a Boomers! as well so you could plan a day of fun. My boyfriend and I pulled up and there were 5 food trucks outside in the parking lot, which we thought was awesome. The Lime truck, Bakery Truck, DonChinos (I think?), and Soho Taco truck were the ones I can remember. The outside building is well kept. There is a small patio and large sliding doors at the entrance. The entry way has pin-ball games and Dance Dance Revolution. We played both pin-ball machines since lanes were taken and we didn't want to just stand and wait. (Pirates of the Caribean & some old crappy one that kept sticking my pin-ball in the back)--games are $0.50 each. We decided to grab a beer after pin-ball and the bar area at Irivne Lanes is much nicer than most I've seen at bowling alleys. We saw the elevated snack bar area too and it had also looked clean and renovated nicely. Although, I would have probably grabbed something at the food trucks outside anyway hehehe ;) [too bad I had a huge hamager at Ruby's Diner earlier!] It was happy hour at Irvine Lanes (M-Th 5pm-close) $3.50 premium draft--we got 2 Blue Moons. It came in a standard size plastic cup. Shortly after our lane was ready and we got to bowling. I think it was about $10.00 for 2 games for 2 people and 2 sets of shoes. No coupons. Tuesday night around 7:30pm. There were alot of people having a good time and saw tons of food being consumed everywhere. My boyfriend won both games but I only lost by 1 point in the 2nd game. We had fun. We will definately go back and hopefully the food trucks will be there again =) read more

I've been to larger bowling alleys with newer lanes and score machines. I'd prefer a closer bowling alley but went to Irvine Lanes for a buddy's birthday. rockin bowl = neon lights & the top 40. Overall the place was ok. They had Hef on tap for about $5. The price for rockin bowl was $20/person (includes shoes). read more

Good lanes with upgraded equipment, and relatively clean, and friendly service. Food was decent as well.

Loved the music!!! It was super poppin on a Friday night. Not the cheapest place I know of, but not the most expensive either. Price for 3 people with shoe rentals (including yelp check in) was about $38. They were super strict about checking the check in though. Only thing was that the machine that places the pins down was SUPER slow. It took over 30 seconds one time (no exaggerating). We paid for an hour, and I felt like this was a huge time sucker. Not sure if they made it that way intentionally or not... read more

I appreciate that they offer groupons regularly. We used one for a kids BD party - and it was more than a good deal. We like to come as a family - this is a great place for fun. read more

Friendly stuff, very reasonable price especially weekend.This is probably the cleanest bowling alley I've been to. The staff at the front desk is awesome and have even hooked it up with half a game one time. Great place all around! read more

See all

Decent place to go bowling - I'm spoiled because there was a bowling alley linked to UC Davis which had uber cheap bowling prices, but this place was pretty good. I don't bowl often, and I don't bowl well either, so this review is really based on the venue, the equipment, and atmosphere. I don't own a bowling ball, or have my own shoes, and with that, I can't break 100 for a score haha. Needless to say, I arrived here for a doubledate on a Sunday and had no trouble getting two lanes to split among 4 people. The place is spacious, has lots of bowling balls to choose from, and important for me, rental shoes aren't sweaty. seriously, that happens. The price may be a bit steep, but overall, good place to go bowling. I've heard that cosmic bowling during the evenings makes this place the happening place to be, so maybe for next time, I'll drop by during the evening and try it out. Good place overall, price is just a bit steep, and there's no billiards area =( read more

Pretty good atmosphere with great prices. Two games for two lanes plus shoe rentals for 6 came out to $10 per person. The place is pretty clean with a very attentive waitress/bar staff. You can't beat their $2 nachos BUT DO NOT order pizza from their "restaurant". That thing tasted as though they reheated a frozen pizza. read more

Irvine Lanes - Bowling Near Me - Irvine, California

Pretty good lanes, with an awesome Saturday deal. Love it when they draw random tickets and have a mini "competition" Only dislike is the people. Bunch of douche bags thought it would be funny to go into our lane and bowl on it too. They didn't find it funny when one of the guys lost his sandal and I threw it down the ball return. :) read more

I used to visit this location frequently when I lived in Irvine and I recently came back to check out the $7 for 2 games on Sunday. Definitely a great deal for the 2 games and it is only $4 for shoes. They did update the seats for the lanes since the last time I was there which is a pretty decent plus. Will probably re-visit sometime soon! read more

Great fun place to go with family and friends..., we always enjoy our time here .... Katherine was really nice last Saturday when we attended a birthday party...... looking forward for another summer in Irvine Lanes.... more power!!!!!! read more

My bf and I decided to have a date night at irvine lanes for some cheap bowling and cheap drinks. It cost 3.50 a game and 3 for shoes and I had a coupon for a free game so it came out to be about 14 bucks. After we got to our lane, my bf decided to grab us some beers at the bar. He was there much longer than I would've expected so I went over and overheard the bartender tell him that she couldn't serve him because his ID was a bum...whaaaat? My bf has an Arizona ID and apparently her online degree didn't teach her how to check out of state IDs or something. It passed the blacklight test yet she still wouldn't serve him. We were tempted to go to Bowlmor but we already paid so we stayed and I ordered the beer, to which she told me not to let my bf have any since he must be underage so I gave her no tip. We bowled then went to a bar that would serve us. read more

Fun place to go it is one of those things in irvine that you forget is there until you're really bored and remember "hey haven't been bowling in a while let's go!" The night bowling is a lot of fun and great for big grops I went with a group of about 7 and it was $4 each for 2 games! Great way to kill time while doing something inexpencive and fun! read more

Meh..... This place gets packed, and not in a good way. There's very little room for each lane as the tables and chairs are packed in like sardines.. They stop serving pitchers after 9pm, wtf! Food is also terrible.. don't bother with the burger or chicken, if it was even chicken.... read more

They made my 5-year old cry. Their website promoted $3.50 games M-Th after 5pm. First impression when we walked in on a Wednesday at 6pm was that the advertised price was different than the actual price. However, they did confirm the special and said that they "forgot" to update the signs at shift change. So with that cleared up I asked for a lane. 60% of the lanes were not being used but the lady rudely said that we would have to wait until 8pm because they were going to have leagues (which didn't even start until 6:45pm). I told her that I might not ever come back. My son couldn't understand why they wouldn't let us play, when he could see so I many open lanes, and he started to cry as we walked back to the car. They need to train their staff to have better customer service, update signage as prices change, and not have conflicting marketing. Also, if you're "full" and have to turn people away don't be rude about it. They could have even used it as an opportunity to obtain a new customer by giving a coupon for a free game or free shoes to be used at another time. Based on my first experience at Irvine Lanes I'd rather pay more and have better customer service at Bowlmor Lanes at the District. read more

Irvine Lanes is all flash and no substance. They have lots of flashing lights, screens showing ads, football games and childish animations, but they also have completely outdated and dilapidated equipment. It often took MINUTES for the ball return to work! When you're paying by the hour, it really cuts into your game to have to find an employee to fix the ball return so you can finish your frame. One person in our party bowls from a wheelchair, so never having gone to Irvine Lanes before, we called ahead to ensure they were wheelchair accessible. We were assured that they had a couple of accessible lanes. It turns out that each of the "accessible" lanes has a small step to it which many in a wheelchair would find impossible to cross, which means that despite their claims, IRVINE LANES IS NOT WHEELCHAIR ACCESSIBLE. This, coupled with the slow ball return and general lack of interest on the part of the staff made for a very unpleasant experience. The general agreement in our party was that this was the first and last time that any of us would visit Irvine Lanes. read more

Fun place to come with my friends. Place is clean. Love Galaxy Bowling nights so much funn read more

rude rude rude! the guys at the counter are just grumpy looking quiet guys. the shoes are especially grungy, and believe me, it's not like i have particularly high expectations for bowling shoes. it says something if they don't meet my low expectations. i don't know why there is a bar there, since the bar tenders refuse to look at anyone under the age of 50, literally. and the snack bar...even though i'm pretty sure it's illegal to charge for a cup of water, i might have been ok with it if they weren't rude at that counter too. the only ting decent about this places is the prices, and even that is pretty darn average. read more

It wasn't all that great because of the time constraints and relatively high prices, but at least the service I received was pretty good. I came here last night with a group of business school colleagues and actually managed to have a drink at the bar before playing games. They're pretty high-tech with the bar...even being able to print out a wristband with your name and verification (that you're over 21) by swiping your drivers license. They have a server constantly checking the lanes to see if we need anything from the bar or any food. They're pretty good about taking orders and delivering lane-side. They also can keep tabs open, so that's a plus. Even with a spill, they staff was quick and happy to help clean up. Even with a stuck bowling ball in the gutter, the staff joked and helped out with a smile. The employees here are very helpful and cheerful. Again, that only helps the situation. I was just disappointed last night because they kicked us out at 11pm to make room for cosmic bowling. I was starting to get hot as well before they cut us off. Another downside was the price. I thought the games were too expensive (I believe it was $6.00 a game or $30.00 an hour). If you have a large group, it may be better to go for the individual games, so that you won't be rushed. The lanes needs to consider expanding any discounts and promotions. I would love to come back here again and again if only it didn't hurt the wallet as much. read more

Monday after 6pm, great deal! $2 per game, $2 shoe rental. Went with a friend...bowled 2 games each. I scored 127 and 85. Sweet! I am always happy to do my bowling dance and jump up and down as my bowling ball goes where ever it wants! It was a quick wait...maybe 15 minutes at 9pm... I had a gooood time beating my friend the 1st game and getting beaten the 2nd game. I haven't bowled in foooooooorever so it was good to unrust my skillz once again. It's all about FOCUS!!!! I love the fact that this place is right around the corner and CHEAP ~~~ love it! read more

You know, bowling is fun. Hurling a 12-16 pound ball in a slick wooden floor while trying to known down 10 pins is better than hanging out at the Gas and Sip [ala Say Anything]. And Irvine lanes has upgraded some of their scoring controls so that's nice. But me being part of this nouveau germ-o-phobic society, is it socially acceptable to wear 2, even 3 ply, of cotton socks with those crusty bowling shoes? I know it's not acceptable to go bare feet, which isn't a better option, but the shoes....holy moly. BTW, they charge you $0.25 for a cup of water. Why? I have no freakin' clue. I can only assume it's because they "charge" per cup. You know what I hate more than charging me for water? Nickel and dim-ing me as a customer. You're charging me $40 for 3 people for an hour and then you turn around and charge me $0.25 for water. Boo on you Irvine Lanes. BOOOOOOO. read more

I go Irvine lane every Sunday afternoon with my friends. Everytime I play bowling, the service and atmosphere are pretty good. They are reasonable price and nice place to enjoy bowling. It has clean and big enough bathroom. I like it!! read more

Fun place to bowl, but felt a bit pricey, although I admit I haven't bowled in forever...$10 pp for 1 game (includes price to play and rent shoes) and they even charge $4 to buy a pair of socks from the vending machine. Lame. My only complaint is that the backdrop of the lanes was kind of an eyesore. This place could use an upgrade in terms of decor, but we had a fun time overall and I guess that's all that really matters!! read more

I went here for galaxy bowling on a Saturday night and had a great time. It does get busy though (last time I showed up at 10:30 and all the lanes were full), so get there between 9:30 and 10 since they don't take lane reservations and you should be good. It's $16 for shoes and unlimited bowling from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., with a minimum of four people per lane (I think they're pretty flexible on that though, since I saw a few lanes with just a couple people on them). In that time, with four people and multiple drink breaks, we got in two and a half games. It's a fun night ... they dim the lights and get the music going, with videos playing on screens between the scoreboards. There's tons of different size bowling balls, so it's easy to find one that's the right fit. The bowling alley is clean--even the bathrooms!--but, like many bowling places, the smell of dirty feet hits you as you walk inside. The only aspect that I think needs some fine-tuning is the bar/waitress service. Because galaxy bowling isn't 21+, you can't order drinks for friends at the bar and bring them back to your lane--everyone has to get up and go. It's not a really big deal, just a little inconvenient. This could have been remedied if one of the servers walking around had stopped at our lane, but I guess she was too busy bringing drinks to the group next to us. Last call at the bar is around 11:45 p.m., FYI. Beers start at $3.50 I think for bottled Bud, and go up to around $5 or $6 for the draft beers, like Blue Moon and Karl Strauss. read more

It's not a fancy bowling alley but does the job. We came on a Saturday night and it was not too busy. That changed as the night went on--hot night, school's out and nothing to do so go somewhere with A/C and a fun activity. We ordered food first, otherwise our time would have started when they handed us our shoes. We got pizza slices, others got nachos. Beer was available by the pitcher in the bar and they gave wristbands. The pizza as not great. The crust was dry and stale tasting. The options for food were typical bowling alley food. My friend got the nachos which were just chips and velveeta cheese. Nothing special. We yelp checked in and that saved a buck off shoe rental for one of us. I wish they would apply it to the whole group. Anyways, it turned out to be about $27 and change for each couple for 2 hours bowling. Good deal. Bowling was fun. The cartoon images that came up when you hit splits, spares and strikes were cute. The entertainment was interesting: a mix of MMA match and various pop videos. I didn't think the videos were appropriate for 7 year olds that were bowling (lots of suggestive songs and videos) so maybe some editing of that? Otherwise, we used up our time and the disco lights came on. Fun for a casual group date night. read more

I am a new regular at Irvine lanes, the $2/game evening bowling keeps us coming back. We joke about magnets on some of the lanes, seems no matter how perfectly the ball looks like it is going, should be a strike and the 7 or 10 pin remains. The snack bar has great grub, we are especially fans of the sweet potato fries. read more

Customer service not all that great. But the atmosphere is okay. The drinks are super tiny and they cost just as much as in a bar. The sodas we ordered for the girls tasted flat. It was gross! Our waitress was nice but she was very busy so she couldn't check on us much. It wasn't her fault, we went on a Friday night. But the guy at the check in table wasn't too nice. He seemed very cold. read more

Irvine Lanes - Friday fun night - Bowling Near Me - Irvine, California

We wanted to thank Irvine Lanes and especially Marlen for fantastic 11th birthday party for our son and a number of his friends. The experience could not have been better. Marlen ensured this time proved to be super special. Thank you so much. John and Socorro read more

I came here on a Tuesday night around 8pm and it wasn't too busy. The attendants were quick and friendly. I came for their $2.50 games and $3 shoes, which are offered M-Th after 5pm. It can get hot so wear layers. They have a few arcade games at the front. Yay! I'm a fan because the guy working at the snack bar was high and gave my boyfriend extra change so he ended up paying less than a dollar for soda. Wheeee read more

Celebrated my daughter's Sweet 16 on a Saturday Galaxy Bowl. 10pm to 1Am. Great time!! 21 guest. No outside food is allowed. Only a cake. I was thrilled I was able to bring it early 11am and store in fridge. Booked last five lanes. I went A la cart. Paid $18.00 for individual bowler and ordered pizza and drinks from open menu. Everyone kept saying, "This place has the best pizza!" Happy they liked the food. They changed the fries. Sorry, not a fan. Very surprised I was assigned a server. Made things a million times easier for me. Kevin was awesome. A real Johnny on the spot! I probably drove the staff crazy up until the time of the party. Everyone was extremely helpful and patient with me. The manger was very approachable and willing to help. To sum it up, great party for $500.00! Stress free! THANK YOU Irvine Lanes staff for making my daughter's special day memorable!! read more

See all

Not a bad bowling alley. Although, they should let us know when they have league play so that people don't waste their time waiting.

This was the WORST experience of my life. Let's start with the front desk. She argued with us about our change. Our total was $28 and we paid $34... that's six dollars changed, she REFUSED to give us six dollars and insisted she take thirty. After that, they would not give us bumpers because we were "not younger than 10..." They said they would turn the lane on, but then only turned on one and would not turn on the rest. The lack of care and respect for their customers really showed. The people surrounding us were drunk and very rude making snide remarks towards us. Someone at the front desk came and walked behind our lane because of the bumpers... THE BUMPERS. The food was AWFUL and none of it was worth the money. I would never come back here again. read more

Clean facility! The staff were friendly and courteous to us throughout the whole experience. They were well "stocked" with different weights and finger sizes on their bowling balls. We also had a lot of space between us and the team bowling in the lane next to us. Some other alleys I've been to try and squeeze to maximize space. read more

THE GIST: We love bowling, but why has it become so freaking EXPENSIVE??!! Even the local coupons aren't really that great. OVERALL: Your standard bowling center. RECOMMENDATIONS: Bring your own everything... the food from the food stand is good, but looks a little sketchy at times..;). Drinks from the bar are a bit weak. ENVIRONMENT: What you expect from your neighborhood bowling center. read more