The CUTEST Mini Golf spot in East Bay! All the holes were East Bay themed which I loved.. it also gave a bit of history of each landmark. Not crowded right at opening on a weekend. There was also beer and food. Facility was clean and overall a grand old time.. Great for friends, date night, and even kids! ANYTHING but a subpar experience! read more

Fast and friendly service at entry and 19 holes at an affordable price, I had a positive experience here this past Sunday. I used to play at their very first location in a small room on Park Street in Alameda, more than a decade ago, and the current spot is a total 180, updated, spacious, and offering an arcade, pool tables, and snack bar serving pizza, sandwiches, chicken wings, and twister fries, as well as sweet treats and alcoholic beverages. The mini golf course has a similar theme to their SF location, the props and holes showcasing familiar landmarks in and around the city. Some moving parts, but not a whole lot. Challenge level is minimal, but it was still fun. There were some slow families on the course, but I was able to move around them and do the different holes at my own pace with little or no waiting needed. Easy parking too in the parking lot shared amongst the neighboring businesses. read more

See all

I've come here a few times now and have a great time each time. Subpar is great for a rainy day activity, group hangout, date night, family outing, kid's party, etc. They have a bar that serves alcoholic drinks, nonalcoholic drinks, and food (i.e. pizza). Definitely check out the theme of each hole as the all come together to represent the east bay. read more

See all

This spot is anything but subpar! Such a cute indoor mini golf experience themed around the East Bay - from Berkeley's Campanile and the Cal stadium with the big C, to a groovy "flower power" VW Berkeley bug (straight out of a hippy dream). As a Cal grad, I was living for the campus nods, and the creative hole designs had me smiling the whole way through, especially the Whoopee coaster hole (in video). No idea there used to be a giant roller coaster right where Crab Cove is! They've got ciders and beers on tap (huge plus), a hot snack bar for mid-game cravings, and even free lockers for your stuff. The vibe is super relaxed - great for dates, friend hangs, or family outings when you want something fun and low-stress. Every staff member we met was friendly and genuinely helpful. One even offered to take our group photos without us having to ask (and nailed them, by the way). All in all, Subpar is such a gem - local, colorful, and full of personality. Highly recommend for anyone looking for an East Bay-themed adventure without ever leaving Alameda. read more

See all

We are fans. Great for rainy days but also days when you want to get out of the glare of the sun. The holes are challenging and charming, highlighting the bay, specifically the East Bay. Food is very decent and service is excellent. It's got a very nice selection of arcade games including the ever popular Minecraft Dungeons which gives out trading cards? It's small but fun and challenging. read more

We went to this place to celebrate a birthday and it's pretty fun. I love seeing the contraptions they have to move the golf ball along for when you select your ball, for the roller coaster hole as well as the last hole. Each hole is an east bay location which is pretty nifty. Despite the name, this place is not subpar whatsoever. They also have cute claw machines, arcade games and a small maze to check out. read more

See all

A very nice indoor miniature golf place with an arcade on Park Street in Alameda!! Now, this place really isn't that big, and gets crowded pretty quickly on weekends when the weather isn't to great and people want to get out and do something. So, if you can't play golf, you can shoot pool or hit one of the many arcade games here. Obviously, plenty of parties are held here, super crowded then also. But if you're able to get some golf in, the many structures here are unique, definitely a fun place!! read more

See all

I had a great time here with my friends. I love recognizing the different Bay Area landmarks while playing the miniature golf. The staff was friendly and welcoming. We played one round of regular miniature golf and one round of glow golf. During the regular golfing, they have this cool machine that dispenses your choice of colored golf balls. During the glow golf, they have light up colored balls. This place was so much fun to hang out and have a chill Friday night out with the girls. Thanks for an awesome time! read more

See all

Came here for my nephew's 7 year old birthday party, which involved 16 kids and 12 helicopter, overbearing, risk adverse, coddling Millennial parents who forgot what it was like growing up in the 80s and 90s. PROs: -Big indoor space allows you to mini golf, rain or shine! -Good variety of videogames and physical games...very fun if you have an unlimited gaming card. -Quite possibly, the best, crispiest, and tastiest chicken tenders in the San Francisco Bay Area. -Decent beer selection on draft, though they could use at least one stout. -Friendly staff is acommadating, flexible, and great with kids. -Great safe environment to let your kids loose and run wild...unless you're a helicopter parent. -$500 to rent a 16 kid room for your kids party which includes golf and unlimited videogames, seems reasonable. CONs: -$14 per adult golf round is a bit pricy...though I suppose these are Bay Area prices. -Not the best pizza in the bay area. -Can get rather warm inside. read more

See all

What a fun place!!! Our family with a 12 year old, parents and grandparents all managed to had a "ball"! Each hole was creative and challenging enough to make it a fun competition. The holes were also really interesting due to their depiction of local sites. Do NOT miss the last hole (hole 19). If you get a hole in one there, you win a free game. Even if you don't, you get to watch your ball getting picked up by the conveyor belt and into the ball sorter machine at the start. Seriously a fun setup!! The crew working on site were knowledgeable and friendly. (They were also experts at taking awesome group pics!!) We will definitely be coming back!! read more

I visited Subpar with my parents for a very spontaneous, last-minute activity. We enjoyed our experience, and it was fun to mini golf. I also liked how they incorporated local, East Bay landmarks for each hole. It was surprisingly crowded for a Sunday night, but there were minimal wait times, and parking is available in the back. There is an arcade as well, which I haven't visited yet. But, overall this is a great spot for mini golf with friends & family! read more

Subpar Miniature Golf - Mini Golf Near Me - Alameda, California

See all

Took my kids here and they enjoyed it. We went on a weekday so it's less crowded and the kids get to play without rushing. The person who checked us in is the same person who serve our drinks at the bar. So I had to go to the check in area to ask for a bartender since no one was there. The staff were nice and friendly, the bathroom was clean. Very good experience and we'll be back on a weekday! read more

See all

A fun date because you can drink while playing mini golf. The course is not too hard, but certain holes do get backed up due to the large groups, so don't be afraid to skip ahead and then come back to that hole. Decent selection of beer and wine! read more

We love Subpar for wholesome, family fun in a safe environment and great customer service. There's miniature golf, a cute little arcade, billiards, and a small cafe that serves snacks, desserts, and drinks, including adult beverages. Quality the food is hit or miss. My kids love dippin dots at a fraction of the price we pay at the amusement parks. The fries are good. The mozzarella sticks are ok. Avoid the chicken tenders and jalapeño poppers. read more

See all

We walked over since it's local and with my daughter I didn't want to carry a wallet. I had Apple Pay. We spent over $100 and the arcade felt like it was still trying to connect to the internet on dial up. Mini golf was booked, the games weren't working, and when we tried pool we got denied a stick because I didn't have a physical card even though everything else is cardless. Then the Ryan Gosling knock off stepped in like the villain of the night. He told us to line up, let my daughter wait, and then hit us with a smug sorry no can do. She walked away disappointed. For $100 plus you would think customer service would be the one thing that worked! read more

See all

Had a fun day here playing indoor mini golf. Great place for kids or group events. I didn't try any of the food or drinks. read more

See all

Sadly some of my photos failed to upload. We had so much fun here and the place is always buys. We decided to spend part of Family Day goofing off and finding our inner child. And that's why parents bring there kids here because its FUN! Huge inside and plenty for everyone to do. The energy level is high and with high ceilings be prepared for the elevated sound of happy children (and many adults). We elected to do the full round of gold though there were many other electronic games around us. Bright, bold colors, lavish designs, and a snack bar for all those Kiddie Carbs you desire. It was great to have family time there. A little surprise for me was the last hole had a tube feature. If you made it in a flashing light goes off and you win a free round for your next trip. Bingo was his name-o. I did it. Oh happy days. Great Family place. A little loud but totally fun. Recommended only if you like to have fun. LOL read more

See all

Fun mini golf, arcade and billiards in Alameda. The mini golf area referenced landmarks in the East Bay like the Oakland Zoo, Berkeley stadium, Claremont tower, the port, downtown Oakland, etc. It was fun to figure out the landmarks. Mini golf wasn't too challenging so it's good for young ones as well. Ambiance was creative and fun! It's very spacious inside but it was extremely loud when I walked in - to the point I wished for earplugs - it would be nice if they installed some noise adsorption like more carpeting or provided earplugs honestly. They also served food and drinks. Looks like a great place for a birthday party or group event. I liked the open hand washing stations! Service was friendly and it was well staffed. The kitchen did shut down for a bit so no food orders were taken during certain times. Plenty of mall and metered street parking. The compact parking spaces were quite small and narrow in the complex though. read more

See all

This is a fun place to take friends and family. There's a parking lot so parking is not a problem. There's pizza, sandwiches drinks at the little mini snack bar so you don't go hungry. Lots of iconic structures such as as the local High bridge, Berkeley campus. Employees are very helpful and friendly. read more

Subpar Miniature Golf - Mini Golf Near Me - Alameda, California

This place is great, and I'm glad it's here. We've been here a number of times for mini-golf. The course is enjoyable, and it's fun to guess what each hole is modeled after in the East Bay (and then look at the back of the score card to find out). There are exciting parts for kids, like the mechanical device that issues you a ball in your preferred color, and getting to watch your ball go back to it at the end. What am I saying, I like it too! (not just for kids). The course takes about an hour. The only downside is it can get a little loud on a crowded weekend day. I like to go when they first open, when it is less crowded. One downside is that you usually need a reservation on the weekend. We showed up a couple years ago on a weekend, and we would have had to wait a couple hours for an open mini golf slot. We chose to play pool/billiards instead, and do the arcade. But I guess the good part about reservations is that if you have one, you don't have to wait. The downside is you can't have an impromptu trip to mini golf. I don't think you need a reservation on a weekday afternoon or first thing in the morning on a weekend. To me, the arcade is boring, but my 11-year-old and his friends all like it a lot. There are no classic arcade games like Pac Man, but of course you can go down the street a couple blocks to High Scores if you want a classic arcade experience. We had my kiddo's birthday party here, and it was a good experience. We did the mini-party, which is up to 10 kids/participants, with up to 4 grown-ups supervising (you don't get a private room, just tables in the lunch area, so they limit the number of total people). We've never had a party at a place before, but the service seemed good and we had no complaints. Food was separate, but with a minimum purchase. We brought our cake. The kids got one game of mini golf, then eating food and cake, then unlimited arcade (but no arcade prizes) until the party end. The party is 3 hours. We chose this place because most places seem to only let you be there for 2 hours, and that seemed too rushed. This was a nice party, I'd definitely have it here again. The staff here seems friendly and helpful. I've never had a problem with anyone here, and a couple times they've helped me out. Overall, I recommend this place. read more

Fun indoor miniature golf with arcade games as well. Easy shopping center parking. Best enjoyed with a large party so you can have a good laugh with everyone. I enjoyed the decor that accompanied many of the holes because they're inspired by San Francisco Bay Area landmarks. They also have a snack bar with microwavable meals. read more

The place was clean and there was a lot to keep kids/adults busy. There were about 18 holes for miniature golf. They had smaller golf clubs for kids. They also had some benches and tables to sit at. In the game area they had pool tables, air hockey, claw games, arcade games, etc. You could order food if you want to. There was plenty of free parking in the parking lot. The place was very clean. At night they had glow in the dark out out and that was nice. read more

See all

I went on a weekday so it wasn't crowded at all which was a plus. The place is small so it's pretty compact. The holes aren't the most unique like other ppl say but it's still fun to play. I'm taking a star off for lack of creativity in the holes. Didn't order food or drinks so can't speak about that. read more

Such a cute and fun experience for my 4 year old. So glad I stumbled upon this place. Great and friendly staff

Is Subpar my son's favorite local business? You bet your a$$ it is. My 6 year old is obsessed. Like anytime we have free time, he's like: "Subpar?". We had his bday party here, I've been to a Yelp event here without kids, and I've brought my son back a few more times for some mother-son bonding, and it's a great time, everytime. The indoor course is fantastic. It's challenging and fun (even for adults, maybe a bit too challenging for some potentially younger children) and every hole is East Bay/Bay Area themed, baby! They also have an arcade from all the video games, skeeball, air hockey and pool. I spend way too much money on my son playing said arcade games, but such is life. Kids party - tell you more? First, do not expect to have a party in the cafe area. You must book a party room. From reviews it looks like they straight shut down any type of gathering in the cafe. I get it, businesses need to make money. Don't come to Yelp and complain about perfectly acceptible policies that you don't abide by. Second, you can bring in dessert and snacks free of charge, but any other outside catering has a fee. Lastly, over the phone they were almost insanely strict on the head count, making it rather hard, since we wanted parents there, but not necessarily golfing, but they said if they were there, they counted. We ended up having to limit it to 1 parent per child. :( However, when we got there onsite, they were much more flexible. I'm also a very nice and reasonable human, so that may have helped. Setting up the kids party: It was a bit of a hassle to connect with someone. I would get a hold of someone who would actually give me the info i needed, but then I'd call back after checking dates, and it would be phone tag and so on. It took about 2 weeks of phone tag to actually get the event going. Weekends tend to be more crowded, so patience. When no one is there, and you have the place to yourself, it's awesome. They have glow golf and a bunch of other themed nights. They do have a cafe, they sell beer and wine. I haven't tried the food, but always lovely to have a beer! Overall, Subpar is such a great spot for those mini golf fans. So great with kids (I wouldn't do under 6), and a fun and different date night/friend outing. read more

Welcome back! I know, you have been at this second location for a while. Quality/Quantity - Wow, great job with the architecture of each hole. Love the local art!! Ace Mulligan's - Reasonably priced foods and drinks, see menu. We did not try. Maybe next time. Atmosphere - So so cool, check out the pictures. The photos do NOT do it justice. Busy on weekends, luckily we are also able to come on the weekdays. :) I also like the 4 hand washing stations outside of the bathrooms. Plenty of bathrooms, like 8 or more. Private room for events. Open 7 days a week from 10am or 11am to 9pm or 11pm. Pool tables and gaming are also available. Lazer maze. Night golfing is coming soon; $16 for adults. Service - Okay, "kids" running the place. After you pay for your round of golf, it is mostly self service. Love that 19th hole, a chance to win another game, see picture. Price - See picture. $14 for adults. Wednesday is Senior or Mastick day, see picture. Discounted to $9 and 15% off of food. Owner Comment - Congrats on your two locations since 2012, my daughter and her friends are loyal customers. And now she takes us. read more

See all

Its a decent place, though of a new miniature golf course to try and came here it's ok very short to play on prefer the outdoor one, but if it's a rainy day or cold day this place is a good little place to go and play. Like I said it was small and when through it fast but we had to wait for the front group to finish their game so it made us wait longer than it was supposed to be. read more

Subpar Miniature Golf - Mini Golf Near Me - Alameda, California

See all

Was pleasantly surprised when I came here. I've only been to outdoor mini golf before this and was a little hesitant. I love the Oakland theme! There's a small food court area, but we didn't get any food or drink this time. I'd definitely come back! read more

See all

This is my first time back at Subpar since their other Alameda location. I found the pricing to be reasonable and staff friendly, with clean facilities and bathrooms. Even though I went on a Tuesday afternoon, there were still a good amount of people playing mini golf, so I can only imagine what it's like on a weekend. If you want to come here, I recommend going at a time where you think not many other people are coming, otherwise the wait times are gonna be long. The facility itself is inside an old Walgreens, so the place isn't the biggest. They have the 19 holes planned very well, so the holes are right next to each other and require minimal walking. I love how each hole comes with a description on the score card about each location it's based on in the Bay Area, from SF to Santa Cruz. It really makes each hole feel unique yet homely to Bay Area people. The downside is that because the place isn't as big, there can be a human traffic during busy times. With no wait time in between holes, my gf and I spent around 90 minutes playing, however I would expect the time to be much higher if there were wait times. A great way to spend a portion of the day in Alameda! read more

We had a group and we had a great time really fun and resonable prices additionally the have lots of parking. read more

I'm really glad that this is back in Alameda and bigger and better than before! There are a good variety of holes with different routing challenges which keeps it fun. The themes and decor of each hole are really cool to look at, especially the large buildings. Some holes have elements which are broken or cracked and have not been fixed, or just fixed with duct tape. A couple podiums were marked as broken "Do Not Lean." This could be a hazard for anyone not paying attention or for kids running around. I made the final hole and won a free round of golf but the alarm and light didn't go off so there was no visual proof. They honored it and told me that it works sometimes and doesn't other times. Many of these issues should be remedied and fixed especially for the cost of admission. We arrived pretty close to opening so there was no wait and we dropped in without reserving a tee time. The course was fairly empty but as we finished it was getting full and felt crowded. The space isn't that big for some of the huge groups that arrive so it can feel packed during busy times. We were able to get a parking spot in the back parking lot but as we left, there were many cars waiting around lurking in the lot for parking spots. read more

See all

Generally a good time. I support the signing up for a time in advance. Unfortunately, a family with 3 adults and four kids under 8 were in front of us. They took forever for each hole. The adults never skipped their turn in the interest of everyone else. If you are going to take your 3 yr old and let them and your 4 and 5 yr old play you need to skip your turn almost every hole. Grandpa needs to skip too. Food was mediocre. It's worth going once, but I won't return. Arcade had a lot of shooting games. Not appropriate for kids under 10 read more

Really spacious & clean indoor mini golf in Alameda. Really fun place to go on a data or to just hang out with your friends. There are 18 holes with a bonus 19th hole at the end. If you make the 19th hole, you get another free game (but it's really hard lol). All of the holes were really fun & interesting. There's also a small arcade in the back and a few pool tables to the right of the front desk. There's a small bar area by the front where you can get drinks & snacks -- the prices are very affordable too. The onion rings were really crispy, the batter is flavorful & not too thick. The mozzarella sticks were so so good -- it's just cheese & batter lol can't go wrong -- it was good enough we ordered some to take home. read more

See all

Love love love! This building used to be a Walgreens but it closed down and was replaced with mini golf! There's a subpar in Ghirardelli square, sf and I'm glad they opened one in alameda too! The theme was very cute and even had the old Neptune beach rollercoaster in it. If you make the last hole, you get another round of mini golf. I missed though... There's a snack bar with reasonable prices for families, a pool table area, private party rooms, and an arcade section with basketball, Minecraft, racing, shooting, etc. It's a v family friendly place and is right next to a boba and food spots so everything is within walking distance. I took my little cousin here and we ran around for ~3 hours just playing games and attempting to golf. Front desk was nice and prompt when paying for the mini golf. read more

Subpar Miniature Golf - Mini Golf Near Me - Alameda, California

See all

Packed on Sunday afternoon with families and kids, can get quite loud. Mini golf is main draw but there's also arcade games and pool. 18 holes with a East Bay landmark theme (try to identify them all!) Some courses we definitely struggled with (took like 6+ tries), but we got a "hole in one" on a few courses. 19th hole is bonus - free round if get hole in one (I won, total beginners luck!) My favorite course was the elaborated designed Neptune roller coaster. Can reserve online, but walk-in is also fine. Friend also got chicken wings but said it didn't taste like BBQ flavored (not so good). Parking lot in back can fill up when it's busy (shared with other businesses). Street parking available. read more

See all

If you're looking for an indoor activity for kids, check out subpar. The vibes in here are really cool, I like how each hole has a theme dedicated to Oakland or Bay Area. There snacks are good too, the mini corn dogs were a big hit for my son. The arcade area is also a great place to enjoy, my son loved playing the games that give you prizes. read more

Really fun place to take your kids or even a fun day with friends. 18 holes that is east bay themed. Fun course took about 90 mins. There's also arcade fun for the kiddos. Perfect place for a birthday party for 8-10 year olds! read more

Subpar Miniature Golf - Part of the cute golf course - Mini Golf Near Me - Alameda, California

Lots of fun to be had at subpar. On a Saturday afternoon, it was packed with adults and kids of all ages playing mini golf and arcade games. The games are not too expensive so you can have a good time with $20. They also have a mini food area with lots of options if you get hungry. The ambiance is clean and the mini golf is kept well. There is a parking lot and plenty of street parking. read more

See all

I love all the Subpar locations for mini golf! The courses and holes are always SO cute with great decorations and really fun/interesting designs. This one is 18 holes for $14 per person. There's also a small arcade, some billiards tables, and a food stand. My friends and I had a great time with all of the activities. The only downside to subpar is that they only have 1 course at each location so it can get really busy and you might have to wait for the people in front of you to finish first at each hole. read more

See all

We love coming here to play indoor golf. It has 19 holes w/ all the iconic places in the east bay. They are always busy on the weekends, so I recommend making reservations online. The staff is super friendly and accommodating. We recently went to an after-dark event. It was fun with all the lights lit up. But it looks like they need to update some of their lights, as there were a lot that were out. I definitely recommend if you like indoor miniature golf. It's pretty challenging and not too easy. They have arcades, laser maze and pool tables, too. A fun place for both kids and adults. read more

Subpar Miniature Golf - Teeing off at The Oakland Zoo hole - Mini Golf Near Me - Alameda, California

See all