You feel like you are transported back in time lol. My son enjoyed our old school bowling experience. Huge pro this is something that you can do after watching a movie at the nearby theater to burn off some steam. Everyone was very friendly and helpful. read more

Tivoli Bowling Lanes - Bowling like it's the 90's lol - Bowling Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

The service was absolutely terrible we came in 10 minutes before close just taking a look at the place and the 2 lady's their one bigger looking with glasses kept repeating that they were closed and giving my group and I (after we asked if they were closed) attitude. she said "that's what I just said" . We will not be returning here and I don't recommend you do either. The black lady was rolling her eyes after every word she was saying. read more

This place is BOMB just for being a hidden small entrance to a downstairs big bowling alley! It's like Platform 9 3/4s from Harry Potter. Fun times and they have pinball here, some classics though they're probably janky. Still a cool throwback and place read more

First time ever we ordered two games and at the start of second game they just all of a sudden had to do maintenance on the lanes. All of our food was sitting there that some was microwaved...... gross- got our order wrong too. Awful experience won't be returning. read more

The place is okay but the owner/manager (bald headed small man) needed to feel his Napoléonic-ego stroked, so when we could not locate the button to push to renew a game he yelled loudly at me and my friends (like it's that time of month). Instead of calmly showing us where the button is, he would rather scream at the top of his voice like he has hemorrhoids bothering him. I don't know what mental problems he is going through or issues in his life, but taking out his anger on us customers is not going to solve it. It would have been a nice experience for us, but it turned into a bad one since this small man wanted to feel good about himself by screaming at me and my friends. read more

It's so old fashion and always have songs played by the 80's which I love. The food was great along with the variety of bowling ball weights. My cousin been working there for awhile and he loves his job. read more

Great arcade room and Tivoli has two recent model Pinball games. Food and drink reasonably priced. Check them out when you have time on your hands in downtown Downers "The Happy Place". read more

Tivoli Bowling Lanes - Bowling Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

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While waiting for a Metra train to cart you back into the city, this isn't a bad place to kill a little time. The whole place is clean and well kept. The staff are pretty nice. They have a large selection of balls you can choose from or you can play with your own balls. (Every bowling alley I've ever been to has a selection of balls you can bowl with. I just wanted to say "play with your own balls.") If you like playing with a larger number of smaller balls on a green felted table, they have pool tables too. The main draw for me is the selection of arcade games and pinball machines. They're a great time waster for me while I'm waiting for a ride back into the big scary city after visiting my grandmother. read more

Tivoli Bowling Lanes - Bowling! - Bowling Near Me - Downers Grove, Illinois

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Made a scheduling error in booking the bowling lanes. Management was understanding and wonderful to work with. Received a prompt refund. Thank you Tivoli Bowl! read more

We rented a few lanes for a kid's birthday party and Tivoli bowl was great! We had to move our date due to illness, and they were so flexible and easy to work with. The event itself went well and we were treated very well. Staff was polite, attentive, and helpful. The space a quaint and family--friendly. One improvement they could make would be the food. It was fine, typical concession stand food. Overall, I would highly recommend Tivoli for a night out of bowling and/or a private rental. read more

Stopped here one night to meet a friend after work for some drinks and to check the place out for my little girl's birthday party. The place was very dirty and the staff downright rude. The video games and pinball machines were in horrible condition. There were 3 different sound systems going at the same time. I bought a Coke and sat down at a table to look at the clientele that frequented this establishment. I took a picture to show my significant other was told there was no photography allowed. That was disappointing because my I would want to take pictures of my little girl's birthday party. I think they were more worried about people seeing all the freaky people at Tivoli Bowl in bondage gear and funny costumes and other unmentionables. Needless to say, I'll be taking my family and business elsewhere. read more

We had a surprise birthday party for my daughter here last weekend and it was the best time! The staff was so easy to work with and went above and beyond to make the day special. I used to come here all of the time growing up and it was so awesome to be back 20 years later and seeing the same hospitality and ambiance thriving. Highly recommend! read more

Seems to be the magnet for locals. This place is always busy and seems to have a positive and fun atmosphere. The lanes are good, but I'd recommend bringing your own bowling balls as they tend to tailor this alley towards each side of the spectrum and you might not find a heavier ball to roll with. read more

We had a retirement party here and the staff was amazing and So accommodating the whole time. The music they play is great, lanes are nice, drinks are good and everything is a very decent price. We had a great time and would recommend this place to everyone read more

As an on again off again visitor for Kyle's private party I can vouch for his opinion on David's review. Tivoli is an awesome place for a smallish gathering or just for some casual bowling. The staff is always friendly. My suggestion is if you're looking for a throwback alley with some newer flare to it then look no further. read more

There are so many things to call out here to explain why Tivoli Bowl is probably the worst bowling experience possible. Firstly, the machines. About half of the frames played resulted in a jammed ball return (on multiple lanes), misplaced pins, or incorrect scoring. My group of friends and I spent more than half of our time there waiting for the staff to fix the various breakdowns our various lanes (we were switched twice in one game) were experiencing, and we were able to get very little bowling done. One of my friends made the mistake of bringing his own ball, and it ended up returning from a particularly bad jam with several considerably deep scars. Secondly, the atmosphere is abysmal. The staff have control over the volume of the music, and they seem to think "so loud you have to scream to hear the person next to you" is the ideal setting. After asking several times for a decrease in volume, the man behind the counter actually ended up increasing the volume to the point where now, as I write this, I have a dull ringing in my ears. Truth be told, by the end of the night I took it upon myself to unplug a couple of the speakers, in order to actually, you know, talk to the people with whom I was bowling. Finally, the facility itself. It's apparent that the management and staff pay little regard to their business' condition. After seeking refuge from the broken-down alley in the game room, we had money eaten by one of the pool tables which only put out three of the necessary balls, and witnessed one of the bartenders SPITTING ON THE GROUND, indoors, on the carpet, as he walked past. I'm not terribly familiar with the surrounding area, but if you happen to know of any other bowling alley - ANY other bowling alley - go there instead. read more

Pretty cool lanes. Nice that they are in a historic building... but the lanes themselves are right with the times. They do the red head-pin so you can win free games if you strike when a red pin is #1. Attached Aurelio's pizza can be served (call ahead for lunch, I think) at the lane (well, behind it rather as usual. I don't want your pizza grease throwing off my spin!). One unfortunate lane is stuck next to the wall. I was the unfortunate fellow who got that lane and had to adjust my bowling style. I probably could have asked to move, but I didn't want to move the whole party. The atmosphere is relaxed (yeah, it is a bowling alley) and it looks easy to get drinks / shoes / etc (I was here with a party). For anyone who has trouble with access... I'm sure there must be something for handicapped people but typical bowlers will have to carry your equipment down a pretty steep (but easy to traverse) flight of stairs. Parking is kind of a pain in this area on weekdays if you go early, and traffic might be a bum... but it really isn't too hard to make your way in. Nice option if you just missed a train or have to wait a while for one. Hey, bowling is always a good time! read more

An alright place to go bowling. I like the old downtowniness that its got going for it. Going downstairs to go bowling gave it a bit of a speak easy feeling to it. Once you get down there you find a decent sized arcade, 12 lanes or so, and a crappy little "bar." The arcade has some decent games, however the place seems to be filled with teenagers making out. Which is fine by me, every kid needs to find places for such things right? Just warning you to check that racing game before you climb in blindly. The lanes were ok I guess, definitely didn't seem as nice as what I'm used to at other places though. The little clips that they played on the screen were when you bowled pretty entertaining though, I rather enjoyed the strange references that I often didn't understand at all. The bar was overpriced, understocked, and under-maintained. The beer came out SUPER heady and I was disappointed with the lack of effort they gave to try and fix this issue and give my a proper beer. I left happy overall but I think that was because of my company honestly. It is a cool little place but it could definitely be better if they stepped it up at the bar and on their lane maintenance. read more

This place is great! Good for families/kids, very casual and laid back, small, and the prices cannot be beat!!! (They run specials during their slower seasons that make games $2 and shoes $3. Seriously!) It's just a typical bowling place, but isn't super seedy feeling or old and grungy, which is a major plus. Electronic scoring keeps it easy, bumpers and these ramp things are available to help younger ones bowl, and there's an arcade off to the side for preteens to stay occupied. They also have pitchers of beer, soft drinks, and some food/snacks available. If you're the kind of person that just wants to enjoy a few hours bowling with your family or friends, I would totally go to Tivoli Bowl. read more

This bowling alley had 12 lanes at most. They put every bowling group right next to each other. There are 6 seats per 2 lanes. Very small. My husband's Brunswick bowling shoes were able to scuff the floor somehow. The worst part for us was trying to get a drink. The owner (I assume) took the only "of age" server to talk about numbers, and completely ignored us as we waited over 5 minutes to be served. (We were the only ones waiting) We eventually gave up. The two boys working were very nice, and extended our prepaid time to finish our game nearing completion, but the older man that I assumed was the owner was not friendly whatsoever. Additionally, our lane occasionally had mistaken our frame score. They had a party room and arcade that looked very nice! read more

We decided to try Tivoli again and had a great time. We experienced zero lane problems, no noise problems, and the manager was great. We will certainly be back. read more

This place is ACTUALLY a 3.5 for me, and if you are going just to bowl, bump that up to four stars. I will admit, I didn't have high hopes for Tivoli Lanes and was pleasantly surprised by the atmosphere, it felt relaxed and comfortable. It was bright, clean and the music selection was upbeat and fun. The facility was also very clean and the service was prompt and polite. The biggest drawback was the food and alcohol selection...there wasn't much to choose from. My husband noticed the only beers on tap were Miller and Budweiser. It was also a little hard to hear anyone speak, in part due to the two kids' birthday parties that were going on. So, again, if you are just going to bowl, this place is great, if you are looking for an experience this wouldn't be my first recommendation. We will go back for more bowling, probably on Sunday morning, when games are only $1.00! read more

Tivoli is definitely great for family fun bowling, birthday parties, and drinking and bowling with your buddies- but I wouldn't give it many more stars for anything past that in the bowling arena. It's not really where you come to bowl league and get 300s, it's not where you bowl tournaments and win big bucks, it's not where you bowl in a packed house league. I mean, don't get me wrong. I do love coming here to bowl every once in awhile, but it's small- 12 lanes, not always oiled well, if at all. Up until maybe 8-10 years ago they still had wooden lanes, which was a huge cool factor, but made bowling really difficult. They have pretty cheap prices compared to other bowling alleys in the area which is nice. They have shoe rental and balls available if you don't have your own. They also have an arcade and 2 pretty large party rooms. The arcade has a fair amount of games and some pool tables. Let me put it this way- The Tivoli can be a fun night out for teenagers, but if you're a serious bowler you're probably not going to get much serious bowling things done here. read more

Fun little bowling alley in the basement below the Tivoli Theater, right next to the train station. Smoke-free, which is important for me (I'm from California so I am not acclimated to smoke... tobacco smoke anyway). They have a couple of well-maintained pinball machines here, and I'm a sucker for pinball. There are also pool tables. Open bowling as well as league nights. read more

Old school down-and-dirty bowling. Twelve lanes with not much seating or eating room. Free daily summertime bowling for kiddos when you sign up online is a huge plus. Dude running the desk seems two steps behind. Also really off-putting (to say the least) that a drunk guy at the bar (which is front and center to the bowling lanes) is nearly falling off his stool at 2:30 in the afternoon while leering and staring at each customer. Free bowling is still not cheap enough for me to return. Ditch the drunks and I'd be OK bringing my kid back. Maybe. OK, maybe not. read more

Honestly, I'm not much of a bowler, but I love this place. I've been coming here for almost 50 years. I invited some coworkers to meet here one night and the bartenders spoiled that rowdy bunch of teachers rotten. They loved it! Great menu (cheese curds!) and the drink specials are fantastic! read more

This is a review for a BIRTHDAY PARTY. We decided to do my son's 5 year old birthday party at Tivoli Bowling. First off, they made us come in person to sign up and pay our deposit - a little inconvenient, but no big deal. We called the day before the party to give our final headcount, and THEY HAD NO RECORD OF OUR RESERVATION. We were not on the schedule. We got a "who did you talk to?". We told them we had a written contract, and we got "is it handwritten? Oh, no, it's a real contract. "Typed? Do you have the white copy or the yellow copy?" Compete idiots on the phone. We basically rebooked, going over everything that they made us go over in person two weeks earlier. Our party was on a Sunday at 11am, and they gave us two lanes for 13 kids. So, basically 7 kids per lane. That's not really enough, so I asked for another lane (and of course I would pay extra), and they asked me "how long do you want it". Huh? I want it for the same length of time as the party will be bowling. "How many kids will be playing?" WHAT? I don't know if you ever seen 13 5 year old's bowling within the confines of two lanes, but it's absolute chaos. I said 4 kids. Then I got "What are their names?" Are you kidding me? Are you really that dumb? Apparently yes, because guess which lane they turned on? If you guessed the lane NEXT to the two lanes that we were bowling on YOU WOULD BE WRONG. The kids were on lane 1 and 2 and they turned on lane 4. I finally got them to turn on the lane next to the party. "We will be serving your pizza at 12pm". Well, that's great if I ordered pizza, but I ordered hot dogs. We got a crock pot of luke warm hot dogs, a tin tray of completely undercooked fries, and two packs of hot dog buns still in their wrapper with the twist tie on them. Great effort, Tivoli. What do you want for $17 a kid? Oh, and you have to bring your own plates, silverware, etc. This was the most unorganized $300 birthday party I've ever experienced. The entire staff has ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHAT THEY ARE DOING. Luckily, it was for 5 year olds, so they had a blast, but I did not. read more

I have been to several parties at the Tivoli Bowl . Really enjoy the atmosphere. It's small but has a family orientated feel to it. Chuck is always very friendly and accommodating. I was there for a birthday party and Chuck was always checking in and making sure we didn't need anything. He made sure it was all set up perfectly. We loved being able to play pool and have the stage for the little ones to play on. He made our guests feel comfortable and he was joking and talking with everyone. I loved the fact he took the time and made sure everyone was doing right on the lanes and I didn't have to be all over the place and I was able to enjoy myself as well. THANKS CHUCK it was great!! read more

My new boyfriend and I went bowling last night for the first time in years. The place is very nice and clean for starters. They had a big selection of bowling balls to use and the lanes were nice. Our bartender and server Bobby provided us excellent service and played some great music too. We ordered some alcoholic beverages from the bar and some cooked snacks. The chicken fingers were the best we've ever had and the fries were very good, crisp and hot. Bobby checked in on us from time to time being very attentive and got us everything we needed. After bowling we spun the wheel and only paid $2 a game, you can't beat that. Then we asked Bobby to show us the rest of the place which was the game room and a room for parties. He pointed out the theater was part of Tivoli that we plan to check out. My boyfriend will be back for another date soon, maybe after a movie at their theater first. I'm sure the other employees are good too but we are hoping Bobby will be there next time too, he really made the evening for us. read more

Quite disappointed with the customer service we received tonight. Decided to try it out and as a paying customer I was completely disappointed. Not only will I not return here but I will definitely let others know about my experience here. FYI if you purchased a "Groupon" I suggest you get a refund. read more

This is a run-down bowling alley that has seen better days. The prices are a little cheaper than say a Brunswick Bowl, but with that comes mediocre lanes that are not oiled well. Beer is decently cheap, staff is usually friendly although I've had couple issues. There is an arcade in the back, but last time I went both pinball machines were broke and all the pool tables were extremely unlevel (aim for the bottom-left corner pocket everytime!). This is not the worst bowling alley, but I would recommend Lisle Lanes over this one. read more

We had a party reservation for the 6th grade class of our school booked to follow the talent/variety show today. The Tivoli bowl claims to have lost our reservation and booked another party for the same time. I wouldn't trust this place with anything in the future. I would definitely recommend booking a party with a more professional venue that could handle more than one group at a time. Save yourself from a nightmare and go elsewhere!! read more

We threw a party for my sister's birthday here and the staff was beyond great! They helped with everything we needed, they accommodated us when we didn't have enough people to fill all the reserves lanes to save us money. They provided us with space for the food we catered and did a birthday shout-out without us even asking. 10/10 experience and I would highly recommend them! The food at Aurelio's was also very good and the serving sizes are pretty large. read more

Held an 8 year old birthday party for 6 children and did the special $59 Friends and Family. Was told upon arrival that my signed contract stating 2 lanes was not for 2 lanes only one and that I would have to pay an additional $59 for the second lane. Very unhappy with this breach of contract, a free pizza did not make up for anything! read more

I didn't mind Tivoli Lanes. It was dark, dingy, and clearly outdated. I think that added to its ambiance, though. One thing I will complain about it the fact that their carpeting was wet. Despite the chairs surrounding the wet spot, someone in our party nearly ate it because whatever was on the carpet was seeping out of the protection of the chairs. Prices were kind of high at $4/game, and our lane kept needing to be reset. The one thing that I did love about it was the fact that there were Furries bowling at the same time as us. Amazing! read more

I found my experience with management and the bowling alley to be great. I needed a space for 15 people. The manager was very helpful on the phone. At the alley, they were ready for us, even giving my party the option for Cosmic bowling because we were the biggest group that night. We ordered pizza, which was Aurelio's. The pizza was tasty and a great addition to our evening. This alley isn't fancy but it's managed well and it's fun. read more

My son's band played here last night & it was a great time. Beautiful place, friendly staff and conveniently located to the Metra. I can't wait to return! read more

We had a blast here. The lanes are well maintained and they even have the weights of the balls by color, which makes it super easy to select the right one. We ordered from Aurelios, which was fantastic and the bowling staff actually delivered it to our lane. Prices are reasonable and it wasn't incredibly packed on a Monday. Their game room includes 4 pool tables, a Foosball table and 10-15 video games of older make. I'm looking forward to going back! read more

Arcade has a few machines expect to pay .75cents per machine, a few were broke & too hard to find anyone to fix, pool tables a few wobble, not in good shape, woman's bathroom stall did not lock, behind the bar can use a bleach job, webs and dust in the back room can be cleaned better, can't imagine live bands with that set up? And the lighting? bowling lanes clean and nice, bowling shoes in great condition. Lamar great guy, he should be running the whole place.watch out for the old man believe he is the manager he will yell and scream and embarrass u in front of your kids if u did something out of policy or anything wrong? He did this in front of everyone, I really don't think he realized how loud he was to make my kid cry. Not sure why he did it that way instead of pulling one of the adults to the side and chat with us about the extreme rules!!! We get it ! we won't come back we won't bring cookies in your back room big mistake...he needs to retire and find a happier place. Let Lamar run this place and change the name to that as well!!! He needs to focus on how to make a customer happy or fix his place or go back to training on how to be a polite older man who wants people to come back. And tell your staff not to stare at there customers it's uncomfortable i saw how the staff disappeared and the only one running around and doing anything was Lamar!!! good luck. And tell lamar he needs to run his own place, he was the only one working!!!! read more

Came here for my birthday party! They made it easy to book three lanes. It was a Wednesday night. We had a great time and were able to take pictures of our party. Not sure why someone previously wrote you can't take pictures. The staff was helpful and the drinks were strong. Will be coming back and probably having a child's birthday party here soon!!! read more