North Bowl

909 N 2nd St, Philadelphia, PA 19123, USA

Address:	909 N 2nd St, Philadelphia, PA 19123, USA
Phone:	+1 215-238-2695
Site:	northbowlphilly.com
Rating:	4.1
Working:	5PM–2AM 5PM–2AM 5PM–2AM 5PM–2AM 5PM–2AM 12PM–2AM 12PM–2AM

Location

Photos 100

Reviews 10

James Shackleford

Only came to bowl here once. Bowling itself was okay, but the service was ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE due to a bar mitzvah that was taking place up stairs. Food waits, even for simple appetizers, was well over an hour. Waitress only came to check on us every 1.5 hours or so. Upstairs being off limits meant no air hockey or foosball. Add insult to injury, we werent allowed to extend our lane due to "a two hour wait," and yet the lane next to ours wasnt being used for the entire time we were playing. Lane manager said he was holding it, but nobody ever came to use it. Also, be aware that the lane scoring devices are totally screwy (well, at least on lane #8). Counted a lot of non-strikes as strikes. Didnt count a lot of spares as spares. Pretty annoying to constantly perform score overrides. Overall it seems like this place is super mismanaged. The bar mitzvah totally ruined the experience for everyone. Management needs to either force private parties to buy the entire place out, or they need to figure out how to manage their kitchen under load. Looks like making the most money possible takes precedence over providing a good customer experience. Might come back, but not really in a hurry...

Alain Rahme

My girlfriend and I just came back from North Bowl. The start was great we got our lane and the waiter came over, we ordered drinks and pretzels. The drinks came right away which was nice however although we were planning on 2 games we had to play another couple of games because the pretzels wouldnt get to us until the third. Alas the kitchen can be busy, understandable. However midway through our third game we had a different waiter come to us and say "do you not know bowlers courtesy?" Thinking to ourselves what wrong we did, the waiter exclaims that next to us is a bowling league whom we need to wait on to bowl first and we can bowl second because these people bet and pay a lot of money. I didnt realize that my Girlfriend and I were peasants and the money we spent was less significant than the leagues.

A Private User

Horrible Experience! A+ Food, A+ Drinks, but honestly the staff is amazingly rude and has been every time weve been in. Look, I get that they are popular and busy and have these really long wait times due to the fact that everyone wants to go there. BUT, does the staff really have to have such a terrible attitude all the time? The nicest, most courteous staff member was the mechanic! Really! And.....dont be finishing up a game you waited 2 hours to play when the bowling league comes in! I wont say that they kicked us off the lane, but they actually moved our coats, purses shoes, etc. and stood ON THE LANE, staring at us for the last 4 frames. As soon as I threw my last ball, I turned around to see the guy behind me motioning me to move out of his way. What a turn off !

A Private User

While our event was great, the management offered our group a great deal, only to try and charge us over $1000.00 extra the night of our event. We and the management had a copy of the signed contract for our event and the manager on duty claimed that there was an updated contract somewhere out in cyberspace that included the extra charges. The only contract they could produce was the one without a facility charge. Their mistake, not ours. We booked our event there because our sales person told us she was going to give us an amazing deal. So amazing it took us 1/2 hour to dispute the extra charges and then this morning we woke up to a separate charge for the $1000.00 show up on my organizations credit card. Do not do business with these people! They commit fraud.

A Private User

Ive been to North Bowl a couple times and had fun. Its a nice place. I wanted to return with a small group, so I tried to get in touch with someone there to answer some questions. Three emails and a phone message went unreturned over the course of a week and a half. I ended up taking my group to Lucky Strike. North Bowl, youd better get your act together regarding service and PR. Dont get complacent just because your lanes are full and you have little local competition for what you do. I know several people who have expressed good things about North Bowl, but its funny: as soon as I mentioned the problems I had, the negative recollections and stories came pouring out from all sides. Seems Im not the only one with mixed feelings about your place. Take heed.

Gu utz

we were 10 people at this place. Atmosphere, lighting and registration desk was all great. The horrible thing was service by this cute young Caucasian girl with tattoos on the leg and arm. She just did not care to tell me that my order of scotch was not available. i kept waiting 30 min..... Had to go up to her and ask her where my order was to find out they ran out of it. Also, the first order of Glenfidich was replaced by other brand. Since I drink on the rocks, I can tell the brand well. Drinking scotch for 9 years. Beware of what they serve you. On my way out I saw the Glenfidich bottle up the rack...dont know if was empty of something in there. If there was some thing, what was it!!!! beat me. Yes, I would go there. But not order scotch.

Mary Nguyen

Usual spot for my work happy hour. We always over eat and drink because the finger foods are great. I love the tater tots and sliders. The sangria pitchers is the perfect blend of fruity and sweet. And are prefect for a large group to share. I love their funnel cake fries, reminds me of the summertime fairs. The upstairs is very spacious and theres a lot of seating. There are a few lanes upstairs, Im assuming for private parties. Atmosphere is very lively and music is great. A few parking spots in there lot but we always walk since its down the block. I also heard they give discounts to bikers. Overall I would recommend this place to everyone.

A Private User

North Bowl has so many fantastic qualities. Where to begin, ok the Food. Eclectic menu, everything from homemade vegetarian corndogs to burgers. I always get the veggie wings. So good even a carnivore would like them. The beer selection runs the gambit. Cheap classics and great locals. They even put a spin on cocktails. Lastly the bowling. What can I say...ok awesome! They even have private lanes upstairs. Bowling not your game? Also a good spot for pool and pinball. This is one of my favorite places in the city. Many special memories with my girl, friends and family.

GoGo Morrow

North Bowl- A modern bowling alley/ lounge with a retro feel located in the new northern liberties. The Pin ball machines and air hockey tables upstairs keep u occupied while you wait for your lane. The price of games are very reasonable so you can play all night long without breaking your pockets. This year I celebrated my birthday at North bowl and everyone really enjoyed themselves. The drinks were flowing and although theyre best known for tater tots, all the food was delicious! I love to bowl so I go quite often. I would recommend everyone to go at least once.

shaun pilling

great food considering the venue. prices are reasonable for the venue and a decent amount of distractions are available (billiards, air hockey, pinball, etc.). however, staff is not always on top of things in terms of scheduling. i was recently asked to simply come back after an hour to schedule a lane. meanwhile, my group witnessed multiple lanes laying dormant while we drank our beer and (well done) cocktails. ive had a similar experience several times before. south bowl, for whatever reason, has found the better staffing, despite their less opportune location.