Bloomsbury Lanes

It's is a decent spot for bowling, karaoke, arcade games, or just grabbing a drink. They also have an American-style diner menu, but we didn’t try the food—just had a couple of drinks before bowling. Unfortunately, the drinks are seriously overpriced. The bowling is priced either per hour (good for groups) or per game (better for smaller groups like ours). The overall vibe of the place could be improved, but we still managed to have fun. It’s an okay venue, but with some tweaks to the atmosphere and more reasonable drink prices, it could be a lot better.

Great team night out. Relieved we could wear our own trainers. Freshly made pizza but no allergen information on the menu. Vegan cheese is an option. American style booths and diner. Music was outdated and the place looks a bit tired.

Veriety of games from pool and table footy to bowling and karaoke. The bowling lanes were quite simple (no side rails for the kids) and narrow. Took kids (aged 5-14) at 5pm just before New Year and it was friendly/ safe place for them. Bar and a pizza place on site, the 32 inch pizzas were really and filling but great!

I had an amazing birthday celebration with friends, enjoying both bowling and karaoke. The service was exceptional, and the staff were incredibly friendly. The check-in process was quick and seamless, with no issues at all. Thank you for a wonderful experience—I’ll definitely be back!

Fun place for karaoke, it really feels like you step back into the 80's here. The atmosphere was nice & there's a good selection of things to do. I know it's meant to be retro themed but it does feel a bit drab, the karaoke room we were in felt a bit run down & the lighting/decor was all a bit lack lustre, but it was quite a bit cheaper than other central London karaoke venues so maybe that's why.

The venue itself is nice and was a fun night, but everyone of us noticed how awful the customer service was. The staff are poorly trained, unprofessional attitude, and do not know how to communicate properly with customers. In general they had zero people skills, were impolite or miserable. This establishment needs to address this and train their staff better. Nobody wants to go to a venue where you are not welcomed by people who are happy to be there.

First time going to Bloomsbury lanes, but I have looked at their website a couple of times before. Did not look as inviting as it does on the website, more run down, if I’m honest. It looked more open, airy and less cramped, in the pictures online. Staff were really nice and approachable. Bowling and interactive darts were fun to play. 3 stars only because of how the places looks.

Booked karaoke for a large group. Compared to other karaoke spots in London it was incredibly great value for money. The sound system was also incredible and there is a large selection of songs, including songs that are relatively new. The staff were incredibly helpful and friendly as well. Will definitely book here again.

It's is a decent spot for bowling, karaoke, arcade games, or just grabbing a drink. They also have an American-style diner menu, but we didn’t try the food—just had a couple of drinks before bowling. Unfortunately, the drinks are seriously overpriced. The bowling is priced either per hour (good for groups) or per game (better for smaller groups like ours). The overall vibe of the place could be improved, but we still managed to have fun. It’s an okay venue, but with some tweaks to the atmosphere and more reasonable drink prices, it could be a lot better.

Great team night out. Relieved we could wear our own trainers. Freshly made pizza but no allergen information on the menu. Vegan cheese is an option. American style booths and diner. Music was outdated and the place looks a bit tired.

Veriety of games from pool and table footy to bowling and karaoke. The bowling lanes were quite simple (no side rails for the kids) and narrow. Took kids (aged 5-14) at 5pm just before New Year and it was friendly/ safe place for them. Bar and a pizza place on site, the 32 inch pizzas were really and filling but great!

I had an amazing birthday celebration with friends, enjoying both bowling and karaoke. The service was exceptional, and the staff were incredibly friendly. The check-in process was quick and seamless, with no issues at all. Thank you for a wonderful experience—I’ll definitely be back!

Fun place for karaoke, it really feels like you step back into the 80's here. The atmosphere was nice & there's a good selection of things to do. I know it's meant to be retro themed but it does feel a bit drab, the karaoke room we were in felt a bit run down & the lighting/decor was all a bit lack lustre, but it was quite a bit cheaper than other central London karaoke venues so maybe that's why.

The venue itself is nice and was a fun night, but everyone of us noticed how awful the customer service was. The staff are poorly trained, unprofessional attitude, and do not know how to communicate properly with customers. In general they had zero people skills, were impolite or miserable. This establishment needs to address this and train their staff better. Nobody wants to go to a venue where you are not welcomed by people who are happy to be there.

First time going to Bloomsbury lanes, but I have looked at their website a couple of times before. Did not look as inviting as it does on the website, more run down, if I’m honest. It looked more open, airy and less cramped, in the pictures online. Staff were really nice and approachable. Bowling and interactive darts were fun to play. 3 stars only because of how the places looks.

Booked karaoke for a large group. Compared to other karaoke spots in London it was incredibly great value for money. The sound system was also incredible and there is a large selection of songs, including songs that are relatively new. The staff were incredibly helpful and friendly as well. Will definitely book here again.

Came here on a date in spring and actually really enjoyed it!! Was a really cool place. First off, it's really cheap for game rentals. Wait time was half an hour or so but that's fine. They have a bar downstairs as well, and basically anything you wish for - some nice couches where we sat, pool, ping-pong, foosball, arcade games and more! Definitely an entertaining fun place :D Ambiance was really fun as well - pretty popular place with everyone out to have fun :)

I am horrified and offended by how I was treated by one of the employees while at this Saturday's 50s party. Was having a great time when a man taking pics nearby turns to me and tells 'You need to fucking cut it out!' 'Excuse me?' I reply. He continues to curse at me that I F* elbowed him, he F* saw me do it, he worked here and had a mind to F* get security if not 'throw down right now! If that wasn't enough when I complained the general manager didn't do anything but move the employee to another location. Would have been nice to feel safe and not assaulted.

This review is for the kingpin suite downstairs. Often hidden away and tucked down a side entrance this is often more used for private functions. We had hired it all out with a bar tab for use for many hours for Eng vs Wales at Euros. The screen was good, staff and food all nice, and bowling lovely and luxurious. Only thing that let it down was that the bowling bowls coming back was often faulty so had to call staff out each time. Also happened a lot with the cricket simulator. I think when these things happen it downgrade the rating as these are the things you pay for to be top notch after paying Privately for it. Staff were good enough to let us take away bottle of booze as bar tab hadn't been used up which was nice of them.

THIS WAS THE HIGHLIGHT OF LONDON!!!! I have never been to a more ridiculous place in my life, and I live in Manhattan! This place had a dance floors, bars, karaoke rooms, a full on restaurant, and bowling on top of it all! Despite it's being super expensive, my friend and I managed to have the time of our lives on the cover price alone, as we went in and danced the night away doing th twist on the dancefloor!!! I loves that everyone dressed up like they were on their way to a sockhop and that I knew the words to all the songs the dj's busted out because I guess that music was just as popular in London as it was in the States! It was such a relief to be grabbed by a guy to spin me around swing-dance style instead of warding off pigs only interested in grinding and "getting low" . . . . this place brings such joy to my heart.

Went here for a bowling event organized by my local alumni organization. I always get a little nostalgic because bowling reminds me of birthday parties in the 90's.. and each time, I'm reminded that I haven't improved my bowling skill since then either! The venue is cute and clean, and they were pretty good about making sure everyone adheres to the booking times. The hour we booked flew by - with six people on our team, we only managed to squeeze in one game. But that's a pro and a con: it's a busy venue, so we were always checking the clock to see how much time we had left. It was actually a bit of a killjoy. It's a nice experience, but I felt that everything -- including the food and the cocktails -- were overpriced. I know that's the trade-off you make for having a central location, but I would have preferred to have a more old-school bowling alley experience, even at the cost of having to travel farther out... you know, the kind where you goof around with a few close friends while putting away onion rings and beer into the wee hours of the night while "Roxanne" plays for the fifth time over the speakers. I don't need my bowling to be glamorous, but I suppose that's a personal preference.

I once viewed a flat with a basement converted into an office. Being ever so slightly claustrophobic and averse enough to underground spaces that I know London's bus routes like the back of my hand, I pled temporary insanity to the real estate agent and bolted long before the cellar door could close. Needless to say, being partial to a spot of drunken bowling, I was very disappointed to learn that the Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes were based wholly underground; a disappointment compounded by the slightly grotty interior of this perhaps inexplicably popular haunt. Yes, there are plenty of bowling lanes, a bar and the kind of food you'd find in a diner - burgers, fries etc - yes, there is karaoke, my excitement about which turned out to be inversely proportional to the strength of the smell of vomit in Bloomsbury's karaoke rooms. Needless to say, the one and only time I've visited Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes I pled claustrophobia and caught the first bus home.

This place is great fun. Hired out the Kingpin Suite and was a great bargain. The service was great as was the food. If you're not up for bowling they have ping pong, pool, arcade games, karaoke and a cool cricket simulator. Definitely recommended for group booking!

Went here for a team building work event . Never realised that The first Friday of every month turns into a little club after. Awesome , although a tad messy after several jäger shots . Lanes are quite small... Smaller than expected but the vibe and atmosphere were good. Recommend the hot dogs and 26 inch pizzas! They were awesome! Will definitely head back here soon

This place is awesome. It is a fifties themed bowling lanes in Bloomsbury that somehow manages not to seem contrived, perhaps due to the endearing slight shabbiness of the place. As you enter there is a small mock cinema where an instructional bowling video is themed. Then as you enter there a collection of low-slung chairs and sofas to the right and private group karaoke booths on the left available for hire. The bar is along from this and sells a range of European beers, cocktails, wines and champagnes. Beyond the karaoke booths there is also a small traditional style diner seating area where you can sit and eat from their menu which includes sliders! Beyond this are the bowling lanes and some more arm chairs and sofas. Also worth noting is that there is a free Space Invaders arcade machine on the way to the toilet. I have been here for parties and for a quiet drink and I have always had fun.

I have enjoyed coming here a couple of times, only once to bowl and that was for free because of the club night that was on. I am not very good at bowling so it didn't matter too much to me. My friend also put a club night on, and it is cool that the owners are pretty open to stuff like that. They also let him have offers at the bar and play films in the cinema bit. I like the vibe about the places, 50s American, and the food they serve is good if you want a bit of grease. The atmopshere is generally fun and chilled out.

"Let's bowl the night away Sophie!" "Look at me bowl! I'm on another level - I've gone beyond!" Was 1950s America any good? If all shoe attendants in the 1950s looked like the girl who works here on Sunday, you'd say, yes, it was. Bloomsbury bowling is quite a funny place. Run by a bunch of hopeless students, you get to hear gems like: "To be honest, diet coke and coke are the same here. I wouldn't drink either of them myself." her - "We open at 1145." me - "It's 1150." her - "Come in then." I didn't notice the karaoke rooms - but they'd probably seal the deal if very drunk on the house Bitburger. Read BushGirl's review anyway, it's better than mine.

Great place to eat, drink, bowl and chill with friends. Their pizza is so big that it can feed 5 people! Also have karaoke. Reservation is a must!

This bowling alley is situated near Russel Square over 2 floors - it is pretty big! There are at least 6 lanes on each floor along with karaoke booths, a pool table, ping pong table and lots of seating. They have a pizza place along with a large bar which serves lots of ales along with wine and spirits. I came here for a corporate event so it was jam packed and got pretty hot however even with 400 people there was plenty of seating and things to do. The buffet food they served was pretty average however I tried a slice of pizza and they were pretty tasty! It was a big & fun place for a work event however I wouldn't be back with a group of friends - no idea of prices etc its just it was all just a bit run down.

Bloomsbury Lanes has it all - no seriously EVERYTHING!!!! Bowling, live music, pool table, free 80s video games, coctails, tasty food, table football, karaoke booths..... Basically if you want to cram in a months worth of going out into one night then come here. What I like about this place is whenever i go, nothing quite works properly, and noone particularly seems to care so leave your complaining hat and high horse at the door and just enjoy the quirks for what they are. Its cheap to bowl here (£3 per person) and the food and drink prices are pretty reasonable too. Also if celeb spotting is your thing then you can often be in luck as the young hip modelly, presentery, musician types often hang out here and wear some ridiculously tight jeans - not good bowling wear people!! Make sure you brush up on your favourite back to the future / big lebowski quotes too as there are ample places to bust them out. One word of warning - the free space invaders type game is right by the toilets and very addictive so be prepared to make some excuses when you take a 45 minute pee break!!!!

A fun, 50's themed hideout in the most unlikely part of London. Combining diner, bowling, bar/lounge and karaoke, Bloomsbury Bowling attracts all sorts. Its karaoke selection is massive (well over 2000 songs), but can be a little unreliable at times. Bowling here is good, but on the pricey side -- lane bookings are by the hour and cost £36; you can buy per game without a booking though. Weeknights the bowling and karaoke are the main draws, but at weekends it is a frequent event venue, offering live bands, DJs and club nights. It also recently opened a private room with bowling lanes for smaller events. The diner is functional, but not worth a visit on its own. The food is pretty good, but nothing special -- if you want 50's American diner food there are plenty of better options in London than here. But overall -- good for a fun evening out with friends, but beware the slightly steep pricing.

What a great place!!! My friend took me for a Rock a Hula night and we had great fun!!! Live band playing, restaurant, bowling, karaoke, bar... what else do you need for a wonderful night out? I tried the burgers and fries, and it was ok, I would have one again! A place to enjoy with a bunch of friends to enjoy the bowling and karaoke... any Yelpers for karaoke??? :D

I've been to BBL so many times, out of all of those, I can recall only two of them. The rest, are all drunken flashes of music, booze and bowling balls. It's like they've taken the awful sport of bowling, the past-time of the suburbs, and made it acceptable for inner city people to play by adding a retro Americana theme to the venue, loud local bands, karaoke rooms and hosting themed nights here with decent DJs. I'm crap at bowling. I don't like to put my hands in the holes (full of poo germs you see) so it makes getting the ball to hit the pins quite a challenge. Add to that my zero hand-eye coordination and you have a recipe for disaster. I think my total score was 24. Still I had fun and got to hang with friends, and then we got to eat in the diner style café. So much better than the rubbish they normally serve up at normal bowling alleys - no half stale buns, Iceland burgers and "cola". Here you'll get yummy food that would have any low fat diet blush. As for their DJ nights, be prepared to dress up and dance the night away with middle-class suits who like to pretend they are students, alternative and creative for a weekend. It's painfully busy but with enough gin anything can be enjoyable.

Waaaaoo-owww! This place is still going strong after all these years? It existed back when I was at uni back in like...2003! And it did not disappoint! This is the place to go when you don't know what you want to do and want to do absolutely everything! You can eat American food here, you can drink, you can bowl, you can play retro video game machines, play pool, dance to your heart's content on the dance floor with the DJ, and you can sing karaoke in one of those rooms! What more do you need? (A swimming pool, but let's not get into that) I came here on Sat night after a hen do at a casino for a spot of karaoke. There was another hen party inside, so this venue must be popular for brides to bes! Outside people were trying to nick our sweeties from the Piñata. At the door, the security guard took a quick look at our bags and we were INSIDE! Karaoke rooms are very very dark but had a fan and a huge screen. Mics kept running out of batteries and there are only English tunes, but NO MATTER! We sang to Wheatus, we sang to Beyonce! We sang our hearts out and played hen games and ran around outside doing dares! They were accommodating as we were late (supposed to be booked for around 12-1am) but they still didn't turn on the bright lights until 2:45am to kick us out! I remember a previous experience eating here (like, 10 years ago at least) and can remember it only being mediocre also. Perhaps will come back for actual bowling soon!! Oh, reason I gave this place 3 stars was because the toilets were all out of toilet paper at 2am.....! Hygiene? You're supposed to check toilets every hour!

Bowling, foosball, pool, karaoke, movie house, sit-down ms. pacman table, live music...this place rocks. I did the 50's theme and American diner menu, especially when I'm missing Mel's on Geary in SF. We've been for drinks and karaoke where you can book a private room. (On Sunday and Monday nights karaoke is 50% for walk-ins too). Last time we were here they were hosting a Lebowski movie night with bar specials and a rockin' cover band. Even if you don't directly participate in the bar activities, it's a fun place to drink and socialize. And gritty basement location under a creepy retro (but not in an ironic way) hotel bar definitely enhances its quirky, unique atmosphere.

Bowling, booze, and karaoke? Sign me up! Now the Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes are pretty cool with a good sized bar to keep you liquored up while hurling balls down the lane. It also doesn't have that uber pretentious vibe that I get from All Star Lanes (or maybe that's just the Westfield Stratford one). But the pure winner is the Kingpin Suite which you can rent for private functions. This place is pure genius with pretty much everything you could want in one area. It boasts 5 state of the art bowling lanes, a bar to rival any other, and a karaoke room with a pretty good song selection and enough space for 20 of your closest (or newest) friends. Please join me in "encouraging" Alex S to get them to throw a Yelp event there soon! Hmm..I'm actually out of things to say. Pricewise, the regular bowling lanes are reasonable and in a central location so easy to get people to meet up. And they lanes and balls are pretty clean (as much as you can expect from a bowling joint). Why drunk people hurling heavy objects was ever allowed, I don't know, but I love it!

I'm not a huge fan of bowling, although I do appreciate its "social value" and the fact that, like it or not, you always have a great fun there. So when I was told that I would spend one of my few nights in London bowling, the least to say is that I wasn't over-excited. BUT when I saw the place, something about it made me love it at first sight, yes, indeed! Was it the old-fashioned but still not totally kitchy atmosphere? The huge bar, good beer and helpful staff? The music (both live and background)? I don't know at all, but I do know that suddenly, I was playing my third game in a row and enjoying it a lot. And then I found myself in a dinner-like restaurant inside BBL, eating a delicious hamburger and fries, and that was it, I just decided this place was the greatest Bowling Lanes I had ever been to! My only complaint? Despite all of these qualities, BBL didn't make me play bowling better... And that's a real pity, isn't it?!

I included this on an itinerary for a stag do and was slightly disappointed. On the plus side: yes, it's a reasonably classy and authentic 70s styled place, from the bowling lanes to the karaoke rooms. They've got a decent range of beer and the hamburger I ordered was better than I expected. But the bowling lane I was on broke down three times in two hours, reducing possible bowling time. And the service at the bar, though friendly, was really slow. As a pizza glutton, I was also disappointed that the 'Ray's Pizza' part of BBL wasn't open when we were there, seemingly because we were there too early (1-3pm). The early time also meant there wasn't any live music playing -something for another time. Overall: just about A-OK.

Located in the basement of the Tavistock Hotel, this is nothing like your granddad's bowling alley. For one thing, it's loud. They like volume here, and there's lots of it, which makes bowling, well, lots more fun. Music - yeah! Great snacks and drinks too, with really cool, friendly folks slinging drinks behind the bar. There aren't a ton of lanes, so I'm more inclined to describe this as a bar that happens to have also a bowling alley inside of it, rather than a bowling alley proper. Nonetheless, it's a really fun place to come if you're not a serious bowler, but want to get your drink on and throw a few balls down the aisle.

Wow. How have I not been here many, many time before!? It's brilliant (and just around the corner from work, so I can have fun AND be lazy!) The mix of bowling, food, bar and karaoke is perfect for a giggle of an evening out. We opted for one hour bowling and two hours of karaoke...all for less than £15 each. Bargain!! It is a little bit shabby, and very retro, but that gives it an unpretentious and relaxed atmosphere. The karaoke was good, even though it only had english songs (and was missing some of my favorite karaoke sing-a-longs.) Also, if you need to soak up alcohol, they also serve giant pizzas! Now when I say giant, I actually mean MAHOOSIVE!! 24 inches- so more than double the size of an ordinary pizza. I (slightly optimistically) ordered one to share with a friend, but it ended up feeding eight of us. Yum!!

Gggrrrr!! Was really looking forward to this, and was a bit disappointed. Good: the feel, the hotdogs, good for kids! Not so great: ...I wanted to use the 15%, was not called a liar, but it came close! Didn't want to use it, cause the check'in deal doesn't exist. What?! I reserved a lane yesterday, told them on the phone, gave my cc details. Today, we walked in with our kids, swapped shoes and knocked down some pins, hotdogs and big talks. Than...we payed for the food and I made a remark about the 15% on the lanes. Nope! I should have told them when we got there... Oh, you did? Well, you should have told us when you made the reservation. Oh, you did? Well, we've never seen this check'in thingy. Bye! Thanks. Bowling: cool, Staff: sucks.

One of the reviews below says 'NEVER LETS YOU DOWN', which is incorrect! Myself and five friends were left queuing outside for an hour and a half on New Years Eve due to bad bad baaaaaaad organisation for their NYE event. We spent the bells outside being rowdy Scots leading a chorus of Auld Lang Syne (which was fun), and remained remarkably upbeat about the long long loooong wait, despite the bouncers getting a bit heavy handed, and failing quite miserably at crowd control. Once inside we had a fun 2 hours of dancing and drinking, but I definitely wouldn't come back or recommend any big events like NYE to anyone. We' ve been here a couple of times before, mostly on PBR nights, and it is really fun but you should be able to rely on a place of this calibre to organise a night out like this, and to not over sell their event, especially when you are charging upwards of £15 a ticket. Shoddy! It is -12873286 stars for NYE, but 3 positive stars for more fun experiences that I've had here.

I spent an enjoyable night last night at Bloomsbury Bowling lanes on a night out with my work colleagues. We booked for bowling, food and karaoke. There were 13 of us in total and we had booked two lanes for bowling and although normally the limit is six players per lane the staff were very accommodating and allowed us 7 in one lane. It was great to have a full hour of bowling and not just one game, although with 7 of us we used up the entire hour for one game. The cost per lane was about £40 so it worked out as very good value per person. The food was OK. I had a hot dog which was nice enough but nothing exceptional. The burgers looked good and the pizza was really good . Really thin base and nice toppings - definitely the choice I would make next time. Prices were reasonable. The Karaoke was booked for 2 hours and cost £100. 12 of us stayed for this and the rooms fit us comfortably. They were (luckily) well sound proofed from the rest of the complex and we were all free to belt out our vocals safe in the knowledge only our own hearing would be damaged;) The overall decor of the venue was tired and a bit shabby - a face lift is definitely needed. The seating in the karaoke room was damaged and chair covers were torn. My biggest gripe however was the heat in the venue. This place could definitely do with better air conditioning. If it is this hot in October I can't imagine how bad it would be in the summer Overall the night was good. Would I go back? Yes I probably would.

Bloomsbury is one of the nicest districts of London the air is thick with a feel of times gone by, Dickens and Mary Poppins. In the midst of this is the bowling lanes. Like something out of Grease, you can eat drink and bowl with your friends whilst listening to some banging tunes. They also host theme nights, their Anchorman evening was an amazing hit, where young guns were bopping around with Ron Burgundy taches. The best thing about this place is that they have karaoke booths that you can rent out - imagine how much fun it is to get your nearest and dearest together and sing some bad 80's music. Mega fun, with an amazing atmosphere, this place is a one off.

I'd been meaning to go to Bloomsbury Lanes for a while as I'd heard plenty of good things about me, but, it wasn't until last Saturday when We, Like You featuring Norman Jay (MBE) was playing at this venue. In a nutshell, I had the time of my life. The music was fantastic! I was bowling, I was dancing, sometimes both simultaneously (which did not help my already-poor bowling skills), and just having a whale of a time. If you were there that night, and wondering who the girl who was doing the Charleston in-between throwing gutter balls, look no further. My only complaint: it was incredibly hot there. I was sweating buckets! On my way out, I passed the karaoke room. Much to my surprise, it was packed full of men. I'd somehow gotten the impression that karaoke was much more popular with the ladies, but, hey, the men definitely looked as if they were enjoying themselves!

Wait... how have I not reviewed this place yet?! It's an absolute must-do for the Londoner. The retro bowling might be a tad more expensive than its newer rivals (All-Star Lanes), but the experience is second to none. Yes, the carpet might be fraying in places. Yes, the shoes might have seen better days. But where The Lanes trump all other options is the sheer temptation to just get loose and let your hair down. If you're here on a weekend, you'll find live music (often bands and DJs) and a party atmosphere, especially if you bowl on one of the downstairs lanes. They have two floors worth of lanes, but you'll still need to book ahead, or be prepared to bowl about 11pm - and at that time after a fair few drinks you'll be dangerous with a bowling bowl! The diner food is decent enough, especially the pizza. And they have karaoke rooms too, so you can sing your heart out. Even a hidden cricket crease - which will hurl balls at you very quickly for your money. I recommend spending all night here. It's hard to dance and bowl at the same time, but I recommend you see how you get on...

Low key venue with eight lanes, one bar and a diner. If All Star Lanes is Manhattan then BBL is the New Jersey equivalent - though it does have its charms. Ideal place for an informal company nights out or just hanging with the boys. Hot dogs from the diner were decent but pizzas no quite so. But the beers are always cold.

Good spot for some bowling but make sure you book in advance. Drinks at the bar are average London prices. Karaoke rooms look interesting!

Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes are a great place for nights out with friends in a cool 1950s style bowling interior! I've been here a few times with a large group of mates, the bowling lanes are pretty standard but I love bowling and the music here is always palatable too, it's a great little bowling alley. Most ten pin bowling alleys are a little scummy and cheap but this place feels rather special. The bar is nice and close to the lanes and they also serve you drinks at your lane which is a nice touch. The food here has an American diner feel to it. It's not the best food ever but it fits in with the whole atmosphere. My favourite part of this place though are the Karaoke rooms! This is where the drunken fun really starts to take place. Each room has it's own seating and Karaoke equipment. It's pretty dark but it's cosy and LOTS of fun. They have a huge selection of songs and I've been there many a time wailing to Starship's "We Built This City" - my signature Karaoke tune! Please, please, try and visit this place. It's so much fun, such a good laugh and a full night of entertainment in the city centre.

Seriously...one of our favorite places in London!! By far! So many great memories in this place, especially since it was just a step, hop, and a skip from our beloved Connaught Hall of the University of London. It's a hidden gem in Bloomsbury! Where else can you seriously get a: (1) bowling alley, (2) concert space, (3) diner, (4) mini-theatre, (5) lounge, (6) and karaoke bar in ONE place!!!! The food was always great, the bands that played there were OK, but what really made the place was the people. We always had an amazing time, even though people knew we weren't locals. I MISS IT SOOO MUCH!

I first came here to see a friend of mine play a gig and was absolutely blown away by the awesomeness of this place. It is arguably the coolest venue in London. Located underneath the Tavistock Hotel, you find yourself uncertainly entering some double doors with the word 'BOWL' in red neon lights and walking through an elongated cinema which makes you think you might perhaps have stumbled into a porn movie theatre. As you descend past the short rows on cinema seats you realise the film being shown is a 1950's 'learn how to bowl' educational video and as you get further in it feels like you've been wholly transported to 1950's America. Big sofas, brightly coloured vinyl covered chairs and mirrors are littered opposite the three dedicated karaoke rooms (available to hire from £20/hour) as you pass through to the diner. The diner is situated sort of in the middle of the whole place and is decked out in such a way as to make you think you're in 'Happy Days'. You can order American classics (burgers, fries, nachos) for average pub prices. The burgers and nachos are delish. You can also order to your bowling lane if you like to munch and roll all at once. There are about eight bowling lanes towards the back of the venue. To play costs between £3-£7 per person per game depending on the time and day. There is a bar selling an impressive variety of beers and wines and staff who really know their cocktails. And an area where bands often play. This is the coolest place in London, and the prices are fairly reasonable, so that makes it my favourite. I heart Bloomsbury Bowling.

It's a retro-style bowling place, quite nice... Although when you are used to modern bowling places, you are kinda lost. Also the music is a bit loud in the bar, a bit difficult to talk but at least the music is good :-) They don't have much choice in terms of drinks, only 2 types of beer and I don't even know that brands... Here is their gallery if you want to view some pictures: http://www.bloomsburybowling.com/#/gallery/4521103210

You know when you spend your life looking for the things you are good at? Taking classes, trying out new sports, general development stuff? Well thanks to Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes I've discovered that despite my prowess at that very same game on a Ninendo wii, I am quite possibly the worst bowler in. the.world.ever. EPIC FAIL. It didn't stop me from coming back though. After all, what sane person could resist the jovial upbeat and social atmosphere (ladies and gents: if you're looking to chat up some talent, it beats shouting "SO, WHAT'S YOUR NAME?" into someone's ear over a blaringly loud DJ set in some thumping sweatbox by a country mile), drunken table football, a range of spirits that can cater even to slightly more elclectic tastes (personally I believe serving Zubrowka is the sign of a quality establishment these days), plus an amazing roster of parties. The one I last went to was Rollapalluza, a high speed cycling competition where two vintage steeds are strapped to an elevated platform, not much unlike a spinning class, as two people compete against each other for the position of ultimate speed demon. http://www.rollapaluza.com/

my goodness this place is fabulous. Really really utterly fabulous. Can't decide whether to go for dinner? go bowling? dancing? cinema? oh, but one of you wants to do karaoke? OK then! Come here, and you can actually do all of them. Every single one. It's so much fun. The door staff are polite, the djs are fabulous (disclaimer - one of those fab djs is my friend Dolyrocker) but you can't help but come here and have a fab time. Another reason it's a great place? I tripped over and fell flat on my face on Saturday (I'll blame the shoes, not the beer), in some clubs, you'd just get glared at for being an idiot. Instead, I had a lovely group of people rush and help me up and ensure me I wasn't bleeding all over the place. They got me ice, fetched my friends and made sure I was ok. They also stopped me feeling like a complete twat and said nice things like it was dark and no, your face doens't look that bad. It does look that bad (although my housemate said tonight I look less like a case for domestic violence than I did yesterday), but I still had a great night. Even if a round of tequila shots set me back about £25. Though there was about 8 of us so that's not so bad. Come here after pay day, dance, sing, bowl, and laugh. Try not to fall over though.

I went here for a staff awayday and for an afternoon/day out, it's terrific. We had a private lane, and the event was a hit with staff. The food is mediocre, though, and if you're not paying for booze, it's not cheap. Eat elsewhere first and then go bowling and boozing.

I live just around the corner from the lanes and find my self there more often than I should, its too pricey but can be a lot of fun. live music helps but the accoustics really suck! The Retro Vibe is cool in a sort of commercial way, and the lanes are virtually impossible to get on unless you turn up super early or book in advance. All in all I prefer All Star Lanes, but that would be 10 mins out of my way and I'm really lazy! Bloomsbury Lanes may not be fabulous, but they certainly don't suck, they'll do!

I normally hate bowling. Hence the mediocre star rating here because if I was going to go bowling I'd rather it was somewhere with a retro 50's style about it like this place. Ended up here as part of a mate's stag do and it was fun for a while. I still hate bowling though.

Rubbish experience. I rented the karaoke room for a few hours for a work party. One microphone broke, then the other, they tried to fix it but we were basically sat there for the best part of an hour (of a two and a half hour booking!) not able to sing and people started to go home. I was told the evening would be free to compensate...when it came time to pay the bill, it was not. When I questioned the manager he started to shout and then when I asked him to calm down he stormed away and never came back. So, I have no resolution! Too much drama. I just wanted somewhere fun for me and my workmates. Noone wants to have to fight with the staff. I mean, it is a bad sign if you cannot get microphones to work in the karaoke room...

We came here for a work social and there must have been something wrong with the lanes, cos I won! As I'm a pretty competitive person they've probably got an extra star out of me for that. Pros: liked the wallpaper, service was from friendly hipsters, old fashioned lanes still ran super-old graphics and the advice screens flashed up for half a second, you pay by the hour so there's quite a bit of adrenalin as you realise you have 14 minutes to do six rounds, option of karaoke (though unexplored, I always like the option of karaoke), Velcro shoes, big sofas for groups in the bar area, booths, free lime and soda. Cons: smelt strongly of vomit by the bar (unfortunate), a basement so a bit dingy, not a big choice of balls, I quite missed the tacky disco feel and arcade you get from your classic Hollywood bowl. Overall I enjoyed our evening here but I probably wouldn't go again. For vintage bowling I prefer All Star Lanes, and tacky bowling I'd find somewhere at an entertainment park.

Yeah I dig the food and the vibe. The underground nature of the place makes it cool, they make mega good burgers, have live music, foosball and private kararoke rooms. One of the best places in London to take a party too - on the downer, it can get very packed and hard to get a drink at times. Bring on the white russians!

I tend to forget about Bloomsbury Bowling the very next day as there's usually a lot of cocktails drunk whilst we're there! A group of us from work went bowling just before Christmas, and had a good enough time (although, to be fair, it's just bowling, so not sure how it could have been made any more exciting - dancing clowns in the aisles?). Where it really comes into its own is the karaoke rooms though - different sizes depending on your crowd. You're locked away from the rest of the world and left to sing your little heart out for your allocated time. With enough of a group, it works out really rather reasonably priced, and it's a guaranteed good night out. It's also very popular, so be sure to book well in advance, particularly if it's for the weekend.

I went here for a for fun, long queues, paid £5 entry! didnt bother bowling £35 is overpriced, cinema was a small screen. Karaoke booths is sized like a box! The only food left at the restaurant was pizza! Will not be going back!

This place is a gem. Bowl, chill, drink, eat and have a laugh!!! A few of us went there to have a bowl and a burger. Started off with the Chocolate Stout, that's right Chocolate Stout. At 10% you have to try it and hope its the natural cocoa that makes this drink a winner. When in Bloomsbusy have the Chocolate Stout. Yes, had too many and the next day head was tender. They had a good selections of beers and cocktails. We bowled and had a laugh and realised it had been half a decade since I last tried by Kingpin impressions. Munson Forever! Burgers and the food were good and a good place to be loud, good drinks and reliable and easy American Diner food. Will definetly go again. Go go go.

I booked this for an office event of twenty having been told it would be a fun-filled day and it was extremely enjoyable for all ages. The staff were really helpful with any problems we had and managed to add an extra hour onto our allotted kareoke time. We arrived at one o'clock and pretty much had the sixties style diner to ourselves. As everything had been paid in advance we did not have to worry throughout the day. We started with a drink at the jazzy bar and then moved on the the burger diner experience in the small cafe. The food was excellent although slightly rushed as we had so much to fit in. We then moved on to bowling and although it is quite small it has a fun atmosphere and was very enjoyable. As it got later it became much busier and therefore we could not all sit together and were dotted around the bar, luckily we had booked a kareoke room and could avoid the crowd and queues for the bar. The kareoke room was quite small (even though we had the largest one) and our mike kept breaking but none the less everyone had a good time and enjoyed the canapes. Bloomsbury Lanes is great for all ages and a quirky London venue for those who fancy something a bit different, I would recommend booking, especially for bowling as it can get very busy.

Great place to meet friends and have a laugh. We hired a karaoke booth which was hilarious fun. Drinks are reasonably priced for London and the music is good (outside the booths) downstairs can get a little crowded.