The Bowling Room

The service was poor. Drinks were slow to show up, even though the bartender was obviously not busy. The wait staff were overworked and understaffed, leaving them hectic and looking like they were all on their first week of the job.

The ambiance was dreadful. The music they played was awful. Among the 10 or so songs on repeat, half were U2 hits. The temperature was way too cold even after asking the management to change it. The lighting was too bright until about halfway through the meal, when it was dimmed to the point where I could barely see where I was walking. The bathrooms were dirty, but the worst part was the were unruly children running amok. The Bowler can't decide if it's a family place or a trendy date night spot, making it a terrible in-between doing-neither-properly kind of place instead.

The food? Mediocre at best, despite the chef shouting at wait staff in front of customers.

In short, avoid this one.

This place has been renamed - it's now called The Althorp, but the same comments apply as per The Bowler.

The Good:

It's a really nicely laid out pub - comfy, wood burning stoves, sofas, a good dining room.

The bad:

Nine times out of ten when you go in there the kitchen's closed - they only seem to be open for a very limited time during the day. Recently we managed to go there in the five minutes when the kitchen was open - we ordered brunch and then overheard an ill tempered exchange between the kitchen and the waitress about not taking more orders. Whether it was spite in relation to this, or just their usual low standards, my wife's scrambled eggs were cold and massively overcooked. Mine were slightly warmer, but that didn't make up for the fact that I'd actually ordered fried eggs. Service from the waitress was friendly, but the manager was pretty po-faced. Their range of beer is pretty dire. It's not exactly cheap either.

It's really frustrating - this could be a fantastic pub, if only the food, drinks and service were massively improved . . . as it stands, why anyone would go here rather than The Hope (two minutes away) is beyond me. Please sort it out.

i think its a great place to chill with your friends and hang out with your girlfriends or boyfriends it has snacks as well bowling and guess what? The bowling shoes don't stink at all they actually smell at all

Closed. Now called The Althorp.