Has anyone been to the new Bowling Alley/restraunt in bricktown? It looks kind of cool.

Wow! Is it finally open? I thought it was going in next Harkins.

I walked by and checked it out last night. Looks pretty nice. It was pretty dead, but of course it was a monday and it's brand new.

Yeah, where is it?

I've got a holiday party there in a week or so. I'll let you know how it is.

I've got a holiday party there in a week or so. I'll let you know how it is.

Thanky! That would be much appreciated. A drunken night of bowling and ice skating sounds perfect.

what is it called?

Red Pin.

We went two nights ago. There was nobody on the lanes, but they told us they were reserved, but that we could take a pager and they would page us when one was open.

We sat down and ordered. The food was passable. Our waitress started acting like she wanted to turn our table and we told her we were waiting for a lane. She told us they were booked until 11:30 and there were five more people on the list before us.

Food was decent, atmosphere was nice, but all things being equal if you're not bowling there are a lot better places for the money. I wish they would have been straight up with us about availability of lanes and honestly, I may not ever go back. We'll see.

Moral of the story: call ahead if you want to bowl.

We went yesterday afternoon. We got there at like 5:05 ( a little too late for the $4.00 bowling, so it was $5.25 a game). It was really empty at that time, so we got right on the floor.

The atmosphere was really nice, they bring your bowling shoes out on a tray like its food (sort of cool, hope those trays are for shoes only...). They put in all of your info for the game. Lanes are really nice, the TV screens are a little distracting for your game but maybe I'm just telling myself that as an excuse for why I stink at bowling when I just plain stink at it.

The menu looked really enticing, pricey of course, but the food was nice. Drinks were good too, at least what we had. I would have preferred eating that stuff at a table, because it was too nice to be eaten at the lanes. That was a little awkward. But I think you can eat first and then go bowling, so you can at least eat while you wait for a lane. We might try that next time.

Once it get's dark they turn on the uv-lights and it looks really cool! The place began filling up around 6pm and before we knew it almost all of the lanes were taken up (which isn't hard to do because there are only 10 of them).

Anyhow, the place was really nice, we had a good time, spent alot of money for what we got but its the atmosphere you pay for, and its a really nice time out. Makes for a great date, and your girlfriend won't call you cheap ;-).

Its a great addition to Bricktown, and we need more stuff like that downtown.

From the descriptions, it would seem that it's directed towards the casual bowler who doesn't get way into things--which would be a target I admit, given its location. Despite this, is this like any other establishment where you could bring your own equipment (balls, shoes, etc.)?

I purposefully ignore why someone serious would even go there for a variety of reasons, but let's say there's someone halfway interested who gets a call like,"Hey, we're bowling at Redpin and going elsewhere afterward" "Oh, great, let me dig out my balls and I'll see you at seven".

I'm sorry to hear of your bait-and-switch/runaround, Andy.

I went last weekend and it was a blast!!!!!!! I went with three other people and we had loads of fun. I had forgotten how crummy of a bowler I was.

Although the equpiment is state of the art, I'm not sure a hardcore bowler would enjoy this. Think of Redpin as an ultra lounge with a bowling alley in it. It's more for the casual bowler.

The staff was excelent, great cocktails and quality food. My only complaint was that the tables at the lanes were a bit small (more like end tables) for all of our drinks and food. I would definatly call ahead if I were wanting to get a lane.

I would recommend this place for a great date night. Even better for a double date!

"Oh, great, let me dig out my balls and I'll see you at seven".

Isn't that how most evenings begin in Bricktown?

Isn't that how most evenings begin in Bricktown?

It's also how most porn movies begin.

It's called Red Pin Bowling Lounge as we've mentioned previously. I ate there tonight with the Urban Neighbors Christmas Social. I must say it was quite good and a much larger place than I thought. They occupy the entire bottom floor of the Centennial. The Lounge/Bar part takes up about half the building and the VIP room and bowling lanes/lounge take up the other part. We had the VIP room and 4 lanes. Luckily we got to sample most of their food, I tried gourmet pizzas (pretty good, but I wouldn't call "gourmet".) (several different kinds margherita, pepperoini, chicken), nachos (very good), loaded fries (very good also). They also had some red velvet cake for us, but I didn't try any although it looked moister than I usually see it and most people said it was pretty good. The bowling is fun and the way it is laid out is much better than most bowling places, definitely a more social environment and the food/drinks help socialize more than your typical bowling alley. The lounge was definitely ultra mod and I loved the lighting fixtures (I'm assuming they made them by hand from white paperclips). I'll definitely be returning here.

So, how has this place settled in? I've yet to go, and the potential crowd is most of the reason why I haven't been yet.

It's great and stays packed. It's a great place to hang out.

We waited forever a couple of weeks ago, didn't get to bowl. :(

We were told once that for Friday and Saturday nights you have to reserve a week or two in advance.

I'd say they're doing well. Someone should open another bowling lounge.

xx

do the owners of red pin post on this site?

I rarely post, but am always checking in on the feedback and keeping up with what is going on downtown. How can I help you Turanacus?

Seems like a nice place, but as others have posted, if you want to bowl, make reservations. A few co-workers and I decided to check this place out, but were disappointed that we couldn't bowl, even though 6 of the 10 lanes were open, but reserved. The frustraing part of this is that we couldn't get a staight answer if we waited, would a lane become available, so we left.

Last night I took a party of six for dinner and bowling. We started out at 6pm at In The Raw (excellent) and then went downstairs to bowl.

It was a Friday night and Big 12 was going on but we had no problems making reservation just the day before for 7:30pm.

We got there at 7:10pm. The place looked great and we were greeted at the door. Even though our lane was empty we were told we needed to wait. No problem, so we sat at the bar. Bartender was nice enough, but he ruined my drink. I ordered a Malibu and Coke. When he went to add the Coke the syrup was empty and all he sprayed was carbonated water. He told someone to change the Coke. When they did, he simply topped the drink with a squirt of Coke - tasted awful, but I wasn't going to let that ruin the night.

We went to our lane (#4) and got settled. First, out of the 6 shoe sizes, only 3 sizes were available and we had to either go bigger or smaller. Then, we had to ask 3 times to have our names entered and our score screen activated. They finally got it going at 7:45pm. Some mentioned shoes brought out on a platter. Not this time. They were carried out in a heap. Went to use the restroom and one of the managers was in there trying to figure out how to get a passed out drunk out of the only stall in the men's room. Manager said he had been in there for almost an hour.

The bowling itself was great fun. However, like some have mentioned, the lanes are tiny. Really too small for parties of 6 or more (unless you like all your friends butts in your face). For 6 or more I'd suggest two lanes (but its pricey). Also, at least two of the big screens were going out. Looked really bad for such a nice place. Also, our waitress only came by one time to check on us.

The most annoying part was at the end. Our game finished at 7:26pm. We knew our game (and thus our hour didn't start until 7:45pm). I asked how much time we had left and a guy said "10-15 minutes". I asked our waitress to reset the game so we could throw a few balls until our hour was up. She wasn't going to have it. She said our reservation was at 7:30pm so our time was up, regardless of when they actually got the scoreboard turned on. Nobody offered to collect our shoes and no printed score cards were offered as a keepsake.

On the upside, as we were standing outside talking, the same manager that was trying to get rid of the drunk came outside and asked if there was a problem.

I explained our evening and he told me they had had problem with our waitress in the recent past and would be dealing with it later that night. The other manager then joined in the conversation. Both were very friendly, didn't try to make excuses and seemed to know the value of word of mouth. We were given a certificate for a free hour of bowling whenever we want.

Pros:
Atmosphere
Nice equipment (minus fading big screens)
Very attentive managers

Cons:
Drunks in the bathroom (probably not a regular thing)
Pricey (but expected)
Staff needs retraining
Very small lanes (best for parties of 2-4)
No score cards offered (though they may be available, don't know)

I was shocked the place was still very empty when we left at about 8pm. May do much better later, but you'd think with their overhead they would need a small crowd all the time.

Based on the professional attitude of the managers I'd give this place another shot, but be prepared for a large tab, small lanes, and sketchy service.

I was shocked the place was still very empty when we left at about 8pm. May do much better later, but you'd think with their overhead they would need a small crowd all the time..

That is shocking. I remember going there for a few months after they first opened and they were packed all the time, you had to make reservations sometimes a week or two in advance for a game on a friday or saturday night. Their business has probably slacked off quite a bit.

I have had some of the same problems as well. There was a time I went with a larger group and didnt get our lane til 25 minutes after our reservation, yet they basically kicked us out the second our reservation time was up. Also, I think their prices are in need of adjustment, especially for slower days/middle of the week. I remember them having an ad for a bowling league and it was $1,080 per team. Quite high for a bowling league if you ask me. They would be better off if they would use the practice of luring people in with cheaper bowling, then have them spend money on food and drinks once they are there.

I dont want to see this place fail, but I think they are in need of some changes because it doesnt seem they are doing spectacular business right now.

I had a similar experience. Took a group of lawyers and their wives awhile back after having dinner at Red Prime.

We had a couple of lanes since we heard it was kind of tight.

The place was very cool and pretty full when we were there. The service though was terrible. The waitress acted like we were bothering her whenever we wanted another round or nachos from the kitchen.

Like has been mentioned, we were kicked out pretty quick and before our time was actually up.

I doubt I would go back. Personally, I like the atmosphere of an older, large bowling alley with $2 hot dogs and $4 games.

Their lanes are not CLOSE to regulation, so luring any serious league bowlers (or semi-serious) would be difficult, IMHO. In addition, I've never understood why there is a massive dinning area, when all they serve is basically appetizers.

I've had nothing but excellent experience going there, but all the times I've been where near the opening. Excellent service, excellent food, lanes aren't "tiny", they are intimate lounge feel as they are supposed to be that way. Shoes came out on trays, and we weren't kicked out when our time expired,even though the place was packed, they let us play as long as we wanted to. Hopefully these recent experiences are not the norm, I'm sure they were a little out of it for the Big 12 tournament, but that's not an excuse.

We are going to give them another try. I see they offer $2.50 games Sunday - Wednesday and they gave us a certificate for a free hour.

I don't think Big 12 is a good excuse for them, as they were empty.