Big Al's is a fun, all-in-one spot--bowling, arcade, bar, sports bar/restaurant, and event rooms. Definitely gives Main Event vibes (if you're from the Midwest/southern states). It's a great atmosphere to watch a big game, and the overall look and feel is pretty on par for Idaho. The food is just okay, nothing super special, but the service is pretty great for such a large, busy place. On top of that, its location is within the Village, so you're in walking distance to many more other shops as well. read more

I had a very confusing and frustrating experience at Big Al's. My friend and I wanted to play darts, so we asked an employee named Kimberlee about it. At first, she told us that both players had to be at least 18 years old. We told her that wasn't a problem because we both were. She then said we both had to be drinking alcohol in order to play, which didn't make sense since that would require being 21 or older. When I questioned that, she changed her explanation and said we had to pay $8.50. I said that was fine, but then she told us they only accepted cash, even though I had seen other customers paying with cards elsewhere in the building. We walked away, and about 20 minutes later we noticed a group of three boys who appeared to be under 18 playing darts without any alcoholic drinks. We politely asked Kimberlee how they were able to play if the rules she gave us were true. Her response was simply that she "didn't care anymore." The rules seemed to change every time we had an answer for them, and then they apparently didn't apply to other customers. Whether it was poor communication or inconsistent enforcement, the experience left us feeling singled out and unwelcome. I hope management addresses this so future customers receive clear and consistent information. read more

We went bowling at the Slider Alley VIP Lounge at Big Al's Meridian and had a great time! The VIP area has a comfy couch, table, and a fun, upscale vibe. We were on the end lane, which was nice for a little extra space. The pins stopped resetting partway through, but the server had mentioned that issue might happen and maintenance came quickly to fix it. I ordered a margarita, it was okay, though I wish it came in the glass shown on the menu and had more salt on the rim. The place itself is super spacious with an arcade, a sports bar full of big TVs, and plenty of options if you want to host an event. The service was friendly and attentive throughout. We paid about $110 for an hour and a half on the VIP lane plus four shoe rentals, which felt fair for the experience. Big Al's has a fun, party-style ambiance and is located right in The Village, so you can walk around afterward to enjoy the shops and restaurants. Overall, a really fun night out! read more

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Nice lanes. Great service. Next time we will have to try some of the food. All in all we had a great time

So my girlfriend and I were at a music event on the patio in the back. We went to get some more drinks after the first set at the outside bar (like I have done before at events). There was no line at all, likely because we were told we had to go upstairs inside and they were overwhelmed outside. We were also told not to go down to the main bar in front of the TV screens. Took us 20 minutes to get two white claws, with only a few people in line upstairs. Funny the band encourage the audience to drink a lot, however that was really not possible unless you wanted to miss the live music. Once again, this place is grossly understaffed. Seemed like McDonald's making it half impossible to get a hamburger. Bad venue. read more

Come with very low expectations & you might leave satisfied. Everything looks great.. located in a prestigious place very well decorated & clean Packed full of fun stuff for kiddos like bowling, arcade games, etc. BUT.. the staff is terrible We had a reservations We tried bowling We tried the arcade We tried to enjoy the restaurant & no luck on any front. We spent my son's birthday dinner Watching 8+ employees/servers standing around enjoying TV We asked for help & they said they are only there to pick up trash.. they had no idea who our server was & when we finally found her, she was busy braiding someone's hair before she could acknowledge us.. after 20 minutes of waiting, the boisterous server fumbled her way over to check on us.. long story short, bad food, bad service, & there are plenty of other great places to enjoy your time! Go there instead.. Happy Yelpin Y'all! read more

I've been here twice now - it's a beautiful facility and I've enjoyed both my visits to bowl. I will say that the first time we had a horrible time just getting drinks; however the second time was after we had lunch somewhere else so just speaking solely on our experience with bowling we enjoyed our time. When I go back, I will attempt to eat there too so I can share a more thorough review but for now I'd say it's been a solid 4 star experience. One star removed for difficulty in locating a server to get us drinks on our first visit. read more

Went here for bowling and had a pretty frustrating experience. Right at the start of our session, we lost about 10 minutes due to lane malfunctions, and then it happened again at the end--another 10 minutes gone. That's a big chunk of time when you're paying by the hour. The staff interaction didn't help either. When we first came in and again when we were leaving, the staff came off as rude and unwelcoming. During the lane issues they weren't necessarily the problem, but overall the service just didn't match what you'd expect. Between the lost time and the lack of basic customer service, it didn't feel worth what we paid. read more

Mozzarella balls were amazing and the staff was really nice but kind of absent. the games were super expensive but all mostly working.

Management needs to be more attentive to what's going on... we were told a 2 hour wait time which is already ridiculous, and screams poor time management without a care in the world for your wait times. After 3 over hours of waiting, we spoke to staff were not only uncaring but unhelpful. Requested a manager and she also tried to say there as another hour wait time. I told her absolutely not! She tried to give some excuse to people booking more time as they were bowling (not my problem). We waited yet another 20 minutes or so to bowl. This only proves they have zero respect for their customers time. Not worth! Next time we will take our money elsewhere since they can't seem to figure out basic customer service skills. Very unfortunate. Hope others don't waste their time as well read more

Fun time just need to arrive early to get lanes. Service was a little rough just think the waitress having a bad night. read more

Big Al's - Restaurant - American Near Me - Meridian, Idaho

Quoted a 30-45 minute wait. At 45 minutes I checked in to see how long it would take for an update. I was told that it would be another 30-45 minutes and they said I was quoted an hour and a half wait. I told them no I was quoted a 45 minute wait. Customer service was rude. Once we got the text the guest experience manager told us we could only play 2 games. So we waited almost an hour and a half to bowl for 20 minutes. Tried to kill time with arcade games during our wait but $50 on the cards went by in about 10-15 minutes. Really poor customer service and experience. read more

I am honestly so taken back by the negative reviews. Please don't let miserable people fool you into not going here. You'll be missing out. Big Al's is amazing. The service is superb compared to any other bowling alley we have been to. The ambience is top-notch, and food is delicious quality of a nice restaurant. It's definitely not typical bowling alley bar food! We've had the pleasure of Julie (Jewls) helping us out with amazing service every time. She runs the tables and bar like a manager, constantly checking on everyone to make sure paying customers are getting top service. This is definitely an upgrade compared to any other bowling alley we have been to. Now we're spoiled here! We'll definitely be back over and over again as this is our now favorite place to bowl and have family nights. read more

Big Al's - Our server Julie. She's amazing! - American Near Me - Meridian, Idaho

We just had our little one's birthday party here and did the Go Big Package- worth every penny. The service we had was outstanding as they were attentive to our needs and made sure we had everything we needed to make today extra special and worry free. The pizza was good as it usually has been, drinks were spot on and ice cream could've been better but variety was good. My 5yr old can't stop talking about how great of a time she had bowling and playing arcade games. Worth every penny. read more

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it was the worst bowling experience I've ever had. The lights were reflecting onto the arrows and it was just a bad experience also the milkshakes we're chunky chunky. read more

Big Al's - American Near Me - Meridian, Idaho

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This place is a bit of a scam. They charge by the hour rather than by the game. We had a 6 person party with some little kids. Booked for 90 mins and only managed to get into the 4th frame of our 2nd game. The thing shut off mid game kicking us out. Couldn't even finish our game. Pretty weak in my opinion. The lanes are kind of bugged too. Balls are from 1970 and the gates often take the wrong score and knock over pins at random. Unlikely to come back by choice read more

The event staff at Big Al's is A+! I reserved the Caddyshack for my husband's retirement party and the event was a huge success, thanks in large part to Big Al's. The staff was attentive, professional, and friendly. There was another event booked after our party, and the staff graciously moved us into one of the banquet rooms to finish our party. Definitely worth the money to have the food, beverages, and plenty of games for the kiddos taken care of, so I could enjoy mingling with my guests. Thank you Big Al's for helping to make my husband's special day a huge success! read more

For food.... Ehhhh, maybe only fries and apps. We got wings, they sat in the window too long before we got them. Burger was suppose to be a PBJ burger, none of that stuff was on it and it was a super dry patty. Bar has good beer selection, good fries, but that's about it. Bowling area is massive and great, but go else where for food. read more

I wanted to take some family out for some fun after having a super hard year so far. I used to work at Big Al's and thought we'd have a good time, bowl, eat and hang out. Lift our spirits. Thankfully the bowling and the food were good and service was great while we were bowling. After we ate and finished our bowling, it was about 10:15pm. I knew it was getting late so I wanted to make sure it was okay that my family move to the sports bar area for some more time to finish drinks and order something else. I asked one person who was working in that area, they said yes, but asked that we stay at the top because they had a 120 person party coming in and they'll be taking the bottom level. No problem I thought. I got my kids situated in a booth by the walkway and I walked away briefly. When I walked away, the manager said to the server, "they didn't ask to sit there, but can you serve them anyway"? I did ask. I was very respectful about it. We had our order taken. a milkshake and two sundaes. I didn't realize they were short staffed and one of the employees was upset with me because we ordered dessert and they had to take time to make it. I ordered quickly so we weren't causing problems because of the large party that was coming in. I felt guilty that I was asking for dessert, but it was already ordered. Too late now. We waited probably 25-30 minutes (my timing might be off, but it was A WHILE) for the check. I gave up waiting and went back to who helped us earlier and asked to pay there. unfortunately, I'm not sure I'll be back anytime soon. read more

We have bowled here a few times, played in the arcade, ate food at the lanes over the years all are good family fun. We just recently dined at their cafe/restaurant. Great food and nice service although they were super busy. Food was good quality but high priced for a bowling alley. Keep in mind that the restaurant has huge screens with varying games being played for your viewing pleasure. It's a vibe you are paying for. You can carry your drinks to the lanes if you choose to bowl afterwards. They give kids a $5 play card for the arcade with a kids meal. We thoroughly enjoyed the meal and arcade, bowling wait times were too long on a weekend night but at least there is shopping in the village. read more

Went bowling at big Al's last week. Atmosphere was great. Service at the bar was sketchy. Depending on who took your order you were either treated great or she was rude. Food was good but super pricey! I'd recommend it if it's a once in a while special occasion due to the prices. read more

The manager on duty had a short fuse. The lane that we were using kept malfunctioning and we had to get help multiple times. Finally talked to the supervisor and he had an attitude. The requests that we were making were not a lot and he made it seem like we were causing a ruckus. Do not recommend coming here. read more

I have been here a couple of times but I wanted to write a review for Bert! My husband and I popped in last week for a quick lunch before going to the movies and we had a great time. The food and vibe here is always good and so is the service. Bert went above and beyond for us and really made our short and sweet lunch memorable. Bert, you rule! read more

This establishment no longer accepts cash. I will not be returning. Nothing I can't stand more than a business refusing to accept legal tender. What's your problem with cash? Credit cards charge you a fee for transactions don't they? Why would you want to turn away cash paying customers such as myself? Just because I don't like to involve a bank in every purchase I make, you discriminate? What about people who have cash heavy jobs, are leery of banks, or have poor or no credit? Screw them huh? It pretty in-American frankly and I'm very disappointed that you have decided to do this. read more

Probably the worst experience and service I had at a restaurant in my life. The food and drinks took forever, and it wasn't even busy. We asked for waters for the table, only a couple showed up. We were ordering draft and bottled beers, so not sure why it took so long? They served us room-temperature bottle beers, and when we went to the bar to complain that we got warm beers, the bar tender asked if we wanted a cold beer or just a cold glass to pour it in obviously we want a cold beer! Our appetizers showed up with no plates, forks, napkins on the entire table. Waved down another server for the essentials, and he asked if we all needed plates and napkins. Lol! This was after I went to the bar to ask for plates and napkins, and the bar tender said she wasn't sure where to get them from. To top it off, they served my 4 y/o nephew a completely raw burger. It was barely browned on the outside. After sharing my experience, I've been told from 2 friends that they got sick after eating here. We also tried to play games and most of their machines weren't working properly or took our money without letting us play. ABSOLUTELY insane. Will never ever go back. Now I know why it's never busy, even during an away BSU football game. read more

nice place, very fun set up with games etc. staff was very friendly Staff and facility was nice, but the food was BAD. first, at 8 pm the restaraunt was out of the first 4 things I tried to order. They had White bread only for sandwiches (who doesnt have sourdough?) Then they simply had no stock on 4 sandwiches I tried to order. I settled on a taco salad and it was almost inedible. The tortilla shell was fried in fryer oil that was way way past due for changing. The meat was almost mushy and didn't taste at all good. I literally picked the lettuce out because it was the best tasting thing in there. There were only two tables with anyone seated out of the entire place, yet it took way too long to get anything. The waitress didn't say thank you at any point, as would be common courtesy. it was us thanking her for everything! So I think the waitstaff training could use a little fine tun They didn't even have all the ingredients for a ice tea cocktail... Overall, it was just a bad joke experience. I've never sat down at a place and had them literally not have menu items to this extent! (then when I finally ask for something they have, for it to be so bad) read more

We had multiple problems while bowling... Nobody wanted to help us, however Logan (our server) showed up and was more than helpful from trying to fix our lane to taking us to the front to explain what was going on. He got us a new lane and made sure everything was good to go. Logan made our experience amazing and we will come back again and always ask for Logan. He is the guy! read more

This was my second time visiting Big Al's for a family Christmas bowling session and I'm sure we'll be back next year as well! The bowling is cheap and the whole place is super family friendly. The food is okay but the wait service is very attentive and fast. The arcade area has something for everyone and isn't overly crowded. They offer great price bundles that ensures you get your money's worth; spend more, earn free stuff! read more

Big Al's - Bowling - American Near Me - Meridian, Idaho

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This would of been a 4-5 start rating. My family and I have loved this place even before we moved here. We went again this weekend and their new policy is you can't pay in cash. Not at the bar or for dinner. I hope this kind of thing does not spread through out the valley. The food, drinks and service were very good. read more

Had a great experience there the staff was very professional and very polite and the food was delicious. A great place to take your family and have a good time. Really appreciate Jules she helped serve us with our order, She did an amazing job, all around it was great time spent. Thank you read more

Biggest scam ever. They advertise $2 bowling from 3-10 pm on Tuesdays but you show up and it's a 2 1/2 hour wait for all the reservations to go away. If you make a reservation you have to pay regular price instead of the advertised $2 Tuesdays. Scam scam scam. I don't spend my money at scam artists like Big Al's! read more

No cash. Super expensive. Bowling lanes also always have issues. I'm done supporting this place. Especially for being a cashless business which I should of stopped supporting a long time ago! read more

I will literally never bring my kids here again! I've spent A LOT of money here over the past few years and their service is getting worse and worse! They are extremely overpriced as it is but when I found out they don't accept cash anymore I made my decision to NEVER support this business again. It is fundamentally UN-AMERICAN to not accept legal tender and I do not support the slow decline to socialism. Shame on them read more

We went to Big Al's on 11/15/24 for an early dinner with some friends. I wish I had the name of the server to include in this post. The food was very good. Service was average. The biggest reason for the 3 star rating is directly connected to our server. He was a bit of a big guy who desperately was in need of a shower and some deodorant. There is nothing worse than trying to enjoy a meal when your server wreaks of horrible hygiene. Another negative about our server has to do with his understanding of beer. We had asked a couple of questions about the IPAs on tap. He was completely clueless! He just kept referring us back to the beer list. If you are going to work in a sports bar you should at least take time to learn a little about the beer on tap. Hopefully someone in Big Al's management team will see this post. It would be hard to not notice the stench. Any employee (especially those working around food) who goes to work like this should be immediately sent home for a shower. I will say his clothing at least appeared to be clean. read more

This is by far the worst service I have had in 51 years. I see why this place doesn't have good ratings. The bar tender was playing rubbit cubes. When someone finally help, didn't same his name or offer any water. The basic in service and they couldn't get that right. We had a group of ten coming to make twelve and Big Al, you lost money because of bad service. read more

Big Al's - Bar - American Near Me - Meridian, Idaho

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Would do 0 stars if I could. They asked if we wanted to do per game OR per person. I chose per game. They put us in at per person anyway. First red flag. NOT our fault they didn't listen. Not only that, they cut off our game to where we didn't get to even finish what we paid for. I've been to every other bowling alley in the treasure valley and they ALL charge PER GAME. I've had 10 people with me before and we all got to play because they do per game. I promise you, i've been to every other bowling alley and they charge per game. I paid over $20 for us to bowl and still didn't get to actually bowl for longer than 10 minutes because of it getting cut off. Managers shouldn't be managers if they can't do their job. Ive fired managers over that before. Poorly ran business. I am very disappointed and they also wouldn't give me any money back for them cutting off our game. Absolutely ridiculous. Don't waste your money. Go to any other alley where they actually charge properly. The people who run this place and work here clearly have no brain cells :) read more

I went there to enjoy football game with my family with kids and people were swearing across the entire restaurant during the game and out of control. The service didn't exist and I will never go back. read more

All I can say is WTH! We went to celebrate my grand daughters 10th birthday. I get there and stand at the check in for the restaurant and wait .... and wait. Finally I'm told it's a seat yourself situation. Okay ... Would have been nice to know. I'm then told, and by the way we don't have servers. You order on our app and we will run your food out. This of course is after sitting and waiting for a while. Oh it gets worse .... Food took forever, food was cold and terrible. Great place for bowling and or drinks. Wouldn't recommend for the food. read more

I was expecting a big group of about 18 people to bowl on a Tuesday (promo night). I knew it would be busy, so I showed up 30 minutes early to try to secure 3 lanes. Initially I was told that it wouldn't be possible because they didn't take reservations (huh?). Finally, I was put on a waitlist, which was fine. But an hour later, my group was getting antsy so I asked the front desk if we could pay in advance or get our shoes. We were told that this wasn't possible until all 3 lanes were available. 2 lanes had already opened up, so I requested to start getting people checked in, but I was told that we needed to wait until all 3 were available first. We ended up getting in eventually; however, it took another 15 minutes for our group to pay and get their shoes. The teenager at the counter kept having to ask her boss questions and not once did he come over and talk to us directly. Considering we had the potential to bring in lots of revenue that day, I would say that the whole experience was pretty disappointing. Won't be doing that again!!! read more

I'd give zero if I could. I used to love this place but everything is changed, everything is insanely priced which would be fine if we had wait staff! They sat us. Then no waiter came around for 15 minutes. They had an order online QR code so we did that but there was no way to get a kids drink on there for my son they didn't have all the sides and you couldn't substitute anything. It was really impersonal and then they ask for a tip online. It was equal to a cafeteria type experience but for 80 dollars worth Of burger and pizza and two drinks' . The Netflix and chill drink was not the same as its always been and honestly it's just such a disappointment. The person I came with also was not happy and he isn't even from here. All the wait staff just stood around talking. I'll revise my review IF I go back and things are better. Don't go here. It's not an idaho kinda place anymore. read more