For years this was my Dad's go-to place for bowling. A senior league once a week, games with me when I visited, and occasional other games besides. But the place has changed. No more senior leagues. No more morning games And the entire alley now is dark with strobe lights, so you can't even see the lane markings properly. We ended up leaving without playing a game. I'm sure it's still a great place for some people, just not for us. read more

First time coming back here in a few years and I was shocked to say the least. The average arcade game is $2 to $8.50 per play. Needless to say that is insane, especially if you want to be there for a couple of hours. The VIP bowling lanes are nice aesthetically, there's fun lights and upbeat music playing. We came on a not busy weekday and still received mediocre service. We ordered food and alcoholic drinks and weren't checked in on until our bowling games were all but finished. One of our entrees never showed up. This place used to be so fun and fairly priced. Super disappointed. read more

What a fun place! We are in town for a baseball tournament and came here to for team bonding. This place has it all! Bowling, arcade, great food, and a great bar. This is fun for the whole family for sure! Customer service is great and the kids have a blast. Prices are pretty reasonable. We were here for a long time. The cards for the arcade seem to let a long time. Everywhere you look employers seem like they are having fun and love working here. Place is clean however bathrooms...not so much. Toilet paper was out in a few stalls and paper towels were all over the floor. I can't blame the employees for not wanting to be the poor soul that has to clean it up after customers just throw stuff all over the bathroom. I witnessed multiple managers helping to clean and clear tables. If I lived close by I would want my kids working here. A MUST try when in the area! We will be back. Thank you for the great experience! read more

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Fun place to go with friends or family. Bowling. Games, pool. Full bar great food. Great customer service.

Why over priced now. Used to be a fun enjoyable place to watch a game but their prices are outrageous. Nachos for $25, what? Burgers for $18? What? Sorry there are great sports bars serving really good food that will not break the bank. Drinks have also risen in price. Not happy with the price increases and won't go back. Used to Love this place but there are other choices with much better service and much cheaper food and drink options. read more

I have read a lot of negative reviews about this place as of recent but I've always had a good experience going there. I was looking for a place that I could watch football and have some drinks and food and this place delivered. There are also a lot of activities for non-sports fans that want to go out as well. The service was good too. I can't really think of many other places that do that besides sports bars and those aren't as family friendly. read more

The service sucked all the games were empty had to ask 5 different employees to fill it up and they would say yes I will head there right now and do it after an hour no one showed up and then I asked one more worker and they called the manger to do it he starts blocking off other games making them say unavailable and would do that to every game till I lefted no one helped out pretty much kicked me out for asking to restock the prizes came in with my family to enjoy time but ended up wasting my time and money didn't even get to play games read more

Came today to watch NFL games. We were seated quickly, and the server was quick to come and take our order. Then after our drinks and appetizer were served we had a change of servers. That's when everything went downhill. We saw the new server once, and that was only after my wife flagged him down. Never once did he come back and ask if we needed anything, didn't clear our table until we asked for our check. He seemed insulted when I gave him cash Vice a card to pay our tab. Spent over two and a half hours there and saw the server twice! Very disappointing. read more

I remember growing up thinking that bowling here was in the pricey side, but that was also when I was in high school and didn't have a salty. Returning now, $5/game per person and $5 shoe rentals seems pretty reasonable for bowling. There are a lot of lanes, though it can still get fairly crowded in the holiday season. I appreciate the high ceilings and bright lighting - makes it feel much less seedy than most bowling places I've been. There is also a back section that has more dim lighting and seems to be reservable for those who want a different experience. The arcade games here are still pricey, even as a working adult. So I prefer to go to Wunderland for those. All in all, Big Al's offers a welcoming environment for families and friends who want to have some fun! read more

It's gone downhill. Employees complained of being overwhelmed. The food was your typical bar food. We actually felt sick after eating there. We are going to check out the older bowling allies. I don't think we will return anytime soon. It was expensive and mediocre. I feel companies are passing COVID-19 losses on the customers. Folks, we all lost money, time, and sanity. Quit screwing the customers. read more

Lousy service, they do not assist customers at all, it's do it yourself. The food is lousy too. The employees in the bar area need training on customer service. read more

Used to go here a bunch. It's gotten SUPER expensive and is SUPER loud! Great facility. Good drinks. Mediocre food. Lanes are solid., but we had to inform employees that our ball was stuck, literally 7 times during 2 games. Will bowl across town from now on, for less than half the price. Getting NFL Sunday ticket at home now. Kids are teens now: Not sure why we have a reason to go back. Thanks for the memories, and good luck! read more

We used to come here often pre covid for thier nachos. Thought they were the best in town. Well they decided to change the menu up and now there isn't even melted cheese on them. Instead its a salty soggy mess...the chips are now strips, covered with an avocado sauce and some other drizzled sauce that reminds me of thousand island. Complete rip off for 25 bucks! read more

Big Al's - Nachos? - Sports Bars Near Me - Vancouver, Washington

A lot of the decent games just were not working. They were also out of a lot of food that you would expect, like pizza read more

Big Al's - Game Unavailable - Sports Bars Near Me - Vancouver, Washington

We used to enjoy coming here. However the food is subpar and the service is atrocious! We finally had to go up to the bar and ask to order drinks after being here for 20min while 5 employees stood around laughing and talking. The management at this establishment should be ashamed. It will not surprise me if this business closes doors! Food tastes like it comes straight from the freezer and heated in the microwave. The pool tables are completely ruined and DIRTY! WE WILL NOT BE BACK! read more

This has to be one of the nicest bowling alleys in vancouver, and the newest. The prices are probably the most expensive but you pay for what you get. Sunday nights they do unlimited cosmic bowling after 9pm I believe til close. Shoes are included in the cost. They have food and a bar, along with arcade games. Good place to bring the family if you want a variety of options for everyone. read more

Big Al's - Cosmic bowling - Sports Bars Near Me - Vancouver, Washington

I'm done with this place. I use to love it, now it is so ridiculously over priced and the food is a complete ripoff. $25 for a plate of nachos? Really? What you actually get is a plate of tortilla chips with a few tiny crumbles of grisly meat. Also, $5 per game is a little much. A big thumbs down! read more

We came here for a team bonding event, and the kids loved it! The place is pretty big but not overwhelming. The kids stayed in the arcade pretty much the entire time, and the adults hung out at the tables right outside of the arcade area. They have a pretty good system for ordering food & drinks. Just pull out your camera phone and hover above the QR code on the table. It takes you to a menu where you can order whatever you want, and there are notifications of out of stock items so you don't end up ordering and finding out later on that you're SOL. It even allows you to keep your tab open, and you can close it at any time. We ordered the big chicken platter ($49.99 but worth it), and several cocktails. The Michelada is huge, and the marinated chicken skewers were my fave...very flavorful. My son liked the chicken tenders the best because they were so crispy on the outside yet juicy on the inside. We ordered two types of wings, but they bring them out naked with the sauces/rubs/seasonings on the side. I was a little surprised by that, but my husband enjoyed it because he could control how much he used. The only hiccup was that we signed up for two lanes of bowling at around 6:25pm. They said the wait would be about an hour. Not quite...it took them over 2 hours to get us in (even though multiple lanes had been open), and several people in our party had either already left or declined the 2nd lane as we had to get the kids to bed at a decent hour for an early morning tournament the next day. All in all, we'd definitely come back again. We'll just make sure not to sign up for bowling unless we have a TON of time to spare. read more

Going bowling is usually a valuable experience because it prepares me for other disappointments in life; however, after revisiting Big Al's Big Bowling Alley a couple times, it turns out I'm a fan. Sure, bowling is still the best "sport" at combining two of my greatest skills: drinking & eating, but the reason I'm upgrading Big Al's is because I really enjoyed discovering the huge sports bar with ping pong, shuffleboard, and pool at just $8/hour of play. The equipment isn't professional quality ... and neither is your ability. So, just drink your beer and have some fun. Speaking of beer, upgrade to the tall 22oz. size of your favorite local brew (like Shadow Shinobi IPA from Loowit) and drink like you're in the Couve. Then I strongly recommend the Near Death Burger (medium rare) featuring a 1/2 lb Beef Patty with Lime Cream Cheese, Fried Jalapeno Crisps, and spicy Near Death Sauce ... plus a whole roasted Jalapeño and skull key chain. If you like spicy, it's not really a killer ... it's a near killer. I'll definitely tempt fate with the Near Death Burger again. The family-friendly, Applebee's-vibe may be too docile for many people, but the bowling, burgers, beer, and buffoonery make me a fan of Big Al's Big Bowling Alley. read more

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Wonderful experience! Berkeley was the best bartender. Customer service was perfect. My son's 21st birthday was great. Thank you everyone working tonight! read more

Food is good for what it is. Tvs are amazing for sports. Staff is great and friendly.

My brother, dad and I came here for a day out. we got a pizza, amazing. it was very good. and went bowling, amazing as well, our service was so good,everyone there is very nice. just be aware that this place is card only. read more

Huge arcade, not a single pinball machine. Had lunch and then was told they do NOT take cash. Card only. Burger was tasty, once you find the meat! read more

Wow what a fun place. Great arcade games. Lots of TV's and always sports games going on so uninterested parents have something to watch. The food was great. With the games and food I can't say it was a cheap experience, but it was very fun. I'm definitely a big fan and look forward to coming back. Great place to come with the kids. Or if there is some big sports event going on, they have a big room with a very large screen to catch the action. read more

Big Al's - Great place for some fun with the kids - Sports Bars Near Me - Vancouver, Washington

THIS PLACE DOES NOT DESERVE YOUR TIME OR MONEY. The first time I went to Big Al's was for Two Buck Tuesday. My family and I were served Twisted Teas and cocktails by the brunette bartender all night. Everything went fine the first visit. Two weeks later, we return as a family again to bowl and drink. I order a Twisted Tea by a bartender with green hair. Of course, I'm carded because I look young. No isssues and we go on with our night. My older sister and I return to get our second drinks. We approach the brunette bartender that previously served us two weeks ago with no issue. This time I give her my ID, she blacklights it and proceeds to say she can't serve me. This is the same bartender that served me two weeks prior with no issues. My sister hands the bartender her AZ ID and her ID doesn't glow either. Meaning they have a black light that doesn't work well. She proceeds to tell me my ID is fake bc it doesn't glow when my sisters didn't glow either. The manager then came over and told us they were "checking IDs for football season". On top of that, we paid for two games of bowling and our lane was messed up. We were missing a pin every set and the bumpers were stuck on. We asked an employee if they could fix it and nothing ever changed. Several of the arcade machines were out of service as well. Needless to say, we got a refund for our bowling and left that place for good. If you are a young drinker, DO NOT GO HERE! They discriminate against younger legally-aged drinkers and will ruin your fun. If you support your bartender's judgement to scrutinize IDs of families with people in their 30's and 50's after already being served in the same evening, perhaps their "judgement" is costing you more money than you realize. Poorly educated and ageist bartenders with be the downfall of this place. Don't bother wasting your time or money here. read more

Amazing service from Ashley and addy Their drinks are top tier and they were showing the blazer game on the big screen so bonus points to them. Dame lillard is carrying to the finals this year. read more

The Famly Spot to be. Bowling had a wait. Arcade was a blast. Pool was a good time kill. Bar was Deliciousness read more

Big Al's - a blue drink and a can of red bull - Sports Bars Near Me - Vancouver, Washington

Fun. Great service. Food is really good. Arcade payment system and redemption center is good.

The food is not great and over priced, same for drinks. Great selection of TV's for sporting events. Prices have skyrocketed on the games for the kids as well. Big Al's used to be a favorite for our family to visit. Now everyone is more meh about it. Lower the prices and make more budget friendly then I think my opinion could change. read more

Five Stars by the very definition. The new standard for today's american bowling centers. I really enjoyed bowling there. And I think they cater all budget types. Big spendy groups down to your econo-minded bowler (like myself who enjoyed the weekend mornings). Sweet jumbo tron. Nice pro shop. I appreciate the focus around wood. Definite Northwest feel. Next time, I'll try out the sports bar and experience that whole 8' x 36' of video madness. Even the bathrooms were clean, nice and bold. The one tiny complaint is the wood above the pro shop. Not sure if it's wallpaper or thin ply, but it looks warped with air pockets. Anywho, gotta check this place out and see for yourself. Really cool. read more

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Had a great time! Lots of space! Service was a little slow and the place wasn't busy. But the killer of the night was that the AC was not working in the sports bar at ALL. Actually almost felt like the heat was on so it really killed the night. read more

I came for the full experience a while back. I have to say I had a good time. We ate (table of 9) in the giant sports lounge. Food was pretty quick, and all of it was surprisingly good for a bowling alley. After we ate it was off to the video game area for more good times. Everything worked and it was fun, I just don't like the new money sucking card loading style that businesses like this are moving towards. My son lost his card soooo bye bye 15 bucks. He had three cards so it can happen pretty easily while shuffling them around. Plus you have set denominations you can add to the card and if there's change left on it....well you just donated 50 cents to big Al's retirement fund. After that we went in to bowl. Nice lanes but way too crowded. We were literally bumping into our neighbors. Maybe a good place for a singles bowling event, but not for kids. Pros are the food, service, atmosphere. Cons are the card ripoff system for the games and the bowling seating and lack of privacy. But it's worth coming down to see for yourself, because it was a blast and I'll be back cause the kids love it. read more

Must remember to check in first next time. There is a YELP special so check in first! The place is very nice and clean. We usually go to the side where you pay for games as you go, but decided to go to the hourly one. Honestly, the price comes out the same when you have 4 people. Although, we probably should have gone to the pay per game so that the girls could talk and not be rushed. The servers stayed on top of you so you never had to look for a server. Good place for family or just friends. The arcade is pretty fun for grownups, too. Not just a kid arcade. read more

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Sunday morning bowling... prices are good ($2 a game before noon), but some inside knowledge for those of us who are more serious bowlers-- unless you have more than 8 bowlers, they don't allow league style bowling. Also, the floors today are very sticky, like a dirty mop was used last night. This can be a good spot for fun, but for the more serious, not as much. This is our second week in a row bowling here, but we don't plan on having a third. read more

We had a really horrible experience here. a bar tender who was in a bad mood all night. Our drinks were paid for behind the bar waiting for us to pick them up. She demands we go to the back of the line and wait and we politely let her know our drinks are right there. She grabs our drinks, slams them on the counter, they're spilling all over. I am standing there with my ID in hand and she aggressively snatches my ID out of my hand, literally shocked everyone around, we just stared at her in disbelief. I walk towards the bathroom and side step to get out of this lovely young lady's way to which she responds by also sidestepping in the same direction and protruding her knee and elbow to try and trip me. Then has such cute audacity to ask me what my problem is. I can't help but say the truth, "you've been a b**** the entire night" and she said she couldn't wait to call security and kick me out for threatening her. I carry about my business and she actually bursts into the restroom and announces she found me. I ask to speak to the manager who tells me I'm wrong, the bartender didn't try to push me over. Someone in the bar overhears and speaks up and says "actually that's exactly what happened." It's really frustrating that businesses are so short staffed they have to be reduced to keeping people on staff that have such poor people skills and no respect for fellow humans. Instead of avoiding a collision or just say excuse me, she had to go out of her way to push me then call out after me and blame me. Customer service has gone completely out the window to try to appease employees and it is so sad. We love Big Als and love bringing our girls here but it will be really hard to come back after that. read more

It's a great entertaining place however rather pricey! I wen there for a going away party which we had a great time but the prices are definitely up high. Don't go there thinking about budgeting cuz you will spend quite a bit of money if you wanna play and have some drinks I'd go back there cuz the place and atmosphere is very cool and chill I just wish they'd drop their prices a bit That'd definitely be the spot to go! Lots of things to do read more

The games were fun but having to order from your phone at the table, being limited on characters for special orders, and having to walk to the bar to get refills = a 2 star review. When ordering food it asks you to tip, but you only see a server to bring your food. They don't ask if you need anything, refill your drinks, or check on you - so what was the point of a tip. Felt like a giant rip off. No one asked if we wanted our food to go so we wasted what we couldn't eat. Very disappointed in the restaurant side of our visit. On a high note, the boys at the bowling counter were very polite and helpful. read more

had a great time in the arcade with my kid. prize room had lots of choices. good beer selection. good time overall

This is such a fun family spot! I'm pretty sure we've been here over 25 times. Every time the experiences is consistent and the service is great. We love eating there, playing games at the bar, bowling, or playing at the arcade. So many different activities! The bar is great for sports and football but can be overwhelming with how many tv's there are but my friends and family don't seem to mind it. I hear there are other locations in Or too but we've only been to the Big Al's in Vancouver, Wa. read more

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I've been visiting Big Al's since it first opened. Yes, I'm old. We love coming here, so much it's where my wife and I first met and had our first date. We have chosen to celebrate several birthdays here, and have had several group events here. The kids love the arcade, I like their beer selection. They have a good menu variety, there's bowling, arcade, a sports bar. Basically there's something for everyone, and if you don't have a good time, there's something wrong with you. Definitely recommend making a visit! read more