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First and Bowl

4.1 (46 reviews)
Closed • Closed

Services - First and Bowl

Bartending services

Catering services

Event lighting services

First and Bowl Photos

Business Info

FIRST AND BOWL ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Casual
Good for groups
Outdoor seating
Happy hour specials

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Recommended Reviews - First and Bowl

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Reviews With Photos

Nerf Arena
Noemi L.

Before being invited to a kid's birthday party here, I've never heard of 1st and Bowl. Now my family & I want to come all the time! How are local people not talking more about this spot?! What a hidden gem! 1st and Bowl is unique "sports bar" with so many fun things to do for people of all ages. The gaming areas included separate spaces for kids and adults, like the football bowling & connect-4 basketball. There were also pickleball courts, cornhole boards, billiards tables, golf simulators, lots of screens with different live games on, and in my opinion, the creme de la creme: the Nerf Wars arena. Lights off, black lights on, all out fun! I haven't had that much excitement playing with Nerf guns in years! Some other things observed but didn't get to experience were the full bar and a full kitchen --both looked clean, well stocked, and ready for orders. Lots of comfortable seating, tables, and little private "rooms" around the courts to chill in while playing/eating. All of the separate areas looked very clean and organized, with clearly written game instructions for the various games visible by each court. From what I saw and experienced on the day I went, I'm pleasantly impressed with this place. If you're looking for a new place to have a kid's or adult's birthday celebration, a place for a first date (or 2nd or 3rd!), something to do on the weekend with your kids, a place to hang out casually with friends, family, coworkers, literally whatever the occasion -- than look no further than 1st and Bowl. This venue is top notch!

Basketball connect 4
Jasmine G.

Tried out this place for a double date for some indoor winter fun! We opted for the play pass which is 2 hours of enjoying whatever games you can during that time. There is another option where you can reserve games for 30-60 minutes however this is not clearly marked on any of the games making open play rather difficult if there are lots of reservations. My suggestion would be for half of the games to be reservation based and half available for open play. The basketball connect 4 was our favorite, however basketballs do get stuck a decent amount but it is not hard to fix. The football bowling was a cool concept in theory but was a little scary due to close proximity to other games and footballs flying and bouncing around from your game and any potential neighbor games. It was also a considerable distance making it a little challenging for the ladies in our group to reach the pins with a football. We also tried the golf simulator however it was very glitchy and stopped working after about 10 minutes of our group trying to use it. This place has a lot of potential for good winter entertainment but I think could use a little more structure and equipment checks to ensure a great experience for guests.

Nell B.

We had such a blast at First and Bowl and will absolutely be returning. I had no idea what I was going into, and wow do they have a TON of fun to offer! We made a reservation for the... bowling (?) and had a lot of fun. The design was very well thought out with stands for the pins that were knocked over, and a protective bar for drinks that may be in the path of an errant football. The point is to throw the football and knock over the bowling pins - like a mix of cornhole, bowling, and football. Additionally, they offer a nerf battle (upstairs, virtual golf, basketball connect four, pickleball, wiffleball, and cornhole. You can choose an all-access pass or make reservations for individual games. They have a great bar with tons of beverage options, and a small kitchen serving pizza, chicken wings, and giant pretzels. The staff were awesome and friendly as well - can't wait to bring back a bigger group!

Dawn O.

Indoor round robin pickleball leagues are at 1st & Bowl. It's rally scoring and round robin for partners so you get to play 10-15 rounds in 1.5 hour league sessions. You get to play a lot and get sweaty! The social league is fun, but it is a mixed league with new players and more experienced. It's a fun atmosphere, cool warehouse ambiance with two courts, a full bar, large kitchen with all the local favs plus music and TV. Of course it's famous for football bowling but has expanded to pickleball, wiffle ball, bags, xgolf, pool and more. Chrck out their website for other leagues So much to experience inside. They host many parties too. I would suggest stayong open later after league so we can enjoy have one with the others, having weekly/ daily food drink specials and please clean up the front stairs/entrance. I know you can make reservations and they're different entertainment packages to choose. My favorite besides pickleball is the connect four basketball. Have a blast.

James S.

Went here for field trip Tuesday 5/20/25 and was good place to play, good food, great service, and peaceful. Keep doing you first and bowl!

The football bowling area
Dhwani P.

Great place to go with friends or family event or even host a work event. The ambiance is great to enjoy self with your group and mostly independent without being bothered by the staff. The food and service were fine for a place like this. The games are cool hybrid between various sports such as connect 4 basketball or football bowling. Fun for all ages over age 4-5 years.

Football bowling
Anisha M.

My family and I visited 1st and Bowl on Memorial Day. When attempting to book the reservation I was told by Bryan that they were closed on Memorial day. I was so sad because it seemed like the perfect experience for my family of 30+. Bryan sensed the disappointment in my voice and immediately offered to open for us! He did warn me that his staffing would be short. I was so EXCITED! I then worked with Sarah via email and booked our private event. It was very reasonable. When we arrived Bryan was very accommodating, friendly, and welcoming. We didn't notice any staffing shortages as he was able to meet our needs. He prepared delicious food and reasonable drinks for our group. He allowed us time to bond after our time slot before we departed. I'm excited about our next visit. Many of us have talked about getting a membership! Definitely suitable for a date night, birthday party, team building exercise, guys, or ladies night! Don't hesitate schedule your reservation NOW!

Sip sip hooray

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Ask the Community - First and Bowl

Review Highlights - First and Bowl

“The gaming areas included separate spaces for kids and adults, like the football bowling & connect-4 basketball.”

Mentioned in 15 reviews

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7.4 mi•Downtown, Westown, Bronzeville
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Introduction including Milwaukee Sports:…read more Final of 3 reviews representing 3rd quarter of 2021 in scrapbook series is Brat House. In September 2021, I went on a Chicago/Milwaukee vacation. I attended 3 baseball games: White Sox, Cubs, & Brewers (in chronological order) on 3 consecutive days with my friend who joined me for the vacation. Of the 3 baseball games I went to my conclusion is Go Brewers! My favorite basketball team, Phoenix Suns, where I'm from before living in the DC area the past 15 years, lost to Milwaukee Bucks in 2021 championship, which was disappointing. But I was happy for the Bucks as they seemed to be a nice team and was glad it wasn't Lakers, Knicks, or Spurs. Speaking of the Bucks, Milwaukee Brat House is right by where the Bucks play in what they call the Deer District. Experience: My friend was a bit crazy. He wanted to go to a baseball game a 4th consecutive night for a 2nd time in a row for Brewers. As great of time as I had, I wanted to see other things in Milwaukee. So, I drove around the around seeing various things. Then, I was trying to figure out what I wanted to eat for dinner and gravitated to the deer district area. I walked along Doctor MLK Jr Drive, a nice corridor with various bars & restaurants. I settled on Milwaukee Brat House. I ate outside as it was pretty busy, was hungry and just wanted to eat. I ended up getting a bratwurst and cheese curds. I think they had BOGO beer as I had 2 beers (as pictured). Brat was great, but I stopped eating pork not long after; so I'd probably get a standard hot dog. The #1 selling point for me was getting cheese curds. When in Rome in Wisconsin, I wanted more cheese curds. They were awesome! The beer was great too; I purposefully picked some local beer company. The server was nice & helpful too. Overall, a great choice.

If you're in Milwaukee and looking for a great place to grab a brat, Milwaukee Brat House is…read moredefinitely worth a visit. It was a busy location, which is always a good sign, but the service kept things moving. The giant pretzel was excellent--crispy on the outside with just the right amount of salt and perfectly soft on the inside. The variety of dipping sauces made it even better. The cheese curds were also delicious and are a must-try if you're visiting Wisconsin. The bratwurst was very good and full of flavor. Overall, everything we ordered was enjoyable, and I'd definitely recommend stopping by Milwaukee Brat House if you're in the area.

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First and Bowl - sportsbars - Updated November 2026

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