I went to Main Event Hoffman Estates to attend a birthday party for a friend. As soon as I entered there was a line of 15 children snaking out of the bathrooms. Our party was at the bowling lanes. The lanes are available per hour. While bowling our group ordered some food. The food was standard for a bowling alley. Not great but not the worst. The entire time we were there were very loud announcements for birthday parties that were going on. After bowling, we went and played in the arcade. The prices were incredibly high. For a loud and unruly atmosphere, I will not be returning to Main Event Hoffman Estates! read more

See all

We had a girls bowling date. I was able to reserve a date online and we booked 2 hours. The price includes bowling, shoes, fees and taxes. You can have up to 6 people on a lane. We had a group of 5 and had plenty of room to sit. However the area is quite narrow so it was hard to talk to the whole group. You can add bumpers to each bowler. It's easy to take on and off. You can also add a group selfie to the tv which was quite fun. There was a drink and food menu on the table. They do not list any items as GF. I had to do a lot of research prior to understand what I could eat. The server was knowledgeable. I informed him I was celiac/gluten free. He indicated they have a dedicated fryer for fries so we were able to share them. We also ordered a couple cauliflower pizzas. For drinks, I ordered a peach sangria and frozen strawberry margarita. The food was delicious and the fries had a great seasoning. read more

See all

I have taken my daughter to Main Event when they have their All You Can Play specials over the years and we have always had a good time! For Black Friday 2025, they had a special where you can play from 11a-5p for $14.99 AND if you purchased before 12p, you got a $10 credit card for the arcade. We did have to add on bowling shoe rentals to our wristbands, but it was very reasonable. I felt safe using the high ropes course, we were placed on a bowling alley efficiently, and I played half a dozen rounds of laser tag. Some of the laser tag vests were not working 100%, so that was mildly annoying, but not enough to stop me from having fun all day. The arcade had some unique choices compared to the other arcade we live by, like a life sized Perfection game. We left for lunch and came back so I cannot comment on the food, but I have splurged on their fancy Shirley Temples for my daughter in the past ($4.99). It was dead quiet at 11a, but eventually, we collected opponents for laser tag and the bowling alley was popping! read more

See all

Not a cheap spot to host a party or special celebration, but this is one of the spots I'd choose to host because of the total offering here. That is, this spot has an enormous amount of parking, is located near tons of other food and shopping experiences people can visit beforehand, there is everything from bowling to arcade to laser tag available, and the food selection is a bit better than going for the cheaper venues. One of the differentiators for me is the quality of the arcade games -- that is these are high quality, newer, and larger than what you'll see at most venues -- with the next closest comparison being more upscale bowling alleys. These are well maintained and having all of these available in a single venue is convenient for a memorable event experience. Also, having a wide variety of different food and activity options helps to provide larger groups with a variety of things to do, many picture experiences, and the flexibility of different people arriving at different times, as there is more than enough staff to accommodate a surge of attendees. read more

See all

We made reservations for 2hr bowling in advance. It was enough 2 games for 5 ladies. Also had drinks and food. We had one lane and there was a big family with kids the next lane we shared with. They had a lot of bowling balls, so no room to add any more. Least they were nice to just shared the bowling balls. They had a good range of weights to choose from. The lanes were decent and you can add bumpers. There are a lot of kids of all sizes, so be patient if they come to your lane or don't know bowling etiquette. This is a family kids friendly place. The shoes are Velcro and wide, so they were loose on me and the Velcro would always come undone. There are cubbies underneath the seats to put your shoes under. Our waiter was great and we had ordered alcoholic drinks and pizzas. The cauliflower crust don't come in large, so we got small individual size to share. The hot honey flatbread is like the size of 2 small individual pizzas. Pizza and the fries were decently good. Also had the chicken nachos, which I wouldn't recommend to get. The sauce was pretty salty and the diced chicken weren't that great. Place has arcade, rope course, laser tag, pool tables, and more. Lots of birthday parties being held so lots and lots of kids. read more

See all

Overall, not bad. The venue is maintained. Machines working except one by the sponge bob game. The waitress was nice to come check on us during bowling and offered to order food. She brought it all out to us. There was also a field trip there and the ticket redeeming shop was closed but then they said it's only open to the public and not camps, and the kids were able to choose prizes. Overall nice experience. read more

Main Event Hoffman Estates - Laser tag - Bowling Near Me - Hoffman Estates, Illinois

See all

It was fun hanging out at the Main Event with my family and friends. The food here was very delicious, and now I understand why my wife chose this location for a work event. The service was pretty good, and our waitress took really good care of us. I had a great time, and I'm looking forward to our next visit the Main Event. read more

See all

Had a blast here, pizza & food was really good, our waitress was a real sweetheart. Very clean place. Lots to do! I like the fact you have more games to win prizes. I lost one of my prixes though :( oh well another reason to come back & replay to get it again. Pool tables are really nice, but a bit pricey for non-return tables. Other places with return tables charge less. But anyway I will still play it, because it is nice there. Except one little girl, she was wearing all black & kept giving dirty looks while adjusting the chairs constantly, I had to tell her to becareful or I could hit her with my pool stick. She was quite annoying. Maybe put her in the back somewhere. Anyway other than that, can't wait to come back! read more

See all

I used to be an avid patron of Dave & Buster's until I discovered Main Event in Hoffman Estates. What truly sets this location apart from its competitors--and even similar companies--is the staff. From security to the front desk to the bar, including management and the kitchen team, they are hands down the best. Don and keith are awesome . If a mistake is ever made, they go above and beyond to correct it. A big shout-out to Matt at the bar, along with the service desk team. You guys always are smiling You guys are truly above excellent and i appreciate you ... read more

We had so much fun. It's conveniently located and has so much to do, fun for the whole family. Great atmosphere and service. I highly recommend!!! read more

Main Event Hoffman Estates - Bowling Near Me - Hoffman Estates, Illinois

One of the worst experiences ever. I paid $80 for the 2026 NYE event package for my family of four. Upon arrival, I was greeted with extremely long lines. I waited 30 minutes to be put on a 5 hour wait list for bowling. I waited in another 30 minute line to be put on a 3 hour wait list for laser tag. The line for pizza had over 100 people waiting and never moved. The event was clearly oversold and management was not issuing any refunds. I have contacted the "contact us" page on Main Events website to be greated by a generic message. Again, no responsibility from anyone. Extremely annoyed! read more

Main Event Hoffman Estates - Bowling Near Me - Hoffman Estates, Illinois

The kids absolutely love this place especially this location preferably over the other main event location. The food in the resturant area was great and they love the kiddie cocktails. read more

Main Event in Hoffman Estates is one of those places where time just flies the kind of spot that turns a regular night into a good memory. Between the games, bowling, and food, there's something for everyone, and the energy always stays up. The staff kept things moving smooth and made sure everything went right, from ordering to setting up lanes. The food came out quick, tasted fresh, and hit the spot. Whether it's family, friends, or just a casual hangout, this place always brings good vibes. Memories are built here. read more

Bowling was great, lazar tag was good, billiards and rope thing were fun. Arcade was nothing special and just like Entertainum in Woodfield. Food was okay. It was packed and loud, if you don't like that, don't go read more

I came in to bring my father in law in for games and bowling and bought Costco gift cards to use at the facility. However, they limit you on what you can use the gift cards for and their customer service is very unhelpful. The manager literally told me they don't do anything for customer service and you have to call sales and when I called sales she referred me to corporate. Super dissatisfied with the service and how unhelpful the team is. This should be a family fun place which is easy to navigate but they truly make you feel like you don't matter as a customer. read more

Main Event is an outstanding venue for kids' birthdays! The gravity ropes, laser tag, and bowling options make it a perfect choice for a fun-filled celebration. The variety of activities ensures everyone has a great time, making it a memorable experience for the birthday child and guests. Highly recommended! The food options is what you would expect....nothing fantastic and your basic options such as pizza and soda. Pretty standard kids party food. read more

See all

Booked the Dec 31st New Year event and it was a disaster. 45 mins in line to check in, rude employees and it wasn't possible to get any bowling lanes. My 4 year old stood in a snowstorm and there was no organization or communication from staff. Avoid at all costs, I have used main even for corporate events but this was the last straw. Avoid. read more

Main Event Hoffman Estates - Line to get in the door - Bowling Near Me - Hoffman Estates, Illinois

Fun experience, what was not fun was bowling for almost an hour without any sort of service. We had to ask numerous times (~3-4) for somebody to be at least sent over so we can at least get water. We were going to order drinks and food, and even extend our time but we decided that there was absolutely no way we were going to stay there. We booked laser tag in advance and the ambiance was loud, needless to say it is an arcade it does make sense, but my god was it difficult to hear. Luckily it wasn't bad enough that I was able to make out some words. Overall, a meh experience. Would come again but honestly I don't want to lose it again over not getting a simple pitcher of water. We didn't let it ruin our night though! read more

Went on a Sunday before a holiday and they were just ill prepared. There were a lot of parties going but they didn't have adequate staff for the kitchen and dine in area. Service was fairly quick at the front desk but had to ask someone at the desk to call another person so we could be seated in the dining area. The food was just ok. I wasn't impressed. It wasn't nasty either of I ever I go back i would order something off the menu. Dillion was great, very nice, and accommodating seeing he was the only one serving the tables. Check in process for laser tag was delayed due to there only being 1 person at the desk trying to cash kids out with their gifts and check people in for laser tag. Again not prepared for the holiday weekend. Overall the kids seem to enjoy themselves. There are a lot of activities to choose from in 1 place. Bowling, billiards, laser tag, gravity walk, and the arcade. read more

See all

SO with this being my first visit I was really disappointed with how everything went down here! I came here for my nephews birthday party and main event made the birthday party suck. Party was scheduled for 5pm and they pushed it back to 6pm. Then from that point on it was just us being rushed to do everything because the kids who worked that section had school and needed to be off around 9. But the place doesn't close until midnight or 1am. so make it make sense. Anyway, I had to get a drink from the bar, something simple like a Long Island ice tea. I swear I WAS JUST DRINKING WATER. I don't know why I wrote that all in caps but I guess I got upset all over again. lol. Let's move on to the food, I only tried the pepperoni pizza that they brought out to the tables and visually they looked delicious but that first bite reminded me of Chucky cheese pizza and well if you know you know. Let me finish telling you what happened... So it's like 7pm now and they kick us out of the reserved party area. We didn't get a chance to sing or cut the cake or open gifts because they were rushing us. So then everyone was like whatever we are going to the bar area to ate east cut the cake for the kids when they were like we are taking up too many seats.. like omg.. so then the manager is like go back to the party area and sing happy birthday cut the cake and then you cannot open gifts because his staff has to leave. So you mean to tell me that we payed for a party that we cannot enjoy because your staff has to leave, sounds like bad management to me. anyway we took the gifts to the car then let the kids finish playing and left. I will never be back. read more

We've been here several times, for several occasions: - Hosted a social group outing for middle school boys - Attended birthday parties - Attended Halloween event Catering has been excellent here. Food is hot and fresh and consisted of burgers, fries, and pizza. We enjoyed the quality of the food and would recommend. The employees are hit or miss here. The party hosts have been kind and attentive, always getting refills and keeping the timing going smoothly. However the employees running the ropes course, laser tag, and prize center are either super friendly or super checked out. Many times you'll see employees on their phones while engaging with customers. The activities that are available here are decent, with the ropes course and the bowling as the two standouts. There are pool tables and table shuffleboard available, which was appealing to the middle school and older kids. The laser tag is okay for up to 12 years old or so... any older and the kids get bored and complain easily. The arcade has a mix of ticket/prize games and standard video games, but be warned... if you have a time-based pass (ex. unlimited 1 hour of play), you will not earn tickets for redemption, so just play for fun. From a pricing standpoint, I would say that hosting a party here is cost effective for all that you get. The energy and vibe of the place will keep your youngsters busy. However if you or your loved ones are sensitive to sound and lights, this place can get really overwhelming, really fast. Bring the noise-cancelling headphones and earplugs to get by! read more

Upped the point values on each game. Used to be 3-6 points spent per game, now it's 7-12, making your time here go by fast. The prize room is so mislabeled-- one item saying its worth 1000 points but upon scanning to check out its more. Label your stuff correctly!! Overall this place really isn't all worth it anymore, used to be fun read more

For a place that claims to be family focused.. it is crazy that there is no baby changing table in the women's bathroom. The only changing table is in the SINGULAR family restroom. Can you imagine having to change your baby on a busy weekend? And for breastfeeding mommas that want a little privacy, having a mother's room would be helpful... but of course they don't have one. Overall, I'm pretty disappointed with the lack of resources for families with little ones. read more

We purchased the New Years Eve package and it was a complete miserable experience. It took 45 minutes just to get checked in (waited outside in the cold)and we right away went to reserve a spot for bowling and it was an instant 4 hour wait. My husband also waited an hour and a half in line for food while my kids and I played games and we just ended up picking up and leaving because my 7 and 5 year old were too hungry to even wait any longer. So frustrated we even spent the money here when we didn't even get anything out of it. They also do not even do a fun countdown for the kids to celebrate early. read more

Overall very crowded and loud inside. More so for kids to enjoy rather than adults. Couple of pool tables some bar areas but not much room for other things. Bowling was a 5 hour wait. You needed a reservation beforehand and staff wasn't that helpful when trying to get one of the activities to try. read more

Main Event Hoffman Estates - outside - Bowling Near Me - Hoffman Estates, Illinois

Terribly slow service and employees at front counter don't care Don't come here Save Your money and time Anywhere else is better read more

Main Event Hoffman Estates - Tried to call a staff number twice and no one picked up - Bowling Near Me - Hoffman Estates, Illinois

"Main Event" is located near the NOW Arena and reminds me of a Dave N Busters. There are various games, from video games, to VR, to carnival-like games that virtually give you tickets to claim prizes. The kiddos enjoyed coming here, although which kid wouldn't, if video games are involved? They also have food, laser tag, pool, a cool looking zip-line course, and bowling too, in which case, we did not try. The place can be somewhat pricey; as of the time of writing, we spent $80, which gave the kids 250-credits each (each game, depending on the game, can take between 7-10 credits, the highly popular VR game took 20credits), so I guess it's subjective whether 250-credits is considered a lot or not. For my kids, they blew away their credits just under an hour, but the amount they played seemed to be satisfactory to them. Bowling was $36, not including rental of shoes, so we opted not to do that. Overall, it's an "OK" place to check out. I suppose if you were to ask why here vs Dave N Busters (DnB), and I can't find a compelling reason for one or the other. I guess it comes down to the games offered, and whether there were a large number of "Out of Order" machines (there were not). I suppose what sets this place apart is that this place does have bowling, zip-lining, and laser tag, and correct me if I am wrong, I don't believe DnB does either..... I think? read more

Main Event Hoffman Estates - One of the games - Bowling Near Me - Hoffman Estates, Illinois

Great service! We paid for bowling online and thought there might be a problem when going in. Everything went smoothly! The manager was awesome. Super clean and Staff are very accommodating and professional. Shout out to Don for being patient with my large party of 9. Will be back for sure! read more

Very fun! The games are really fun to do and you can eat dinner. There is also a ropes course which I highly recommend + laser tag and bowling. I suggest this place for a birthday party or just for fun! read more

Main Event Hoffman Estates - This is a part of the arcade and the ropes course - Bowling Near Me - Hoffman Estates, Illinois

Huge improvement since last year, I'm glad they have more associates that actually show they like they're job! It's the people that make the place better! I hope they keep this momentum during the summer as well. read more

Horrible experience. Booked a birthday party for my child at 12:30pm. Was told that initially that we could eat FIRST, then bowl, then play arcade games. When the time came to confirm details, was told that we had to wait an hour to eat. We had to bowl first and that all the tables were full in the eating area so there was no way to eat at 12:30. They completely lied during our first discussion and refused to honor what we discussed. The junior associate I spoke with to confirm (a different one from my first conversation) told me I would have to book the earlier time on the first conversation. NOBODY told me that. If this is true, why not tell me during the initial conversation? I would have booked it then. Or why not call me back in a day or two if it was so important? When I talked to the manager directly, I told them I don't like being lied to and was upset, they tried to blame the junior associate I spoke with on the first conversation. Nobody apologized for the situation. They kept saying "I hear you". Obviously you don't. I don't care if you can hear me. Understand me and FIX the situation. Or at least apologize if you can't fix it. But what happened was, I was lied to and you didn't fix the situation. And not even an APOLOGY. But they were more than happy to encourage us to order expensive appetizers for an hour and then to do lunch. When I pointed out that everything they told me initially was a lie, the manager hung up on me. Don't waste your time with this place. The customer service is a joke. read more

Perfect for weekends and they have amazing games Only concern is the wait time will be more And amazing food ,service is good Must try Moscow mule and fries Amazing ambiance.i feel it's more happening and if you have group of friends it will be super fun read more

We had my daughter's 10th birthday party here. It was a horrible experience and I felt terrible that my daughter and her friends had such a disappointing time, especially since this was the most expensive birthday party she has had. The timed events are very short with long wait times in between. The kids essentially had to watch other customers having fun participating in different events while they waited... and waited. Finally, when we did do our first event (which only lasted 15 minutes)--1.5 hours into the party--they got yelled at by the staff the entire time. After dealing with an unsympathetic "party host," I spoke to the manager and he gave us some game cards to distribute to the kids. However, the cards did not work, so during the last 45 minutes of the event, I had multiple kids coming up to me to let me know that their cards did not work. At that point, staff were nowhere to be found to fix it. I would have been better off just purchasing game cards for the kids and letting them run around for two hours. It would have cost a lot less and the kids would have been MUCH happier. I called corporate headquarters after the event to explain the situation. They seemed sympathetic and said someone would call me back to rectify the situation, but I never heard back from Main Event. I urge parents to think twice before throwing away their money on the Main Event "party" package. read more

Very Good. Lots of good fun. Had blast with the kids and the wife.. expensive but much worth

12 year old girls, had great time. Alot to do. Clean, and friendly. Maybe a little more explanation at the check in of how it all works but def will keep this as an option for future reference. read more

We went on a weekend, too many birthday parties, some of the arcade is out of service. Their shop when you exchange for prizes is out of price or the points is not updated. We ordered pizza, garlic bread and chicken wings. Not sure if it's just me but food is a tad salty. Bathroom not clean. Overall, we are coming back when we're invited. I don't have pictures, I was too busy of my kids. read more

Very disappointed in the staff, everyone is rude, no one is helpful. Bar service is terrible, served one drink in an hour, after waiting for 20 min. For the amount of money customers pay, they need to hire better staff. read more

For the overall price you pay for a family, I didn't think it was worth it. ( Still prefer Funway ) The main reason being- all the wait times. I don't want to pay, just to wait around. What do you do while you are waiting, that doesn't cost extra money? The main activities have long wait times. And you hope you sign up for things just right! So, after you waited forever for laser tag, when you get done THEN next don't have to wait extremely long for bowling (which we did). While there the gravity ropes were not in use. So then, what makes this place better than just going to a closer bowling alley (which usually have pool tables as well)? Which, would be cost less to play, and less money on gas. Another headache was their card tokens system. There were only a couple working, for all these people waiting. Plus, unlike card token systems at other amusement places, this one wanted extra personal information. Really? You shouldn't need all that to put $10 on a token card. The high point of the place was the laser tag. The area was a large space and the game time didn't go by super fast. But, those couldn't make up for all the minuses of "Main Event". Including, the laser gun I ( and some others)had was not reloading right. Minuses included: -Too much time wasted on long wait times & constant waiting in between each activity. -Bad(you have to input so much info) & broken token system, -A main activity out of 3, not running -Nothing for the younger kids (say under 8) Overall, don't think we got what we paid for. ( I'd recommend "Funway" Amusement center instead. It has more attractions & activities, for a greater age range. Including: go karts, roller skating, black light mini golf, bumper boats etc etc., as well as laser tag & bowling. Prices work better too because you can pick & choose which activities to pay for. ) read more

I booked my sons 13th birthday here and I loved it! I booked the teen all access that included bowling,vr lazer tag, 2 hour gaming. They included food and drinks. Our server Jay was amazing getting all the guests their shoes,drinks,cards setting up the lazer tag! She did a great job. I highly recommend a party here if you have a teen/pre teen. I like the fact that we started early when they opened because we beat the rush of people that show up at night. The boys had a blast and definitely be back to celebrate more events !! read more

Main Event Hoffman Estates - a tray of food and drink - Bowling Near Me - Hoffman Estates, Illinois

Main Event is fun, but pricy, can be crowded and service is hit/miss. From video games, bowling, laser tag, to a ropes course. There's a lot to do. read more

Main Event Hoffman Estates - Ropes course. - Bowling Near Me - Hoffman Estates, Illinois

See all