I threw my boyfriend a 30th birthday bash here and it was amazing! Everyone had a great time and the customer service was beyond amazing from the initial call to reserve space to the end of the party. Now that's 2 weeks of outstanding customer service work. I recommend this place to anyone. FYI this place is BYOB only beer & wine. Thank you Pep Bowl! Btw- if you want catering while you bowl, check out Rosario's Pizzeria & Restaurant. I ordered from them and had amazing tacos & quesadillas. It's worth it read more

It's is pure bowling No frills ... but Clean lanes Excellent service Cool vibe It's old school in the very best way I'm a lifelong very mediocre bowler But this place is super duper nostalgic Thank you for keeping great fun, something to look forward to with friends and family. read more

I'm obsessed with PEP bowl. They're truly an iconic establishment. BYOBev & bites. The vibes are retro and completely relaxed. Staff are charming and so hospitable. Such a gem of a joint. Just an FYI if you're trying to make a reservation (I called a few times) they are currently remodeling and are temporarily close. read more

PEP Bowl - Can't wait for them to reopen! - Bowling Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Good time! Great casual place - byob and location is good. Definitely outdated but that makes it what it is. Novelty read more

PEP Bowl - Scoring system - Bowling Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

To be completely honest, hubs has been unsuccessfully trying to get me here for awhile now. I wasn't sure exactly how I felt about heading to a lesser known bowling lane deep in South Philly off Broad Street when there were so many "trendier" ones in the city we frequent. What a snob! I should really know by now that some of the neighborhood joints in this area are really quite great. This was no exception. Took the kiddos here today strictly because our usual spot didn't open until 4pm. We were surprised by what a great time we had! The entrance to the alley is actually located on Federal Street and down a few steps. You'll see the neon lights past the gate leading you in the right direction. The best part of Pep Bowl is certainly the fact that it's BYO....everything!! Food and booze! Amazing! We actually brought some takeout with us and everyone around us was sharing boxes of pizza. I I kept thinking the entire time how excited I was for a return visit with the whole fam and some brews next time. Now that I've gotten over the initial hesitation and saw what it's all about, I will definitely be coming here more often. It has an old school 70's vibe to it I dug. No frills, just fun. The place is small only about 6 lanes and the games are priced fairly reasonable. Definitely call and reserve a lane especially if you have a larger party. Oh, and they do host any kind of parties... children, adult or work where you can rent the entire space. 2hr street parking was easy to find on Broad read more

First bowling experience here today! I had fun and the lady that was there was friendly. I can't really compare this with anything because I haven't been anywhere else but I enjoyed it. Boyfriend said it is a bit smaller than the usual place he goes to though. There are 6 lanes there and a group when we walked in so we were lucky we didn't have to make reservations. It did clear out by the time we were half way through though. read more

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This place is the BOMB! What's not to love, BYO drinks and food, awesome crew (sean is the most personable and friendly person), and it's a non-profit (helping the handicapable become employed)! You gotta come here! read more

This place rules. Sean is super nice. BYOB and bowling what's not to love?! Great music, great vibes.

Great, no frills bowling. Only 6 lanes, but does not feel cramped. Very cool retro ball return and vibe in general. Cheaper and better than North/South Bowl. It's BYOB food and drinks which I also love, but newcomers should be aware read more

I almost hate to give this review, because I like to think of PEP Bowl as my own cheap, private bowling oasis and it's hard enough to get a lane here without informing the public, but here goes . . . . PEP Bowl is absolutely spectacular. This gem, hidden in the basement of a building on Federal Street right off of Broad, is an amazing BYOB and BYOF (food) small bowling alley with 6 lanes that you can reserve (and I do highly recommend you reserve) for a mere $40 or $45/hour Friday and Saturday nights respectively. Those prices include shoe rentals for your whole group, making PEP Bowl by far the cheapest place to bowl in Center City-ish Philadelphia. The facilities at PEP Bowl are on the older side, but are very well maintained. PEP Bowl also runs reasonable leagues during the week for those who like to keep their competitive spirit alive. Even better, PEP stands for Programs Employing People, a nonprofit corporation providing a full range of vocational, employment, day training and educational opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities and bowling at PEP Bowl helps support that organization. read more

I've been to PEP Bowl three times now, and every time I'm here I have a great time. Bring some beer and friends and I'm sure you will too. Where else can you do BYO bowling? Nowhere. It's not an expensive bowling alley to begin with, but be able to bring your own beer/wine makes it even more of a deal. PEP Bowl is super small--only 6 lanes total. So make sure you call ahead and make reservations. Not too tricky to get, but do it a couple days in advance to make sure you get the day/time you want. You can apparently put up to 14 people on one lane (?!), so it's great for large groups and parties, but smaller groups have fun too! :) read more

PEP Bowl - Very helpful neon sign pointing the way. (Just off Broad street, through the garden, down the stairs!) - Bowling Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I went here because we had the whole place rented out for a birthday party. It worked quite well. The guys working there were nice and helpful, and we were able to bring in our own pizza and beer. The mission of Programs Employing People is also noble: it's a nonprofit helping people with developmental disabilities. So I'd rather support that than a regular Brunswick bowl or whatever if given the choice. Only complaint was that the lower-weight balls had too-small thumb holes; my female friends and I agreed on this. Not only kids use them: so do girls with shite upper body strength! I was using an 8 and it got stuck on my thumb at one point, came off and crashed down onto the lane! Oops! Overall, great setting and great fun! read more

BYOB and BYO snacks! SO much better than Lucky Strike! There are only 6 lanes but I went on a Tuesday night from 9-11pm so only 4 were in use that night. This is how bowling should be. My group paid $50 for 2 hours (shoe rental included) and we brought along some cheap beer and snacks. It's a great play to just hang out with friends and bowl. I highly recommend! read more

PEP Bowl - The lanes as we were leaving - Bowling Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

We had an outing for our staff here and it was a fun way to spend the evening. Like others have said, the appeal of this place is that's BYOB and food and you can rent out the whole bowling alley for your group. After a series of sketchy SEPTA transfers to get here, I was pretty weirded out by the shady entrance down a dirty flight of stairs into the basement bowling alley, but the venue itself was pretty decent and clean, although small. There's only 4 lanes, but that should be sufficient for most parties. The staff was cheerful and helpful, quickly providing everyone with rental shoes and setting up our music and tables for our food before staying out of the way of our party. We had the site for a couple hours and it was so nice to have our own private space to hang out and play a few games. An enjoyable, different way to spend the evening in the city, and a great place to get a small group together. I'd recommend this place for a birthday party or group outing for sure. read more

PEP Bowl - Lanes - Bowling Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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A lot of fun and a good place to practice, or have a party. Nice staff and very accommodating.

What a great experience. Sean was great. This place is truly a hidden gem. The byob policy is amazing. read more

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Called earlier to make a reservation and was told that I 'didn't need to' because it would be 'empty' and would have no problem coming later that evening. I arrived and was rudely told that they were completely full and that he had no idea who we had talked to. This guy had zero chill. Not going back here. read more

This place is absolutely incredible. One of the best ran bowling spots in the city without a doubt. Other bowling spots i've been to in the city offer just too much that really take away from the game and this place really allows you to have a good time with you and the party you bring. Dan is an amazing guy! read more

Nice and small place to have parties or events at. I took the children here since it is near my home, and it's a good way to avoid the summer heat. Bowling alley is convenient if you live in South Philly. The worker was really nice, he turned on the music for us and asked if we requested for any songs to play. However the place is a little old, not upgraded like the more modern bowling alleys with night lights and neon light and so on. Price: Shoe rental: $4 Price/game/player: $5 They have other options, but we went with this read more

Fun place for a private event. The bowling is great, but the facility and staff allow you to do it your way. We had a family group of 25 people including old timers, teens and toddlers... a great time was had by all! read more

This is the greatest spot to bowl in the city! It's small, cozy and the employees are incredibly helpful and nice! Definitely recommend this place for anyone looking for a chill night with their family and friends! read more

The guy there taught me literally everything I know about bowling, and life. Wouldn't trade it for the world

This place was awful. I called to try to make a reservation, they told me I didn't "need to" because it would be "empty", but when I showed up--guess what! My friends and I were left lane less without a place to bowl. The man at the counter yelled at us for assuming we could bowl and told us aggressively not to question him any more. Disappointed and would not recommend to anyone. read more

Bowling is not my favorite sport. I'm a pretty athletic person but I just don't have the skills or the desire to conquer the activity. So when I find myself at one to two bowling parties per year (give or take), I typically either avoid playing in favor of mingling or suck it up and accept the many gutter balls to come in the next two-hour window of my future. PEP Bowl is great for parties because you can rent the entire place out and bring your own food and booze. This obviously makes for an inexpensive party option and gives your party peoples a fun activity to bond over. I do wish the staff would ask smokers to step away from the open door. I've noticed prominent cigarette smoke wafting in each time I've been to PEP Bowl, which is a big-time personal annoyance. read more

I threw a 30th birthday party for my husband at Pepbowl and it was as good as it gets! I found out about this place via Yelp and I was a little skeptical because the reviews were almost 100 percent positive. You know how it is right? You think to yourself, no place can be this awesome, well ladies and gents, Pepbowl is! I was able to reserve two lanes for two hours on a Saturday night and brought in food and drink all for under 200.00 and 16 people bowled with shoe rental included! This place is also BYOB, so a friend brought in a gallon of Smirnoff and we had a booze bowl bash! Sweet! The manager Dan even gave us some free time on one of the lanes and at the end, gave my husband a bowling pin that all of us had signed as a gift. I am a total fan! read more

Best bowling alley in the city, hands down: 1. Call and reserve your lane(s). 2. Bring your own pizza and beer. 3. Support a great organization. 4. Show your friends what a terrible bowler you are. Is it old school? Yes. Do things get stuck sometimes? Yes. Is the staff friendly and helpful? Yes and yes. North Bowl is awesome, but the 2+ hour wait to play ONE game is a drag. Lucky Strike is great if you like making a reservation two weeks in advance and being told the day before you're now required to buy a food package or they're canceling you (true story). PEP = no hassles, no frills, and all fun. I don't require anything more than a ball, some pins, and gutters to aim for. read more

Ugggh I hate this place....because I LOVE THIS PLACE! Maybe it's my lack of social skills or ability to feel comfortable in upscale joints, but this place just sits well with me. Like most people on here, I don't even want to say anything about it because I want it to be mine...ALL MINE!! Alas, it is a fantastic and cheap time in South Philly and that is all I ask for. No wait, and bowling. I ask for that too. I've been here twice. Once for a planned bday party (I got a 135, best ever!!!), and the second time for a Friday hangout with friends (we had to call ahead and work around what was available but they gave us extra time to finish!). It's a no frills place and you can eat and drink what you want. This place takes me back to my early teen years, and since I can't ever stop being nostalgic, I am totally thankful for this. Don't go here. Don't go here at all. read more

I'm afraid to tell people about this place... IT IS FREAKIN AWESOME. I went there for my birthday and this place is what a bowling alley should be-- no bells and whistles-- just seedy fun. If only they could pump cigarette smoke in here-- then, it would feel like the bowling alleys I spent part of my high school life frequenting. Best tip ever: Make a reservation. That way you'll be guaranteed a lane since the place is so small. Oh P.S. Francolugi's will deliver to this place and you can bring your own beer and wine. So titillating! PLUS, I loved the staff here. They were so freakin' laid-back cool I was like shocked. I think I have a new city crush. Sidebar, hipsters love this place. And I love hipsters. read more

I am echoing virtually every other review here by starting off with my hesitation to even leave a review. This place is too amazing to share with too many people because then I'll never be able to get a lane again! Reserved two lanes here this past Saturday for boyfriend's birthday, and everyone I dealt with could not have been more helpful, accommodating, sweet, kind and awesome. This place is an absolute gem and I am SO glad we came here. We brought a cooler of beer and bunch of pizza and snacks and had the best 2 hours bowling. Josh and his assistant (I didn't catch his name, sorry!) could not have been more cool, even letting us finish our game after our 2-hour limit was officially up without rushing us in the slightest. It was a steal for 10 of us, too. I actually felt bad paying so little for the whole group, knowing what a good cause PEP is. After our time was up, our party moved upstairs to the courtyard by the entrance on Federal and proceeded to hang out for another 3 hours. It was incredible, that courtyard is a little oasis. I really must have gotten 50 compliments from our friends for picking PEP Bowl for the party, and lots of assertions that we should all come back soon. If you are looking to go bowling in the city, avoid Lucky Strike and North Bowl and head here. Trust me, you'll be glad you did! read more

PEP Bowl gets two thumbs up!! I had two lanes reserved to celebrate my fiance's 30th birthday and it was an amazingly great time. With several coolers full of drinks, and several rowdy partyers ready to bowl, we were welcomed very graciously by Dan, who runs the alley. There was a great mix of music on- some 90s / old-school hip hop going on, which contributed even more to everyone's sense of merriment. Another plus: some (or all, I'm not sure) of the proceeds from the alley go to PEP (Programs Employee People)'s mission of helping to provide employment and needed-services to people with developmental disabilities in Philadelphia. So you can feel fancy-free in your bowling shoes knowing that you are helping those that need it. read more

I'm joining in on the PEP bowl love. We brought our own food and wine. We bowled two games and had a blast. The old school feel of it, the fact that you can bring your own libations, and you're helping out an employment program all the while. We will definitely be back to try to get better at bowling. At $4 a game per person, how could you not? Looking for a cheap date? Seriously. Go to PEP bowl. We're poor and we loved it! read more

This is absolutely a hidden gem! I booked this place for my little one's 6th bday party. It was very inexpensive and we were able to bring in our own food and drinks. ANY OTHER PLACE....It would be an arm and a leg. We rented out 2 lanes for 2 hours which was perfect for 8 kids and 10 adults. some adults played and others just ate and watched the kids. Definitely bring your own table cover since they will provide a wooden table to hold the food and drinks. The party next to us asked if we had extra table covers since it really dressed up the food table. We also brought in some balloons, favors, cupcake, hoagie tray, pizza, juices, and beer. It was definitely an awesome time and did not hurt our pockets. Just remember to book earlier in the day in case they run out of shoe sizes. It is absolutely amazing that this place is a non profit and help out those in need. I can't wait to book another party sometimes soon. The next time....I will book the whole place to ourselves! read more

WOW! AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE! we hosted our daughter's 5th birthday party at PEP, and i cannot rave enough about the quality of the facility, the thoughtful and organized employees (matt & joshua - both, totally awesome!) and the beautiful courtyard. every aspect of of our experience was first-rate ... we had two lanes of bowling for 20 (!) 5-year-olds with bumpers & the bowling stands for two hours - all for the low, low price of $140. it's 100% BYO - food, drinks, snacks, cake, ice, pizza - maybe not so great if you want less fuss, but for us - PERFECT - because we could have our favorites without compromising, and with friends with allergies, we controlled what the kids were able to have and kept everyone safe. they are able to hook up your ipod for a personalized soundtrack over the bose speakers and they have plenty of serving table space for cake, drinks, snacks & stashing gifts. standard bowling alley seats around the computer scorekeeper with wooden benches surrounding the perimeter of the bowling area. the shoes are not as flashy as playdrome's, but they're kept clean and organized by size. another A++ bonus - a solid steel chairlift so that anyone with any sort of need ( injury, wheelchair, 39 weeks pregnant , bum knees ) can be transported down the one and a half flights of (slightly steep) cement stairs from the courtyard to the bowling alley. my mother-in-law was THRILLED and the kids were in awe of the cool spaceship that took bubby up the stairs to her car with no trouble. and lastly from their website : " When you bowl at PEP Bowl, you're supporting an organization with a 40 year history of supporting developmentally disabled adults in our community. " we are PROUD to support those who are supporting all of our neighbors, equally and with dignity. we will be back, many, many times - thank you PEP, for a great party and for all you're doing for our neighbors. read more

My little brother was thrown a birthday party here June 11th so we reserved lanes 1 & 2 (one lane for the kids and one for the adults). Lane 1 broke down right away and we were told the engineer wouldn't be around to fix it until after 5pm, but at 5pm the leagues have the entire place booked and therefore we didn't get to use it all for the entirety of the party! There are only 6 lanes in the whole place and unfortunately the rest of the lanes were taken too so our entire party (mostly just the kids) had to bowl on one lane...and then toward the end of the kids' game, even THAT lane started having technical issues :-/ The kids also had a hard time finding decent bowling balls to bowl with. All in all, I did like how we could bring our own food and drinks but this, quite frankly, is this place's only saving grace. Sorry for sounding like a scrooge but we def had to re-strategize and MAKE this place fun. I commend PEP Bowl on their employment mission but honestly, they dropped the bowling ball that day. read more

This place is old school bowling at its best. I had to admit that, as a Center City resident, I had thought my easy walkable options included only Lucky Strikes, until I found out about Pep Bowl through online search. There are only six lanes at the facility and there's no snack bar but the lanes are very clean and the price is CHEAP. And you can bring in food, drink and booze. Plus, as everyone else has noted, it's run by a non-profit and my money is actually going towards a great cause. Kudos to Pep Bowl! read more

This place is literally everything I ever wanted in a bowling alley... and I don't even like bowling that much. It's like a perfect dive bar, except you bring your own booze. You can also bring pizzas, hoagies, birthday cake... pretty much anything you want is cool with them. I learned about this place recently and thought it was an awesome organization. I was honestly surprised at how clean and well-put together the bowling alley is. I called in the afternoon and was able to reserve space to bowl with 5 friends that evening. We brought a case of Brooklyn Brews and shared one lane for 2 hours, which was perfect. Including shoes (which run quite large, but who really cares), we paid only $10 each! If you're someone who likes neon lights, zebra print carpet, and food service to your lane, this is not the place for you. However, I enjoyed the non-uniformed employees and laid-back feel of it all. I can honestly say this is probably the only bowling alley in Philly I would ever return to. If someone wants to, say, throw me a birthday party here, I wouldn't complain a bit. read more

I can't believe I've lived in Philadelphia for 7 years and just made it to this place for the first time last week! When given the task of hosting a company outing on a budget, I was laughed at when I told other bowling alleys and places in the area what my budget was for 25 people. Because PEP Bowl is both BYOB and BYOF, I was able to avoid the ridiculous up-charges that places put on food and drinks and simply pay for the activity of bowling. I booked my party a few weeks in advance and the owner was very easy to work with. The day of the event, I grabbed a few cases of beer, stocked my coolers and headed down to PEP. The owner had tables set up for us along the side as he knew we were having food delivered by Rosarios Pizzeria down the block. It worked perfectly as people in our party could go to the tables set up and grab food and beer as they wished throughout our two hour bowling session. The small touch of customer service that really blew me away was that despite our two hour lane rental being up, the owner knew we were in our final frames and let us finish up as long as we were out before the next party arrived. I thought that was very nice of him!!!! Moral of the story: If you are looking to host a fun bowling party on a budget, have it here and order delivery from Rosario's Pizzeria (https://www.yelp.com/biz/rosarios-pizzeria-philadelphia), it makes for a great time! read more

Went there on a Tuesday night..shoes were $2.50 and each game was $2.50..WOOOOHOOO! Nice clean place you can bring your own food and alcohol...Can you say "dream come true"? read more

People Helping People = you're actually helping me have a good time and drink some good wine. (actually, beer, but I'm rhyming here). The concept behind this place is great; props to the organizer who made this bowling alley an employment opportunity for those needing a fresh start. On to the festivities: 2 games + shoes + Saturday night = $11. I'm pretty sure that blows Lucky Strike and all you overpriced alleys out there. Please why would I pay more to roll a ball 20 ft? Could do that in my own house. Food can be ordered here, but drinks not - and that's a good thing! Bring your own booze and liquor, bowl, be merry (and be a non-litterbug). Call ahead and the organizer (Tim?) will hold a lane for you. I'll be back! read more

This is the bowling alley I've been waiting for. I hate nightclub-esque/"elevated" bowling alleys like Lucky Strike, and this is about as basic and unpretentious as they come. Kind of like the Bowl America birthday parties you used to go to in elementary school, but with alcohol (it's BYO beer, wine, and food). Instead of paying per person here, you reserve a lane for $45/hour, and can fit up to 8 people in a lane. This includes shoe rental...definitely the cheapest way to go bowling in the city if you have a large group. Plus, the proceeds support PEP, an organization that helps individuals with developmental disabilities live in the community. The staff is truly lovely. They happily squeezed us in for a last-minute reservation on a Saturday night, checked in periodically to make sure we were comfortable, and were lenient with timing and space. There were two birthday parties going on while we were there, and it looked like the guy working that night was going above and beyond to make sure everyone had a good time. I'm sure I'll be back here over and over again this winter. read more