Horrible service. Won't put bumpers up for young children and makes for a miserable game. Absolutely ridiculous. Never heard of a bowling alley not putting bumpers up for someone. If you go here and want bumpers make sure to tell them you are 10 years old or they won't give them to you per the "managers request". Just cause they don't want to have to repair their bumpers. Don't recommend, worst bowling alley I've been to. read more

i couldn't bowl with my grandson because just for him to bowl 1 hour it cost $45.75. ridiculous! their reason for being so expensive was even more ridiculous! you'd think they lower the prices on the weekend because more people would bowl and would actually enjoy time with their families without going broke! read more

Great service. Good prices. Love the location always a good crowd and have a great time coming here. The only place I like to come bowling to. read more

This place really turned it around haven't seen the rude lady that I was talking about in my review in a while. Free bowling for kids in the summer program it's awesome read more

The bar- We were put on a waiting list to bowl, so went to the bar. The bartender completely ignored us, helping at least 4 customers that came after we sat down- AT THE BAR. After we pulled teeth to get out drinks, I asked for a water at the end of the night. After I got it, it looked a little dark so I asked if it was water, she went on to saying she was lazy and coke spilled in the ice a couple hours back and she didn't feel like cleaning it. Nice. read more

Hi guys I came here for first time and I m very disappointed about one guy who was been mad with my and my family and everything that we do, he just wait to said something about that, I was hoping we would do something wrong just to get their attention all the time and he was watching us, it made a nice family experience a bad one. read more

Surf bowl is pretty awesome. Sunday is the best day to bowl. One dollar games and one dollars rentals, it's hard to beat. They have three pool tables in the back and A bar for delicious beer drinking while bowling strikes. A Picture of stone was 14 bucks which isn't bad. The guy that works there super friendly pretty funny and very helpful. I would try to avoid the high traffic times weekend nights like I mentioned earlier Sunday is the best day to bowl. I've never gotten anything to eat here and would avoid it if you could. But drinking beer and bowling is pretty sweet combo. Always a good time, I would suggest for a night out with the lady or with friends. read more

They have good deals on the weekdays but this place literally has the worst customer service you'll ever see in any business. It's as if your doing something wrong right when you walk through those doors. read more

Drive into Vista to go bowling. They offer more deals and the lanes are better and the place is kept cleaner. Why does the lady at the counter constantly give everyone the stink eye??? read more

Not the newest place but like the vibe. Good time every time and if you want food or beer it's one stop shop.

Staff is not helpful at all. Instead of telling us about the special they put a sign in my face expecting me to read it. They were of no help and proceeded to get frustrated comparing me to a 4th grader and saying "my 4th grade cousin could do this math". The problem was not the math. The problem was me and my group of friends were trying to figure out how to split up the payment because not all of us has cash on us. Will definitely not come here again. read more

They do not oil the lanes enough. The food is way overpriced and barely edible. The pro shop needs to be open much more than it is. Amy and Steve are great but outside of them, the customer service is absolutely horrendous. The bar charges way too much for drinks but they are good. The karaoke needs to be thrown in the garbage. The DJ on the weekends is an idiot. read more

Bad service , Refused to let me borrow 2 sticks to play pool . Not a friendly place .

After reading the reviews I was hesitant but my fiance and I took our two year old son here for his first bowling experience anyway. It was last minute on a wednesday night so I was pleasently surprised to see how many lanes were open. The girl at the front desk was extreeemly helpful and nice. She helped us to find a kid friendly lane and was patient with me as I asked her to take the bumpers up and down when my son and I switched off. We didnt try food or anything but the pizza looked really good. overall our experience was a good one and we will be back! read more

This cocktail lounge smells like Ass, nasty. 4:50 per plastic cup of warm draft. This is by far the worst place I've been. Horrible

This is THE BEST bowling alley in southern California. It's old and CHEAP! Sure, there are plenty of "nicer" and newer centers out there, but you're going to pay more. The actual lanes are in great shape. You'll get a pin sweep or scoring malfunction every once in awhile, but I've bowled in many brand new centers across the country with the same issues. The bar's a dive which is awesome. Cheap drinks and TVs, music and karaoke. beers on tap selection has gotten much better as of late. Food is OK, but for those expecting something gourmet from a glorified snack bar are just kidding themselves. I'm surprised at some of the snobby food reviews. They have a flat top, deep fryer and a microwave. Cut them some slack. Eat before, or eat after at one of the 20 quick food places within 2 miles of the lanes. There's a couple pool tables for those too cool to bowl. Monty at the pro shop is very helpful and has great prices on equipment. The crowd is always awesome. Friendly people there to have a good time, unlike Vista Ent Center and their gang activity. Surf Bowl is kid friendly, family friendly, couple friendly, group friendly, party friendly.... A very positive atmosphere overall. So to sum up, Cheap bowling, Cheap drinks, fried food and fun. Go there and enjoy a piece of history and Oceanside nostalgia. read more

Wanted to throw my sons birthday party there and we checked it out beforehand. Very outdated, dirty, junky. For the price you would think they can renovate a bit. Also parking would be a challenge for a bigger party. Passing this one... read more

I always bowl on Sunday because there are a few lanes available, unlike league nights. Today they had me sign a waiting list when I arrived, bad enough. Then forgot to tell me there was a two-three hour wait time. Not my kind of wait. See ya! read more

The service is awful and the military discount is only for active duty military. I'm retired because I got injured for this country. On top of that, the place is dirty. I'm giving them one star because I can't do 0. read more

Such a fun place and a great $1 a game deal until 2pm on Sunday! I definitely want to come back more often. There were some problems with the bowling pin placement but they were able to switch us to another lane no problem. Staff is very friendly and laid back. One tip though; bring cash. They don't take cards and I had to pay a $4 ATM fee. read more

If you want to feel unwelcome, and want to see lack of customer service? Come on down and bowl here!!! It's a wonder they make any money... 4th and final time there! Thanks you, for nothing. Plus the place is DIRTY!! Ew ew ew!! read more

A bunch of friends went here for some fun on a Saturday a couple weeks ago. What a waste of money. The staff are incredibly rude - not just to us but everyone on the line. When it was our turn, we purchased 2 games for the four of us to start and then noticed that one half of the alley had the lights out. We asked the front desk if they were going to turn out the lights on the other side and they said "no, you have to pay $19 a person for that" The front desk person didn't even try to sell us the more expensive option. She just insulted us like we were cheapskates for not paying more. We were never even offered the more expensive package when we got there. We did not purchase more games after this treatment. Everything is old and decrepit. How about using some of the money you make from the outrageous prices to making the equipment work? At least the guy bartender was polite and poured a good drink. The chick bartender didn't know how to make anything. How do you employ a bartender that doesn't know how to bartend? What a disaster of a place. The fact that they are still open is mind-boggling. read more

Worst bowling alley I have ever been too lady kept coming to scream at us and we tried to get a explanation on why she was yelling at us and she wouldn't give an explanation and then kicked us out after don't ever come here read more

I hadn't been bowling for about ten years before I came to Surf Bowl. There were a few other spots considered after looking on Yelp. There was a place in Escondido and another in San Marcos. We choose to stay close to the surf. The service here was great, the parking was easy, and the place was very clean (dated, but clean). We had such a good time it'd be safe to wager I'll be back in a few months. read more

Very patient with a large group of teenagers for a birthday party. Helpful friendly staff! The ladies did great making it easier for me! Best ever they cleaned up the mess. read more

I only put one star because there wasn't an option for zero. My club was looking to bowl for our officer bonding and so we searched for the cheapest place and came across this one. I really regret this decision. The service was terrible. We were trying to pay the bill with cash and split the remaining amount between two cards, which we are usually able to do at other places, and the lady working there refused to do so in a very rude manner. Apart from that, the worker was also sick and literally threw up right in front of us, then didn't even bother to wash her hands before continuing to "help" us. The bowling balls were super greasy and apart from that the entire vibe of the place was dark and dank. When we went to ask another worker to speak to the manager in order to file a complaint, she also responded to us very rudely, asking us what we wanted the manager for. Once we explained to her our issues she asked us what we wanted her to do about it. This kind of service is unbelievable and extremely inappropriate. We were refunded for our remaining time and yet both workers wouldn't stop giving us dirty looks. We are never going back and we hope to discourage others from going to. It's extremely disappointing that everyone was looking forward to a good time and yet we had to cut our game short and leave. If you are looking for a place to bowl, Bowlero is the place to go. Avoid Surf Bowl at all costs. read more

Bowling is great BUT security and bar is terrible. Service at bar is slow. The security guard is rude. My boyfriend is 33 - he renewed his license so he has an expired and an interim that works at every bar AND TSA. It doesn't work at this bar and he got kicked out for not having a valid ID. Another patron was clearly over 21 and was asked for ID even tho he just wanted a water. My boyfriend also looks over 21. He's only carded when he's with me because I look young. read more

Went bowling with my friends, bowling was a good time but unfortunately the evening was partially ruined by the red headed bartender. She was easily the worst bartender I have ever encountered she ignored me for 20 minutes, I asked her if I could order because I had been waiting so long and she ignored me and waited until the entire bar was cleared out to finally take my order. At this point my friends were bowling for me because I was taking so long. Other people in other groups were waiting beside me and just gave up and left. read more

This was good alternative for a Chucky cheese party. Especially for the wintertime birthday parties. They've cleaned it up a bit with the remodel. The kids really enjoyed the bowling. Made for some great memories. They let the birthday kid keep a bowling pin for their friends to autograft for a birthday kid keepsake. I recommend it for nearly all kids ages-can't go wrong with bowling. read more

Recently gave this place a try. Not an avid bowler but it's fun on occasion! This place is straight outta the Big Lebowski. Old school bowling hour with a good bar, decent drink prices. Food was good and also reasonable priced. Bowling prices are ok - seemed average. Will definitely be coming back since it's just around the corner. read more

Tuesday's are the best days to go... 25cent bowling. Staff is great.... The bar prices are awesome! they have delicious $1.00 jello shots, not sure if applies to Tuesdays only, either way they are strong and well worth it. Their finger food is actually pretty good, for being fast snacks they are actually worth buying and good size portions. Being that it is the "surf bowl" and being by the beach/tourist are; renovation is needed. read more

I'd give it 0 stars if I could. They cut off our lane early because they wanted to leave early. Cant believe this place is still in business. Security was SO rude. read more

Love going here with family and friends because they always have lanes. Lately the lady behind the counter is unnecessarily rude. Try smiling and be nice to your customers. read more

Went to surf bowl last night for New Year's Eve with my family as I had just gone the week before for Christmas Eve and had a great time. We got a lane quickly and my husband went to go get us a pitcher of beer. The story goes downhill from there... the security guard came to check my ID so I could get a wrist band and cup. I recently renewed my drivers licenses so my old one is still valid but has a hole punched in it until the new one arrives in the mail. I also brought my documentation from the DMV as proof that I had renewed my license. The security guard refused to give me a wrist band, threatened me and my husband separately that he would kick us all out if he saw me drinking, then proceeded to watch us the entire time we bowled just to make sure I didn't drink. I understand there are rules but I had used the same drivers license and paperwork the week before at surf bowl and had no issues. I felt harassed and uncomfortable with the level they took this too. I will say the man working the front desk was very nice and helpful but other than that, I will not be back to surf bowl. read more

Service was absolute garbage. Lanes are trash. Everything is bad. It smells like someone died in there as well. I couldn't be more disappointed in this bowling alley. Absolutely terrible! Also the lady behind the counter is very rude. read more

The manager was super ride we received no warning concerning the rules and we supposedly mad a mistake and were literally yelled at in front of other customers. I am serious saying this is not a place i would take kids considering the rude employees they have setting an inappropriate example for kids and people are just trying to bowl why yell!!! read more

We were so excited to go to surf bowl for a charity event where you got to donate and play three rounds. But when there we were told that even as new bowlers we were not allowed to use the bumpers and even though one of us suffers from back pains and the other suffers from carpal tunnel, we were not allowed to use any ball under 10 pounds. That was frustrating, but we put up with it, for charity. Then our bowling balls wouldn't come back to us, forcing us to use smaller balls, and we got scolded. We explained our dilemma and were ignored. When the problem wasn't fixed, three of us complained over the course of 20 minutes. Finally the organizer of the charity event demanded that our problem get fixed. By that point we were already putting our shoes on. As we walked out, the took apart the machine and removed at least 10 balls that had gotten backed up. Although they could not control that their machinery had malfunctioned, they could have listed the first three times that we complained, and moved us to another lane instead of sassing us every time we complained. 0/10 recommend. read more

Went there today in the daytime, and it was perfect because it wasn't busy with leagues or families yet. Three of is got a lane for two hours and bowled our hearts out. Such is the deal they had for Saturday daytime. 20 bucks per hour per lane. The front desk dude might have been the raddest bowling alley guy ever made. He further made the experience enjoyable. Bar's a tad pricey, but whatever. Been going here for years (since I was in junior high, and I'm 28 now!) and this place always makes me ultra pumped to bowl until my wrist falls off. read more

Had a great time. The place was clean and the staff was very helpful. It only cost me 11 dollars a person for a whole night of bowling. I will be bowling more now that I've found this place read more

A place to go with a few friends, hit a few pins, drink beer and eat nachos. Does anyone know how long one must bowl to negate 2 beers and a large nachos? I should say that I only go bowling maybe once a year but whenever I go I head here. This is what a bowling alley should be. I love the 1960's look of the place. The neon sign outside is great. If you are a germaphobe try not to think of how many peoples feet have been in the rented shoes before yours. read more

Surf Bowl - Bowling Near Me - Oceanside, California