Cancel

Open app

Search

Waveland Bowl

3.4 (273 reviews)
Open 9:00 am - 12:00 AM (Next day)
Updated 2 months ago

Waveland Bowl Photos

You might also consider

Recommended Reviews - Waveland Bowl

Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
Yelp app icon
Browse more easily on the app
Review Feed Illustration

Reviews With Photos

The scores of the game and flexing big time
Nate C.

The pitchers of beer should be cheaper or maybe free if you get a strike. Like if you get a strike then you get a coupon for a free pitcher of beer? I made my username "Flunker Jr" I thought it was clever and a tad bit ironic as I never flunked before in a school related setting. If you look at my score , I earned 120 points across 10 frames. 10 frames is how many are in a typical bowling game so it was nice to see this alley following standard rules.

Micah K.

What a great way to spend a Tuesday evening! We went expecting it to be more affordable and less crowded. The former was true as the weekday prices are very reasonable. But it was VERY busy with all but 2 lanes filled. Lucky for us we only needed one. The new equipment and screens work very well and make setting up a game extremely easy. You can also connect it to your phone for scores and mini games. The beer was cheap and cold but a little bit flat and tasted off a bit. The pizza and veggie burger from the concession stand were decent for bowling alley food. Typical fried/microwaved food you might expect. But you're ordering dinner at a bowling alley so ‍‍. Overall a great experience! Decent prices, decent food, and surprisingly clean.

Han J.

What a fun place! Stepping into Waveland Bowl immediately transported me back in time to my own local bowling alley growing up. Everything from the funky carpets to classic arcade just felt familiar. 2 games for 2 people on a Saturday around noon cost $24.. pretty affordable. They had apparently just wrapped up the junior league around the time we went, so there were many open lanes. They intentionally spread groups apart so that you weren't sharing your space with random people, which I really appreciated. We decided to try Alley Dogs for a quick bowling snack- Mozzarella Sticks, Seasoned Fries, and a large Dr. Pepper to share. I believe I paid $14 after tip. My most favorite part of the experience, though, was the music! Absolute bop after bop. I am horrible at bowling, completely untalented, but luckily Rascal Flatt's Life is a Highway distracted me from that truth.

Draft Beer Selection
Jeff K.

Waveland Bowl is a Chicago Institution. A great place to bring your family and friends for a wholesome evening of bowling. The staff is great. The lanes are very well maintained. Their prices are affordable. Some other bowling alleys have jacked up their prices recently. Add some beer and snacks and it's still a great deal. The lanes keep score automatically so you can focus on knocking down some pins. They have a good selection of beer. Get a pitcher. The food is basic fried bar food but you don't go to a bowling alley for the food. Fake orange goo for nachos. Might want to skip that. If going in a weeknight check ahead because the have league nights and might not have open bowling lanes available.

Rosie V.

Great place to bowl! Took our niece and nephew around 430 on a Saturday and had a great time. The lights were down low and the fun music videos were playing and they really enjoyed it, but about 30 minutes in, the lights came back up. I think they were only originally down because there was a birthday party so that was a bummer because the kids like the black lights alot. I haven't been bowling in a while but 70 for a lane for an hour seemed steep. At least that included all our shoes. Great little arcade for kids. Make sure to make a reservation ahead of time on busy days!

Cosmic bowling on Sat nights
Jacqueline F.

Wow this place took me back to my high school years. So a bunch of us parents wanted to take the little ones bowling on the last Saturday before Winter Break ended. Waited about 1 hour for 2 lanes to open up. Forgot this place turned into cosmic bowling after 8pm. All the glow in the dark stuff and the music videos showing on the screens were cool. I just forgot that others actually treat Waveland Bowl as "date night" cuz all these girls had their club gear on. We are talking about low necklines, tank tops, and tube tops like these girls were about to join the Booty Contest over at Nitro Nightclub or something. For those that dont know what Nitro is, then you missed out lol. Anywayz, I guess I'll try to remember to wear my club gear next time I come. Anywho, it must have been some time since the last time I came cuz all the monitors have all these crazy templates to choose from on how you want your score displayed. A little bit of an overload, but if you are pretty tech savvy you should be able to figure it out. And once you do figure it out, you can customize the different characters you want to appear on the screen, especially if you have kids in your group. I like Waveland because prices are affordable here, even on a Sat night. I believe its about $7 per game and $4 for shoe rentals. They even have a restaurant that you can order food from. We got pizza and pop but they have other options available. Waveland Bowl has been here ever since I can remember. And i am sure they will be here for the years to come.

Video games!

See all

3 months ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Bob S.
0
10
1

14 hours ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 7
Oh no 0

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Nate C.
2
29
30

2 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

4 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 1

1 year ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 1
Photo of Bill M.
2281
1970
4434

5 years ago

Helpful 15
Thanks 0
Love this 16
Oh no 0

4 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 1
Photo of Cam B.
1
36
8

3 years ago

Helpful 6
Thanks 1
Love this 0
Oh no 1

2 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 1
Love this 0
Oh no 2

4 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

4 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

7 years ago

Helpful 6
Thanks 0
Love this 4
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Tree O.
1
52
43

4 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 1
Love this 0
Oh no 0

8 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

5 years ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 0
Love this 4
Oh no 0

4 years ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0
Photo of Rosa J.
541
1241
4035

7 years ago

Helpful 4
Thanks 0
Love this 4
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of D-rail S.
207
14
2

5 years ago

Helpful 4
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 1

3 years ago

Helpful 4
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 1

5 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0
Photo of Araceli C.
2
706
9904

6 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Grace L.
102
101
1

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 1
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Shay R.
266
571
2425

8 years ago

Helpful 3
Thanks 0
Love this 2
Oh no 0

5 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 1
Photo of Jeff S.
238
96
269

8 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Mike R.
134
11
10

3 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0
Photo of Ixta G.
81
24
6

4 years ago

Helpful 0
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

7 years ago

Helpful 4
Thanks 0
Love this 3
Oh no 0

6 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

9 years ago

Helpful 5
Thanks 0
Love this 3
Oh no 0
Photo of Brent W.
121
1074
1116

7 years ago

Helpful 2
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

8 years ago

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 0
Oh no 0

3 years ago

Helpful 5
Thanks 0
Love this 2
Oh no 0

5 years ago

Understaffed and bad service. Disappointed how far this place has fallen off. Staff is rude and do not value service

Helpful 1
Thanks 0
Love this 1
Oh no 0

Page 1 of 7

Ask the Community - Waveland Bowl

Do you have a pinball machine?

No there are not pinball machines

Is there a claw machine arcade game?

Yes, there are a couple.

Is this the place that you can play music through a website?

Yes you can play music through the myjam app

Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

Review Highlights - Waveland Bowl

A bit far removed from the city center, but I think the cosmic bowling here is great and the attendants are all super nice.

Mentioned in 30 reviews

Read more highlights

You might also consider

Logan Arcade - Pinball and arcade machines in front of building near main entrance

Logan Arcade

4.5(193 reviews)
1.7 miBucktown, Logan Square

Is it just my imagination, or did pinball in this arcade used to cost a lot less? I could have…read moresworn there were very few machines that cost a buck and the rest were 25 cents or maybe 50 cents if one wanted to splurge. When I was here yesterday, I found that almost all of them were a buck, a few were 75, and a fewer were 50, and maybe on for 25. Now that said, Logan Arcade does have a tremendous selection of different pinball machines. Many of them are modern Sterns, some are older Bally's, a few old school, and one being the mechanical type with no computers within. There is also a fair selection of other arcade games, some vintage, others a bit newer, which I did not partake in. I have to say though, one of them was Dance Dance Revolution, which I haven't seen for at least 15 years! On the modern side, they have a totally awesome motion + VR-based game, which is a lot of fun to play. Though I am a bit embarrassed because I think you can see how I'm playing right behind me on a massive screen. Still well worth the five bucks for the experience, if for nothing else. Another thing I really like that they do is that instead of operating based on tokens, it's quarters. The one advantage to token is you're able to buy them with a credit card (though usually in $5 increments). Quarters, meanwhile, don't lock you into playing a certain amount of games - get as many quarters as you need and then leave with what you don't- it's US currency, use it anywhere you'd like. Where it comes to their bar service, I can't really comment as I didn't buy anything this time around (the photo is from a few months ago). However, looking at the menu, it seems they are more about cheap options as opposed to anything worthy of writing home about. So we are left with an arcade that is good fun to kill a couple of hours. It's one that has market rates for modern arcade games, cheap classics, and cheap booze. Likely more funs with friends if you are competitive.

Cool spot to play pinball in Logan Square. It is quite the happening spot so it can be tough to get…read moreon a machine even though they have 20+. Its seems a lot of people go here to drink and socialize and not just play arcade games and which I believe why it felt so crowded. Nonetheless it was a cool spot to play some silver ball!

Photos
Logan Arcade - Pinball and arcade machines in large room at rear of building

Pinball and arcade machines in large room at rear of building

Logan Arcade - Pinball machines in middle section of building

Pinball machines in middle section of building

Logan Arcade

See all

Headquarters Beercade River North - Hurricane Fries

Headquarters Beercade River North

4.0(602 reviews)
4.5 miNear North Side
$$

I haven't been to a barcade where most of the games were free, so that was a really nice surprise…read more We originally just went to kick off a bar crawl, but they had trivia/Jeopardy going on, it was freezing outside (low 20s), and we ended up staying way longer than planned. It was actually a really fun time, and I'll definitely be back. The pizza looked really good too, but I didn't even see a kitchen so I'm very curious how they're making it.

The Doctor was at an auction at Tamarkin Camera and me and The Queen and BFF #1 were looking for a…read moreplace to hang out to have a drink while waiting on him to wrap up. Unfortunately Machine was not open, which is downstairs from this place, so we went here. Usually there is a bouncer outside, covering both places, but no one was at the door so me and The Queen walked upstairs. The bouncer was upstairs and saw us come in, so he asked for ID. He explained that everyone gets card before they come in, which is not a issue for me. The overall vibe, for me, was definitely a frat hangout vibe. There are arcade games all over the place and cutesy names for beers and cocktails, like the Froot Loops (vodka, coriander honey, oat milk, shochu, saline, milk carton, and froot loops). Man I do not do cocktails and this is the reason why. There is too much going on in that glass for me to deal with. Prices for cocktails range from $14-$15. BFF #1 got a vodka soda for $13, but looking at the size of the glass, it was on the small side. BFF #1 said it was on the weak side. I was happy to hear that there was prosecco, so I got that. The Doctor showed up and got a beer. The selection of beers was limited from what I could see on the wall, maybe there was a list someone else behind the bar. The bartender was a really sweet, she was all smiles and kept calling me baby, which was so funny to me. I tipped her well because she was great on them pours of prosecco. We did not do food as we were heading to Club Lago for dinner and I didn't realize that they had food until I checked into Yelp and saw the online menu. The Queen actually went to a DJ set here with Roosevelt, I believe, and said it was a good event. Not a place I would normally hang out in, but I can see the appeal for folks in their 20s as I would definitely say outside of The Queen, the three of us were the oldest folks in there. Lots of people taking Instagram photos and posing or making short videos with those ring lights. I imagine it can get super loud when it is busy, but that is a vibe for some folks. I would say if that is your thing, this is the place for you.

Photos
Headquarters Beercade River North
Headquarters Beercade River North - Hurricane Fries: HQ sauce (soy-ginger gastrique), bonito flakes, nori, and sesame seeds

Hurricane Fries: HQ sauce (soy-ginger gastrique), bonito flakes, nori, and sesame seeds

Headquarters Beercade River North

See all

Game Room

Game Room

4.1(252 reviews)
5.7 miThe Loop
$$

My friend and I recently stayed at the Chicago Athletic Authority, and every few hours, we walked…read morethrough the Game Room. It was over March Madness, so there were always men or women's games on the televisions. Besides being a happening place, there was also decent food. Upon our check-in, we even received complimentary bubbles as a welcome drink in the Game Room. For one of our dinners, we decided to enjoy some Game Room food while I taught my friend how to play chess. We ordered a delicious dish of WSC Cheese Sticks (made with Wisconsin brick cheese and marinara). We then each ordered the Chicken Caesar Wrap, consisting of crispy chicken, romaine lettuce, parmigiano Reggiano, and house chips. We both upgraded our chips to French fries. I thought the food was good (not excellent but not bland like other reviews stated). The best part of the experience is the vibe in the space. There were also protests in the area earlier in the day so many of the non-hotel guests in the Game Room were from that (as we could tell from the signs they had with them). Even if you go to the Game Room website (https://www.gameroomchi.com), you're in for some fun just getting into the website. On their website are upcoming events (like karaoke), details on booking private events, menus, and more. They serve their all day menu from 11 AM to close daily. Their hours are Monday through Thursday from 11 AM to 11 PM, Friday and Saturday from 11 AM to 1 AM (kitchen closes at 11 PM), and Sunday from 11 AM to 9 PM. There is also Happy Hour on weekdays from 3 PM to 5 PM, which include $10 wings, Old Style combos, and half off pitchers. While there were more exciting places to be in Chicago, for a hotel guest or someone in the area, this was a fun place to hang out, grab a bite, play some board games, and watch some games on TV. Certainly recommend it!

A very nice place, very lowkey, chill vibe, I really enjoyed the drinks. Service was a lil slow for…read morea slow Friday, not much of a crowd yet servers barely came around. Sat down for like 10 mins before someone came to give us a menu, Water came out quickly. Food is not good, it's so bland. I wouldn't order the wings or burger again, maybe try something else or legit only get drinks . I would recommend going for drinks, elsewhere for food! There is sooo much better food out here

Photos
Game Room
Game Room
Game Room

See all

FTW Chicago

FTW Chicago

3.4(169 reviews)
5.4 miNear North Side
$$

Great family fun! Lots of activities to choose from. FTW boasts an arcade, bowling, movie theater,…read moreand immersive experiences.

After 2 long days at a conference in the Chicago suburbs, I wanted to explore Chicago the city. I…read morewanted to have fun and blow off steam. FTW Chicago was just the solution I needed for this. It's up the stairs near the movie theatre. Once you walk in, your senses are inundated by lights, sounds, and the scent of alcohol. It can be a lot to take in but once you get some tokens or a playing card and play your first game, you should be quickly acclimated to your new setting. My friend and my favorites for the night ended up being Skeeball, the milk jug toss, the largest Pac-Man game ever, some of the pinball machines, and the large Connect 4. Honestly, the milk jug toss was a sleeper hit. Don't sleep on it. You can buy a card and add money to it instead of buying tokens. We found that was most convenient and easy for us. You win tickets for each game you play, and there's a cute store where you can claim prizes. The whole place is supposed to have a Steampunk theme. It's not outright obvious, but you can tell by looking at the ceilings or going to the bathroom (there are many stalls and they're very clean!) You can buy food and drinks at the bar and also watch sports. Overall, FTW Chicago would make a great girls' night out or date night, or I could even see coming by myself. Stop by if you're in town.

Photos
FTW Chicago - Chicago-themed mini golf!

Chicago-themed mini golf!

FTW Chicago - Crosstown classic.

Crosstown classic.

FTW Chicago - Bar area. Ginormous TV, lots of space to sit.

See all

Bar area. Ginormous TV, lots of space to sit.

Galloping Ghost Arcade - Rock Ola made more than jukeboxes.

Galloping Ghost Arcade

4.5(386 reviews)
12.5 mi

I would love to see the electric bill - I can only imagine what it must be for the largest arcade…read morein the world with over 850 playable arcade cabinets. Speaking of, how wonderful is it that this place exists? Far too many modern places are drink-focused enough that games have cup-holders, the games themselves have giant, modern LCD screens with the brightness and color turned way up, and all this for about $1.50-$2.00 a game that lasts a minute, 90 seconds at best, and does not require much skill (with alcohol, I suppose they want something winnable even while a little inebriated). This is to say nothing of the games where the goal is to win tickets to exchange for prizes - don't get me started on the shenanigans at play. Galloping Ghost has arcade games where a simple joystick and a couple buttons is all you need. There are some older shoot the screen games, and other retro games as well. Let's say that none have a modern, flat-screen, and all are old enough to use CRT (Tube) Screens. Given their age, the games are kept in very good shape! I also love that Galloping Ghost is about the love of the games, and not about the love of liquor with games being an excuse to drink. There are bottled sodas available for sale, but not cup-holders, alcohol, or food. Even gum is forbidden. This also has the effect of being a community icon! When I visited, there was a gathering of furries (not something I engage in, but power to you!) I haven't even gotten to the best part: $25 for all day, all-you-can-play access. Open from 11am to midnight (or 2am Friday & Saturday night). The ticket allows you access throughout the day, so you can come and go as you please. Better still, an extra $5 gets you access to all-you-can-play pinball a couple blocks down the street. Also a good selection of fun machines somewhere between retro and modern Stern. Final verdict: While Chicagoland has some arcades with free-play, and some even don't require an entrance fee, these, despite a modest selection revolve around booze. Galloping Ghost is a dying breed that exists to test your skills, maybe set a record if you're that good, and hang out. All this, for a very reasonable entrance fee.

GGA has way over 1000 games. For that reason, a five star rating is warranted!…read more BUT... Many (about 10 percent or more) aren't playable...there either completely out of order, and have been, in some cases, since last year. Many others (another 10 to 20 percent) suffer from having poorly functioning controls. Still, this place is amazing. It's amazing, but by no means perfect. Back down to 4 stars!

Photos
Galloping Ghost Arcade - Two rare 3D games - Hologram and Holossium!

Two rare 3D games - Hologram and Holossium!

Galloping Ghost Arcade
Galloping Ghost Arcade

See all

Lucky Strike Chicago

Lucky Strike Chicago

2.7(589 reviews)
5.3 miNear North Side

Arcade - Many broken or malfunctioning games (almost all coin pusher games had constant errors),…read moreundertrained employees, and no rewards app or bonus offers like that of Dave & Busters. Friendly staff who is trying their best, but don't seem supported by management or corporate in any way. Can't really speak to the other aspects of the business. Have reached out to coorperate folks about this location.

Came here with my girls after a wonderful Valentine's Day lunch. We got our tickets from Groupon…read moreand paid $18.75 per ticket. This is the Streeterville location. Upon arrival we showed the nice guy at the register our tickets and we got a red game play card with 100 credits on it. Unfortunately, I don't think I even used all of my credits. So many machines were out of order, I would say a good 30% of their inventory was not working. So the games got a little repetitive. There was one machine that had no out of order service sticker, so we tried to use it and it didn't work. It just stole our credits. It was the machine where you hit the ball to test your strength. My friends and I got pretty bored with the games and went to their restaurant. We just shared an order of wings and my friend got funnel cake fries that came with ice cream and an assortment of other toppings. The food was okay- it was what you would expect arcade food to taste like. Our waiter was very kind, but service was really slow. We had to flag someone down to take our order after we initially sat down and waited for about 20 minutes. I probably wouldn't come back here, if I want a mediocre arcade experience I'll just stick with Dave and Busters!

Photos
Lucky Strike Chicago
Lucky Strike Chicago
Lucky Strike Chicago

See all

Waveland Bowl - bowling - Updated May 2026

Loading...
Loading...
Loading...