The Best Bowling Alleys in Chicago, Illinois

Bowling is a great way to relax and unwind with friends, while enjoying your favorite drinks. Chicago is full of activities for young and old Chicagoans alike, and bowling is no exception. Whatever you look for in a bowling alley, you're sure to find a location below to meet your needs.

Seven Ten Lounge Lincoln Park
2747 North Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL
Phone: (773) 549-2695

At Seven Ten, you don't have to choose between the bar and the bowling alley! They offer reasonably priced drinks, bowling and pool for a great night out. It's a great place for beer-loving bowlers, with 30 beers on tap and another forty in bottles! The lane flooring is vintage, purchased from an old alley. Seven Ten offers the complete old-school bowling experience: you need to know how to hand-score a bowling game before you go, because the self-scoring computer screens are nowhere to be found. But if you can hack it, Seven Ten is a great Chicago spot for a bowling good time.

Waveland Bowl
3700 North Western Avenue
Chicago, IL
Phone: (773) 472-5900
Website: www.wavelandbowl.com

The little extras add up to set Waveland Bowl apart from its competition. Some of these extras include a new pair of free socks with your shoe rental, an arcade, a lounge, pool tables and on-site computers with internet access! And if you have kids, you'll love this: they even have a little movie theatre showing movies for kids (you'll need to request it). On the weekends, their light-show enhanced Cozmic Bowling is really popular. Even if you have to wait for one of their forty lanes, you'll have plenty of fun before your game even begins.

Diversey River Bowl
2211 West Diversey Avenue
Chicago, IL
Phone: (773) 227-5800
Website: http://drbowl.com/

This full-service alley offers everything: drinks, food, kids parties, a pro shop, leagues and a great light show. The light shows are offered Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, so it's not just confined to the weekend. Sunday through Friday, you can bowl just about anytime you want to, since they're open from noon to 2:00 a.m. Plus, from 6:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. on Fridays, everyone bowls for ½ off the usual rate.

Fireside Bowl
2648 West Fullerton
Chicago, IL
Phone: (773) 486-2700
Website: www.firesidebowl.com

Once a hot venue for live punk performances, this Chicago mainstay bowling alley is an intimate hangout for beer and bowling. Enjoy a few games while knocking back a beer and, if you're lucky, you might catch one of their live performances, too.

Southport Lanes
3325 North Southport
Chicago, IL
Phone: (773) 472-6600
Website: www.southportlanes.com

This bowling alley is a bar and grill, too. Immensely popular with young Chicagoans, the weekend lines can run out the door. The atmosphere is great, with stained glass windows and nostalgic billiards tables. The bowling rates are reasonable, at only $20.00 per hour per lane (half of what some other places charge).