03/26/09

HELL NO!

by AlyseBaker

came with a group; service was bad from the start. The server at the lanes was extremely rude and made it quite clear that we were encrouching on her break time. There to celebrate a birthday,

everyone was having a good time, the Birthday boy was assulted by 4 bouncers after given his second drink. He was not intoxicated and deserved no such treatment. If you are not in the mood to press charges I would not visit this venue! we left before our 2 games were up!

• Pros: BOWLING
• Cons: SERVICE, PROFESSIONALISM, BULLIES!

02/14/09

Finally a Nice Bowling Alley that doesn't include pinball, cheap bear, and smoke stained ceilings.

by drmiller82

It is so encouraging to see there are more and more establishments in Portland that actually enforce a dress code. Their desire to create a bowling alley that doesn't feel like those places you are used to is reflected in every little detail of this establishment, from the good food to the beautiful and classy interior. It is about time this town realized that jeans are not acceptable at the symphony and a collared shirt is appropriate for a night out. Well done.

• Pros: Beautiful interior, classy atmosphere
• Cons: Prices may be high for some

01/26/09

Pretty cool but not for bowlers...

by kmaypottery

This place is fun for people who aren't really into bowling. The big screens are neat and their attempt to moderinze bowling is pretty cool but they fall short with their high prices and staff. The place is ran by a bunch of people who don't know the basic rules of bowling. My husband was walking to the lane to throw his b@ll when a staff member walked right infront of him. We saw this happen quite a few times. Um, hello? They do not, in anyway control their patrons. There was a large groups (about 20 teenagers) four lanes down from us that were out of control. Four to six teens throwing b@lls at the same time, on the same lane, playing with bumpers, dancing and walking down the lanes to get b@lls out of the gutter. My b@ll got stuck in the machine and the woman who helped me looked panicked for a moment. It's a bit expensive for sure and the staff seems to think that they are blessing you with their presence but it would be fun for a night of adult drinking, food and fun out in the city if you are looking for a one stop shop. I doubt that they make their money on repeat customers.

BTW: when I review a bowling alley, I should be able to right the world b@lls.

• Pros: cool atmosphere, cool for kids
• Cons: expensive, poor staff, poor concept of how to run a bowling alley

12/31/08

DISAPPOINTED AND NOT GOING BACK!

by juliecooks

I thought it would be fun to take my family of 4 there for New Years Eve. I called a few days before and was told first come first serve unless we reserved a room and spent minimum $300! So - on NYE I called at 6pm and was told they weren't that busy yet and we should come on in for bowling and dinner. We got there by 6:30 and went to reserve our bowling lane before we ate dinner. The bowling desk told us we would not have a chance to bowl b/c minors weren't allowed after 9 and all the lanes were booked until then. I told her to put our name on anyway in case someone left or didn't show up. She did and we went to the restaurant to have dinner. We were all set to enjoy our dinner but instead - after we ordered and our drinks came, we were told we could bowl and that we had ONE hour. So now we had to eat our meal on very uncomfortable couch that didn't fit four people and bowl. We were 2 frames away from finishing our game when our "hour" was up. We asked if we could finish the game and were told yes by our waitress but no by the front desk. A family of 4 had 2 soft drinks, 2 beers and 4 sandwiches plus 1 hour of bowling for $120!!! We were not pleased and we will not go back. Sunset Lanes in Beaverton just did a remodel and it is way better! The wait staff we encountered were very nice, but there is a miscommunication b/w the mgmt and the bowling desk. They still have some kinks to work out! Sunset Lanes for us from now on! PS the fish and chips were heavy, greasy, and the tartar sauce was thin and flavorless. Sliders were dry, Reuban was mediocre and not worth the calories! Too pricey - not customer oriented. Will not go back!

• Pros: Good fries and friendly waitstaff
• Cons: Miscommunication and average food that cost way too much

09/05/08

Just stunning......

by beth511

Really enjoyed the big screen for the football game. The food was yummy.... The bartender was knowlegable and friendly. Will definitely go back..... hope to see ya there...

05/18/08

Not very impressed

by bsober

My friend that came alone was wearing shorts and was not allowed to enter. The rest of us went in without him to find at least ten other people wearing shorts! This was rediculous and discrimatory. The servise was horrible, even though there were very few other people there. The staff was NOT nice, helpful, or at anytime welcoming. Prices are high but this expectable because of the somewhat classy atmosphere. On the upside, bowling was fun and we were allowed to requests songs to listen to and watch on the bigscreens.

05/16/08

Great renovation, terrible service

by WallyWally27

I've given Grand Central a couple chances and have been disappointed every time. It's always a fun time- the food is fine, the lanes are great, and I love the huge TV screens with... eclectic.... music videos (Miley Cyrus followed by Dave Matthews and then Vanilla Ice? Really?). But it's really expensive and the service is TERRIBLE. This seems like the kind of place that needs to be able to handle large parties, but it's always a fiasco and the staff doesn't seem knowledgeable or competent enough to handle it. It's hard to find seating for happy hour even when the restaurant is deserted (you can only order off the HH menu in very specific places) and last time I was there a server complained to me about the tip someone else in our party left him. I recommend going at an off time so the prices are cheaper, and eating at Sparky?s Pizza outside where the food and service is much better.

• Pros: Easy parking, Great lanes, Music videos
• Cons: Bad service, Too expensive

05/03/08

More like Douche Central

by rachekash

Went to check it out on a Friday night, got there went to the upstairs bar and sat and waited for approx. 10 min before the monotoned personality calling himself a bartender asked if we'd been helped yet. Mind you, there were 3 people sitting at the bar and not much else going on. Asked what he recommeded? He was annoyed with question so we just ordered beer. Sat for one drink and left. The atmospere was lame and the staff didn't want to be there. So neither did we. Doesn't fit the SE scene. Not welcoming and not fun! The big screens playing sports or videos over the bowling alley's was cool though.

• Pros: Nice lanes
• Cons: Bad service, melencholy atmosphere, unwelcoming

04/17/08

HORRIBLE HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE & OVERPRICED EVERYTHING

by OfficeManager40

My company tried to book a party and they were very rude and treated us like they could not care if we booked with them or not. They would only accomodate up to 40 bowlers for our party. They wouldnt even give us the option of renting more lanes. Our party was going to have close to 75 participants. The President of our company even tried to call to help us figure out their horrible quote and pricing, but he got so frustrated with the person, he hung up on them. No one could help us answer the simplest questions and not one employee or Manager made the slightest effort to save us as a customer. They honestly did not care if we booked or party there or not. I will never step foot near that place again and I will always tell everyone what a horrible experience it was trying to work with them.

• Pros: ABSOLUTELY NONE
• Cons: RUDE SNOBBY EMPLOYEES

04/08/08

Grand Central is a huge rip-off (and r@cist)!

by 1stReview

This place is insanely expensive! I'm not cheap, especially when it's someone's birthday and I'm expecting to splurge, but I'm also not going to pay $50 per hour per lane for bowling. I was with a handful of people, so we wanted two lanes. I got there at 5:30pm to put my name down, and they didn't have anything available until 8. Convenient, since the prices skyrocket at 8. I didn't notice this until they called me, however, so we waited for our lanes for hours, drinking their super expensive beer. We would have had to pay $96 (plus $3/each for shoes) for 1 hour of bowling. Who on earth is willing to pay that?! Last I checked, Donald Trump and Oprah didn't live in Portland. Ridiculous.

A couple came in and (if they hadn't left with their mouths hanging open in shock) they would have had to pay $27 each for an hour of bowling! At most places you'll pay $5 tops. The food and drinks are also very expensive, and the food is not so good. The "spinach and artichoke dip" (if you can call it that) was gross, and everyone thought it was hummus.

Also, the owners are blatantly r@cist (you can't use the actual word on citysearch)! There is a sign on the door with Grand Central's lengthy dress code, which includes "no excessively baggy pants or shirts," "no sports logos," "no sweats," and best of all--"no 'do rags"! Can you believe these people?!

I was excited about Grand Central, but it's honestly not worth it. You would be better off going to a nice place for food and drinks and going bowling at Hollywood Bowl, Interstate Lanes, the one on Powell, wherever. Or try Big Al's in Vancouver (www.ilovebigals). The bowling there is expensive during prime hours, but it's still $10 less than GCL. If you DO decide to check out GCL, avoid weekend days, arrive at least two hours early to put your name down, and make sure you'll be bowling BEFORE 8pm when the prices jump the highest. And don't say I didn't warn you!

• Pros: cool interior/lounge areas, 22-oz. beers
• Cons: PRICE, WAIT