Bloomsbury Lanes

1659 reviews

Tavistock Hotel, Bedford Way, London WC1H 9EU, United Kingdom

bloomsburybowling.com

+442071831979

About

Bloomsbury Lanes is a Bowling alley located at Tavistock Hotel, Bedford Way, London WC1H 9EU, United Kingdom. It has received 1659 reviews with an average rating of 4.0 stars.

Photos

Hours

Monday11AM-3AM
Tuesday11AM-12AM
Wednesday12PM-12AM
Thursday12PM-12AM
Friday12PM-12AM
Saturday12PM-12AM
Sunday12PM-12AM

F.A.Q

Frequently Asked Questions

  • The address of Bloomsbury Lanes: Tavistock Hotel, Bedford Way, London WC1H 9EU, United Kingdom

  • Bloomsbury Lanes has 4.0 stars from 1659 reviews

  • Bowling alley

  • "I came here for an agency party"

    "Karaoke Completely Out-Dated and Overrated Pizza"

    "Chaotic"

    "Did the job but very tired"

    "Catfished for 80 90s night"

Reviews

  • Alicia ysl

I came here for an agency party. So all expense was paid, I can't comment on the prices for f&b but I am aware of the prices for the lanes. This place is very nostalgic. As soon as you walk in, you're hit with this 70/80s diner feels. Red sleek cushions, and low light ceilings. It feels as though you're going back to the past. I haven't tried the karaoke rooms, but they seem big enough to fit 10pax. It also had a very nostalgic feel to it. A few things to note: 1. If you are here 6pax or more, it will well worth playing bowling here. One lane is £45 per lane per hour. To be fair, we had about 5pax per lane and we could play about 1.5 games. If you guys go back to back, it is possible to squeeze two games in that hour 2. There are 8 lanes, so it's pretty small. If you're lucky and there are small groups playing, you might be able to grab a lane within 15mins. 3. There is an open bar and a restaurant available. Again I cannot comment on the prices. However they make a decent gin & tonics, the pizza is amazing. They're so huge and the crust is thin. I enjoyed the ham and mushroom pizza the most. You gotta have the tacos with dips. 4. Bring socks. If they think your shoes aren't suitable to play on the floor, you'll need to change shoes. Having a pair of spare socks with you is probably a good idea. 5. We were on lane 2 and 3, there were times where the pines didn't come down but it didn't take long for the staff come and fix it. If you think that it took too long for them to fix the lane, you could negotiate at the counter to have your lane time extended. All in all its a really nice place. I highly recommend this place for birthdays, parties and even events. It's unique and interesting. Oh! And there's also one pool table available. There's an outdoor area as well which I presume are meant for smokers :)

  • Sungwook Oh

Karaoke Completely Out-Dated and Overrated Pizza. Karaoke I went to this place with high hopes to have a great social with a few of my mates. I had already booked a room for 15 but only 10 of us could make it. It turns out that was for the best since there was no way that all of us could’ve fit in the room. The system is so outdated to a point where jt does not even has the biggest hits: e.g. Hello by Adele or even Perfect by Ed Sheeran, among many many others. The system was so old and basic to a point where I could literally set up a better one at one: It consists of: 1. An IPAD with a VERY old Karaoke App, 2. Conected to a TV 3 Connected to a small switchboard 4. Conected to a horrible looking speaker that kept giving feedback. There is not one thing that is good about this place apart from being with my mates there. Pizza Size isn’t everything. It over-compensates for the lack of taste. Fresh for sure but very greasy and the quality of ingredients was clearly not that great. Save yourself the ridiculously amount of money and find a better place than this. Verdict: Please Don’t Go, My Girls/Boys

  • William Lake

Chaotic. Food was terrible - for all 8 of us. Pizza was worse than a frozen supermarket pizza, barely any toppings, greasy, rubbish dough. Burgers had a strange smell like the meat was defrosted, they were dry - ultimately got sent back. And you’ll pay a whole lot for the pleasure of one of these meals, it isn’t cheap. Service was utterly chaotic. We started eating, then told we had to go straight to our lane, with our half eaten food in hand, and had to walk around the two floors of the venue with our food until it got cold. First we were sent to the wrong lane, then we had to go to the basement level (still carrying a pizza), then asked to sign in (still carrying a pizza), then sent to the lane that other people were still playing and eating/drinking. By the time they’d cleared a table (with two seats for 8 of us), some had to stand and eat, others didn’t bother. The two stars are for i) the bowling staff who were lovely and professional, and ii) the venue is generally nice looking. Shame. Wouldn’t go back to eat or recommend to anyone.

  • Guy Gillbe

Did the job but very tired. On the plus-side, it's small and cosy - just the right size if you're not keen on some big mega-blockbuster-venue with a thousand people crowding you out. And the food was actually pretty decent, at least what we had. On the flip-side, it's dated. Very dated. The software for the scoring system literally dates from 1995, which in of itself isn't bad except it's clearly buggy, and the actual hardware element is clearly in need of repair (every so often, the pins would have to be reset a few times to get them in position). And I was initially served a very grubby glass for my drinks, but think that was a one-off. In short, nice size and would potentially go again in a pinch, but it really needs a big infusion of money to get it up to its full potential.

  • Boromir

Catfished for 80 90s night. The worst event we've ever booked. Nothing like photos. Dingy bowling alley that's not old nice. It's old skanky with 0 atmosphere. The party was a tired dj, poor sound system, no lighting and 5 people dancing. Hospital wing vibes. We came and left instantly as soon as we saw just how awful it was. Smelled bad, toilets nasty, sticky floor. I cannot believe we paid entry for this, even if £5. No-one checked tickets - it woud be embarrassing if they did. It was beyond awful and nothing like their advertising. Shocking management if they felt an event like this warranted an entry fee. You should be paying people to come! May pursue refund out of principle of being completely missold. Bouncers told us that others left instantly as well.

  • folasope pinheiro

Fantastic venue, great games, etc…. However the highlight wasn’t just the facilities but was the staff! The staff were extremely warm and friendly! I’m particularly the bowling alley receptions who actually gave me some fantastic tips on bowling. You can bowl anywhere in London, but what made the place special is the fact the front desk attendants were warm and friendly. The young man at the counter actually gave me some advice so I can learn how to actually get the ball from always going into the gutter . In short, the customer service was exceptional for me! Unfortunately I actually forgot their names, so if anyone from Bloomsbury Lanes reads this review, please pass on my heartfelt thanks, and include their names in a reply to this review.

  • Marco Rossi

This was really really super cool! I guess everyone knows bowling so this is not a huge difference but the place is amazing. I really like the sort of Happy Days style in the red leather sofas around the tables, with the kitchen on one end and the long bar on the other. I didn't eat anything since we came here before lunch but whenever you could get the smell of sandwiches passing around, it was amazing. The bowling lanes are on another end away from the tables and bar to avoid that noisy bowling battles could bother other clients. I don't have a huge experience in bowling but I think the 7 lanes were properly made. We had great fun...and I won! If I lived nearby, I'd get there definitely more often!

  • Alex Sim

Food and drinks are a little pricey (but I suppose normal for central London) and mostly American dinner style food, so not the healthiest. Beware the 26" inch pizza is much bigger than you'd expect ("that's what she said" mwaha). The decor is American diner too, good but a little worn in places on the floor. As its a basement its nice and cool on a hot day but the fire escape is also the smoking area, so smoke sometimes wafts in. The staff were very accommodating and friendly and I enjoyed the 'Withnail and I' but particularly 'Big Lebowski' references on the menu and wall of a bowling alley. "The Dude abides".

  • M Hovezak

If bowling alleys are assets this one has been sweated like nothing else – first came here 10 years ago, and it still looks the same today, with no work done to it at all. That in itself can be charming, however our alley mechanism broke down twice and we lost about 20 mins of our 2 hour slot – which cost £90. No offer of recompense was made, which didn’t bowl us over. Food is served too, however without an order number system lots of confusion ensues between groups of people. Definitely a fun place to go with mates, but this alley needs some serious £ invested.

  • Malika Yunusova

I have celebrated my birthday in Bloomsbury Bowling and I am super happy with the experience. It was so much fun, and service was great! Aldo and Harriet were super friendly, patient and helpful. Also helped with all our orders, made sure we get everything on time. And Harriet helped to coordinate both bowling and karaoke. Overall great place, amazing quality of activities, quality service and nice dinner food! I would definitely reconsider. Bowling + Karaoke is the best combo even:) thank you, Bloomsbury team for making my Birthday so special

  • James Griffin

Have been here a few times for both Ten Pin Bowling and Karaoke which have been a lot of fun. The venue is well run and if your thinking of going here with a small party I would recommend booking a minimum of a 2 hour slot because the time absolutely flies! Their brand of beer is one from India.... I can’t remember the name but it’s very nice! The pizza comes to order to share as a group as it’s literally the size of a bus wheel. The larger your group, the cheaper your night as you split the hourly slot cost. A cheap night out for London!

  • Adedayo Erinoso

Bloomsbury lanes actually can be a very lively place to be mostly at night. It's usually a quiet place in the day time. The boxing session had a fill when I went there, I had fun and much Interaction with others. The place is lit accordingly. the mood is set with the lighting. there are few staff around probably because it's day time The ones around are seen diligently Assisting customers. a fin and relaxive place to be though

  • Ralph Hick

Booked Karaoke for 25 people. We were taken downstairs to a horrible soulless room that absolutely stank of rotted feet / fart. We had to speak to the bar staff who eventually sprayed air freshener all around, but it was still horrible to be in. There were no chairs, decorations, or atmosphere. The selection of songs were OK, but we were really soured on the experience. The drinks were also overpriced.

  • Jamie Walden

We had a broken lane in the "kingpin" area, constantly posting zeros for the first 15mins of the timeslot, lane technician was called multiple times, finally arrived and was unbelievably rude and unpleasant. No apologies, no added time on the end, all round a shocking experience. Shame because I've loved this place every time I've been before, this was enough to put me off for good.

  • Adrián A.

Nice place with one of the best staffing I've seen in London! The waiters were super nice, friendly, helpful and efficient. We played some games, have a few drinks and dinner there, it was all great. I was expecting a more impacting bowling lanes to be honest, they are quite standard but enough to have great time. The food was surprisingly good too. Will be back for sure!

  • Philippe

Great bowling and entertainment space for groups or a few friends. Big dance area with great music. Thought though that not all the lanes were operating which didn’t help with waiting time. The staff is really nice though and it made up for it. Will recommend to go there as a group and renting the area downstairs with karaoke bowling, ping pong, arcade games and much more

  • Niki Nemeth

Awful place, avoid it!!! You can find only better places for bowling. We booked a lane for Christmas party,  we arrived earlier but we have been told they pushed our booking for 30 min as they had a private party and needed to clean up.At the end turned out they misinformed us and we lost half hour from our bowling game. Really bad experience never gonna go back for sure

  • vishal shah

Really good place to have fun time with friends or colleagues. All the staff was very helpful and quiet accommodative, especially Benita and Stanley. Definitely going there again and try bowling next time. This time we played darts and overall, it was a great experience. Food was very good as well. Table service was amazing. Overall 5 stars.

  • Christini Patterson

If I could give 0 stars I would. Beware going here. I attended with friends and my phone was stolen. Only to find out that the person who stole it has been stealing from this place and his pictures are even on the wall in the back office. I am furious because why wouldn’t you guys give a warning to keep your belongings on you at all times.

  • Detwailer / Peña's son

Amazing experience, we were walking around trying to find somewhere to have dinner and finally it was the best decision. We had some pizzas and a few drinks, nice price and very good ambient. We were attended by David a Spanish guy that did our experiencia ever better, thanks man and congratulations to the company for the concept!

  • Rishi Bhabutta

Good venue - we rented out the downstairs for a work Christmas party for about 150 people. It was actually a great venue for this and cost about 60-70 per person. Bowling, beer pong, a kareoke room - pizzas and other food brought out, beer buckets. Easy place to use. Only shame there were no screens there to show World Cup games!

  • Stefano

Great atmosphere, nice music and tasty pizza. Staff is amazing and they brought us drinks at the table even if they were not suppose to. There are 3 different sizes of pizza and the largest is very large . There are about 8 bowling lanes and they are well kept. It was a very enjoyable evening and we will definitely come back.

  • SamanthaP

Went for Karaoke. Easy to find and good-sized venue. The actual room we had was a little tired looking and a bit brighter than I was hoping for. Also, the door didn't shut properly. The other rooms, possibly for bigger groups, looked nicer. Overall, though, a fun time was had singing until our voices went …

  • Ruby Cook

Fun night here and lovely, friendly staff. I managed to leave my wallet behind and they went to the trouble of finding me on Facebook from my ID to let me know. So helpful and massively appreciated. Thank you to all the team, will visit again some time and try to keep all my belongings with me next time! :)

  • Avril-Marie Ives

Service was very slow and we had to find somebody on a couple of occasions after they wandered off halfway through taking our drinks order in the diner. I would advise you eat before coming here if you're vegan as options are pretty much non existent. The bowling was good and the bar staff were helpful.

  • Godfrey K

We went here on a Saturday night. It wasn’t too busy but the price of drinks are extortionate. Way overpriced. It was a hip pop and R&B night and the DJ delivered. We bowled from midnight and it was great. Overall great experience. Would recommend this place for a calm Saturday and not too overcrowded.

  • MasterD3X

Had our staff party here, beer was decent, staff were very friendly, bowling was fun - didn't have to wear the horrible shoes! We had a go at the karaoke after as well, obviously my rating doesn't include our awful singing! Sadly couldn't give 5 stars due to the gents loos being dirty.

  • Charlotte Milano

Amazing! Really nice vibes and with ‘the fork’ app you can have -50% on the food! On late afternoon become quite busy but it’s very good for some mega pizza and drink’s. Also they have lots of games including bowling, karaoke’s and lots of more. We love this place, very nice!

  • Adnan Aufogul

Lots to do here, we had done bowling and karaoke. Also has a bar and food (pizzas etc), pool and table tennis. This place gradually turns in to a club I believe but wasn't there for that long. Give it a try, really nice chilled spot for little or a while. Great time …

  • Jari Väyrynen

I went with friends to do a pizza challenge. but the challenge was no longer there. However, we then ordered pizzas. the seller messed up orders and payments. the pizza lacked the toppings that were on the list. Very few fillings. 18" pizza £24.50 was not worth the price.

  • Leo B

Held a 50th Birthday party in the KingPin Suite. The staff (Carla, Natalie, Pamela and others) were fantastic and made sure we had a brilliant time. Nothing was too much trouble, communication before and during the event was exceptional. Would definitely do it again.

  • Stereoman

Great atmosphere and music but just massively overpriced. £20 per person for an hour of bowling? Not to mention how massively expensive the food and drink was, considering that they don't allow any outside food or drink. Poor hospitality, good for enthusiasts I guess

  • Joanne Dudley-Smith

This was a lovely bowling alley - they have about 6-8 lanes which do get busy so you'll need to book! Staff are lovely and very friendly - there's a bar too and a small menu for some food options - they do an amazing pizza! The large pizza is LARGE but delicious! :)

  • X L

Decent bowling place for socialising and bar experience. Can get very busy hence would recommend book lane before visit. Only thing is weight 8 ball is not very many hence majority is weight 10-12 so could be a struggle for people prefer lighter weight balls.

  • Ilaria Gandini

Booked in advance table and bowling but they were not really organized. Not enough bowling balls. Always had to wait for mine to come back. Food was okay but not great. Bun and burger a bit dry. Thankfully the sauce was great. Onion rings very tasty!

  • Kwex Nw

Had a great time here bowling and playing table tennis with work colleagues! Bowling facility was great, staff were friendly, table tennis table was in a "tight" area, thus, tricky to use - all in all, had a good time there. Place comes recommended.

  • Sian Bailey

The place is a bit dated, decor could do with an uplift. The pizza was subpar, it was missing that something unique flavour, and that's me having the margarita. There's a few things apart from bowling you could do (pool, karaoke) which is

  • Abbi Barden

It's nice to be able to bowl without kids around but it's very expensive here. The music was too loud to be able to have conversations, our speaker kept cutting out and it was much nicer when it wasn't working. The pizzas we're ok, nothing

  • Aida C

I had been here several times before but I recently book a dinner/karaoke/bowling night out for the team and their booking team was really helpful. The booking process was very smooth, they were very responsible and helpful with their

  • Izabela Rapinczuk

Nice place, however had trouble with pins resetting. Despite staff assurance that we can stay on till the next party arrives the game finished bang on time despite technical difficulties. Not impressed considering the price …

  • Edward Hobbs

Big venure , along with the bowling comes karaoke , ping pong and table football. Decent selection of drinks with friendly staff, and I can't speak for other holidays but they went all out for Halloween! Fun night.

  • Jack Hampson

Our lane broke and the staff told us it was our fault, we wouldn’t get a refund and the staff tried to aggrevate us into a fight. A horrendous experience, and a soul-less bowling experience. Avoid at all costs.

  • Dio Brando

WATCH OUT! SCAM! Lanes will book out early and they’ll charge you a fee to get in, even though you won’t be able to do any actual bowling. Avoid unless you show up early!

  • Mamun “Maserati” Ahmed

Far better than the All Star bowling lanes whose staff are just plain rude. Food was good too. Wish they would serve some halal meat options (I tried a vegetarian pizza)

  • Georgi Hristov

Good fun but incredibly expensive for what it offers - both the drinks and the games are surprisingly pricey for the style of the venue and quality of the venue.

  • Kishan lohar

Amazing food and it also have some karaoke rooms where you can book and have some karaoke. Bowling alley are good enough but the bar and food is all amazing

  • Radu Chertif

During every game the power on the lane was cutting off few times and we had to call the staff to fix it so we can continue playing. Staff was nice though.

  • shmeegly

Such a great night out! Drinks are great, food is great and of course the bowling is so much fun! Didn’t try the karaoke but will next time!

  • Tomica Robinson

Good service, fun karaoke room, the food was nice, pizza were too thin but a good selection to choose from. Lovely atmosphere over all

  • Vicente Parra

A good place to spend some time with friends, go bowling, pool, karaoke, they have very good pizzas, hamburgers and a variety of beers

  • Shomari Lewis-Wilson

This might seem a bit OTT for a bowling alley but we recently had the most fantastic experience here on my wife’s birthday!

  • Rochelle Higgins

Malika, Sara and Wassim were great. Top customer service and made our experience so much fun. We’ll definitely be back!

  • Luis Felipe Pineda Quezada

Food, nice ! I ate a hotdog and the sausage has a good taste. The bowling was lovely, tracks with amazing music …

  • Gautam Sharma

Good experience. Screens were hanging in between but resumed after a minute. They did not provide bowling shoes.

  • luckyjd

Very tasty pizza, definitely filling. Everyone enjoyed their food. Definitely going to go back one day!

  • Samantha Hawkes

Omg what an experience. Bowling was amazing and Freddie the bartender was such a vibe! I will be back!

  • Monica Nieto

Good place for hace fun with ftiends and family. I really liked the atmosphere, the music and the food

  • Niko Korpi

Music were too loud and pizzas were fine. We ordered 5 pizzas, and all of them were missing toppings.

  • RAM MOHAN

I would have given 5 stars if they have let us finish our bowling game. Very strict with the time..

  • Lars Hansen

Nice place, friendly staff, good fun had by all!

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