I stopped by South Boston Bowlarama as part of a kick off party for a charity walk I'm participating in in June.
The space was donated to us for the party, which was appreciated. Free bowling was a nice benefit to being a fundraiser & walker.
My guests & I made the mistake of thinking there would be a parking lot at the bowling alley. There wasn't and the driver of the car got very annoyed that she had trouble finding parking. (It was Southie with snow and parking space savers of every kind all along the street. We eventually found parking a bit of a walk away from the bowling ally.) Take public transportation here if you can, and save yourself a parking headache.
As others have mentioned, the lanes feel old. There is no computerized scoring, which I would have preferred.
The lanes also broke down for a few different teams. The bar to collect the pins got stuck half way down, and wouldn't go back up. So, we had to change lanes to finish our game.
There are also arcade games and the place has a beer & wine liquor license.
This place is from another era. Â The candlepins with paper scoresheets, wooden racks, and the grade-school style restrooms make you feel like you have taken a little vacation from the bustling city of Boston. Â The equipment is simple, and has been well-used, but is all in working order. Â Surprisingly, there are several nice beers on tap, but if you are a bud fan, that is also available. Â They don't serve pitchers of beer, I assume because most of the revenue is from individual beers. Â The cost to play is fairly steep: Â $25/hour per lane, which is equal to the cost at much nicer bowling alleys elsewhere. Â Shoe rental at $1.75 is manageable. Â The rear is lined with arcade games, but not a single game worked when I was there; fairly disappointing because the cashier sold me several tokens, and there were a bunch of little kids who wanted to use the games too. Â
Finally, the hours are completely at random. Â If there are people bowling at 8pm on Saturday, they will stay open until 11, but if no one happens to be there at 8, you are out of luck, because they will close. Â This unpredictability makes it hard to be a regular, but I will certainly try.
Much better than anticipated. We organized a group event there for about 60 people. The manager was great and easy going ahead of time. The only down point was the person working that night. He was pretty unprofessional and not the friendliest. He also had no way of providing a proper receipt and just scribbled a dollar amount on the back of a score card. Besides that, we had a nice time there. They should serve pitchers of beer!
Review Source:Had a good time here on Friday night. Lanes are in good shape (balls are a bit rough) if inconsistent, brand new shoes and a good selection of beers on tap. Might bump the rating up after another visit. It was a little quiet, but meant we could take our time and relax. I really appreciated that.
Not your dark and dingy spot like Central Park Lanes or O'Lindy's, but that's kinda the fun and charm of it all, am I right?
Can't wait to head back and give it another go.
Great family bowling alley right in the heart of Southie.
Please ignore the musty smell of an obviously old building, outdated lanes and balls, and rather ugly entrance.
Whether you're going on a date, bringing the family, or just going out with a group, this is great, old-fashioned fun. Â It gets pretty crowded Friday and Saturday nights and makes for a great atmosphere. Â It's obvious everyone is having a good time.
With cheap (but decent selection) beer and cheap bowling, what better way to pregame with a few friends?
As for parking, I'd try 4th Street which runs parallel to Broadway.
Didn't know this existed till my son was invited for a birthday party. It was ok, but living down the street from Boston Bowl (Morrissey) I just don't see myself coming back here. It kind of felt like we were interrupting "Happy Hour". I felt bad for the couple trying to bowl next to us because the kids kept taking all the balls before they could get a chance to grab one. The kids had a great time but if I want to candlepin I think I'll stick with Morrissey Boston Bowl.
Review Source:Just went here for the first time and I must say it's pretty sweet. Â Don't expect a shiny commercialized bowling alley. Â This hole in the wall is what it is: no-frills, functional and fun. Â It was a great way to kill a couple hours New Years Eve day, have a few cheap beers and hangout. Â Yeah it could use an update, but there's really no need, it works. Â It's candlepin with old, wooden ball returns and paper scoring. Â The owner/manager is very laid back and didn't mind us subbing in different people for our 3 Groupon games.
Review Source:I have yet to have a bad experience here. Â It's cheap, it's fun and you get to drink beer. Â Sure, it's a little dingy and definitely a bit sketch on the outside, but keep your expectations low and you're sure to have a great time! Â Not to mention, I've been here a number of times and you can always get a lane-definitely a plus in my book. Â On the not so plus side, cash only. Â Are you surprised though? Â I'm not. Â Obviously hasn't stopped me from going back. Love it.
Review Source:South Boston Candlepin is just bursting with unrealized potential. Â It's in a great location on a main drag in a rapidly evolving neighborhood, and the core business - bowling and drinking - is solid, but it falls short of being the bustling, clean, and modern bowling center that it could be.
South Boston Candlepin has 20 candlepin lanes. Â Several, but not all, are outfitted with "bumpers" - rails that keep bowling balls from going into the gutters (or "channels", as many now call them). Â There's also skee-ball, video games, and vending machines. Â And they serve beer at reasonable prices. Â I visited on a Saturday afternoon, and bowling was $20 per hour - extremely reasonable! Â I used my own bowling shoes, so I do not know what they charge for shoe rental.
I'm all in favor of neighborhood bowling centers both surviving and thriving. Â With that in mind, I offer the following recommendations:
1. Â Refinish the lanes and approaches, and perhaps even replace the ball returns. Â There's a difference between "going retro" and just letting the old stuff fall into disrepair, and unfortunately, South Boston Candlepin leans towards the latter. Â The approaches appear to not have been refinished in years, and the lanes show significant wear and tear. Â The lane next to mine had a rather large patch in the first ten feet past the foul line. Â I could barely make out a lob line ten feet out past the foul line, as the lane surface was very chewed up. Â The ball returns had some chips and signs of significant wear. Â There are many modern alternatives to what they have.
2. Â Install some sort of computer scoring system. Â Scoring is on pencil and paper, but most modern centers have at least semi-automatic scoring (Compu-Score makes a wonderful system). Â It would be a nice alternative to writing everything down.
3. Â Rip out everything in the bathrooms and start over. Â The bathroom smelled really bad when I went in there after bowling, the hot water faucet didn't seem to work, and the trash can had paper towels sticking out of it. Â Now, there weren't many other customers in there, so how could it have already been that full?
They do appear to have a Cosmic Bowling setup, which is a positive thing, but I think that South Boston Candlepin could grow and greatly expand its business if it makes some important renovations. Â And I would be willing to pay more for bowling to help make that happen.
Overall, South Boston Candlepin is a pretty basic bowling center that's in a great location. Â I think that, with some TLC and some modernization, it could really be a great gathering place for the neighborhood and a destination for people outside of Southie.
Pay no mind to the unassuming at best, creepy at worst, entry. Â South Boston Candlepin is a great place to have some good, clean fun. Â And if you need further incentive, they serve beer. Â The manual scoring and semi-unreliable ball return, coupled with the noise of the skeeball machine, only add to the charm.
Slightly less charming (okay, really much less charming) is the ladies' restroom. Â It looks like the kind of place where bad things happen, and I'm not sure the waste bin has been emptied since "Sad girl" tagged one of the stall doors in 1999. Â Next time I bowl, I'll hold it.
Everything else was perfect, though. Â The staff are very friendly and helpful and the price for rental/bowling cannot be beat. Â We didn't realize it was cash-only, but the gentlemen working had no problem with my running to the ATM next door before paying.
Hello, nostalgia ...
(if you're over 50!!!)
Old wooden ball return, shaky plastic benches which match the color of the women's bathroom walls (celadon) and are held together with duct tape, the smell of pink toilet cleaner wafting in the bathroom ...
Come on...lovers of bowling should come here more often.  They  have cheap beer.  It's $20/hr.  Oh, and it's candlepin, you have to score your own card, and press the button to release the re-rack.  This is all good.  This allows you to bowl as fast or as slow as you want ... and to, well, cheat.  Kids, let this not be a lesson to you.
I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could.
Okay, not gonna lie, I've lived in South Boston for a year and a half and had this place pegged as a townie crack den.
I am SO SORRY South Boston Candlepin Bowling! It's actually quite normal inside.
A spur of the moment decision while walking past it and a minute later I was putting on someone else's shoes and getting prepared to BRING IT! haha.
The place is old, no questions asked. But if you were ever around bowling allies in the early 90's, you'll like it.
CASH ONLY! Paper score cards, old school plastic seats, everything has that "if you hit me the right way I may break from age" look. They serve beer!! They play good music. There are games which I assume work because they also have a prize counter.
At first glance it seems too sketch to believe, but the girl at the counter was nice, it's a cheap date and when I was in there, the average age of bowlers was probably 24.
South Boston Candlepin is another of those hard to find places. Â It's marked simply with an Orange and Yellow "BOWL" sign on the front of the building above the front door.
The Guru has bowled at South Boston Candlepin a few times, but hasn't been there in a few years. Â The last time the Guru was there, the place was old and in need of some help. Â The place always seemed like it could use a good cleaning. Â It always seemed to the Guru like the owner(s) really didn't care much about the place - they were just putting enough into it to keep it viable and that's all.
South Boston Candlepin has 20 lanes of Candlepin Bowling on one level. Â They have on street parking. Â You can try to park in the Court House parking lot across the street when the Court is closed. Â Parking can be difficult, so be aware!
It is a relatively honest house (you get what you hit).
They *DO* have games.
They do not have pool tables.
They *DO* have bumper bowling for children.
They *DO* offer "Glow" or "Cosmic" bowling (of sorts).
They use paper scoring for the public.
South Boston Candlepin is "smoke-free".
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