Surf Bowl

We had such a great time last Friday night. Didn’t know they have Jell-​O shots in the bar. Whoot whoot! We will be back!

There were many problems with our experience at this bowling alley… We went on a Sunday afternoon, and our wait time was about 40 – 45 minutes. No problem at all… But with 3 kids to entertain, we went to play some arcade games, and only a few were in service. Both token machines were out of service. And I only learned about one of them after I lost my money to it… Front desk would not refund my money. Still… No problem, we were excited to bowl.
Upon getting our lane, we signed in and set up the lane for the lane bumpers to go up and down so my kids could get a decent score… We had problems with the bumpers throughout the 2 games we played. Sometimes they never went up, other times they didn’t go down. They seemed to have a mind of their own. About 75% of the time the «pin setter» wouldn’t clear the pins and reset them. Also about 6 – 7 times the balls wouldn’t return, so it built up about 5 – 6 balls before we had to report it. Other times it would put the wrong score up, making me need to fix it. The button to call the attendant was broken, so every time we had a problem I had to go to the front desk, sometimes waiting in line for up to 10 min to report the problem. The lady at the front desk was very nice.
Overall, we paid for 2 hours (had I known we would’ve paid per game, not per hour). I spent about half of that time up at the front desk waiting to get something fixed. I asked for a different lane and she said sure, but I would have to pay for the full 2 hours (although I was only there for 1 HR and 10 min) at this lane and get back to the end of the line to wait for the new lane, which was about another hour wait,… No thank you.
Overall, the people were very friendly but the place is old and falling apart. It seems like the owner doesn’t want to fix anything. Just put band aids on problems and hope nobody complains
Ps we were playing on lane 27

This place was just OK, it really felt dated and needs some remodeling. The balls they provided were literally greasy and hard to hold on to. They didn’t have anyway to wipe down the loaner balls and the more games we played the harder it was to hold on to that greasy sucker!
The customer service was good, but I’ll probably find somewhere else to bowl next time. It was fun to go with a Groupon offer but it was definitely a lackluster location.

First off the front desk lady is extremely rude!!! She stares at you and acts like you’re bothering her by asking her to do her job… I really think they are doing there Bussiness a disservice by still having her on board. I own my own Bussiness and would never keep someone like her on.

Bad service, Refused to let me borrow 2 sticks to play pool. Not a friendly place.

Decided to bring my little one & husband bowling to this specific bowling alley only because it was conveniently not as busy as my local one.
Entrance is pretty sketchy. Barely any parking right in front so you have to take a sharp right turn passing the train tracks to go park behind the alley.
Usually smells like cigarettes right as you walk in! Blehh! You have to walk past the drunken pool players to get to the cashiers.
Prices are okay! Depending on what day of the week you go and time.
They offer military discounts which is good even when they have specials going on.
I think the inside could be updated as far as the flooring goes. Looks pretty worn out.
Wasn’t a lot of people but felt very crowded! And cramped. Not many chairs to sit on without sitting pretty close to another party.
Easy to place the child railings up but they definitely need more slides for the little ones to use when they’re bowling. We had to share ours with a party next to us who had many child bowlers which made it inconvenient to wait for them to stop using it for my baby girl it use it.
Of course it’s good to share! But when there’s that many kids, it’s pretty annoying.
Vending machines are convenient.
Bathroom was DISGUSTING!!! There was throw up all over a stall that looked like it had been marinated for awhile. Grosssss!!!
Customer service was fair but not great. We did have someone check on us which was nice but others look like they didn’t want to be bothered.
I would only come here if I desperately wanna bowl. Other than that, I’ll take my chances at a different bowling alley.

Staff is not helpful at all. Instead of telling us about the special they put a sign in my face expecting me to read it. They were of no help and proceeded to get frustrated comparing me to a 4^th grader and saying «my 4^th grade cousin could do this math». The problem was not the math. The problem was me and my group of friends were trying to figure out how to split up the payment because not all of us has cash on us. Will definitely not come here again.

It was OK but far too expensive. Not crowded not wait for a lane. Food from the snack bar came right away.
But $ 30 for two people for two games and shoes is a little StEeP.
Had fun but not sure that’s the best use of our entertainment dollar

This place is a great deal on Sunday. They do not tell you on the website that there is a $ 5 cover charge to get the special Sunday bowling prices. So that is false advertising! But overall, it’s a good deal. They over oil the lanes, so bring a towel to wipe off your ball.

This place has terrible customer service. The employees were so unprofessional and mean. One woman, Rose, was very rude and even grabbed my friends 10 year old brother and pulled him to this tiny sign on the ground after he went a foot and a half onto the alley. He wouldn’t have needed to do that if she gave him bumpers like he asked. He was very kind when he asked and even ask if he needed to pay extra for the bumpers. She said «it’s for 10 and under» he said he was 10 and she said «you see that kid over there? He’s 10 and he doesn’t need bumpers». She was just so unbelievably rude like we were stupid for no reason every time she would talk to us. She was so mean to us from the start. Will not come here again!

There’s a reason why there’s not many people, and lanes also is always empty. Cuz the customer service is not nice. And the place is a little pricy too.
$ 5.25 per game
$ 4.00 Shoes Rental
So maybe like $ 10 per game for ONE person.
I’m too poor, couldn’t afford that much for just one game.

Such a fun place and a great $ 1 a game deal until 2pm on Sunday! I definitely want to come back more often. There were some problems with the bowling pin placement but they were able to switch us to another lane no problem. Staff is very friendly and laid back. One tip though; bring cash. They don’t take cards and I had to pay a $ 4 ATM fee.

I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by Surf Bowl. I’ve driven past dozens of times and the exterior isn’t doing it any favors. I’ve always thought it was probably super sketchy inside.
When we first walked in, I was surprised at how bright and colorful it was inside. Still a little dingy, I mean it’s a bowling alley!, but the lights over the lanes were bright, sitting area for waiting your turn was clean and spacious, painted murals on the walls (waterfall one one side, pier on the other) are a fun nod to the beach community we are in.
The employees were very friendly! Rang us up quick and helped out so much getting us set up. I have two little boys (we were taking part of the summer free bowling program) and my kids needed lots of support. One employee ran (literally he was running everywhere!) to get us lighter balls, the aluminum ramp for helping little kids push the ball, fetch stuck balls off the lane (pre ramp). They put the bumpers up for us without asking, too.
I had no problems with the computer and scoring system; worked great for us the whole time we were there.
The prices seemed a little high, but I’m not a frequent bowler, so maybe that is the going rate. Not sure.
Bathrooms were clean.

My mother and I went to Surf Bowl on a Wednesday afternoon and had an absolute blast! While the bowling alley may be older as others have said, it has been kept in great condition. The gentleman working the counter was very helpful and offered to get us drinks even though the snack bar was closed.
I highly recommend Surf Bowl and plan on taking my mother there again soon.

We came here to bowl via a Groupon we had purchased. We arrived at 2:55pm on Saturday, which was acknowledged by the supervisor, Rose. However, we were denied because in the fine print it states that it needs to be redeemed before 3pm. Apparently we made the mistake of buying a pitcher of beer before we checked in at the bowling counter. I totally understand the importance of «policies» and «rules», but the crazy component of it is I’m staring at 20+ empty lanes. All we wanted to do was bowl with our family and friends, and spend additional money at this establishment. I’m not surprised that nobody is here. A manager’s #1 role is to ring dollars through the register, and in this case, our sweet friend Rose has failed.

Pretty old bowling alley but great specials and the staff is super helpful and knowledgeable about everything you could want to know about bowling and more lol

Bad. Customer Service and. Not. Nice to special means people and Bad employees

This was a nice little local spot we found for our friends birthday.
The exterior is not as well maintained as it could be so it comes off a little sketchy looking at first. When you enter the facility it is a little stuffy so I question how well ventilated the place is. The employees are kind and the main part of what brings this place together. I would easily say its the employees that bring people in. Patience was a virtue for these guys dealing with many families at once so that’s a plus.
There were three pool tables behind the railing to the bowling area so you can still enjoy watching your friends bowl if you get tired of bowling for a bit. Unfortunately it’s like many places where you have to pay in order to play but not such a big deal.
For the drinkers out there there is a little bar in the back away from everyone else so you can enjoy a drink with your buddies while the kids are bowling in the front. They also have a few televisions so you can watch and even grab a bite to eat. Beware though, the food does not taste as fresh as one might hope. My friends and I ordered some nachos with cheese and the nachos were stale and the cheese had a peculiar taste to them.
Bathroom could have been kept much cleaner; stains on the floors, tiles coming off the walls, sinks look like they are developing rust and a full trashcan.
While we were bowling, there a few times our balls would get stuck in the hole. Ha ha yes I made a joke but seriously it would get a bit annoying but the employees would hurry over and fix the issue right away so the service from them was excellent, always making sure things would go as smoothly as possible.
All in all, I have to admit I still had fun and this was a nice place to enjoy with my friend on her birthday. If you’re looking to just go bowling around, don’t expect much difference from other bowling alleys around the area. Do your best and enjoy. ‘Nuf said.

Surf bowl is pretty awesome. Sunday is the best day to bowl. One dollar games and one dollars rentals, it’s hard to beat. They have three pool tables in the back and A bar for delicious beer drinking while bowling strikes. A Picture of stone was 14 bucks which isn’t bad. The guy that works there super friendly pretty funny and very helpful. I would try to avoid the high traffic times weekend nights like I mentioned earlier Sunday is the best day to bowl. I’ve never gotten anything to eat here and would avoid it if you could. But drinking beer and bowling is pretty sweet combo. Always a good time, I would suggest for a night out with the lady or with friends.

Surf Bowl is in terrible need of a renovation. It smells so old and bad when you walk in. The bar is dark, smelly, and depressing. The bathrooms are icky. I love bowling and I love Oceanside so I would love nothing more than to see this place taken better care of. I’ve been coming here since I was kid a have so many fun memories. I would love to be able to just drive down the street to bowl, but instead we go to Vista.
My recent visits have been plagued by greasy balls, lane glitches, rude service, and overall disappointment. Also, I wouldn’t eat here if I were you.