*We were kindly invited back to test out the brand new Indoor Mini Golf*
UPDATED POST - WE REVISITED SUNDERLAND BOWL 28/01/22
We headed back to Sunderland Bowl for Elliot's Birthday, He loves to go bowling so when Sunderland bowl contacted us to see if we wanted to go back and do another review, we thought we could kill 2 birds with one stone. We arrived around 12.30, service was pretty quick and took little time getting the bowling lane set up, we were on lane 6 today and had 2 games of bowling which I think is more than enough when you are there with a few people. The lane was clean and plenty of bowling balls available. I decided to test out the app and ordered a few bits including a pitcher of soft drink to share, which was really quick and took no more than 5 minutes after ordering. After Bowling we had a game of mini golf.
The last time we were here, we reported back the issues with the corners on each hole and the balls kept getting stuck, this has now been sorted and it was much better, they have also replaced a few of the obstacles with new ones. Elliot still loved the shark at the back! No one lost their temper this time (ELLIOT) like they did before, again the area was clean and tidy.
After golf we were invited upstairs to try out a few of the other games available which I thought were great and extra opportunities to spend some quality family time never goes a miss. We played the interactive darts, the boys enjoyed this and you can select a variety of games to play against your opponent. You have to pop in your name and take a photo too.
We tried out the Shuffle board, I have to be honest I had no idea what this was and genuinely thought it was something you stood on haha! It is kind of like a miniature version of curling but on a wooden board with sand. It is lots of fun, takes a while to get the hang of things but I recommend you try it. We had a game of Ping Pong too, but that didn't last long because the boys end up being daft, batting the balls too far. Also on the first floor, you can find beer pong, toilets, bar and more bowling lanes.
I think Sunderland Bowl is a great place to take the kids for a morning/afternoon, lots of fun to be had and you can combine it with a few games on some of the arcade machines or a game of pool. If you download the app you can collect reward points and order table service straight to your lane, I found it pretty simple to use and will more than likely use the app again to order the next time we are there. Sunderland Bowl have some amazing offers throughout the year Click HERE for the latest offers
Pricing as of our latest visit
Bowling - 2 Adults & 2 Juniors £32.50 for 2 games
Darts - for up to 6 people per board £15
Shuffle Board - up to 6 people per board £15
Mini Golf - family of 4 £15
* previous visit*
When we were asked if we fancied testing out the brand new indoor mini golf at Sunderland bowl we obviously said yes. First off we did play a few rounds of Bowling, and had some food again like last time. The food was lovely and we had a sharing platter, kids pizza meal, extra curly fries and a pitcher of diet coke which came to £34.35 which is fab value in my opinion. You can find out more about the menu on the website HERE. Check out some of the fab deals they currently have on
Bowling was great and the boys got a bit competitive as usual. We found the bowling area was really clean and tidy and the staff were lovely, the girl on the desk was constantly cleaning everything which was great to see, the toilets were clean and the one way system is clearly marked on the floor to the toilets. There was plenty of bowling balls on our aisle for everyone's preference.
Mini Golf
The boys were super excited to try out the golf, we have been told it isn't fully finished yet but this does not have any effect on playing the game. I thought it was a fab selection of tasks to get the golf ball to the hole, although Elliot did lose his temper, chuck his club down and walk away (he's not the best at golf) he did eventually re-join us, the boys really enjoyed it and definitely will be back again. I particularly liked the shark at the bottom, it is really challenging.
To fit the golf in they have removed four lanes downstairs, which is fine as there's still plenty of lanes downstairs and upstairs.
Prices start from £4. For a family of 2 Adults and 3 children it would be £19 It took us a good 30 minutes to complete it, just take your time and enjoy it.
Sunderland Bowl have loads of offers on there website to bring you some great deals for over the Summer Holidays. Check out what's on offer HERE
You can also play on Arcade games, play pool, Shuffle board and Darts. There's also an area with a bar and seating area. We roughly spent around 3 hours here, you could easily spend longer though if you wanted to combine everything.
ORIGINAL POST IS FROM THE REOPENING AFTER THE FIRST LOCKDOWN.
Before lockdown, you would regularly find us in one of our local bowling alleys. Tenpin bowling is something that Craig and I both took part in growing up, and now all 3 boys are enjoying it too, so that makes it a great activity for us as a family.
We were kindly invited along to Sunderland Bowl, our local alley, to see what we thought of their new procedures, now that they have been allowed to reopen. Obviously, we jumped at the chance, after going for almost 6 months without throwing a single ball!
We decided to book in for 12 midday, that way we could also have lunch while we were there. Also, with our visit being on a Tuesday, it also gave us the chance to take advantage of the "Eat Out to Help Out" discount.
On arrival, we noticed that things were certainly looking a little different from the outside, as the building is undergoing some renovations, but that had no effect on the bowling alley itself, so don't let that put you off. Once inside, there is a clearly marked one way system from the entrance to the reception desk, then onto the lanes.
We arrived slightly early, which meant that we were asked to wait while our seating area and bowling balls were being cleaned. The boys chose to use this time to check out the the selection of machines in the arcade area, including the world's biggest Pacman game. (This thing is seriously huge!). After a brief wait, we were shown to our lane.
As we were booked in for 2 games, we decided to order our food, just as we started our first game, that way we could take a break between games. We ordered using the handy app, which makes things so much easier, as you can order without leaving your game and have your food and drinks delivered straight to your lane. We chose the family sharing platter which comes with a selection of burgers, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, onion rings and fries, enough for 4 people. As there were 5 of us, Elliot opted for a kid's cheeseburger meal. We also decided to try some of the loaded fries, which was enough for us all to share and came with cheese, bacon, chilli and sliced frankfurters. To drink, we chose to share a 4 pint pitcher of diet Coke and Elliot's meal came with a fruit shoot. We then ordered a second pitcher during our second game. Thanks to the government discount, the total we paid for all of this food was just over £20. Bargain!
In terms of social distancing and dealing with Covid-19, we think that Sunderland Bowl have done a great job. Most visitors seem to be following the one way system, only half of the lanes are open, meaning that it is pretty easy to adhere to distancing rules and we noticed that the staff were keeping on top of the extra cleaning duties they have been given. We saw a couple of families come and go from the lanes either side of us and the staff were there, pretty quickly, wiping down the area and cleaning the bowling balls, before the next people were allowed onto those lanes. Screens are in place at reception and both bar areas and there are plenty of hand sanitising stations dotted around the place. There are also plenty of clearly visible signs, reminding you of your responsibilities.
Overall, we definitely enjoyed our visit to Sunderland Bowl. A couple of enjoyable games, followed by a game of pool and quick spell in the arcades, accompanied by good quality, good value food and great service from the staff. Highly recommended!
Important Info
Address:
141 High Street West
Sunderland
SR1 1TR
Nearest parking is Sunniside Multi Storey, right next door.
Nearest Metro Station is a 2 minute walk at Sunderland Central
Regular bus services on John Street.
Prices
Standard bowling is £6.50 per adult and £5 per child, but there are loads of offers making this much cheaper. There are also deals available allowing you to save money on food and drinks.
You can also use our exclusive discount code NEFAMILY25 to save 25% when booking online. (Code valid until 23/10/20. £20 minimum spend applies)
Click here for full pricing details and opening hours
**We were gifted our 2 games of bowling, in return for our honest review. We paid for our own food and drinks**
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