PEP Bowl

I attended an organizational party here and it’s s great place with six lanes, BYOB and food. Great place for a date, fundraiser, family or company party.

This place was great. Came with a large group and the staff was very friendly and accommodating. Special thanks to Chris who found a place for my luggage (I had just come in on a train) and plugged my phone in behind the desk. The place is super clean and well organized too. I kept noticing that the staff was picking up every little piece of trash and checking the trash cans. Little things like that make it such a spotless place! Plus, it’s BYOB! Overall a great spot and good time

Love this place! It’s better to make a reservation. There aren’t a lot of lanes. However, it’s only $ 45/​hr for the lane including shoes for up to 8 people. It was close to closing so we got 1.5 hours for $ 45. We got dominos delivered and brought our own beer. (BYOB!)

I can’t believe I’ve lived in Philadelphia for 7 years and just made it to this place for the first time last week!
When given the task of hosting a company outing on a budget, I was laughed at when I told other bowling alleys and places in the area what my budget was for 25 people. Because PEP Bowl is both BYOB and BYOF, I was able to avoid the ridiculous up-​charges that places put on food and drinks and simply pay for the activity of bowling.
I booked my party a few weeks in advance and the owner was very easy to work with. The day of the event, I grabbed a few cases of beer, stocked my coolers and headed down to PEP. The owner had tables set up for us along the side as he knew we were having food delivered by Rosarios Pizzeria down the block. It worked perfectly as people in our party could go to the tables set up and grab food and beer as they wished throughout our two hour bowling session.
The small touch of customer service that really blew me away was that despite our two hour lane rental being up, the owner knew we were in our final frames and let us finish up as long as we were out before the next party arrived. I thought that was very nice of him!!!
Moral of the story: If you are looking to host a fun bowling party on a budget, have it here and order delivery from Rosario’s Pizzeria (
), it makes for a great time!

The guys who work at this pep boys (Steve specifically, Carleton and the other guy I didn’t get the name of but drives a black ford sedan) go ABOVE and beyond. I just waited there for a while to get a tire fixed, they hooked me up price wise and explained what I needed and why, made coffee for me, let me change the channel AND most importantly had awesome conversation with me and were genuinely lovely. Pay them a visit and tell them Kelsey sent you next time you need something: D

So much fun! BYOB! Great for families or twenty something’s and everything in between! Great service! Kind people! Not many lanes so call ahead!!!

Reserved a lane two weeks in advance, when we showed up they just told us our lane was broken, and only offered us to bowl for free in a week after our plans, we live a state away and came while we were visiting but we never got a single call in advance about our lane

PEP Bowl is a small alley for a great cause, (Programs Employing People is what it stands for). They provide skill training to people with disabilities to help them attain gainful employment!
We reserved two lanes for a birthday party and had a blast for a few hours. What I love most is that this place is BYOB and BYO anything else you want. Lanes are cheap for reserving (I think $ 25/​per hour with up to 8 people per lane … including shoe rental).
The entrance is on the side of the federal building down a set of stairs, indicated by the neon sign in the window and some painted bowling pins topping the stair railings.

This is the bowling alley I’ve been waiting for. I hate nightclub-esque/“elevated” bowling alleys like Lucky Strike, and this is about as basic and unpretentious as they come. Kind of like the Bowl America birthday parties you used to go to in elementary school, but with alcohol (it’s BYO beer, wine, and food). Instead of paying per person here, you reserve a lane for $ 45/​hour, and can fit up to 8 people in a lane. This includes shoe rental… definitely the cheapest way to go bowling in the city if you have a large group. Plus, the proceeds support PEP, an organization that helps individuals with developmental disabilities live in the community.
The staff is truly lovely. They happily squeezed us in for a last-​minute reservation on a Saturday night, checked in periodically to make sure we were comfortable, and were lenient with timing and space. There were two birthday parties going on while we were there, and it looked like the guy working that night was going above and beyond to make sure everyone had a good time. I’m sure I’ll be back here over and over again this winter.

So fun! We came here with a group of 8 gals for a bachelorette party and had a blast bowling for 2 hours on a Saturday night. This old-​school bowling alley is small with about only 6 lanes, so you need a reservation in advance and the max per lane is 8 people. The best part is it’s BYOB, just know in advance we brought a cooler and you have to get it down two flights of stairs from street level into the alley and that can be a little tricky. We ordered pizza and had it delivered, but you can also bring your own food and snacks. The staff was friendly and helpful, and we had so much fun.
Just when you think this place couldn’t get any better, it also benefits a nonprofit!

One of those hole-​in-​the-​wall entertainment places that you don’t think exists anymore in the real world.
I came here with a large party that had rented 4 of the 5 lanes (apparently it was only $ 25 per lane. For a maximum of 8 people per lane, that is an extremely cheap party!) Cozy, small, and no-​frills, I would certainly come here again and bring some alcohol and dinner. There was only 1 person running the entire thing when we went – from the shoe rentals (which run a size large, by the way) to helping with technical issues for the lanes. Definitely not a luckystrikes, as the alley is very well-​lit and old-​fashioned. For the price, though, I can’t complain. Bring your friends for a low-​maintenance, fun-​packed party or date!

What a great little spot for some bowling! Most bowling alleys I’ve been to seem stuck between trying to cater to teenagers and those who are able to drink alcohol legally. Craft beers and overpriced, pretentious sounding food mixed with blacklights, pounding pop music and terrible music videos playing non stop make for a really disjointed experience.
However, Pep Bowl is completely different! 5 lanes of simple, no-​frills, old-​school bowling. I came here with a rather large group (about 20 or so) and had a really great time. They let you bring your own beer and your own food in, so you can eat and drink exactly what you what when you want it. The staff are also extremely nice, courteous and competent at fixing whatever problems may pop up (such as a bowling pin that wiggled out of place, but didn’t fall over).
Will definitely keep this place in mind next time I have a free afternoon or evening with a few friends.

Wow!
What a fun place to go!
We went there on a quick last-​minute date night. Tuesday is the only day that doesn’t host leagues, so we jumped on the chance to check this place out.
It’s BYO so that’s pretty great. It’s BYO everything. There is a vending machine if you get hungry– but seriously? Grab a pizza, or some chinese– some beer and friends… perfect night!
It’s a small FIVE lane– 5… FIVE! lane alley.
Remember that.
The prices are great, the ambiance is so cozy and sweet. There is so much character here. I feel like I found an absolute gem!
What’s really awesome is you can rent out the place for private parties!

Cheap, laid back, boozey and small, so not too loud. Me gusta! Got to bowl with a bottle in hand and have a fun evening with a big group. Maybe I would have bowled a little better without the bottle in hand… but you know, no accidents.
It’s only 5 lanes so we took over this place and it was a blast. It looks a little sketchy getting to, but I guess that’s what you go with when you want a laid back place that isn’t crowded so well worth it. Was moderately clean and the guy working there was cool. Definitely worth it if you’re looking to go bowling in Philly and not pay a buttload in a crowded place.

I came to PEP Bowl for a friend’s graduation celebration on a Saturday at 7:30. For $ 12 per person, 15 of us reserved two lanes for two hours of bowling fun. (The $ 12 also included shoe rental.) My friend reserved the lanes ahead of time, which seems required from what we experienced. Group after group came through the doors to bowl. During the day, PEP provides people with developmental disabilities vocational training and employment. So aside from a great time, when you bowl at PEP you’re supporting a great cause! It’s a small and simple bowling alley, when compared to North Bowl and Lucky Strike; but in addition to their charitable efforts and bowling fun, PEP is BYOB and food. We all know how much fun a good BYOB can be. While it’s located out of our usual realm of fun, it is very easily accessible by the Broad Street Line’s Ellsworth-​Federal stop.
We had about two frames left when we reached our two hour time limit. The men working extended our time for us by 15 minutes for free. Bonus points for kindness!
There was a TV playing whatever football game was on at the time and and the music that was playing was straight fire. I inquired about the music on the way out and was told it was a Pitbull playlist on Spotify or an equivalent. Overall a great time and I can’t wait to return again!

This place was so much fun! Booked three lanes for NYE and the owner was really accomodating. We only ended up using two lanes, which made the owner seem a little upset, but he still remained professional and calm. We had about a good amount of people and in two hours we each bowled about a game and a couple turns.
Bowling alley seemed clean, the shoes were comfy (rental included when you book the lanes), and the fact that it was BYOB and byo-​food was really amazing! We had some pizza delivered and gave a couple slices to the owner to make him happy. Clean up was easy, place was a lot of fun, and I would definitely come back again!

This is absolutely a hidden gem! I booked this place for my little one’s 6^th bday party. It was very inexpensive and we were able to bring in our own food and drinks. ANY OTHER PLACE… It would be an arm and a leg. We rented out 2 lanes for 2 hours which was perfect for 8 kids and 10 adults. some adults played and others just ate and watched the kids. Definitely bring your own table cover since they will provide a wooden table to hold the food and drinks. The party next to us asked if we had extra table covers since it really dressed up the food table. We also brought in some balloons, favors, cupcake, hoagie tray, pizza, juices, and beer. It was definitely an awesome time and did not hurt our pockets.
Just remember to book earlier in the day in case they run out of shoe sizes. It is absolutely amazing that this place is a non profit and help out those in need. I can’t wait to book another party sometimes soon. The next time… I will book the whole place to ourselves!

I almost hate to give this review, because I like to think of PEP Bowl as my own cheap, private bowling oasis and it’s hard enough to get a lane here without informing the public, but here goes. .. .
PEP Bowl is absolutely spectacular. This gem, hidden in the basement of a building on Federal Street right off of Broad, is an amazing BYOB and BYOF (food) small bowling alley with 6 lanes that you can reserve (and I do highly recommend you reserve) for a mere $ 40 or $ 45/​hour Friday and Saturday nights respectively. Those prices include shoe rentals for your whole group, making PEP Bowl by far the cheapest place to bowl in Center City-​ish Philadelphia.
The facilities at PEP Bowl are on the older side, but are very well maintained. PEP Bowl also runs reasonable leagues during the week for those who like to keep their competitive spirit alive.
Even better, PEP stands for Programs Employing People, a nonprofit corporation providing a full range of vocational, employment, day training and educational opportunities for individuals with developmental disabilities and bowling at PEP Bowl helps support that organization.

Best bowling alley in the city, hands down:
1. Call and reserve your lane (s).
2. Bring your own pizza and beer.
3. Support a great organization.
4. Show your friends what a terrible bowler you are.
Is it old school? Yes. Do things get stuck sometimes? Yes. Is the staff friendly and helpful? Yes and yes.
North Bowl is awesome, but the 2+ hour wait to play ONE game is a drag.
Lucky Strike is great if you like making a reservation two weeks in advance and being told the day before you’re now required to buy a food package or they’re canceling you (true story).
PEP = no hassles, no frills, and all fun. I don’t require anything more than a ball, some pins, and gutters to aim for.

I’ve been to PEP Bowl three times now, and every time I’m here I have a great time. Bring some beer and friends and I’m sure you will too. Where else can you do BYO bowling? Nowhere. It’s not an expensive bowling alley to begin with, but be able to bring your own beer/​wine makes it even more of a deal.
PEP Bowl is super small – only 6 lanes total. So make sure you call ahead and make reservations. Not too tricky to get, but do it a couple days in advance to make sure you get the day/​time you want. You can apparently put up to 14 people on one lane (?!), so it’s great for large groups and parties, but smaller groups have fun too! :)