Uncle Buck’s Fish Bowl & Grill

Do not waste your money!
Ok service… Wait.wait. Oh ya forgot your drinks. Oh you want a fork. Ya that was the first 40 minutes there… Then I got food. COLD potatoes that were from dry mix, corn from a can, and yes even the fish was 50% cold and hot (don’t know how they even did that?). Drinks? Never were filled after getting (drunk from fountain after leaving). My son got a pizza kinda, it was raw dough with cold cheese but burnt on top, I tasted it and it was disgusting.
To leave we had to wait. Ask. Wait. Get the bill. Wait.wait. I ended up taking back my card and paying cash just to leave.(maybe my money is still sitting there in purgatory for all I know)?

UBs. Terrible. Terrible food, service, slow staff. Don’t come thinking your food will arrive fast. Waited an hour for 3 burgers that were so– so.
Staff inattentive and had to track down for refills while we waited. Never will eat here again. Sad and disappointing for over priced food!

Some friends and I came to Bass Pro to do some shopping. We got hungry and decided to eat lunch. Originally we thought we would go upstairs to eat but were turned off by the $ 10 elevator fee. Surprised they don’t comp your money if you eat at their restaurant.
So we went to Uncle Bucks. We walked right in and were seated. We placed our drink orders. Ten minutes later the waitstaff returned because he forgot them. There are 3 of us. Thirty minutes later we got our appetizer. An hour later we got our entrees. Three burgers. The party was the preformed frozen kind. It was warm but not hot. We ran out of drinks. Wait staff confused our refills and put my Sprite in my friends water glass. Then he forgot my Sprite. It wasn’t just one slip up. The place was about 50% full.
We won’t be back.

Ok if you have kids this is a must they will love all the fish hanging everywhere and the cool bowling balls. As an adult if you must go try once that is all you need. The place is exspensive as expected and the service kind of sucks. The waitresses’ seem to be bothered to actually walk over and get your order and the bartenders had no idea what was available on the menu. We were told 3 different things we are out no we have that no wait let me check… geez. The food also from what I saw looked like something you would get at a chain. We ordered chips and salsa it was good enough for a snack while bowling. But, honestly unless we took our friends kids or family from out of town will not be back… this is really for the out of town tourist.

Modern bowling at its best. They setup the players at the check in desk. Made the start of our bowling quick. Didn’t have to fumble with the setup. It was busy but fun. Pay by the hour is a great way to have fun and get as many games as you want. It is inside bass pro shop which has much more to offer. They serve food but we weren’t there for that.

First off, I didn’t realize that the entire restaurant surrounded the bowling lanes. I thought they were off to the side or maybe only on one side of the restaurant. But every table is near the never ending cheers and boos and bowling ball/​pin noise. I already had a small headache when I arrived but it was a full blown migraine by the time we left. Somehow it is 10x louder than a bowling alley. We had to yell at our waitress (the very few times we actually saw her) to convey anything over the noise level. It is impossible to carry on a conversation with anyone at your table.
After our 10 – 15 minute for her to take our drink order, she came to our table twice to take our food order but left because someone at the other table called to her. Very rude. After waiting for our appetizer for 45 minutes at 3 in the afternoon in a virtually empty restaurant. We paid for our drinks and left. Won’t be back.

Bowling is super expensive. Staff was ok. The bartender was very nice. The waitress at our lane was nice and went out of her way to find us a lid for a to go cup as they don’t have them. She was aggravated by it also as it seemed to cause her some problems with customers. Not a big deal though. All we had to eat was the queso and salsa and both were fine but nothing to write home about. I wouldn’t eat here but it was fun for my out of town family to bowl a bit. Tourist trap but they obviously spent a lot of money on the place. Not sure why they don’t try and upgrade the food and service a bit.

It’s been months since I went to Uncle Buck’s Fishbowl, but after reading the current reviews and realizing it’s NOT improved; I decided to throw my 2 cents worth in also…
I drive for Lyft & Über, am an Airbnb Superhost & am asked often about food reccomendations, so I thought it might be helpful to have first hand knowledge on how this restaurant operated and what the food and service was like.
Let’s start w/​the noise level. I asked for it, and GOT it. The table I rec’d was smack in the middle, one row over from the barstools, sandwiched between the bar and 5 of the bowling lanes. Forget about having ANY type of conversation that doesn’t include sign language or a pen & a bar nap. Ok, fine, I’m alone so no big deal. Except, you have to yell at the wait staff to communicate, or point on the menu to place your order, OR have them literally in your personal space to discuss anything with them. Forget about small talk.
The first thing my waitress did, before she even waved, or greeted me, was to put someone else’s dirty glass on my table and continued to yell to them to find out if they needed anything else.
Since I was driving after I left, I ordered water. The first glass she brought me was dirty, 2^nd glass finally arrived after an additional 10ish min wait. I had a couple questions about recommendations, got through that, ord’d the salsa, cheese dip & chips for an app & fish tacos for the entrée. Looonnngg wait for the app to arrive. The cheese dip/​salsa arrives w/​a thick «skim» on top that had to be churned down into the tiny ramekin, which didn’t take long since it was about ¹⁄₃ full. When the waitress came back around I was not able to get her attention, until she placed a 2^nd dirty glass on my table and waited on the table next to me. As she turned to retrieve the 2^nd glass, I asked about the lack of cheese dip, since there wasn’t enough to get thru the chips that came with it, even w/​the salsa. The waitress provided another ramekin of cheese dip, sidling up to me, w/​her hip touching mine, bragging about how she had sweet talked the manager for it (working on her tip I guess?)
The fish tacos took long enough that she had time to place yet ANOTHER dirty glass and dirty entrée plate w/​silverware on my table as she continued to check on the tables around me. I am truly mystified at this point, as to WHY she thinks this is OK?
The flavor of the first taco was DELISH! What a pleasant surprise, maybe things are looking up?
The edges of the 2^nd flour taco started crumbling as I tried to pick it up. It was either very dry or over cooked that I had to eat it w/​a fork.
While I was forking my fish tacos, my waitress placed a 4^th used glass on my table and continued to check on the peeps around me. They sure were getting a lot of attention! By now I’m chuckling, thinking, «candid camera anywhere??»
That «meal» cost about $ 25.00 before tip. I did tip 20% w/​the notion I would not be back, nor would I recommend the place. Recently I had a Pax (rideshare tourist passenger) ask me if I had ever been there. I pleasantly mentioned that I had, & asked them the same thing. Yes, they had been also and began to voice their displeasure at the terrible wait service, food not coming out correctly etc. I bit my lip as they waited for me to respond. I finally had to agree that my experience had been less than stellar as well.
As I mentioned at the top of the review, it was several months ago, but it’s obvious not much has changed.

I can’t believe I’m back here again. This has got to be the WORST service bar in America. Simply terrible. No other words.

Wait staff seemed confused when it came to seating.
appetizer was dropped off at table by a guy and did not even bring plates.
WARNING: Do not order the Nachos… they are not what you expect
Tortilla Chips topped with Cole slaw, a lttle barbecue pork, fresh jalapeño slices and shredded queso fresca
I ordered the Catfish Fingers and a Caesar Salad.
I have to say this is the best catfish I’ve had hands down. Crispy Tender and lightly breaded.
It appears they can accomadate large groups very well at the expense of slower service to the smaller ones…

There is really nothing special about the food or anything else here other than the novelty of the aquarium theme and the bowling alley. The service is good. Drinks were refilled promptly. My party was seated immediately.
I had the turkey/​guacamole BLT. I found it to be rather bland. It was thinly sliced/​processed «turkey» — the kind you would find hanging in packages in the grocery store. In other words, no flavor. There was not much bacon at all.

I see I am the thirtieth person to review uncle bucks and they only have two stars. Their management really needs to take heed to these opinions if they expect to run a profitable business without being subsidized by the sales floor or even worse, the city.
Seating: eleven o’clock Tuesday afternoon. The front lobby is full of people with pagers with a half hour wait time. The hostess however says there is seating available at the bar so my friend and I took that. There were at least a dozen tables already cleaned and ready to go. Is this a way to drive off customers, coerce them into shopping, a result of under staffing, laziness, or just sheer stupidity? By the way, many tables remained unoccupied during my entire lunch.
Food:
tea: incredibly sweet. Too sweet to drink. The waitress tried some and agreed and offered us something else rather than dump it out and make a new pitcher. Shame on you. My friend took a different drink and I asked for unsweetened tea to mix the two myself at the bar. I was still charged 2.49 in spite of the inconvenience. I wonder if they continued to serve it once the mistake was recognized.
sandwiches: the rueban was really good although instead of a dark rye bread it was served on a much lighter toasted bread. Lots of meat and was delicious. The turkey burger was also good except that it was served with ingredients that were ordered without. They are not paying attention to detail about mayo and mustard and tomatoes. Once the food is served you have to choose between dealing with it anyway (which is what my friend did) or sending it back only to be the last one to eat and being short of time.
Fries: fries are good but the rueban had triple the amount of fries the turkey burger did. Hello! There are ways a restaurant can use to measure the amount of French fries to remain consistent. Its especially important to provide consistency among a single table,(or for a party at the bar)
Bar: the bartender had all of their bartending stuff on top of the bar right in front of my plate. Hey bartender, keep your stuff in your area– not in front of me while I’m eating!
Bowling noise: I know this is a bowling alley mixed into a restaurant. I can’t complain about the noise because that’s their thing. Just expect to hear the constant sound of balls hitting the floor while you eat.
Cleanliness: I give five stars for cleanliness.
Décor: I also give five stars for décor. The bar, bowling alley and restaurant are really over the top incredible. It really is an experience to be there.
Price: a little higher than the average restaurant but what I expected the price to be for the location. I did expect more from the entire experience.
I think three stars is fair. If you read my other reviews you will see I am generous with my five star ratings if it is earned. I write in such detail in hopes of management taking this serious. I really want this place to succeed and hope to give five stars next time. A new restaurant of this magnitude with two stars is grounds for replacing management. Otherwise it will fail.
Several hours later: I wrote all of the above without having read any previous reviews. I prefer to do this because I believe it helps make my reviews honest, true, and unbiased. The recurring complaint I keep seeing is that people are made to wait while there are ample tables available. If this staff is incapable of seating the available capacity, then you should unload half the tables and chairs out the back door. Or the front, whichever you prefer.

This review is only for the bowling we did not eat here. For 2 people on Friday at noon with shoe rental it was $ 36 we had to wait 20 minutes but they give you a pager and you can go shopping while you kill time. We had fun the bowling are is small but nice. I would not recommend ordering food. The group next to us had food and it all looked like crap. They looked disappointed but I did not ask them.

Not impressed at all!
I just can’t get over that they have spent billions of dollars on this place and put out a slop burger!
I ordered the bacon cheeseburger I forget the name of it. Got it and it had wilted room temperature lettuce and two pieces of tomato that were room temperature and looked spoiled.
My son ordered the fish sticks and these were decent. Fries were ok but who can mess up drench fries lol!
I was very disappointed with the burger over all. I mean come on it just didn’t taste good. I know I’m whining but it wasn’t good.
In he upside the BBQ chicken nachos were pretty good. Service was ok could have been better.
It’s somewhere to look around and go to the observatory and look over the river and have a drink. If you want to pay $ 10 per adult and $ 5 per child 13 and under to ride up there. It’s worth it and the best part to bass pro cause it sure isn’t the food!

I was more impressed with this place than I thought I would be. In both a fortunate and unfortunate circumstance, my first time there was for a Memphis Grizzlies Watch Party, so the place was packed (good to see how they work under pressure). Unfortunately, this watch party came so soon after their opening, that I don’t think they had all of their ducks in a row yet to make sure that this wasn’t a flop. The servers could not handle the number of people in the restaurant, HOWEVER they were still really friendly and doing the best they could considering.
That said, Uncle Buck’s boasts a pretty delicious looking menu ranging from fish sandwiches and platters to burgers to turkey avocado blt’s and soups as well as pizzas, chips and salsa, and salads. There’s truly a lot to choose from considering it APPEARS to be a small menu. I only ordered off the appetizer list for food, but the appetizers were delicious and well presented.
Their drinks are decent as well. They, of course, have the basics, but their specialty drinks and cocktails are fantastic. I got a watermelon margarita that was mostly lacking in tequila, unfortunately and a manta ray mudslide. The mudslide, in comparison to the alcoholic milkshakes at Oshi, is absolutely delicious and well mixed. You honestly can’t taste the alcohol, but you can definitely feel it, which was my favorite part!
The servers, as mentioned before, were clearly overwhelmed. They have a very large restaurant space with 3 major sit down dining areas, a large bar in the middle, and the bowling alley. The place was full and active but the servers were clearly new to the menu and some seemed new to the serving business. Nothing bad, just not as efficient as you would hope with a sanctioned event occurring. I know that this will not be as crazy in a few weeks as it was now. The staff were really nice!
Cool thing, texts were sent when tables were ready. You are given the opportunity to take in Bass Pro without worry that you’ll miss the call for your table.
Overall, I had a great experience and look forward to visiting again under more calm circumstances!

I’ve been to Bass Pro Shops Pyramid so many times now that I’ve lost count. It is usually always crowded and every single attraction has an extended wait. Uncle Buck’s Fish Bowl & Grill have been on my list for places to eat at. I attempted to go many times before, but the wait is usually extremely long and my tummy cannot wait hours for food (lol). Last night, the Grizzlies also played so I definitely thought that it would be packed, but I guess Monday is a not so busy day. I met my cousin for dinner, and it was still a two hour wait. The two hours went by pretty fast, due to the lines were not long for the different attractions. It was my first time riding the freestanding elevator, and walking up top made the wait not so long.
Since this place is fairly new, I will not go into too much detail about how confused the workers seem to be at times. Our waitress was pretty nice. She was able to tell us what was pretty good for food selection. As of Monday, I’m cutting back on certain foods so I picked the soup of the day which was broccoli. I was disappointed to find out that they were out and I was informed of that as they brought chili out to me assuming I would like that instead. I took it with no complaints. The chili was okay. Hopefully, everything gets worked out and things get better for this place.

Uncle Buck’s has a staff full of friendly, outgoing, enthusiastic but inexperienced employees. Delays and inefficiencies are to be expected in a new restaurant. There was a 1.5 hour wait at 1:30 on a weekday with minimal crowds in the Pyramid. Numerous tables were unoccupied yet there was an appreciable wait list.
Our food was excellent. We enjoyed nachos as an appetizer; these were delivered promptly. Our entrees took about 25 minutes to appear. The Trophy Burger (double cheeseburger with bacon and onion ring) had a terrific smoky taste — A plus! My ginger salmon with a vegetable medley was superb, if somewhat lacking in presentation,
We were too stuffed (half the burger came home) to try the bread pudding or key lime pie. Maybe next time. And there will be a next time. Presumably the staff will figure out the routine over time and make their efficiency equal to their enthusiasm.

I so hoped to give this new establishment a 5! I hope in time when they work out the kinks to go back and try again.
Ambiance — 4. Nice bar area and dining area overlooks the bass pro shop that has a million things to look at. Inside the dining room is a huge fish tank.
Staff — 5 stars. With opening week there were tons of staff and they were so eager to do a good job however they were not equipped well. The servers didn’t know the menu– table numbers and the hostess quoted a 2 hour wait and it was only 30 minutes. Despite this they were very friendly and represented Memphis well with their friendliness and good attitudes.
Food: 1.5. The food has he potential to be closer to a 4 if executed better. Aside from waiting a while to get our foods. Parts of the meal were cold and parts served warm. Additionally the flavors weren’t great. Tasted mostly of pre-​made even frozen items. See my food pics for specific review on items we ate. The price point on the menu is high for what you get. Example a hamburger is $ 10.
Overall it was not a bad experience and I can see them doing better as they get their sea legs under them.

Overwhelmed.
Panicked.
Words that come to mind as my immediate reaction to my service at Uncle Bucks inside the new Bass Pro Shop inside the Memphis Pyramid.
I have never seen an entire staff all sharing a look of surprise that people would want to eat at a new restaurant.
And where are the managers on the floor keeping order, calming the servers, greeting the guests and setting the example.
Missing in action.
Enough of that for a moment.
The spaciousness of the restaurant is impressive and the decorations follow the theme that is observed throughout the interior of the pyramid.
The seating is comfortable. The music is appropriate and at a level that allows a normal conversation.
Along side of part of the restaurant are the bowling lanes, which we took advantage of as we waiting for seating. It was a great fun experience and credit goes to their clever use of the space and detailed decoration. I highly recommend bowling here if you like the sport.
The food. The quantity is plenty for be fair price that they charge. The taste was similarly fair but not extraordinary. Adequate for a road side diner, but a bit lacking for a restaurant in a location that is considered a destination.
Back now to the service. The only semi– rude staff were the front desk hostesses who were doing their best to keep people from adding their names to the waiting list claiming a continuous 2 hour wait. It is hard to tell if their panic was the cause of the interior shared panic or if it was a result of the interior leaking out. The stress of the wait staff was a veritable bad taste in the air.
They were not as busy as they think they were.
Their panic was something that should have been kept behind doors.
I hope the experience of more time open gives them confidence.
Until then I recommend taking the hostesses desperate plea and do not add your name to the wait list.
Eat before coming to Bass Pro Shop Pyramid.

Fish Bowl is like being inside an actual fish bowl in many ways, but more like being under the sea! The aquatic theme carries over into everything from the bowling balls to the Bose speakers being hand painted blue to blend in with the fuzzy seaweed and coral that beautifully camouflages ductwork and pipes.
Love the bowling– they even type your names in for you, and bumpers can be decided upon by the bowler, not by the game. Our kids got bumpers and we didn’t– they come up and down with each turn. Fabulous! It is pricier than your typical bowling lanes, but this is an experience unlike any other.
We had snacks, not a full meal. Our food was served right at the little cocktail table within arm’s reach of the bowling lane seats.
The bbq nachos were good, not soggy, and are not Memphis style but typical American style, with tomatoes and olives. The cheese sticks came out hot– it’s hard to screw up cheese sticks. Beer was cold, and service was friendly– ask for Sheila.
We bowled on lane 8, with the shark’s mouth ball return. We found solid colored balls for the kids (6 lbs) and heavier more decorative ones for ourselves– mine had coral reef fish on it, very cute. Even the lanes are an underwater dream world. The line markers are tadpoles– how cute! 90 minutes was just enough time for four of us to bowl two games and have some snacks and drinks.
Party packages (see brochure photo) are available. I think a big hotel suite and Fish Bowl dinner and bowling would be an ultimate birthday party!