Valley Center Bowl

When there’s nothing to do in Salinas you go bowling. The location is pretty sketchy as it is. The interior looks decent.
The prices are steep. The lanes are way too oily. The ball return is horrible.
I was here on the weekend and there was a kids partying going on at the end of the lanes. These parents let their kids RUN THROUGH EVERYONE’S LANES! As I was getting ready to bowl a group of kids coming running toward me. The staff didn’t do a thing about it! But I’ve bowled competitively all my life and I know that «parties are priority». The fiancé and I have decided to not not return to this establishment. I’d rather stick to San Jose and bowl with all the drunks. At least they know how to stay in their lanes.

This place Sucks for league bowlers. Broken lanes, keep having to move. Can’t get out of this crappie place

Very clean establishment… the staff are always eager to help. My fiancé and I got about 3 – 4 times a week primarily because the atmosphere is incredibly family friendly. The bar is quite spacious and can accommodate a nice size group to watch a sporting event should you not prefer to bowl. Overall I have been going to this place for about 5 years now and have never had an unpleasant experience!
Peter…

I know the owners of this establishment, and they are very nice hard working people. But, there are a couple of issues, and I would be doing them an injustice to not mention them:
First, the arcade games are always down. Any given visit we lose an average of 10 tokens because machines don’t function. We have also experienced problems with the ticket counter, when my son put over 50 tickets into it and it failed to give him a receipt. The staff was difficult to find to get assistance, and when we finally did talk to someone, he seemed very indifferent.
On the bright side however; the bowling lanes are great! Newly refreshed, with new seating. I would like to see a larger variety of ball weights though… 12 pound max just doesn’t work for men.
All in all, if you are looking for a fun time bowling and having a few drinks with friends, this is the place to be… Just stay clear of the arcade.

Poor management…
Me and my kids went bowling. Me had lane 25. We were in the middle of a game. Were asked to moved lanes. So we moved to lane 26. We had about 4 problems with that lane. System frozen, balls getting jammed, pins fallng down.. We spent most of time going to the front desk than playing… When the game ended. We asked to speak to the manager. I thought he would compensate for all the trouble… All he said he doesn’t understand why he had to do that… And if wanted to play I had to for it… Really bad service.
And poor management decisions…

I’ve been bowling here since I was a young boy. I did league once with my dad even. Great way to unwind and enjoy some competitive sports with minimal athleticism involved. They have done a good job keeping this place recent with the nice bar and the arcade as well. Bowling is one consistent thing Salinas has for extra curricular activities.

Went There For Our Field Trip And Heck Yea I Had Fun! The Atmosphere Was Awesome! I Owned Everyone There

Hadn’t been here in a LONG time! Visited Friday night & paid $ 50 for two lanes and a game each lane (& then we did it again). Nice place to chill, super nice bar area. Overall nice experience. Would have enjoyed dim light setting with disco-​ish lights other places have (I believe the have them too, maybe last night just wasn’t the night to turn them on?) I did take a star away bc they closed the arcade area 30min before closing. At 12:25 our friend goes to exchange $$

I like this place as for bowling and having a good time with my kids don’t recommend the food pricey the staff is bad at least the worst is the girl who handles the food it’s very awkward to be served by her she was very rude

Just had my daughters bday party here! Got to say I was very impressed by their service. Staff is extremely nice and helpful! Perfect for each and every family member. They have bowling alleys, arcade and for the men who love sports you will not be disappointed with their sports bar! Will definitely come back on a regular basis.

Updated and renovated a couple years ago. My kids love it here. Clean bathrooms! Arcade area very nice! A lot like Chuck E. Cheese in there. Bar looks cool from the outside.. To early for a drink whenever I’m here. We come here every Saturday morning for kid’s leagues, and they have a blast. Never ordered food. looks less than desirable.

We had our daughters 6^th birthday here and we cannot say enough great things about this place! The staff was so friendly and helpful. They have a ton of small balls suited for children. The food was delicious, especially the wings. We plan to make this place a routine family outing.

I haven’t been in awhile and it looks like they did some remodel. Staff looked bored but they bowling alley was almost completely empty. Got a couple of games and had a great time. No complaints and I am looking forward to going back!

Extremely fun for less than $ 17, great service and they have amazing especially at their bar, the bartender name is Susan and she is a real lady which made their service first class. I liked this place a lot and I will go back there whenever I will have the chance to.

There is always something wrong, either the screen freezes, or the balls don’t come back, or the guy at the counter does not have customer service, it’s an ok place to spend some time with friends, look for the specials! Half off after 9pm

Family had fun, minus one star because they only have 2 kids bowling ramps, 5 stars when they add more, one for each lane should be good. other than that its a great place.

It’s one of the best places to hang out in Salinas.
However, for both bowling and pool this place charges way too much.
For bowling:
There are always lanes open and there are several days with great discounts to go.
For pool:
Charges way too much! Pretty crappy tables and crooked house cues.
If there were more alternatives for entertainment in Salinas then I would have rated this place 1 star lower.

great

I havent gone to this place in FOREVER! Until my family asked me to go bowling with them. This place looks completely different from back in the days. I must say it’s a lot more attractive then before that’s for sure.
The new bar is now where the old pool tables used to be at and the arcade area has expanded to a mini DnB’s haha. Fun for the kids that don’t want to bowl. Their bowling balls are nice and in order now, before it took years to find the size you were looking for.
I actually didn’t bowl though, I just tagged a long and drank.
My brother went to buy me a drink, and the bartender was rude and says he has to see my I.D., which was correct. When I come in, I take out my I.D. and he just asks rudely what do I want and doesnt even look at my I. D!!! On top of that, he didn’t even make our AMF’s correct. The drink is definitely not supposed to be green. minus 1 star for that bartender!!!
Oh, and bowling here is very pricey compared to places I’ve been to in San Jose. Even my brother lives further south of California and he said the prices here are a lot pricier than places he’s been to.

I am so glad to see this place remodeled. Salinas really needs a great place like this!