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Commodore Lanes & Billiards
Categories: Nightlife Pool Halls Active Life Bowling Arts & Entertainment Casinos Pool Halls, Bowling, Casinos [Edit]
838 Granville StVancouver, BC V6Z 1K3
Neighbourhoods: Downtown, Granville Entertainment District
(604) 681-1531
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- No
- Parking:
- Street
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Music:
- Background, Juke Box
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Sun, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- No
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Very Loud
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
Michaela B. said: "Went here for the first time last night and it was great! The downstairs is a bit depressing, with the super bright lights and old men in sweat pants. But the upstairs disco bowling is awesome! I'm pretty much a huge fan of anything…" read more »
22 reviews for Commodore Lanes & Billiards
Review Highlights
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"This is old school entertainment at it's best." In 3 reviews -
"...is cash-only and you keep your own score when you bowl." In 2 reviews -
"...I remember correctly it's cash only, and reservations are..." In 5 reviews
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22 reviews in English
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Review from Ruby D.
Vancouver, BC
11/29/2011
A true vintage bowling alley and billiard hall! This is old school entertainment at it's best. Thank you Commodore for NOT completely renovating this place. Its one of the only original hangouts on Granville that still reminds you of the good old days of Vancouver.
Hope you remember how to take score bowling, cuz there's none of those fancy computers at this place! Which makes me wonder why they have a modern digital "jukebox"? A vintage one would be so much more fun.
Let's not forget there's lots of pool tables, friendly staff, a bar (beer & wine) and drinking area. If I remember correctly it's cash only, and reservations are recommended - but don't be late, or they'll cancel it. This place get's crazy busy on the weekends. -
Review from Alice A.
3/2/2012
All right if you've got a big group to entertain yourselves.
To me it's like lawn bowling without the lawn. Three shots to hit 5 pins with a small heavy ball. Then you write your scores on paper for each round and tally after each game.
I do like how the pins get hauled up like aliens into a spaceship. Haha. Obviously I'm easily entertained, even without a crowd. -
Review from Vannessa S.
Burnaby, BC
2/26/2012
Gritty, dirty, disorienting and fun. The pool hall charges 11/hr which I feel is a little pricey even though I've only played pool in one other location. However, for some reason I really liked the pool area, not full of sleaze balls checking out your ass and somehow separates itself from the bowling alley right beside it. Maybe I just like a good game of pool.
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Review from Nancy D.
Vancouver, BC
4/27/2012
a great place to chill with your friends! you can play bowling, pool or foosball there. there is also a drinking area beide the bowling. love this place!
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Review from Bobbin W.
9/21/2011
Per the exterior, my boyfriend and I were pumped to date it up at Commodore Lanes & Billiards on a Friday night. The opening music from The Big Lebowski permeated my brain while we walked down the stairs; Steve Buscemi passed me, I swear; and then we got there. The music screeched to a halt. Five-pin bowling? Is this old-school style? I stood gaping at middle-aged men who took out two pins with one roll despite the wide space between them.
We decided to play pool instead. We suck so much. The paintings of Pacific Northwest forest along the wall almost made the evening worth it. They created nice scenery while I took five turns to sack a striped ball.
I know this isn't correct terminology.
The Dude wouldn't care. -
Review from Justina F.
Richmond, BC
11/13/2011
This may just be me, but when I first came to this place with my best friend, we loved it. Sure the place is "old" and "retro", but this place has character. It has a story. Perhaps we just really appreciated it.
Another time, I had a friend who was from Austria. He wanted me to take him someplace special, different. I took him here and he was very impressed. Why? Because it's a "hole-in-the-wall" type of place.
Of course this place will be a hit-or-miss for folks, but it wins my vote.
Prices of course, could be better. But I'm sure they're just trying to make a living. Just like clothing or purse companies. You know they're ripping you off ;-) -
Review from Daren D.
4/17/2011 1 photo
Meh. It's just ehh. The vibe seems like hum-drum and 7 bux on Fri / 1 game? Euh. And FTR, 10-pin is MUCH better than 5-pin... but I could be biased growing up with 10-pin. =P
It's decent space overall, averaging all of it out. It was kind of fun, though, giving 5-pin a shot. The ball return is neat, although kind of funny when one was returned from down the alley. o_OListed in: Bowling Alleys
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Review from Malloreigh M.
Vancouver, BC
2/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
Get ready to feel like you've been transported back in time thirty years, because this place is cash-only and you keep your own score when you bowl. The five-pin balls will leave decades of other people's filth on your calloused palms, while the velcro bowling shoes feel like something out of The Jetsons (retro futuristic). I think that a rockabilly-themed birthday party would go really swell at Commodore Lanes.
Every time I'm here, I forget that I'm hanging out beneath Granville Street, because it feels authentic and cozy and fun. One time, in 2006, I went "prom bowling" here with a group of friends - we dressed up in ballgowns and tuxes and slipped all over the place throwing balls down the old wood lanes. It was great, and we didn't feel self-conscious about it because, as I mentioned, you don't feel like you're on Granville Street. -
Review from Namit M.
3/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
Wow what and utter disappointment. The place seems like it is in a time warp - but there is and always will be a difference between "retro" and "old" - and this place is definitely the later.
Ignore the Visa and Amex stickers at the the door - the place accepts CASH ONLY.
The restrictions on where one can consumer one's adult beverage(s) are onerous and baffling.
The fact that the place lacks a kitchen is also a major annoyance, not to mention the fact that one had to reset the bowling lane after every three throws.
What a waste of prime real estate. -
Review from Rebecca S.
Five pin bowling is way, way more fun than ten pin bowling. I mean, only five pins, small balls with no grubby holes, and three tries to knock them all down!
Commodore Lanes feels very old school. There are desks and pencils for you to write out your own score, and after each turn, you have to hit the reset button. The balls return to you on a small ramp, and they sometimes fall off. The games are claimed to be metered, but it seems to be on the honor system. I like how they have foosball and pool too, for when you're sick of bowling, but not yet ready to go outside yet.
It's pricy here though, for what it is. It's cash only and for two games and shoe rentals for two people, it was $32. I also don't like how you have to keep your alcohol in the lobby, and you can't set it down on the desk, so drinking here is pretty lame.Listed in: Vancouver, BC
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Review from Brian L.
Vancouver, BC
2/26/2011
Did you know these bowling pins are 5 pins? That was something new for me. Takes a little more skill to strike those suckers!!! We went out for a social, all guys. Pretty good times.
The other side of the place is all billiards. You have a few unused computers in the back waiting for suckers to pay for internet usage. The place may need to be redone. It's a little old and run down. But that may be the whole experience of it all. -
Review from Danielle M.
Vancouver, BC
3/29/2010
I was here for a friend's birthday party recently and this place bites when it comes to customer service.
My pal made a reservation 3 days prior knowing that she would have a large party in attendance. When we all arrived (15 mins early) she was told that her lanes had been given away because when her number was called for confirmation, the message "this customer is out of the cellphone service area" was encountered and the twit at the desk claimed that this counted as unconfirmed and grounds for cancellation.
When she protested and demonstrated that her phone was indeed in good working order and that she had booked in advance, he claimed that the best he could do was rebook her in an hour. No apology. No acknowledgment that the cell message was not her fault, no discount offered for the misunderstanding.
Now I run a business where I need to call to confirm clients and I have encountered this cellphone error message as well. I would never consider this grounds for canceling a client's pre-booked appointment. And if a situation like this should arise, I would graciously offer some form of restitution. This is just good business sense.
I won't even get into the over-priced, watered-down beer they serve.
This place is GROSS. -
Review from Christine R.
New Westminster, BC
10/31/2008
As Granville Mall morphs from a bastion of indie and underground shops to one that is looking more like, well, a mall, Commodore Lanes is one of the relics of the former personality of the area... gritty, independent, un-shiny, and fun. This ain't no glow-bowling palace.
What you get is very good five-pin bowling, pool, and arcade games. They have a tiny, but licensed snack bar where you can grab a Sleemans and a bag of chips - although like most lanes, you must not drink or eat anywhere near those lovely polished floors.
The staff can be a bit cranky, but only because they're wearily accustomed to dealing with an interesting clientele. If you're nice to them, though, they'll be nice to you. -
Review from Johnson C.
Vancouver, BC
10/4/2010
Killing some time before the show, my buddy and I decided to kill some time playing pool here as were too lazy to bother hoofing over to Yaletown to play at Soho or head down to Denman to play at the properly groomed tables there.
I figured - as long as we can drink some beer and 'shoot some stick' (as the cool kids would say) - we were set. Pool is $14/hr on weekend nights and cheaper during the daytime and weekdays. A wee pricey compared to the poolhalls in Richmond - but I guess that's just the price you pay for the central location.
The community cues were in pretty good shape (passed the roll test) but the tables they rent to walk-ins are pretty torn down. Trying to put some English on the cue ball and you have no idea where the ball will end up. When my buddy bought some beers from the bar, he was stopped by the pool tables attendant and he informed us that the pool section was not 'licensed'.
However, he was nice enough to allow us to play on the nicer 'members only' tables so we could be closer to the beers we bought and had to keep beyond the imaginary 'no alcohol' boundary.
After a while, I figured out why there was such a class divide amongst the members vs. non-members tables - most of the patrons here were abusing the hell out the hell out of the cues and tables. In between shots and walking over to my segregated beer, I had to weave past punks flailing the cues and testing their might on the punching bag - all to the soundtrack of mini 5-pin balls being dropped on the bowling lanes.
Shame that the crowd disrespects the equipment and the pool hall is not licensed - cuz at $5.25 a bottle, the beer was pretty cheap for a pool hall. But will probably go elsewhere next time I want to 'shoot some stick'. -
Review from Evilyn T.
We came here after the Canada v. Norway hockey game to escape the madness for an hour after Canada kicked Norway's butt. Commodore Lanes actually charges by the hour, not by the game, so I guess if you have a small team you can fit in more games by the hour than the six of us did. You are also only allowed six people per lane, so luckily we just squeezed into one lane. It cost about $6 per person including the shoe rental, and about the same for the purchase of beverages.
I have to admit, keeping score (adding) is a lot harder after you have spent a few hours at the pub. Those new computer monitors that add up the game for you sure are convenient. Especially when you have to sit in the lounge area a few meters away from your scorecard if you want to drink. This makes the designator scorekeeper not a very fun drunk, and a potential cheater since the rest of your team is inebriated and too silly to notice the extra points that are tallied on the scorekeeper's card. Hmmmm.... shall we play the next game sober to see who wins?1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/10/2010
Bowling is my favourite date-night activity. My ultimate high score was 231, not that I am bragging,… Read more »
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Review from Steven S.
11/16/2011
It is Odd, it is fun, it is probably one of the best date night spots in Vancouver. First I must admit, it was my first time ever 5 pin bowling and it is harder, yet so much fun. this place has the oddest decor you could imagine. Never have I seen a bowling alley with terrariums lots and lots of terrariums before. Hello my my dad's study from the 70's. They also have the most interesting diorama over the bar, a scene from a twisted refuge of dime store and forgotten toys. Sure the washrooms make you feel like the girl in the well from "Silence of the Lambs" and the beer tap is of questionable hygine, though I did not catch typhus so that is good thing. They have a great jukebox, staff is friendly and fun as well. If you are struggling for a idea for a date, and you both like quirky fun I cannot recommend this place enough. You will make plenty of small black ball jokes, share in the horror of the washrooms and generally get sucked into the fun. It is like "The Big Lebowski" meets "Pee Wees Playhouse" meets a Terry Gilliam film. I will be back oh yes I will.
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Review from Kassim D.
4/18/2010
My experience here was less than stellar...
Originally went for the bowling, but there was a 30 minute wait. We stayed patient and played pool...The billiards area however, was NOT licensed to serve alcohol (brutal). They had a ton of tables but the nice onces were all reserved by other people. Damaged felt and warped tables, didn't make it super enjoyable.
Fast-forward 30 minutes - the bowling area is Cash only and the bar selection was pretty bad over here as well. They wanted to charge 2 of us $35 / hour! that's insane - and they tried to justify it because they are the "oldest bowling alley in Canada" I'm pretty sure there is no novelty around bowling - older does not equal better when it comes to mechanical equipment I'm pretty sure. What a freakin' joke.
We bailed at this point.. -
Review from Chloë E.
Vancouver, BC
11/10/2008
True, the major downside here is the corralled drinking area.
We generally end up at the Commodore when we're feeling a bit competitive: from air hockey and pool to the knock-em-out punching bag, there are definitely plenty of feats of strength for an active date. Strangely, I've never actually bowled here. Likely because that takes some planning: something that's a bit lacking when I find myself on Granville late at night.
As far as Granville goes, I'd rather be in this subterranean gem than the bass-thumping street-level options. But if I have my pick of bowling lanes, I'll take Rev's lane-side drinks. -
Review from Darien C.
BC
11/28/2008
Admit it, you've never bowled sober. No one has. It's a scientific impossibility.
Commodore Bowling is the goto place for downtowners seeking to throw a weighted ball at wooden pegs. It is cheap, open late and conveniently close. My only issue, and it's a glaring one, is that alcohol is not permitted on the lanes. There is an area to grab a drink, but then you must stop bowling. That's like having a beer garden at a hockey game that can't see the rink. For shame. -
Review from Lisa F.
Surrey, BC
3/29/2009
Great for an hour or two of fun, love the retro feel & upbeat crowds.
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Review from jane c.
8/2/2010
CANADIAN BOWLING = a mash-up of US bowling and skee-ball. Walked into Commodore Lanes for some CANADIAN beer, cold nachos, and yeah, bowling.
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Review from Mercedes G.
Vancouver, BC
9/22/2008 1 photo
I love bowling! I am convinced it is far more entertaining to go for a few games of 5 (or 10) pin bowling than to a movie, and it is especially good for a date night. We went on a Friday night and I was told to reserve a lane ahead of time as it is very busy on the weekends. After showing up a bit late, we found that the young man at the counter had changed our reservation to a half hour later so we wouldn't lose any prime bowling time, very nice of him! With the jukebox blaring and the neons lights shining, the atmosphere was electric...let's bowl! They serve booze but you are only allowed to drink in the designated area behind the lanes...and YES, they will find you if you try to do otherwise, take my word for it...! We bowled 3 games in just under an hour. As you may have determined, Commodore also has a number of pool tables for you sharks out there. For the 2 of us it was 35.00 for an hour, a bit pricier than I'm used to, but definitely worth it!
Listed in: Par-tay!
