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Danforth Bowl
Category: Active Life Bowling Bowling [Edit]
1554 Danforth AveToronto, ON M4J 1N4
Neighbourhood: The Danforth
(416) 463-3000
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
7 reviews for Danforth Bowl
7 reviews in English
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Review from Linda M.
11/20/2011
This place is too cute. Never before have I been bowling without the automatic calculation, where you have to actually do - gasp - arithmetic. And five pin bowling? That's been a good 15 years.
It felt like someone's rec room: you go down the stairs, see your friends and head over, only to get yelled at by "the parent" to take off your shoes. In this case the parent is the man behind the counter, because apparently you must remove your shoes as soon as you get down the stairs. He will then gladly give you some fancy two-toned shoes to don instead. He'll also provide beer, various liquors, wine...and probably some non-alcoholic beverages as well, but I didn't notice that. Not like any of the parents of my childhood friends!
It's a really quirky place, and one of the few easily accessible bowling alleys in Toronto. All in all, it's a great place to come with some friends for some beer and fun - even better if no one's too competitive. Granny bowl anyone?Listed in: November's 30 in 30
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Review from sarah l.
I am about to tell you how an avid bowler can save $154 per month and get a free Hyundai. It all hinges on the premise that you never go to Danforth Bowl.
The pros:
- This place is amazing for 5 pin bowling.
- The staff are nice and helpful.
- Everything is clean.
- Rock & Roll bowling was SO. FUN.
- The music was amazing.
- The other reviews of the staff being amazing, the bowling being incredibly fun, the environment being clean and cared for are all completely accurate.
- I really liked keeping score manually with the paper!
- Resetting the pins between turns was fun too.
The okay:
- $6 for a bottle of steamwhistle
- $1.5 for a can of gingerale
The terrible:
If this was so amazing and I had such a great time why would I only give it 1 star?
Because for one hour of bowling (with shoes) for 4 people we were charged over $120, and when I emailed them to ask about it the next day, the owner said that the total was $44, we had we paid $46 and that we had probably spent our money in a bar after we left.
(Actually the verbatim email said [all carriage returns and case choices theirs]:
"Sorry Sarah I am sure you would not have paid 3 times more than you should have nor would norm charge anyone three times more than
They are to pay ONE OF YOU NORM OR YOU OR ONE OF YOUR FIENDS WOULD HAVE COTE THE MISTAKE
EVEN IF A MISTAKE FOR A COUPLE OF DOLLARS was made THAT WOULD JUST BE A MISTAKE $76.00 More three times as much no sorry that is not
Correct. I THINK YOU SHOULD TALK TO YOUR FRIENDS AGAIN MAYBE WHEN YOU LEFT DANFORTH BOWL YOU SPEND IT IN A BAR")
So in summary:
- I had a good time here
- I paid 300% more than I should have
- The owner told me I didn't pay the bill that I did pay and there was no way we could have been charged that much
- The owner told me I went to a bar after and spent the extra money they collected
- They only have shitty beers
- the music is very good
Danforth Bowl seems to bank on people coming here because it's on the subway, but it's so expensive that if you came here every week you could use the savings incurred by using a bowling lane in the suburbs to buy a Hyundai to drive you there. And then you would still have the Hyundai. And one hundred and fifty four dollars. Per month. Because these people are crooks.
[Free Hyundai math:
To bowl here once a week for 1 hour with their affronting rates would cost you $480.
A 2012 Hyundai can be yours for $0 down at 0% for only $96 per month!
Even after insurance and gas to drive you to a different bowling alley ($50/mo) and paying that [better] bowling alley for shoe rental and one hour of bowling ($45/wk) the monthly cost is only $326 which is a savings of $154 per month for a bowling hobbyist!]
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* note: the owner offered to give me one hour of free bowling to because of the price "mixup" (?) and continued to blame my rampant alcoholism. I did not accept the voucher. -
Review from Kin B.
Toronto, ON
4/21/2012
Rude blonde woman working behind the counter. Learn how to speak to customers and maybe that might leave a better impression. Also too expensive for such a tiny hole in the wall.
Go to O'Connor Bowl.....you'll be happy you did. -
Review from Vivek S.
11/11/2011 1 Check-in Here
When you walk down the carpeted stairs to Danforth Bowl you will notice a placard urging the removal of your boots and/or shoes. In the time it takes you to cock your head in confusion and ask yourself, "when exactly?" you will have descended, and a sharp right turn shall meet you with the threshold of a bowling alley the size and volume of a municipal swimming pool. This is when to remove the shoes.
Otherwise, you will commit my gaffe which was to walk in unhesitatingly to greet my friends. I was quickly admonished by a gruff man behind a bar (*the* bar, really) to take off my shoes. I protested that I intended to rent shoes in a moment. "You still have to take of your shoes," was the curt reply. So I retreated to the landing to remove them. Unlike other bowling alleys, bowl-related transactions are to be done in your sock feet until that moment you are shod in the requisite footwear. This is a first for me.
Danforth Bowl is six lanes of Old School five-pin bowling splendour. The décor is an acute hybrid of 'Cohen brothers film' and 'rec room from 1982'. There are wood panelled walls, a flickering neon sign proclaiming Budweiser, a solitary disco ball spinning at 12 RPM, a hand-painted sign imploring patrons to "join a bowling league NOW," and ample black light. Oh, and great music too. A little bit of everything.
When I say Old School, I mean paper scorecards and manual resetting of the pins. I didn't see the name Brunswick anywhere, and there are no overhead TVs to view your score. There is no waiter service; just grab your beers from the bar. I also spotted a small wine fridge in case you prefer a little Shiraz whilst lobbing balls down lanes. Foodwise, I don't think there is much, but I saw a sign indicating that if you call ahead they can arrange hot snacks for you. Otherwise I think you're stuck with potato chips.
If you are looking for something to do.
Obligatory Title Pun: You'll be BOWLED over.
Menu Readability: There's another sign which reads "Meet new friends and have fun." Words to live by.
Need to mention: I have no idea how much this costs. I paid $30 for two hours of bowling and shoe rental. Is that right?
What this place teaches me about myself: if I was in a Cohen brothers movie, I would be killed in the first reel. In a bowling alley no doubt. -
Review from Charlotte S.
Toronto, ON
2/10/2011
We all know that the city lacks bowling alleys.
I had the opportunity to attend Danforth Bowl for a work function a few weeks ago. I have to say, it's pretty amazing. It's a complete throwback to....well....whenever the golden age of bowling alleys was.
There are six lanes, it's 5 pin bowling, you have to manually reset the pins every time, you score with a pencil and a piece of paper (remember those?) and you can eat dried up hot dogs and nacho cheese sauce to your hearts' content, should you choose to do so.
The owners are immensely friendly. The bowling alley itself has been there for 80+ years and has been in the proprietor's family for more than 50. I love stories like this.
It's also steps from Coxwell station. Enough said.
The best things about this bowling alley include:
1. It's size. It's so little. And you can't tell from the outside that there's a bowling alley in there. It's kind of like walking into Narnia.
2. The top 40's music and disco lights they will turn on if you ask.
3. The fact that, presumably due to space restrictions, they store things anywhere they deem fit. For example, there are stacks of beer cases full of empties lining the sides of the lanes.
4. The owners are amazing.
5. The nostalgia. I felt like I was on an episode of Roseanne. -
Review from Garry C.
Whistler, BC
5/20/2010
The best bowling alley ever! (except maybe for the one at UCLA). I digress...
When you descend down the narrow staircase, you think you're going to a friend's basement in Scarborough. Well - you are! The ceilings are low, the lights are dim and the beer (cheap!) is cold! Fun is bound to be had!
There's only six lanes, so if you've got a large group, call in advance.
I liked the place so much, I made a time lapse film there a few years ago. Check it out... http://www.flickr.com/...Listed in: Toronto Eats
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Review from RICK J.
10/19/2009
if your looking for clean quiet fun,this is not the place THANK GOD! its musty,dusty loud fun! only 6 lanes,so book early. friendly owners. can be as loud as u like, reasonable drink prices,cheap bowling food.
