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Mountain View Bowl
Category: Active Life Bowling Bowling [Edit]
3919 Richmond Rd SWSte 11
Calgary, AB T3E 4P2
(403) 249-0858
- Hours:
Mon 9 am - 10 pm
Tue-Thu 9 am - 11 pm
Fri-Sat 9 am - 12 am
Sun 11 am - 10 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
7 reviews for Mountain View Bowl
7 reviews in English
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Review from Fil C.
Toronto, ON
9/19/2011
Had my son's birthday party here. Great fun for the kids. The party room and the food was perfect. The price was very good. Well done!
Highly recommend. -
Review from Joel K.
2/5/2012
Fairly disappointed with Mountain View. I've been here before and had good experiences - I love that it's fully licensed, that there's an abundance of food and that there's a whole lot of parking.
But I'm really not a fan of how utterly chaotic this place can get and how poorly the staff can sometimes handle this chaos. For whatever reason you can't just put in your own names on the lanes - you've got to submit a sheet of paper to the already overworked counter staff with everyone's names before you get to bowl. Bummer, because I really like to make my bowling name "Destroyer of Worlds" but I had to settle for "Joel".
I also HATE how they try to tell you your lanes are ready by announcing your name over the world's crappiest PA system known to man. Here's a thought: get those flashing disks that restaurants have. It's extremely noisy in your lanes because (as you might have noticed) people are BOWLING HEAVY BALLS AT PINS.
I was arranging an event where over 20 people were planning to attend. I had tried to call Mountain View Bowling in advance to reserve lanes for what I knew would be a huge group. The response was less than stellar - Friday nights are league nights (why not make a weekday league nights? Aren't weekends when the everyman wants to go bowling?) and after league night ends it is strictly first-come, first serve.
So I figured I'd just try and show up early and reserve lanes. Nothing doing! This place is extremely popular (can't fault them for that) and by the time I got there, there were hardly any lanes to be had.
I asked the girl behind the counter if I could reserve three lanes and I was promptly given the dirtiest glare. She talked to me like I had just punted her poodle off of a bridge. "Um, yeah, it's really busy and there's a HUGE waiting list, so you probably won't get any lanes until, like, 10:30 and then there's a good chance you like, won't even get to bowl."
Gee, thanks. Super helpful. She asked if it was okay if the lanes were separate to which I replied "of course". She let out a huge sigh and put down my name. Well, sorry for inconveniencing you sweetheart. Next time I plan to bring a massive group of hungry, thirsty eager bowlers somewhere, I certainly won't trouble you with that burden.
Off my group went to the diner area to wait for lanes.
We waited for awhile and then realized there was a perfectly good bar across the street that wasn't full of screaming children and teenagers making out - so we left and had beers at Richmond's who took GREAT care of us.
I'll go back to Mountain View, but I'll do so knowing it's not a great place for big groups on weekends. Bummer, because that same big group is dying to go out again. -
Review from Wendy P.
4/3/2011 1 Check-in Here
Mountain View Bowl's got its pros and cons, but overall, it's got a good thing going on. I love that we could choose between bowling 5-pin or 10-pin. The only drawback here is that it makes for a limited amount of lanes on either side. The lanes and seating were also a little close together for my liking. Our group of five was a little cramped and we ended up pulling up a couple of spare chairs to spread ourselves out a little more.
Price wise, it was $9.75 for one game including your shoe rental. I've got my own stylin' pink bowling shoes from my rec league days back in Edmonton, so I saved myself $3.00. They took cash, debit or credit at the front counter, but the restaurant part only takes cash. Having the ATM out of order while we were there made that a bit tricky.
Note: If you're over on the 10-pin side, wait for your ball to come to a complete stop before attempting to pick it up. Those suckers come rolling in pretty fast. It'd be relatively easy to pinch a finger if you're not careful. And how're you going to bowl 10 frames of strikes with a pinched finger? -
Review from Chelsea K.
Calgary, AB
8/26/2010
Typically I'm not a huge fan of bowling because, quite frankly, I suck at it and the places usually make me feel icky.
Mountain View Bowl, however, is actually quite pleasant. The place feels friendly and clean, and the staff are amazingly friendly. I came here with my office as a large group, and the staff were extremely organized and helpful.
The food in this place is also surprisingly good. They serve every kind of deep fried appetizer, which are delightfully tasty and greasy. The staff seem to really care about what they serve-- at one point one of the cooks came out to our group and asked who of us had eaten the zucchini sticks. I naturally assumed that there had been some sort of accident where they were mistakenly 3-weeks expired or made with formaldehyde instead of frying oil and our emergency contact information and health insurance were required, but the cook had actually recently changed the recipe and wanted to know our opinion. I found it really wonderful that the staff were putting so much care into their food, especially at a place where it isn't expected. They also offer steamwhistle beer which is a nice addition.
The computer interfaces are new (with somewhat disturbing graphics of close-up overweight bellies when you hit a "spare", but I it kind of adds to the charm), the bowling balls come in fun colours, and the washrooms are very clean and non-creepy. There is a sign stating that no outside food and drink are allowed, which we didn't notice until *after* we had brought in two cakes from the neighboring Glamorgan bakery, but the staff didn't make any comments. They also remained very friendly and patient with us after we broke not one, but two wine glasses and threw the ball into the pin blocker (whatever that thing is that comes down between rounds, I have no idea what it's called), requiring staff to run down the alley to fix it three times, which reflects amazingly well on their staff and level of service (and not so well on us).
I am still not a converted bowler, and never will be (I won the "worst bowler" award from my manager, but then again I did give up halfway to focus on the delicious jalepeno cheese poppers), but if I am ever forced into bowling again I'll make this location my top choice. -
Review from Jollean C.
Vancouver, BC
12/4/2009
$5.50 for 5 pin (oh, high school memories eh?)
$6.50 for 10 pin (all the cool kids are doing it)
$2.75 to wear a pair of tricoloured shoes with fluorescent laces.
Beer. Highballs. Coolers. Diner food. Dance music.
Mix together for good times.
Friends. Dates. Enemies. Frenemies. We can all get along over a game of bowling at Mountain View.
When a bowling alley still retains some of its old-school flavour and all its fun, I approve. Just don't steal the shoes. They're ONLY cool at the alley.
Note: Socks not included. Forget at your own risk. -
Review from Lindsay K.
Halifax, NS
12/5/2009 1 photo
I'm not generally one for playing sports and, yes, that usually includes bowling. However, I will indulge in a game every now and then.
So, when that now and then finally rolls around and I've chosen to participate in a game or two of bowling, my friends and I usually choose Mountainview Bowlerama. I don't really know why, it's just become the norm. It's our first choice every time. It's a sad day when we can't get a lane here and are forced to go somewhere else.
I can't really put my finger on what I love so much about this place, but I know I like. Maybe it's the fact that the alcohol-permitted area is separated from the alcohol-prohibited area so you don't get kids mixing with adults. That's definitely one of my favourite things.
Another favourite thing is the price of beer. I would normally expect a bowling alley to charge out the wazoo for alcoholic beverages, but this place is actually okay. $5 for a can isn't too shabby at all. They don't have the widest selection of booze, but it gets the job done all the same.
If you haven't been here before and are looking to give it a try, the place is in the corner of a Glamorgan strip mall and down some stairs. Just follow the crashing of pins and you should be alright. -
Review from Jason G.
Calgary, AB
3/26/2010
Mountain View Bowlerama is a funky little retro bowling alley tucked away in the bowels of a Glamorgan stripmall on Richmond Road. From its black & white checkered floor to its kitschy wall murals, they aim to transport you back to a simpler time when bobby socks and Chubby Checker were all the rage. For the most part, they succeed. Best of all, they offer both 5- and 10-pin bowling for all you renaissance bowlers out there. Mountain View has a diner featuring all the usual suspects, namely hot dogs, burgers, and pizza, and they are licenced. The booze ain't cheap - $5.25 for a domestic bottle - but at least it's available. If you are planning on heading down to bowl a frame or two, be sure to check out their website and print off their coupon for $5 off your next retro bowling experience.
