Poplar Creek Bowl

If your looking for a place to go bowling with a party and enjoy some good bubble tea afterwards, this is the place your should go. Unlike Arlington Lanes, this place is first come first serve in which they don’t seem to take reservations meaning you will get to bowl as soon as you arrive as long as there is an open lane. The establishment is nice and clean and the staff is very friendly.
When it comes to paying for your shoes and games, always be wary as there is a $ 4 credit/​debit card limit so make sure you are spending past $ 4 if you want to use your card. The games and shoes are paid for when your finished up, giving me and my group alot of flexibility in how many games we were going to play. During the summer, I believe that they have seasonal discount where you get to play games for $ 1 per game, making this the perfect place to go if your out late at night with your friends!
Oh, and about the bubble tea, there is a Korean Café near by called Coffee Haus which serves Ice cream, bubble tea, popingsu, and other great drinks in which I usually go to before and after my bowling at Poplar.

I was only at the Nice quiet bar on the side of a bowling alley, nice selection of beers both domestic and crafts. I went on a Tuesday and the bartender was nice and attentive, she checked in a bunch to see how we were doing, which was very nice.
Got a sea dog blueberry wheat ale which tasted great nice hint of blueberry. They also had a deal, which I don’t remember if it was daily or just today, it was 50cent wings when you buy a large drink or a beer, minimum 12 and max 24. I got 12 with sweet BBQ and they were close to the best wings I have had anywhere other than wing stop
Overall great little spot to hang out and watch a sports game

Bowling and a bar. Who can ask for more? Their bar even has happy hour!
Came by with the cousins to play a round of bowling and the people who work there are friendly as are the other patrons. It was fairly empty on a holiday weekend afternoon, but who am I to complain.
The only feedback I would have is to have more lighter bowling balls. There were many 10 pounders but I was a struggle to find lighter ones.

Been here many times and always had a good time. Bowling deals and drink specials run all the time. My most recent visit I went to just sit in the large bar area and watch a sports game with friends. Plenty of tables to arrange to accommodate our group of about 15 people. Lots of large tvs to watch games. They had a DJ there playing music during breaks in the game and Karaōke was starting after the game ended. Bar area had pool table, darts, and other games to play as well. A little bit of everything. Overall open, friendly staff, good spot to watch a sports game and not be elbow to elbow with people at tables next to you.

Could use a refresh and less oil in the lanes otherwise this place is still a nice place to bowl.

The place is nice. Great oil pattern and pretty chill.
The only thing that bothers me is that they don‘t accept credit/​debit cards for anything less than $ 5. So you always have to have cash on you.
The place is big and spacey, which is great!
It can get pretty crowded so go bowl lil early!

Here with friends. Décor old and a little smelly but what can you expect from a bowling alley. The games are cheap & the service prompt. No complaints.

So i only live like… walking distance away. Seems pretty clean. No stinky ratty rental shoes here. Service is pretty subpar, as expected, but not rude by any means. Just distracted. Came on a Saturday night with the boyfriend and the place was barely half way full. No blacklight weekend bowling here. Really, it’s a plus if you’re chill and prefer not to hang out at hopping, noisy weekend joints. =)
However, it was either we could play per game, or play on a lane by the hour. Hangup is: there’s no actual clock, or auto-​shut off. you’ve gotta watch time yourself so my bf and I bowled our 3^rd game like mad men to finish on time.
Conclusion: I don’t mind the atmosphere. They’ve also got foosball, pool tables, and a side bar to chill. A lil out dated, but whatever. For bowling, it’s a little over priced for me, so I’d be more likely to come back on dollar days for bowling.

Mostly clean, and lots of lanes. The staff isn’t the friendliest. Seems well maintained, though. Some strange/​shady people frequent here, so it can get uncomfortable for any serious bowlers. As a former league bowler, I wouldn’t join a league here, so I just go here when it’s convenient.

The Creek… as we affectionately call it is my favorite house. I spent over two years here bowling in a league every Friday night. Summers moved to Wednesdays for our group. It was a year round thing. Sadly, we had some things happen and we had to quit the weekly league, but I still love The Creek. Well lit, decent lanes and plenty of ‘em, two fully staffed bars, good prices, a clean environment, pool tables and a friendly staff. It’s a pretty hopping place especially during winter, spring and summer breaks. Everyone seems to come home to bowl. I was at The Creek on Saturday night and nothing has changed. It’s a good place for a fun night out.

My friends and I bowl here a lot when they have their $ 1 game deal going on. Usually never have to wait for a lane and always plenty of balls. They also have plenty of pool tables, which is almost always empty.
The only thing that’s kind of weird is the older gentleman that works there, who tends after the lanes and the balls. He kind of creeps us out, coming over and patting us on our backs when we don’t really know the guy at all. One time he even poked my friend in the stomache while walking by… hahaha that was hilarious. Anyways, a good place to bowl a few games on the cheap.

Bowling alleys can be weird in an «I don’t know what just happened but did I just walk into 1994 all over again?» sort of way. I have been to Poplar Creek Bowl no more than a handful of times spread over years and each time seems totally unchanged from the last. You know what though? That’s not a bad thing. I haven’t been the biggest fan of AMF equipped alleys but this one is well kept. The pinsetting equipment only goofed once and the lane wasn’t all wonky and unpredictable. The people at the front desk were friendly and the night was relaxed and hassle-​free. No pay up front gimmickry like they do at the Elk Grove bowl. No goofy pinsetters like they have at Eskape in Buffalo Grove. Just a low-​key night hanging out with my buddies.

Smash-​cut to 1992, this place was top of the line and high tech. Lets go ahead inform the reader… it has not had one update since 1992. The graphics are performed on windows NT, and the dingy environment screams seedy bowling alley.
In summary, its a decent place to get a few cheap rounds of bowling in while getting an eyeful of the locals.

99 cent games during the summer are the big seller here. If the bathrooms were nicer, they’d be getting a 4-​star rating.
I’ve spent many a fond night here during the summer where the games are cheap and the drinking is much more feasibly done given how close it is to home. They recently upgraded the arcade to pool tables which is nice — ya know, if you’re into billiards and such.
Good deal in the summer, but probably not worth it whence the 99 cent deal is gone.

I know many people that bowl here often. On the weekends though, we normally always had to wait for some lanes — We usually went in the evenings.
I agree with the first reviewer that it’s not the «spiffiest» of places, but it works for the most part.
My friends buy the beer here, and I hear it’s moderately-​priced. No one ever really eats the food — it’s just cheap, quick stuff, but I’d rather go to a fast food joint honestly.
The place is pretty large, with pool tables and some arcade games, and a bar. A decent place to bowl, and right next to Garibaldi’s Pizza pratically, a classic place. :0)

Not bad. It’s never too crowded so getting a lane isn’t an issue. The bar has a lot of TVs and the prices are reasonable. It’s not the fanciest place in the world but it works and it’s close to home.