Moolah Lanes

Went bowling here on saturday 12/​16/​2015. I’ve always loved the style of this bowling alley as well as the theater that sits directly above it. Tonight must have been a slow night. The kitchen was closed. The Bartender/​Bowling attendant was lackluster. I’m actually surprised he didn’t slit his wrists, he seemed to be having such a bad time. The space between the lanes and the ball return machine are tiny, a perfect excuse for why my score was so low. Be that as it may, the balls always came back and the pins were always reset, and when it comes down to it, isn’t that all that really matters?
We ultimately paid about $ 20 for shoe rentals and one game for two. We bought two drinks there, which shocked the hell out of the bartender, myself a Long Island and a Margarita for mi lady. The drinks were classic but $ 7.50 a piece (I’m sure the bartender made that price up on the spot), too pricy for the product but I will return.

I like it. This place takes me back to the 70’s. You can imagine The Big Lebowski actually rolling a few here. I joined a team building event by my company. They use the old CRT’s for scoring. Probably a dozen lanes or so. Nice bar. Friendly attendants and bar maid. The food is bar food and pretty much of what you’d expect from a 1970’s bowling alley. I’d have to say it was quaint and quite nostalgic.
Bring your own ball if you’re serious about bowling. Their balls are as old and worn as the alley. I did notice the juke box was from this century. There were some other arcade type items that you won’t see in most other alleys.

Not enough light balls. We are very find of moolah, top points for atmosphere. However, it seems like they have only one kid’s weight bowling ball in the house. We asked. So, if your kids needs a lightweight ball, or if you have a big group of kids, be aware. And the lanes are a little decrepit, if you care about that.

It’s what you would expect from a bowling ally bar. A little pricier that it should be though.

If you’ve arrived at bowling as the most viable entertainment option for an evening, then your standards can’t be THAT high. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I admire you for getting out of your sweatpants and turning Netflix off for a night, I really do, way to go. But… Do I really need to finish this sentence?
This bowling alley is a reminder of what bowling once was before it became the official sport of alcoholics and trailer parks (oh wait, I’m thinking of BINGO, but still…). This building is freaking gorgeous. I think since the theater and the bowling alley share the name Moolah, we all kind of assumed we could park in the parking lot that said «free Moolah parking». Come to find out the theater and bowling alley are not owned by the same person and the parking garage is free only for movie goers. Just because I love bowling, why do you assume I took the bus here?
The service was not friendly at all, and the guy who gave me the stranger shoes didn’t smile or act like it was his fantasy in life to spray communal shoes. This was probably my only complaint. I’m bowling. I’m already consumed with my own misery. I don’t want to think about yours.
The lanes were adorable. They are in the basement of the movie theater. Each couple of lanes has a cute postcard-​ish picture of another city. The lanes seemed pretty old school, and who doesn’t love old school? The floor was slick, but how is that a bad thing? If anything, you can blame the slippery floor for making you suck at bowling. And don’t tell me you’re serious at bowling. If you were serious at bowling, you’d be in a 1960’s made-​for-​TV movie, not at the Moolah.
The lanes didn’t have giant scoreboards overhead, which means you actually have to work to see how much you’re losing by. Your excitement over your score will quickly be deflated when you realize that bowling scores are the OPPOSITE of golf.
All-​in-​all, I’d say this place is pretty awesome. Slightly off the beaten path, helluva building, and old-​school charm that will remind you of a simpler time.
I have no idea how much it cost because we went here for our company Christmas party. Which is either really awesome or really pathetic. I haven’t decided which yet. I’m assuming drinks are cheap, because someone bought everyone a round of drinks, and most of us have salaries below the poverty line. Which, now that I think about it, is probably why we went bowling for our Christmas party.

This place has an old school vibe to it. If you’re not a serious bowler, this place is for you. No fancy scoreboard, beat up bowling balls, and no pitchers of beer. And I had a great time! Great beer on tap with lots of selections. There’s darts, a jukebox, and free ping pong! I’ll definitely be back.

We did a fundraiser a hot minute ago at Moolah and had a blast. This place screams old school. The lanes, equipment, and balls are all completely outdated, which adds flavor to the whole place. I will say that the balls are pretty beat up, and the lanes could use some resurfacing love, but again… it helps give the place atmosphere. They have the old school consoles and monitors as well.
Cheap beer and bowling — need I say more. This is a good place to reserve for a group thing — not sure what that would run you, but I would not think it to be too expensive. The bartenders are nice and relatively fast depending on the volume of people they are dealing with. They have PBR specials — that’s a winner in my book.
I docked the rating slightly because of the wear & tear on the equipment… it was a hard decision, but I feel as though they could at least upgrade the actual balls. At any rate — this is a fun, cheap place to go bowl and chill if you don’t want to deal with the masses that roll at the sassier, high tech lanes.

This is the worst bowling alley I’ve ever been to. For starters, the balls were chipped beyond recognition and they did not roll properly down the lanes. This problem occurred with all five people that were in our party. No matter how hard we tried, we couldn’t get the ball to roll down the lane and knock more than a few pins down. Moolah is also pretty expensive, and the parking behind it is paid parking, which costs about $ 5. Moolah does have retro décor, but that’s all it has going for it. Overall, I will be bowling at Tropicana for a more pleasant experience.

The lanes are pretty good — not great, but I’ve seen far worse — and the staff are really nice. Have bowled here a couple of times and really enjoyed it.
Can be very busy or totally dead, depending on when you visit. I’ve been there when they’ve had a huge event going and it’s taken a while to get lanes — and I’ve been there when it was literally just me and a friend bowling.

The worst bowling alley ive ever been to. The floors/​shoes are so slippery and worn out, its not even worth bowling. The only reason i give it two stars is because they have a ping pong table you can play on when you wait for your lane.

This bowling alley is always hopping but there’s almost always an open lane for walk-​ins. Although the bar is convenient, service can be kind of slow. At a bowling alley, that means you might have to let one of your friends bowl for you, or risk holding up the whole group. Also keeping the Moolah from earning the last two stars is the pricey shoe and lane rentals, alcohol, and snacks. Otherwise it’s a pretty chill hangout.

Heck yeah. Bowling is cool. So is people watching in a St. Louis University-​area bar (because, come on, it can get hilarious). Most bowling alleys walk the line between bowling hall and bar. And kind of fail in attempts to fully appease either the bowling or bar crowd. However, Moolah Lanes does a great job of accommodating both sets.
From what I’ve been told, it’s a great place to see and be seen for the SLU crowd, but for me, It’s a great idea to bowl after a good meal in the Central West End or right before going out on the town, since it’s centrally located.
They also offer the regular bowling alley bar food, which means grease, crispy batter, and fried euphoria. Enjoy that with a beer and a few strikes.
Oh yeah, the seats by the bowling area are pretty comfy, and you can also catch a game of ping pong of pool while you wait for a lane.