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3-in-1: Bowlounge Reader Pick: Best Bar with Games | General manager Sam Ratliff likes to think of Bowlounge as a “sports bar and restaurant with a bowling alley more so than a bowling alley with a bar,” and perhaps rightfully so. Located in the 95-year-old Proof building on West Vickery Boulevard, the former home of the Firestone & Robertson distillery, Bowlounge’s newly renovated space places its bar and restaurant at the forefront — the first thing guests see the moment they step inside.
Name almost any Fort Worth beer brand you know — Rahr & Sons, HopFusion, Wild Acre, etc. — and Bowlounge will likely have it on tap. There’s a cocktail menu listing offerings like a blackberry paloma and peach bellini martini; and for food, diners can order everything from classic pepperoni to a spinach ricotta pizza or burger smeared with bacon jam.
“[We’re] not trying to oversell the bowling concept,” Ratliff says. “We’ve really tried to bring that back while providing other games, good food, scratch kitchen — we don’t own a microwave — and obviously craft cocktails. We’re huge on supporting local craft distilleries and breweries as well.”
Olaf Growald
But of course, the obvious draw for Bowlounge is, well, the bowling. The venue features 16 retro-style lanes lined up in a classy space with TVs playing ’80s music videos on repeat. And, as a homage to the building’s former tenant, TX Whiskey barrels hover over each lane, doubling as a decorative light.
It’s not a kid-friendly venue by any means. “Kids are treated equally — they’re the same price as adults,” Ratliff says, and that’s part of Bowlounge’s appeal. He says Bowlounge has been zeroing in corporate clients who could rent out the space for private events. The restaurant also launched weekend brunch in May, serving up goodies like French toast, breakfast pizza, and chicken and waffles.
Ratliff says business has been steady considering the circumstances. Bowlounge opened in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic last November, survived the February snowstorm, and continues kicking, with hopes to expand as opportunity allows.
And while the concept did get its start in Dallas’ Design District, Ratliff says there’s a certain spark in Fort Worth that makes Bowlounge right at home.
“I really could not ask for a better place to go in,” he says. “[The Near Southside] is like a city unto itself. Everyone takes care of each other.”
BEST HAPPY HOUR AND PLACE TO WATCH A GAME: Berry St. Ice House
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The double-decker building on Berry Street has been home to four businesses in the past few years, but its new tenant, Berry St. Ice House, has captured three separate honors in this year’s Best of Fort Worth voting (Happy Hour, Place to Watch a Game, and Late-Night Eats). The concept seems simple enough: classic and delicious bar eats, a great happy hour menu, TVs everywhere you look, and one of the best patios in the Fort. What’s not to love? Just be sure to try their burgers, served on a bun with both sesame and poppy seeds.
