Bryant-Lake Bowl

Bryant-Lake BowlBryant-Lake Bowl
Bryant-Lake BowlBryant-Lake Bowl
Bar, Eatery

810 W Lake St
Minneapolis, Minnesota, 55408-2846
United States

(612) 825-3737 | map
bryantlakebowl.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.18
Reviews:
27
Ratings:
46
pDev:
7.42%
View: Place Reviews
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Photo of LesDewitt4beer
Reviewed by LesDewitt4beer from Minnesota

4.16/5  rDev -0.5%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4 | food: 4
First time here was in 1992. Great atmosphere, well lit, small bar, tightly packed tables, very nice selection of quality beers on tap (roughly 20 currently), lots of local craft beers, 8 lanes of a fun bowling alley in the back and a music & theatre stage behind the bar. Very hip. Food is very good and their menu is wedged with delicious goods: breakfast, burgers, tacos, flatbreads, salads to name a few. Also order to go food. Street parking. Used to be a shop across the street from it called Lee's Shoes but the last S letter fell off the sign so now it reads Lee's Shoe. Dunno about it today...anyways, Bryant Ave/Lake St is a populated area teeming with pedestrian and bicycle traffic. About 100 yrs ago the building housed a Ford dealership. A high quality establishment doing good things. I recommend it.
Apr 30, 2023
 
Rated: 3.63 by slasich from Pennsylvania

May 16, 2020
 
Rated: 4.55 by U2Chaser from North Dakota

Oct 15, 2018
 
Rated: 4.22 by SlightlyGrey from Minnesota

Sep 10, 2018
 
Rated: 4.58 by nadiashebang from Minnesota

Jun 26, 2017
Photo of gatornation
Reviewed by gatornation from Arizona

4.07/5  rDev -2.6%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4
Been here half a dozen times in the last 6 years, and really should come here more often, i guess the parking and location prevent me from going so much. BLB always has some good pours sometimes they have stellar pours the service always has been very nice , have had many samples offered and good conversation with the barkeeps. Love the retro interior and mural the lanes in the rear are white noise and nice to see, this is always a place i remember when i was looking for something better on tap and they are still doing this now.
Oct 07, 2016
 
Rated: 4.48 by HopliteMpls612 from Minnesota

Mar 30, 2016
 
Rated: 4.25 by Josholson666 from Minnesota

Dec 09, 2015
 
Rated: 4.25 by jakemn91 from New Mexico

May 05, 2015
Photo of XmnwildX12
Reviewed by XmnwildX12 from Minnesota

4/5  rDev -4.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
One of the first craft bars that I visited, got to play some old school bowling with keeping score by hand. Had the Pad Thai that was very good and usually have great selection of beer and have been back for a few special releases.
Feb 23, 2015
 
Rated: 4.14 by Taybeh from Minnesota

Dec 27, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by TooGood from Minnesota

Nov 29, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by millelacsmark from Minnesota

Oct 19, 2014
Photo of pat61
Reviewed by pat61 from Minnesota

4.5/5  rDev +7.7%
This is an old 1940's bowling alley and the newest bowling balls probably date from the 1950s. Until 1993 when the current owner took over they served 3.2 beer and bar pizza. She recreated it with a bistro type kitchen not much bigger than a coat closet, a decent menu and a craft beer list. Their list has slipped over the past year but they still offer up a reasonable selection of local and regional craft beer on tap. Food is decent, atmosphere good.
Sep 15, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by Alpar from Wisconsin

Aug 03, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by jvf28 from Minnesota

Jul 12, 2014
 
Rated: 3.75 by mothman from Minnesota

Jun 28, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by Powderhornphil from Minnesota

Jun 11, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by benjamincarter from Minnesota

Jan 30, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by ddavison from Minnesota

Jan 25, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by mattmarka1 from Minnesota

Jan 19, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by Pug from Minnesota

Jan 18, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by Djsaturn1 from Minnesota

Oct 16, 2013
Photo of FightingEntropy
Reviewed by FightingEntropy from Minnesota

4.45/5  rDev +6.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5
According to my notes, 2002 was the last time I logged a beer at Bryant Lake Bowl. I think I've been there since--just no new beers on tap for me. My recollections of BLB walking in the door again was of an adequate tap list, memorable pad thai and a night of fun but frustrating bowling due to some lanes, though pitchers of Summit smoothed out the rough patches. Last night's Friday night gathering of Sibley friends was a revelation.

Finding a truly amazing beer for the first draft helped the night along: Bourbon Barrel Aged Bell's 9000. Boozy bourbon wafts above a dark ale with an original gravity of over 1.100. Big beer with a complex taste of wood, chocolate, vanilla and sweetness that's smooth, elegant and slightly overbalanced from the high alcohol. A real treat by itself, but it also happens to be the "batch" beer that I was missing. Before last night, I've been able to sample, 5000, 6000, 7000, 8000 and 10,000. Better to be lucky than good, I guess, but frequently good bars will tend to make one lucky as well.

The food is also fantastic. My wife had the mock duck rolls, which she reported as very good--good enough that I didn't get a sample. I did the pad thai with mock dock and my recall on this dish was spot on. Dan ordered medium compared to my hot, which Lori compared and said mine was significantly hotter, as expected; my bald head was sweating slightly, but it wasn't stupid spicey--just nicely at the limit. Plus, I had purposely ordered a double IPA, Bell's Hopsolution, to counterpoint with high hop: an excellent combination that I would love to repeat.

My wife was surprised at how loud it was sitting in the restaurant, but, evidently, she's always been there late at night or not on a Friday. With a full house and a waiting list for the bowling lanes, I was hoarse after our three hour dine and drink session with friends. Not an uncomfortable volume for our group of six and everyone could participate in the conversation, but it did take a bit of effort to speak.

For entertainment, in between the other drafts, I had a little beer you may have heard of...Surly Darkness. With a half a dozen additional beers that I would happily drink, Bryant Lake Bowl has seemingly upped its beer game. I saw on an RSS feed that BLB did have a Bell's event tapping earlier in the week, so maybe we picked a good night is all. But, I intend to test the theory in the near future and not wait so long to return to Bryant Lake Bowl.

http://pintsizedrevelations.blogspot.com/
Nov 21, 2012
Photo of DCC
Reviewed by DCC

2.95/5  rDev -29.4%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3 | service: 2 | selection: 4 | food: 3
I'll give them yet another shot, but it's happened a couple times that we've had a server who is so distracted and overcommitted that they can't keep our order straight. After getting a glass of wine when I asked for a beer, and didn't get the replacement for another ten minutes, we scratched our dinner this time and put it off til later. Similar things have happened on busy nights before, and a place like this should be pretty sure of when they're getting busy.

Good selection, and the bowling can be part of the mood or a distraction, depending on who you are. I'd like to see an update to the restaurant area sometime.
Sep 30, 2012
Photo of JoRado
Reviewed by JoRado from Minnesota

4.08/5  rDev -2.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
I love this place. I come here all the time for their beer selection and usually always find one or two things on their tap list that make me say, "Alright! I know what I'm getting!".

The food is good too, but I've never paid full price. I usually only order food when they have the happy hour specials. None the less nothing I haven't tried that I was disappointed with.

Great atmosphere too. They have a bowling alley if you want to bowl with some friends or just sit at some candlelit tables for some drinks and apps.

I have to say the waitstaff here isn't the greatest. The bartenders are great, but due to the waitstaff always seeming grumpy or mad for no reason, I've chosen to always just order from the bartender. I really don't understand why they are, and it isn't all the time, but definitely most of the time.

Overall I love this place and always grab a drink here when I can.
Feb 15, 2012
Photo of Greggy
Reviewed by Greggy from Minnesota

3.85/5  rDev -7.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5
Re-review on 2/9/2012

Atmosphere is a crowded little restaurant bar in the front of a divey bowling alley. This is a good thing! It's typically crowded. We stopped in on a Saturday night and were able to snag a little 2 top adjacent to the bar. There's a great uptown vibe at BLB. I like it!

The qaulity of BLB is good. The pints are well poured and the food option are always a-plenty. I would like to see Bryant Lake Bowl supporting more craft breweries. I would say 35-40% of tap offerings are local which isn't bad but I think they could go oven further.

Service can be hit or miss. Our server on our last visit was a space case. It took him a long time to get to us. He was knowledgeable of the beer list and food and got our drinks promptly. It took a while until he returned to take our order. We got the mock duck rolls (excellent) to split. I don't recall what my fiance got for an entree but I had the crab cakes on special. I think it was 12 bucks and was the most fantastic roasted potatoes I've ever had topped with 2 excellently done crab cakes, slaw and some type of spicy remoulade or coulis. What a bargain for an excellent dish! We didn't see or server much during the rest of the visit. Other servers popped in on us and got us waters and more beers. Overall, not a great server but the others servers seeing us in need shows that this isn't how the whole place runs.

Overall value is quite good. The food is great and affordable and the beer isn't expensive either. Definitely check this out if you haven't.
Feb 09, 2012
Photo of John_M
Reviewed by John_M from Washington

4.23/5  rDev +1.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4
I suppose if you're looking for an upscale beer and dining experience, this place might not be for you. However, I just loved the low key, laid back, welcome to the neighborhood vibe at Bryant Lake Bowl, and I'm sure I'd be a regular if I happened to live within 10 miles of the place.

From the outside, BLB doesn't look like much, just another funky looking cafe in a diner setting. It's more of the same inside, with a small, informal dining area and 10 seat bar to your left upon entering. In the back there's an actual bowling alley, and I love looking at the happy hour chalk board, which had special pricing for food, beer and bowling lines/games. BLB has the look of a place that has seen a few things in its time, which IMHO only adds to the cool, laid back ambiance to the place. I spent over two hours at the bar, and the time just seem to slip away, while I sat there with my book and kicked back with a beer or four.

As for the beer selection, there was something like 23 or 24 beers on tap (one cider), and the selection was more than a bit impressive. The Surly 5 had just kicked, but otherwise they had the helles and furious from Surly, as well as the oracle, all souls, clutch and Odell's lupulin (among other things). The bartender confirmed that the tap selection turns over and rotates frequently (what a surprise with this line-up).

Service was very good, with my bartender friendly and attentive. He didn't try to BS me with his beer knowledge, noting that he didn't know all that much about the beer on tap (but would be happy to pour me a sampler of anything I was curious about). On the other hand, it was readily apparent that the manager here (Laura) knew quite a bit about the beer selection, and so the bartender could fall back on her for any questions a patron might have (not that I had very many).

Didn't try the food here, but I was more than a bit tempted (but unfortunately, had a number of dining obligations I had to deal with already). Next time for sure...

This is a GREAT place, and is absolutely on my list of places I need to visit whenever I'm back in town.
Sep 17, 2011
Photo of Moon2Goddess
Reviewed by Moon2Goddess from Minnesota

4.28/5  rDev +2.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
I have been here for an acoustic set and recently went for the Goose Island Flight of Four. Convenient location on bus lines and in the general walking areas of uptown. Love the atmosphere, lively without being obnoxious, has an honest-earthy vibe to it. That the bathrooms are easy to spot and access doesn't hurt either! It is an older building with older fixtures and decor, but it works for a crowd who are more interested in their conversations and the company they keep than superficial crap. Very good food-healthy options that are organic, fresh and well prepared, nice menu. Their beer list is a respectable variety of local and sought after distributors, and it is exciting that they host release parties from time to time! Sat next to the reps from Goose Island who also passed out extra free stuff and gave me a few hints about what they are bringing to the Autumn Brew Review--SWEET! I will be watching their calender for upcoming events, cheers BLB!
Sep 04, 2011
Photo of jera1350
Reviewed by jera1350 from Minnesota

4.13/5  rDev -1.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
Finally made it to BLB for the first time during their Bell's Oberon release party. The place is quite small for the bar and seating areas, but spacious enough. The cool thing is that they have several lanes for bowling. Really a cool beer bar atmosphere with pins being cracked in the background. Kind of a 50's look and feel to the place which I dug. Service was friendly and pretty solid even though it was pretty busy. Our server knew her beers quite well in fact. Awesome tap list, with a really nice variety and a nod to many local brews which is great. Nice happy hour special that didn't include every beer, but a few choices. The food was good. Bar food turned up a notch. I would go back again for sure. Maybe even bowl a bit next time.

I have to give this place $$$ for value because of a second visit there. We ordered the nachos and added on some chicken, guac and sour cream. We get the final bill and each of those add ons were $3 each! $20 for a plate of nachos?! Sorry, but chicken for $3, no problem, but a tiny little ketchup cup of sour cream for $3? Uh, I don't think so. The food was good though, just pricey.
Mar 28, 2011
Photo of corcoranjc
Reviewed by corcoranjc from Minnesota

4.28/5  rDev +2.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 3.5
Timing is everything for me in regards to the Bryant Lake Bowl. I was there yesterday afternoon to try my first KBS, and it was perfect. Good music playing, bustling but not too crowded...I got a spot in their parking lot...just the right amount of sun coming through the windows and people talking quietly and reading in the bar. The bar btw is gorgeous...old, smooth wood. Very warm and inviting.

However, like I said, timing is everything, and I always avoid coming to the BLB on Friday and Saturday nights. It's just too busy and crowded during these times for me. Of course, most of uptown is too much for me to handle on the weekends.

I love that the place has bowling, a good bar, and decent food. Really nice, and really cool. Definitely check it out. Also, they are owned by the company/org that runs Barbette and The Red Stag (also both high quality places) and they participate in the 'cheap date night' activities....really great deals to be had on these nights if you can swing it.
Feb 04, 2011
Photo of kbutler1
Reviewed by kbutler1 from Minnesota

3.7/5  rDev -11.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 3.5 | food: 3.5
Bowling Alley/theater/bar all wrapped into one! What a cool concept. The are greeted as you walk in by tables and the bar off to your left. Nice open kithen. Further on is the bowling alley with about 6-8 lanes. No electronics here, you better know how to keep score!

Small draft selection but good offerings overall. They typically have several Bell's on and will also have some locals. Nothing too crazy. The bottle list is pretty good too but can be a little pricey.

Food is good but can be a little pricey. Decent breakfast as well. Fun place to go if you are in town and want to bowl and drink some craft beer.
Aug 24, 2010
Photo of blackdog1101
Reviewed by blackdog1101 from Minnesota

4.3/5  rDev +2.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
I went to the Bryant Lake Bowl for a couple hours tonight, first time there. What a hoot. I sat at the bar with a fellow whos wife was hosting the "Bowling for Boobs" event to raise money for breast cancer awareness. Very pleasant guy, great cause. Had several great beers on tap; Surly Abrasive Ale, Bells Oberon, Great Divide Hades, and Founder Breakfast Stout. They probably had 12 other raft beers on tap, and lots more in bottles. I really enjoyed the atmosphere of the place. Most highly recommended!
Apr 23, 2010
Photo of MPLS
Reviewed by MPLS from Minnesota

4.05/5  rDev -3.1%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
The atmosphere at the Bryant Lake Bowl (BLB) is typically lively, loud, and you can always hear the sound of bowling pins crashing down. This place is a staple for a lot of people in uptown and it can be a refreshing place to go to.

They craft beer selection is small, but hey they have craft beers on tap. I wouldn't say that they are extremely overpriced either. I noticed a few weeks ago an account for the BLB on BA pimping there stuff.

The food selection is good. I have primarily gone here for brunch on the weekends more so than in the evening hours. They have some good bloody marys...is that blasphemy on a beer site? As a conscious consumer I think it's great that they buy fresh, organic, and local ingredients.

The service like every damn place can change from time to time. Typically the servers are top notch, but the bartenders suffer from some kind of pretentiousness common to uptown.
Feb 09, 2010
Photo of Mistofminn
Reviewed by Mistofminn from Minnesota

4.1/5  rDev -1.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
I stopped here for a friends 21st birthday a while back and a couple times since.

Atmosphere is great. Beer and bowling, doesn't get much better than that does it?

Quality is good too. Old school feel with friendly people and a great location. Walking distance from most other Uptown attractions.

Serive is good, but it can get rather busy on weekend nights. I've had to wait for a server and wait for lanes to open up on a couple occasions, but that just means that this place is doing well for itself.

The selection surprises me. I never expected to see Bell's, Minnesota locals and even some Belgians on the beer list.

Food is surprisingly good. We split some apps and my friend got a very tasty grilled cheese (with tomato and garlic) free for his birthday that we all shared. Prices are very reasonable.

A pretty cool place, but I wouldn't come here for just the beer, as bowling is and always will be the main attraction for me.
Dec 28, 2009
Photo of KarlHungus
Reviewed by KarlHungus from Minnesota

4.13/5  rDev -1.2%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4
Bryant Lake Bowl combines a two of my favorite things, bowling and good beer. The lanes suck and the house balls are even worse, but the vibe of an old school bowling alley more than makes up for it. The beer selection is very solid. Mostly American micros with some rare beers usually thrown in, and some interesting imports including some nice Belgians ales. Service has been good every time I've stopped in. The staff doesn't seem to know everything about beer, but they know enough about what is on tap to answer most reasonable questions. Overall, BLB is a great place to waste away an afternoon.
Jan 10, 2009
Photo of tempest
Reviewed by tempest from New York

3.86/5  rDev -7.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5
Stopped by with a friend after happy hour at the Herkimer, a block or so away. This is the sort of place you love to see in Uptown, a little dark, hip (but not intimidating), and full of personality. We sat at the bar with the bowling to our right and big windows to the left.

The bartenders were friendly and happily offered their take on the taps. My only qualm with the bar was that I thought my pint of Rogue was a touch steep at $6. The selection was small, but interesting enough to know these guys meant business.

A cool place to check out, I think next time I might try to stop by during happy hour because I'm cheap like that.
Jun 06, 2007
Photo of Chaz
Reviewed by Chaz from Minnesota

4.1/5  rDev -1.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4
I've been visiting the Bryant Lake Bowl for many years, and for a short while I considered it to be my local. As far as atmosphere is concerned, the 'BLB' has it in spades, and herein lies a conundrum integral to its reson d 'etre. Sure it's a bowling alley from another era, complete with the sort of retro-chic charm that drives hipsters to distraction, but it's also a theater / performance space, bar ad cafe. Some might consider the mere concept of such a venue to be arty and pretentious, but it literally comes with the territory. Also, an establishment as ambitious as the BLB will inevitably (although no intentionally) spread its charm too thin, but while it sometimes fails, its collective strengths are far more appealing than the sum of its individual shortcomings. The place claims a fairly small footprint, whether in terms of a dining venue, bowling lane, or theater, and to that end it is rather heavily trafficked, inducing a good amount of distraction on the part of its waitstaff. Given the amount of distraction said staff face they do a great job and maintain a commendably cheerful disposition. And when it comes down to it, I've always felt that both the owner and the staff do an admirable job of walking that fine line between retro-hip and post-modern kitsch that such a place exudes. To this end all are welcome and made to feel equally welcome - this ain't just a hipster's hangout. The menu could best be described as unpretentious pub grub meets New American cuisine, and while some might read a degree of pretention into that last category, in this town, especially in the past decade or so, this has been par for the course. Food itself is above average-to-good, with prices as close to inexpensive as you can get without rejoicing in the cheapskate-glory that is a classic dive bar menu (e.g. 75 cent Old Style and $1.50 chili dogs. Beverage selection has always been a strong suit at the BLB, especially given the fact that the beer list has always maintained a degree of precedence over the wine list. This isn't to say that the wine list is a slouch as such, but with a more traditional wine bar to her credit, BLB's owner Kim Bartman seemed content to allow the 'beer bar' aspect of the BLB to blossom. Tap and bottled beers are listed on a blackboard on a wall straight ahead and to your right, just after entering. The bar itself -to your left upon entry- is not so much small as it is busy: this place has an active, thirsty clientele! In the past, I've noticed that the bar tends to posess some unheralded jewels amongst the beers available on hand, and knowing that I'd say you'd be doing yourself a favor in asking the bartender if there are any rare or otherwise unlisted items. In terms of selection, there are 20 taps to choose from, and these frequently feature seasonal craft offerings from Anchor, Bell's, and Victory, as well as locals like Summit and Surly. Belgian beers of every stripe turn up as well, and sell-through with increasing rapidity. Overall, the staff (and particularly longtime bartender Dan Hadley) are up on their beers, so should you feel any hesitation in trying something new, look no further for your recomendations. Definitely worth a visit whenever you have the opportunity, and also makes for a great 'local' watering hole!
Feb 07, 2007
Photo of MeLikeBeer
Reviewed by MeLikeBeer from Minnesota

4.13/5  rDev -1.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4
Bryant Lake Bowl is the kinda place you want to bring friends to when they come from out of town. Located on Lake St, in the Lyn-Lake neighboorhood, it might as well be located in the 1950's. The building itself houses a theater, a bar/dining area and a bowling alley. We stopped in just after happy hour (I know...bummer) on a Friday for some food and had no trouble finding a place to sit.
Parking could be an issue...I live in the area, so walking is a great option- if you're looking for a ramp there is one available about 2 blocks West on Lake St.
We were greeted promptly and given our menus. BLB now offers many meals/dishes prepared with organically grown meat, and also vegetarian options...this in no way detracts from the flavor- the burger I ordered was juicy and fantastic!
On to the beers- the selection is amazing. They have around 20 taps, offering everything from Belgiums (Delirium Tremens) to locals (Surly Furious). They have some Rogue and Victory on tap, as well Bells, Anchor and many other notables, but the best part about it was the staff- everyone seemed to be knowledgable about the beers...asking my opinion of the Furious, offering suggestions to my table-mates, and overall- knowing their beer. A+ in that department. They also have a chalkboard with up-to-date listings of what's on available on tap and what style it is...very nice.
Prices were reasonable and they have a happy hour M-F with discounted taps. A must-stop in the uptown area!
May 27, 2006
Photo of TastyTaste
Reviewed by TastyTaste from Minnesota

4.2/5  rDev +0.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5
Kind of a hole in the wall place, right on Lake Street, so it's fairly easy to find. Visited on a Sunday night, a fairly small bar, not too much seating, but an awesome selection of beer. There is maybe 20 tables, with a bowling area in back. Quite a few taps that you won't see many other places in the metro area, including Rogue, Sierra Nevada, regionals, micros, several Belgians. I did not have time to try the food, but I glanced at a menu and it looked reasonable. A small, yet friendly looking place, I wish I could have spent more time here.
Feb 20, 2006
Bryant-Lake Bowl in Minneapolis, MN
Place rating: 4.18 out of 5 with 46 ratings