Hollywood Bowl Finchley — Attraction in London

Our recent visit to Hollywood Bowling in Finchley was an absolute delight for the entire family. From the moment we walked in, the vibrant atmosphere set the stage for a fun-filled afternoon. The venue was bustling with energy, yet it was well-organized and clean, making it easy to navigate even with kids in tow.

Upon arrival, we were warmly greeted by the staff, who were incredibly accommodating and friendly. They quickly set us up with our lane and provided lightweight bowling balls and shoes for the kids, ensuring they were comfortable and ready to play. The automated scoring system was user-friendly, which was a big plus for us as it kept the game flowing smoothly without any hitches.

The bowling lanes were well-maintained, and the bumpers and ramps available for the kids were a fantastic addition, allowing them to fully participate and enjoy the game without the frustration of frequent gutter balls. Our children had a blast trying to knock down the pins, and the excitement on their faces with each strike or spare was priceless.

One of the highlights for the kids was the colorful, themed decor and the glow-in-the-dark elements that added an extra layer of fun. The upbeat music playing in the background kept the energy levels high and added to the overall lively ambiance. Between games, we explored the arcade area, which was packed with a variety of games suitable for all ages. The kids enjoyed the arcade games just as much as the bowling, if not more!

We took a break halfway through our session to grab some snacks from the concession stand. The food options were diverse, ranging from classic bowling alley fare like hot dogs and nachos to healthier choices like salads. Everything we ordered was fresh and tasty, and the kids particularly loved the milkshakes and popcorn.

The staff continued to impress us with their attentiveness and willingness to help. Whether it was adjusting the lane settings for the kids or quickly bringing extra napkins and straws, their service was impeccable and contributed greatly to our positive experience.

In addition to the great facilities and excellent service, the pricing was reasonable, especially considering the quality of the experience. We opted for one of their family packages, which included game time, shoe rentals, and some arcade tokens—a great value for a comprehensive family outing.

Overall, Hollywood Bowling exceeded our expectations in every way. It provided a safe, fun, and engaging environment where our children could enjoy themselves and we could relax and join in the fun. This visit turned out to be one of the best family outings we've had in a long time, and we are already planning our next trip back. If you're looking for a fantastic place to spend quality time with your family, Hollywood Bowling is definitely the...

I’m giving 1 star ad the Manager was very reasonable and agreed to refund us our full amount.

we arrived for our bowling session and queued for 20mins (lack of staff) we were then told which lane to go to, I specifically asked that we will get our full time on the lane after the 20 min delay, I was ensured we would.

We then went to the lane set up the 6 names and began to play. 4 were adults and 2 children, for the first 3 round every time the barriers were set to go up for the kids, we had to call for assistance as they did not go up (waiting about 5mins each time for someone to come and help) further delaying our game. In the end I myself was putting the barrier up each round due to the faulty lanes!

around 50 minutes later our game suddenly ended with no warning, we went to the desk and asked why they said our time had ended and they had actually given us extra time. They had not. An extra 10 minutes were given if we were able to go to our lane on time, however after being robbed 20 minutes due to there clues out game had actually ended 10 minutes early, leaving a 9 year old boy (who was winning for the first ever time very disappointed), we were offered vouchers to return at a different time, which we did not want after this terrible experience, and the fact that it was visiting family from the south coast, can’t exactly ‘pop back’. We were then told the children can finish two round, not of our game as that had already been wiped from there clearly awful system! The kids could play two rounds of a new game. We had paid for 6 people to play, so we said no as the kids wanted to finish the game they were already playing! At this point the ride member of staff told us ‘don’t you want to put you kids first’ as if we don’t know what is best for our own kids. She repeatedly told us they ‘don’t do refunds’ we asked to see a manager. A man came over, we asked are you the manager he responded ‘no’ so we asked again to see the manager. Eventually we found the manager ourselves and he immediately told us we can have a full refund.

Another issues, the toilets were disgusting!! We tried to order drinks on the online system, most things were ‘out of stock’ when I went over to ask why nothing is available they said the online system is just wrong. This further delayed our game as we had to wait for our drinks (milkshakes for the kids) to be made rather than the usual service where they bring drinks to your lane!

I would...

Customer service was awful. After paying and booking on the phone for 3pm booking at 21£, we were asked to pay again upon arrival. We showed the receipt for our payment and we noticed that we were overcharged as the person put an evening price rather than the daytime price. Usually, any other company would take it into their own hands and offer to pay back the difference. We would have even accepted a voucher to buy some snacks at the least.

Not Finchley.

One manager lied and told us that in fact it was the right price (ultimately not true since we saw it was put in as an 8pm booking at 28£), and another manager offered to give us a refund in 2-3 business days which he did not do (thanks Manager Mike!!!! 😡). Ridiculous.

We called a week later to ask where the refund was and they did not even know about it which means obviously Mike didn't follow up! I had a feeling he wouldn't, so I asked for his contact details which he didn't give us. He told us to call a generic customer service number, which is fair, but the company should think about having some branch extension numbers, since I would like to give Mike a peice of my mind. 🙄

Finally, when we called a week later the phone center guy went through the phone calls and history and eventually refunded us about 2 weeks after the incident (we were correct in the end!) The process for reimbursement for THEIR mistake was unacceptable for an established company and the management is not serious at Finchley. We would have even accepted a voucher for food but even that wasn't offered. It took about 1 hour to fix the entire mixup with various bored and uninterested management staff. I was so annoyed that I couldn't even enjoy the bowling. I would give 0 stars if I could honestly but have to give 1 to do the review. I will not be going back and will not be recommending. Better training and better management needed to run your...