Kraken Kourts & Skates | Bryant Street NE — Attraction in Washington

I usually do not write reviews, but I have attempted to contact Kraken multiple times and as the other reviews state, it is virtually impossible. We hosted our daughter's skate party at Kraken (Bryant Street) and (in alignment with other reviews) it was the most unsatisfactory service we have ever experienced when hosting a birthday party for the following reasons:

There was a lack of knowledge and communication between Kraken employees and the customer A) Our experience was as follows: Upon arrival, we checked in and it took about 10 minutes (or longer) for our reservation to be located. Upon locating the reservation, I posed questions about the party package (for example, I asked the employee, who also served as our party host, to confirm how many pizzas were included in the party package and if we could order an additional pizza and bowl of chips). While the employee answered the questions to the best of her abilities, she was not abreast of the offerings (specifically the bowl of chips) of the new party packages. She offered us a cabana (due to the prolonged check-in and mix ups), but I told her the cabana was included in the party package. She directed us to choose one of two cabanas, both of which were filled with people's personal belongings, so we had to choose a different cabana. The employee had no idea the personal belongings were there because she was not put in a position to be able to host, due to the lack of available help at the venue. If she were in a position to actually host, she would have been able to ensure the cabana was ready to receive us.

The customer service at Kraken, when hosting a party, was below sub-par. B) During check in, I requested skates for my daughter, who was celebrating her birthday. Again, due to the lack of available help, the employee who was supposed to be serving as our party host, was unable to accommodate us until approximately forty minutes after the original request (which was infringing on our party time and problematic). I explained to the employee that our official party time had began and not only did the guest of honor not have skates, but that invited guest did not have 30 minutes to wait for skates. We were only accommodated because an additional employee walked up and was able to assist.

My husband and I ultimately served as the "party host." We had to track down employees to: make sure our guest secured skates, request juice boxes (as we were originally told this was not part of our package, which it was), request utensils, make sure the additional food was on the way, etc,.

C) The pizzas came out on time, but upon arrival there was pizza sauce and grease on the plates and napkins that were left to serve with. This was unacceptable. Thankfully, we brought our own plates and napkins and did not have to rely on the venue.

D) About thirty minutes after receiving the pizzas, we realized we had not received the bowl of chips that were part of the party package, so I requested the chips. The chips did not arrive until over an hour later, in which the party was over. This was COMPLETELY unacceptable.

E) We did not receive a future skate pass, per the party package.

F) There were approximately six available skate assist for approximately 20-25 children that were skating (please note, all of the children skating were not with our party). This created an unpleasant situation, as kids who are not well versed in skating missed valuable time on the rink, due to their inability to secure a skate assist.

There is an expectation of service when booking an event, especially when payment is due in full, up front and includes gratuity. The bare minimum of services, which were outlined in the party package, were not met during our...

We rented a skate cabana for my niece's graduation celebration. It's a good amount of space for the price. Rentals aren't included with the party package which feels like an inconvenient oversight. The pizza was pretty tasty and fed most of our 9 person group. The seats in the cabana are very low and slip and slide. The tables aren't the best for resting drinks on because of the faux wicker material. One of the chairs broke while my nephew was sitting in it. The package is supposed to come with a bottle of champagne but we got 4 small bottles and were told they didn't have cups. My wife spoke to a manager who got some cups for us. All in all the price of the party package isn't bad.

The snacks are pretty limited. They don't have any hot food, so you don't get the full roller rink experience. Their menu has a lot of options but most of the items are listed as "sold out". I wish they had candy, hot dogs, ice cream and other traditional roller rink snacks. The bar isn't a full bar. I'm not sure if that will change with time but I'd hope so. They do have premixed canned cocktails and beer.

The space for skating is larger than it looks. However, skates are only allowed on the skate floor and a small area where you can put on your skates. You can't go to the bathroom or snack bar with skates on which is annoying. The restrooms are also in the farthest corner from the skate area. I wish they would have taken more care with the skate floor. It has a lot of bumps and lumps. Part of a couple tiles came up during the time I was there. It doesn't make for a smooth skating experience.

The associates were friendly. Our server didn't seem to get our requests through the ordering system but would get us what we needed when asked.

The music was a fun mix. HOWEVER! They play full unedited versions of songs. I didn't notice but my little niece did. She actually put on headphones while skating. It was 7:30 and we heard full F bombs and WORSE. If It was the 9pm 21+ time I'd understand. There were toddlers there. It was incredibly inappropriate. Definitely would not recommend having a kids party here unless that is addressed.

Overall, it's a great idea but the execution could use some tweaks. I hope to go try pickle ball eventually. If I go back I'll...

Came for pickleball on a rainy Thursday evening. Signed up for drop-in, wasn’t sure what to expect. The pickleball courts were full of players between reserved courts, Volo organized games, and drop in play. The layout and offerings of the facility make for a good time.

I’m no expert in pickleball equipment or the floor construction but the surface and quality overall seemed quite high. They are certainly in need of more barriers between courts, you will constantly have balls flying into other courts. The ceiling is also too low, the balls are often striking the ceiling.

Not sure how often it gets crowded where every court is in use but the main issue for me and me small group who attended drop in play was that it was fairly disorganized. There were no signs defining open play versus reserved courts, no paddle stacks or other ways to define who was next up. Players were frequently sneaking into available courts just to be kicked off a few minutes later because the court was reserved and those people with the reservation had returned. This was extra challenging for the beginner open-play court as most of these players did not know the typical way to handle the open-play arrangement. I think the space would benefit from doing away with skill separated open play in different parts of the facility. With all open play players in one pool, in a clearly designated portion of the facility with a few courts to share, would help newer players get introduced to the format without the confusion of which courts have what and if it’s even allowed for players to go to a different court space, while also helping more experienced players of similar skill match up to play together.

Ultimately I think the space is ideal for groups that want to reserve their own space, have some drinks and casual games, or groups that’s plan to play pickleball and another activity offered there (darts, ping pong, roller skating).

More serious players who are focused only on the quality of pickleball play will likely be frustrated by the aspects of the facility I mentioned, though indoor playing space is hard to find I’d likely return if I was again looking for indoor play...