THE ALLEY BOWLING & BBQ — Restaurant in Orleans

We went for the food, not the atmosphere, and we weren't disappointed. Being a Southern style cook, I decided before we went that their Fried Green Tomatoes were going to be the first test. I make them and am pretty dang critical of FGT's that some restaurants put out. It's rare to even find one that does, much less good ones. I placed an order for an appetizer. Wow! I was blown away that The Alley"s FGT's came out hot from the kitchen with a perfectly crunchy, not too thick breading and the green tomato underneath was firm not mushy. Alright! We may be on to something here. We moved on to our dinner order; the ribs and brisket combo plate with choice of two sides. Had to go with the collards and the corn pudding. Have I died and gone South for the winter? Sure tasted like it on this cold November night. The ribs and brisket were both tender, smoky and flavorful and, thankfully, weren't served doused in barbecue sauce. I hate that. Give me the meat. Hold the ketchup. Their collards are sauteed so they're not boiled to death (a Southern thang), and they are seasoned with bacon. Enough said! The corn pudding...oh my! Can you say DELICIOUS?

The only criticism I have of the entire meal is of the cloyingly sweet honey chipotle sauce served along side the Fried Green Tomatoes. My personal preference is the tomatoes straight up. Don't need sauce. However, I did fix up the honey chipotle sauce by adding a couple of squirts of their vinegar barbecue sauce that was on the table. Balanced out the sweetness and I actually lightly dipped a couple bites of the FGT into the altered sauce. Not bad. Oh, and the presentation of the tomatoes is a little lackluster. They look a bit pale and unappealing on a cream/white plate without a garnish of parsley or something. They deserve an exciting splash of color because they are excitingly good!

We arrived at 4:00 p.m. just as they opened for the night. It took longer than it should have for menus to be brought to us. (I was about to go ask. Don't know why we didn't get them when they seated us). But this is minor because after that, service was pretty attentive, it was a busy Friday and we didn't see any staff just standing around.

Don't go expecting a romantic dining atmosphere. It's a bowling alley! It can get a bit loud of course. But relax and have some iced tea, a cold beer or a cocktail (the bartender looked like he knew what he was doing, so I'm ordering one next time if he's tending) and enjoy the great food and folks having a good time out and about. Next on my list to try...Fried Chicken and Waffles. Or Sausage Gravy and Biscuit. Maybe both!

1/6/23 - Returned tonight for dinner and were not disappointed. Had to have the Fried Green Tomatoes again. Just as good as the first time. Tried the Fried Chicken this time. Boneless thighs are house breaded and fried to juicy, crispy perfection. These could become a delicious addiction. The sides of collards and brussels sprouts were hot and seasoned well. We sat at the bar this time because we noticed on our last visit that the bartender looked like he knew his business. Definitely! I enjoyed a Mai Tai that actually tasted like it should instead of fruit punch, as is often the case.

Going back soon for chicken and waffles.

4/5/24 Took friends with us tonight. As usual, everything was delicious: fried chicken, brisket, smoked pulled pork, corn pudding, fried green tomatoes, collards. Our friends were impressed to get such good food at a bowling alley. Portions are large, prices are fair, especially in today's economy. Will be returning...

We stopped in with family members to bowl a game as they had never experienced candlepin bowling before. We enjoyed the bowling but it took forever to order drinks at our lane. When they finally arrived we were almost done bowling so we took them to our table for dinner. The inside dining area was nicely decorated and pleasantly quiet. The new outside patio area with fire pits looked amazing. It's nice to see the much needed updates that they have made to the place. As far as dinner goes... The food was simply delicious. We enjoyed a variety of selections from the fried pickles, cheese burger, BBQ BLT, brisket sandwich and a pulled pork sandwich. The portions were filling. The service was horrible. It took some time to get the appetizer, we had to go to the bar to get a few waters as there was no staff to be found. Our meals came out a few at a time. Trying to follow proper etiquette we were waiting for all meals to be served before digging in, which ended up with a few being cold by the time they all arrived. It's unfortunate and we do understand that it was busy and finding good help on the Cape during the summer months is hard but customer service is key in the industry. We will return in the fall when it...

They just can't handle the influx of traffic on a rainy day. There is only ONE front desk employee that handles shoes, checking in, giving out arcade "prizes" and answering phones - he was insanely overworked. There was a line out the door and only the first 2 families in line could get a lane before they started holding lanes for reservations as those of us waiting were left to watch as lanes sat empty for 15-30 minutes as people took their sweet time getting down there. Arcade was laughable with about half the machines functioning properly. You can imagine how dozens of kids waiting an hour to bowl feel when they think they can pass the time in an arcade but then find out even that isn't good. Food was solid and beer was underwhelming. I'd love to give this place another shot when it's not packed but...