Back Alley Bowl & Grill - Bishop (CA)

5 /5 Brutally Honest Reviews: This place had a great feeling to it. Friendly locals and incredible food. The bar and our table were connected to the bowling lanes themselves. We enjoyed the excellent music (GNR) and watching the kids have a great time while we had some drinks. The prime rib was cooked perfectly. The curly fry things were beyond tasty, and the beer was ice cold. This just replaced the Roadhouse as our new stop when we come through town.

4 /5 Mick Dunn: Word of mouth got us to Back Alley Bowl & Grill in Bishop, and for good reason. I’ve had pizza in a bowling alley before, but never steak. The aesthetics of having steak in a bowling alley was rather different and surprisingly fun. We were there on a day when not much was going on except for at the lanes. The food was very good. Our steaks were cooked perfectly. I had the 12 oz. Ribeye with mixed veggies, and she had the 10 oz. Flat Iron with mushrooms and baked potato. Service was quite good even if not very attentive. Now you have word of mouth to get you in here. Very much recommended.

5 /5 Richard Philbin jr: The food here was a nice surprise. I’m staying at the Wayfinder next door so it’s a short walk. I read reviews before heading over, people complained about the noisy bowling alley. I want early in the evening so it wasn’t too bad. I didn’t even notice the bowling from where I sat in the restaurant. I had the Ribeye with seasonal vegetables and a salad. The steak was cooked and salted perfectly. It was tender and flavorful. The service was excellent. Jenah was my waitress, she was attentive and the food came quickly. If you’re looking to have a steak be sure to check the dinner service times. I waited till after 4pm so I could have the steak. I come to Bishop a few times a month and will definitely come back to Back Alley.

4 /5 Gelin Cara Tuliao: When told that we had to go to a bowling alley in Bishop for a good steak, of course, we were hesitant. But its not bad at all! Food - Pretty decent! You wouldnt think that a bowling alley, of all places would have this good of food, but this place does! Their top sirloin was cooked perfectly to my perfection, but my partners steak was a bit overcooked. The sides, especially the veggies, did seem lackluster, but still okay. Service - Very nice waitress. She checked in an appropriate amount of times and was very friendly. No complaints! Ambiance - Its a small-town bowling alley. Dont expect luxury, but its also not grimey. We came in on a Friday night so we saw the typical groups youd see: group of teenagers coming in to celebrate a birthday, elderly locals enjoying their meals, couples who seemed like on a date, families having a fun time. Great spot and a place in Bishop to check out at least once.

3 /5 Michelle Lujan: My fiance and I spent our first date here, and we used to return often until a bad interaction with a waitress. The food is always good, amazing steak! Prices can be high but thats more the fault of a poorly run state with high inflation; we understand they need to stay in business and the food is good. It is unfortunate that one negative staff member can really deter customers for the long term. This happened when the rodeo was visiting town, so it was busy, which probably contributed to the attitude. I honestly dont remember her name. The waitress came up, and she was offended when my fiance blurted out his drink order while bouncing in his seat. We smiled at her and apologized if it was rude, it was really meant to be goofy. "Actually, that WAS rude," she said, and proceeded to tell us how we ruined her chance at an introduction. My fiance was apologetic and felt bad about it for the rest of the night, while this waitress sent other workers to bring our meals and swiftly walked by to slam refills on the table. By the end of the night, she had softened a little, and we even left a large tip out of pity because we saw how busy it was and assumed she must not have had a proper break. But looking back, I think apologizing to her was a mistake. The younger generation runs off wokeness and offense and apologizing for harmless behavior empowers them. Months have passed, and Ive suggested trying to return to the restaurant when we go out to eat, and we always end up saying its not worth trying and go somewhere else. Hopefully shes been corrected or maybe moved on.