King Pin (La Bowl (Ryde, Isle of Wight))

Member Name: JJJJ

Product:	La Bowl (Ryde, Isle of Wight)
Date:	11/02/09 (358 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Fairly Cheap Bar

Disadvantages: Too rowdy for families when football is shown

I didn't suggest L.A Bowl (my guess it was 'adambrown43'), but seeing as it's only around 100 yards from my house, I thought I had better review it!

Located on Ryde Esplanade in the Isle of Wight, L.A Bowl is housed in the old pavilion building - a grand construction dating back to 1926. It was apparently made from the same mould as the Pavilion on the Isle of Bute, which was built two years earlier. In 1991 there was a controversial plan to knock the building down, and although the interior was removed, L.A Bowl stepped in to convert it to an entertainment facility. The back of the premises are literally a few yards away from the sea wall, and as such, the location offers decent views across The Solent.

Inside, the large open plan ground floor features twenty-two bowling lanes, a licensed bar which serves food, various arcade games, and a pool table. The bar serves reasonably priced drinks, and at most times is fairly quiet - that said, the premises do show live sporting events, and when an England football match is broadcast, the venue is completely packed and the atmosphere can be quite aggressive. The food is cheap and cheerful - baked potatoes and sandwiches etc -it's not a bad quality, but nothing special.

The general look of the interior decor is pleasant enough - although it doesn't seem to have changed at all from the day it opened. The bowling lanes themselves are in a good condition and staff are usually at hand in order to sort out any technical bowling problems which may occur.

Above L.A Bowl is 'The Balcony' nightclub, a place I used to visit regularly, but haven't been in there for a year or so. To be honest it seems to be a place which attracts Ryde's chav population, who flock to the building like it's a huge chav magnet (a 'chagnet'...).

L.A Bowl is the only place to go ten pin bowling in Ryde, and as such, keen bowlers don't have much of a choice if they fancy a game. The venue is a fairly pleasant place to be, and as long as you go at a quiet time, you can have a decent time there.

Summary: Ryde's Only Bowl venue