Revel and Roll West
4500 Stadium DriveL has been asking for quite a while to go bowling sometime and we always say, “We will soon.” Soon never really comes though as no one thinks about bowling when we’re trying to decide what to do for the day.
This past weekend, J wanted to get out of the house again. L and I had done Allegan Event on Saturday while B and J went to the McDonalds play area. Everyone was finally getting over their sickness so we were trying to make up for lost time on Christmas break.
J suggested we go bowling.
We picked Revel and Roll West because J had some free tokens for arcade game play. L has been begging to bowl and B was really intrigued by the “rolling ball game,” so we figured we could make an afternoon out of it. Bowling, arcade games, and lunch.
Revel and Roll West is on Stadium Drive in the University Commons shopping plaza. The building used to to be Pinz but about a year and a half ago, became more than a bowling alley as the new owners introduced a restaurant, an arcade, and laser tag to space.
We have actually been to Revel and Roll once before…well, actually, to the restaurant side of the business, Legends at Revel and Roll West. We didn’t bowl that day but we did look around and really enjoyed the lunch. That influenced our decision to come back to bowl.
The building underwent a pretty major renovation when ownership changed hands. Pinz was always fine but it was kind of a typical dark, dank bowling alley. It was clean but it just wasn’t very cheery.
The improvements are noticeable right when you walk in the door. The Pinz bar used to be right in the middle of a large open room and there wasn’t much between it and the door. Revel and Roll has very much improved this area by putting the bar along the wall and adding tables and seating to the space giving the bar it’s own distinct space separate from the restaurant.
The counter for the bowling lanes are just past this area. There was one guy working to get everyone in a lane and get them shoes. They have a pretty good deal on weekends where you get a lane for an hour for four people plus shoes and a half plus $40 in arcade game play for $50. We should have done that but we just got a lane for an hour and shoes for a little over $30.
We got there just before the rush and got put into a lane by ourselves. The lanes are much brighter than I remember Pinz being and they have a couple of projection TV’s hitting the wall. The Lions game was on while we were there but I’m pretty sure no one was actually watching it.
Like most bowling alleys nowadays, scoring is done electronically. There’s a touchscreen near the ball return to put in names and selfies and other sorts of wacky things.
The actual scoring is shown on monitors hanging above the lanes.
As well as on the touchscreen monitor.
When we got settled in, we noticed a waitress in the lane next to us so J asked her to come over when she got a chance. Menus were already sitting on table in our lane so we had already been deciding on what we wanted.
I started with a Two Hearted Ale because bowling and beer just go together.
I actually passed on a burger this time because the Cuban sandwich really sounded good at that moment. The sandwich is slow roasted pork, Swiss cheese, ham, pickles, and mustard on an “artisan roll.” The sandwich was delicious. The bread may have been the best part but it was just stuffed with two different kinds of pork and a spicy mustard. The sandwich came with deliciously brown and crispy steak fries.
J’s pick for lunch was the Bacon Guacamole Grilled Cheese sandwich. She was still raving about this thing three days later. It’s sourdough bread with guacamole, bacon, tortilla chips (yes, in the sandwich), and cheddar and pepperjack cheeses. It’s an understatement to say she really liked this sandwich. The part she kept telling everyone about was the tortilla chips. She said it was such a surprising addition but one that made the sandwich really tasty. Her sandwich also came with the steak fries.
The kids menu has quite a few options and each one of the kids chose something different.
L picked the Mac & Cheese. The small bowl of cavatappi noodles is covered in a rich, creamy cheese sauce and topped with bread crumbs. For some unknown reason, L doesn’t like cavatappi noodles apparently. She took a couple of bites and complained about them so we took most of it home and I ate the leftovers for dinner. I don’t get it though. I thought it was really good. Nice rich, creamy sauce and big noodles that clung to the cheese. Her meal came with choice of side and she chose fries.
B chose the Grilled Cheese. It’s a double decker sandwich with American cheese. He did a really good job and ate 3/4 of the sandwich leaving pretty much only the crust. He also chose fries for his side and ate most of them as well.
When we got to our lane, there was a large pub table right behind us that would have made a good place for us to eat since we got our food with only about ten minutes left on our lane time. 
Unfortunately, someone else had claimed the table by that time so we were left to eat off the small coffee table-like table in the lane. It worked find for the kids. They actually just sat on the floor and ate like they do at home on the ottoman. The quadrants of the table slide apart so it could be pulled over to the bench but I just picked my plate up and ate that way in between turns.
The bill for our food was a little over $40 and we just paid at the bar when we were done. J went to grab a box for L’s food as well since we were taking most of that home.
Once we finished bowling (J won with a 117….that’s how bad we are…and we had bumpers), we headed over to the arcade.
The video game area is pretty standard to a place like this. They have a bunch of games were you earn tickets and get small prizes at the end.
The kids combined got about a 175 tickets so they got a bunch of small trinkets. Some candy, some plastic toys that will break in a day or two…those kinds of things.
Revel and Roll West is a pretty great entertainment experience. There’s a lot to do and the food is well above what you’d typically get at a bar or a bowling alley. I’ve never been much of a bowler..I’m lucky when I break 100 but the kids had a lot of fun and we got a good meal out of it so I’d consider the day a success.
SW Michigan Dining 