The Back Alley

Excellent meal, great price without all the froufrou. Exceptional service as well. Prime rib was a generous cut for the price and prepared really well. Give them a try! I highly recommend this restaurant.

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.

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.

Datong Sun

This place is great! Our server Wendi was very nice, quick and made good recommendations. The food was delicious, we would come back again.

Stephanie

Small bowling place with modern screens. We got two hours of play and lots of fun. The staff was friendly and helpful when we had questions. They also have a bar and food. I got the beyond veggie burger and got full. Fries have to be added as extra FYI

Loretta St Martin

Wow this place has moved up a notch! Went for lunch and was surprised by all the changes. Great food as usual with much more seating available. Wonderful service as well!

Eric S

Bowling alley with lowkey the best burger in the eastern sierras. Literally the best burger I’ve ever eaten. Ratios of bun to meat to condiments to sauce = perfection Apparently it’s where the locals eat, that’s how you know. Plenty of outdoor seating for COVID times and heaters / fire for every table. Amazing food and full bar with local beers on draft. Great service. Truly a hidden gem in Bishop .

Athina Teicher

When you first hear of going to a bowling alley for food, you don’t think it will be very good or impressive. Back Alley is not your typical bowling alley cuisine! It is absolutely phenomenal! 3 locals recommended it to us and we were very skeptical, but we figured “3 locals can’t all be wrong”. The restaurant is newly renovated, clean, and has one of the coolest murals on the back wall (see picture). The food selection is premier and fresh! Good selection with daily specials. The service was impeccable! Tony was amazing—so attentive and kind. We were here for 3 days and this the number 1 restaurant of our long weekend in Bishop, California.

Robert Wilson

This place changes my perspective of where I can find some good food. Swordfish, lobster, prime rib, steak, burgers and some great appetizers. I ordered the swordfish and was blown away by the flavor. It was prepared perfectly. Very large portion sizes too. We ate lobster and swordfish while bowling. One hell of a date night. Will 100% return next time we are in town.

Rib eye steak was very good. Perfectly cooked and good, tender, big quality meat! Efficient and friendly service. Good onion rings, too!

Nice atmosphere, good vibe, and good food. Best steak I have had at a bowling alley!

Teri Sullivan

Rib eye steak was very good. Perfectly cooked and good, tender, big quality meat! Efficient and friendly service. Good onion rings, too!

C. M

My son and I went for lunch after work and the Food was amazing , service was great Chris was our server super awesome ! I’ll definitely be going back !

David Kirkland

This is a funky, one of a kind restaurant frequented by locals that's connected to a bowling alley. Our dinner here was excellent, and fairly priced to boot. You might spend a lot more elsewhere in town, but your meal here will be delicious while getting way more bang for your buck.

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.

When told that we had to go to a bowling alley in Bishop for a good steak, of course, we were hesitant. But it's not bad at all! Food - Pretty decent! You wouldn't 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 partner's 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 - It's a small-town bowling alley. Don't expect luxury, but it's also not grimey. We came in on a Friday night so we saw the typical groups you'd 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.

It’s a bowling alley and the food was really good. I know what you’re thinking. A bowling alley has good food it actually does.

A great spot to grab a bite or a game or a drink. The food was yummy and the staff are friendly.

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.

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 it's not bad at all! Food - Pretty decent! You wouldn't 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 partner's 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 - It's a small-town bowling alley. Don't expect luxury, but it's also not grimey. We came in on a Friday night so we saw the typical groups you'd 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.

Tony

It’s a bowling alley and the food was really good. I know what you’re thinking. A bowling alley has good food it actually does.

Marcus Mend

A great spot to grab a bite or a game or a drink. The food was yummy and the staff are friendly.

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 that's 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 don't 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 I've suggested trying to return to the restaurant when we go out to eat, and we always end up saying it's not worth trying and go somewhere else. Hopefully she's been corrected or maybe moved on.

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 that's 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 don't 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 I've suggested trying to return to the restaurant when we go out to eat, and we always end up saying it's not worth trying and go somewhere else. Hopefully she's been corrected or maybe moved on.

I've been bringing groups here for the last eight years. For the first 5 years the food and service was fantastic. Last couple of years everything started deteriorating. Today I ordered a take out, it was my first group of the season, I wanted to see how everything was. I ordered a medium sirloin. It was dry and hard as a shoe sole. I got no fork and knife. I got to my hotel, and just wanted to dump it in a bin. Waste of money. I will never send my clients there.

eduardo balanzar

Normally I have no issue here but the waitress was very rude, it’s been a long day already and she didn’t make it any better. It felt like I was bothering her, let’s hope the food makes up for her. And I’m sure she’s expecting a tip?

Kasia Napiorkowska

I've been bringing groups here for the last eight years. For the first 5 years the food and service was fantastic. Last couple of years everything started deteriorating. Today I ordered a take out, it was my first group of the season, I wanted to see how everything was. I ordered a medium sirloin. It was dry and hard as a shoe sole. I got no fork and knife. I got to my hotel, and just wanted to dump it in a bin. Waste of money. I will never send my clients there.

We come here every time we are in Bishop. Last time we were there for dinner, I asked for Avocado on the side for my salad. I was told they don't serve Avocado after 3:00 pm. I am a type one diabetic using an insulin pump so usually carry a sealed juice bottle for emergency lows. The waitress said I had to take the juice off the table and set it next to me, because they don't allow outside food or beverage. I asked for a split plat dinner which we have gotten there before so my wife and I could split one dinner, we aren't big eaters. Never been a problem before. We were told they don't do that. We were willing to pay extra for this service but they said no. Haven't had this problem before in any of the local restaurants.

utahboy17

We come here every time we are in Bishop. Last time we were there for dinner, I asked for Avocado on the side for my salad. I was told they don't serve Avocado after 3:00 pm. I am a type one diabetic using an insulin pump so usually carry a sealed juice bottle for emergency lows. The waitress said I had to take the juice off the table and set it next to me, because they don't allow outside food or beverage. I asked for a split plat dinner which we have gotten there before so my wife and I could split one dinner, we aren't big eaters. Never been a problem before. We were told they don't do that. We were willing to pay extra for this service but they said no. Haven't had this problem before in any of the local restaurants.

Trent A

This place was reccomended to me by a local. Sign says "seat yourself" so I grabbed a menu and did as instructed. Sat around for maybe 10-15 minutes without any service or acknowledgement, with almost every single employee socializing with each other or patrons. I won't return.