A Bowling Alley is coming to Downtown San Jose!

If like me, you're craving new entertainment options amidst the COVID era... we have some good news. Believe it or not, a new bowling alley with cocktails and games is coming to the heart of San Jose on Santa Clara Street. Oh, and it's under construction as we speak!

If you're scratching you're head wondering where this could possibly go, it's being built in the two-story space formerly occupied by AFK Gamer Lounge. It looks like the Bowling Alley with four lanes will be in the basement along with a private dining area and the ground floor will feature vintage arcade games, pinball, pool, and karaoke.

The project is called San Pedro Social and you can learn more over here.

Source: jgordo32 from the San Jose Development Forum

Bowlero opens its first Northern California location in San Jose

The old Bowlmor San Jose near Westfield Oakridge has been converted into a Bowlero, which is far cry from your traditional bowling alley. Bowlero features wall-to-wall screens playing movies and sporting events, hip music, arcades, a high-end bar with fancy cocktails, and a solid food menu. The ambiance and amenities align well with what is now expected in Silicon Valley.

Bowlero has 59 lanes across the 50,000 SQFT building. There is even a sectioned-off VIP room with 9 lanes and its own bar, ideal for parties and private events. The entire space is well appointed and has a chic luxury feel throughout.

The food menu also has several entertaining options designed for sharing--and photographing. The most interesting one was a 5-lb "Behemoth Burger" with a 14-inch patty (photo down below). They also have super-sized Party Pretzels and a S'Mores Skillet. On the bar side you have the Dunk Tank, which comes in a Fishbowl and is designed to share with 2-3 other people.

Bowlero San Jose is the 12th location to open in the US and the only location in Northern California. The address is 5420 Thornwood Drive and hours are Mon 4pm-1am, Tues-Thur 4pm-12am, Fri 12pm-2am, Sat 11am-2am, and Sunday 10am-12am.

For more info, head over to the Bowlero website.

Tavern + Bowl is Coming to Downtown San Jose!

Finally, the key 17,000sqft retail space underpinning The Globe on 2nd Street has been leased! 10 lanes, 50 TVs, a sports bar, a restaurant, and one more retail hole filled up downtown. To add more icing on the cake, check out this quote the San Jose Business Journal got from one of the proprietors of Tavern + Bowl: "To me, the [San Jose] downtown area is better thought-out and spread out than downtown San Diego (the photo below is from their San Diego location)" To read the full article, just click over here.

Bowling for Downtown San Jose?

I go out of the country for a few days and all sorts of San Jose development news pop up. Let's start with this one... trendy bowling may finally be coming to downtown San Jose. Lucky Strikes was supposed to lease the ground floor of The Globe back in 2007, but the recession shut that deal down. Now it looks like Lucky Strikes is reevaluating this opportunity AND Tavern + Bowl is also in the running to take over that spot. The retail space has been soundproofed years ago in anticipation of a bowling alley and is pretty much ready to go when the owners of The Globe (CIM) decide which proposal to accept. For more details, head on over to the San Jose Business Journal.