Open List Home >> Chicago, IL >> Recreation & Sports >> Bowling >> Fireside Bowling Alleys
4.0 of 5 stars.
I am just reminiscing about all the great shows I have seen here over the years. I have never bowled here so I have no opinion on that. I just remember the beer soaked floor and ugly drop ceilings...
yelp.com - user review - 08/21/2009
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3.0 of 5 stars.
Old school! As a teenager I use to watch all kinds of crazy punk shows here. Lots of fun! A cheap place to bowl that attracts a dirverse crows
yelp.com - user review - 08/18/2009
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5.0 of 5 stars.
Apparently I missed out on your glory days, but I don't care. Every time I go I have a great time. I prefer my bowling alleys to be old school and Fireside delivers. No fancy gimmicks here, just...
yelp.com - user review - 05/10/2009
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4.0 of 5 stars.
I had a surprise birthday bowl at Fireside Bowl. There were 8 of us. We were easily accommodated. The place was sort of loud. Crazy people were playing PacMan and screaming at the TV.The lanes...
yelp.com - user review - 04/13/2009
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3.0 of 5 stars.
When I first moved to the City in the mid-90's I remember seeing an ad for a Fugazi show at the Fireside Bowl. I never did make it to that legendary show, but I made it to many others back then. I...
yelp.com - user review - 04/01/2009
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5.0 of 5 stars.
I recently visited Fireside Bowl for the first time in ten years. Last time I was there I was playing a show with my old band, Longwayhome, opening up for the Jazz June. Back then it was awesome and...
yelp.com - user review - 02/17/2009
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3.0 of 5 stars.
I'm not reviewing this place based on long-ago rock shows or storied punk history. I'm reviewing it as a bowling alley. On that tip, the quality depends on when you come.Head here on a Saturday night...
yelp.com - user review - 02/08/2009
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5.0 of 5 stars.
OK, despite the fact that the lane dude pretty much screwed me, and looks like he hates his job, I love this place.Whats not to like? Awesome history that I'm jealous I was never a part of. Cheap...
yelp.com - user review - 02/07/2009
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5.0 of 5 stars.
I haven't visited this place in several years, ever since they stopped putting on shows. So mainly this review is for the past and what it once was. Is this to say that it's a bad place now? No not at...
yelp.com - user review - 01/22/2009
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4.0 of 5 stars.
Great drink prices, bowling lanes typically open, and a great staff all make Fireside well worth the trip if you want to go bowling. My husband and I go here a few times a year when we are looking for...
yelp.com - user review - 01/15/2009
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3.0 of 5 stars.
no-frills bowling with no-frills service. divey, for sure, but i've never been opposed to that. it's also not the cleanest, so, ladies, don't expect to enjoy visiting the restroom. and don't eat here....
yelp.com - user review - 12/23/2008
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5.0 of 5 stars.
The past: The only place I can recall almost dying by freezing waiting to get in, of heat because I was stuck in the pit, of noise because I could not hear for 2 days after getting pinned against the...
yelp.com - user review - 12/14/2008
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1.0 of 5 stars.
Maybe this place has a glorious past, but you can only ride on history's back for so long.This was my first bowling experience ever, and hopefully not all bowling alleys are this...underwhelming. Our...
yelp.com - user review - 11/29/2008
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4.0 of 5 stars.
This is a "vintage" bowling alley. While its not all sparkles and shimmer, the place gets the job done. Its low key, no fuss, and the people who work there and frequent the joint are friendly....
yelp.com - user review - 11/25/2008
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3.0 of 5 stars.
I was pretty underwhelmed by this place. The guy running the front end (shoes, lanes etc.) was a little bad tempered (not in a cute way) and the place was just a little shabby. I think that if they...
yelp.com - user review - 10/25/2008
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4.0 of 5 stars.
When I lived in Chicago this was my favorite place to see shows. I saw some good stuff here: Swingin' Utters, US Bombs, Peter and the Test Tube Babies, The Forgotten and the list just goes on and...
yelp.com - user review - 09/15/2008
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These bartenders are extremely rude, I will not be going back. Its gross as well, pretty run down. Its a shame too because Anti-Flag played there back in the day.
citysearch.com - user review - 09/09/2008
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3.0 of 5 stars.
Even though the lane needed to be reset five times and the jukebox is pretty confusing to operate (though the one in the bar area isn't) this is a decent bowling alley.
yelp.com - user review - 09/07/2008
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1.0 of 5 stars.
One star for what it is now.
yelp.com - user review - 08/28/2008
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3.0 of 5 stars.
I like to bowl, I'm not a big bowler or anything, but I think I would go to Fireside alot more if these things were changed: the beer was cheaper and bowling wasn't charged by the hour (just charge by...
yelp.com - user review - 08/09/2008
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3.0 of 5 stars.
five stars for the memoriesone star for the sticky bowling ballshow many stars for andy rivera? you decide...
yelp.com - user review - 08/06/2008
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2.0 of 5 stars.
Punk anarchy.
yelp.com - user review - 07/31/2008
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5.0 of 5 stars.
Last year my "boss" at the time wanted to have a bowling party. After getting raped over the phone by certain other establishments, I decided to try the little guy. The place I remember being...
yelp.com - user review - 06/01/2008
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5.0 of 5 stars.
This place is a part of me as much as my left arm is a part of my torso. List of bands I've been able to see here include:Strung Out, 88 Finger Louie(RIP), Mad Caddies, Big Wig, Face to Face,...
yelp.com - user review - 05/09/2008
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True, was once the stage of many musicians, and is now a regular low key bowling alley. My first experiences here were in high school, when fellow classmate performed and many in my grade turned out. In my...
citysearch.com - user review - 04/15/2008
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4.0 of 5 stars.
I've been to Fireside twice now. My first experience was nearly 5 years ago when I went to see a band with a friend. I hated it. Truly hated it. That's harsh for someone originally from Detroit who...
yelp.com - user review - 04/06/2008
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5.0 of 5 stars.
The Fireside was fucking amazing. So many important moments of my life were experienced here. This place was like no other venue in Chicago: you won't find a vibe this authentic and The Beat...
yelp.com - user review - 04/04/2008
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3.0 of 5 stars.
Ok, so its cheap. No more punk shows, which is more bad than good. But for bowling, its cheap, and mostly empty when you want to go, unless there is a league. Lanes are somewhat warped. Beer is...
yelp.com - user review - 03/27/2008
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4.0 of 5 stars.
I wish I could be raving about how great the shows are here, but those were stopped a long time ago. For some reason I felt the need to review this place anyway, even if it's just a bowling alley now....
yelp.com - user review - 02/06/2008
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4.0 of 5 stars.
Cheep bowling, yelling at Hammer, and beer. I have enjoyed evertime I was at this bowling alley. I started a league here last year and let me tell you it was so much fun. And yes, I loved it when...
yelp.com - user review - 01/31/2008
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1.0 of 5 stars.
They get one star until they stop trying to be a real business and start doing shows again, then I will give them 5 stars.Good memories here, but I heard the owner was a crumbum which is why people...
yelp.com - user review - 01/23/2008
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3.0 of 5 stars.
I have a lot of fond memories from when this place used to have low end shows. The 'Cockroaches in the peanut machine, whiskey refilled with ten high' era will always be etched into my memory. Now...
yelp.com - user review - 01/19/2008
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4.0 of 5 stars.
Regardless of what this place has become, I will always have a lot of great memories of and because of this place. I saw tons of great shows, met a lot of great friends, got yelled at by locals when...
yelp.com - user review - 01/19/2008
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4.0 of 5 stars.
Me and Fireside Bowl; all grown upNumerous people, places and things have molded me into the...interesting adult I am today; but nothing is fonder in my mind than the influential Fireside Bowl. Many...
yelp.com - user review - 01/14/2008
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5.0 of 5 stars.
I loved this place before and after their big transition. I just started going there for a while since when I went there for shows, I wasn't at all impressed with their "bowling" situation. Things...
yelp.com - user review - 12/23/2007
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5.0 of 5 stars.
obviously all the scenesters are upset that the fireside isn't what it was in '95. i was there, i loved it, but hey, the past is the past. i'm just glad i was able to be there to experience it....
yelp.com - user review - 09/19/2007
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5.0 of 5 stars.
Ahh, how I miss coming here twice a week as a teenager, moshing, smoking and drinking to my heart's delight, ogling at the hot twenty-something punk rocker boys. It was glorious in its dumpiness, a...
yelp.com - user review - 08/10/2007
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4.0 of 5 stars.
On Thursdays, there's $2 bowling and $2 PBR/High Life to be had.As a bowling alley, it's not much. The computers are old and busted, and the lanes don't seem to be smooth or level. The jukebox is...
yelp.com - user review - 08/10/2007
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3.0 of 5 stars.
Ok, sure, I miss going to see Side Kick Kato in the mid 90s. I miss the gangbangers and Mexican cowboys throwing shit at everyone in line, I miss the poisonous bathrooms and it sucks that there really...
yelp.com - user review - 07/10/2007
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4.0 of 5 stars.
This place is probably 10 millions times better than when it was a concert venu. When I lived in Logan Square, I wanted to bowl here SO bad it was walking distance from my house, but everyone is...
yelp.com - user review - 07/05/2007
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5.0 of 5 stars.
I'm sick of this sissy shit, everyone whining about no more shows... boo-frickin-hoo. Bowling is what made this place open its doors, bowling is what should see this place through to the end. Without...
yelp.com - user review - 07/03/2007
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3.0 of 5 stars.
Oh summer nights. I remembered that hot night walking on Fullerton Ave to see Xiu Xiu. It was so packed and hot. HOTT. I was sweating like a little piggy. The area for the show was narrow cause it's...
yelp.com - user review - 04/29/2007
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4.0 of 5 stars.
I liked it. But I think I was already drunk when I got there and I really like dive-y, non-hipster places. There were plenty of loud and friendly Latinos playing pool in the bar, and they even let the...
yelp.com - user review - 04/11/2007
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4.0 of 5 stars.
I'm really happy that I was able to attend a show here, before they stopped doing them. I've been meaning to go back to bowl, but have yet to find the chance. I saw magas, cex and this other really...
yelp.com - user review - 04/09/2007
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4.0 of 5 stars.
I love that Fireside has aged right there with me--now that I'm old and can't deal with going to smoky-ass shows it's back to being a bowling alley (with no smoking by the lanes, even). And Hammer's...
yelp.com - user review - 03/14/2007
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1.0 of 5 stars.
One star for what it is today... I'd give it four to five for what it was back in the day... For a long drawn out explination of what exactly all the hype was about refer to doug s.'s review. I just...
yelp.com - user review - 03/13/2007
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1.0 of 5 stars.
I spent the better half of my youth attending and playing shows at the Fireside. It was a really special place. Brian Peterson (www.mpshows.com) put on all ages shows there nightly for years. The...
yelp.com - user review - 02/09/2007
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5.0 of 5 stars.
good god, i remember hearing about this place for years before i moved here from michigan. it's legendary in the punk and hardcore scene for having crazy all-age-ragers, and indeed i saw dozens of...
yelp.com - user review - 02/02/2007
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5.0 of 5 stars.
Fireside Bowl is the shit, plain and simple. Let's start with the Bartender/Owner/Best guy ever: Hammer. Hammer is a Chicago icon in my opinion. (God I wish I had a picture of him to include...)...
yelp.com - user review - 01/30/2007
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3.0 of 5 stars.
It functions just fine as a bowling alley (though I might suggest that there is, as my friend put it, a "Michigan Lean" to the right as you bowl... or maybe we just sucked that night... who knows...),...
yelp.com - user review - 01/18/2007
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4.0 of 5 stars.
Last night marked the first time I ever bowled at the Fireside. In fact it was our first trip back since they cleaned the place up. Everything worked well, and the shoes were not nasty. The men's...
yelp.com - user review - 01/15/2007
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4.0 of 5 stars.
The Fireside Bowl......such fond fond memories of awesome shows, filthy bathrooms and cockroaches on the bar to keep you company while you drank. I used to love going here. I hadn't been in awhile and...
yelp.com - user review - 01/08/2007
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2.0 of 5 stars.
This place would get 5 stars if it were it's past, glorious self. Now, it's just a bowling alley, and not that good of one at that. The lanes don't always work right, for one. And it's overpriced....
yelp.com - user review - 01/04/2007
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5.0 of 5 stars.
Ahh yes I recall my youth, going to the Fireside when the denizens of the neighborhood would openly throw things and yell at you. I've seen so many bands here. But it's still a good place for cheap...
yelp.com - user review - 12/20/2006
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4.0 of 5 stars.
This was THE place. I met so many people. Saw so many bands over the years. Music actually mattered - to me in my young, naive days. I've been meaning to come bowl here, now that you actually can, but...
yelp.com - user review - 11/09/2006
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3.0 of 5 stars.
So just like some of the other reviewers, I remember going here for the myriads of punk shows during high school and beginning of college. Nevermind that the bathrooms were so gross, I would go...
yelp.com - user review - 08/15/2006
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4.0 of 5 stars.
I thought I heard it was torn down. Haven't been over that way in a while, so I'm hoping it's just a rumor. The Rainer Maria show I saw there years ago was awesome. Dive-y and run down, but has a...
yelp.com - user review - 08/01/2006
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3.0 of 5 stars.
this place was great when there were all ages shows. the first show i saw there was los crudos when I moved here. However...the last time I went there was awful. Some friends and I decided to show...
yelp.com - user review - 07/20/2006
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2.0 of 5 stars.
The Fireside sucks as a bowling alley. The only brightside is the bathrooms are decently clean and don't constantly have a couple inches of standing water on the floor. I'll never forget the shows...
yelp.com - user review - 07/19/2006
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Come here for bowling and beer. There was a time when a third "B"could be added to the Fireside's attractions -- "bands," but after the bowling alley's hiatus, there's been a bit of a struggle in rec...
judysbook.com - user review - 06/23/2006
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5.0 of 5 stars.
this place is so classic. i know that there are lots of people that are saddened that it's not a live music venue any more. but it's still AWESOME for cheap bowling! it's way cheaper than diversey...
yelp.com - user review - 06/11/2006
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4.0 of 5 stars.
I miss the concerts. Bowling was always a secondary thought here, but nonetheless it's a worthy dive bar.
yelp.com - user review - 05/29/2006
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1.0 of 5 stars.
This used to be a five star place, back when they let bands play. This was the punk rock staple of Chicago and now all you can do it bowl. I have no plays on ever returning unless bands start playing...
yelp.com - user review - 05/28/2006
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5.0 of 5 stars.
A Blast from the Past its been rumored for years that they were gonna tear this place down. If you are into the underground music scene, this is the place to be. an all ages bar :) I've never been...
yelp.com - user review - 05/26/2006
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5.0 of 5 stars.
Used to be a great all-ages show venue, now it is a bar and bowling alley- but lots of fun nonetheless. Can get crowded on league nights but after about 11 PM things clear out and there is bowling...
yelp.com - user review - 03/12/2006
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Fireside closed a while ago for live shows. i think they may have a show every once in a while, but they are few and far between. where has the chicago punk scene gone??? if anyone knows, email me -...
citysearch.com - user review - 02/09/2006
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This bowling alley used to be the great bowling alley/rock club that made the chicago indie music scene what it is today. But now the owner decided to turn it back into a full time bowling alley. Let's put it...
citysearch.com - user review - 11/17/2005
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4.0 of 5 stars.
Fun place to go - parking was a little tough but the cheaper group prices made it all worth while. There's a little bar here so you can get your drink on while bowling. Hosted a group event here and...
yelp.com - user review - 11/12/2005
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5.0 of 5 stars.
Started going here in the mid nineties and saw many a good show here including Screeching Weasel, in probably what will be their last show ever in Feb of 2004. Classic punk venue and I am glad I got...
yelp.com - user review - 10/20/2005
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4.0 of 5 stars.
I can kind of see why they stopped having all ages shows here--I mean sooner or later some 14-year-old kid was gonna OD in the bathroom and they'd probably have to shut the place down altogether--but...
yelp.com - user review - 09/15/2005
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The Fireside Bowl is one of the best places I've ever been to for a show! Its cheap, intimate, and one of a kind. You can get upclose and personal with not only the kids there for the show, but with the bands...
citysearch.com - user review - 11/15/2002
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For any fool who thinks Fireside Bowl is a regular old bowling alley they are very wrong! Fireside is Chicago's biggest venue for underground punk, ska, alternative, rock... all kinds of great music. Fireside...
citysearch.com - user review - 09/03/2002
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