I have been to Park Lanes many times both to bowl and to meet some friends and I always seem to have a great time. I must confess, I have never had the food even though I have heard it is delicious!
They've recently done some renovations and expansions including a huge wrap around patio with an outdoor bar and bar games such as ping-pong and corn hole. They even have bands out on the porch if you're lucky enough to get there on the right night!
The décor is the perfect blend of modern meets old-school bowling alley. There are multiple bars, lounge areas off to the side and there always servers running back and forth. When it gets busy I suggest going right up to the bar instead of relying on your lanes' server to get a drink quick. They have a decent beer selection including a few local and craft beer selection of tap. Apparently they have Moonshine here too but I have not tried it yet...
The weekday specials are fabulous. Highly recommend trying this place out on Monday...each game is only a dollar a person if you pay $7 cover. If you don't go during the week for a special, it gets pricey with $5 to rent shoes and $6 a game not to mention drinks + food. My boyfriend and I came here and somehow spent $100 pretty quickly without even ordering food...
It gets packed on the weekends. I suggest coming in early, getting your name down for lanes and going across the street to Mooseheads or somewhere else on Montford for food and drinks. We waited 2.5 hours for two side-by-side lanes the other night after we put our names down around 7.
This is good spot for kids earlier in the day but be advised by 8 on weekends it gets taken over pretty quickly. Located on Montford, one of the most popular nightlife spots in Charlotte, Park Lanes is treated no differently than the other bars in the area and can get quite rowdy.