Towards the tail end of 2022, Tenpin Stoke had a refurbishment that tidied up a rather tired bowling alley and it’s worked a treat, here’s our Tenpin Stoke review.
Featuring 30 bowling lanes, new lighting and seating, a brand new sleek modern bar and a whole new assortment of arcade machines Tenpin Stoke looks like quite the comfortable little Stoke on Trent hangout for any day of the week.
A far cry from the rundown and quite shoddy attraction that was the Tenpin of old. Growing up at this attraction I’ve seen it go from the old school vibes it had back in the early 2000’s with a Wimpy burger joint (before Tenpin even took over) all the way up to a Tenpin that got rundown very quickly and now completely rejuvenated and transformed into this attraction which for a Wednesday night was busy indeed!
Simplistic in its design the arcade area somehow feels more spacious and a little bare as a result now that the main reception has been moved further up in the building but it opens out into a lovely bar area.
With six new pool tables to choose from you won’t always be fighting over the two they had previously and the lanes are now more private with dividers up between lanes so you’re not sitting on the lap of some random strangers.
Nice upholstered seats and a more modern game system has you taking selfies to show on the screen whilst you bowl and automatic controls over having the sides up or down is a welcome addition than pressing the call for help button and having a poor member of staff putting the sides up or not per game.
Having the pins on strings at any bowling alley will always be a gripe for me as it ruins an authentic game of bowling and feels like the cheap option and ruins what overall looks to be an expensive revamp but that gripe aside and it’s a wonderful little hangout and on a Wednesday night it was busy which is great to see.
With countless special offers going on all the time it was nice to see that for 2 people, 2 games of bowling was £17 and on Sundays you can have three games for £9 which is an absolute steal for a chain bowling alley.
Sadly I didn’t get to see the cosmic bowling setting where the lights go down, the lanes glow and the UV lights glow brightly but I’m sure it’s a great spectacle.
Everyone seemed to be having a great time and whilst some of the arcade machines were a little pricey (ranging from £1.50 for a game of pool up to £5 for a VR attraction) they had a nice selection of machines, much more modern and immersive than their previous offering with new VR experiences and even fully enclosed arcade spaces to enjoy a variety of games and experiences.
Tenpin Stoke has received a class refurb and seems to be yet another great addition for Hanley that slowly (and I do mean slowly) seems to be pulling the punters back in with a variety of attractions popping up all over the city.
From Paralysis Escape Room to VR centres, Waterworld, Mini Golf, Axe Throwing and a Rage Room and of course the cinema and theatre you can certainly have a proper night out in Hanley again regarding attractions and for many many years now that was unheard of.
Tenpin Stoke review by Sean Evans
