I won’t lie, I have a soft spot for bowling. I mean, who doesn’t love throwing a ball to try to knock over things? Anyway, I have been meaning to check out Linbrook Bowl, Orange County’s oldest bowling alley (according to the OC Register) for sometime, and earlier this week we finally made it with some friends.

Linbrook has a lot going for it in terms of Americana. It’s been around since 1958, and is still family owned. It’s open 24 hours, because why not? Of course you want to go bowling at two a.m.! It has a coffee shop that makes you question what year it is. It even has a cocktail lounge with a button tufted bar. Oh, and it has one hell of a sign.

The coffee shop is spectacular in its own right, with a counter, rock wall, and caution cone orange vinyl upholstery. If bowling isn’t your thing, I still highly recommend eating at the coffee shop! It’s that fabulous. And the pizza wasn’t bad either! You can also order and take food to your lane if you are bowling.

At Linbrook you really get to “look through the layers of time” as Charles Phoenix would say. There is a lot happening here, and you can see the new on top of the old.

In the Kopa Room, I am obsessed with the above bar detailing that for some reason just reminds me of like the faux arctic habitats at the zoo for penguins. Like, I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if a penguin just hopped up on bar stool here and asked for a drink. But, as I said, layers of time…you can see the new beer posters and banners slapped on top of wood paneling, new beer banners tack on top of the par with vintage beer lights hanging behind, and the insane tufted bar paired with chairs from the 80s. What I honestly wouldn’t give to go back in time and visit this place to see what it looked like originally.

If you love neon, Linbrook Bowl is a must. And if you just love a good ol’fashion time warp, it’s definitely worth the visit. Learn more on their website.

See if you can make a strike at Linbrook Bowl at at  201 S. Brookhurst Street in Anaheim.

What’s Nearby?

Anaheim Packing House

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