Georgetown, you're getting a bowling alley.
Okay, it's inside a restaurant, but given that D.C. is a bowling desert, it makes sense that the 14 lanes are what caught our eye about Pinstripes, a Midwestern chain that features bowling and bocce within a sprawling Italian-American restaurant. The chain is opening its fifth location, a 32,000-square-foot venue on Georgetown's picturesque canal, Saturday at 10 a.m. inside the Shops at Georgetown Park.
Mixing games and dining isn't a new concept in city: H Street Country Club, Vendetta and Pearl Dive all do the same. But Pinstripes is certainly the largest such operation. It's cavernous.
When you enter (the easiest way in is on Wisconsin Avenue NW, next to the Frye store), you'll check in at a host stand for bowling, bocce or simply dining. Regardless of whether you're at a table or playing one of the games, you can order from the full menu.
Advertisement
The good news: Playing won't necessarily come at Georgetown prices. Bowling is $5 per person, per game Sunday-Thursday and Friday-Saturday till 5 p.m.; it bumps up to $7 per game Friday-Saturday after 5 p.m. (For comparison, Lucky Strike in Chinatown charges $65 per lane, per hour on a Friday night.) Shoe rental is $4 and includes a free pair of Pinstripes socks to take home. Bocce is $5 per person, per hour Sunday-Thursday and Friday-Saturday till 5 p.m. It's $10 Friday-Saturday after 5 p.m. Those under 21 can stick around as the lanes remain all-ages until closing.
The "Italian American" menu at the restaurant focuses on flatbreads, pizzas, pastas and a few classics such as burgers and chicken Parmesan. Most dishes are under $20, with "large plates," such as baby-back ribs, coming in between $20 and $30.
The decor is equally indistinct. Pinstripes describes its aesthetic as "Boulder, Colorado meets Napa Valley." We found that in its zeal to stick with the design scheme of its Midwest locations, it struck us as "furnished corporate apartment." Take a look inside Pinstripes below.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7uK3SoaCnn6Sku7G70q1lnKedZLumw9Jonqihnpx6sMHTZp6uoZSafLi8jmtnamxfZX9wfJRop6Kmo6m%2FqrzErGSgnZ%2BntKbAzrClrGWSpMSttc2gZJqmlGKvsK%2FCnmSfp6Kpv6a%2F0mamqZ2eqHq0rdOuqZ2ZqWQ%3D