A What's Good to Do Review
On Tuesday evening we went to Preston’s latest
entertainment venue - Level, a part of the Guild Hall Complex. The traffic was horrendous and we didn't think we would make it on time but as we know Preston we manged to do a few detours round the back streets and finding a convenient parking space close to the Guild Hall meant we made it on time!
As its name
suggests the venue is split over three levels offering a range of different
activities. On Level 1 you can play Laser Tag, Crazy Golf, Arcade Games or sing
in one of the Karaoke Booths. Level 3 hosts an assault course and Level 2 is
the new 10 pin bowling alley which we had been invited to review. Level is the latest addition to the Preston Guild Hall
complex which is the brainchild of local businessman Simon Rimmer. He has
totally revamped the Guild Hall and returned it to its former glory. A good mix
of restaurants and bars makes it a great place to spend an evening. For those who knew Preston many years ago, Level is where the old Morrisons used to be in the Guild Hall arcade.
The venue hosts 8 lanes, 6 available to anybody with another
two in the VIP private function area called “Spare Room.” This area is
available to hire separately and has plenty of comfy looking sofas which would
be perfect for larger groups of friends or parties. The VIP area has waiter service and you even have
your own choice of music to personalise your event! Unlike many other bowling
alleys Level avoids the loud music and even louder colour schemes and goes for
a much more sumptuous “Grown Up” decor. Whilst children are welcome I can see
this becoming a popular part of Preston’s nightlife.
I was really impressed when we walked inside; there was
plenty of seating as you entered with a nice looking bar area. As this is a new
venue everything was lovely and shiny and the bowling lanes looked stunning. It
was a really nice change to bowl in such lovely surroundings and be able to buy
decent food rather than the normal burger and fries! The Mundo Street Kitchen
offers a range of American, Mexican and Spanish dishes at reasonable prices.
The menu has something for everyone with burgers, hot dogs and steaks and a
good range of nibbles and side dishes.
The touch screen control panels were easy to use and you
could choose to add the buffers at any point in the game. We started without
them but after the first go when both his balls rolled down the gutter Luke decided that he might have more of a chance if he used them! We
all enjoyed playing 10 pin bowls and found it was a much more pleasant
environment with only having 8 lanes. Whilst we were there, 4 lanes were in use
and there seemed to be the right amount of bowling balls to suit everyone, we
only used the lighter balls but there were also plenty of the heavier ones
still on the racks behind us.
In addition to the bowling lanes the second level also has
the Brooklyn Sports Bar, and Pointers & Co, a games room that offers darts,
pool and shuffleboard.
Off peak bowling which is Monday to Thursday 10-5pm costs £6
for adults and £4 for children and peak time (everyday 5pm-close and all day
Friday, Saturday and Sunday) is £8 for adults and £6 for children.
We had a great night out and I’m sure it won’t be long
before we return.
We received one game of bowling for the purpose of the review but all words and images are our own.