Bass Pro Shops doesn’t do anything small. Take your bowling experience to the next level with this in-store restaurant which features a dozen full-length bowling lanes decorated in true Bass Pro fashion. Find out what’s so special about this Fishbowl and Grill.
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Below: Our family’s experience at both the restaurant and bowling lanes at Uncle Buck’s FishBowl & Grill.
Locations | Bowling | Restaurant | Arcade | Plan
What is Uncle Buck’s?
Uncle Buck’s FishBowl & Grill is a full-scale bar, restaurant, and bowling alley inside select Bass Pro Shop stores.
If you’re lucky enough to be in a Bass Pro that has an Uncle Buck’s, you should absolutely check it out because only 7 states have one.
You’ll find an Uncle Buck’s FishBowl & Grill exclusively at Bass Pro’s in these towns:
- Altoona, Iowa
- East Peoria, Illinois
- Ridgedale, Missouri
- Memphis, Tennessee
- Round Rock, Texas
- Destin, Florida
- Bridgeport, Connecticut
⬇The only location in the Ozarks is found in Ridgedale, MO. ⬇
As you can see, it’s located right on Table Rock Lake, south of Branson.
| Side Note: If you’ve never been to a Bass Pro, it’s not just an ordinary outdoors and sporting goods store. It’s more like an immersive experience that turns your shopping trip into a wonderland filled with aquariums, live critters, and a huge collection of taxidermy animals carefully posed around the store in incredible settings. |
| Read more in our Granddaddy of Bass Pro Shops post. |
The FishBowl
When we first arrived at the Bass Pro, we immediately bee-lined it to the back of the store, heading straight through to the entrance for Uncle Buck’s Fishbowl & Grill.
My youngest was super excited because this would be his first time bowling. My only mistake is that I’ve now realized I set the bar kind of high taking him to Bass Pro’s FishBowl for his first bowling experience.
Once we walked through the restaurant door, we were greeted by a team of friendly workers who helped us reserve a lane right away. The place was busy, but there was no wait for us.
You can reserve the lane for 30 minutes or 60 minutes. We opted for the full hour which cost us around $60 for a family of 4 to bowl and rent shoes.
The atmosphere was just lovely. It was calm, with low lighting. Lots of cool decor to look at and the aquarium with live fish was visible from our lane. There was comfortable seating and places to set your drinks.
You could choose your tool from a selection of sea and swamp-themed bowling balls. Each lane had a ball ramp next to it for little kids (those metal tripod things that little kids can roll the ball down to get momentum). Our son is 5 and he needed to use it. They also have automatic bumpers that can be turned on for individual players when you first setup your game.
We had enough time in the hour to play 1 full game and about half of a second game. Overall, we loved the experience and would totally go back!
The Restaurant
The restaurant is situated between two sets of 6 bowling lanes. Uncle Buck’s Fishbowl and Grill has both barstool and restaurant seating.
The bar at Uncle Buck’s features a huge aquarium with live sea creatures swimming behind the main bar that will keep you mesmerized while you wait for your food or enjoy your beverages.
Be aware that the staff does not allow children to sit at the bar. However, we were able to sit at a table nearby the bar with our kids.
The food at Uncle Buck’s was a pleasant surprise. I personally expected subpar bar food. But that’s absolutely not what we got. Instead, we tasted some of the best food we’ve ever eaten.
Here’s a sampling of their menu:
- Loaded Potato Soup
- Burgers
- BLT Salad
- Cod Sandwich
- Buffalo Chicken Tacos
- Chicken Sandwich
- Chicken Tenders
- Pizza
I got the cod sandwich; it was delicious and had two large pieces of cod and plenty of crispy, flaky fries. My husband got buffalo chicken tacos and the kids enjoyed a burger and pizza. I tried a bite of my son’s pizza, and I will say that it was not my cup of tea.
One thing to note here is that the food at Uncle Buck’s comes at a premium price. We spent over $100 on our family of four to eat lunch here, along with a couple beverages.
We would go back and eat here only for special occasions.
The Arcade
A third element inside the Uncle Buck’s FishBowl & Grill is the arcade. It was a surprise for us, we didn’t realize there was an arcade there. Our littlest was eager to get in on the action since we could see all the excitement behind us while we bowled.
So, we gave the kids $20 to load up an arcade card to share and enjoy some games, including air hockey. That lasted them about 20 minutes.
They earned enough tickets to exchange for a few things at the prize counter, including a plastic sword, finger puppet, and some candy.
The arcade was a nice surprise, but I would rate it about average when it comes to geeking out at the arcade.
Things to Know
If you’re ready to plan your visit for a Bass Pro Shops with an Uncle Buck’s FishBowl & Grill, here are a few things to know.
- Hours: The restaurant and bowling alley have different hours than the store. Open 11am-8pm daily.
- Don’t Shop: We made the mistake of doing a little shopping after bowling, eating, and arcading. Don’t do it. End your experience on a positive note! Shopping will wear you out.
- Seating: You can’t sit the bar with kids, so choose a table if dining in the restaurant.
- Shoe Rentals: The bowling alley provides affordable shoe rentals in all sizes.
- Time it Right: It can get very busy, so reserve your lane when you first arrive to make sure you’re not waiting around all day. If there’s a wait, you can get your name on the list and then enjoy the arcade while you wait.
- It’s Spendy: We shelled out nearly $200 by the end of the day. But for us, it was worth it to spend quality time together experiencing something so cool.
Is Uncle Buck’s Worth it?
Yes, our family had a great time bowling, dining, and playing arcade games at the restaurant inside Bass Pro Shops. However, it was very expensive (the food). We would save the restaurant for special occasions. But bowling here, that’s a must-do!
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