Palace Social gets things rolling again
Old Houston bowling alley turns into a modern hub for dining and entertainment
After laying dormant for five years, the old Palace Bowling Lanes in Southside Place is being reborn as Palace Social, a hub for entertainment, food and drink. It opens to the public July 12.
During a preview event last Wednesday night, adults and children, from toddlers to teens, checked out the new amenities, which include eight lanes of bowling, a restaurant and bar, and a large arcade. Guests streamed through the entrance, walking passed a display of vintage bowling shoes and a large Instagram-worthy wall of blue bowling balls with “Palace Social” spelled out in yellow.
It’s a homecoming for bartender Emma Crabb, who worked at the old Palace Bowling Lanes between 2000 and 2016. When she heard the spot was reopening, she jumped at the opportunity to work here again. She remembers the space when the carpet had weird patterns and “the crazy colors of a skating rink.” People could smoke indoors for many years. There was little outside light — you often couldn’t tell if the sun had gone down, she said. Her favorite memories involve regulars coming in, especially those who were part of the bowling leagues. She took great pride in serving drinks quickly so as to not hold up games.
The original Palace Bowling Lanes was a longtime bowling alley that many residents remember fondly. It closed in 2016 after hitting hard times.
“The generations of Houstonians who came through here, they all remember different aspects of this place,” said Palace Social CEO Bill Forney, who recalls attending birthday parties at the old location. “It’s those stories that make this place what it is.”
Forney connected with the previous owner, who agreed to sell — if they brought bowling back. More than 40 investors, mostly from Houston, became involved with the project. They started construction in 2017.
The new Palace Social is a far cry from the old kitschy carpet and 40-plus lanes lining the cavernous space. The space is much brighter, with bay windows on each side letting light through. Ribbed-wood paneling and colorful banquettes of mustard yellow, emerald green, brick red and navy blue add a modern, playful touch. The carpet is gone.
There are only eight bowling lanes now, on a raised platform in the back of the main room. Guests can make reservations in advance or walk in and put their name on a waitlist — there’s plenty to do while waiting for a lane to open up.
On Wednesday, the arcade jingled with activity as guests played classic games like PacMan and Ring Toss, while others immersed themselves in the two virtual-reality game rooms. An adjoining space full of computers in the back is dedicated to esports, next to three conference rooms that are equipped with karaoke. There is also a multisports simulator in the main room, where people can play rugby, golf, soccer, baseball and more.
Palace Social has a full-service restaurant, a private dining room on the side with a view of the parking lot, a large bar adjoining the restaurant and a smaller one in the back.
Consulting chef Ryan Hildebrand, formerly of FM Kitchen, created the menu. Executive chef Efrain Villareal Jr. is the driving force in the kitchen, and Jennifer Caldwell is the beverage director.
Villareal said they’re serving comfort-food options people can eat whether they’re sitting at a table or bowling and snacking on a banquette. Roaming game attendants and servers can take orders from anywhere in the complex. The sit-down capacity is about 160 seats, but overall it’s more than 300, said Villareal.
Shareable appetizers include Nachos Cubanos and a Frito pie with Shiner Bock chili, Texas cheddar, house-pickled jalapeños and lime crema instead of the typical sour cream. The “palace plates” best-suited to the sit-down restaurant feature an Atlantic skin-on salmon with a miso glaze and shiitake mushroom and barley risotto. The kitchen also serves burgers, sandwiches, flatbread pizzas and sandwiches. The kids menu includes mini pizzas and hot dogs, and a grilled three-cheese sandwich on a Bread Man loaf.
There’s also a dessert bar, The Split, serving milkshakes, sundaes, cookies and more. The bar offers several local Houston beers on tap, other domestic and imported beer in cans, and a one-page wine selection.
“Since it’s such a community place, I’m using a lot of local products,” said Villareal, a born-and-raised Houstonian. As well as Bread Man, he’s showcasing RC Wagyu, BOH pasta, Texas cheeses and more.
Crabb says the food is a big improvement from the old offerings when she worked here back in the day. They
served typical bowling alley food, and she recalls people raving about the tater tots. But Villareal’s menu is fancier and more sophisticated, she said, and feels like a nice restaurant that happens to have a bowling alley attached to it.
Crabb, for one, is happy with the reimagined Palace Social.
“It was weird the first few handful of times,” she said of being inside the new space. “But now it’s getting harder and harder to remember what the old building looked like.”