Think Bowling Alley Food Stinks?  Think Again!

I’m of the belief that Northeast Pennsylvania is home to some of the best pizza, wings, and food in the world.  I have been touting this truth for years and years because the mom and pop restaurants in our area take so much pride in what they serve and they really know what they are doing.  But even I am shocked from time to time at where you can find great food in NEPA.  Take for example the fact that hundreds of people have mentioned to me over the years that a few bowling alleys in our area have fantastic food and amazing pizza in particular.


When I think of bowling alley food, I think of buying a stale bag of chips off a wire chip rack, perhaps a fountain RC Cola served in a Styrofoam cup, and if you’re lucky a slice of Nardone’s pizza heated up in a toaster oven.  How could I have this perception of bowling alley food while so many people are telling me otherwise?  I mean, could this many people be wrong?  Rather than perpetuate this generalization in my head, I decided it was time to make a move and investigate for myself!  I was already in the Dallas area trying out TC Riley’s so I decided it was a better time than ever than to hit up Spare Time Pizza which is located inside Back Mountain Bowl in Dallas.


Upon entering, I noticed that Spare Time Pizza was no concession stand, but a full service restaurant with dining room and bar.  I grabbed a booth in the dining room because the bar looked to be very busy and I like to review my pizza in peace.  The service was amazing, I was greeted right away and had a trio or perhaps a quartet of servers continually checking on me to make sure I didn’t need anything.  I knew I had to take some food back home so I grabbed a large tray (12 cuts) of pizza and an order of wings.  They were both ready in no time flat despite how busy it was.  I was amazed at the volume that this restaurant was pushing out of the kitchen.


I don’t review wings, but they were jumbo in size, cooked crispy, and had a solid mild wing sauce with some body to it, a little zip, and a hint of tang.  I’ve included a pic of the wings for your reference.  The pizza came out looking fantastic.  The cheese on top allowed for spots of deep red sauce and diced onions to poke through.  You can order the pizza with or without onions.  I’m of the opinion that pan fried Sicilian pizza was designed to come with onions on it to provide flavor, texture, and aroma but if you’re an onion hater there are options.  These onions were diced larger than most other pan fried Sicilians in the area and were the size of most onion toppings you’d receive on any other pizza around.  The pizza was light on the sauce but there was certainly enough present to provide some moisture and flavor into the equation.  The crust was wonderfully light and crisp particularly around the edges.  


One question that many people ask is “how greasy is the pizza?”  I would say this pizza was one of the least greasy pan fried Sicilians that I’ve ever had, right up there with Pizza Heaven of Luzerne.  So on a scale of 1 (no grease at all, totally dry) to 10 (skip the napkins and go get a beach towel) this pizza came in somewhere around a 4.  Overall, I enjoyed this pizza as it was cooked properly, had good flavors and wasn’t too greasy.  This pizza certainly measures up to non-bowling alley pizzas (if that’s even a thing) and receives my recommendation to the NEPA Nation to try out.  After completing this review, I am again left amazed by yet another NEPA eatery which offers great food even when it’s attached to a bowling alley!  Next up – Chacko’s Family Bowling Center!  Have you ever tried Spare Time Pizza?  Please share your pics and experiences in the comments below!


Restaurant: Spare Time Pizza (Back Mountain Bowl)
Location: Dallas, PA
Date: March 2019
Pizza Ordered: 12 cuts (Large)
Price: $13.95
Eat In/Take Out: Eat In

Crust: 3.5/5
Sauce: 3.75/5
Cheese: 4/5
Overall Taste: 4.5/5
Crispy/Cooked Properly: 5/5
Overall Value: 4/5
OVERALL RATING: 4/5