The Painted Pin

A fun place to get together with your friends. The atmosphere is chic retro. The lanes have comfy couches instead of the spin out plastic chairs. The valet was only $ 2 bucks which isn’t bad for Atlanta. We went on a Thursday so the line wasn’t too horrible, but I’ve heard from my friends that it could go up to 3 hours for a lane. That is ridiculous and I’m glad it wasn’t like that on a Thursday night. I would definitely leave.
There are a ton of other games from giant jenga to shuffle board to basketball which are free and you can play while you wait for a lane. The shoes are über clean which gave the review an extra star in my book. The lanes are super slick and shorter to me, but it might just be me. I like how there is a random red pin sometimes when you are up to bowl.
We had a birthday party here for one of my good friends and it took forever to get service. I know a large party can be overwhelming but I waited 45 mins to order and my boyfriend gave up and walk to the wait staff area to order. We all order drinks for the bar to spend up the process as well including water. Be prepared to wait.
The food was typical bar food, nothing to call home too. We order 6 tacos and a side order of French fries. The highlight was the fries. It was a huge order and super crispy (should be since it cost 10 bucks). Several people order a pizza and didn’t like it so forewarn.
The bar was great! The service was on point there plus the drinks were good. Next time, I’m ordering at the bar along with my drinks. At least I would get utensils… «Not bitter about my food service at all.»
Overall, it was a fun atmosphere and tons of things to do. Service and food can be better and I wish they would take reservations (I will never wait 3 hours). They get an extra star for the cleanliness of the shoes and place.

This was a stop on my most recent Friday night adventure. I I will first start by stating that it’s a little hidden, which may be intentional. We did not find it by locating the address, but by seeing all of the cars going to this one establishment. Of note, they do valet park your car for a mere $ 2.00! I don’t know of any other place in the Buckhead area that provides Valet parking at such a reasonable price (coming from a gal who rarely hangs out). After parking, we walked to what appeared to be the entrance. The door is the first indication of what you are in for. The door and the light fixtures are massive– but just grab the huge handle and pull! We were then greeted by a gentleman who checked our id and stamped our hand (reminiscent of going to chuck e cheese! If you have been then you know what I mean). Upon entering the establishment I actually got excited, as it just felt and looked like a place I would enjoy.
So anyway to sum up Painted Pins– it truly is an Upscale Chuck-​E-​Cheese for adults! I witnessed people bowling (extensive wait time– we were told at least 4 hours), playing basketball, bocce ball, shuffle board, skee– ball, and darts. Unfortunately we did not indulge in any of the gaming activities offered. We spent the majority of our time at the bar– for the sake of having a «space». The drinks were satisfying as was the pizza I tried. The last notable mention would be the bathroom set up– its so unique and would honestly rather you experience it for yourself! I can’t wait to return — this will be one of the go to places when friends are in town!

I’m in love with this place from all I experienced, albeit the lack of actual bowling!
I won’t blame «them» because, being new to the area, I didn’t believe it could truly be that packed! About a 4 – 5 hour wait, when my party and I got there at around 7 on a Saturday.
BUT, we still had a blast! It’s such a cool, funkie, and really beautiful place inside. The atmosphere was incredible, with some many kinds of people, and so many awesome old-​fashioned games!
We played a lot, enjoyed the company and drinks, and I still want to go back. But yes, I totally want a cool table and to actually bowl next time!
Oh yeah, Parking was crazy– but that was to be expected…

Super fun place to go to with friends. Same goes for company outings.
Parking — Valet OR street parking. Valet is 2 bucks. Down side is that. when people start to leave and can get really clustered — it takes awhile to get your car. I personally prefer to park my own car in a parking lot. But what can you do?
Trying to find Painted Pin is an adventure. Look for the Painted Pin sign. I had to drive slowly to really find it. It was also raining when I went so… maybe that’s why.
The door to get into Painted Pin is tricky. It’s the one right by the Valet. It’s like a castle door. You have to push and/​or pull to get in/​out. My co workers and I took a few mins to figure it out, hahahah. Felt slightly dumb. But eh — the illusion looked difficult.
Inside– pretty huge. I was surprised TBH. They have a full bar, bowling lanes, hoops, food area in the middle of everything and etc. It looks really fun. I wouldn’t mind coming here for birthday/​girls night/​friends stuff. But I can only imagine the wait time for everything is insane during the weekend.
Bowling — They bring your shoes to you– but you have to put your teams name down/​shoe size. The fact they bring shoes to your table is quite cool to me.
Hoops — I personally fail at basketball, so… my sadness level gets higher on here, haha. But really fun thing to do here.
Bar — Super nice bartenders. Thanks guys!
They have bocci ball. AWESOME. I’m bad at it, but my co workers had a grand time.
Food — Surprisingly, it is good. My fav is the pepperoni pizza. The pepperoni had a special taste. Can’t put my finger on it, but damn — it was delicious. The pan salsa & fries were okay. I’m not a general fan of either so, I tend to eat other things. Their mini burgers are great. They look super fattening, but soooo good.

Too much fun!!! Skee ball, darts, ping pong, basketball, corn hole, bowling and bocce ball!!!

Worth each of the 5-​stars!
This is more than a bowling alley. It is a multi-​functional, upscale, indoor playground for adults! Good food. Bowling. Bar. Live music. Basketball hoops. Ping pong table. Table tennis. What more could one ask for?
I came here on the Saturday after Christmas around 5:30pm to meet up with friends. It wasn’t so crowded, which was great. We were able to begin bowling almost immediately. The food is better than the typical bowling alley food. I recommend the loaded fries, bread pudding bites, apple fritters, and meatball queso.
Using the bathroom at the Painted Pin is experience. You must try it!
Definitely letting Painted Pin host my next outing. :)

Went here on a Saturday night for a friend’s birthday. This place gets packed like crazy, and I can see why. The location was somewhat hard to find if you’re unfamiliar with the area because as you arrive in the area, it may seem sketchy as this place is on a semi dark and desolate street.
Bowling, darts, a hoop for basketball, and some other games. Apparently the wait for bowling was like 1 to 2 hours. Yeah. Like I said, packed. There was a bar for drinks, and you can also order food as well. There was a live band playing that night so it was super fun.
Parking choices: valet (unsure if it is complimentary or not) or find nearby areas. The bf and I just ended up parking at Eclipse Di Luna.

After all the hype of the Painted Pin, we gathered a few coworkers together and made it the first of our many to come monthly outings. And it was a doozy.
We got to the Painted Pin around 5:30 pm on a Wednesday afternoon. It’s hidden next to what looks like an abandoned building, in an unassuming speakeasy style. There was valet parking available, so we didn’t have to worry about street parking or any of the sort.
The door is heavy and hard to get open. Our coworker saved the day and let us in without any of us getting embarrassed from trying ourselves. The interior of Painted Pin is pretty freaking awesome. From the dim lighting to the décor and layout, everything about it screams speakeasy, roaring twenties. The bar in the back, the old fashioned style arcade games, the bowling lanes and couches were all in the speakeasy theme.
We ordered a lane (you pay by the hour) and some shoes at the main information desk upon entering. They brought the shoes to our lane. There was maybe one or two other parties here at the time, so it was pretty quiet and didn’t feel crowded. Our server was mostly attentive, and helped us get food and drink orders started as we bowled.
Note, if you record a video of you getting a strike when the «Painted Pin» is in front, you get a free Coors Light (what a delight) and a Painted Pib beer coozy. Could have at least handed out a free PBR. If a worker doesn’t see the strike or there isn’t a video, no free beer for you. I begged and begged for mine, since I rarely get strikes to begin with, and our server very reluctantly gave in. So much trouble for paying customers…
Our food was delicious! We got edamame, popcorn and corn nuts, and the hummus with pita bread and fresh veggies. The edamame was soaked in an Asian inspired sauce that packed a small kick to it. I couldn’t stop eating it, and not because I’m Asian. The popcorn had a hot and salty powder sprinkled over it, which also made for an addicting snack.
I ended up ordering a Last Word gin cocktail and two Gin punches followed shortly afterward. Both were quite tasty and got me into a boozy daze. And of course after a Last Word and a single gin punch, I ended up getting my best score of the night, and maybe ever. Gin is my new bowling elixir.
I’m not sure how much the total cost was for two hours of bowling, our bowling shoes, drinks and appetizers, since it was on the company. I’m sure it got pretty pricey. But for the first-​time experience, it’s definitely worth the cost. I advise getting here earlier (or much much later) in the evening on a weeknight and having a larger group so as not to have to share a couch/​two lanes. I’m pretty sure we’re going to be monthly regulars here in the near future!

I’m going to ignore normal format of Food /​Décor /​Service for this place since I never ate the food here. I’ve been here a few times for drinks and the free games. Basketball, skeetball, shuffleboard, big Jenga, and bocce ball are all free.
The live band is excellent. On a Friday night expect to wait two hours for a open lane. For a bowling alley, it’s kind of overpriced. I didn’t even bother with food seeing the amount of people there. I actually didn’t know they served food.
I’ll update the review if I get a chance to eat something next time.
Would I come here again?
Sure. Just not on a Fri or Sat night. I’ll come back for my shuffleboard or bocce ball fix.