Inside: The Alley at Aiea Bowl

It's not your average bowling alley

By Mari Taketa
Special to Metromix

From the outside, The Alley at Aiea Bowl doesn't look like a spot for Cordon Bleu cuisine. It doesn’t look like it on the inside, either. But for true-blue foodies, beauty is never skin deep. At The Alley, plate-lunch fare is raised to a level that’s oh-so-haute.

By the time we headed to ‘Aiea to check it out, the story was already becoming the stuff of local legend. Two brothers, whose parents took them to Waialae Bowl as little kids, grew up with dreams: Gregg Uyeda wanted to own a bowling alley, but became a dentist. His older brother, Glenn, hoped to open a restaurant and became a chef.

Fast-forward a few decades, to 2005, and the dentist and the chef got together and bought Aiea Bowl. They spent big money to update — putting in a state-of-the-art scoring system, a pro shop and a full restaurant and bar. And voila, Aiea Bowl has turned into one of the most happening spots west of town. Come see what we ate...