Updated: Offering bowling, bocce and a full-service restaurant, Pinstripes will be a different type of entertainment and food venue for North Bethesda.
“We’re not just a restaurant; we’re a community gathering place,” said Chris Soukup, chief operations officer for Pinstripes. “There’s not a whole lot of places where you can roll a bocce ball and enjoy some nice wine.”
Pinstripes opened to the public 10 a.m. Saturday in a 37,000-square-foot, two-story space in Pike & Rose. It has 14 bowling lanes, 12 bocce courts and three bars. At full capacity, it can serve 1,500 people.
Pike & Rose is a rapidly expanding 24-acre development in North Bethesda. Pinstripes comes as one of its last summer openings, with The Henri apartment building allowing move-ins in late August and early September.
Soukup said the venue wants to appeal to all ages, often depending on the time of day. On weekday mornings, Pinstripes hosts “kids’ club” events, in which kids can bowl and parents can enjoy food and coffee. The staff expects couples and families at mealtimes, younger groups during happy hours and a professional crowd later at night.
Customers can order food from the bistro whether they’re sitting at a table or waiting their turn at a bowling lane. The menu features largely Italian-American fare, including flatbreads, pastas, pizzas and salads. Pinstripes also has an extensive wine selection and six local draft beers on tap and more by the bottle.
It will cost $8 to $15 per person to bowl for an hour, depending on the time of day. Bowling shoe rentals are $5. Bocce prices are $5 to $10 per hour.
A chain based in Chicago, Pinstripes has seven other locations nationally, including one in Georgetown that opened in 2014.
Pinstripes will be the area’s second combination bowling alley-restaurant to open this year, after Lucky Strike opened in Bethesda’s Westfield Montgomery mall in March with 12 lanes and seating for 150 diners.
Calling it a place for “sophisticated fun,” Soukup said Pinstripes should be a good fit for the area. As each Pinstripes location hosts about 2,000 private events each year, he said it should also provide much-needed event space for weddings, corporate parties or any type of gathering for residents.
“We’re here to party and we’re here to have some fun,” he said.
Pinstripes is open Mondays through Thursdays 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. and Sundays 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
