American Eats: Maryland. Riviera Bowl
Surprise. I’m not talking about a restaurant at all.
There are dozens of restaurants in Maryland that I could talk about. After all, it’s home for me. From Two Rivers to Harrison’s Harbor Watch, The Daily Scoop to Wingman, Andy Nelson’s to Adam’s, closed joints from the Bel-Loc to Harry’s, or even an Esskay (RIP) dog at Camden Yards. I could pick a TON of places across Maryland.
So why did I pick a bowling alley that closed over a decade ago?
Opened in 1960, Riviera Bowl was one of the stalwart duckpin lanes in the Baltimore area. It was owned for decades by former Colts offensive lineman Alex Sandusky and his family.
I started bowling when I was seven-or-eight years old. I bowled (almost) every Saturday in National Duckpin Youth Association-sanctioned leagues until I was 16. (Sometimes, I wish I had kept it up; maybe I could have gone pro). But I spent A LOT of my time at Riviera Bowl when I was growing up. No lights, no pizzazz, not even electronic scoring.
Without Riviera Bowl, The Duckpin wouldn’t have its name.
That being said, there is a food element here. For one thing, Riviera Bowl is the first place I ever had Cookies and Cream or Mint Cookie Twix. It was a very, very interesting assortment in the vending machines, for sure.
The real joy, however, was in the snack bar.
Bowling alley snack bars have their own unique vibe. Yes, the food was right out of the freezer. Yes, all of it was deep-fried. No, the deep fryer probably had not been cleaned since the Nixon Administration. But the food, served on paper plates, aluminum foil, or in plastic trays, tasted like magic. There was something about bowling and snack bar food that
It tasted like home.
These many days, bowling alleys have become social experiences more than they are places to participate in a sport. Yes, there are normal bowling houses like Glen Burnie Bowl or Severna Park Lanes still around, but more an more of them are becoming more like discos than they are bowling alleys.
I miss those days. I wish I had been in a financial position to save Riviera Bowl when it closed back in 2007.
Did Riviera Bowl provide the best food experience in Maryland? Not even close. But it was a comfort and something that I remember fondly from my formative years. I’m just sad that my kids didn’t get to experience it for themselves.