Boston Date Night Series: Pizza + Candlepin Bowling at Flatbread Company Brighton
Candlepin bowling is… hard. This week, Darren and I decided to hit up a hot-spot in our neighborhood: Flatbread Company Brighton. Located inside Flatbread Brighton (right by Boston Landing) is Brighton Bowl, creating a bowling alley/pizza restaurant combo that’s so much fun! The space has 9 candlepin bowling alleys and a full menu of wood-fired flatbread pizzas available to both bowlers + diners alike. We went on a Thursday and it was definitely a popular night. The timing worked out perfectly though, as we were just finishing our pizza when a lane opened up for us. Read on to hear more about our experience!
Before hitting the lanes, we snagged a table for two and ordered individual yummy flatbreads. Darren went for the Homemade Sausage, with Flatbread Brighton’s own homemade nitrate-free maple-fennel sausage, organic sulfate-free sun-dried tomatoes, organic caramelized onions, organic mushrooms, whole milk mozzarella, and Parmesan cheese baked on organic bread dough with homemade garlic oil and organic herbs. He was very pleased! I opted for Mopsy’s Kalua Pork Pie, a delicious combination of smoked free-range pork shoulder, homemade organic mango BBQ sauce, organic red onions, fresh pineapple, Valley View Farm’s goat cheese, whole milk mozzarella, imported Parmesan cheese, garlic oil and an organic herb mix. Pulled pork is a favorite of mine and this pizza did not disappoint!
The space itself is well-arranged and very open. It was cool to be able to see the pizza chefs rolling out dough and pulling fresh flatbreads out of the wood-fire oven. The bowling lanes were also super cute, with vintage colors and slender (rather quiet) candlepins. It was definitely a different feel from regular bowling!
When a lane opened up for us, we headed over to grab shoes then took a few practice shots. It’s strange how much more difficult it can be to throw the little ball accurately down the middle. We also quickly discovered that it really didn’t matter how much force you threw it with. You just had to find the sweet spot to knock all the pins down. You can spot the differences in our throwing techniques in the photos below. I ended up winning the first round and Darren the second. We left it at that – no need to establish someone as the “loser” for the ride home!
If you’re looking for a fun spot in the up-and-coming area of Brighton, definitely check out Brighton Bowl inside Flatbread Company. Celtics players are known to stop by on occasion since their training facility is right next door, so be on the lookout!
