7801 Burnet, 459-4181
Mon-Sat, 7:30am-9:30pm
Sunday, 8am-9:30pm Unless you’ve got league night on Tuesday, you probably never eat in bowling
alleys. Most people group bowling alley restaurants along with prison
cafeterias and airport snack bars as dining options suitable only for captive
audiences. At their worst, alleyside bars offer only the requisite ballpark
nachos and gas station hot dogs designed to keep beer flowing in between
frames. At their best, however, they can be free-standing destinations with
great food and no shoe rental requirements.
The restaurant inside Dart Bowl fits into the second category and can easily
go toe-to-toe with any traditional diner in Austin. For over 20 years, the Dart
Bowl kitchen staff has served breakfast standards, rotating plate lunches, and
sandwich baskets to bowlers and hungry walk-ins. Their enchiladas, hot breads,
and fresh-cut fries enjoy a legendary reputation and loyal following.
Dart Bowl’s cheese-heavy enchiladas epitomize the Central Texas Diner
Enchilada, the culinary crossover equivalent of German/Mexican accordion
polkas. Corn tortillas are filled with cheddar and onion, then rolled, covered
in enchilada sauce and chili con carne, layered with more cheese, and quickly
broiled. Once garnished with onions and jalape�os, the end result bears
little resemblance to interior variations, but makes for a substantial,
satisfying Tex-Mex fix. Their home-baked rolls make sopping up the gravy doubly
pleasurable.
If the sound of pin action doesn’t sit well with you, stop in for lunch when
bowlers are few or sit in the soundproof dining room. After a few hot rolls,
you’ll be hooked — you may even consider renting the shoes. — Paul M.
Johnson
This article appears in November 10 • 1995 and November 10 • 1995 (Cover).