When I think of a bowling alley, I don’t normally think about whiskey; I think of pitchers of cheap beer and stale cigarette smoke. SpareMe is changing that image in Iowa City. Connected to the Chauncey Hotel and independent movie theater FilmScene, this upscale bowling alley and pinball arcade opened in the fall of 2021. It’s a multi-level space with 6 lanes on each floor and over half a dozen pinball machines and other arcade classics. They have a full kitchen, and each floor has its own fully stocked bar. Such a perfect setup attached to a hotel means that SpareMe makes for a fantastic event space, which seems to be their main selling point. Indeed, they regularly host private events, whether for prospective students or traveling businesses. However, they also try and cater to local crowds as well, holding multiple pinball tournaments throughout the year.

I probably wouldn’t have known that SpareMe has good food and liquor if it wasn’t for a friend of mine who is a bartender there. Like I said, I don’t think of whiskey when I think of a bowling alley, but my friend let me know about their bar and kitchen once he was hired there, and it piqued my curiosity. Their food is excellent, with a small but diverse menu that has options for everyone, including a couple vegan dishes. The atmosphere throughout the space is well balanced between bowling alley, restaurant/bar, and gaming. The area with the bowling lanes embodies what you would find at any bowling alley, but with a more luxurious veneer, and the arcade area has plenty of floor space and sits against a wall of windows, making it bright and warm during the day. The bar sits squarely in between the lanes and the arcade, sitting just so that it feels like you’re a part of the space but never overwhelmed by the noise and bustle of either side. It’s a great place to stop after work for some lunch or to just to kill some time playing pinball. Now let’s get into that whiskey selection.

WHISKEY SELECTION

Variety: Bourbon, Rye, Scotch, Irish, Canadian

Range: Average. They have 15 bottles, including a couple of flavored whiskies. For the amount of bottles they have, though, it’s a quality selection. They go beyond the bare minimum for every type of whiskey they have and have a couple of bottles you won’t find most other places in the city.

Price Point: Their pours come in at reasonable range of $7-$11. Most pours are $7 or $8, with only the higher end bottles creeping into the double digits. It’s also the first location I have reviewed so far that actually has a spirit menu. All the whiskies are listed according to type with their price, which is such a welcome sight in what so far has been a whiskey menu desert. One fun quirk of the menu is that they have a category called Wordly whiskey, which they put their Canadian selection of Crown under as well as Jack Daniels, which amuses me, since it’s technically still a bourbon, but was placed there presumably because they self-categorize themselves as Tennessee Whiskey.

Wells: They don’t use traditional well brands, with Jim Beam being the bottle they use as the well whiskey, which still comes in at $7 a pour.

Best Selection: Nothing quite reaches the top shelf, but they have some quality bottles, including Basil Hayden Dark Rye and Bowmore 12 (which looks like it will be replaced with an alternate scotch once they run out of the bottle).

Grade: B

Overall Thoughts: SpareMe is a spot I have come to appreciate through the several visits I’ve made this year. You don’t feel out of place walking up to the bar to have some food and drink instead of going to the lanes or cabinets, and it has a vibe that says, “Come on in, we have something for everyone.” The whiskey selection won’t blow you away, but they have some quality bottles across the board and cover all their bases so that, despite the small selection, there’s still something for every type of whiskey drinker. It’s also nice that their all custom cocktail menu is excellent so that if you’re not feeling a neat whiskey you still have good spirit options.

Postscript: The Master Key has been updated to reflect the change of “Top Shelf Selection” to “Best Selection.”