Curious about the new 810 Billiards & Bowling? All you have to do is peek through the windows while shopping at Miromar Outlets.
There's a lot to see: The flashing lights and colorful neon of video games. Milkshake "bartenders" blending sweet, creamy concoctions at Mean Mugs Milkshake Bar. People bowling and shooting pool and throwing darts.
The idea is to attract shoppers strolling past the place at Estero's popular Miromar Outlets.
"We have this whole wall of windows," says franchise owner Tony Sandhu. "People walk by and all these games are attractive, with their lights and everything."
Of course, you'll have even
fun if you actually step inside the place.
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That's the whole point.
"People walking by can just come in, grab a milkshake and the kids can play a couple games," Sandhu says. "You can come spend an hour bowling, or you can spend an hour ax-throwing. Or you can try one of our sports simulators. Or you can spend an hour playing pool."
Fast-growing 810 Billiards & Bowling hits Estero
In short: There are plenty of fun things to do at the new “eatertainment” venue ― the first 810 Billiards & Bowling franchise to open in Florida.
The South Carolina chain has been expanding quickly since starting in 2015. Now 810 operates nine locations ― including Estero ― in South Carolina, Arizona, Texas, Arkansas, New Jersey and now Florida (with more Florida locations on the way).
Sandhu happily gives a tour of the place recently, stopping to take a few golf swings in the sports simulator, pose for photos in the bowling alley and show off one of 810's over-the-top milkshakes.
"It's not your old bowling alley," Sandhu says. "It's not your old pool hall. It’s not your old arcade. We've tried to modernize everything and give a fresh experience. … We're making it modern."
What to do at 810 Billiards & Bowling
This week, 810 Billiards & Bowling quietly opened at the Estero shopping center, just across from Wasabi Japanese Steak House & Sushi Lounge. It's official grand opening happens Thursday, July 25.
The 28,000-square-foot venue offers a variety of things to do:
- 16 lanes of bowling,
- Five pool tables,
- Three Krazy Dart lanes (where you can throw darts at on-screen ducks, a tic-tac-toe board and more),
- Two sport simulators (including golf, soccer and football),
- Four ax-throwing lanes,
- And a big arcade packed with 63 games – from old favorites like Skee-Ball to modern games like the virtual-reality Godzilla Kaiju Wars VR.
The name 810 Billiards & Bowling is a reference to the company's roots in both games: The game eight ball for billiards and 10 pins for bowling.
Those roots are combined in the Estero location's bowling lanes, where people can bowl with unique, pool-inspired bowling balls painted to look like eight-balls and other billiards balls.
810's menu: Milkshakes, burgers, pizza and more
Then, of course, there's the food. Kitchen manager Jamil Davis calls it "upscale bar food."
Think burgers, wings, pizzas and more ― just better versions that you'd find at a typical "greasy spoon" bar or bowling alley, Davis says. The 810 also offers signature cocktails, wine and beer, including a selection of craft beer brewed in Florida.
"All of our recipes are made from scratch," Davis says. "We put a lot of time into it. … All the pizzas are handmade. We make those to order."
The menu includes some interesting spins on old favorites, such as chicken wings flavored with honey and Old Bay seasoning ― two things people rarely eat together. "That's one my favorites," Davis says.
If you have a sweet tooth, Mean Mugs Milkshake Bar can certainly satisfy that craving. Its unusual milkshakes are made from scratch.
Those 12 taste-tempting concoctions include:
- The Night Owl (chocolate ice cream, Oreo crumbles, whipped cream, pretzel twists, chocolate chips, fudge brownie and chocolate drizzle),
- The Optimist (strawberry ice cream, rainbow sprinkles, whipped cream, strawberry glazed donut and a Green Rock candy stick),
- The Peacemaker (peach ice cream, vanilla buttercream icing, Fruity Pebbles cereal, fresh banana, strawberries, raspberries, whipped cream and raspberry drizzle),
- And The Silly Monkey (banana pudding ice cream, graham cracker crumbles, fresh bananas, banana nut muffin, Reese’s peanut butter cup, Hershey's chocolate rectangles, whipped cream and chocolate drizzle).
Why 810 Billiards & Bowling opened its first Florida location in Estero
Sandhu says he's excited about 810 finally opening in Estero after working on the project for the last year. And he's hoping people in Southwest Florida are excited, too.
Estero seemed like the perfect location for 810's first Florida venture, he says. It's a fast-growing area with plenty of people looking for fun things to do, including students at nearby Florida Gulf Coast University.
"We were just attracted to the growth profile of Estero and how it's situated between Naples and Fort Myers," Sandhu says. "It's growing very rapidly."
The 810 has been looking all over the country for potential markets, company CEO Michael Siniscalchi said last year. And Estero certainly fit the bill.
“It’s a beautiful place with a lot of seasonal traffic, but also a growing full-time population," Siniscalchi told The News-Press/Naples Daily News. "They seem to be underserved in the upscale entertainment space, so we thought this would be a great home for us.”
The 810 Billiards & Bowling is located at Miromar Outlets, 10801 Corkscrew Road, Suite 50, in Estero. It will be open from 11 a.m. to about midnight daily (daily hours are still being worked out).
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Learn more about 810 Billiards & Bowling at 810bowling.com/estero-fl.
Charles Runnells is an arts and entertainment reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. To reach him, call 239-335-0368 (for tickets to shows, call the venue) or email him atcrunnells@gannett.com.
Follow or message him on social media:Facebook (facebook.com/charles.runnells.7), X (formerly Twitter) (@charlesrunnells), Threads (@crunnells1) and Instagram (@crunnells1).
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