More than 50 years ago when Mili Acquistapace built Rancho Bowl in the Santa Maria Valley, he made sure that it featured a vast, custom Santa Maria Style Barbecue grill that was all-enclosed in a vented room. After all, per the culinary culture of Santa Maria, this was and is a major priority!
Today, Mr. Acquistapace’s grandchildren are running the operation and have done him proud by recently sinking more than $1.5 million into the property. They have also brought on board a new chef who has developed an expanded restaurant menu that, of course, includes a daily Santa Maria Style tri-tip sandwich complete with grandfather Mili’s famed sauce.
Equipped with a large banquet room that seats as many as 140 guests, Rancho Bowl regularly fires up its four-foot by 15-foot grill in order to accommodate weddings, fundraiser events and social parties and more.
With 32 bowling lanes, Rancho Bowl remains the largest bowling alley on California’s Central Coast. The renovation project has ushered the entertainment center into the modern age with new acoustics, lighting, projectors, sound systems, a two-level bar, outdoor eating area, landscaping and “easy touch” computer screens that feature a state-of-the-art scoring system. Players can even customize their screens with personal photos while they instant-message other players and enjoy access to Facebook, games and emoticons.
