Lucky Strike to open today in Bethesda (Photos)

Bethesda gets a new bowling alley today, as Lucky Strike Social opens at Westfield Montgomery Mall. Lucky Strike aspires to be more than the local lanes for MoCo pinheads, though, offering upscale gastropub cuisine and cocktails, as well as live entertainment and event hosting capabilities.

Located at the bottom of the escalator from the Dining Terrace, Lucky Strike takes over the space formerly occupied by the mall's original movie theater. The interior could be described as a cross between a 2017-era chain restaurant, a neon-colored adult bowling alley and a wood-paneled library hidden away on or near an Ivy League campus. Large industrial wall pieces compete with dozens of graduate library-style bookshelves filled with real books. Scattered about are choice vinyl records, including two that I spotted by Survivor and Randy Travis.

But there is a clear division between the dark dining and bar spaces, and the glowing bowling lanes. One downside is the overall space is small, and it can be difficult to move around inside if it's crowded. There is a small seating area outside the restaurant in the corridor, underneath the escalators, making the overall footprint larger than it was when the space was a theater.

 Lucky Strike will be the place to be in Bethesda tonight.

Congressman Jamie Raskin
welcomes VIP guests

Scattered among the many
books on bookshelves are
vinyl records like this, which
reveal impeccable taste

Again, impeccable taste
on display