Segredo, billed as a boutique bowling lounge, is opening this week with several preview parties, and I went to one on Tuesday. After you enter, you head down the stairs to where the three bars, lounge areas and bowling alley are located.
I was instantly flooded with memories of the movie, “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” If you recall, the Foot Clan have an underground hangout that includes skateboarding, video games, poker tables, etc. for wayward teens. This was the adult version of that.
As announced, the four bowling lanes are shorter. There’s not much separation between the lanes, which I think will lead to cross-lane bowling by really bad or drunk bowlers. Also, I’m not sure it’s possible to throw a hook with that short of a lane, but I can’t wait to try.
Besides bowling, there are a few Wii stations and other bar games. Again, it’s a clubhouse-type feel, which I admit is really different for Madison, and I’m eager to see how the public reacts.
Otherwise, the bar does try to be a lounge with its variety of seating, but the layout is a bit odd (for example, one group of tables are between a hallway and a half-wall) and generally it’s too spacious. This means that the place needs a lot of people to not seem dead. Plus, the hallway that divides the bar in two seemed unnecessary.
Regarding the preview party itself: I was disappointed no alcoholic drinks were served. For the record, I didn’t expect free drinks (more like drink specials), but NO drinks with alcohol could even be purchased. Instead, the bar offered free “mocktails” (NA martinis) and “faux-jitos” (NA mojitos) and no food–very surprising.
Still, I’m looking forward to returning to Segredo on a Friday or Saturday night and actually getting to sample some drinks and food. It’s open Mon-Fri at 4 p.m. (no happy hour specials, unfortunately) and Sat-Sun at noon.
