Detroit — Saturday night at the Cadieux Cafe on Detroit’s East Side was buzzing. Belgian ales, good food, and live jazz brought a crowd. But insiders know the real draw—Belgian Feather Bowling.
It’s the best indoor sport you’ve never played, and you’ll only find it at the Cadieux Cafe.
Originating from Belgium, where they call it Trabollen, feather bowling is similar to curling, or to my Italian sensibilities, bocce. Two teams alternate rolling thick wooden disks, reminiscent of rounded cheese wheels, down a dirt lane towards a single feather stuck upright in the dirt.
One team goes first, rolling all their balls, and then the second team follows. A coin toss decides the first order, and then whichever team scores points goes first.
This matters a lot, we realized. Going first is difficult. You have to precisely roll the discs near the feather, without any gauge for distance. There’s nothing to stop your momentum. Once you have a few near the feather (hopefully), you need to think defensively and scheme up how to block the next team’s discs from getting closer to the feather than your own.
The second team is all offense, using the slope of the lanes to weave their discs around the first team’s discs. That’s the real key to feather bowling, it turns out. Using the slope to curve your disc down the track, allowing you to bypass fallen discs,and better time your momentum.
It’s incredibly fun. As far as bar games go, it might have been the most subtle and intricate I’ve played. The nuances to the game—the way the discs roll up and down the sides, the strategy of placement—really occupy your mind. Yet the skill level is not intimidating. If you can roll a ball, you can feather bowl.
Perfect sport for drinking beer, too. Nothing too strenuous, fairly social, more about finesse than raw athleticism. There are long wooden counters along the track to hold your beer while you drink. It’s a bar, after all.
Stellar vibes—Cadieux Cafe is the platonic ideal of a Detroit dive. Out of the way, innocuous, yet entirely genuine. A long list of Belgian ales on tap, befitting a true Belgian bar. Old photos, portraits, relics from the old country adorning the walls salon-style. Crowds of regulars strolling in for their weekly feather bowling match.
If you want to play, make sure you reserve a lane. There are only two, and they do book up. Matches can last up to an hour, and you better believe the next group will be ready to play when their time comes up.
Feather bowling isn’t just casual, you know. Cadieux Cafe hosts a yearly championship. Photos of the champions line the wall next to the bowling lanes. Feather bowling glory immortalized for all time.
This is serious business, don’t forget it.
Bobby Mars is art director of Michigan Enjoyer. Follow him on X @bobby_on_mars.
