Came here with a bunch of friends. I was surprised that this place has two floors cause it looks pretty run down from the outside. In case the first floor lanes are full be sure to check the top! Bowling alley, equipment, and building in general are relatively old. However, everything works and we had a fun time. They also have pool tables if you're not into bowling. They also sell food and drinks. Overall, descent place for bowling but nothing special that would lure me to come back.
Review Source:The worst service ever received.
I don't know whether they don't care whether to see us there again but people at the counter are working with an attitude that is far more than unfriendly.
I have been going there for more than 10 years, but I was very disappointed by my 3 recent visits, and would consider not going back if I can.
Went to this bowling alley on a Saturday night. We decided to eat at the lounge, which was a nightmare. All of the tables were dirty. We sat down and waited to be approached by a staff member for 20 minutes, then decided to ask the bar tender for a menu, who then told us to step aside so he could take drink orders. We were only given 2 menus for four people. We then decided that we would order the same way we got the menu's. The "guido-wannabe" server was extremely rude and pretty much miserable all-around. After waiting for about 45 minutes [no exaggerating], we had to wait in the drink line to receive our food that we had already paid for. The four of us were overall disgusted with the service we received. Moreover, when we were ordering drinks later in the evening, we were skipped in line.
To add insult to injury, throughout the night there were quite a few altercations involving police in the front entrance area.
Bottom line: If you are trying to strictly bowl and you live in the area, the place isn't TOO bad, considering they have both candlepin and big ball bowling. If you are planning on doing anything regarding food or beverages, or any type of staff-interaction, I strongly suggest you reconsider and choose a different place. I will be telling my friends and family to avoid this bowling alley at all costs.
There's something special about the smell of old saddle shoes, waxed floors, and polished balls. Â This place is two floors of sentimental sporting; on the first floor: 10-pin and candle pin, on the second floor: 10-pin madness! Â The decor hasn't been updated since the original construction (and I'm pretty sure that the floors, and shag-carpet-patterned walls, could use a good cleaning), but the price is right and the game is the same!
*getting TO Lanes and Games is tricky: located ON Route 2 East (approaching Cambridge, it's pretty busy!) and the parking lot is almost always PACKED. Â Try parking behind the building. Â It's a little shady, but it is well-lit and not a far walk.
*Friday night $13.50 per person for shoes and two rounds of candle pin (5 people per lane). Â It was a TWO HOUR wait for 10-pin, so swallow your pride and accept that small balls can be fun, too.
*Television display of the progressing set is circa 1906 (pixel people throw a square "ball" down the lane, get a gutter ball and a pixel devil will laugh at you!)
*the bar upstairs serves SUPER GREASY food and they managed to get two of our orders wrong (correct on the slip, wrong in the food basket we were handed). Â But dirt CHEAP. Â Our food order (BBQ Chicken sandwich, Grilled Cheese, and onion rings was about $13!
*DRINKS . ARE . CHEAP! Â And strong to boot! Â My $7 Long Island Iced tea was POTENT. Â Try the "Sex with an Alien" ($7.50, green, strong, delicious!) Â Two cocktails and a cider and I was bowling "backwards baby" style.
It's a fun time, a great date, and a favorite for our friends when the 15 of us feel it's time to bowl it out with one another. Â The the "Alien" I said, "Hi, how are you? Â You never called after our crazy night together!"
Pros: No wait on a Saturday night, reasonable price, classic bowling experience.
Cons: Not a place you'd go for the food, the beer is probably ok.
Depends on your point of view: The music selection while we were there seemed to be an array of early 1990s hip-hop- which could work either way for you depending on your preference.
It's certainly fun... they have candlepin and regular bowling. Â Prices are good and reasonable, but it fills up fast. Â
They made up pre-pay for everyone in our party, even those people who were running late. Â We wanted to just add them on when they arrived, but we pretty much had to get their shoes and their games all paid in advance. Â We did this, under threat that our lane might be given away.
Of course, I understand, they are busy and need to make money by turning over lanes. Â No complaints on that. Â
Food is pretty terrible. Â The lanes have very archaic score machines and graphics. Â The gaphics on their TVs that correspond to the pins you hit are so terribly 1980. Â This place could use an upgrade. Â If I lived in Cambrige, I'd probably just go to Kings. Â That place is cleaner and more updated.
Lanes and Games seems like a good family place. Â It's hard to find bowling, so this place is your best bet for some fun.
So here we are again at Lanes & Games for the annual family New Year's Eve bowling and eat really unhealthy food. The 10 pin bowling was fun and the kids (8 to 11) managed fine especially when one of the staff asked us if we wanted to barriers (thank you!). After that the kids essentially beat out the adults.
The food is average with the pizza more like cardboard. They still have potato skins which is a throwback to the 80s. The pitcher of diet coke was nearly flat and the honey wings were too crispy and they basically just poured honey on the wings. Still I ate them all. I added a star because the service was so much better.
This place is a solid, family fun experience. Â I have been here with the kids and for birthday parties (and I really will not get into teenaged fun I had in the past). Â The pizza is decent. The drinks are flowing. The arcade is fun - I am an air hockey bitch, stand back. It is the kind of place you remember as a kid, if you were a kid in the 70s and that is not a bad thing. You can almost see where the layer of smoke used to be before it banned from places like this.
One word of caution -- I had my wallet pilfered off my person once when I was preoccupied with the youngins. Â The staff was "shocked" because that never happens but when I went to the CPD to report it, they said the triangle of theft in that area is the bowling alley, Whole foods and the cinema. So yah ... there is that. Otherwise, have fun!
Simple, clean, classic bowling alley. Right near Alewife station and plenty of free parking. Reasonable pricing ($10 credit card minimum), plenty of lane availability - both candlepin and big ball bowling - good for groups of friends and families.
Arcade is fun - tokens or quarters accepted. Bar/lounge area is clean and has plenty of seating. Drinks are reasonably priced.
Overall - a good time for a good price. Will be back again : )
Two words: Candlepin bowling.
It can be hard to find candlepin bowling but at last, I have found it. Lanes & Games is a good classic, no frills bowling alley and that is why it is so damn charming. Although I love Kings & Jillians, Lanes & Games has character. Would some call it a dive? Yes. Do  I care? Absolutely not.
First, the big ball (as I call it) bowling will get busy & you may have a wait on a Fri or Sat but candlepin is usually free, which is weird because it is the superior bowling. Don't be fooled -- just because the balls are smaller does not mean it is easier. I love to challenge my boyfriends or guy friends to a game of candlepin because they think will dominate me and that is FALSE!
So, the bar is upstairs but they have a decent bar. The drinks are pretty cheap and they have decent beers on taps & hard cider. They have a good liquor selection too. The food is def bar food style but the potato skins are good so why not? Also....they have Keno. I don't play but I know this is a big deal.
I love Lanes & Games so much I have been inspired to make a bowling team w/friends w/t-shirts. TEAM BALLS DEEP FOR LIFE!
PS - if you can't figure out the computers for candlepin bowling, don't worry because no one else can either.
I thought I sucked at bowling.. then I tried candle-pin bowling and got owned by a bunch of 15 year olds. It was a sad, sad day. But amazingly, I left with a smile on my face and plans to come back! Maybe I just like entering stupid fake names like BUTT on the digital scoreboard? The scoreboard for candle pin bowling had hysterical old-school graphics, especially if you hit the gutter ball!
Anyway.. come to Lanes & Games for some old school good times, and get your butt owned by the candle pin bowling. At least I beat my husband! =P
Just an update, since I've been a loyal customer for over 2 years now
Both the bowling and the lounge now take credit cards, a HUGE plus for those of us that want to rack up a tab.
Leagues are great, Lori lends a hand any time she's free and they give you a great discount on bowling on non-league nights. Or you could go on Sunday AM when they give you games at the junior rate, another HUGE plus. Everyone is super friendly and takes great care of you.
only thing I'd like to see is online scoring/updates for the leagues!
This is really more of a review of the arcade at Lanes and Games. I've recently developed a slightly unhealthy obsession with pinball. As such I've search around Boston for the best places to play pinball and there is a surprising lack of good places to play. There are random tables all over, but few of them are maintained well and so a lot of them are all but unplayable. The arcade at Lanes and Games is really the only place I've found that is legitimate.
The tables are immaculate. This is clearly an arcade run by a pinball enthusiast. The titles are all wonderful. Currently they have:
Twilight Zone
Scared Stiff
Addams Family
Tron
Iron Man
Family Guy
Spiderman
Simpsons
If you are a pinball fan, or just looking for a place to play on a random night, you shouldn't waste your time anywhere else. I'm not much of a bowler, but I've bowled a few times and the lanes are great. There's a bar with mediocre food and cheap drinks. Classic bowling environment with very nice, down to earth people. THE BEST PINBALL IN BOSTON...
Vintage and a surprisingly refreshing bowling alley!
Old school videos games/music to go along with a classic bowling alley atmosphere. Â The only thing missing was Warren G and Montell Jordan performing live. Â I even think I saw the Fresh Prince and DJ Jazzy Jeff playing pool next to me and a friend.
It certainly is a blast from the past and you leave rushing home to find your Gigi pet. Oh crap, I haven't him in years!
WAYYYYY nicer than they used to be when I was growing up - no more smoke smell all over the place. Fantastic!
Great variety of balls to choose from (heh). Fantastic!
Food was good enough to eat. Fantastic!
Choice of big or little balls. Fantastic!
Great event for a few hours of bowling, hosted by my company, there was no one there. Fantastic!
Overall - I'd say we had a good time. Fantastic!
Likeable indeed.
2 floors:
One for bowling and pinball/ video games
Another for drinking and eating, & more bowling Â
My friends and I could not make it to Salem Willows Arcade in time for the epic pinball-showdown desired (due to an unforeseen seasonal shuttering) so we used 'Lanes and Games' on a trip home as the alternative... saved the night!
Pinball machines are either well-maintained or not at all, so I was skeptical of how our play experience would be, but they were in decent shape, overall.
I've been bowling at Lanes & Games a few times now, and have enjoyed the experience each time. The Flatbread Company in Davis Square might have a more hip vibe and interesting menu, but if you're just looking for someplace to bowl, Lanes & Games is your best bet, hands down.
The place is huge (two floors of lanes), so you don't have to worry about not getting a lane. You can do candlepin or ten pin here, which is a lovely option to have. I was also thrilled to see the large selection of balls for ten pin (6 to 16 lbs.). The price for bowling didn't strike me as terrible (shoes are $3 and each round is $5.50), but then again, my childhood bowling alley was a total rip off, so anything is a good deal after that! The place is clean (a rarity for a bowling alley!) and the staff is okay (some of the workers are super friendly, others are less so). There's also pool and an arcade, which I haven't tried out.
In addition, there's a lounge on the second floor which has the most TVs that I've ever seen in one room. They have a full bar with great prices and a nice selection of beers. The menu is what you'd expect: sandwiches, burgers, wings, lots of fried food, pizza. Tuesday is Wing Night (35 cents a wing), and I have to say, the wings are pretty good, particularly the buffalo ones. The fried mushrooms were also addictively good; however, we were less blown away by the barbeque chicken sandwich. You do have to do some work to track down a server: they spend most of their time up by the bar and don't really wait for you to be ready.
Overall, this is a great hangout spot--it's definitely become our bowling alley of choice! One last thing... the place is cash only, so be sure to have some cash handy.
This place has Lebowski written all over it. Â If Lebowski was from New England. Â Because, you know, we're the only ones with candlepin. Â Which is the only real bowling. Â
The drinks are inexpensive, the lanes are plentiful, the lounge area is awesomely wood-paneled, the food is decent (especially the pizza!). Â They carry Ballantine XXX ale in bottles for Chrissake - I mean, how much more old school do you want! Â Bowl a few frames, have a few beers, grab a snack, watch the Sox beat the Yankees, what better way to spend your birthday!
I envision myself spending a lot more time in this haven of loveliness.
Did I mention that each lane has both an electronic scoreboard AND a television for watching the Sox beat the Yankees? Catching the game ain't just for the baaah anymore!
Hooray for this place!
I approach the stretch of waxed wood paneling, my red-and-blue clown shoes sliding slightly on the slick floor. Taking a breath, I swing my arm back. Eyes narrowed, I set my sights on the middle pin and step forward, decisively launching my ball through space.
Thud. Gutter ball.
An animation sequence appears on the scoring screen. A miniature, 8-bit imp has kept my ball from connecting with the pins and is cackling silently, one clawed hand limply waving back and forth.
Talk about a cracked-out time warp. I grew up ten minutes away from this bowling alley, and nothing had changed when I returned last night. In fact, I'd wager that the tan-and-brown wall carpeting has been there since the 70s. Credit cards? What are those? Quarters? Our arcade games only take tokens. Huh? I've never heard of customer service.
A Wednesday night league had taken over the ten pin floor, and candle pins weird me out (for you DCers, it's like knocking over matchsticks with grapefruits! whattttt) so in the interim we made good use of the "& Games" and pinballed, air hockeyed and pooled. I was equally bad at each.
I think -- if I remember to bring cash, avoid league night takeovers, and master the scoring system (we couldn't figure out how to add our names to the lane roster, or let the computer know there were only two of us, therefore forcing us to bowl for five people) -- that this could be a five-star place.
Since I work here, Â it was suggested to me on Friday night by a couple of yelpers (unfortunately didn't catch their names) that I post actual, real WALKING DIRECTIONS to the place from the Alewife T station. Â So here we go:
When you get off the train, head to the escalator towards the front of the train (the shorter escalator of the two). Â Ride that up and exit the station towards the right, passing by the newsstand on your right and Dunkin' Donuts on the left. Â Walk straight past the dry cleaners and Bank of America up the stairs/ramp to the "Auto Drop-Off/Pick-Up" Area. Â Walk to the street directly ahead of you, there should be a gated parking garage directly across from you. Â Turn right and walk towards the intersection (passing the bicycle storage on the right). Â At the intersection, cross to your left and go up the off-ramp. Â Follow that sidewalk around the bend and up the hill. Â At the top of the hill you will see the prominent Lanes and Games sign directly ahead.
So there you have it.
The most funkstastic stick figure cartoons on the electronic scoreboard ever. Â The "Spare" animation is the best... hands down. Â You'll just have to experience it to understand.
This is a pretty good bowling alley. Â I was subbing for a bowling league, so I got a different experience than open bowl... but the facility was kept very well. Â Nice lanes... shag carpet walls. Â And a great selection of balls... and who doesn't like that?
Friendly staff... cheap beers... blah blah blah. Â You get the gist. Â It's probably the only reason you'll ever want to go to Alewife.
Going to Lanes n Games is probably the best non-sexual experience you can have. Â
Bowling is a great sport. Â You can sip beers or White Russians, slide around on the slippery floor, high five your brosephs when they knock down a strike, and of course, my favorite, the Wayne Gretzky kneel-and-fist-pump after the big X. Â
Classic bowling alley, none of the bullshit appletinis and disco lights like Kings or Jillian's....and no $200 tab at the end of the night either. Â $5.25 per game per person, 3 squids for shoes. Â Whatta deal.
The bar is pretty legit too - actually a decent sports watching scene when you're waiting for your lane. Â bartender made my caucasian with Tia Maria instead of Kahlua but I won't hold that against her too much. Â Also hilarious - some lady behind the bar told me she doesn't serve drinks, she only does the Keno machine when I glanced at her with thirsty eyes.
If you love America, bowling, and good deals, go to Lanes N' Games. Â 5 stars from yours truly, the Sauce Man.
So, I've been going here since it was known as the Turnpike Bowladrome so there's likely a lot of comparative data working against the place. I still love that they have candle pin and 10 pin lanes. I love that you can now drink at the lanes themselves now. I like they now have a full time lounge/bar with real food...
OK, so, what's my gripe? Disinterested service. When we walked in the desk guy couldn't have cared to hardly look up from what he was doing. We asked for candle pin and they gave us an alley for bumper bowling!!! OK, so I suck at bowling but really, bumper bowling for 2 adults? I pointed it out to the first person to come by and it was met with a shrug. The bar is confusing as to whether you stand at the bar, order, then take your drinks back or simply wait for service at the table. EVERY time I've been there and waited and waited and waited before getting up to get my own drink only to have the server come by AFTER with a snide comment about "oh, you went up to the bar". Yea, only because I was dying of f'n thirst...
All in all the place is great but service needs a serious upgrade or maybe just an attitude adjustment
I'm not good at bowling, but I'm good at having a good time.
I have nothing to add to the army of enthusiastic Yelpers below, except the following: I have been to worse bars than the upstairs lounge at Lanes & Games. Â Think about it. Â The dimly-lit, 70s airport throwback lounge in a North Cambridge bowling alley is a better place to grab a beer and watch the game than most.
Scary, no?
Lanes & Games has been my favorite bowling joint since high school. I just had my birthday party there this past weekend [SRY IF U DIDNT GET THE INVITE, BITCHEZ], and it was just as awesome as I remembered! This time around however, I also got to enjoy the surprisingly cheap prices of not only the food, but the drinks as well - I got two drinks, which ended up costing me about $6, including tip. Plus, if you're bowling, you need to drink some White Russians for Big Lebowski cred. The selection of appetizers and food was better [and also cheaper!] than I remembered too - fried mushrooms, mozzarella sticks, seasoned curly fries... the perfect menu for my Super Sweet 16! Kanye West showed up to my SS16 at Lanes & Games this weekend and totally dug the sweet menu too.
The upstairs has ten-pin lanes [yay!], while the downstairs has candlepin [boo]. I've only played candlepin once here, many many years ago - it was a fluke, since by the time we got to the alley, all of the ten-pin lanes were taken. With that said, the place gets incredibly busy in the evenings [even on weekday nights], so if you're going with a crowd of more than 5 bowlers, you may want to head out a little bit earlier [before 5 or 6 pm], to get neighboring lanes [all the easier to heckle your friends with...].
Each ten-pin lane has a monitor that not only displays the scores, but awesome pixelated animations of demons taunting and abusing the bowler when you get a split or gutter ball. Furthermore, there is a large selection of bowling balls to choose from, varying in both color and size [6lb - 10 lb, I believe] - as long as I have my hot pink 8-lb ball, all is right in the world.
Plus: Maybe it's just me, but Lanes & Games has always had the cutest bowling shoes...
DO YOU LIKE BIG BALLS OR SMALL BALLS?
Get your mind out of the gutter!
At Lanes and Games you can bowl with both big balls and small balls. Â This place is very very solid, not to expensive, bar upstairs, always amazing people watching (some kid fell as he bowled Sunday night) Â and plenty of Big Lewboski references for everyone.
So head on down, write silly embarrassing names for your friends on the scoring screen, and if you're bowling we me, we're using big balls!
So it's Oscar Sunday - what better place to spend the night celebrating class and high society than Lanes & Â Games!
This place has it all - big balls, small balls, carpeted walls, townies, lotto tickets, keno, a lounge serving "fried dough" and "cocktails" in plastic cups, screaming old men and the ladies who love them, all around class, authentic 70s style decor... There's league bowling most nights but arrive around 9 and reserve your spot. Two games plus shoe rental will run you less than $13 - very nice.
During my first L&G outting I also won the lotto (well I won $1 from a scratch ticket). So despite being somehow pwned by an injured fellow yelper, I'll be back - I need the practice.
The go-to place for yelp bowling. Lanes and Games is the place to go for a feel good time. They have cheap drinks, cheap food, and cheap bowling. Best of all they have keno and plenty of TVs to keep you busy if bowling is not your thing. I love the fact that you can go have a great time at this place without having to worry that you will get in a brawl with someone there. It's very low key. The minus one star is for their equipment. The shoes are kind of ratty, and many times I cannot find a ball in my size - bowling ball kids! Get your mind out of the gutter!
Reminder: CASH ONLY!!!
Restrooms: They don't really have a front door, so although it was decent to "go" there it left me feeling exposed!
I came here for Bowling with Michael L, VX C, Nayda R, Nate Y, Ligaya T, Damien S, Kenny L, Sus T, Roni E, Trish F, Paul S, Jessika D, Barak O, Ronald McD, Optimus P, Genghis K, Haley-Joel O, Serena W, Abraham L, Spongebob S, Billy The K, Trader J, Hans Christian A and The Olsen Twins.
Okay, some of those I made up. I think.
I had such a grand old time though. And I got the highest score of the night (apart from Haley-Joel O of course) which is a big special thingybob for a transplant like me whose home country bowls little black balls along green grass for fun. Very different.
It's all about getting holes that fit your fingers.
I wish there was music though. I like to bowl with cheesy tunes in place.. Avril L, Britney S, Kanye W, Fifty C, Justin T... but not Soulja B. He's not Elite yet.
Schmyeah, schmyeah. You kids with your penny whistles and your popcorn. Always looking to stir up mischief.
Back in my day, a gent would escort his best gal to lindy hop at the town flapjackery. We'd sip anise Fizzy Lizzies and respect each other all night long. And that means home by 8 o'clock!
Whatever happened to the rocking chair and coloring eggs with beet juice and candlewax? Nowadays, it's flashity blip-bloops of arcade light machines and hockey pucks that ride on air. It's broadcast picture shows and electric apples.
The bowling! I remember when all the balls were 25 pounds and had no holes. People stood at opposite ends of a plank of wood and had to stop their partner's rolling ball by throwing corn cobs at it. Now mechanical doohickeys bring it back for you and even keep score! And pins? Bars of lead is more like it. I don't care what the scientists are saying, I'd wear lead pantaloons if I could.
This new fandangled funhouse gives the whipper-snappers two kinds of bowling, billards with polished cues and uniform balls instead of tree bark and turtles, an electrozap joysticketeria, flushing toilets and a saloon! I will say, Jeanne is fine lass who pours one humdinger of a whiskey ginger. Curls the toes and tickles the nose. Schmyeah.
Maybe this speakeasy ain't so bad after all. Being so close to the underground iron horse is nice and the prices haven't gone up much since I was a tot. Those kids throwing forks at cakes I can live without, but this place is worth the travels. Five miles uphill through the snow in tennis rackets, I tell ya!
Yelp Bowling Yay! Â I love Yelp bowling at Lanes and Games! Â Really I do!
It's a great time, and really it's nothing fancy. Just a brightly lit, old carpeted, Â tin shack with paneled walls. Â But you know what? Â I think that's why it appeals to me. Â It has character without the hype. Â Reminds me of the days back in the 70's when my mom's dragged me along to her bowling league. Â Ahhhh the good old days doin how my mom did. Â Also most importantly, the guys that work there are so cool. Â If you go in the evenings, ask for Joe as he's well versed with us Yelpers and happy to make the evening more enjoyable.
Â
There are 2 floors of bowling and that's both candle pin and 10pin!Pool Tables, Gameroom, Bar, it's  a cheap night - $12.50 for 2 games and shoe rental, and they LOOOOOVE Yelpers (probably 'cause we are hella hard core drinkers.....or was that just me and Roni?  Ha Ha!)
My only 2 caveats - is watch the waitress that walks around the tables. Â She charges $5 for mixed drinks and they are $4. Â Also some of the shoes look like they were dragged across rte 2, and put through the garbage disposal. Â However, the dudes that give ya the shoes are cool about it when you look at them with the raised eye - seriously fella's that's just natty! Â I'd never rate this place poorly for either, but that was one less $ I had for another libation and a close call on catching someones foot fungi. Â
Totally check it out - better yet, come check it out with Yelpers. Â You know what to do - check the events page.
Umm, yeah. This place rocks. Candlepin and 10 pin, all together and living in harmony.
I never imagined that it was going to be 2 floors of bowling, that's just awesome. It's so exactly what a bowling alley should be. Lots of thick carpet and wood paneling. It's like a total flashback.
Upstairs there's a little lounge area. Some folks were getting food, not sure of the verdict on that. But the bartenders give healthy pours for just a few bucks.
Drinking and bowling is a great way to spend a night. I'll definitely be back to do it again.
All I have to say is.... Yelp Bowling!
We've been here twice so far and we've had a blast. Props to the staff for being able to deal with us. Between our dancing around, shouting, hi-fives, cake, and asking them to take pictures - they put up with a lot. Thank you to you guys.
I still can't bowl for the life of me as my really really low scores will display. But it is still a fun time to be had by all. And even better with drinks from their bar.
Bowling anyone?
**************************************************Â***********************
Update (9/22/2007):
We've been bowling at this place for a lil over a month now. These guys seriously are the best!
For $12.75 you get 2 games and shoes. Â
The staff is awesome. Props to Joe, Todd, and that other dude (I don't think I caught his name). Thanks for the prop souvenir guys! You guys rock!
Jean, the oh so beautiful and awesome bartender. She knows how to make a drink for sure! She's the best, no doubt about it. Joe - be sure to give her a raise cause she knows how to do her job and do it well!
This place is so fantastic. A crew of 9 or 10 of us yelpers made our way here last night for drinks and bowling (10 pin). I walked here from the Alewife T stop, and it took only about 5-6 minutes.
It looks like a shitty self-storage shed from the outside.
The inside is decorated in an ORANGE AND BROWN ONLY theme including the carpet on the *walls*. They have a bar area upstairs, complete with a glut of wood paneling, just to make you swoon and sigh. The food menu is cheap, with sandwiches averaging around $4.50. Even PB&J (an option) comes with chips and a pickle. Mama's not cookin' tonite!
I was a bit sad to learn that they don't have PBR or High Life, in fact I was borderline offended. This place positively screamed "High LIFE! OMGZZZ" I had UFO ($4) and mixed drinks ($4) instead.
Also, serving as the highlight of the night, a 4 foot tall, wizened old woman shuffled out from somewhere to stand behind the bar, grunt at two of the people working there, snatch something off the counter, and shuffle back to where she had come from. I was in awe.
The bowling was $12.25 per person, which included two strings and shoes.
I walked over to pick out a ball, because you can, and some guy who worked there absentmindedly explained to me how you should pick a ball, and choose the weight. It was actually pretty nice because I previously wasn't sure. He was simultaneously bending a wire coat hanger into a sculpture. Yet another use for wire coat hangers, I'M SO GLAD THEY WERE INVENTED!!
People were drastically less awful than at King's, even though they were high schoolers.
My only complaint was that there was no music. I picture the perfect music for this place to be whatever you would listen to whilst eating cottage cheese. But also pretend you like cottage cheese.
What a great time!
Being originally from Ny I love that this place has REGULAR bowling in addition to the miniature bowling native to these parts!
It's a big place with tons of lanes (though you still might have a wait on a Fri/Sat night), has a bar with cheap beer/food and a parking lot- what more could a girl ask for?
I celebrated my 25th birthday here with a large group- they allowed us to make reservations and it was awesome! I do think they expected 30 children and not adults and were surprised when we showed up but it worked out : )
Jesse says this is where religion meets bowling. Â I don't know if I would go that far, but I have been once with Jesse and Robert, and he's gone through out his life. Â This place hasn't been renovated since at least the early 80's, and it's fantastic because of it......there's carpeting that hangs on the walls, and it smells vaguely of stale cigarettes, though smoking has been banned for ages now. Â There's lots of parking, and it's probably the best place to go bowl, as they have lots of lanes, both candlepin and big ball (candlepin sucks). Â They have pool tables and an arcade, too. Â
It's pretty much a 10 year olds dream birthday location.
It is nice you can still bowl somewhere in Eastern MA without having your hair and makeup done and wearing a $200 pair of jeans.
It gets five stars if for no other reason than the choice of having bowling still be a low-key evening option.
Other than that, the prices are reasonable, there is plenty of parking, and you can drink while you bowl here too.