Out in Newcastle this weekend? Don't want to get mortal? Why not skip the pre drinking and go to…read moreLane7? Lane7 is a 1950's American style bowling alley in heart of the Toon. As soon as you walk in the door this place screams character, the friendly staff are all decked out in braces and traditional 50's gear and the basic warehouse décor gives lane7 a real charm. Unfortunately we couldn't get booked in for bowling as Christmas parties dominated the lanes so we opted for an hour of pool on the slick American tables. For one hour we paid £12 which I feel is pretty reasonable. Lane7 offer a table service which means that you can focus on your sport of choice and not waste time queuing at the bar. The bar serves cocktails, spirits and draught beer including hipster drink of choice Brooklyn. They also do food with the restaurant set up like a dining hall. There's a really nice fun atmosphere in lane7, laughter is coupled with crashing ten pins and the back and forth of the ping pong balls. Don't be a turkey, strike the right chord with your mates by directing them to Lane7!

We had pre booked lane 7 for Friday 3rd as there were 12 ladies coming from from Belfast for a hen…read moreparty. We were a bit early so we sat in the bar area and enjoyed some cocktails and beer's. We then moved over to the dining area and we're split into two tables of 6. For starter I had the popcorn squid which was served with pico de gallo and garlic mayo. For mains I went for the Lobster roll served with fries (sweet potato fries also available) and ordered the halloumi salad as an extra side. Thoroughly enjoyed my meal. Decided to go for a liquid dessert which was the espresso martini. Quite strong but just what I needed to perk me up. One of the girls ordered an Irish coffee...bad move! I think lane 7 need to research their coffees a bit more as their version included baileys and milk. There were a few cock ups with sides arriving late and one of the dishes was more batter than squid but Amy our server sorted the problems quickly. Very friendly and bubbly girl. Bowling was a great way to get the weekend started as we all had a great laugh and some stupid bowling moves pulled. Definitely recommend booking beforehand.

This is a great place fun for all the family a bit of a tourist trap, but it is for the kids…read morereally, a nice bowling area, the have arcades and interactive machines such as dance games and such forth around as well, kids are mental in this place as I'm sure I would have been at there age, as its all flashy and loud. Parking is hand with a big car park outside, easy to get to and find, it's a fun night out for the family can get a little bit expensive.

Star Bowl is located in the Royal Quays area of North Shields, opposite to the Outlet Shopping…read moreCentre. This is a 10 lane bowling alley but also has lots of arcade games, pool tables, slot machines ets. It is a popular place with children and teenages and kids parties are regularly held there. It has a burger bar inside so hand for a snack but it's not the cheapest place to dine so probably better to nip across the road to the Royal Quays for nicer/cheaper food there. Star Bowl is lots of fun and occassionally has special offers on so it's worth looking out for those.

Kaskada Bowling Alley was commonly referred to as 'the bowling alley' and used to be the ultimate…read morehot-spot for college students such as myself. I only actually bowled there a handful of times, but I frequented the place several times a week for many a year. My friends and I would meet there, although looking back, there was little to do. There was twenty lanes for bowling - these are the same as they are everywhere, around £5 a game per player, and up to 4 players playing on one lane. You bowl ten rounds after inputting your name into the computer, and the computer takes great delight in laughing at you when you fail to knock down any pins, or when you manage to aim the bowling ball directly into the centre of the pins, but only knocking down a single one from the back row. It also cheers on the odd occasion you get a strike or a half-strike. The bowling alley is rarely very busy, with maybe 4 lanes being used at any one time, unless it's around the Christmas period where work parties take over the entire row of lanes. In front of the actual bowling lanes there's a games area with shuttle hockey and pool tables, fruit machines and a few ride-on motorbike racing machines. I have frequent memories of the 'Day-ton-ah' tune from a few of the machines from hanging around there so much. Also towards the front of the lanes, against the back wall, there's a small burger bar, and a shop for the purchase of bowling balls, shoes and other little souvenirs. At one end of the bowling alley there's a bar with some comfy leather chairs and the kind of dark-wood decoration popular in many bars today. There's also a terrace in this area. I often wonder what made this place so popular with the teenagers - we weren't allowed in the bar or near the bowling lanes (unless bowling) so were left to hang around the games area, playing pool when we could afford it. I guess it was because it was warm inside - there was nowhere else in Durham city like it.

I love this place! It's located on Teesside Retail Park, next to Pizza Hut, so plenty of free…read moreparking outside. They have quite a number of lanes and the prices are reasonable. It's great for an evening out. They do have a cafe but I personally feel it's over priced, and we usually go to Pizza Hut after our game instead! This place is pleasant (although very noisy). Apart from just the bowling, they also have a separate section with arcade games and dance mat type games, and my personal favourite, that one where you slide a 2p piece down into a pile of other 2p pieces on a moving ledge in the hope that it will push some of them over the edge and you'll win ooh maybe as much as 10p which you promptly put straight back into the game!

Well positioned, in Teeside Park retail park near to the Showcase cinema. The bowling alley is…read morealways busy so its good to book ahead. There is a good booking system online. Currently they have a range of offers available. We usually go for the sunday morning kids bowl free one. Note the drinks are fine but the food is pretty disgusting. I would wait till I got out, also don't book another activity straight after as sometimes there is a wait for alleys.

Namco Funscape sits within the Yellow Mall of intu Metrocentre - it's brilliant! Takes you back to…read morethose awkward teen years when you still couldn't quite go into the pub without it being bloomin' obvious you were nowhere near old enough (kids, just don't do it) and needed somewhere to entertain you and your mates. There's loads to do to while away some time, it's got penny arcades, dodgems, those funny machines where you dance on the floorpads in (or out) time to some god-awful Europop tune, air-hockey, pool tables, a bar and (my personal fave) ten-pin bowling. Which is where this review now ventures. Now, I like bowling and Newcastle has a few bowling alleys dotted around, sadly the XS up at Longbenton is no more and there's still one in Fenham which looks like it has seen better days. Lane7 is good if you're after swish U-S-of-A style atmosphere, but it's string bowling (pins dangle on strings) which just ain't quite the same. So, if you're after that authentic bowling experience, I'd recommend you head over to Namco. 18 lanes of proper bowling fun, 8 of which are partitioned off into 'The Lounge', you can now bowl in your own shoes (flat soled only, sorry ladies) which is a slightly bizarre experience, but one you get used to. They still have a stock of actual bowling shoes, just in case. It's always very well maintained here, the balls are returned to the racks in size order so you're not taking ages hunting for the right weight, the lanes are in great condition and (so far) I've never had the pin-setter go wonky and breakdown. You also get lane service for drinks, keeps you nicely refreshed as you chalk up another strike. Some great offers to be had, such as on Wednesday and Sunday evenings when you can get 3 games for £6 (after 6pm). So pull on those retro shirts and pants, get yourself down and prove that you're 'The Dude' or 'Kingpin' after all.