As a casual bowler (meaning 1x per year, if that) Howell's "Land That Time Forgot" Lanes are perfectly fine. You stand in the shoes of one thousand other bowlers as Dr. Scholl's and your podiatrist passes out and you hurl a shared ball down the lane with all the smoothness and sheen of a meteorite as you share a few laughs and split. Inside, it could be any year from the past half century. Who cares. It's not like there's a ton of options. Growing up in southern NYS, lanes were everywhere as were the multiplicity of leagues and the labor unions that populated them. Now, you take it where you find it. On that score, Howell Lanes works. Four stars for just being there. Sorry Dr. Scholl's. read more

Walked in at 1:30 pm on a Monday. All lanes open. Their website states "no open bowling 5:30-9:30pm" immediately, a gentleman at the bar loudly stated "What are they doing here?" Meaning ... myself and my two children. I ignored his remark. I was told by an employee that we could not bowl because the high school league was coming in. Confusing because again, it's 1:30 pm with ALL lanes available but OK. I asked the woman working what times they did offer open bowling to the public and she could not answer the question stating, "the times vary daily" Guess they did not want my business. She did an amazing job at making me feel like I did not belong there. 5 stars for that! read more

Everytime I go there they got some type of competition there. And are not aloud to bowl. A league going on. Went there three times and said I have to wait two hours. Like my day is that empty. I thought this was a family place. A great place to go out on dates. Instead when I walk up and ask to bowl I get like a you don't belong here type of vibe read more

I'm writing this review on behalf of the atrocious, unprofessional and down right awful customer service we received last night. First off Lisa, who apparently is part owner should be let go immediately. How disgusting are you that you would talk down to a fellow woman and be so blatantly disrespectful when you work in a service industry. News flash, your job is to serve your customers and ensure they leave happy and satisfied. You were so set on you being the right one in the situation when you improperly made a drink for my best friend. How hard is it to just remake the drink so she was happy? Instead you didn't own up to your mistake but you literally bullied and verbally attacked her that she was even afraid to come to you and ask you to fix the drink that you incorrectly made and then charged her $18 for. Honestly, you should be ashamed for speaking to her in the derogatory way you did. Thank god for your partner who rectified the situation the next day when her husband came back because no way in hell would we allow her to face your mean, and bullying self again. Girl, check yourself and maybe take a course in how to properly talk to people. You humiliated her by talking down to her in public and to be quite honest, I witnessed you being a bully. Life is hard enough that we don't need to spend our time and hard earned money in an establishment with an experience like that. Shame on you Lisa. read more

Came here with my daughter and friend. Prices were comparable to other alleys. I didn't know you bowled and then paid at the end. I had a very difficult time understanding the employee due to accent. The only reason not getting 5 stars is because they kept putting people so close together. Place was not crowded at all and two groups were placed one after the other at the same console as us. Ppl could have been separated by a lane read more

This is my go to bowling alley. They have a bar area where you can play darts or billiards while you wait when it's a busy night. Prices are decent, but Monday and Tuesday night deals have definitely increased in price over the years. I'd come here for cosmic bowling on Saturday nights. You can win prizes for knocking down colored pins. My husband won a popcorn maker once. They've even given away a light up bowling ball. Give this place a try! read more

This place was horrendous, my family of 5 felt unsafe and it was a horrible idea. The food was just frozen food, we waited for twice our original waiting time, and they let the cool bowling leaguers go ahead of us. If you are going here, change your gps, and go to skyzone instead. read more

Love this bowling alley! Obviously this was not recently built, but they have modernized the scoring, added large screen tvs, disco lights, speakers system, and other physical renovations. The end result is a retro looking bowling alley, like the ones I used to know and love, with modern touches. Came here for a kids party. There are 2 party rooms. In addition to bowling, there are a few arcade games that you can play, classics like Mr and Ms. Pac-Man, as well as air hockey table. On premises there is also a bar with pool tables, and a snack bar. There is a schedule with live entertainment on the weekends. The rates here are pretty good. I haven't been bowling often but, I been to places where the per game rate is higher, plus they would charge for shoe rental per game! Not here. There are also frequent specials on games on certain nights. The staff here are pretty friendly. They are very patient with kids. For the kids bowling they offer bumpers for kids less than 12, and ramps for kids who need help getting the ball down the lane. This is a cool place to bowl and get together with friends. read more

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We just had our sons birthday party here. 4 kids were a no show and the bowling alley only charged us for the amount of kids that came, which we really appreciated. Emily was our "host" and she was beyond accommodating to us and the kids. I would highly recommend this place if you're looking for an easy carefree type of party for your kids. read more

32 lanes with very friendly and helpful staff. If you are looking for well-maintained lanes-this is a top spot to try. One of the very best Pro Shops around, Solid Ten run by John Furey. Bar, music and disco night bowling on Saturdays with entertainment are provided as well. read more

Nice bowling alley. Was here for the state tournament. Clean place, nice lanes. It is fairly spacious for bowlers and guest. But expect to pay a lot for the food if you eat there. 2 chicken fingers and fries for 7.50. The price is normal. But 2 fingers. Come on I did not check the bowling prices. But this seems like it would a fun place to to hang out with the family. I like this alley and will be back as a fun bowler. And thinking about a league here as well for the 2015-2016 season. read more

Terrible ally's rude customer service the machine dosent even set up the pins correctly and there kids running all over the place interrupting peoples games it's terribly fun and extremely filthy never returning read more

Terrible customer service ! From the time we walked in until the time we were given a lane everything was completely unorganized . The men behind the register were rude and obnoxious . Did a poor job cleaning bowling shoes . read more

Well ..... my friends and me decided to go bowling here after dinner. We got the impression that at 7pm our party of around 15 wasn't welcomed, despite the fact that we did spend much money at the bar and kitchen..... After reserving lanes for multiple games, the woman at the front desk (who I assume is a manager as she was coaching a younger girl) was extremely rude and sarcastic to our friend who was trying to figure out who is willing to play. Her response to everything was " I know what I am doing." Now, as someone who deal with customer service all the time, I am very shocked on how sarcastic she is with this. Or else I wouldn't be yelping. As enjoyable it was with my friends, it's was very not so enjoyable with the staff. They were very rude with us addressing the fact that we needed to have their shoes or the fact that our beer bottles were too close To the lanes. Now, I get it, there are safety hazards or what not, but they were extremely rude addressing it. I came for fun, not criticism. We will take our business elsewhere. Be nicer when addressing an issue not A ..... read more

Worst bowling alley staff ever. The alley is relatively old, the balls are in bad shape, and the staff if the absolute worst. Don't ever come here. read more

Been coming once a week for a few weeks now. Customer service is virtually just not there, you get what you need but no hospitality or really manners. The alleys are older and have their problems. Really want to like this place considering it's so close to my home but I struggle with finding ways to like it or an excuse to come back every time. read more

Great bowling experience and everything you could ask for for bowling. There are over 20 lanes and plenty of balls to use. $4.50 to rent shoes and a little over $5 for each game. The place was clean and everyone was wearing masks for covid. Plenty of parking. The bumpers are only for children though so plan to not use bumpers for anyone over ~12 years old. I recommend as a nice bowling place. read more

My son decided last minute that he wanted a birthday party, and I didn't know what I'd do. I called Howell Lanes on a Wednesday, and was able to book a party for that Saturday. My son and his friends had such a great time that they wanted to stay and bowl some more after the party was over. The party attendant was very kind, and took care of everything for me. The staff at the front desk treated us as if we were family, and were very friendly. We will be returning! read more

Reasonable prices, good equipment, and clean. They seem to be understaffed and, as a result, there's no one to staff the bar or food counter ... that may be due to the holiday. Lots of kids, lots of laughter, and plenty of music and lights to distract anyone from noticing that I'm the King of Gutterballs! read more

Firstly, to the person who wrote the extremely prejudiced review below... if you don't like a business because it allows certain people in, don't go there. You can't give a business a bad review just because you are a racist doucher. Discrimination by businesses is against the law, read a book. Anyway, I have been going to this place since I was a child, and it's very dated, which adds to its charm. As with any bowling alley, it is going to be busy at peak times, so call ahead and reserve a lane if you think it might be an issue. A little planning goes a long way. The bathrooms are somewhat questionable. The bar and pool tables therein are usually alright. Good prices on bottles of beer, for a "bar". I hope this place stays in Howell forever. We need more places like this, with long standing history within the community. read more

I've bowled all over the state of New Jersey. The last 9 years has been mostly in Howell lanes. The fact that the owners here have invested zero effort or money into the upkeep of the ball returns and pin setters over the years is discouraging to say the least. The fact that money is now being invested into the first 6 lanes for a complete renovation for a training program is even more discouraging. Not caring enough about the house bowlers that for years have supported this place by spending money where it doesn't help them out is not right. If you care about the condition of your own equipment as an avid bowler... do not bowl here. The returns chew up balls when they are working and the rate of play on the broken malfunctioning lanes is overwhelmingly slow. The staff here is aware of the shortcomings and I feel for them being put in a position to try an appease bowlers daily ... but we all know that the owners here have money to spend just not in the right place. Shame on them for neglecting the basic upkeep and needs of the other lanes that are just terrible. Not a week goes by without pinserters and ball returns not working right Being the only alley in the area is obviously the only thing keeping the money comming into this place. Lack of options That is a sad state of affairs. read more

The bowling ally is kind of dated but it's well maintained. We went at 12n on a Wednesday summer afternoon. For about an hour the place was crawling with camp kids which was annoying, but they left just as fast as they came. When you first enter you pay for your shoes only (not the games).For a party of six, we paid $24 for our shoes. Next, we were set up on two lanes and we bowled three games in a row (the games totaled to $50) You don't pay for your games until the very end, so incase you want to keep playing you can without interruption. The absolute down fall to this place was the snack bar. The items were heavily priced and the snack bar ( which looked like an attached diner) looked ran down & slightly unsanitary. So we settled for a few bottles of $2 snapples instead. For the most part, it was good clean family fun, even if it was a little pricey! read more

Howell Lanes - Bowling Near Me - Howell, New Jersey

My twin 9 year olds celebrated their 9th birthday at Howell Lanes in Howell New Jersey this past weekend. We spoke to several of their staff and management to schedule all or the party activities including bowling , balloons , food and a private party room. As luck would have it as we walked into the facility the power went out. The entire place turned dark. There was a transformer fire effecting 13,000 customers. Jenn was with us from the time we walked in. She gave us regular updates and as it turned out the power outage lasted only 40 minutes. Jenn allowed us to stay close to the original planned timeframe by getting us set up with food & drinks and assisted with setting up the party room. Getting all the kids shoes, lighting the birthday candles and every other aspect including the wrapping up of the left over food at the end of our party. Jenn made what could have been a disappointing situation to a happy time for my girls and our guests. I highly recommend Howell Lanes for your party needs. Thank you Jenn read more

Staff is extremely rude and lanes kept malfunctioning. A worker named mike verbally harassed us when we were doing nothing wrong because we were finishing up 20 minutes before the place closed, 20 minutes. He said it's our fault he had to stay late meanwhile we were leaving on time along with other people. After we heard him yelling we finished up immediately to leave and while my bf was cleaning up, I looked at the man to acknowledge he was yelling at us and he yelled " happy f****ing Valentine's Day". Will never go there again. Extremely disappointed. read more

Love this bowling alley. Great friendly staff and the café is really good, pork roll and cheese on a great roll done right

The bowling may be fine, but the place smell terrible. Decided to bowl for fun, we didn't make it pass the front door before we were covering our noses from the bad smell of the place.. It's dark and the food area as didn't look like some where we wanted to eat at. Hasty exit, to find a cleaner and pleasant smelling bowling alley. This was the second visit, the first time we thought just caught the place on a bad night, however after the last visit we are sure this has how the place always functions. read more

Bowling here is NOT FUN. On a Friday night, it's raining, you'd think they prepare for the public and out of 32 lanes only TEN were left for walk ins. The very rude mean lady told my family of 9 that it would be an hour wait. We waited patiently and our nephew put a timer on bc he's a kid and that's what they do. We waited sixty minutes to a tea and two lanes opened up. We asked if those would be our lanes and she said no we have probably another 45 minutes to wait. For twenty minutes we stare at these open lanes and we asked wtf is going on, she said league courtesy we can't open those to the public. HOWELL YOURE A BUNCH OF HICKS. they need a new front desk lady. read more

I went here since I could remember and tonight I went with a couple work friends for a night off and we went to the bar and I asked the bartender for a vodka sour and tequila pineapple and she said she can only do one drink per person. So I was like okay no worries a lot of bars are like that. I walked away and got my drink and sipped it and it was pure sour juice nothing else! As I do in any bar, I go to the bartender and asked if she can remake the drink as I taste no vodka at all. I noted that the man infront of me online ordered two drinks and gave him two with no issue. I then asked her if she would remake my drink as it has no alcohol in it and she refused and stated she did do a shot. Any other bartender would remake the drink regardless of agreeing or not. I suggest drinking before coming to this bowling alley if you want to be buzzed. read more

Place is overpriced at $5 per game and $4 for shoes and the money obviously isnt used to maintain their equipment as the machines regularly break down. I called ahead to ask for a price and was quoted 3.50 a game and when i mentioned that to staff they were rude. Do yourself a favor and find another place read more

Absolutely the WORST bowling alley in the area. Not only is management rude and unprofessional but the staff is also just a hot mess. Last time I was there, there was a woman going in and out of the supply closet with a mop, cursing at a couple bowling near her. She was yelling for about 45 minutes, enough to make my wife uncomfortable enough to ask me to leave. Wont be back there anytime soon. Love Brunswick Lanes and their bar and great mexican food. Worth the extra few minute drive. read more

I gave the cashier 20 dollars for two pairs of shoes and she handed me back 8 dollars which I assumed covered the 1.50 lane fee for me and a friend but when I told them this as I was leaving they denied that it happened and did not even give me a receipt initially and demanded I paid an extra 6 dollars, the manager said it was my fault; so much for good customer service and when the woman asked me who handled the cash I said she did and she still denied it, I understand it's not a lot of money but it's just the terrible customer service and rude employees. If I could I would give 0 stars. read more

Good crowd, dj spinning light-metal favorites from the 80s and 90s, and a well maintained bowling alley all resulted in a good time for Primo and friends last night. read more

One of my favorite bowling alleys. Very spacious. Nice food area and bar. Always a lot of families, kids, friends and league bowlers. Every time here is a fun time, good prices. The lanes are nice and new, it's nice here. read more

Great family friendly atmosphere. Always a great time to be had a Howell Lanes. Our family enjoys the weekly leagues and the special parties that they host (Halloween & New Year's Eve). We've even had very successful fundraisers at Howell Lanes. The staff is like one big family. I would definitely recommend Howell Lanes for family events, fundraisers, leagues, and an all around good time! read more

Recently started bowling with a league there on Tuesday evenings. The lanes are clean,and comfortable seating areas. Bathrooms are also clean. Havent eaten there,as I eat dinner at home,so I cant comment on the food served in the snack bar. I can comment on the pro shop- the service was great there.They were very helpful in getting me a new bowling ball,shoes and bag! read more

Came here for the first time.... very cute... but the people up front were very rude. Wouldn't even let us change lanes they are reserved for no one here.... the shoes are embarrassingly ugly.. I said I prefer not to wear them I've worn the cons multiple times in other blowing alleys they just want ya to spend more money I recommend not coming here. read more

Great place for bowling. Very clean, friendly and extra helpful staff, fairly priced. Would definitely recommend for other.

Came at 8 pm on a Saturday. They said 40 minutes wait. It's been an hour and no movement on the list. Avoid this place!

COUNT HOW MUCH MONEY YOU GET!!! They gave me the wrong amount of change and refused to give me back the correct amount!! They owed me $10 and they treated me like I was trying to steal that money from them. They said that they're going to check the cameras and I really wanted them too because they owed me money and suddenly they said no? Just because your guy has been working for a while doesn't mean you can just refuse to give the correct amount! I told them to check the register or check those cameras because you can't steal people's money like that and then treat them like crap!! Really disappointed they took $10 from me. I had a great time before bowling is fine there the workers were fine until I asked them nicely to give me the proper amount. Really disappointed in that please check how much money you get back or you might lose money too!! read more

I've been coming to this bowling alley as long as I can remember. Actually, one time when I was a child my Dad did a 360 spin into the parking lot. Fun times. Anyway, I used to go every Saturday night on laser night with my cousin until he had Knee surgery. The DJ was really cool. (a pittsburgh steeler's fan). Also gave out free games or $1, $2, $3 coupons. If a certain color pin drops down you have a chance at a free game. Certain times you get to use a really flashy bowling ball and roll for a $15 gift card. Anyway.. I haven't been to laser night in awhile but I did go last Friday. They updated there computers which confused me a little. I liked the old one better. But it's like learning a new phone I guess. The spanish guy there is really cool. I don't have an issue with any of the staff. OH. They do $1.50 game nights on Monday nights. This is a great bowling alley. read more