I visited Melody Lanes for the first time in nearly two decades, with the expectation that everything about the place would remain frozen in time. In many ways, they have, including the layout, the way the guy at the front desk with a Brooklyn accent answers every single phone call to answer the exact same questions about lane prices, and that it's still a haven for kids bday parties. But I was pleasantly surprised to see they've made a lot of modern updates, including the ability to put gutter guards on for specific players and not needing the gutter guard to stay on for an entire lane the whole time you're playing. They take reservations except on days when schools are closed. We went on a school holiday and had no trouble getting two lanes for our group. The lanes are smooth and pretty much operate as intended, which I can't say for all of Brooklyn's bowling alleys. Prices are low and I appreciated being transported back to the Brooklyn of the early aughts, when I came here often as a kid. I brought sanitizing wipes to wipe down the balls because I'm a germaphobe, but as far as the cleanliness of the place goes, it could be worse. read more

Melody Lanes - Bowling Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Welcome to Melody Lane where the bowling lanes meet strikes. Upon our arrival we were greeted by the huge bright sign Melody Lanes which is my niece name. Then security was very pleasant and inform us he had to check our bags for any drinks or outside food or beverages. Which we kindly showed him.we then went to the front desk and was greeted by a lady who was very informative on the fees for everyone and the different time frame. It's a huge spacious bowling alley with different lanes. Very clean and organized. They have a bar in a private lounge area. It's fun for children's and adults of all ages. Great place to visit with the family or have a party. Highly recommend. Must visit read more

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All Ages are welcome. I had such a wonderful time with my babies. It was a full house on a Thursday night around 8pm. Prices are affordable and reasonable. Sunday through Thursday happy hour is available 5pm until 7pm. I had such a phenomenal time. I love how you could take your photo while you write your name so u know when it's your turn to bowl. Arcade games are available, vending machines, you could play the lotto they have a indoor bar in a nice private room. Trust me it's worth the visit for toddlers, children's and adults!! read more

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This bowling alley has been here for years! It's a neighborhood staple. The staff are all friendly and extremely welcoming. The prices are very affordable for both bowling and food. If you're with a group like we were, they have platters to order with a mix of wings, mozzarella sticks, and fries. read more

Melody Lanes - Bowling Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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Although it was hard to get ahold of the right person to reserve a couple lanes on a Saturday night on the phone - I determined to have my birthday here! After calling 3 days straight the right person was working to put me in their system. The lady I spoke to on the phone was a character, has definitely worked here for decades - super kind and funny. We waited maybe 15-20 minutes for our lanes to be ready. Names and system were easy to navigate. Had a blast here and was able to bring cakes/cupcakes to celebrate! Would definitely recommend having a birthday here. read more

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I haven't been bowling in a few years, so I was excited to go again. Melody Lanes is your quintessential bowling alley-- very nostalgic! While I thought it was a bit pricey, it was a great experience overall. read more

I went here with a group on a Friday night and it was a fun time. They played a mix of 80s Pop and RnB and that definitely set the vibe. We ordered pizza and wings. The pizza is 12in and $15 for cheese and $16.50 for pepperoni. The pizza is pretty small (almost child size) and thin crust. If bringing a group you will for sure need multiple pies. The wings were our favorite. Nice amount of batter and great seasoning. There is no ranch, but there was blue cheese. I'm a ranch gal, but the blue cheese was fine. The wings come as 6 and they're about $10. The management is pretty nice and it wasn't a hassle trying to make a resy. You'll need to call to make a reservation (it can't be done online). This place is good for big groups and small groups. You will need to make a deposit to reserve the lanes. There's a maximum of 6 people per lane. There's also a bar in the center of the establishment if ya just want to hang out and not bowl. It definitely was a fun experience :) read more

I recently visited this establishment and had a very disappointing experience. The customer service provided by the waitstaff was poor, and I was overcharged on my bill. Additionally, many of the arcade games were barely functioning, which made the overall experience frustrating. I was also concerned to see that a tip had been added to my bill without my agreement or prior notice. This practice is unacceptable and should be clearly communicated to customers beforehand. I hope management addresses these issues by improving staff professionalism, ensuring accurate billing practices, and maintaining the arcade equipment so that future customers can have a better experience. read more

Ehh, I would skip this spot. First of all, they are insanely expensive for average lanes. For two people on a Saturday night for ONE HOUR of bowling and shoes cost $82! Insane - $41 per person. We waited about 30 minutes at 930 PM. The lanes have no friction and the ball slides all over the place, which doesn't make it fun when your ball is constantly sliding to the side or in the gutter. Decent ball selection and good music playing. The food bar is fairly priced, but not very good. Staff weren't very friendly, everyone just seemed so rough around the edges. The place was pretty dirty, carpet looked like it hadn't been vacuumed in years. They had cardboard boxes at the entrance to help soak up the rain... Charging 2 people $82 for an hour of bowling, you should be able to buy a doormat lol. They had a pretty decent arcade area but I would not return. So many better, cheaper options. read more

We were on a field trip and they knew we were coming, but they acted like they didn't and the food wasn't prepared and a lot of the lanes were broken down and had errors if I could put zero stars I would. read more

Majority of the staff is nice enough but majorly lacking in professional customer service experience. It was a little hard to bowl because the lane we were at felt a little unpredictable. Possibly needed maintenance because our bowling balls were coming back very oily. This can be an indicator that the lane has been heavily used for the day. Had an aggressive interaction with cleaning staff member - I tried to use the bathroom but was yelled at because I didn't realize it was closed because the floor had just been cleaned. I thought it was precautionary for people to walk slower because it was wet. Nevertheless, the place seems like a fun spot with arcade, food and bar onsite. For covid bar was closed - and they couldn't offer water unfortunately. Reminder to bring your own read more

Melody Lanes - Bowling Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Grew up in the neighborhood hadn't been in years. Very last minute. Place is a bit updated from when I was younger. They search your bags when you get in and made a big deal about us having water bottles. There was two kids with us. You can only get bottled drinks at the vending machine which sucks cause they give an attitude when you need change. The guy was on his phone when we were trying to pay for a lane and going back and forth with another co worker. Lack of customer service. The place was clean and they have security which made me feel like i was in a club/ bar lol Nobody came with menus or anything we figured there was food when we went to the vending machine. It was kind of dirty back there like rice on the counter while two workers were just like hanging out and chatting. My husband and brother in law got beers. Music was great! Old school and new school. Don't think we would come back. Has so much more potential read more

Melody Lanes - Bar area - Bowling Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Serves it purpose as a bowling alley in a good location. 70 ish dollars for a hour of bowling and two pairs of shoes. Was not crowded around 8pm. Cocktails were only $12 but could be better. Stick with the beers. I think they could really amp this place up with better food service and drinks. Would love to see that in the future. read more

Melody Lanes Bowling is usually so fun. What a great place for a group of teens to go on a Saturday. We live in the area and are repeat customers. The place is clean and safe. Bowling is fun. But tonight was awful because employee Miss M decided she didn't like us. Why? Was it that we're teens? Our race? Those were the only two things that did not sync with those she let ahead of us (repeatedly for over an hour.) We patiently waited our turn; we are clean and polite; we have money.... Maybe it was that she had a little power or hates her job or .... Who knows? No one was waiting but us. The others didn't have reservations; she didn't have a list she was working from; there was no bowling league going on... We just weren't welcome. So we left without bowling. Really disappointed Melody Lanes would hire such a person to represent them. One star since we didn't get to bowl and were treated terribly. read more

Randomly decided to go here on a Friday night around 8pm, it's been in the neighborhood since I was a child and I haven't been inside in many years. It's very old school. No frills. At all. But if you come during their "specials" you end up having fun for less $$. Drinks were ok. We had 2 cocktails each. The Melody Monsoon with vodka. They were ok but mostly juice, for $10 each. The lanes are small and tight... but they have mini games on the screen that make bowling fun. We had the lane for 1hour. Played one game the usual way and then played the Mini games a few times before our time ran out. A server came to the table and plopped down a menu with snack options: hot dogs, burgers, wings, pretzel bites, nachos etc. We ordered pretzel bites which were ok. Run of the mill frozen pretzel bites. They don't automatically give you cheese with it you have to order it separately. You cannot order bar drinks from the lane, only snack counter items are brought to you at the lane. The music is ok once you get on the lanes. But at the bar there's no music and the bartender for the night was a lady who mumbled to herself very audibly and just seemed to be going through the motions. She was just making drinks, not tending bar. But hey, I wasn't trying to sit there and be besties with her anyway. Overall, we had fun. But we tend to make the best of everything. I do think it was annoying and unfair that I paid $72 for two people for 1 hour: $60 for the lane, $6 each for bowling shoes. But there were specials advertised for groups of 4 or more for $31hr after 7pm on Fri-Sunday. Guess we should've asked another couple to double date with us. Would I come back? Sure, maybe. If I'm ever close by and looking for something to do but only during their "specials." If even. read more

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Ok place to grab a bite and bowl a few frames. Nothing spectacular here except for the arcade room! Arcade room is amazing and I didn't get to experience it. Hot Wings are pretty good here as well. The big drawback here was how the bartender was pouring "half drink" and charging full price .. awful. If you weren't buying one of their special cocktails you were going to get ripped off.. read more

Melody Lanes - Bowling Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Listen! It gets the job. If you're looking for a lavishing but modern bowling alley keep searching cause this isnt it. If you need assistance there is no one around to answer. At $45/hr I think it's reasonable but I have no idea. I had fun. Theres a full bar and food you can order. read more

Melody Lanes - It's been years. Let's see if I still got it - Bowling Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Mixed feelings about this place. The environment was nice for sure but the staff was trying to force us to close our tab which we were not a big fan of at all. It was 5 of us so we didn't want to close the tab too early because we kept wanting to order more. If it was solely up to me, we would have not left a tip at all, it definitely felt racial. read more

There's nothing special about this bowling alley. There's nothing wrong with it but there's nothing great about it either. There are some reviews that speak negatively about the lady at the counter, I enjoyed her. She was eating some bomb smelling Mexican food and I said wow that smells good and she gave me the menu and told me if I live in the area it's a great place to order from. I think if ur nice to her, she'll be nice to you. She then started talking about Trump to which I politely excused myself but she is pleasant . Overall, it's a cool spot. I would come back with family like my younger siblings. I wouldn't say that I would come if I wanted an adult night out with the crew. read more

My teenage son and I showed up and suddenly there were two goons there demanding to search my bags. I opened it up and there was just a couple of small bottles of water and I didn't hear them at first but they told me that I could not bring the water in. It was a 90-degree day and water is a human necessity, not an option. It's not like I was trying to bring in a case of beer. I asked why I could not bring in the water and they did not answer me. Then I looked at the prices and it was $60 an hour for a Saturday evening. Bad enough you want to treat your bowling alley like a nightclub but now you're charging prices like one and you're treating your customers like terrorists. The plus-sized blonde lady cashier was really nasty to me when I disputed the prices and complained about the rude bouncers (or whatever you call them), and she made it clear to me that she did not care to have me as a customer, so I took my business to Funfest in Mill Basin which charges only $40 an hour. In short, Melody Lanes lost a once-loyal long-time customer by overcharging but mainly by being petty about water and using unnecessary muscle to try to intimidate me. If I was willing to pay nearly $70 including shoes, they could've let a couple of bottles of water through and maybe I would've even paid for food if I was in a really good mood. Avoid! read more

God this place sucks. The staff here couldn't be more incompetent and rude. Worst service around. Except for the sweet lady who's always behind the bar. She's awesome. read more

A nice, local and convenient bowling alley to get to for when you don't want to spend too much money (ladies bowl half off on Tuesdays). The staff is helpful and accommodating and always seem in a good mood. Lanes and bathroom are always kept clean. They have arcade games in the back from those who want to take a break from playing and have a kitchen when you work up an appetite. Additionally, they have a bar to make your bar experience more lively. Always a good time here! read more

$17 per person and only 2 games. It was fun but only lasted an hour maybe two . The place was nice and there was an arcade. read more

Melody Lanes - Bowling Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Straightforward neighborhood type place. Nothing special, but covers all the basics. Good place to come for fun bowling times. read more

I like really like this bowling alley. It's slightly tucked away and gives you a great neighborhood hangout spot vibe. It's s lot larger than I expected it to be with about 2 dozen or so lanes. The equipment and devices aren't the most modern but they work well for all intents and purposes. The lanes aren't too overcrowded and accommodate groups well. There's a pretty decent bar centrally located in the venue as well as a concessions counter for snacks and small meals as well. There's also an arcade for the kids or kid in you. I don't go bowling all that often and when I do, I don't recall paying but I feel like it was a little expensive but this New York so I assume it's normal. I paid about $65 in total for an hour with 2 people including shoe rental. read more

Melody Lanes - Bowling Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

Why oh why haven't they changed with the times- I'm not going to go into detail but - As others have mentioned, sadly it may be time for new help The 'elder' employees are not happy people! The woman at the front end-wow. Her political views and language/feelings about certain people are not welcoming to many! She makes things very clear The bar-well legend or not, if one wants to survive these days post covid you need to be ready and attract a more diverse crowd Just saying-the bar is a huge money maker for a bowling alley and if it takes forever and a day to get a cocktail, somethings off They do a good job so is distancing but overall new life needs to be thrown into this establishment Fast read more

looked for a nice place to go with my friend for the weekend and came across this location. when I say club feel.. I MEAN CLUB FEEL. I almost for a second forgot that I was in a bowling alley. lets start with the lady that checks the shoes. she has a little attitude on her. but she tried to tame it when dealing with me. she let me know that it would be a little wait but I was ok with that being that I was determined to bowl that Saturday night. the place was really packed so packed you had to make sure that no one would bump into you because they were really drunk and trying to juggle jugs in there hands while walking.. (kinda made me laugh). when it was finally ready for me and my friend to go to our lanes PEOPLE WAS STILL SITTING THERE!! we had to say um this is our lane and they politely moved but left a BIG NASTY MESS.. (yay us). so I went to that same lady that checks the shoes and let her know that we needed someone to clean the area for us.. she said ill send someone in a push off way. I said ok and no one came. me and my friend had waited for the lane to open up and it took foreverrrrrrrrrrr. I walked back to her to let her know that we needed assistance and he finally came to clean up the spot so yeah.. do better! read more

Been here pre-pandemic and had a decent time, however, now their staff picks and chooses who follows COVID guidelines. We had waters (because the bar had no ice for cocktails) and my friend was told to lift his mask up after forgetting to put it back up after drinking. When I asked why a man and woman a few lanes down were able to bowl (and walk around the entire place) completely maskless, one of the staff members said, "I know them" as though COVID is transmitted through popularity and not proximity. Through the remainder of our time bowling, a group of teenagers next to us went mask free and unscathed. Needless to say, the regulations there felt a bit targeted. Disappointed. I'll be sticking to The Gutter. read more

A friend had a birthday gathering here, and we had a great time on a Saturday night. The music was interesting. For an hour, there were so many songs that None of us had ever heard. And we listen to a wide variety of music. They have music videos on wide screens. Melody Lanes has food that you can order. Nothing to write home and tell anyone about, but decent. The staff was friendly. The bowling lanes were well maintained, with slick lanes. However, the overall look of the place could use some updating. For the first time in my life, I won a game of bowling. Lastly, they had an hourly rate on a Saturday, which is rare. Maybe I'll come back one day. read more

Melody Lanes - Celebrating a birthday - Bowling Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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I have been coming since i was wee lass, authentic Brooklyn vibes all the way and yummy ass food son

This place needs new staff. Place was jammed packed people smoking weed in the entrance. The security guard a bit rude. The lady at the front desk was rude, you ask her a question and she will catch an attitude. bar needs help!! Tables full of liquor empty cups all over the place, not a good environment for big groups or family. read more

This is my neighborhood bowling alley; it hasn't changed much since I've been a child, not sure if that's a positive or negative. It's not very fancy, but has a bar, bowling, and some decent specials. Late night unlimited bowling, Tuesday ladies night (ladies Bowl for free with a paying companion), and Monday through Friday is a kids special from 5-7 for $16. Don't expect anything fancy here, it's pretty standard and a bit old fashioned. The front staff was very courteous, but I do remember back in the days when that wasn't the case. One negative is they don't provide bowling shoes for the small kids, and it made them feel left out. I've bowled many places and never saw that before. read more

Melody Lanes - The wait! - Bowling Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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I grew up in the neighborhood, and have been to Melody and Maple Lanes all throughout my childhood. It's interesting to see all of the new faces showing up here, since it's a cheap outing for the gentrifiers to go to. Am I resentful? Maybe a bit, but I didn't mind their company. We came on a busy Saturday night without reservation (not sure if they do any) for 2 lanes for 2 hours. We waited about an hour and had some beer in the meantime. The bar-man was cute, reminding me of an old-time grandpa moonlighting as a train bartender. The lady at the front was rough, screaming names and having no chill when dealing with patrons. She was a no bull-shit kind of gal. The four of us paid $22 each for shoes/the 2 hours on the lane. The balls were mostly old, from my childhood, but still useable. I did notice that a lot of the balls were too small/wide to handle though, leaving us with 4 of the tiny orange balls with large fingers holes. The workers were patient with us, even though we had more than a few balls stuck in the gutter. This is a standard, cheap place to bowl, but the air inside did get stuffy and make me nauseous. They need to do something about circulation in there, and the equipment was a bit outdated. Average average average. P.S. The food ladies were great though - super helpful and kind! read more

I wouldn't even give this place half a star. I booked 3 lanes a month in advance for my 7 year old bday. When I paid and took my party to the lanes , the lanes were filthy and dirty. There was popcorn in front of the lane and spilled juice everywhere on the floor. When I told them about it they said they will send someone. My daughter the birthday girl was a size 12. When I went to get her shoes they told me they didn't carry her size. They only carry size one and up which was a lie because my niece was wearing a size 12. I couldn't believe the way I was treated. They told me have her wear whatever shoes she had on. Which were booties and my other niece had to bowl with crocks on. The people they got working here lack customer service skills and we're very unprofessional and unaccomadating. Why not ask me before hand what size I need for my party ? Why not check to see if your giving your paid customer clean lanes?? They need to close this piece of junk down . Then the so called manager walked by swinging cash in her hand asking me to leave . Really ??? After they messed up. I have my whole family there 2 cakes, 2 babies, 6 kids,l. How dear they do that? Really horrible experience. I don't recommend this place to anybody. Please take your money somewhere where they actually value and care about their customers. It's not that hard to run a bowling alley. Just have clean lanes and available shoes !!!!!! Dummies !!!!!!! read more

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One star is gratuitous at best. As many other reviewers have mentioned, the mean old lady is no joke. For some reason this establishment needs 90 minutes to do a "shift change." They literally lock the door to keep out paying customers! Waiting 90 minutes wouldn't be so bad if the bar was open, but alas that too is closed while they "change shifts," something that ever other business on the planet does within a few minutes. After our nearly two-hour wait we show up to bowl but we notice the bar is still closed. The nasty old woman every other reviewer mentions ignores me for a ridiculously long time despite the fact that I'm the only one vying for her attention. When she finally decides to bless me with her attention she simply tells us that the bar will open. When, we ask? She did not like this question one bit. She looks at us blankly wondering why we are here bothering her at all. And finally she informs us, as though it were common knowledge to all sentient beings, that the man who runs the bar is also the bowling alley mechanic! So once he gets done working on whatever he's working on he will come back to the bar. Needless to say we decided that this bowling alley is not for us. I cannot imagine handing money over to this woman who seems to literally hate customers. How on earth they have come up with a shift change that takes nearly two hours is mystery I will probably never understand. read more

Pros: -Easy to get to, especially from my Downtown Brooklyn apartment. Five-minute walk from the 36th St R train stop. -No frills and judgement-free, which is exactly how a bowling alley should be. Any person would fit in here. -Bowling was just fine for total amateurs like myself. Pretty sure most skill levels would be satisfied. Cons: -Customer Service - unfortunately the employees here are quite rude to their patrons, making customers feel as if we are an inconvenience to them. Lots of waiting for someone to assist and also for bar drinks - this was not helped by the fact that at least one employee was mindlessly scrolling through her cell phone behind the counter. At least the lane attendants were helpful and friendly when needed. -Loudspeaker - any time the bartender needed ice or a bus boy, they would announce it through a speaker system that the whole bowling alley can hear. This was loud, shrill, and frankly just unnerving to listen to, especially since it happened every 5-10 minutes. Please, find a normal way to communicate. Overall: The pros matter more than the cons to the overall bowling experience, so we'll be back again. One suggestion - this place has a lot of money-saving specials which we unfortunately could not take advantage of given the time of day we were there. Next time we'll do more research. read more

This is a horrible bowling alley for competitive bowlers. Their lanes are always sticky and dirty, to the point where people end up falling on the lanes because their shoes get stuck. My bowling ball was damaged near the finger grips, which can affect the way that the ball is held. I brought it to the pro shop owner to see if they would repair the damages and was greatly disappointed. The pro shop owner was incredibly rude and condescending. He claimed that I was being ridiculous because my ball was only "slightly damaged" and said that he can't fix it. He said that since it is the lane that caused the damage it is the custodian's issue not his to fix. So, you have a pro shop owner that doesn't fix ball damages, and you have a bowling alley that doesn't fix their lanes. Ended up using a house ball to finish my game so I wouldn't damage my ball any further. Waste of money to bowl here. read more

Your classic 90s bowling alley. Hasn't changed a bit. Didn't try any of the food but the Long Island iced teas are strong. Saturday nights are filled with teenagers so if you're looking for a different vibe, I'd pick another night. Overall we had a great time. read more

The bartender is the best . The bar is super cool. Built in the 60s kept all original.

Wow. Yeah, didn't even make it in the door and the woman who is featured in many a review here managed to make such a bad impression that I'll be taking my party elsewhere. Called to ask about their group rate. She tells me it's $90/hour for 10+ people, shoes included. Okay, great, totally fair price. I ask what happens if we have fewer than 10. She says it's then $100/hour and we have to pay for shoes. I express my confusion with this, as to my mind, it's fewer people, so less work for them. She snaps at me, saying "What's confusing?!" and then reiterates the terms. I simply restate the terms, to make sure I understand correctly and try to politely explain that I find it confusing because to me fewer people is less work, etc. "Fine, see you then. Goodbye." And she hangs up on me. Once I had a chance to think about it, I suppose their business model is to make their money on drinks, so getting more people in makes sense. Which is FINE, and a simple fact you could just tell me. And then perhaps not hang up on a potential customer. A little baffled that they're still in business. read more