Not too bad. Not too bad. This place is alright when you have exhausted all the possible things to do in the city. Okay, so Monday night pretty much tingles the tit, but go on a weekend, you'll be disappointed by the plethora of league bowlers camping on the lanes. Can't I find a good bowling alley that is not beholden to the expert comp bowlers of America? Baaah! Well, Monday nights are quite juicy, especially if you are craving a tall boy PBR, crust punk, and those people you see around town everywhere you go. read more

I love Memory Lanes! Punk rock bowling on Monday nights is always fun even though the music is sometimes really crap (generally it is pretty good but let's be honest, new bands that need finesse have to start somewhere and sometimes that is punk rock bowling at Mem Lanes). The food is pretty good and the patio is a good size for sitting out when it's nice. Once a friend and I were coloring with crayons while sitting at the bar on a quieter night and we managed to talk the bartender into drawing something as well. He was really hilarious about it, putting on an artist act and 'framing' his drawing with some wine bottles behind the bar. The employees seem to have a pretty good sense of humor as an overall, which is great considering the unique crowds they have during certain events. I don't get out as much as I used to but punk rock bowling is always worth it. read more

I have been to Memory Lanes for various birthday parties and the off weeknight over the past few months and I am never disappointed. I had an odd encounter with a server but I was assured he would get a talking-to so I dont hold it against the establishment. I just wanted to give people a heads-up on two recent developments: 1) There is now a smoking deck. On the East side door which used to be a smoking patio, they have now built what looks and feels like a treehouse for the smokers to nest in. It is made of particle board and sports a few plexiglass windows to ward away the claustrophobia. In wintertime, this is a cozy little stoop. Enjoy. 2) Also related to the new smoking deck is a recent development with the pinball machines: I have found more than one free credit left on these machines. Surely a drive-by pinballing on the way in or out of the smoking deck is not out of the question, but it seems as if the pinballers are a little drunk. They play one ball and stumble back to their lane. Check regularly to plan Elvis pinball all night for free!! read more

The worst nachos I've ever had. Soggy chips that taste like rancid oil, jalapeños that literally taste as if they've been washed in bleach and chicken that is as dry as the Sahara and tastes like it too. Cold tater tots and a quesadilla with giant chunks of green pepper in it....bad bad bad...I suggest drinking before you eat. That way you won't care that the food is the suck. But...friendly staff, albeit inattentive....cheap beer....fun bands....I like coming here. It's a neighborhood place. Ya take the bad with the good. read more

To set the stage, it was NYE day, and although we had tentative plans that evening, I somewhat scrambled at the last minute to piece together a fun, memorable evening for the BF, myself, and a few of our friends. We were originally going end the night at another bowling alley to partake in the the NYE festivities, but because we didn't reserve spots ahead of time, that was no longer an option. So, enter Yelp to the rescue. I did a quick scan of my options, entered data like distance and review rating into my Yelp-o-meter, and decided to give Memory Lanes a call to find out what they had planned for the night. Expecting to hear, "We're all booked up", I was elated to find out that they weren't even taking lane reservations, and that we could show up around 10pm and pretty much be guaranteed a good time...And Memory Lanes delivered. Upon arrival, we were informed of a special NYE package they had that included 3 hours unlimited bowling, shoe rental, unlimited soda, a large unlimited topping pizza, party favors and a bottle of champagne for the whole gang (for $80)! They also had a live band playing songs from "The Big Lebowski" until shortly before midnight--and they were performing smack dab in the middle of the bowling lanes...crazy. Our server was fantastic--she kept an eye on us all night and took care of us well. The pizza was nothing fancy, but it was big, made fresh & filling, so we couldn't really ask for much more. We watched the ball drop in Times Square, toasted the new year, watched Jenny McCarthy kiss some random cop and threw a few more strikes before we headed for home. A few notes: **The parking lot is plenty big, the space is clean & inviting, the lanes, shoes & balls are in good shape, and their electronic scoring system worked perfectly. So, the next time I'm looking to channel my inner "dude", I will likely swing on by Memory Lanes. read more

This was my first time here or maybe I had been to this place way way back in the day when it was Stardust lanes, but its been years. The service was A+! I don't think we could have had a nicer server. She was attentive and friendly! We did not eat anything so I can not comment on the food but my ball never got stuck, I found a light enough ball, and I didn't fall on too oily of lanes, so I had a great time! The Bar seemed to be really packed around 6PM so I think its a neighborhood hangout for many. I would definitely go back! read more

I've been coming to Memory Lanes for years so I suppose it's about time I boast about them! Whether you're just looking for a basic bite to eat and a pitcher of beer or perhaps you're up for a rowdy night of bowling and/or darts (and/or foos ball - which I am never looking for...because I am terrible at it...), Memory Lanes has you covered. Sometimes they'll even set up a stage in the middle of the lanes and you'll be treated to live music. IN A BOWLING ALLEY. Yes, it's great. Yes, you should be a fan. No, you'd better not steal my dart board. ;) Oh, and if you're one of the rare birds who stays in town over the first long weekend of spring/summer, Memory Lanes hosts an annual (FREE) Memorial Day Weekend block party full of bands, booze, and fun. Come for the music, stay for the people-watching. Good times to be had by all. read more

Great place to hang with people from all walks of life. It also looked pretty family friendly during the early evening so maybe I'll come back with my 4 year old nephew sometime. But...with a name like Flashback Cafe I was really hoping for a rad retro atmosphere. Sadly this is not what it is all about. More sports bar than anything. But the guys playing dominoes at the table next to us definitely made up for the initial disappointment. All in all, a great neighborhood joint! read more

Now going by the name of Memory Lanes and The Flashback Cafe, this bowling alley is a fun and funky place to spend time. Offering an All-You-Can Bowl for $8.95 from 9:30 pm - 1 am, the price is reasonable and the atmosphere is enjoyable. Every Monday night at 10 pm, Memory Lanes features Punk -n- Bowl. A variety of local punk bands rock out on a stage smack dab in the middle of the lanes while bowlers continue to play all around them. It brings out a fantastic crowd and the music is typically quite good. Memory Lanes also offers a special for college students where, with your ID, everything in the place is $2 - appetizers, beer, shoes, and games. It's a steal. The folks at Memory Lanes are always friendly and good-humored. They are incredibly supportive of the local music scene and are just generally a good bunch. read more

I want to start with the fact that our server in the lanes was GREAT (and the only reason this is 2 stars instead of 1)! She came around frequently and was very friendly. The rest of our experience, however, was enough to make our group not return. We were having a family reunion and called earlier in the evening on a Saturday to figure out our options for a group of 18. We were told that since the league was just finishing in an hour, come right at the end and we could get 3 lanes together. We even had someone go ahead of us to ensure these were all secured. They were not and the people working at this time said we'd have to wait almost another hour. We waited and were given a great deal for 12 wings/soda/and 2 hours of bowling with three lanes together. We thought the wait was worth it. During our wait, we sat in the restaurant and the server was not very patient. He did seem overworked for the number of tables that were full, though. He made a comment about if one of our ladies couldn't make up her mind while he was at the table, she wasn't getting a drink. We weren't here long and the food was pretty decent. We were NOT informed that with over 30 minutes left for our bowling, the place turns into 21+ only and everyone else would have to leave. You cannot sell a 2 hour slot and not tell the customers that they have to leave before their time is up! We had 3 relatives who were 19 or 20. A member of our group (and our DD) who had a sleeping baby laying on her. She was not bothering anybody and sat in a back booth away from the drinking with her sleeping child. Regardless, she was repeatedly approached by workers and managers to leave. While the deal was great, the food was pretty decent, and one of our servers was good, it was not worth it for the horrible communication/lack of organization, the rudeness, and the difficulty to have a large group. We'll take our business elsewhere in the future. read more

I've been here twice, and both times have been fun. Bowling costs are reasonable for weekend evenings, and the drinks are decent. Our waitress was attentive and accidentally rang up another cocktail for me- whoo free drink! We did have to wait about 45 minutes for a lane last night (Saturday) but it was very crowded. I'm digging the stage on the middle of the lanes, there was a decent Smashing Pumpkins cover band playing when we went. Also, EXCELLENT opportunities for people watching! read more

We entered the bowling alley around 9 p.m. Saturday night and they asked us for our ID's, and made a point to stop everyone to ask for their ID before letting anyone in. Forward a half hour, and our group--most of whom were there before 9 when we arrived--had our bowling game stopped in the middle of it, with a sign that said to contact the desk to continue the game. No one knew why this was happening. The people in the lanes next to us started at about 9:30 p.m., around the time our game was stopped, and at no point was their game ever stopped. A difference between our group and the one next to ours was ours had a majority of people of color, and the group that was having the time of their lives next to us was majority white. They never had to contact the desk. When we did contact the desk, we were told our whole group had to go and show our ID's before they would put our game back on, despite the fact that we literally could not enter the building without showing our ID's in the first place. Once we spent about 45 minutes waiting for them to turn the game back on, we decided to leave. It was infuriating watching other, mostly white groups being able to bowl no questions asked, while we sat there twiddling our thumbs. I am white. So is my boyfriend who was in attendance. There were maybe two other white people with our group of about 15, and the rest were people of color. It was a noticeable difference in how the groups were treated. All of the staff I saw were white men. Our presence felt like a burden the whole time, and it seemed as if the stopping of our game was to get us to leave. It worked. We left and we left feeling condescended, ignored, and glad as hell we didn't waste a dime there. To top it off, the guy who gave us our bowling shoes was one of the rudest employees I've ever encountered. He grunted at us to ask us what we wanted, and he talked to us like we were idiots. He gave us our shoes and walked away. If we were supposed to pay for them, we didn't and it was solely due to the fact that the guy whose job it was to collect fees didn't care enough to do so. Will never be returning here. Money can be spent elsewhere. Also the place is...dumpy. It didn't smell great, and if there was food or drink available it was a mystery to me because I wasn't ever directed anywhere to purchase food or drinks. read more

Although I get a little creeped out watching bands at memory lanes, I really like this joint. You can find my roommate and I sitting at the bar most monday nights watching whatever random sports game may be on that day, or if we are lucky, some really bad reality tv. Last week the bartender put the bachelorette on, and we all crowded around the closed caption tv and made fun of it while being served tall boy pbrs for 2.50, and the best waffle fries in town! They also usually have some cool things going on near the weekend as well, lot's of bands to see, and the occasional burlesque performance, but generally, after 9 or 10 I usually stay clear of the lanes because the bands are rarely good, and to be honest, the black lighting makes me feel weird, the atmosphere is less than desirable. overall i would say high five to 'ol memory lanes. read more

Great place, fun atmosphere!! I love that they have a band playing the lanes! Definitely make sure if you are going on a Friday or Saturday night and you have a group to go up and grab a buzzer to reserve a lane, even before you eat at Flashbacks, because it gets pretty busy even after the leagues are over. read more

Stardust and Bryant-Lake are by far the coolest places to bowl in town. Make sure to drink a lot when you do. It makes it more fun. Good at bowling? Drink more to handicap yourself to give the others a sporting chance. Tammy has some great info about specifics. I bow to her bowl-wisdom. read more

I dig it. Bowling is fun. I went here for a birthday party and had a blast. The bar area is nice and big, so you're not elbows to assholes while struggling to get a drink. They offer plenty of lanes. Decent selection of beer. Good time to be had. And you can always walk to the Hexagon from here. Total bonus, if you ask me. read more

I've stopped into Memory Lanes a couple of Wednesday nights now, to watch my friend's volleyball team play. For some reason I didn't expect the food to be very good, but I have been pleasantly surprised! First of all, the tots are a favorite of mine. It might be hard to mess up tater tots, but these are really perfect, and CHEAP. You get a heaping pile of hot, crunchy tots for only $5. It's enough to share amongst the whole table. I also can not say enough good things about their black bean burgers. I'm always wary of ordering veggie burgers from dive-y places because I'm afraid that they will throw a frozen morning star patty on a bun, and call it good. The black bean burgers from Memory Lanes are definitely handmade, and have a spicy little kick. The wait time/the ability to flag down a waitress on volleyball nights can be challenging at times, but I'm never in a hurry, so this really doesn't bother me. And on top of that, the staff that I have interacted with have all been very friendly and down-to-earth. read more

This place was so dang fun. Best in class in terms of a great night out-and I am so glad that fun venues that used to be smoke-filled are now able to be enjoyed by all. We had a Happenings Coupon-which was a great deal-two for one bowling for up to four games. We got shoes and two games each for 17 bucks. The band in the middle lanes was a retro Buddy-Holly type band who played an awful lot of Johnny Cash. We had taco salad, chicken sandwiches, vodka cranberries and beer-all the stuff that makes bowling fun. The food was OK-exactly what I expected it to be. Played Ms. Pac Man with Tim and won-what more could you want? This was a great way to spend a Saturday night-I can't believe that we haven't done this before! Glad my brother gave us the rec! read more

This is a REALLY great place to bowl. The price is affordable, the facility is clean and inviting. The service was friendly and welcoming. The reason I can't rate it a 5 is the quantity of food. We took a huge party of people there and ordered $40 worth of food for our group and it hardly sufficed. Besides quantity of food, strongly recommend if you are looking for a FUN, innovative (they often have a live band) place to bowl. read more

If you like to league bowl, this place is awesome. I love the lanes and wide open space. Keep in mind, league bowl attracts exactly the crowd you'd expect with a sprinkling hipsters on the side. I love that they occasionally set up a stage for punk shows over the lanes and they will do the cosmic bowling that people have come to expect. Bar is great and prices are affordable. In terms of leagues, check out the "have a ball" league, you get a bowling ball of your choice at the end of the season. You can high end or ironic, your call. read more

Bowling: Great, can't beat it. Food: TERRIBLE. The most disappointing food I have ever encountered at an eating establishment. Everything is horrible - pizza, nachos, etc etc. Things that you would think a bowling alley wouldn't screw up - they do. Service is overall good so it is not a function of the poor servers but the dogs they have back in the kitchen. read more

I have been to Memory Lanes a couple of times with friends / family / work parties and now a Yelp event. I would not say that I am a good bowler (but I was in a league for a year or two) but they are good lanes and even better that they are in the city. Whenever I think about bowling with friends I always think that I have to leave the cities and head out to the suburbs to bowl. But that is not true! Memory lanes is a medium / large size bowl location with nice lanes and good bowling lane food. They have good deals on drinks black lights for bowling later on. All in all I would recommend this for a place to go for a night out bowling read more

Came in for beer and burgers after Sunday ball games. Worst service ever. 12 of us at a table. 1 menu was left. Server was clearly not interested in working. The kitchen was out of chipotle mayo that was supposed to go on my sandwich. So they just left it off, no offer to sub something else in. No just a dry sandwich. I had to go and ask for checks as server was now more interested in talking to a man the pay any attention to her ONLY table in the place. We were clearly not wanted and I will be sure to accommodate them by not going back. read more

Dirt cheap drinks (pints for $2.50!). Bowling rates, especially the all you can bowl package, are reasonable to a steal depending on how much you bowl. Servers are generally pretty good. Occasionally you get a dud, but from the staff I've seen over the past 5 or so years, they're all pretty decent people. I've gone with other couples, with kids, for adult birthday parties, in small groups and I really can't say enough about it being a place for everyone. Highly recommended. read more

The atmosphere is good, the bar area is nice,and the food is reasonable. The bathroom has always been a good temperature and smells good. However, every time I've gone bowling I've dealt with the same older guy and it was almost as if he preferred we weren't there. My friends and I work in the service industry, we get it. We aren't difficult. Each time I've talked to him he's made 'smart' comments, and not the kind that you can laugh at and banter with. I'll probably continue to go but definitely go out if my way to avoid talking to him. read more

This place is pretty fun, yes it has been around forever, but it is nicer than ever. The fact that they have live music is worth an extra star. We went for a Le Cirque burlesque show and had a blast. Thanks Le Cirque. There is a very good beer list (Surly & Summit). Bowling while there is a show is a blast! Go relax and have fun. They have the NFL Sunday ticket as well. read more

This place is decent for a night out with friends, and it's entertaining to go see whichever band is playing that night. I went bowling at this place probably two years ago, and I've only recently been back to hang out at the bar. The selection is decent, but nothing too special. As if it's any surprise, the PBR Tallboys are the least expensive beer available. These people know their market. If you're up for people watching, this is definitely a place to check out. The mixture of people make up a hefty crock pot of characters. Don't get too carried away with your drinks, though--they WILL kick you out (as I witnessed one "woman" drunkenly stumbling towards the door, led by the bouncer). read more

I went for the Monday night punk and bowl and you should too. Shoes, games, beers are $2 each. Jamesons are $3. Open until 2 AM. There's no cover and you get to enjoy dirty punk bands, and we just can't get our heads around the fact that these bands chose THIS place to make a tour stop in Minneapolis. The friggin stage is right in the middle of the lanes while people go about their bowling business in the low lighting. Amazing combination of good things. read more

First advice to fellow yelpers....don't let the bouncer at the door scare you away. Despite his refusal to smile and how I witnessed him cut a break a ID in half with his hands and bring the young boy who tried to use it in tears I am convinced that he is one of those people whose bark is worse then their bite. Besides the scary bouncer no other warnings from me. This place is laid back, I have never gone bowling and stick to either the patio or bar area. Cheap drinks during happy. Most of the appetizers are good, except once we were served tomato paste instead of marinara sauce. I am not the complaining type so I just shoved it down. If you are in the area during happy hour 2$ domestic tap beers should be a good incentive to stop by! read more

A place where you can drink a bunch of beer, eat classic American comfort food, and go bowling, all at the same time. It seems like such a novel idea to me for some reason. Maybe it's just because Memory Lanes executes it so much better than anyone else. Grain Belt is one of the handful of domestics on tap here, meaning that at most times, you can be poor and still drink high-quality $2 taps until you've had more than enough. The bartender also mixed up a great bloody mary the last time I was there nursing a hangover. The bar alone makes this place worth a visit. In addition to that, bowling with a shoe rental cost me about $5 with a student ID, and I also had a bunch of delicious fried food. Not the hardest thing in the world, but they have a bunch of very creative signature dipping sauces you can get alongside any of the appetizers. All are worth a try, and I didn't even have to pay extra for them. Bowling. Beer. Burgers. How can you go wrong? read more

I went here last night to celebrate my 30th birthday and had a blast. We started by grabbing a couple drinks at the bar in Flashbacks. The drinks were strong and decently priced. I didn't mind paying $4 for my 8 ounce amaretto sour since half of it was amaretto. You definitely get the bang for your buck. A couple of my friends had the nachos which they didn't care for since the chips were mostly soggy; however, the tater tots with bacon and cheese and the fried mushrooms seem to be a hit with my friends. The service was pretty good. I was impressed with the waitress that we had, as one of my friends advised her that the Summit that she ordered didn't taste right, the waitress replaced it quickly without a fuss. My friend was pleased with the replacement as it tasted more like what a Summit should taste like. We got on the list for a couple lanes since there was 7 of us bowling. When we got the buzzer, we were told by one of the guy working that it would be about an hour, but then the second guy at the counter said no, it would be 30 minutes. It turned out the first guy was right. We paid for one game a piece when our time came; we had an issue with game being stopped in the middle of the game. I went up in the counter and they quickly corrected it; however, I will say that second guy was quite snippy with the first guy at the counter when trying to help him correct the problem. As a customer, I felt bad for the first guy and it was very awkward to have to stand there and watch it. if you want to be snippy with a coworker do it out of ear shot of the customer. The people watching here is AMAZING! You really get all kinds from the hipsters to the hardcore bowler, to families for your viewing pleasure. Some of the things that made me laugh last night: 1. A grown man wearing a superman emblem chain, 2. The hardcore bowler that would act like the world was coming to an end when he only got 8 pins down and kicking the ball return. The same hardcore bowler later yelled at a guy two lanes over on the other side of my group, "Foul", when the guy stepped on the line. It should be noted that the guy that was yelled at was just bowling for fun with a group of people. 3. Hipster girl wearing a dress and a Bear's stocking hat to bowl and drinking wine. Come on, it is a bowling alley for Pete's sake! (Sorry Hipsters, I don't get you and I would appreciate it if you stayed in the hipster hangout know as Uptown) Memory Lanes offer live music on Friday nights. I don't know the name of the band that was set to play last night. They looked interesting as they had a mandolin and banjo in their band. I would have loved to stay and see them but by the time they came out, my group was thoroughly annoyed by the Techno DJ before them and was ready to leave. Overall, I enjoy this bowling alley/bar immensely and it is a good alternative when I don't want to drive from St. Paul to go to Elsie's in Northeast. read more

Cheap, especially with your college ID, two actual working pinball machines, good service, and GUITAR HERO WEDNESDAYS! Bands play a lot and that's really hit or miss. I ended up bowling right next to the stage when some godawful band was doing Stone Temple Pilots covers and the like. read more

Cheap fun! The waitstaff is always super friendly, whether or not you are a regular. The bar is stocked well enough that you can get just about anything you're in the mood for, unless you want some Dom Perignon. That being said, if you're ordering champagne you're at the wrong place. The food is great for what you're paying. The nachos are heaping! If you are on the lanes the servers are very prompt. There is a great outdoor patio for smoking too. Punk rock bowling on Monday nights is the best! Cheap shoes, drinks, and bowling. Love this place. read more

This is our typical Sunday spot to watch football and grab a bite to eat for about the last 4 years since they have NFL Sunday ticket. The food usually pretty good and the waitstaff and bartenders are funny and nice. We have ventured out to a few different places to try something new and I defiantly would say this is our favorite. read more

Pretty standard bowling alley. Games are relatively cheap, especially if you have a college ID - with a shoe rental each and one game per person, it was about $10 for two of us. Extensive food menu so there's lots of options, but nothing looked like a must have. It gets pretty busy on the weekend, and the lanes are pretty close together so be prepared to shout to the other members of your party. I liked that the control panel had everything for you (bumpers, statistics) but I wish there was more space between your lane and the next lane. read more

Very disappointing with how rude all the works are at Memory Lanes .. My family came to spend time together bowl and eat food and we were created with rudeness and Mia communication ! A lot need to be done at this location so the rude employees don't ruin such a great environment! read more

We had a very fun night of bowling, eating, and drinks at memory lanes. The food was delicious and the portions seemed larger than expected! Our waitress, Erin, was awesome and the main reason we plan to return often! I hope she is a trainer as she is what you want in a waitress! Thanks Erin and the rest of the staff at Memory Lanes! A+ read more

I've been here a few times, but I'm not sure that I've ever actually gotten to bowl? Their website isn't totally clear on when open bowling is available, so that's frustrating. The league bowlers seem to dominate this place. The bowling area is actually pretty nice. It's clean and well-lit while still feeling retro-y. After my last few attempts. it's not somewhere I'll just walk in for on-a-whim bowling because it seems to be difficult to get a lane. The bar and dining area could use some work. The beer is cheap and comes in big pints - I like that. But the atmosphere in the bar/restaurant is dingy and could use some updating. The food is really, really basic. They have waffle fries, which are solid. I don't have much else to say about the menu, except that there's a "hormel" logo on it? Not sure why, but I found that slightly off-putting. Service was friendly but mildly spacy, not a huge deal. The largest negative of this place was the man next to me at the bar blatantly spitting tobacco into a plastic cup that he kept setting right next to my drink... el yuckyo. (I recognize that the establishment probably couldn't do anything to prevent this, but it still made me gag and force my friends to move across the room...) read more

Not a bowler, ended up here for a birthday celebration. A STRIKE for the Memory Lanes putting up a damn good band in the midst of the bowling lanes, even allowed the non-bowler to have a good time. A solid 4, for a unique and novel experience. read more

I really like the times I've been bowling at Memory Lanes. The staff is friendly, and the prices (especially at the bar) are reasonable. If you want to know if you should go bowling here you can stop reading now. The answer is "yes." However, I feel in the spirit of full disclosure I should reveal a telling fact. A group of my friends, for several years, had a standing weekly bowling date at Stardust lanes. We knew the management - they cut us a deal. Everyone was so friendly. The bartender, Gwen, and the desk manager, Mike, would always greet us by name. We held awards ceremonies there. We watched K.G. and the Wolves at the bar. On the last night they were open Mike took us on a behind-the-scenes tour of the back of the house. I was there one Monday night when some thugs came running through and a few shots were fired. A good friend of mine was a P.A. on the Comedy Central series "Let's Bowl," that filmed their opening scenes there. Then the Memory Lanes people bought Stardust. They closed for a month or two for renovations. They laid off the staff who knew us all so well, and told them they would have to reapply for their jobs. Very few did. We still came back for a while when they reopened, and it is still a perfectly decent bowling alley. It's still got an (even moreso now) inviting bar, and the live rock'n'roll on the lanes is a pretty rad addition. But now, I bowl elsewhere. I guess Memory Lanes is a great and really fun place to bowl, but only if you don't have the memories of it that we do. read more