Reviews of Needham Bowlaway (Bowling Alley)

JK Kearns

Old school basement candlepin bowling at its finest! No frills, just bowl.

Alejandra De la Rocha

Small but good for friends

Egor Anoshkin

good place for kids, but a little too tight

Brighton Dude

Very nice bowling alley with reasonable prices. They have cool lighting and effects to enhance the experience, too. Very nice staff to deal with as well.

Clark Williams

So fun! Candlepin is accessible to children, but challenging even for adults

Lev Agranovich, EA MSA CFC PA CDFA

The Bowlaway features eight lanes of Candlepin Bowling. A game well known in New England for being more fun and more challenging than it's contemporaries. All of eight lanes have bumpers available for the little ones at no additional cost.

Luke Devin

Awful experience. Took a first date here last night at 8 pm. I tried to talk to the man who was working there and he said that there was to be no more bowling for the night. It only takes 10 minutes for a round of bowling. Disgraceful.

Eli

I am not a fan of candlepins, but I can't judge that part. What makes me give it a 3 star is the fact that the technology they use for the game is outdated, and hard to use. Staff are nice, though.

Josh Sundberg

Simply one of the greatest hidden gems in the state. Go here.

Christopher Toole

Great fun especially with kids!

Amit Jain

Great family fun place. A bit pricey but good.

M. A.

More suitable for kids

Tyler Wright

I never had bowled candlepin before so this was a first! The bowling alley is small but nice! Definitely a fun spot for the family or friends!

Brett Felter

We took our youth group from Evangelical Baptist Church and had a great time. This was the first time ever candlepin bowling. Way different than big bowling. I will definitely go again and take my family, they have bumpers that can easily be raised up. No knock on the establishment at all but the space is small.

Tom Trundle

Great little hidden gem. Blink and you'll miss the entrance. Definitely worth every dollar.

Pepin Torres

Old school.

Everett Harman

Not bad for kids birthday parties. It's a small candlepin facility in downtown Needham with about five lanes. The equipment is up to date and in good shape. The scoring system is computerized and easy to use. There is a flashing colored light system that adds to the entertainment value. Kids birthday parties are fun and reasonably priced.

Gavin Cooper

Who would have thought there would be a bowling alley here had. i had my son's birthday party there they have food from next door, good food, good times, HAPPY KIDS

Wesley Sutton

Very nice staff. Very accommodating. Fun. But a little cramped for the price.

Joe Vieira

Fun, we went with a toddler and he had a blast. Lots of kids parties so it can get a little hectic.

T Kh

Good

Rudy LaRosa

Good time.

Julien Lafleur

My family loves this place and its 8 lanes of cosmic candlepin fun! It's truly one of those quaint throwbacks to the mid-1900's when every downtown had a few bowling alleys in the basements. The first time I went there, I was worried that it would be too crowded, but fortunately we've never had that problem (maybe we go early enough to miss the crowds?), although last time was the first time we ever had to share a table. Electric score sheets (not electrically counted), shoe rentals, and alley rentals by time, not by string, so prices are good. My family and I will definitely be back!

Crosby Road

Vintage fun !

Amy Fitzgerald

Way to small, not enough lanes overcrowding, lane malfunctioning and on top of that customer service agent seems like he comes but hates his job.

Dennis Roman

Been going there over 30yrs now. Probably only 3x in the past 5yrs, but when I was a kiddo that was the PLACE TO BE!! Was in a junior bowling league back in the 80's every Friday night...such nice memories to think back on!

jvmusic 107

Hidden gem. A 1970s era basement bowling experience

Jayson Fajardo

Fun glow in the dark little but really fun

Steven Howard

Worth the search to find it

Luis Petit

It was really cool and fun. The employees are really kind and ready to help you in anything you need. It's good price for all the fun you can have.

Martin Headd

Great place to go friendly people who work there

Pamela Byrnes

Extremely small bowling alley, low ceilings

Herman C.

It's ok if you're into old and rustic. Kids will enjoy it. There's a certain demographic in the Needham/Newton area that frequent the place. I could only stand being there for an hour before I became annoyed and wanted to leave.

Jennifer S

So much fun! I may not be the best bowler, but this was super fun! I will be back to work on my game and get my score higher! =) hehe. Nice place!

Sherry Booker

Great place for kids to bowl. Didn't like that as an adult I could only eat in the designated area. I was two inches out of the area and they said I had to step inside. They should have a bigger area for people to eat.

linda tardif

Always a fun time! My son loves playing under the fun lights.

Elle Rondel

Very nice. Great staff. Lots of fun!

ashen tempest

Good people helpful and friendly

James Matteodo

Nice little bowling alley.

Laurel Adams

You can barely tell this little bowling alley exists if you didn't know ahead of time. There's a little sign on the outside of the building, around the corner, but it's largely under advertised. But don't take that as a criticism! 1 soda machine, a couple dozen waiting chairs, one employee, and eight Lanes is all this little alley needs. Our group of six got two lanes. It's not terribly spacious so I'd recommend grabbing two if you have a larger group. A ton of fun!

Amy Rubin

Hidden gem in our great town! I've been bowling at this cozy place for almost 25 years, since my son was a little guy. I still go here for a fun afternoon or evening of bowling. The employees are helpful and friendly. Cosmic bowling with the lights and music makes it a blast! There are 8 lanes with computerized scoring.

Richard Suls

Great place! I would go again. Good for kids parties.

Mike Stillwagon

Fantastic little place with 8 candlepin lanes. They have a different scoring system that takes a frame to get used to, but it's pretty intelligent once you figure it out.

Silpa Das

It's a fun place for the kids, especially if it's an event..we had our kid's bday party event in this place . everything was pretty smooth..they include 4 lanes which is enough for 20 kids..and ice cream cake was included which was also great..they give the shoes too and a cute trophy as a return gift ..the kids had a super fun time ..one change they can do is probably the scorer should be automatic not manual..we liked everything else..

Bobbi Marsh

My Family had the greatest time here. The place is very clean and the 2 Gentlemen that worked that day were very courteous always smiling. They came right away to us when there was a small mishap on the lanes. We will be going back. (Only downfall it should be BIGGER and maybe have a snack machine (if it's allowed).Take your kids, grandchildren, family whoever, you'll hopefully have a GREAT time like my family did. Thanks Needham Bowlaway.

Samuel Chalfin

Fun place, but dark and cramped.

ColeIsNotAwesome nah

Friendly and fun to go to for any occasion.

Joe LaVita

Cool little place. Staff is friendly. We had a good time.

Shiva Prakash Chakilam

This place is hidden in the underground but my kids enjoyed it

Ushma Multani

So fun! Love Cosmic hour!

Rob Hnasko

Great for candlepin bowling. Popular for kids birthday party.

Nana Afia B-A

Been to way better places for cheaper. You have to manually enter the pins you knock down as your serve.

Anna Hubbard

Great place for the price!

Andrea Kurtz

I love candlestick bowling. Great activity for kids. Balls a smaller so they can hold it easier. Fun quirky afternoon activity.