Astoria Indoor Batting Range Co

Pretty sketch looking place overall, but I really have nothing to compare this to. We dropped by randomly because we could se this place from the lobby of the Museum of the Moving Image and we were wondering what to do next. I was surprised by the ambiance because it looks fairly dingy and shabby, and I’d never want to bring my (future) children here. It also looks like the kind of place that horror movies take place in. :x
We found a groupon for it before we walked in, which cinched the deal — $ 12 for half an hour for the two of us seemed super reasonable, and we had nothing else to do. We didn’t even bother reading reviews because it was so cheap, and we did have a ton of fun taking turns whacking the balls. I’ve never done anything like this, so again, I really didn’t know better. I probably only did maybe 10 minutes max because my arms would get tired; the boyfriend was a little frustrated because he said the batting machine was throwing the balls out too low. (As some other reviewers said, this might be geared towards children … which is weird because I’m not sure how safe it is).
I saw a sign that said things like «no more than one person allowed in a batting cage» «helmets required» etc etc — you know, safety rules. The people running the place didn’t care at all. When my boyfriend and I were in the batting cages, we made sure to stand away from the batting machine/​where the balls hit, so I think we were fine … and I guess we didn’t need helmets, but it is kind of weird that they gave us the bats and let us go at it. I also got the feeling that they were super bored, which makes sense — we were the only people there.
All in all, I would definitely not pay full-​price, but I’d recommend the groupon. If you’re a normal, fairly sedentary person like me, do not even bother getting the 1 hour one.

the worst customer service i’ve ever received. if you can even call it that.
you can get 15, 30, or 60-​minute rentals. no tokens.
my boyfriend and i bought a 30-​minute rental and soon realized the cages are more narrow than the norm. which means that, if you’re a 6’3″ guy, you will hit the side of the cage every single time you swing. in both directions. and, if you try not to hit it, you will most certainly hurt your shoulder.
so 2 minutes into it, we asked the guy if we can get a partial refund and only pay for 15 minutes. we didn’t even ask for a full refund.
the only guy who was there said there’s nothing he can do. mind you, we paid cash and there was no register or anything. i’m pretty sure the money went in a drawer. he could have easily said sorry and come back.
we asked him to call the manager. said he texted him but nothing back. we asked him to call him again. after he was on the phone with his manager for about 10 minutes, he hands us a slip with a 15 min voucher to come back. said he can’t give us a partial refund. also, he said the manager doesn’t want to speak with us!!! how insane is that? we paid for something we couldn’t use and the manager doesn’t want to speak with us?
it felt like something out of the annals of communist commerce. astoria can be such a cool place, but it’s backward halfwits like this guy who don’t understand the basic rules of business that are holding it back.

«THE MANAGER DOESN’T WANT TO TALK TO YOU!» is not something I expected to hear when I sought out this location to hit some baseballs, but it’s exactly what i got.
I decided to go to the batting cages with my girlfriend, and since Chelsea Piers can get really slammed on weekends, I decided to try this place in Astoria. HUGE mistake.
Immediately, we walk in, and when I asked how much tokens were, they employee told me they were rental only (which is already sketchy). The prices were quite steep, $ 18 for 15 mins, $ 28 for 30 mins, but I decided to give it a shot, and paid for 30 mins.
After walking into the cage, and taking about 5 swings, I realized the cages are not big enough for anyone larger than a little leaguer. The cages is extremely narrow, which means your bat slams against the metal posts of the cage (which they’ve covered with padding for this exact reason). You can do serious damage to your shoulders if you have your bat constantly slamming a post, and your motion come to a halt.
I told the single employee on duty that I can’t swing in these cages safely, so I’d like to reduce my time to 15 mins, so that my girlfriend could get some hacks, and we could go. He said sure, but that he couldn’t give me a refund for the additional 15 mins. I kindly asked why, and he said that it had something to do with computer (which seemed like a BS excuse). I asked if there was a manager on duty, and he said there was not. I asked if he could text someone, and he said he would.
About 10 minutes in, we gave up on the cages, so we returned our helmets, and I asked the employee what the manager said regarding my refund, and he said he didn’t text him. So I asked him to please text a manager, and that I would wait. About 5 minutes later, the employee hands me a phone without any direction. I say hello and the voice on the other line yells «WHAT?». I asked if this was the manager, and the voice again yells «WHAT? Put my guy on the phone», so I hand the phone back to the employee, thoroughly confused.
The employee stays on the phone for about 10 more minutes, and then finally gets off. He then sits down and starts messing with some paperwork. After a few minutes, I ask what the latest is, and he said he’s going to take care of me. After about another 5 minutes of him fiddling around with paperwork, he comes and hands me a voucher for 15 free minutes of batting cages.
I was sort of stunned that after wasting nearly 20 minutes of my time over $ 10, that he would hand me a voucher for that hole. I asked one more if he could just text the manager that I want money, not a voucher, and the employee raises his voice and says «THE MANAGER DOESN’T WANT TO TALK TO YOU!», which was ballsy as hell.
At that point, I figured that a place run as poorly as that didn’t warrant any more of my time.
Long story short, not worth the price, not worth the hassle, not worth your time. If I had the choice between going back here or being force fed hot coals, it’d be an easy choice.

This is the only batting range not too far away in Queens. I’m not even sure if there are others around.
The batting cages – more like lanes are small enough that your swing could end up hitting the adjacent cage. Not sure if you’d have to go into the country to get a cage where you could see where the ball is going.
Still, they offer softball and baseballs, are priced fairly and usually aren’t crowded.

A fun indoor experience if you’re looking to escape the cold. We came here on a Saturday after purchasing a Groupon for two. Unfortunately, we missed the fine print that the voucher was valid only M-​F from 3 – 6 pm. Luckily, they accepted the value of the Groupon and let us pay the difference. Batting here is fairly pricey– 30 mins for $ 28. The wait time was minimal and there were arcade games available to help bypass the time. The staff here were friendly but the place felt a bit disorganized and grimy.

It is what it is when it comes to this place. If you live in the area, you really have no other alternative If you want to take a few swings. Its probably what keeps this place in business. The batting tunnels are a bit tight. You cant take a full swing with out hitting the side of the tunnel. It is good that there is an attendant that can adjust the speed if you want but its not worth it to me.

I don’t have many places to compare this to. The space was smaller than I expected but there’s no need for it to be larger.
3 cages on each side when you enter. 3 softball on the left. 3 baseball in the right.
Saturday afternoon was not overly crowded. The baseball cages were all taken but no one in softball.
The staff was alright. Sometimes I couldn’t find them which was problematic if i wanted to change the speed of the pitch. But the man was very nice.
I would return if I wanted to bat again.

Terrific Batting Cages and Cheap Beer!
These cages are fun and the cheapest I have found so far in NYC. They have both baseball and softball.
Daniel, the attendant who was there both times I was there, is terrific and very attentive giving me the best experience possible.
They supply bats and helmets, but I suggest either bringing gloves, or buying them there (~$ 20). The bats are aluminum and start killing your hands after a while.
They sell $ 3 Corona’s, which you cannot beat in NYC.
Overall, A++

I had never been to batting cages before so my review might be based on the fact that I have no prior experience with batting cages.
My friend and I saw a groupon for an hour of batting cages for $ 25 and thought it would be something new and different. We invited along a few more friends and decided to make a mini party of it!
I made a reservation in advance but then due to subway issues was very late. I was worried they would penalize us in time but they weren’t concerned with that at all, likely because the place was pretty empty.
We all had a good time. Not sure I would be rushing back as I discovered I’m not much of a softball player but I did still enjoy myself.

This place is great fun. And the guys who manage this place are pretty cool too.
There are 4 baseball cages and 4 softball cages. There are bats and helmets available of course. You can ask them to customize the speed.
I have played baseball here but I have also come in here with my cricket bat and pads to practice my cricket batting and they customize it so that the ball bounces on the floor.
There is a vending machine for soda and water but you can also buy beer here.
All in all a great place to have some fun in Astoria. Also, it is in a good spot very close to starbucks, a couple gyms, and the big movie theater.

Decent batting cages, but pricey! We paid by the hour, and I think we made the building’s rent payment just with our group. Plus, the balls kept getting stick in the corners and we’d have to fish them out ourselves. So, it wasn’t the best system.
There were 4 cages going at a time, so not much standing room outside of the cage in the hallway to get into the room. But, they did have coat racks! And, a tv playing baseball movies in the corner. That made me smile.
All in all, got the job done. A-​ok describes it perfectly!