Eagle Rock Lanes

Yes, this place is old and run down and definitely not the place you want to go to for a romantic date or if you’re looking for more of a lounge-​y atmosphere. However, if you want to just bowl, it definitely gets the job done. I think prices are decent and they have deals throughout the week. Service was nice and cordial as well.

Oh yes I did give this place 5 freaking stars! Why? Because I got exactly what I paid for: 2 games, shoes for 3 people, bowling. End of story, no effing gimmicks.
I can end my review here but I’ll go on for just a lil bit…
I came here a few weeks ago because I needed an activity for the whole family that was indoor. Another App that was not Unilocal (gasp!) gave this place decent reviews so we decided to check it out.
Yes the place is dated and anyone who has bowled anywhere modern will be a bit taken back by the old school feel. The score screens are straight ou of the 90’s. You mean to tell me, I don’t get dancing bowling pins on the screen when I get a strike? Oh well. That’s fine with him. I’m used to the NYC bowling experience with all the gimmicks (live DJ, fancy screens, fancy sports bar, high tech screens) where you need no less than $ 100 to bowl for 2 and don’t even think about bringing your child because chances are its 21 and over. I was thrilled at what I paid for 3 people here. And this place is made for families.
I will say, the website claimed it had a sports bar, but that’s a lie. They have a café where I’m sure everything is deep fried and the oil is days old. I did not eat there so I won’t comment on the food and I won’t allow it to detract from the purpose of my trip, which was to bowl.
I probably came on an off day because unlike other reviewers my experience was all positive. Other Unilocal reviewers have commented on the crappy customer service. I did not experience this. The main guys at the desk were polite and helpful. My 4 year old kept throwing balls that would either take a decade to hit the pins or were so slow that they stopped mid-​way. When that happened, we called a staff member and they took care of it quickly.
If you’re looking to just bowl with the family, or alone, this place is perfect.
If you want the works like a live DJ and fancy screen and overpriced bar food and drinks, then do not come.

This place sucks ass. I used to come here back in the day and the guy that used to work at the front desk was a total asshole… It was truly a terrible experience because of his immediate attitude from the second we walked in… Fast forward to this weekend, we tried to call them to see if they had any lanes open on a Saturday night and it seems like the prerequisite to work here is to be a JERKOFF has not changed since 10 years ago… The convo was as follows,
Fiancé: «hi just wondering if you had a lane available tonight? We can be there in a few minutes.»
A guy in the nastiest tone if voice ever: «NO! Nope!»
Fiancé: «oh wow, not one?»
Guy with nasty attitude: «NO ITS FULL» and then he hung up on us!
Fuck this place!!! I hope they close down…

Fun & cheap place to take the kids I nanny. Not a super great bowling alley, but good enough for a couple games with the kids.

I felt like I needed a hepatitis vaccine shot when I left. I can’t even give it a single star but Unilocal made me.

We were told to leave our lane because there was a large group /​league starting. However we were not informed at our start that there was a time constraint. An alternative lane was not available for us to finish our lane.

Not a fan– went back for the first time in 3 years the other night. What a HUGE disappointment. The place was gross, and other customers near us reeked of weed while I was checking in with my group. If I had a kid — I wouldn’t take them there or have a party there. I’m a bowler, and understand bowler etiquette while leagues are going on or others are bowling near me. Clearly the other patrons didn’t, as there were people who were drunk, yelling, cursing and forcefully kicking the ball return after a score that didn’t meet their expectations. I’d strongly suggest a security guard be on staff for the late hours.
My biggest issue: The staff and manager need customer service training asap. The manager is clearly a sexist individual. While in bowling in a lane near the front desk,
I witnessed a young woman asking the manager a question — and him responding in a rude manner. When she returned with what seemed to be one of her guy friends or boyfriend the manager would only respond to him. This was an absolutely disgusting display of humanity– last time I checked this was 2015. Women can vote, wear pants and probably make more money at their jobs than you sir!

My boyfriend decided last minute for us to go bowling, so we decided to try this place out because it was only 15 minutes away and it said it was kid friendly since we were going with my son as well we wanted to make sure it wasn’t a place that got packed full of drunks. It was lots of parking, that was great, the prices weren’t so bad I think we payed about $ 40-​$ 60 for two games for 3 people, shoes included as well. It wasn’t crowed but there was some people, a lot of kids to which was a good sign for us, the shoes weren’t extremely old, the only thing I thought could use some improvement was the bathroom, it was pretty messy, toilet paper everywhere.
If you are looking for a bowling alley that they can provide bumpers for when a child plays since it’s easier for them then be prepared to have the bumpers up for everyone. It doesn’t go up for just certain players, if you need it then everyone in your game will have to use it as well.
I would definitely not mind coming back

Everything here is old. Old carpet, old scoring machines, old lockers. They don’t have any kegs at the bar, so no pitchers– only bottles. Glass bottles all over a bowling alley… not smart.
We went Saturday night, so it turned into disco bowling. I was there for fun, so I didn’t mind, but if you want to focus on bowling you should avoid that.
I did not order food, but I saw your standard bowling alley foods– everything fried, nachos, etc. One person I was with got turned away because all the fryers were busy, but went back after a bit and was able to order without a problem.
As for the crowd– It’s west orange. 1 direction is the hood, the other is rich. I’d say there was more hood then rich, but no one got shot. I smelled weed in the parking lot, and watched some guy get out of his buddies hot box and right into his own car with his family in there and drive off the wrong way out of the entrance. Not exactly reassuring that I was totally safe, but not the end of the world.

Eagle Rock Lanes is everything and nothing that past reviewers have stated. Yes the place is dated, but they have many lanes and plenty of balls for everyone young and old. There is one less than speedy person working the desk and I’ve notice that person coming off as rude when it’s busy at the desk. It’s not unusual to encounter a large line when an event or promotion is taking place. That’s life. This isn’t McDonalds. The lanes are well maintained and mechanical issues are very, very rare. We have aways found the staff to be friendly and very helpful, even providing tips and pointers to our kids from time to time.
Allegations of racism are complete bulls#%*t. You won’t find a more culturally diverse alley around NJ. If you don’t believe me, go ask any other bowler on a busy league night.
The Pro Shop is fantastic. Micky has everything you could want and his prices are reasonable. What I nice guy and a great bowler.
Chelsea Café is the snack bar that’s a step above your typical snack bar. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. They offer a variety of combo deals and the prices are very reasonable.
There is also a bar that serves alcohol, but I can’t comment on that since I don’t drink.
My family has been bowling in leagues at ERL for a few years now and I can honestly say that like everything in life, you take the good with the bad and make up you’re own mind. ERL is not the most modern or the most efficiently run alley, but the positive attributes outweigh the negative. Check it out for yourself.

Monday night league. Fun competitive mix league. You can win some ok money if you shoot little score.
It is not the most modern bowling alley. And they can use a face lift. However the lanes are dressed fairly well and the staff is pretty friendly.
I like the pro shop here. I get my equipment drilled up here. Fair and I have no complaints on his drilling.
Over all a great bowling alley.

Terrible customer service. People at the front desk along with the management in the back only care about how much money they make. Recently went with 4 people and asked for 2 games each. Front desk person could not do the math 4×2=8 and billed us for 6 games. When they system shut off our lane mid second game neither the mathematician at the front nor the manager in the back were interested in making their own mistake right without is having us pay more. This has cost them a large child’s birthday party and future league bowler. After 40 years of bowling I have never experienced such a poor/​greedily run establishment. Go elsewhere!

Went here on a Saturday night with a bunch of friends.
Good vibe, good atmosphere and the DJ was awesome. Felt like a lounge in there with 90s slow jams!
Glad there wans’t laser light but it was a bit TOO bright. They were nice at the front desk.
There’s a big bar area, though I didn’t have anything to drink and have no idea what there is for food. The bathrooms are pretty gross, as usual.
Seems like they didn’t have that many lanes, either, so I’m sure it probably gets full when there are leagues.
It could use an upgrade but it’s not the worst bowling alley I’ve been to.

Mildly disappointed, only because I didn’t come here out of my own free will. I came here because someone organized a children’s party and we were invited. Once I entered no one has greeted us and asked us anything. I scaled the area and located where the party was taking place and the children were already bowling that were in our party. We proceeded to walk straight there, once we got there the woman who I guess was overseeing the event told us to go to the front desk and check if my son needs bowling shoes or not. I was like, you don’t know this? you work here. anyway, we walked there and waited patiently for 10 minutes while they were taking their sweet time not in a rush anywhere. Those of you who do not have kids, these 10 minutes seemed liked an eternity and I was ready to go postal. Finally we got shoes and proceeded to play bowling with the rest of the kids.
The whole thing was very unorganized, the bowling balls were all different sizes, and the kids could barely lift them. I had to personally tell my own kids not to pickup heavy balls and to look at the # on the ball to make sure its not the heavy one. Also the balls kept on coming in and a few kids got their fingers jammed between the bowling balls. what a disaster. If those were my kids that got hurt there Someone would get knocked out with a bowling ball already.
Once the game was over the went into the party room for cake and pizza. The pizza was cold and nasty and the cake was left open the whole time we were bowling, got knows what creatures got to sample it before it was cut up and offered up to us.
Needless to say I will not ever go back to this establishment. I wish there was a negative star I could give it.

This was the closet thing in my neighborhood we decided to go on a Saturday night. This place was swarming with families and large groups. We actually had to put our name on a waiting list. It was a measly 20 minutes so it wasn’t that bad.
Shoes rentals were less than $ 5, so were the games. For two people, two shoe rentals, and two games, $ 28.00. So you figure if you go there with a large group, it’s $ 14-​$ 15 a person.
Can you really say much about a bowling alley? Not really. It did the job and that’s all that matters.
Yes they do have a party room.
Yes they do have a bar. (CASH ONLY)

I have no problems with this place re: ownership, and have been coming here since I was a kid. Never noticed anything with racism or rudeness in all my years. But it badly needs a redo inside. Brighter lighting, update it from the 1980s. I don’t think it’s actually dirty there, but it somehow just doesn’t FEEL right when you enter. At least it’s not overpriced with bad service like Hanover. I got my first bowling ball here. If you live in the area, no reason to go out of your way to avoid Eagle Rock.

This bowling alley’s owner must also own a chain of ‘white only’ country clubs in Mississippi somewhere. But it’s a free country so why not open up a bowling alley that discriminates against minorities (in racially diverse New Jersey no doubt). The writing doesn’t have to be on the wall (it would be if it weren’t illegal). Everyone knows when they aren’t wanted. So all of you Yankees out there who like to be respected and treated equally this is not the place for you! Bottom line… if you are brown, black and/​or a Caucasian and like to hang out with a diverse group of people spend your money elsewhere. Now you won’t be turned away… u WILL get a lane and MAYBE a phony smile. But just know… you are being tolerated! Money is green and that’s the only reason you are bowling.

I will never frequent this establishment again. Saturday nights are generally busy for a lot of businesses INCLUDING bowling alleys. It was extremely crowded (somehow we found parking) when we entered it was literally a zoo and a sleazy crowd occupied ALL the lanes. The owners don’t really give you the time of day and if they do it is with MAJOR attitude. Not to mention this place had a really nasty smell in the air, it was gross. Yuck! You could barely move either. I just would never come back here

This is far from my favorite bowling alley, but there aren’t many other options in the area.
I used to go to a million birthday parties here as a kid, and I thought it was the greatest place, but now I think its just because I was bowling and didn’t know any better.
This place is normally pretty rude and never clean. I hate to even go into the bathrooms because they are so disgusting, good thing I am a guy and don’t need to sit down.

All I’ll say is this: after a Tuesday night dinner at Thai Chef, the Sexiest Man Alive and I decided to challenge one another to a bowl-​off. When we arrived at the alley at around 10:30, we were forced to share a Red Stripe at the bar until a lane became available. Why? Because this joint stays jumping. (Elusive fifth star will stay as such until the owners realize that livening up the dining would be tantamount to striking gold.)
Friendly desk staff, lively crowd.
If you don’t bowl, Eagle Rock will inspire you to start.