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Tucked between tourist stalwarts Sardi's and Carmine's, the midtown location of this bowling alley-cum-nightclub seems, from the street, almost unobtrusive, its only exterior concession to the glitz of Times Square a twenty-foot animatronic neon dandy in an orange tux. Inside, however, it's another story. Comprehensively decorated on a Big Apple theme—even the staircase is modeled to mimic a suspension bridge—the complex boasts seven distinct bowling "lounges," each built around its own NYC caricature: a giant dragon and massive gong in the gold-and-red Chinatown room, Skee-ball and $5 caramel corn in Coney Island, the Central Park room decorated with memorabilia scavenged from Tavern on the Green. Food is prepared under the aegis of chef David Burke, and fusion is king—kung pao calamari, pastrami-salmon pizza, shrimp cocktail summer rolls—but it's all a little bland, no match for the wallops of flavor that come with the aggressive entrées available only in the venue’s Stadium Grill, a futuristic-looking tiered sports bar anchored on a mosaic of flat-screens and a real-time sports ticker. Here, the mains are exercises in excess, like the the bread-loaf-size Millionaire's Meatloaf decked out with garlic shrimp and resting on a bed of creamy whipped potatoes. There's a small list of sugary cocktails and a serviceable wine list, but come on, this is a bowling alley: sixteen beers on tap, another eleven by the bottle, and plenty of good brown liquors available on the rocks. Order a banana pudding or some boozy "drunken donuts" to wash it down, and go throw some strikes. — Helen Rosner

This is a great spot for kids during the day, but after 8 p.m. on Monday, Friday, and Saturday, the complex is 21 and over (18 and over after 8 p.m. on Sunday and Tuesday through Thursday). Even when the little ones are allowed in, it might not be a good idea for families to request the Old Times Square–themed room, which boasts vintage pornography marquees on the walls and (occasionally manned) stripper poles between the lanes.

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