AMF Moonlite Lanes
- Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Best Nights: Mon, Tue, Wed
- Happy Hour: No
- Alcohol: Beer & Wine Only
- Smoking: No
- Coat Check: No
160 reviews
Cupertino, CA
"This is by far one of the coolest places in the South Bay! Since I moved up here after college, I have been bored to tears on the weekends…" read more »
30 Reviews for AMF Moonlite Lanes
I'm probably one of the worst bowlers ever, but my experience at moonlite lanes was pretty good. The staff was friendly, although there was a little mix up when my group took our sweet time in renewing our lane after our initial round was up, and they almost gave our lane away to another group - we got a little distracted with drinking cocktails - which weren't bad for being bowling alley cocktails, and chili cheese fries - which were more like ketchup and velveeta on fries, but with a drink in my hand, it didn't matter so much. We went at night, so the lights were turned down low for Extreme Bowling, and videos were playing on screens at the ends of the lanes. If I go here again, I'll get a white russian in the spirit of the Big Lebowski.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (2)
Based on the outside appearance, I assumed this bowling alley was going to be a bit ghetto...lol. Boy was I wrong!
I came here on a Saturday afternoon with a group of friends, and I was surprised to see 'Xtreme bowling' or 'Cosmic Bowling' during the day! Most bowling alley has this sort of bowling after 9 or 10 pm. I definitely prefer this type of bowling because of the neon lites. =) There were 2 large screens playing music videos. I love how Moonlite Lanes plays all sorts of music videos which includes today's hits, 80's, and rock music!
When we arrived, it wasn't that packed so we were able to get lanes.
Moonlite Lanes is definitely a great place to go bowling with a group of friends!
Moonlite lanes may be a bit hard to find. The street addresss should really change to Kiely, because it is not really on El Camino Real. This bowling alley is located behind Office Max. If you park in the Office Max parking lot, there is a section on the left called 'Moonlite Center'. You will have to walk through there to reach the bowling alley. If you want to park in front of Moonlite Lanes, I'd recommend people to drive a bit on Kiely and turn in the lot from there. =)
Thursday night FUNNN
Okay so i gave up clubbing on thursday night for this fun place.
Here are some reasons why.
Thursday Nights starting at 10PM.
$1 shoe rental
$1 games
$1 domestic draft beers
$1 hot dogs
$1 shooters
I can walk there from myhouse since its only a block away but i usually drive.
Competitive games with friends.
Funn night and creative names and work on my bowling skills.
DOnna the server rocks my socks off. Great place and i like how they cleaned up teh place and put new monitors.
Great Bar and nice TVs
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Funny (2)
Cool (4)
Yah, cheaper to come here either weekdays or on weekends after 9 pm.
Tony and I pipped in here on a whim and played 2 games a piece. Shoe rentals - 4.50/person! DAYUM! usually when it's that much, games are cheaper! but no..5.75/game per person.
Us staying there for 2 games w/ rental = $32!!!!
i remember how games used to be like $1/game...darn!
i was super irked by how when a credit card authorization slip is printed, that there's a tip line w/ total on it. wtf would i wanna tip you for doing your job of punching some numbers in and opening a lane, as well as grabbing a pair of shoes???
the joint is super clean and overrun w/ children on a saturday morning - how nice is that? its cute when kids are having a good time w/ their bumper bowling games.
People thought this was:
Cool (1)
I called in advance to book a couple of lanes together, and they were very accommodating. We had a good time bowling here. For 2 games on a Saturday night, it costed about $15.50 per person. Behind the desk to pay it seems unorganized, and the staff often appear confused. I think the manager is a bit anal about drinks or food in the sitting / score keeping area. We were singled out over the loud speaker... "Lane 9 please move your drinks to the back part of the bar area, I repeat... lane 9...." Good grief! Okay already!!!
The only bowling alley I have to compare to here in the Bay Area is Morgan Hill Bowl... and I liked that bowling alley much better. But, this was a good in-between spot for a group from all over to meet. A bit hard to find, since it's not facing El Camino Real, but faces the side street instead... just behind Office Max.
People thought this was:
Cool (1)
When i took a bowling class at mission college we would play here 7 in the morning. I noticed that when the doors were more open to the public around 8 or 9 that little kids from Wilcox or Santa Clara high school would hide in there and not be in school. The manager didn't care those kids would play video games and I'm sure all the manager cared about was making that money. And i dont know if this is new... but ive noticed they sell margaritas and other drinks here now. They also have a small bar with pool tables.
Haven't been to other bowling alleys in the area, but this one is pretty cool.
clean facilities
wheelchair accessible
good music w/ 2 big screens showing music videos..
organized balls by size - YAY
shoes that looked clean/new
typical bowling alley food, but i didn't try it
typical mini arcade
ice cream vending machine - TOTALLY COOL.. i guess i never saw it in action. The fridge lid lifts, and a vacuum tube sucks up your ice cream bar/sandwich.. and drops it. WHOAS!
well stocked bar with billiards - wristband that says something like drinking age verified !! awesomes! i would totally keep that wristband if it wasn't all sweaty after my dancing at Molly Magee's after bowling.
Our lane was malfunctioning, but they were really accommodating. They immediately switched us to another lane nearby. (moved our scores too.. i didn't know they could do that!) A tad pricier, but if I'm in the area, and have the urge to knock down a few pins, I'll be back! :) In fact, our group could've stayed their to dance in the lanes.. not many people were around.. and we were digging the music.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Cool (3)
I'm not a big fan of bowling but this place is good clean fun. Only thing is that most bowling balls seem to be made for people with really skinny thumbs. I mean, I'm sorry that I was born with really fat fingers, but I really shouldn't be discriminated like this. I finally did find a 14 lbs ball with a hole bigger than Paris, but really, the rest of the balls were made for really skinny... fingers.
People thought this was:
Funny (1)
Cool (2)
My son celebrated his 9th birthday here earlier this month and it was a great experience. He and 3 friends bowled after school on a Tuesday and almost had the place to themselves. They had a great deal that included umlimited games for 2 hours, shoe rental, popcorn and soda for $12 per bowler. The guy who set us up couldn't be nicer, even though my kid threw a ball down the center divider a few times. The woman working the food counter was also really nice and helped me carry the drinks all the way down to our lane. The music was awesome too - old school, love that.
The only problem with this place is that it wasn't where I thought it was and I rear-ended someone in my quest to locate this bowling alley. So, don't make the same mistake I did. This place is at El Camino and Kiely, NOT Homestead and Kiely.
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Cool (1)
3.8 stars
A lot cleaner than the other bowling alley i visited in the South Bay... well maintained and the rental shoes were clean as well (you could request for the spray too). The crowd when i visited on a Sunday afternoon were decent people.. i didn't see any teenagers or hoodlums hanging around (maybe because i came during peak hours)
My friend ordered the fries from the cafe and it tasted really good... maybe that's why I ended up with a total score of 48... my mind was set on the damn fries!
I would recommend you either come during the weekdays or after 6 where the rates are cheaper.. Coz, we ended up paying $48 for 8 games and 3 rental shoes.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
AMF BOWLING CENTERS AKA MOONLITE LANES!!!! Awesome place to bowl and drink. I come here all the time after I go to Sushi O Sushi. It's so much fun and the staff is really nice. The drinks they pour are awesome. Even though I suck there are high fives flying everywhere.
People thought this was:
Useful (3)
Funny (4)
Cool (4)
Good fun. Could be a little more cleaner though. Bring your own shoes and food if you can.
This is "the other" bowling alley.....
I go here about as often as I do Homestead these days...
This place doesn't seem to get as crazy crowded as homestead during the cheaper or discount times, which is usually later at night after the leagues or something. The lanes are synthetic... the scorer is good. I did get nickel/dimed one time when the scorer messed up and required correction and the guy at the desk dinged me cuz I was a frame over... I tried to explain it to him, but his drive to make minimum wage was too strong.
Not a bad place...
People thought this was:
Funny (1)
they well keep the lane.. but the staff aren't too friendly..
Looking for something to do? Go bowling!
Week nights are pretty empty here so you can bowl leisurely with your friends while chugging on some bear. They play decent music too which is nice. However, if you come in after 9pm, the little deli/food counter seems to close down so if you're hungry, your options are gonna have to be from the multiple vending machines or drinks from the bar.
The annoying part of this alley is that they have technical issues with the lanes sometimes, either your ball will get suck or you'll be missing some pins at set up...otherwise, its great. The ball selection is great...lots of light weight ones for kids and ladies, plus they're all sorted to make it easier to pick your size.
People thought this was:
Cool (1)
There isnt much bowling options in the santa clara/san jose west area. Its basically this place or homestead lanes. Well for sure... moonlite is 10x better than homestead because homestead is like the comptons of bowling alleys.
Moonlite is nice and somewut clean on depending on the day. The snack bar is a little pricy but its actually pretty good. The workers that served me there was really good. I give props to them.
The bowling lanes are clean.... sometimes the lane is wack thats why i gutter sometimes. The balls are in decent shape so u wont get any crusted chipped balls. You know how much i hate touching crusty balls.
The shoes u rent are pretty new looking. Looks like they did a good job throwing away those dirty skank shoes.
The prices on bowling is expected like everywhere else. So no surprise. The friday/sat nite bowling is pretty neat but its sooo junior high/high school. So for all you kids out there... this is the hang out spot.
Overall pretty good... been coming here for over 15 years. Nice hand sir!
Good bowling alley, cleaner and newer than most in the East Bay and SF/Daly City. The scoring machines were pretty new; so new it took me awhile to figure it out.
I judge bowling alleys on three things. Age of chairs/machines, bathroom smell, and uniform oiling of lanes. I'm an OK bowler so I rely on uniform, predictable lanes to get my hook on.
We played 3 games and I scored a 181, 203, 216. Predictable lanes result in good scores. I *heart* Moonlite!
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
i went here tonight w/ a few of my friends, the vibe was pretty nice here w/ the music and all, but our lane, #38 was pretty messed up, it keeps breaking down on us and we had to reset our own pins, and then move on to the next person and all that. fortunately enough tho, they were able to switch us to a different lane.
overall, i give them a 3 cuz they tried to accommodate for us where possible, but it doesnt make up for the total suckass lane 38. i will say though that they have some decent music, and after a couple of drinks, u can totally start dancing there, haha
couple other things, i dont think they have enough shoes here, they didnt have shoes for me right away, fortunately someone else returned some shoes right after i asked. so i was taken care of.
as for price, we had 7 ppl, 2 had two lanes, played two games, and 6 of us rented shoes, total was $115.
Although I wasn't the most keen on bowling (not quite my thing), this alley actually made it sorta fun. The dimly-lit glow-in-the-dark motif was just a tad more cool than kitsch and I really dug the huge video screens they had. I caught up on a lot of missed MTV/VH1 video viewing there.
After having experienced another bowling alley after this one, I now realize how well set-up this one is. For each pair of lines, there's a section of seating so that you don't overlap onto the bordering lanes and there's ample space for everyone. I highly recommend it if you want to have a chill night but get out of the house to do something sorta different and fun.
People thought this was:
Cool (1)
UPDATE:
Just had my son's b.day party here. Prices were extremely reasonable for the birthday packages...28 ppl for a little over $350, which includes your own party host, invitations, themed goodie bags, food, plates, cups, utensils, fountain drinks and a souvenir bowling pin for guests to sign. The only thing you need to bring is a cake and your camera.
__________________________________________________ ____Like others have mentioned, it is a tad bit expensive, but I don't mind paying extra for excellent customer service. Every employee there was extremely friendly and always willing to help us out (we couldn't figure out the scoring machines).
We purchased the family fun pack, which was $56.74 for four people. It includes shoe rentals, a pitcher of soda, popcorn and two hours of bowling (3.5 games).
There is also plenty of seating, a snack bar (with a pretty nice selection), clean bathrooms and plenty of parking. Overall, I would definitely visit again.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
I know I sound like an old lady when I say this, but when did bowling get so expensive? We were tired of getting ripped off by Palo Alto Bowl, so we decided to drive further south to get ripped off by Amf Moonlite Lanes.
We chose to go bowling on a Saturday afternoon, as did the Pied Piper and his merry gang of kids. (Note: If you don't like children, then don't go bowling on a Saturday afternoon). Fortunately, the wait wasn't too long, but we did have to settle for one lane (group of 5).
I think bowling shoe rentals are $4.25. Each game is $5.00. (Higher prices after 6 pm & on the weekend). Sometimes I can't believe I actually pay to wear someone else's shoes.
Moonlite lanes are high tech. Their score board features cute little animations that synch with the number of pins you knock down. I did not, however, like the way that the fancy schmancy scoring system penalizes you for stepping onto the lane. It was an accident!
It's not like I was dancing on the lanes.
Though the 'xtreme" lights weren't on, Moonlite had a fine selection of bowling alley tunes, ranging from disco hits from the 70s to Fall Out Boy. I also appreciate the color coded bowling balls. It's easier to find your choice of weight.
I would go here again. Even if I end up paying more in mileage.
People thought this was:
Useful (2)
Funny (1)
PINBALL Alert...
Well, I haven't been here yet...but I will review this place for 4 pinball machines:
1) Ripleys Believe It or Not!
2) Lord of the Rings (LOTR)
3) Monopoly
4) possibly Austin Powers or Roller Coaster Tycoon
They have 4 pinball machines, free parking, a change
machine, food + drinks (+ a bar), restrooms, chairs,
they're open till 1 am. Thanks to TJ from BAPA for posting.
Sorry I'm a PINBALLJUNKIE. No reviews of the bowling!
More later...
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
This a clean and kept bowling alley. I believe the cost of a game was 16.50 per person. 5 people max per lane. I didn't bowl. My friends did the honors. If you buy a game you get a pitcher of free soda and a pitcher of pop corn. I think you might even get free beer too. Not sure about that .
This is a fun and safe environment to get together with your friends.
People thought this was:
Funny (1)
Cool (1)
The all night long pop alternative music videos playing were actually kind of cool (there's a lot of Gwen Stefani... *a lot* of it). But for some reason the lane that I was on was totally possessed! (or just plain busted) We kept getting lost balls, and the lane would reset etc etc. And a lot of the bowling balls there seem to have big dents in them.
Bowling aside, they have a bunch of cool new pinball machines. And quarter toy dispensers. And a couple of video arcade games, but nothing cool like DDR.
X-treme bowling......I'm X-tremely bad at it.....
Fun times in the black light. I chose a ball based entirely on it's glowy pink color and ignored it's heft. I'm blaming my bad play on an inappropriate ball.
Let me put it this way. The kids in the next lane over outscored me, granted they had the guardrails up, but COME ON!!!!
Clean. Not Smoky. Not infested with ne'er do wells.
I'd go back, but I'd like it better if they had smoke machines.
People thought this was:
Funny (3)
This place is alright, go after 9pm all the games are cheaper! that's always a good thing.
People thought this was:
Useful (1)
There aren't too many bowling alleys left in the area. This one has been around for as long as I can remember. One summer in junior high, I remember taking classes here through the city! That was back in the days of pencil and paper scoring.
These days, Moonlite has one of the more advanced scoring systems that I've seen around here. The other local ones (in Sunnyvale and South San Jose) are following suit. They even have rock-n-bowl, where they dim the lights and play music videos while the bowling balls glow in the dark.
I miss the bowling alley in S.F.'s Japantown! However, this place isn't too shabby (great colored lights and music) although it seems bowling has become a lot more expensive now. I don't know about the free drinks and food since we just went (Oct 2006) and we didn't get that! After 6pm on Fridays and Saturdays, it's called, "Extreme Bowling" (which is just adding the neon lights and music) and thus, costs $21.50 for two people ($6.25 per game per person and $4.50 to rent shoes per person). Tons of parking here since it's connected to a little shopping plaza.
When did bowling get so expensive? When AMF bought every bowling alley and jacked up the prices.
Moonlite lanes has always been there for me. Between the dollar Keystones (I think they cost two bucks now) and the x-treme bowling, this place is awesome. Just make sure you call ahead to see if all the lanes are being used by league play.
great place to bowl very clean they wax the floors almost all the time i guess my ball curves like crazy the only thing is that the prices are way to much to just bowl one game have rent shoes but i already bought my own pair but just to bowl one game is kind of exspensive
People Who Viewed This Also Viewed...
Related Lists
-
Pinball Wizards Unite!!!
Here's where the pinball junkies (like me) can get…
Hot and New
- QT Nails
35 reviews
Santa Clara, CA
- The Cakeworks
11 reviews
Campbell, CA
- A Slice of New York
246 reviews
San Jose, CA
- University Chicken Sports Pub
243 reviews
Santa Clara, CA
- Gochi Japanese Fusion Tapas
318 reviews
Cupertino, CA
