Fort Shafter Bowling Center

When ever my kids birthdays are coming up they ALWAYS ask to have a bowling birthday here. Very reasonable, food is ok, and kids have fun without breaking my bank account. We always do a cosmic bowling in the evening, yes it’s busy and not enough workers at the food court so its a wait but all in all we always come back.

Bowling for a cheap price, at $ 3 a regular game, $ 3.75 a cosmic game or $ 18 an hour for cosmic bowling. I would like to bowl here more often. However, if you want to reserve lanes, you must be a military member, and they also have cheaper rates.
If you’re a civilian like me, you can go, first come first serve, but military members have priority over civilians, so depending on the night, you may have to wait a while before getting a lane, and you need to get a pass by providing your up to date driver’s license, insurance, safety check and registration before you enter further into Fort Shafter.
The bathrooms only have one stall, so there may be a wait if there’s someone taking long before you.
Overall, lots of parking and a nice bowling alley with decent food to order while waiting for your turn to bowl.

I came for my boyfriend’s niece’s birthday party. When getting into the bowling alley, ID and parking permit is required upon entering the area. After checking ID in the front, we had to get a parking permit at the next point.
His sister reserved 5 lanes because there were 40 people. They bought 2 cakes and a tub of ice cream from costco. The workers allowed them to put it in their fridge/​freezer. A Sunday evening was quite busy. The lanes were all full. Our group ordered 10 pizzas… it took a while. We also ordered some nachos and they ran out of cheese. There were only 2 workers at the food court. The food wasn’t too bad. I’m surprised the pizza and fries weren’t dripping with oil. It tasted okay. Can’t expect too much at a bowling alley food court.
The alley was pretty clean. The workers were nice. Not a bad place at all.

Really liked fort shafter bowling. It’s on base and I’ve passed it a few times when heading to the gym and never thought how nice it would be inside. It’s looks rough and Olson the outside. But I guess you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.
The food here was always pretty good for something from the bowling alley, it had lots of choices.
I can’t wait to go back here.

Came here for a bowling date night with friends and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Went on a Saturday and it was quite empty, but made for an excellent cosmic bowling night with friends. The price per bowling game along with shoes was very reasonable (I believe it’s $ 3.75/ game and $ 2/​shoes).
The bowling alley offers food that is pretty good. The pizza and tater tots are delicious! I just wish the ladies that work at the food counter are friendlier. They take your order with attitude and serve you your food without a smile.
Other than the unfriendly food servers, this place is great to check out if you are having a bowling itch. I will definitely be back!

I came today with my grandma to check out her weekly bowling league. I can’t help but feel nostalgic as soon as I walked in. Coming early in the morning to watch grandma bowl and play in the arcade is a fond memory from my childhood.
That aside, The Fort Shafter Bowling Center is one of few alleys left on the island. It is filed with fluorescent colored walls (for cosmic bowling) and carpeting, the upgraded touch pad system, and clean seating. There are 22 lanes in this alley making it possible for many people to play.
The food is regularly priced for a bowling alley, and the hot dog comes highly recommended by grandma! You can buy a combo hot dog meal for under $ 6!
Parking was very easy to find and near the bowling center.
The bowling center looks like a great place to have a birthday party or to just come bowling with your friends.

Fort Shafter Bowling Center
I don’t like going here. Nothing against the venue– I had to drive from Hawaii Kai to here for the Special Olympics events here, and it is a pain in the tousie getting up from Hawaii Kai and back 8am then when it finished in the afternoon.
The side chairs to watch and nice to have. Easy to rest and relax and watch the competitions.
The food counter has some good breakfast and normal burgers. Good/​normal prices and normal soda as drinks. Good since there is really no where else to get food as it is on base (since I’m not familiar I really don’t want to venture too far so having the food counter is wonderful for me as it is a no brainer– good tasting American food and right there for when I smell something great).
Anytime I talk about bowling, I have to bring up that Bowling Alleys had overhead projectors to just write down scores of personal games to show off to others passing by.
It took TEACHERS over 10 YEARS to get overheads in the classrooms to start teaching the whole classroom so that keiki could see. This is horrible that it took so long for sports technology to get into the classroom. Argh– and they are still doing things cooler in the bowling alley than the classrooms.

As I write this review, I am crossing my fingers that this bowling alley will not shut down soon. In this era of mega cuts to the military how is this bowling alley still open?
The few times I have visited have been for birthday parties. The going rate for parties are $ 15 per hour per lane. No matter how many bowlers. For the kiddos, ramps and bumpers are available. In comparison the another nearby (expensive I might add) bowling alley the features for little worked well. For example, nothing got stuck and and the ramp was in great condition.
I feel that in this day in age this bowling alley is a great deal! It’s an affordable option for a birthday party or s family outing.
The only food I tried was the pizza and I actually thought it was good. At the last birthday party I attended I ate 3 slices. The crust was a medium thickness and the sauce and cheese were just right, the kiddos scarfed it up.
Note: there is a bar with a television. I was there a few Sunday’s ago and football was on. I forgot the exact price but I did mention to one of the parents that the beers were cheap!

I’ve been coming here for quite some years now. The best thing I enjoy is the cosmic bowling… great for kids as well. They offer great pricing and great food as well. I honestly cannot say anything bad about this place except that it does get crowded at times.
Burgers are great!!!

Had fun bowling here but I was annoyed by the maintenance guy. I know he’s gotta do his job but at least let me know what’s up before interrupting my game.
Basically what happened was that he set this machine to clean the empty lanes (there were a lot of empty lanes because it’s was before the evening rush). Go clean the empty lanes while I’m playing my game or at least ask to clean our lane before just interrupting our game, ruining our score, & then not even apologize for screwing up our score. Really?! That was rude.
Anyway, the building seems kinda run down but what they have is well maintained. My shoes were relatively new but the bf’s were a little older. They had a large selection of balls, some newer, some more used. It was fine.
Their concession stand looked clean & well maintained but the food was your typical carnival crappy fatty foods. So plan in advance if you don’t eat that kinda food.

Had an awesome time here yesterday, our kids had fun, the food is very good for bowling alley standard! This will be our new weekend spot

My boyfriend I come here all the time. My favorite part about this bowling alley is that their prices are cheap and their food is really good too. The only thing I would say is that they need to get new bowling balls because a lot of them are chipped. Also they need to be more clear on when open bowling is vs league bowling. The staff is always nice and we enjoy our time everytime we go there.

So cheap here! Even the food is decently priced. The workers are so laid back but on point. My kids got to bowl in their own lane and people weren’t waiting to kick us off the lanes.
We tried to go there on a Friday night but it was league night so we couldn’t bowl”/ that was disappointing.
Also, if you dont have military ID you have to pull over and get a pass for the base which could take anywhere from two to 15 minutes – depending on how many people are waiting ahead of you.
Other than that, it’s totally worth it… especially if you have family and 1) you want to save money and 2) you don’t want to be around all these teenage kids hanging around.
Plus, they had the local news on in the sitting area so you can keep up with current events.

Being from Wisconsin I love to bowl. I’m also very lucky that my husband loves to bowl! I’m not lucky that he gets super competitive though. Being that we are a bowling couple we have gone to multiple bowling alleys in Hawaii and all over the country. And let me tell you we were impressed when we walked in this bowling alley.
It looks brand new and it also doesn’t have that bowling alley smell which consists of sweat, old cigarette smoke and beer. And for that I am grateful. Each of the alleys are large and the lights are super cool. The alley is also clean and they have ample seating so you don’t have to stand while your friends and family bowl. It also have awesome, cheap food that you munch on while bowling here.
I ended up coming here for a work event and the kids were a little disappointed that the black light above our lane was burned out. But it was entertaining to see the kids wearing white tape and not glow!
I think this place is very kid friendly, it definitely is budget friendly and has awesome food! Those three things makes this place a winner in my books!!!
Even though it is on a military base it is open to the public so if your looking for an awesome bowling alley don’t waste your time anywhere else come here!
While your on ft. shafter look around its a beautiful base!!!

The prices are cheap and reasonable for bowling on post. There are many lanes and it’s not too crowded, although not empty either. The food stand has many great items including local plate lunches. I had the roast pork and gravy plate and it was great and the portions were huge!
A good place to take family or friends for a fun night out if you have the privilege to get onto Ft. Shafter.

Overall great bowling alley. But only accessible if you have, or know someone who has a military ID. DH and I played two sets, both rented shoes for less than $ 15. Beers are reasonably priced too. LOVE cosmic bowling here on weekend evenings — reminds me of hanabata days (hehe).
We went on a Saturday night and they had open lanes. Aiea Bowl and Leeward Bowl both told us it would be at least midnight (we called around 9) before we got a lane… even that wasn’t guaranteed.
Picture:
Not 5 stars because guys at the rentals/​control booth were not polite and kitchen ladies made me feel like I was bothering them. Customer service is muy importante — don’t you agree?

Fort Shafter Bowling Center is a great place to go bowling and to have a great time with friends and family. Hawaii is such a limited place where bowling alleys have been dwindling down over the years. Fortunately we still have the Federal funded bowling alleys that are still open to the public. Being raised in a family that bowls, I think bowling is a great pastime that regrettably has been dying down over the years. It’s fun, competitive, amusing (when somebody releases their ball on the back swing or when they fall down on the oily lanes), and just an overall great activity to socialize with friends and family.
Fort Shafter bowling is on a military base located between Kalihi and Salt Lake. You do need to show your I.D., registration, Insurance, Safety check at the check-​in booth to get in. Just tell the military officer at the check-​in booth that you want to go to the bowling alley. Be sure to call the bowling center before you go to check when they have open lanes. This place does have regular, weekly, bowling leagues so you don’t want to end up going there and you’re not able to bowl because there is a league going on. Parking area is kinda dark and can be shady but luckily it is a military base and worrying about hooligans isn’t a big worry although anything can still happen anywhere.
On Friday nights, they have open lanes starting at 9pm and ending at 12 midnight. There’s no cosmic bowling on Friday. They do have cosmic bowling on Saturday nights though. But call and double check if you’re curious.
***Quick Tip***
Every 3^rd Saturday of the month they’re opened an hour longer. They have a live DJ playing music till 1am instead of 12am. His name is DJ Bennie James and he plays hits from today and some classics as well. Overall, he was okay. Very simple DJ who was there to play some music and take requests. Nothing too fancy.
We found parking easily and walked into a clean and somewhat busy establishment. It was busy because there was a league finishing up. There was a good amount of people that came for open bowling. We didn’t have to wait as there was a few lanes open throughout the night. This is definitely a go-​to place for me if I want to go bowling on a Friday night. I personally think it’s better than going to Aiea which is busy on a weekend night.
Games cost $ 3/​game
Cosmic Bowling $ 3.25/game
Shoe rental cost $ 2
This place seemed well maintained with the lanes oiled and all the lanes functioning. They do have bumper lanes for the kids, or grownups if you insist. :) This place is great for parties. I’ve attended several parties over here over the years and they were great. I’m not sure if they allow you to cater outside food or if you’re only allowed to order through their grill. They do have pizza, burgers, sandwiches, and fries. If they had more food choices that would be great. I particularly like the Kaneohe MCBH bowling alley because of the ono food that they have there. But back to Fort Shafter… They also have beer here, both bottled and on tap.
Final Comments: Love this place. The location is perfect being in the middle of the Windward side, Leeward side and town. Will definitely be coming here again if I want to go bowling. It’s cheap, with good food and it’s well-​maintained.
Overall Rating: «EXCELLENT» Almost a perfect 5 stars if they offered more food choices. But this place is still pretty darn close to 5 stars. Go check this place out if all the other bowling alleys are busy on a Friday night. Just don’t tell everyone so that I’m left on the waiting list waiting for lanes. :P I almost want to keep this place a secret!!! Haha.

This place has so many memories for me, I love it here! We used to have many many bowling team practices and games here back in high school! Bowling with your right hand, eating with your left and then playing some photo hunt afterwards?! Best times ever!
Being one of the few places left to bowl on the island, it provides a nice, calm environment to kick back and relax. The games are cheap ($ 3/​game, $ 2 for shoes) and when they have cosmic bowling, the games go up by $ 0.50. There are a few lanes with bumpers for kids and if you request it, they have a small metal ramp to help kids roll the ball. Not sure of the exact hours, but they are open till 12a on the weekends (Fri/​Sat nights).
The food here has always been pretty good and they have alcohol as well! The staff is nice and friendly. There are some times when the lanes breakdown, but in my experience with Fort Shafter, it doesn’t happen too often and they are always able to fix it right away.
Must start coming back here more!

One of the last bowling alleys left in Honolulu, this place deserves 5 stars for being able to stay open while all the others have shut down.
1. OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
2. It’s cheap! $ 2.50/game (regular)or $ 3/​game (cosmic).
3. Metal ramps available for the kids (or adults) who can’t carry heavy balls.
4. Gutter bumpers lift up on each side of the lane to make sure the kids always hit at least one pin down each frame.
5. Strike Zone snack bar serves typical bowling food (burgers, fries, pizza, nachos, fried rice, bacon&eggs, etc.)
6. $ 2 shoe rental. The kids shoes were really cute!
Birthday parties: $ 15/​hour per lane
To find this place, stay on the main road until you go down the hill and come back up. The bowling alley is located just past Richardson theater, on the left hand side once you get to the top of the hill, in a non-​descript one story building next to the fitness center before the Nagorski golf course. Make sure you have a current driver’s license (required) but be prepared to show registration/​insurance at the check point into Fort Shafter or even have your car frisked.
Go to their website for more details and their HOURS for regular/​cosmic bowling etc:
I smell a bowling challenge coming up soon…

This place is a nostalgia of an old bowling alley that played Old records, the cosmic bowling and the outdated colorful barstools and tables. Once you walk through the time machine you get the sense of being in an oldie place. Those reasons alone is why I absolutely love this place!
Going here back when I was in Highschool was my first times and never been back because there were other bowling places more convient. But I’m glad that I got another chance to go here, Although this place is at Fort Shafter it is open to the public. You will just need to show your insurance card and registration form.
I went here recently with my 20 family members, I walked in and put our name down. There was no league going on but they did have a lot of reservations. The worker told me that he can’t guarantee us a spot because they are so backed up. After a few bothersome moments we got called after 20 – 30 minutes, which was awesome! Whew I thought we weren’t going to be able to bowl at all!
Bowling prices were $ 3.25 for cosmic bowling and $ 2.00 rental shoes. Wow what a deal~~~ If you are not a bowler there are also some arcade games to play to while waiting for your friends.
This place still has your classic bowling food… french fries, chicken wings, nachos, pizza and etc. For all the adult bowlers they do serve beer there to get your party pumping! I have to say that this place plays some old jams and a few teen bopper songs, they also had a dance off… to electric slide :) Ha what a classic song and perfect for the night!
The only reason it didn’t get the 5 stars was because they close at midnight! Bummer for us because we were not finish with our game but i understand that it still is on the military base.
#Yelp 365 Challenge: ⁰¹⁴⁄₃₆₅