L & M LANES

L&M lanes was nothing but accommodating to the large group I was with. For being such a small (but awesome) little bowling alley, they were very good with us. They serve local beer (amongst many other beers and liquor) and the wings were bomb. The old fashioned feel of the place really adds to the experience. It’s a really fun time here!

Honestly, one of the worst dining out experiences I have ever had. We ordered pizza, chicken wings, grilled cheese and some fried bar food. Right after we ordered they warned us the pizza was going to be a while, but said the rest of our meals should be out quick. Almost two hours later, our food was trickling out. Mine and a friends food got cold while we waited for our other three friends to be served. Fifteen minutes later, grilled cheese came out. (Really? How long does grilled cheese take?) Another fifteen minutes went by, then cold chicken wings. (how were these cold after waiting two hours?) Any time we asked about food, we were told «two more minutes». Which was clearly not the case. I get it, things happen, mistakes happen, but the owner and server never once apologized, and actually the owner got an attitude with me when I asked about the rest of the food. The owner did refund my two friends who didn’t want to sit there and wait for them to remake all the food, but never once apologized or tried to rectify the situation. The worst part is the two friends who dealt with getting served no food, a year ago, threw a big, private party at L & M, spending quite a bit of money on food, bowling, drinks, etc. What a slap in the face to them. If you want to leave hangry, irritated and have bad customer service, check them out.

If this joint had better bowling then it’d be a solid 5 stars. Everything else is good though. Beer, wings and just an overall good spot to hang. But if you’re a serious bowler with any skill then you’ll hate these lanes. Doesn’t even seem like they oil them, ever. Staff is friendly enough anyway.

Great beer selection and good wings. The staff is always very friendly. can’t go wrong here. they only have a few lanes. call ahead and make sure you can get one if you are pressed for time.

So this was my second time here in about 15yrs. The owner was looking at a computer screen and pretty much ignoring me standing there so I tapped him on the arm and asked him about this infamous grilled cheese sandwich. He was clearly unimpressed by me and basically rude. Not really the approach you should have being the owner and all. I’m going to take the kids here and see how the bowling is once. I give two chances and then dismiss you. Hopefully the employees will be in better moods?

This place is an amazing small bowling alley! 5 stars!

Surprisingly varied taps, good bar food (wings are superb here, plus they have tots, which are never not good) and the option of darts if you don’t feel like bowling. A gem in the neighborhood. I feel lucky to live here when I’m at L&M.

Came in over the holidays to bowl with my sis-in-law’s fiancé’s family. HORRIBLE customer service. Bartender was beyond rude from beginning to end. He acted very indifferent to helping/​serving us.
Our computerized score card kept messing up and was an overall pain to deal with. After waiting several minutes after our first request to the bartender to help fix it, a member of our party went up to him again and very nicely asked him to help us out. He loudly berated him in front of everyone and was just an overall jerk and said that he had other customers to deal with (it was not busy at all, mind you). It really killed the mood and we felt uncomfortable being there for the rest of the time.
Apparently, this type of behavior is normal for the staff there due to a number of Rochester natives informing us of their less than stellar customer service.
The bartenders/​staff better change their attitudes and learn to respect their customers or they will soon be out of business.

First time at this place & I’m disgusted! From the moment we walked it the guy working was very rude! It was about 6 of us between the age of 24 to 30 & the people I was with come all the time we were the only ones in the place we played some music & we’re having fun & each of us had to do a dance move after each frame the guy came over & told us we were being inappropriate & would have to leave if it happened again! A family came in we changed the music & he still gave us an issue the whole time! NOT WORTH YOUR MONEY!!!

Came here a few times with no problem. Came in for the draft beer, but the people working there are awful. Rude, inconsiderate, and confrontational. Do not go, not worth the stress. Give your money to someone else!

Everyone who works here is a completely horrible. The customer service is absolutely terrible. They have no clue how to deal with customers. I may drop off a book to these ignorant, inconsiderate, sorry excuses, but I doubt reading it would be considered. I would stay away, the good space isn’t worth dealing with them.

What a gem in the neighborhood. Wonderfully funky bowling ally with great bar food. They pride themselves on the wing sauce and rightfully so. The hot is crazy hot but you can taste the sweetness of the pepper too, very good. I took a star off because I wish they offered salads. Great beer selections too.

Food was notate tic, but taken that this is a place of entertainment, I will look beyond that. If I had to choose a dish to stay with, it would be the hot wings, but I have a weakness for that to begin with. Pizza was dry. Cheeseburger was basically cheese, a thin meat, and bread. Very mcdonalds quality.
Bowling was fun. Our group had the whole upper floor. It was nice, easy to use. Bowling balls were dirty compared to many other bowling lanes I’ve been to. Regardless, service was prompt and our group had a good time.

I really loved this place– turned out to be a pleasant surprise. Totally unassuming and chill, good selection of beer and specials, and of course bowling! At first glance from the outside it seems impossible that there are bowling lanes inside, but yes there are. My friend ordered the wings and not only did they look amazing, he said they were one of the best he’s had. I definitely plan to go back and try them. This is a great place to start or finish your night– I could chill here all night to be honest — but it is a little far from other bars that I go to.

I must say I’m surprised to see so many 4– and 5-​star reviews after my first visit last night. Maybe my experience was out of the ordinary, but I can’t imagine drastically changing my opinion if I were to return. Here’s why.
We arrived at 9:30 to meet up with friends. We started out as a group of six and requested 1 – 2 lanes, but then became nine and confirmed we would need two. He quoted us two lanes by 10:10. We didn’t begin bowling until after 10:30. They only had the six downstairs lane open that night. Only after did I learn there are more lanes upstairs, but I guess they weren’t using those. I would think those should be open on a Saturday night.
My friends ordered beer, and while their selection looked good, I had come from a tasting at the Genesee Brew House and needed some food. The bartender (I think he may be the owner) convinced me to get the jack bites, their take on a mozzarella stick. A few minutes later he sat my dish on the bar and walked away. I showed it to my friends and they all laughed. The red plastic basket contained five two-​inch fried «cheese turds» as my friend named them. We calculated that each bite cost $.50. Needless to say I was unimpressed.
More of our group arrived and the same bartender convinced my friend to order the tater tot grilled cheese and add bacon. While it sounds like a good idea, and my friend did enjoy it, I thought it looked unappetizing. White bread, cheap cheese, tater tots, and a small piece of some sort of canadian bacon.
I was willing to give the food one more try and ordered the tater tots. These were inconsistent. Some were hot and crispy, but several were mushy or cold in the center. Didn’t hold a candle to Acme tots.
I’m not a fan of wings but I guess that’s what they’re known for. Maybe I should have gone with those. Some of my friends did and seemed to enjoy them. Just doesn’t seem like the best bowling food (I’m *not* licking my fingers while bowling, that’s for sure).
Besides the jack bites ($ 4.95) everything was really cheap. Shoes for $ 2.50, games for $ 3, tater tots were $ 2.50. I think the beer was cheap too.
Also someone already noted this but the bathroom needs an upgrade. No lock on the door or the stall, just a magnet. I could hear men talking right outside the door, so it did not feel very private.
I had a great time while we were actually bowling. We ended up with two lanes and had a lot of fun.
I think I would have had a better time if we could have just bowled right away and not gotten any food. Or just gotten food at Merchant’s next door.

It’s a 5-​star place in my book because it is small, old, cute and there is food and a surprisingly decent beer selection. This might not be the place for you if you actually want to bowl though because this place is TINY and only has a handful of lanes.
Ownership has changed in the past couple years, but I haven’t noticed much change in place itself or the food (which is a great thing). The menu is limited but perfect for a little divey bowling alley; grilled cheese, tots and dipping sauces, REALLY GOOD WINGS, fries, etc.
I haven’t been as much lately, but when I used to go more often I would almost routinely watch some DRUNK ASS LOSER get thrown out of the bar. I don’t know what it is about this place, but it just attracts people who could not manage themselves. Only other bummer is that the pool table is taken up a lot.

I sure do love this place. I’m a terrible bowler though, but for some reason I really enjoy it as an activity. Maybe it’s the addition of beer and bar food that makes it worthwhile.
L&M Lanes has a cool thing going on with their space. Local bar meets bowling alley meets fried food grub house. My first visit was to enjoy drinks & food. I’d say they have a solid selection on tap. I’m always happy to see some familiar craft brewery names like Brooklyn, Lagunitas, Troegs, etc. And a decent price — for reals, ya’ll. I believe I paid $ 3 for a pint of Brooklyn Dry Irish Stout — Thursday happy hour deal perhaps or just L&M being awesome.
Food picks: What a hearty burger. This beast is not your typical «bar» flat patty — big, meaty 8 oz. deliciousness on a roll w/​lettuce, tomato and onion. I paired it with tots. I love them. Toss with a little salt and you’re good to go. I also enjoyed a Grilled Tot and Cheese on another visit. COME ON! It’s genius. It’s like a kid’s menu item. Buttery toasted bread goodness along squishing tators & american cheese. I dipped mine in ketchup. Word on the street is that they have killer wings too. I will give those a try next visit.
As for the bowling, it’s $ 2.50 per person per game — it’s a deal and a steal! I recommend making a reservation. They have 12 lanes: 6 upstairs, 6 downstairs. As I disgraced myself with my gutter ball technique, my bowling ball got stuck on a few occasions on a continuous loop not able to make it on the return belt. However, it might have a thing to do with my no-​heavier-​than-​10 lb. ball.
Have fun!

I attended my first Unilocal event Thursday night here at L& M. Many thanks to Breanna for hosting. It was a great location, and a lot of fun!
I haven’t been to L& M Lanes in years. Back in the day when I actually could bowl (10+ years ago) I came here, but I don’t remember much. It was like coming to a place for the first time all over again.
I arrived a bit early, came in and sat down near the lanes, just trying to scope things out for a bit. 6 lanes downstairs, people having a lot of fun bowling, and the smell of pizza and wings filled the place. It smelled really good!
Another Unilocaler arrived, and I saw him head upstairs, so I followed! I forgot that there were another 6 lanes upstairs! And of course, I was completely oblivious to the fact that I had walked past a set of stairs. Yeah, I’m WAY observant.
The music was on and off again. You’d be jamming to some really great tunes, and then all of a sudden — silence. And it was that awkward silence. But then they came back on and life was good again!
The shoes I rented were newer. YAY!
The food others ordered smelled delish. YAY!
I tasted a tator tot and it was great. YAY!
I was actually not eating or drinking that night because I had other plans, and an early morning the next day. BUT, everyone seemed right pleased with the selection.
And maybe best of all — the PRICE. $ 2.50 for a game of bowling. SO CHEAP! That’s awesome! I would definitely come back to bowl — maybe not let it go 10 years until the next time I bowl.
Oh, and one final warning if you have a 10lb or smaller bowling ball, be prepared for it to float around in the back of the lane for a while (at least for lanes 7 & 8). I held up our second game because of this — BUT on the plus side, I was able to have a lot of fun getting to know fellow Unilocalers!

L&M is, hands-​down, my absolute favorite place to spend a weekend night. Part bowling alley, part dive bar, all good fun.
Let’s be honest: bars can be boring. I mean, sometimes you just gotta move. And for those of us with two left feet, clubs aren’t much better. Which is why I love L&M. There are no pro bowlers and no hordes of teenagers, just a great atmosphere and ridiculously low prices.
We almost always have to wait for an alley to free up, but we never mind — we just grab a booth and some beers. If we’re hungry, they’ve got great munchies.
The downstairs alleys are closer to the bar, but the upstairs ones are a little more private; you can’t go wrong either way.
There are only two downsides: (1) the bathroom could use a little work, though it’s always been clean enough, and (2) they replaced the amazing old school jukebox that took quarters and only had music from the 60s through 80s with a stupid modern electronic jukebox that has a poor selection of crappy modern songs — and they didn’t even offer to sell me the old one! But usually the crowd has a good level of respect for the type of music that should be played at a bowling alley bar, so it’s all good even if I can’t listen to every Queen album all the way through for $ 9 anymore.
There’s a small parking lot you can use after the laundromat closes, and side street parking is abundant if that’s closed.

L&M Lanes is probably one of Rochester’s best kept secrets as far as neighborhood bars go. However, if you want a fun evening enjoying great wings and an assortment of cold beers (and maybe even bowl a few frames), then make the trek up to the Merchants-​Culver neighborhood!
Walking into L&M Lanes, you immediately enter the bar area, complete with electronic darts machine. There are a few booths opposite the bar for you and your friends to settle into, otherwise belly up to the bar for great service from friendly bartenders. There are always a number of great domestic and craft beers on tap, and many more bottles available. The selection is constantly changing, and don’t be afraid to ask for a suggestion from one of the bartenders.
I’m a big fan of the wings (which are available dressed in Buffalo Garlic, medium, hot, BBQ, Country Sweet, hot sweetie, and Buffalo garlic sweetie sauces). I usually take my wings medium or mild. Wings and other fried appetizers are very popular here, so you may have a little bit of a wait. They also offer burgers, pizza, and «Gutter Plates» (their own take on Rochester’s famous Garbage Plate).
There’s also six lanes downstairs and six lanes upstairs if you and your friends want to go bowling. Another nice thing is that owner Gary is usually at the bar most nights, sometimes slinging beers or signing up new bowlers. Gary and his family have worked hard to maintain the traditions of this old neighborhood hangout while adding a few of their own since they purchased it from the previous owners in 2011.
Weekends tend to be busiest. If you want great beers and great wings that won’t make a great impression on your finances, make your way to L&M (and share the secret)!