Stryxe in Madison, NJ: A Bowling Experience

August 13, 2016 newjerseyisntboring

I always like going to a unique location, a place that takes something ordinary and boosts it to the next level. That is why I enjoyed my trip to Stryxe, a boutique bowling alley in Madison, NJ.

Just like the Tardis, this bowling alley is bigger on the inside. Don’t let the exterior fool you! When we arrived I saw it was in a shopping center, so walking in and seeing this spacious, funky bowling alley was a surprise.

Stryxe is very trendy and has a funky, fresh decor. There is a lot to take in!

Another surprise about my visit to Stryxe was that in addition to bowling, you can also enjoy a fine dining experience. Their Executive Chef, Rolf Baumann, strives to prepare almost all of their menu components and ingredients from scratch in house, in true artisan style. In addition to their regular menu, Chef Rolf Baumann creates seasonal dining dishes, and we were lucky enough to taste meals from their Summer Specialties Menu as well.

We had two items from their seasonal menu; the Sushi Style Prawns and Cucumber Rolls and the Maple Essence Wild Salmon.

The salmon is served with a cauliflower barley “risotto” and warm herb oil beach mushrooms. As you can see, the Chef takes pride in his food and presentation. This is not the typical food you would find at a bowling alley.

We also had the “Burger Burger” which can be found on the “Minis” portion of their menu. The sliders were served with brie cheese (my favorite) and fried onions. Great to share or eat by yourself!

One of the things that I personally feel sets Stryxe apart in the food department is their Tabisca style pizzas from their wood fired pizza oven. You can see the pizzas being made and put into the oven as well. We got to try their Margarita pizza and it was amazing. Very unique!

Last but not least, for a dessert/meal we has their chicken waffle bites. Soooooo good.

Overall the food was incredible. It would best be described as gastro pub style, where there is something for everyone. You can eat at one of their many tables in their restaurant section, or while you’re bowling! No more hot dogs and stale nachos for me! Stryxe defintiely spoiled me for life when it comes to “bowling alley food”.

Now for bowling!

The bowling experience at Stryxe was definitely more high tech than what I’m used to. For starters, the bowling alley has these high tech touch screens instead of an old school computer. You can even connect to Facebook so you can share you experience in real time.

Another cool option is you can actually add your picture to the game. We figured this out about half way through, and then our neighbors were asking us how to do it as well. That was definitely a first! Another cool feature, which we learned from our neighbors, is that the bumper option can be set to a player so if you’re playing with a child (or an uncoordinated adult) the bumpers will go on during their turn rather than subjecting all players to them. Great idea!

We also got to enjoy drinks during our epic bowling match. Rather than a typical draft beer, Stryxe offers craft beer and specialty cocktails. I ordered the “Cucumber Splits” (tequila, English cucumber, green chile).

It should be noted that the bowling alley has not one, but two bars. You can even rent sections of the bowling alley for private parties and corporate events.

The drinking did not help my bowling game, but I did end the night with the best last frame of my life (a spare and a strike) and beat my husband by 2 points.

Before we left we had to play some arcade games. All of their games are family friendly (aka no guns), and rather than use tokens or quarters you can purchase and refill a game card. We played several games of skeeball before we left. So much fun!

We had an amazing time at Stryxe and we have plans to go back sooner than later. From the food, to the arcade, to the drinks, and of course the bowling, this bowling alley definitely has it all!