The Five Towns is home to one of the densest observant Jewish populations in America, with more than 85 establishments under the local Vaad, yet the community has long lacked a full-scale family entertainment venue that observant families could use without kashrus or Shabbos concerns. That changes now. Woodmere Lanes & Backstage, the bowling and entertainment center that has anchored the neighborhood for generations, is under new local ownership and is going fully kosher and shomer Shabbos.
A Longtime Five Towns Landmark Gets a Kosher Reboot
Woodmere Lanes has been a fixture in the heart of the Five Towns since 1960. The venue runs twenty bowling lanes with cosmic lighting, a lunch counter, and the adjoining Backstage lounge that has hosted birthday parties, bar and bat mitzvahs, karaoke nights, glow parties, and corporate events for decades. It is the kind of local institution that most families in the community already know by name. The new ownership keeps that footprint intact while reorienting the operation around the observant families who make up so much of the surrounding neighborhood.
Closed Friday Night and Shabbos
The detail that matters most to observant families is scheduling. The venue keeps Shabbos, running Sunday through Friday afternoon and reopening Saturday night once Shabbos ends. For a family entertainment venue in a heavily frum community, this is the signal that makes the place fully usable. Parents can book a Sunday party or a midweek night out knowing the venue keeps Shabbos, and community organizations can plan motzei Shabbos events there without working around a Friday night operation.
Strictly Kosher Food Under the Vaad
The food operation is going strictly kosher under the Vaad Hakashrus of the Five Towns and Far Rockaway. The venue already leaned toward the community, offering kosher pizza options for parties and hosting community events over the years. Bringing the entire food service under the local Vaad closes the gap and turns a well-known local spot into a legitimate kosher option for families who want to eat where they play.
What This Means for Local Families
The Five Towns kosher dining scene moves fast, with new concepts arriving and others, like the short-lived Crave outpost in Woodmere, closing just as quickly. A kosher, Shabbos-observant entertainment venue is a different kind of addition entirely. It fills a real need for birthday parties, motzei Shabbos outings, camp trips, and school events that families previously had to travel for or plan around. Having it inside the community, on Broadway, is a meaningful upgrade for local families.
Woodmere Lanes and Backstage is located at 948 Broadway, Woodmere, NY 11598. Hours are Sunday 11am to 11pm, Monday 11am to 12am, Tuesday 11am to 11pm, Wednesday 11am to 12am, Thursday 11am to 12am, Friday 11am to 6pm, and Saturday 9pm to 2am (motzei Shabbos). Kosher certification is under the Vaad Hakashrus of the Five Towns and Far Rockaway.
Looking for kosher restaurants near you? Download the KosherNearMe app at YeahThatsKosher.com/app.
