BOWLING IN MONTREAL

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When Justin Timberlake and big-time producer Timbaland were last in Montreal, word on the street is that the after-party was held not in one of the cities’ swankiest nightclubs, but at a place called Sharx. Why would the man responsible for bringing sexy back choose such a place? In my mind, there can only be one reason: bowling.

Justin Timberlake, it turns out, is a bowling fanatic who hosts a yearly charity bowling tournament. But you don’t have to be a celebrity to enjoy bowling, if some reason you thought you did. Here’s a couple places in Montreal where you and your friends can kick off an evening while rolling large balls at tiny, defenseless pins…

Sharx is a sprawling complex located in downtown Montreal. It’s got a huge swanked-out bar, lots of sports-centered TVs, standard issue pub food, arcade games and 36 pool and snooker tables. But the real draw is bowling. This is not a subtle place and the bowling is as low-key as you’d expect from a place that spells shark with an X. Their bowling at night is of the “disco” or glow-in-the-dark “cosmic” varieties. The music is pumping, the whole place is a bit cheesy, but bowling is bowling and you’d have to be a stick in the mud not to enjoy yourself. Which you can do every day of the week until 3 in the morning.

SHARX, 1606 Ste-Catherine W, H3H 1L7, 514-934-3105

I, however, prefer the grandly-named Salon de Quilles International. It falls somewhere between the “entertainment zone” excess of Sharx and the grubby hole-in-the-wall spots which are often a bit too “authentic”. They have the requisite arcade games, pool and snooker tables, but mercifully, their “disco” and “non-disco” bowling lanes are separated. Their beer is also very reasonably priced and on weekends they’re open until 1am.

SALON DE QUILLES INTERNATIONAL, 6590 Ave du Parc, H2V 4H9, 514-276-7222

There are, of course, a lot more places for you to get your bowl on. I found this handy map that lists some more MONTREAL BOWLING ALLEYS.

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