Balzem, New York NY

A group of 6 of us had a reservation here last night (Saturday), we even called to confirm that all was set for our reservation as we had a time constraint and it was confirmed. When we arrived, our table was not ready. We totally understood that this happens and isn’t always in the control of the staff at the restaurant. The host was amazing and really sweet, brought us complimentary bubbles which we appreciated. However, the 15 minute wait turned into a 45 minute wait (yikes!) and we were starving by the time we got sat. We were sat at a community table in the center of the restaurant and wait staff and patrons kept colliding with our chairs and dragging their coats across the top of our heads. It was insanely hectic sitting in the middle of the service pathway and so loud. At this point, our party was super hungry and ready for drinks. It took our server over 15 minutes to take our drink order and when we tried to put in food right away, he tried to deflect us and have us wait till he came back with our drink order. We insisted on putting food in and our server was clearly irritated. We ordered a taster plate for the table ($55) and when it arrived, it was clearly meant for 2 people. We had to ask for extra pita 4x and the portions they brought were minuscule. This share plate was insanely over priced for how little food it was and when we received our entrees, the “grilled” vegetables were practically raw, the lamb was tasteless and quality did not align with the price. Our server was clearly irritated with us when we complained and only offered remaking the entree for my friend instead of comping the meal. We were all mostly done eating so this made no sense especially since we had already been waiting over an hour for our food at this point. I had to call out our server and request the meal to be comped in order for us to be taken seriously, sooo uncomfortable. By the end, our server did send us complimentary desert which we appreciated but as we were already way behind in our schedule, didn’t quite suit the situation.

Came here for date night and sat outside. Probably the best service in the area. No rush, our server could tell when not to interrupt the two of us in conversation, and yes the food was great! Will be back.

The food was delicious! I never knew that I could enjoy a nice juicy burger at an Italian restaurant! Great food. Great staff. Great atmosphere. I'd definitely recommend visiting this restaurant!

When you live in NYC you should never settle for subpar food and service. If it wasn't raining would have walked around to find anything better.

I found my new gem! I took my dad here and we had a great time. The food was so delicious, I had the ribeye sandwich on a ciabatta and it was out of this world! Perfect flavor and texture. The staff were very friendly and the service was quick. My ONLY regret was not taking pictures. I definitely will be going again!

They literally forgot I was even there, gave my order to another table. Didn’t come to check on me. I waited well over 45 min. Really unprofessional and poor service. I had to go ask if they put the order in and they just said “Sorry, we gave it to another table. ” Didn’t offer any solutions, I had to ask if I could get a side dish for free for my troubles. The food didn’t even taste good either, I got the Manti and the few pieces of meat that were even there were the size of a pea. Ridiculous. Overall, bad experience.

Always love stopping by for their mushroom truffle flatbread and a lemonade! The atmosphere is great and the staff is friendly!

Nice vibe, bar and music with good service. Food was actually good just way too small portions

This wasn't terribly memorable in terms of dinners but the location is good and the food is as well. Solid choice for a meal. Very good service and a decent number of vegan options. I recommend the falafel.

Portions are a lot like Manhattan apartments - small and inappropriately priced. Paid $10 for 5 pieces of asparagus that were thinner than a runway model on a Vicodin diet.

I'm a long time customer at balzem and i was so happy to learn they recently started doing bottomless mimosas on the weekends! Balzem is my favorite place to come after a long work day to unwind with some friends over a glass of wine and delicious food.i am thrilled to continue my visits to balzem on the weekends for bottomless mimosas! I believe it's $30 per person and if mimosas aren't you're thing, they offer the same deal for sangria and bellinis!

We ordered a side of asparagus which is $11. It came out with 5 on the plate.

Super loud music indoors so we moved out to the street seating. The garbage smell was unbearable so we moved back in. Overall was not a pleasant experience.

Got the Steak Frites and was extremely disappointed. Neither the steak nor the fries had much (any?) flavor or seasoning at all (and the sauce provided didn’t have much flavor either!). The steak was also about 35% chunky fat - see pic. They wouldn’t allow any substitutions, and I think mashed potatoes instead of fries is a pretty basic one. The fries I got were terrible. Most were crunchy and over cooked or dry. Not even as good as simple deli fries, meaning they were probably sitting out for a while. Such a disappointing meal overall. Wait staff were fine, not rude but not friendly either. You can find much better places in the area. Will not be returning.

Really loved this place. Super cozy restaurant with great service and Mediterranean food. Nice wide selection of options as went with a groups of gals. My favorite was the different dips of feta and hummus so good as well as the tossed cucumber/ tomatoe Nice not heavy food- recommend

Food was OK. The indifference of the wait staff was palpable. Took close to an hour for us to get our food. We had to chase down our waitress to get updates and it seemed we were inconveniencing her.

After perusing menus in preparation of our trip to New York City, we decided to go with this location because it seemed promising. Such a find! Amazing food was served. We ordered several appetizers and a few meals. Everything was amazing in its own right. We drank wine as well as mixed beverages. The servers were very helpful and courteous in addition to being well knowledgable about the food and drinks. They offered some really amazing ideas. All night long, we had excellent care.

Excellent service from a young Algerian waiter who correctly suggested the ceviche unique starter. Everything was very delicious, including the melon salad and lamb chops, which we also ordered. Will return the next time I'm in NYC because of the cozy atmosphere and excellent service.