Balade – Your Way
“I got the salad with lamb, pickled cucumbers and turnips, hummus and garlic whip.”
“the baba ghanouj/spicy red pepper sauce is my favorite combo on anything i order.”
“Pick your protein – chicken shawarma, chicken tawook, beef shawarma, beef kakta, beef sausage, lamb kebab, or falafel.”
Balade – Your Way
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Caters: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
6 reviews
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I discovered Balade (the take out version… never been to the actual restaurant in the East Village) the other day for lunch and have officially found my favorite lunch spot near (or close enough) to Times Square. It's not quite ridiculously popular yet, meaning you won't have to wait long even during the lunch rush.
Service is quick, swift, and no-frills. It's like any normal take-out place (and what most will say "Chipotle-like") – you choose your base (rice, greens, or a wrap), a protein, your choice of 4 toppings, and a variety of sauces. All for a little over $10 after tax.
I always go for the salads since I'm watching my intake of sugar and carbs. I've had both the beef and the lamb. The lamb can be slightly on the drier side and the beef slightly on the charred side, but both are still very, very flavorful and the portions of meat they give you here are HUGE. For my veggie toppings, I always get the pickles, the sumac onion mix, hummus, and babaganoush. ALWAYS get the garlic whip – don't look up how its made or what it's made of, but just know that it's freaking delicious if you love garlic anything. The red spicy sauce is a nice kick – definitely packs some heat but not too much.
Excellent, excellent choice for a satisfying meal in Midtown – especially if you like very flavorful food.
First time trying Lebanese food as my colleagues were raving about this spot. Nature feeling decor and narrow set up.
I did Balade Your Way…
White Pita Wrap
Kebab (tender chargrilled lamb cubes)…the temperature of my meat was cold and I don't taste any flavoring from the lamb #disappointing
Fresh Veggies – cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce and feta cheese…too simple
Sauces – Yoghurt Cucumber
I was excited to try it until I cut the pita rolled up like a burrito in a half. Is it suppose to be a cold wrap…because I was expecting my lamb to be at least hot so the flavor can come through.
The only thing that had delicious flavors is the Pita Chips that my colleagues brought along with their rice bowls.
The taste was flat for me.
I came here on opening day I believe. The first thing I noticed was the decor- so inviting and spacious-feeling for such a small and narrow space. The next thing I noticed was how beautiful all the employees working there were… do they have a rule or something? Must be a 10 just to interview? Idk. Anyways. I went with a CYO pita wrap and the (beautiful) man behind the counter gave me suggestions based off the few things I knew that I wanted. Amazing job! I had to travel a bit to go there and then bring it back to work. Next time I'd definitely like to eat there so it's hot n' fresh!
This is my new fave lunch spot. I usually get half salad and half rice with the chicken Tawook. For toppings I get the garlic whip, parsley, mushrooms, peppers, and pepperoncini. As for the sauce I get the red pepper sauce all over! Yum!
Tawook – the chicken cubes are very flavorful. Sometimes they are juicy and sometimes they are a bit on the dry side, but they are always tasty.
Chicken schwarma – this is also very tasty. I prefer the Tawook over this simply because I like to cut my food as I eat it.
Garlic whip – AMAZING! Get it!
Rice – they offer both brown rice and white rice. The white rice comes with pieces of vermicelli. I get the brown rice in an effort to be healthier. Both types of rice are cooked soft and wet. I personally like it.
The veggie toppings are just plain raw veggies.
Hummus – please note, this counts as a topping and not a sauce. This is good to get because they offer complimentary pita on the side.
Tahini – pretty decent. I get this occasionally.
Red pepper sauce – this is a must get.
The line here moves very quickly and the service is always friendly 🙂
With the first six reviews all five stars – I was thinking it was "friends and family". But the place is nice enough. Bright and modern decor and seating. Order at the back counter; basic choices are pita wrap, rice bowl or salad bowl. Pick your protein – chicken shawarma, chicken tawook, beef shawarma, beef kakta, beef sausage, lamb kebab, or falafel. Then choose from veggies and three sauces. Side orders of hummus and baba ghanous are available.
Pita is very thin and crispy. A big plus.
Lentil soup was a very lemony veg soup with lentils, not blended. I would pass.
Service was fine. Might get slow easily when busy; limited space at the counter. Might be best to call ahead for take-out. I will go again. Two guys from the office tried it and also were impressed.
Finally something delicious near Penn Station, because if you've tried the Pennsy you know it's overpriced and not tasty. At Balade I didn't even try the food yet and I knew I would be rating this place 5 stars. Where do I begin? The decor is awesome. You feel like you're entering into a cave to get your food along with unique plants arrangements. The girl at the cashier was very friendly, greeted me and approached me with a menu and some instructions on how to order what and some highlights. I ordered the Za'atar Manouche and asked for some cheese on it. I was worried because they already have them displayed that they don't make them fresh but thank god they do. I also ordered a salad with chicken schwarma, olives, feta, garlic whip and cucumbers. Light and refreshing. Oh I almost forgot the best thing! The gentleman in the back helped me roll my suitcase to the front without me asking just to help me carry my things to the cashier. Gentleman exist! Great service. I will try to escape Penn Station to grab something from here before my Amtrak trips.