Balon Wine Bar & Bistro
“Balon is a cool upper east side hidden gem with a tropical vibe.”
“Overall, the staff is friendly, the music is relaxing, the ambiance takes you away from the UES and the food and wine are divine.”
“She made a great suggestions for the pumpkin bread pudding for dessert which was phenomenal.”
Balon Wine Bar & Bistro
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Happy Hour: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Cute and cozy local wine bar. Excellent variety of wines by the glass. Service isn't great…very slow…so that's why they get a 3 star rating instead of 4.
It's a beautiful wine bar in the neighborhood. That's it, just came here to meet a friend.
This is a casually romantic place tucked on an unassuming block of 81st street. We made an impromptu same day reservation and I put on a red dress for a low key date night. The place is decorated with candles and twinkly lanterns. The wine selection is diverse. With a few sips and the cornucopia on the French charcuterie plate , I was feeling the vibes.
A friend who had been here could not stop raving about the lamb so I recommended it to my husband. He was very happy with it. I had the scallops which almost killed my vibes. The scallops themselves were cooked beautifully. The sauce was dark and meaty with a hint of anise. The poor delicate scallops and mango salad were overwhelmed by this sauce. My palate was stunned trying to make sense of this dish. My white wine clashed with this sauce, but I can't imagine a red going better with this dish.
Have been twice to Balon and enjoyed both evenings there. It's a lovely atmosphere and surprisingly quiet given the busy area. I could always hear what my friend was saying. The service is great – we were offered helpful suggestions and given tastes of the wines before selecting a glass. The food – both entrees and cheese plate – were good. Definitely would go back for a catch-up with a friend and could see it being a good place for a date.
Not sure why this place is never full. It's got a great wine selection and the bartendress is soooo friendly! She made some great recommendations for wine.
The food selection is a little limited but that may be because of a small kitchen? During the summer they open up the front and back porch areas for breeze and almost feels like an outdoor bar. Keep up the good work!
My girlfriend and I came here on a Tuesday evening and were quite impressed with the ambiance. We were looking for a place to dine and looked to YELP for help. It didn't steer us wrong!
We came in just at the right time and were seated at the "best table in the house". We didn't feel like we were in NY, we felt like we were in a romantic restaurant in Europe. It looked so much like we were on a romantic date that she texted her boyfriend a picture of the table and he immediately responded with, "where are you?". The table was inside next to open doors that led to the patio. It really is a perfect date place if you are seated here!
We are both pretty healthy people who love to splurge but not too much. We ordered the scallops and the salmon. The scallops were delicious and cooked perfectly, they weren't chewy or too fishy. We were both surprised by how amazing the salmon was. Salmon generally isn't too impressive, yet it's a healthy option which is one of the reasons why we chose it, but the glaze and the toppings paired with the vegetables were so scrumptious!
We finished our meal with the flourless chocolate cake which we couldn't get enough of. It was finished within minutes!
The food is delicious and the ambiance is amazing. We will definitely come back again!
A really nice restaurant, hidden away on a side street. Really nice service, nice decor, and great food. Here's what we had:
-Spanish Charcuterie. The chorizo is really great – bursting with flavor – and the soppressata and prosciuttio (or equivalent) were really good, especially with the jam and figs. The cheeses were also really good – I'm a big fan of manchego, and was not disappointed.
-Tuna tartare. Pretty good, the sauce had a bit too much wasabi in it though, so watch out. But otherwise, really good.
-Seared duck breast with cherries. Pretty good with the cherry sauce, though the meat was a bit underdone and a bit cool. The sweet potatoes with pecans were really good. If you like rare duck, it's pretty good, but if not, make sure you tell them.
Overall a really nice experience.
Upper east side gem. Such a quaint cozy romantic little restaurant with fresh flowers/ roses, perfect ambiance and lighting…
The service is friendly and attentive – the owner is extremely kind and passionate about her business and making her customers happy.
Extensive wine list, Bordeaux was great. The food is excellent and presentation wonderful. The tuna tar tar appetizer and the scallops were fabulous.
Wonderful and highly recommend as a romantic date spot.