Balthazar

Although the food is terrific and delicious, the
service is spectacular. Waiters and bus boys are
Superb. It is a treat to meet delightful people
from a variety of countries. All were fluent in
English but we enjoy using our limited language
Skills in French and Spanish. Tonight will be our
third meal this week! My wife Caro’ will return
next week for an encore!

Although greeted and served by very friendly staff, we found the food ever so disappointing, despite hearing great things about Balthazar London.
Crammed in between very noisy small, darkly lit tables, our food came out suspiciously fast — within two minutes of ordering.
The spinach in my eggs florentine was wet, bland and a rather small portion, definitely not worth £13.50, for a bit of bread, veg and hardly any sauce. Sadly nothing special, overpriced and overrated. I could definitely think of better places for brunch in London.

Good service, nice milieu, and above all great food. I had chicken parfait for starters and ox cheek for main course. Both were nearly perfect.

Great atmosphere for breakfast and terrific service. Nicely appointed décor. Food was good and came quickly. A great way to start the day.

It is a pleasure to review a restaurant like Balthazar. In a nutshell, the food is excellent and the service is impeccable.
Here are the details:
— Bread — I simply have to start with Balthazar’s homemade bread. Every single kind of their bread is spectacular, but I’d like to single out the sun dried tomato olive buns. 5 stars all the way. (Btw, their butter is great too).
— French Onion Soup — very good. Savory, beefy and with a healthy amount of gryere, very intense. One minus — too much bread in the actual soup, which sucks up a lot of the liquid, making the soup a little dryer than I’d like to. That said, still a solid 4.5 star dish.
— Escargots — very good, garlicky, buttery and just yummy. 5 stars.
— Garlic Shrimp — the shrimp is good, but the sauce it comes in is out of this world. It has a slight kick due to the addition of chili peppers. 5 stars.
— Mac & Cheese. Very creamy and not as intense as I expected it to be. Made with gryere. It deserves 4.5 stars, and the reason I’m not giving it full 5 stars is because it was the least memorable dish I had.
— Burgers — Very good burger, cooked to a perfect medium rare but not the best burger (not even in the vicinity) I ever had. The meat was excellent quality but underseasoned. Two other major issues: 1. Bun — too big and 2. the patty is on the smaller side. For that size of the bun, the beef patty has to be at least twice that size. 4 stars.
— Beef Tartare — Excellent! Prepared «au couteau» (hand cut), well seasoned with the slightly higher note of acidity. Add some hot sauce a freshly ground black pepper for a heavenly concoction. 5 stars.
— Moules Mariniere (mussels) — great. Fresh and fenomenal. 5 stars.
— Rubharb Soufflé — WOW! With a side of crème anglaise this was the home run of the evening. 5stars and it doesn’t do it justice.
— Small dessert pastries — every single one was better than the other. The macrons, the cream filled dark chocolate and the chocolate filled cookie cups. 5 stars!
I hope you’ll enjoy Balthazar as much as I did.

I just had the perfect Bloody Mary. Never mind how insanely great my breakfast was (which it was). Perfect Bloody Mary. I’ve never even considered that there could be a perfect Bloody Mary. It’s just the brunch drink. But swear to god, first sip of this and the entire world brightened up.

I love a poached egg, and they don’t come better than at Balthazar!
The staff are very friendly and attentive, and although we were initially told it would be a 40 minute wait (we arrived at 11am on a Sunday without a booking), we were seated within 15 minutes. The food took a little while to come but when it finally arrived it was DELICIOUS. I had poached egg & avocado with a side of bacon, the portions were very generous and filling!
It’s a little pricier than your average brunch spot, but well worth it. The atmosphere is that a 40s Parisian diner, it definitely injected a hint of sophistication into my Sunday morning hangover.

For breakfast, this place is hard to beat. It is very similar to the NYC restaurant that it is spawned from; in fact I really felt like I was in New York. The portions were very American sized, without sacrificing the quality. I would happily come here every week for brunch.
I tired the English Breakfast and was only able to get through about ²⁄₃ or it so make sure you come hungry.

After searching for a place to have brunch in both Angel and Convent Garden with no luck whatsoever, my friends and I decided to try balthazar as it was 1:20pm and hungry. Although we waited for 15 mins (to be fair we were told it would be a 20 mins wait) we got seated and ordered. I opted for the eggs royale but was told by the chef via a waiter that it contained alcohol which i’m allergic to. I was told the chef would try to create a sauce but it didn’t go well — again, i was told. I honestly tried the dish and it tasted dry as it needed hollandaise sauce to give it that special oomph. My friends could see my distress and garnered the attention of a staff and I was given the menu to make a whole new order. I opted for the «avocado and eggs» dish as recommended by the chef. The tomato salsa was to die for and hopefully I’ll get to recreate the dish as everything worked undeniably well.
PS: To the staff at balthazar, sorry if I came off rude but I was extremely famished.

Despite living in NYC, I’ve never actually visited Balthazar in soho, though I do delight in their sticky buns as often as possible. Anyway, we happened upon this location in Covent Garden and decided to dine here. Of course I had the steak frites, and it was sooo good. The meat was a little on the rare side but I like it that way, and the French fries were perfect. I also ordered the salad with butter lettuce and hazelnut — delicious. Great ambience and the staff wears old-​fashioned uniforms. Plus, I think the menu was priced less expensively than the NYC one, even with the conversion!

Comes close to their NY restaurant, offers a good vibe to eat in, fairly loud but not too loud you have to shout. People eat there late so the room is well filled. Food was good, had the raw seafood tower and the steak. Only slight negative was the service which was good and friendly but seemed they could have had a couple less tables to cover to provide a quciker response. All in all, this restaurant is good place for a date or drinner with friends/​family.

I stumbled in here when looking for somewhere to grab a bite on my lunch break. Not realising where I actually was I ordered the French onion soup and a chicken BLT.
It took me a few minutes to realise that this wasn’t your typical café. Bread lined the walls, the cakes on display looked ridiculously good — especially the donuts — and everyone (the staff) was speaking with a French accent! I still haven’t sussed if they were real or fake accents yet…
The price for a soup and sandwich was costly (£11!!) but at this moment SO worth it for a warming lunch having been out in the cold for so long. The French onion soup was everything a French onion soup should be and you could tell it had been stewing for quite some time. It also came with some large cheese croutons for dipping — a nice added bonus. Highly recommended.
Then to my sandwich. I was actually rather full from my sandwich so I saved half for Jody but I must say it was a pretty decent sandwich — the bread, as with those hanging on the walls, was fresh and tasty and the fillings distributed well — no sandwich gaps, woo (big pet hate of mine)!
I finally realised, after stuffing my face, that this was the café section of infamous Balthazar (which I am yet to visit)… Definitely worth a visit for a nice alternative to the hustle and bustle of Covent Garden and a much cheaper option than the main restaurant itself.

Main reason for the mediocre review is I felt really rushed though my meal. I can appreciate wanting to ensure I made my show time (reservation at 6pm, show at 7:30), but still I had an appetizer and my main in front of me by 6:20pm… and that was after leisurely looking through the menu! Also, the restaurant itself gave a very cramped feeling. So much so the couple next to me and I commented on it.
The appetizer (octopus, tomato, basil) wasn’t exactly flavorful. The main (stone bass) was more up to par with a delicious artichoke purée.
The bottle wine list was very extensive with plenty of French wine to choose from. The wines by the glass had reasonable selection.
All-​in-​all, I’d say a touch above average for this caliber of a restaurant. If someone brought me back here it’d be ok, but I would seek out another place for myself.

Meh…
Maybe I’m just a hard sell but my steak could have been more blue and the fries were semi soggy. The latter was especially disappointing because they are supposed to be really good fries. They were even on «the best thing I ever ate» on Food Network as Bobby Flay’s pick.
These were not the best thing I ever ate.
Like the New York location, it’s crowded (even on a weeknight) so you should definitely make a reservation unless you don’t mind sitting at the bar.
Would I go back in London? Probably not. There are better places to eat.

grilled langoustines (yabbies) with green tomato salsa, chives and aromatic oil served with Jacob’s Creek Reserve Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2013 — a very light white wine that makes it a great companion to shellfish and white meat seafood — I think I just came up with the term, white meat seafood. I am thinking sea bream, bass, monkfish and halibut. Probably mackarel and tuna would be too strong and cloud the taste of the wine. The wine has also a very strong oak aroma and smoky bouquet that is not present in it’s taste. I was glad otherwise it could all be a little too much.
hot smoked duck with cherries, beetroot and braised lettuce accompanied with an Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir and cherry sauce served with Jacob’s Creek Reserve Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir 2013 — with some serious buttered vegetables together with the layer of fat in the duck was, to some, delightful. I only managed one and had to take the other two off because it was just too much. The meat was a little tough and chewy but the intensity of the deep dark cherry sauce was very nice. The wine was easy to drink, very mild tannin that brought out the gameness in the duck.
kangaroo with pepper, cabbage, pancetta and carrot with Barossa Shiraz sauce served with Jacob’s Creek Reserve Barossa Shiraz 2013 — It was the best kangaroo meat I’ve had but I can only compare to Iceland supermarket’s frozen kangaroo meat (there, I said it!) and I thought that it was a slightly unfair comparison so I referred to a true Aussie foodie that was there that night. She confirmed that it was very good indeed; so lean and cooked to perfection. It was good with the suggested Barossa but I thought that it was equally good with the Pinot Noir too.
dark chocolate sphere with mint, eucalyptus and a hot chocolate sauce served with Jacob’s Creek Reserve Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 — after seeing so many media videos of chocolate desserts melting when sauce is poured, this was my reality moment. But chocolate sphere did not entirely melt and the waiter was not going to wait for my silly phone camera to come on. Shame…
tea, coffee and petit fours — macaroons, lemon meringue and chocolate were delicious. The cold coffee was not great but these petit fours, especially the lemon meringue, were delicious! I had the last sip of my Chardonnay Pinot Noir Brut NV with this sweet tangy dessert and to mark the end of a wonderful evening.

Best. Eggs. Florentine. Ive. Ever. Had.
Gorgeous french looking brasserie. Although an american chain, so included a special 4^th july menu and of course pancakes, this is actually supposed to be a french brasserie. With great choice of french dishes.
Had the eggs florentine — and honestly best ones ive even had! And ive tried quite a few places! Everything was perfect — the spinach, the muffin, the poached runny eggs and that hollandaise sauce!
Definitly want to go back and try more things, if everything is as good as those eggs!!! Miam miam!

Balthazar is so difficult to book for dinner and brave it by trying to get a table for walk-​in. We ended up waiting ovee two hours for a table! So i do recommend to get a table booking. Was it worth it? Well I wouldnt do it again but since it is one of those place I have been wanting to try ever since it open then of course it was worth it for the first time!
As a French brasserie you will find steak, French onion soup and one of my favourite Escargots. There are not many places in London that I have tried that does it well. Balthazer escargots was nice and better than other place. But it just does not compare with ones I had at Galvin bistrot de luxe which comes in a wonderful garlic butter sauce that you want to scoop off with bread.
Balthazar serves two different pie including a duck pie which is very rich in flavour. The one I recommend and the dish that I give a big thumb up has to be the Fish Pie. This was true comfort food and an indulgent to have for dinner. It has to be my best fish pie I have had in London.
You can not leave with out ordering the soufflés. It is £10 each but they are big enough to share between two people. The waiter who was serving was friendly and a laugh. Even before our soufflés arrive he explain how to eat it — make an indentation at the top and pour the crème in to it. Then you ready to enjoy a light raspberry soufflé. I have to say that this was the only reason I have been wanting to visit Balthazar!
Fish Pie and Soufflés is what I would want to visit Balthazar! Delicious!

I knew coming to London I had to try Balthazar’s. I wasn’t able to make it to the one in NYC, so why not? We made a reservation for 8pm and when we got there it was packed! We ended up waiting for about an extra 20 minutes for our table. The restaurant kept apologizing for the wait and were kind enough to offer a bottle of champagne while we waited for our table to clear out (bonus!). I was just surprised and pleased in a way with the profuse apologies… Not used to it in America! Ha.
I ordered the steak and fries (go figure) that they are known for and everyone else got the special of the day which was a pork belly dish. We also ordered the burrata. Get the burrata if you love cheese! Even if you’re lactose intolerant, I’d still highly recommend it ;) Don’t let me forget to tell you about the fries. Omg. Actually, I take that back. I can’t tell you. You just have to try it for yourself. You will seriously feel like you’re being whisked away into the clouds while sitting on a bed of fries. That was me.
Besides the wait, I loved it all, and would come back. Great service, awesome décor, and delicious red wine with amazing people :)

Another solid London brunch destination. It’s a French brasserie, reminding me a lot of Colbert on Sloane Square and some of my favorite brunch places in the US (Parc in Philadelphia and Left Bank in San Jose, CA). The location could not be better (it is right off the Covent Garden Piazza), and the venue is grand and beautiful, with enormously high ceilings and loud jazz music playing throughout. We had a reservation for 2 people, which we managed to get by emailing the restaurant, despite no availability showing up on the online booking system. This is the second time that I’ve been able to get a reservation this way, so I would highly recommend it if your desired times are not showing up at first glance.
The food and service were also stellar. It was actually just like being back in America. I ordered scrambled eggs & Cornish crab, which came served on a piece of toasted sourdough bread and with a side of crème fraîche. The eggs were wonderfully creamy and the crab was plentiful and just perfect. I could not have been more pleased with it. One piece of toast doesn’t seem like an awful lot, but I was so full by the end. My friend got the avocado on toast, but managed to switch out the poached eggs for mushrooms and tomato, since she doesn’t really eat eggs. She also asked for some goat cheese, which the staff happily obliged, even though it isn’t a standard menu item.
I was very impressed by the whole experience. No complaints about Balthazar and would definitely come again… the rest of their menu looks equally amazing.

You know, I expected it to be better, much better.
I’ve been to the one in NYC and it is an institution so was looking forward to trying the London version of this cosmopolitan French styled bistro. It looks very much like the one in downtown New York, but much bigger and along with that it loses some of its intimacy. What was imported across the pond was a good helping of New York type attitude. The service was a bit cold and always seemed to be bored with whatever was said or asked for. Our waitress could barely be bothered to help with the wine when I asked if they had a Bordeaux by the glass she seemed confused. There also seemed to be the bare minimum of interest shown while just getting the job done properly.
The food was good but not amazing. You would think that a pretty straight forward Steak Frites with Bearnaise would be delicious in a place like this. It was fine, but lack luster. Starting with the meat which was not cooked the way asked more medium than medium rare, and also not the best cut of meat. The Bearnaise was a bit thin and vinegar-​y, overall just a bit off and not what you would expect. Dessert of Tarte Tartin was delicious though.
Nice enough, and for Covent Garden Piazza a bit of an oasis if you want something a bit more upmarket. The bar makes a great place for pre opera drinks.

Nuestra cena pos-​musical y pre-​fiesta, contundente, copiosa y servido con mucha gracia. Su ubicación está perfecta para recién salido de un musical: está al lado de Covent Garden y por lo tanto es fácil llegar. Eso sí, es un lugar turístico y los precios lo representan.

Je me joins au coeur des avis favorables. :-)
Le service est aimable, efficace et très attentionné.
Et mon choix (oeufs Bénédicte) était parfait.
En revanche Il y a encore beaucoup de travail pour atteindre le niveau de viennoiserie qu’on trouve dans les excellentes boulangeries françaises.
Conseil: arriver avant 10h (alors que le brunch démarre officiellement à 10h) vous permet d’obtenir une table sans réservation. (Et si on est peu nombreux). Sinon il faut réserver.

Nous étions à la recherché des meilleurs brunchs de Londres. Balthazar, brasserie d’influence française, revenait régulièrement dans le top 5 des locaux avec l’avantage d’être très proche de notre hotel à Covent Garden.
On y a été un peu a reculons car l’idée de faire un brunch dans un bistrot français à Londres était totalement contre intuitif.
Nous avons été vraiment agréablement surpris: un des meilleurs brunchs que nous avons testés à Londres.
Nos coups de coeur :
— le Full English Breakfast avec 2 oeufs, bacon, haricots blancs à la sauce tomate, saucisse, champignons, tomate grillée, frites maison et pain frit.
— les Eggs Royale (Oeufs à la Royale): 2 oeufs pochés sur muffins maison toastés avec saumon fumé et excellente sauce hollandaise
— les New York Pancakes avec bananes fraiches et sirop d’érable
Le Balthazar est donc une adresse de référence à Londres pour le brunch. Attention, le lieu, bien que gigantesque, est pris d’assault pour le brunch donc veillez à réserver ou à arriver tôt.

J’ajoute à cette quantité d’avis anglais mon avis perso français!
C’est en effet un peu bête d’avoir profité d’un week-​end à Londres pour aller manger dans une brasserie à la française! Mais bon on né se refait pas, il nous fallait un grand espace qui accueille une réservation last minute pour un brucnh dominical.
Eh bien franchement pas grand chose à redire, nous avons mis du temps à être servis mais le service était vraiment accueillant et sympatrique et les plats pour le prix pas mal du tout! Il manquait peut être un peu de quantité mais rassurez vous personne n’est parti l’estomac vide :)