Recommends

PHmind

Joined 4 years ago

Great Wine and fun place. I had a great night out. Awesome service, good food nice atmosphere. We had a great time, shared a wonderful bottle of wine and had about 6 courses of tapas that were out of this world. Way to come back Balaban's!

Recommends

geowei

Joined 5 years ago

Re-opened fine dining. I've been here a couple of times. Sat in the bistro once, the tables just outside the main dining room. The menu there is a little less than the dining room and it was less impressive. But had a great meal in the dining room and will definitely return. Many classic American dishes, well done, if a bit pricey. But a good place to go for a special meal.

Doesn't Recommend

tlk1968

Joined 6 years ago

New Owners, New Chef, New Menu Food very marginal and service was poor. I have been a customer of Cafe Balaban for years. I had the French Onion Soup was burnt the stuffed Chicken (do not recommend) They no longer carry the Beef Wellington except on Wednesday's. It took an hour and half to get the food. I will never eat there again and they no longer allow Smoking in the Bar. The band was very good though. My suggestion is to just have drinks and no food. Very Disappointed all together in how they handle the poor service and the below standards food. I hope they will get it together soon!

Recommends

erkman43

Joined 7 years ago

Best Dessert in the CWE!. Cafe Balaban's has the best dessert in the Central West End.

Their bread pudding is plentiful and tasty.

My favorite are the Chocolate Truffles dipped in Bailey's Irish Cream and then fried.

My mouth is watering just thinking of them!

Great place to impress a date on a Special Occasion.

Recommends

thpeachee

Joined 8 years ago

food great but!. only drink water, the booze is outrageous - service and food exclent

Recommends

Contributor

Joined 10 years ago

Central West End landmark delivers a sprawling international menu, sturdy seafood and prime people-watching.. In Short
The bar is usually packed with skinny blondes and the guys who follow them, enjoying impressive drinks (especially martinis) in an atmosphere of casual cool. The menu diverges wildly, from light French bistro fare to complex pan-Asian cuisine. Stick to the classics; Asian-inspired dishes, especially appetizers, are stronger on presentation than on flavor. A notable exception is the seafood, which proves tasty regardless of style.

Recommends

wubear

Joined 10 years ago

Still smokin'. I'd say Balaban's is BACK. The menu has sharpened up, along with the service. It's a pleasure to come back for casual cafe' service or formal dining, depending on mood, guests, etc. A solid B+ these days.

Recommends

chinadoll

Joined 10 years ago

Great Place!. This is one of my favorite places in STL - fabulous food and ambiance. Try the fried chocolate balls for dessert!

Doesn't Recommend

LyNN_501

Joined 11 years ago

2. I have been going to Balaban's for AT LEAST 15 years and I'm am sad to say that it had it's hay-day...back in the 80's.

I recently visited Balaban's with some friends and I was not only disappointed, but embarrassed for the owner that it's still trying to hang in there with the newer/better establishments. It's almost like watching Michael Jackson try to stay King of Pop (bad analogy, but fitting). You should have quit while you were ahead....

The food is O.K., but there is much better down the street in any direction. The service is blah. The atmosphere is too 80's. Even the music....Madonna? I like her, but......