Great food. Waitress was nice and responsive. Would come again. It's a tried and true local spot

I came here on a mission; try the mixte grill I saw on many pictures. It's a mixture of meats; sirloin steak, lamb chops, chicken Tawook, lamb kabob, and kofte, on a pan, burrier on a giant pita bread! The theatrical presentation was nice, and the meats very good. It was a bit overpriced at $88, I guess that's New York. The Konafeh was ok.

They don't skimp on the pre-fixe / unlimited portions option and the food is tasty. Some of the better Mediterranean appetizers I have had with a unique take on several traditional dishes. The staff were very friendly and handled our large party well, but it was pretty disorganized and took a long time for them to seat us despite having a reservation.

Food was good and service was friendly. It did take a while for the food to come out though.

Balade has authentic and delicious Mediterranean food. It reminds me of homemade cooking when going to someone's house who knows how to cook. We got the beef kafta platter that comes with mixed grilled vegetables and this rice and noodles dish, along with chopped onions and parsley on the side. It also came with pita. They are super nice there because we called to request to switch out some of the grilled vegetables and they happily did it. The portion is large and filling. That one plate costs $28 and was enough for 2 people. Next time I would get extra rice, because that rice is special. It's right up there with my love for garlic rice and sticky coconut rice. Very few Mediterranean places even make that kind of rice and vermicelli noodle dish. Now I'm in the mood for it, lol.

This restaurant has a lot of seating available and takes reservations on line. Their menu has so many options for different platters, sandwiches, dips, etc. I went with the chicken shawarma sandwich with Laban bi khiar as my side. The yogurt salad was so good drizzled onto the sandwich. The chicken was juicy and flavorful, and the pita was soft and nicely toasted. The sandwich also came with pickles and vegetables inside which gave the sandwich a nice crunch and extra flavor. The wait staff was great and we didn't have to wait too long for our food.

I've had Balade delivered for dinner twice and as of last night, have eaten there twice. So far, it's some the best Lebanese / Mediterranean food I've had in Manhattan. First time we got delivery, we were astounded by the freshness, high quality, and deep flavors and knew we had to visit in person. Luckily, both times were with friends so I got to hear about the meat specialties they enjoyed! Our waitress Isla last night and a gentleman from last time were both great at providing a welcoming and friendly dining experience. The interior is warm and feels like an old world cellar of sorts. The manager I saw running around deserves a round of applause for what he does to keep that small space running so smoothly. Everything I've Tried at Various Points: *Classic Margarita *Beirut Beats/Zaatar Manakeesh (Lebanese pizza) *Mezze Supreme Assortment (hummus, baba ghanouj, labne, mouhamara, kebbe krass, sfiha, makanek, and halloumi cheese) -- didn't try the meat-filled appetizers *Pickled Vegetables *Warak Einab (dolmas) *Lentil Soup *Artichoke Salad *Rkakat (fried, cheesy phyllo rolls) *Fattoush *Falafel *Balade Fries + Balade Rice *Shankleesh (aged cheese, herbs, zaatar) *Fatayir (like spanakopita) *Fafet Shrimp (incredible yogurt sauce) *Loubiye Bzeit (stewed-like green beans) *Lebanese Salata *Kenafa + Baklava Desserts Friends Have Ordered and Raved About: *Mixed Grill Platter (beef, lamb, chicken, veggies, pita) *Shish Tawook (chicken, veggies, rice) *Lamb Hummus Favorites are: lentil soup, fatayir, loubiye bzeit, baba ghanouj, fafet shrimp, and warak einab. You really can't go wrong with anything on the menu it seems. I do suggest making a reservation. Huuuge fan of Mr. Semaan's vision and am happy to have recently found out about Balade Your Way nearby which is their fast-casual, small-menu sister restaurant that I'm hyped to eventually grab lunch from!

Had a chance to come to Balade with a dinner with friends and I absolutely enjoyed it. This is a cute trendy spot with really good middle eastern food so if you are craving kabobs this is your place! We ended up being seated quickly as we had a reservation earlier, and ended up ordering: *hummus with lamb - this was fresh and delicious and came with warm pita - it was a lovely combination, and enjoyed every bite! The lamb was also soft and juicy *babaganoush - this was also delicious and flavorful, I couldn't stop eating it! * kabob combos - we got both the combos - and I loved all the variety of meats from lamb chops to the steak as well as chciken, beef and the minced meat kabob. All the flavors were different in their own way and love how there was grilled veggies too. The table loved it Overall food was delicious and juicy and we also loved the wine there as well. Would highly recommend!