Adriana was spectacular! She walked us through the menu, made impeccable food recommendations and more. The food was as almost as good as her stellar service. We sat at the kitchen bar top and the staff were engaging and kind. Look forward to visiting again with friends in the future. read more

Bala Baya - Specialty drink - Mediterranean Near Me - London, XGL

Our team came here for lunch and got seated upstairs. Sadly it was a cloudy day so the view outside was a bit dreary. I'm sure the light shining through on a bright sunny day would be amazing. We all got a couple small plates each but of course our eyes were larger that our stomachs. 3/5 Beef ribs bagel - a serving of two and a bit small. The bagels were a bit hard but I ate them both and in a rush since they were the last dish to come out 4/5 Cauliflower - a bit tangy but I really liked it 4/5 Hummus - who doesn't love hummus with pita? Very good and creamy 3/5 Potato's - overload with green onion and was just ok Would stop by if I was in the area but wouldn't go out of my way read more

This is one of our favourite restaurants in London. Last night we brought friends who hadn't been there before, and it's now their favourite. The food is excellent, the wine list great and the staff are wonderful. read more

One of our most memorable stops when we visited London. The food, service and the architecture are all wonderful. Shakshuka on Sundays. read more

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Wow, just amazing overall - great venue, cool vibes, incredible food, somehow even better drink. Sip Happens - amazing drink packed with flavor, hint of sweetness, good smooth smokiness to it as well. My perfect drink with chocolate whisky, banana rum, smoke. I got a second it was so good Braised Beef Hummus - sounds simple but this was maybe our favorite thing. The beef was delicious and the hummus was incredibly smooth, whipped, light. really well done Aubergine Mess - this was good but not my favorite, it had a bit of almost a tanginess to it but it was really unique flavor combo Apricot & Feta - i threw this in at the last second because it sounds so simple so as to be not worth it, but holy cow was it so fresh, refreshing, and really split up the rest of the meal. Brisket Donut - this was good but we were so full it kinda fell flat relative to the rest of the meal which was more nuanced and flavorful. But the brisket was still perfectly cooked Fried cauliflower - like half a cauliflower, this was so much food and with all the seasoning they put on top of it, eveyr bite was full of spices. It was only lightly fried just to add that crispiness to it. Would definitely return, loved our dinner here read more

Bala Baya - cauliflower - this was amazing, lightly fried with just incredible seasonings - Mediterranean Near Me - London, XGL

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Had an exceptional meal at this beautiful restaurant Dont miss the laffa couture probably one of the tastiest chicken dishes ever. Also the short rib hummus read more

I thought this place was great. It was a bit hard to find, to be fair, but the service was awesome once we were in. I apologised that a couple members of my group were running late and they assured me it was no issue. When some food came out late, they brought more apps. One of the members of our party commented that she wished to try an Israeli wine and they brought out a taste. It was 10/10 service. The food was great as well although a bit on the pricey end. The hummus was good but a very small portion for £11. The squash and hummus were good but again pushing it for the price point (around £16). The fish was a nice sharing dish but at £42 it better be. I think head to head the food at bubala is better and cheaper but I did like this place and the service was unmatched. Would recommend. read more

Bala Baya - Squash - Mediterranean Near Me - London, XGL

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One of the most unique tastes I've ever had. Would definitely recommend! Service was great, ambiance def fancy-casual vibes! Looking for a new hip place to try, check out bala baya!! read more

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Had came here on a Sunday afternoon to meet up with my traveling friend's niece and her husband for a meal while in London. We had no reservations but were promptly taken to a table, upstairs in the corner, kind of overlooking the outside and entrance of the restaurant, in a corner booth. By recommendation of the waiter, since none of us had Israeli cuisine before nor been to this restaurant, we were recommended to do the BRUNCH FEAST which is £34 per person (Nov 2022). The BRUNCH FREAST includes ALL the MEZZE served with housemade pita bread. Each person selects a MAIN from a list of 8 (prior to being mentioned the BREAKFAST BRISKET DOUGHNUT was not available). With a party of 6, 3 of us had ordered the LAMB PARCEL SHAKSHUKA, 1 SMASH & SHAWARMA SALMON, 1 FISH CLOUDS, and something else (i forgot) Weirdly our main's showed up after waiting a long time. The waiter comes up and said it was a kitchen mistake and they'll be bringing the variety of MEZZE soon. Unsure how this mistake could be made. I had ordered the LAMB PARCEL SHAKSHUKA which includes spiced tomato sauce, lamb kofta in a potato parcel, eggs, tahini, pickled chili, chives, and pita. Although this dish was very flavorful, it was very salty. Everyone at the table had agreed as well, even if eaten with the provided pita bread. Weirdly, the saltiness seemed to be an ongoing theme as both the FISH CLOUDS and the SMASH & SHAWARMA SALMON were also on the salty end. The FISH CLOUDS includes smoked haddock fish cakes, pita crumbs, poached eggs, white taramasalata, apple, and fennel. Whereas the SMASH & SHAWARMA SALMON includes Shawarma cured salmon, avocado smash, marbled harissa cornbread, horseradish mayo, and poached egg. I understand smoked/cured fish tend to be salty but this was on another level for these two dishes as well We were almost done with our mains before the platter of MEZZE had arrived at our table. (We had noticed this mishap had never happened to any other table around us). The MEZZE platter includes OLIVES w/ harissa, preserved lemon, and sumac, FETA & APRICOT w/ saffron and oregano, PINK TARAMA w/ smoked roe, extra virgin olive oil and chives, LABANEH & ZA'ATAR w/ strained Greek yogurt, za'atar & olive oil paste, and parsley, FIRE & HEAT w/ bonfire burnt tomatoes and Turkish chilies, and coriander, and TAHINI AND HARISSA w/ tahini cream and harissa. This platter would have been GREAT is we weren't quite full from the mains. Despite being full, we had still munched on this platter but not as thoroughly as we had hoped for. We had found it to be nice to combine the PINK TARAMA and TAHINI & HARISSA on a pita piece. The FETA & APRICOT is an interesting but delicious combination. I'm not a fan of olives but the olives here were pretty decent. Decent enough for me to eat 2 ! A sampler of desserts had come at the end. BURNT BABKA, MIDNIGHT MALABI, and QUINCE PUDDING. The BURNT BABKA has grilled pistachio & tahini enriched dough w/ blackberry compote and creme anglaise. Kind of reminded us of a fancier cinnamon roll. The MIDNIGHT MALABI has coconut, white rhum, black thaini, morello cherry, vanilla rosa, and sesame brittle. In a way, texture wise is smooth and creamy. Combination of flavors is a bit weird. Cherry and rose can be omitted (personally). Then finally the QUINCE PUDDING was a milk sponge with quince, meringe, and creme anglaise. Least favorite and appealing. Barely any apologies were given. Unsure if changes were made on the bill as friend's niece in law? had paid for the bill. Apparently the bill comes in the form of a QR code within a crystal that you scan and pay. Unfortunately I couldn't scan it from afar. Had expected much better from a MICHELIN guided (not starred) restaurant in terms of service and quality of food. Would have been great if our food came out in the right order and if things weren't so salty as well... read more

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Food is phenomenal! Every dish we tried was excellent. The service and ambience made for a perfect experience. read more

Bala Baya - Dumpling and Donut - Mediterranean Near Me - London, XGL

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Great place. Amazing baba ganush. Food porn--so beautifully prepared. Service was great, polite and fast. Will go again next time in London! read more

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We enjoyed Bala Baya for lunch on their lovely outdoor patio. Their staff was friendly. We ordered multiple small plates for sharing. All items were exceptional. We enjoyed the Apricots & Feta, Chickpea Hummus, AUBERGINE MESS, PINK CARPACCIO, PRAWN BAKLAVA and the KEBAB DUMPLINGS. The PINK CARPACCIO and PRAWN BAKLAVA should not be missed. They were outstanding. Our family looks forward to a return trip in the future. read more

Aubergine mess and prawn baklava are to die for!! They added an extra pita to our order because there were 3 of us in the group! read more

Got an early res of 6:15 on a Friday night but it was already half full in the main dining room. Service was prompt and friendly, we were advised on portion size and decided to go with 4 plates to share - the sweet butter hummus, pink tarama, the cauliflower steak and the brisket donut. The first 3 knocked it out of the park - I could not get enough of the sweet butter hummus, I'm still dreaming about it. The tarama was appropriately fishy and had some gorgeous raw carrots and celery sticks to dip. And the cauliflower steak was perfectly glazed and the lovely server who was vegan v kindly subbed out the Parmesan crumble for a tahini glaze which made it so much yummier. Unfortunately the brisket was dried out and the dough not that appetising, but I wasn't too put out as I was feeling stuffed by the time it came out. We also had 4 drinks - the Tel Aviv cooler, a red wine, the Allenby passage and the camomile pisco. Oooooh! All the cocktails were tremendous - just the right balance of flavour and the taste of liquor, fresh and bright ingredients that gave them profiles I am not used to otherwise having, and all gorgeously presented. The red wine was nothing to write home about in comparison. I was surprised that the noise level wasn't worse as we were on the mezz level and assumed the sounds would echo. Not at all, and the lighting was dim enough to be cosy without requiring candlelight. Definitely a Tel Aviv vibe that was casual, beachy and still urban. Docked a star for the two misses and the poor pacing of food coming out (I felt rushed to eat). Can't wait to come back. read more

Went in November with a friend over from the states and we got lots of little bites to share. The food was so good we just didn't speak for about 15 minutes while we tried everything. My favourite was the apricot and feta. read more

Bala Baya - Dessert! - Mediterranean Near Me - London, XGL

It's like an aspirational Ottolenghi clone! The food is decent although very pricey for what it is. We ordered 5 plates. All were ok although nothing stood out as particularly memorable. The outdoor seating is the highlight and nicely social distanced. read more

The food here is incredible. The space is beautiful and airy. If you're thinking about going, just go! (Make a reservation first.) We had three tapas and shared an entree and a dessert. It was just enough food for two. The kebab dumplings were okay but not the stars of the show. The Crispy, Sticky, Crunchy is basically a party in your mouth -- crispy, juicy chicken coated in an amazing sauce. I also loved the lamb with hummus. Super flavorful. The sea bass is large and perfectly cooked. And that cheesecake!!!! That cheesecake is one of the best desserts I've ever had. There's fried tempura banana and tasty crumble. Just amazing. Even the complimentary pita and hummus they gave the table was yummy. Highly recommend! My only complaint was the server that kept singing...beautiful voice but didn't need the live music with my meal. It's actually pretty inappropriate. Otherwise A++! read more

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Much better Israeli / Middle Eastern food in London, and this place is really expensive for the portions you get, plus slow service. Surprised it is still open! If you're considering this place, try Barbary or Coal Office instead - better, cheaper, better environment, and faster service. read more

Some of the most amazing food I've had in a VERY long time! The aubergine mess is SO good, I could eat it every single day! And what can I say about the babka other than it is simply outstanding! Having grown up on chocolate babka, this pistachio version was the most moist babka you will ever have. Was lucky enough to see the chef rolling out the dough and he talked me through the process of its creation. Lovely young woman took great care of me at lunch. RUN here, NOW! read more

Bala Baya, Southwark - The Southwark neighbourhood, though close to myself, isn't really somewhere that I intuitively go for when I want to dine out. When night falls, the area is quiet and exudes an urban feel of being in between an office and residential area. However, off the main road a handful of restaurants found under the railway arches change that street into an oasis of foodie utopia. Bala Baya, an Israeli restaurant, is the newest addition to the collective restaurants at Union Yard. A different cuisine landed in the neighbourhood meant that I was instantly at their door (after making a booking, of course) with an additional bonus of 50% off food for their soft launch. What I have heard of Bala Baya was that their head chef was a protege of Yotam Ottolenghi's, the guru of Middle Eastern cuisine. Bala Baya is also London's first Gazoz bar lead by an award winning bartender, Ali Reynolds. The dining area is also furnished in two different styles where the mezzanine level was to mimics Tel Aviv's ambiance of the early evenings, only wasted away with the loud music. Downstairs caters for quick grab-and-go lunches, definitely grander than your normal pitta kiosk. The dining upstairs was very dim and on this occasion worked at their disadvantage because the colours of the dishes and those microscopic salad garnishes did not stand out. Although that was alright, trying to read the menu proved to be a challenge. Bala Baya's concept is based on a sharing menu, with small and large plates, food comes out as and when it is ready and in no particular order. Their custom made pitta bread served as soon as our drinks arrived was delicious - warm, soft and fluffy. A very good complimentary dish. lamb dumplings £12.00 - lamb dumplings, quince, persian dumplings, young pecorino, jus - the lamb came across very strong and pungent. The dumplings were a little dry and floury in the middle, I didn't like them very much. calamari and jam £6.00 - crispy calamari, saffron and butternut jam, lime aioli - sadly, the calamari was not crispy but soft and soggy. Not much batter on it and the lime aioli was not tangy enough. It sounded like a promising dish, and we unanimously agreed to order it but was left a little disappointed. pork cheeks, sharon fruit and salsa £12.00 - the pork cheeks were everything that one would expect, meat was tender and the sauce, a flavoursome depth from the stew but the sharon fruit was a kind of guesswork. The fruit itself was still very young, hence crunchy and tasted less of the fruit but gave a good texture contrast. I suspect that it would have been much better if the sharon fruit was actually ripe and soft with the jammy consistency that would add fruitiness to the pork. sea bass and fennel salad £22.50 - the seabass was large enough to feed two and it was cooked perfectly! A second under would leave it raw. The gills were not properly cleaned so was still a little bloody and a slight bitterness lingered. We're not just any diners, we demolished everything from head to tail. The flavours were good but it was not something that was too difficult to make at home. The fennel slaw I liked as an added texture to the dish. Bala Baya is new, the workers were enthusiastic, the place was sparkling clean but the food was still a little lacking in the Middle Eastern flavours that I was expecting. The basis and concept of the food is still Middle Eastern but with a touch of other ingredients that makes certain dishes perceived as modern and young. There isn't of course anything wrong with it, just appeals to certain crowd. I enjoyed it as a night out where food is not the main importance but the atmosphere, convenient for us to get to, decent drinks and service were good enough that we concluded that it was a good night out, but whether we will return, it's hard to say. read more

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We were dining in a large party celebrating multiple birthday's and had an excellent experience. The staff were so helpful and more than accommodating. We ate from a set menu which they tailored to our dietary requirements. The food was delicious, the prawn's especially. I would highly recommend eating here. read more

Had brunch here and enjoyed the atmosphere but was disappointed by the food, mainly because my foodie friend raved about it for brunch. I didn't have any of their drinks outside of coffee, so I can't comment on that but the shakshuka was quite heavy but not as tasty as Cafe Route in Dalston and my pancake was pretty much, as my friend put it, a deconstructed sandwich with a flaky savoury pancake layer. It was good, but not what I was expecting for brunch - a lot more salad than pancake. The most disappointing of all was the cheesecake dessert that just had a mix of flavours that clashed so hard with each other that it wasn't edible. The base was super salty, middle super rich, and top was too sour. It was also not great that the server didn't ask at all about why we had barely touched our dessert when we asked for the bill. Lack of attentiveness showing through on the service side. Overall, 3 stars for ambiance, the service of the original waiter who seated us who was very hospitable, and for some of the food which was decently tasty (aka the pancake bit of my pancake dish). Don't think I'd come back for brunch but maybe drinks if I was in the area with keen friends. read more

Every time I come to London, of all the restaurants I revisit, this is the first on the list. The menu is as wonderful as the service. It offers some of the most flavorful and different offerings in a city with many places to chose from. The restaurant is an incredible vibe. Really can't suggest checking this place out enough. read more

Chefs are doing everything with bare hands in front of me. Onions and other spice are never washed, I promise Rawly made and unhygienic read more

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Yaaaaaaasssss. Delicious new Israeli menu with a very unique pita oven, the only one like it in the UK. Highly recommended. Extraordinary to find somewhere in London that took us all the way to back to our holiday in Tel Aviv. The sharing style plates are fun and loads of thought has gone into each from the cauliflower to the lamb and dumplings, both personal favourites for sure. Delicious cocktails as well. read more

Came to Bala Baya for dinner after our first full day in London; it did not disappoint; delivering on its promise of a "taste of Tel Aviv in London". We ordered the 35pp tasting menu. It was more than enough food. And honestly, EVERY dish from the cauliflower crumble to the chickpea and ox to the pink fir potatoes were so well prepared, vibrantly flavorful, and left you wanting more (if it could fit). Making our experience even better was our server Luke. It was his first night on the job and he knocked it out of the park-- great service, personality, and he even helped us plan out the rest of our night in London. Thanks Luke. And, compliments to the chef! read more

The hostess is lovely the staff nice and accommodating. The food well, if you know Israeli / middle Eastern food you would know this is NOT it. The buzz and hype is cool but if your palette is at all sophisticated or discriminating you will quickly realize that the flavors are immature, unbalanced and sloppy. Sorry, but they get 3 for the service and convenience to where I was ":" read more

Food is culture. This place is a little Tel Aviv. It embodies the party feel, the flavors and attitude. Simply impressed by the hummus. It's best I have ever had outside the Middle East and professionally served. I visited london but I dined in Israel. Simply perfect. Now my criticism... get more Israeli beer. Goldstsr is great but there are many other options read more

Bala Baya is open. How we have missed our favourite place. Been missing it so much. Great new menu with lots of exciting new dishes. Love the way they have done the outside space and felt very safe. We highly recommend and can't wait to go again as soon as we can get a table. read more

I enjoyed my food and the atmosphere, but got horrible food poisoning after eating here.

Made a reservation based on the recent NYT review and was not disappointed. We split three mains, two sides, and dessert and left completely satisfied--for far less money than we expected. The sticky chicken dish was my favorite and my husband loved the pork cheeks the best. The Malabi for dessert took me right back to Israel. All was allergy-friendly, gluten-free options available (everything in England was this trip; welcome surprise.) Will be back. read more

The food is amazing, I'd advice to take two plates per person and share. The aubergine mess is delicious - so are cocktails, and everyone makes sure you have the best time and enjoy yourself. Would highly recommend! read more

A little gem in Borough Market. Very unusual menu All the dishes we had were absolutely delicious and very imaginative. Great desserts. The service was excellent and the wine list very interesting. Look forward to returning very soon read more