5 STARS - I Really Miss Balans Miami Beach I still really miss Balans Miami Beach. It was one of those rare spots that just got everything right. The atmosphere was relaxed, the staff was friendly, and it was truly one of the best brunch places in the area. Whether you wanted a laid-back morning, a casual lunch, or a cozy evening meal, Balans always delivered. The food was consistently great, the drinks were fun, and it had that perfect Miami Beach vibe without trying too hard. It was the kind of neighborhood spot you could count on time after time. It's such a shame it's no longer open -- places like Balans are hard to replace. Wish it was still around. read more

OK a bit of a tourist trap but loads of fun. It's also centrally located on Lincoln Road near all sorts of other fun things. Food is above average and so is service, but the people-watching is incredible. The star of this show is really the flow of people walking past on Lincoln Road. Sit outside if you can. If you picture an obese middle aged guy sun-burned to bright red and inexplicably wearing only a very small Speedo, followed by a group of 4 very buffed female body builders, you get the mental image: sort of an I-just-came-from-the-beach-by-way-of-another-planet vibe. This review is for a visit a couple of months ago, pre-CV19. Balan's (aside from meaning "demon" in some languages) is named for the founder Prady Balan. Balan had already founded 7 successful London restaurants when he branched out to Miami Beach. This place still runs like Big Ben: solid, reliable and a great institution. He passed away in 2016 and now his son runs this one (which is good) and a not-so-good Brickell branch. Brickell is reviewed separately. It's always tough to decide on brunch or other meals here. Almost everything is good, but cholesterol and calorie counts are fairly high. In fact this trip the waiter had to loiter while my other half talked me into Eggs Florentine versus Eggs Benedict (spinach is ever-so-slightly healthier than Canadian Bacon LOL). We rode our bikes over so the Hollandaise Sauce fat was cancelled out, in my twisted calculus. Hey millions of years of evolution have programmed us all to seek sugar and fat! Service here can be slightly brusk, but not usually. It is located on the central axis of high tourist season, so they do have to be a little direct with the more obnoxious customers. That said, they're almost always polite and efficient, particularly if they've seen you lots before and know you're local. The location is perfect. It almost halfway across between Washington and Alton Read in the pedestrian mall portion of Lincoln Road. Outside and inside it looks like a faded palazzo. It's also a good location if you're planning anything before or after at either the Colony Theater or at the New World Symphony. It's also a good central spot to meet up with friends. Food here is pretty well a menu of brunch, lunch and dinner standards. It's fine for what it is, basically glamorized and slightly pricey diner food. The hipness of the location somewhat makes up for the food. read more

Balans - New American Near Me - Miami Beach, Florida

My husband and I dined here after going to see a show at The Colony theatre. We sat outside undercover under one of their vast outdoor umbrellas and then the rain and the storm came. It did not ruin the evening and we stayed dry. I ordered their burger with salad, and my husband ordered the appetiser of wings. The food was nice, but not mind blowing, but simple and pleasant. The service was also fast and friendly. I cannot comment on the inside decor of the restaurant as I did not go inside at all. The highlight of the evening was meeting my first ever celebrity in the flesh, as sat at the table next to us was Louis Walsh! I had a little chat with him and he was pleasant and kind enough to give me an autograph!!!!! read more

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We came here on a Sunday afternoon. We are tourists and decided to check out Lincoln Road. This place did not disappoint for our outdoor patio experience and people watching! We started with a Bellini and Bloody Mary. The bloody Mary's certainly got me going with a gentle buzz. I ordered the fried chicken sandwich with cole slaw and fries and my husband ordered the huevos rachos scrambled. The food was delish! We were both delighted with the food and drinks. The patio is a perfect dining backdrop. Check this place out. read more

Balans - Fried chicken sandwich with cole slaw and French fries - New American Near Me - Miami Beach, Florida

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We had a good lunch here today. A positive was then honoring the yelp 10% discount. A negative is that they automatically put a 15% service charge on the bill. There's also a note that they hope if you like the service you'll increase the tip... and if you don't you can decrease it. We probably would have tipped more. But this just rankled, so we left it as is. Onto the service -- very good; very fast. Orders came exactly as requested: sauce on the side; well done fries, etc. The food was good. I had their blackened grouper sandwich. I asked for it cooked lightly blackened with the chipotle aioli on the side. Perfect. It was served on a whole wheat multi grain ciabatta roll, lightly toasted, with arugula, and a thick slice of very red ripe tomato. My fries were well done and crispy. My husband had a bacon omelet. The portion was huge. It came with home style potatoes. And 2 very large slices of toast. A bowl of jam/jelly selections and butter pats came on the side. The room itself is definitely a throw back to old Florida. And it's showing it's age -- don't look too closely. It looks like it might have been a hotel lobby. There's a huge bar along one wall. A big flat screen TV hangs over it. In the middle of the room is a mini grand staircase. You walk up it to the bathrooms. You can picture silent black and white movies being filmed here...as the former star made her big entrance. Prices were decent. They also had a 2 course lunch special for $15 and with added dessert $20. They have salads, burgers, sandwiches, breakfast items, and regular entrees. read more

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Last Tuesday night we stopped by Balans and as usual we loved it. The place was super upbeat and the coolest thing is that they have happy hour until midnight!!! So it was perfect. Service was awesome , always on point and great food. We ordered wine, their famous crab cakes and my favorite whole wheat toast with avocado and veggies! #delicious So if you are looking to eat late during the week on Lincoln Road this is your place. So check it out read more

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The happy hour at Balans was awesome. I ordered a bunch of different options. They had the best quesadilla I've ever had in my life. The wings were awesome.. the happy hour drink options were good as well. The ribs were so good! The bartender made me a chocolate martini I was craving and it was delicious. The service was awesome and everyone was really nice. I came when it was really quiet. Everything I ordered was $7. Had a great time! Next time I go to Miami I'll go back! read more

Balans - $7 deals for happy hour - New American Near Me - Miami Beach, Florida

As my friend and I walked through Lincoln Road mall a storm was approaching and we were hungry. We happened upon this spot because a waiter dropped a credit card as he walked from the outdoor seating into the restaurant and I picked it up to hand to the host. We then noticed that their Happy Hour was starting. We reviewed the menu and they had some yummy looking items. We walked to a few other places that were either closed, hadn't started their happy hour our the menu wasn't appealing, so we went back. Drinks were $5 and small plates were $7. It included ALL drinks and appetizers which was awesome. I got the Grapefruit Lychee Fizz and my friend got a Mint Mango Margarita. They were NOT watered down and were very good! For food we ordered the Salmon Croquettes, Sriracha wings, Tuna Tartar and Chicken Quesadilla. ALL VERY VERY GOOD. I am a food snob and somewhat hard to please. The outdoor area was well covered so once it began to rain we were good. The waiter was responsive and timely. I will definitely be back. My daughter will be in Miami for Memorial Day so I told her she must go. read more

Balans - Mango Mint Margarita and Ginger Lychee Fizz. Yummy! - New American Near Me - Miami Beach, Florida

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ALERT: Yelp **FLEX** below: O.K. -- #hereitgoes One of my first Yelp reviews EVER was the Balans in Earl's Court, London. ::paint my nails emoji:: really not that earth shattering - but seeing the Miami Balans (after the London one disappeared into nothingness one day) was a welcome surprise. Balans has since apparently opened some other U.K. locations but *I think* this is the only location in the USA. Despite all of the cool U.K. heritage, its a brunch joint that could hold its own regardless. The chicken curry was delish as was the cappuccino. Balans = solid breakfast (anytime?) favo(u?)rite if you're (prancing?/) walking down Lincoln Road. (Experiment: does anyone even read this? Like my OLD Balans review if you did!) read more

Came here with a group of friends. It was my first restaurant in Miami to try. The food was great. I had the Thai chili salad with lump crab meat, the pork dumplings, and the lychee fizz. Our sever Bruno was great. Everything came out on time and our sever was very attentive. read more

Balans - Thai chili salad with crab - New American Near Me - Miami Beach, Florida

It was 11:45am on a Friday and I couldn't find any where on Lincoln Road that serves breakfast, to me that was odd seeing Miami Beach is known for being a party town. Luckily I found Balans! We were seated right away and our food only took 10 minutes to bring out. The waitress offered us a $25 pitcher of my mimosas which made sense at $10.00 a glass. Delicious breakfast for $15.00 and the service was amazing I will definitely be back!!! I also checked in and got 10% off my bill! read more

Balans - Perfect! 2 scrambled eggs, bacon, a sausage link, home fries, small bowl of fruit & three pancakes. - New American Near Me - Miami Beach, Florida

I was greeted by the hostess outside and she was very nice. I wanted breakfast food but it's very hard to find after 12:00. She was nice enough to bring me the breakfast menu and assured me that they have brunch after regular brunch hours. I like that their menu was very varied and you had all types of food choices: American, Asian, and much more! We were quickly seated and ordered our food. My breakfast was cooked to my specifications and my server was attentive. I will definitely be visiting again and I recommend this to anyone looking for a place with good food and good services on the beach. read more

Balans - New American Near Me - Miami Beach, Florida

A quaint cafe restaurant on Lincoln Road. The interior is rather Art Deco and cozy. We dined outside on Lincoln road strip. Beautiful serene ambience, to sit outside and enjoy drinks and dining. I had the Eggs Benedict with spinach and bacon which was delicious but could've used a little more flavor with the hollandaise sauce. My friends had the Balans breakfast and the California roll toast. All very filling and satisfying! read more

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Staying in a hotel close by we were looking for a sit down breakfast option. After to go breakfast for a few days I needed a minute to sit down, hold a menu in my hand and enjoy a real breakfast. We strolled along Lincoln Road and found this without issue. There was a movie or something being filmed a few doors away and there was quite a commotion. We opted to escape the added noise and dine inside. The front door was wide open but the A/C was blasting so the temperature never really felt regulated. While glancing through the menu my wife stepped away to use the restroom. She found it unclean (i'll spare you the details) and spoke to one of the staff members about getting it cleaned so she could use it. We ordered and waited for our food. Bathroom still was filthy. Food arrived and my wife couldn't wait. My brother told her to use the mens room. She said the mens room was quite clean while the women's room still remain uncleaned. We set that aside and tried to enjoy our breakfast. I ordered a basic breakfast - scrambled eggs, tomato, bacon, sausage, potatoes and upgraded to a bagel and cream cheese instead of toast. When the meal arrived I was underwhelmed. The bacon looked like it had been cooked and allowed to sit for a bit of time. The eggs were cooked well and still warm which was nice. The potatoes lacked a seasoning or dominating flavor profile and were chewier than I expected. I don't like sausage but my brother took it off my plate and after a few bites opted not to continue eating it. The bagel and cream cheese were fine and good to have since the rest of my meal was underwhelming. The prices charged for dining on Lincoln Road relative to what was delivered were not on par. I would take the extra time, jump in the car and dine away from the area. This place was not worth it. Especially when the customer service was just as lacking as the flavor of the food. read more

Balans - Breakfast - eggs, bagel, bacon, sausage, tomatoes and potatoes. - New American Near Me - Miami Beach, Florida

So we ventured out to Balans during a rainy Miami afternoon. And the place was packed with the usual South Beach Hipsters. Music selection and ambiance was just the way I like it. The restaurant was filled with locals and some touristy folks, always a good combination in my book. The restaurant conviniently had their flat screens tuned into to the Oscar's preview show, so while we waited for our food, we enjoyed critiquing the many different gowns parading across the red carpet. Well, needless to say, I felt snugged as bug in rug and ready to scan the menu. I ordered the Seabass with herb cream sauce, rustic style mashed potato and spinach. It was absolutly delicious! The Seabass was well cooked, flaky and tender. All the side ingredients complimented the Seabass wonderfully. My wine selection was a Riesling wine, very fruity but not too sweet. It was a recommendation from our server...a very good choice. This selection turned out to be the perfect pairing to my meal. As for the service....it was exceptional... our server was very attentive. Always arrived at our table at the right moment to check if we needed anything else to make our dining experience even more pleasureable. All in all, if you are ever in the South Beach area,I highly recommend you visit Balan. read more

Balans is in a great location on Lincoln Rd. I saw it on a list of great places to have cocktails in Miami. We came here for pre-dinner drinks our last night in Miami. Happy hour is 4pm-7pm. The cocktails are $7 instead of $12. I had the electric lemonade, but it didn't wow me so I moved on to the mint mango margarita. That was delicious. I had two of those. The chicken quesadilla has great reviews, and our waitress gave it a thumbs up so I ordered it also. Do yourself a favor and order it. Very tasty. At 6pm the lady who "does the hookah" arrived so we tried the watermelon flavor. It was nice and smooth. Balans is a good place to relax and people watch while enjoying great conversation with friends. read more

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This is the best place for everything. I can't believe I never shared my love for this place before! It is probably due to me wanting to keep it in secret for myself. You come, sit and chill and enjoy people watching and amazing food and service. They offer breakfast until 3pm, happy hour every day 4-7 Music always is the best for the time of the day (because they change it) And manager Victor is always present (well sometimes he does take breaks because we all deserve life) but most probably he will be receiving you with his contagious smile. Many locals come here regularly and that means a lot! No overpriced food No overpriced drinks Huge portions Fresh food People watching Smiles! read more

Balans - Chicken wings and sliders - New American Near Me - Miami Beach, Florida

The atmosphere is nice and laid back. I was drawn in by the people eating outside and the food looked great. The host at the front was super nice & got my a booth inside. Great start. It took 10minutes while I was sitting down before anyone came to me and asked me if I wanted a drink. fine. I ordered the full breakfast and the photo is what I received. The meal was OKAY. My toast was burnt, the bacon & eggs weren't hot but I sure was hungry after working out and needed a meal. I might consider going ok because maybe it was a one time half-decent experience but I have to imagine that we can do better. read more

Balans - Full breakfast - New American Near Me - Miami Beach, Florida

Man, I miss Miami. I also miss Balans very much. This restaurant is great, but since I only sat outside on the patio, and can't speak so much on the decor. The outside seating was pretty nice though, I like the lounge seating, even for brunch. For those who don't know. Balans is a restaurant that originated in the UK, but has other location is various cities in both London and Miami. Obviously, we went to the one on Lincoln Rd. We started off with a pitchers of a brunch cocktail called "Peach Kir-Fizz" which was made with: peach vodka, sparkling wine and peach puree; so essentially, it was just a Bellini with vodka. This drink was a little on the sweet side (probably because of the peach vodka), but we could tell that it packed a punch. We were served this drink with a straw in our wine glasses, which was strange because I believe that there is nothing tackier than seeing people sip on a straw in a wine glass. Anyway, the next drink we had was called "Pornstar". Now this is the brunch cocktail you are supposed to have while partying in Miami! It was essentially a martini made with vanilla vodka and passion fruit puree, and came with a shot of champagne. this drink was strong as hell, delicious and absolutely amazing..but it cost $13, so I clearly didn't have to many of them. For food, I ordered the "Jumbo Breakfast" which was shockingly only $10. It came with: two eggs, bacon, sausage, potatoes, pancakes and a side of fruit. I don't know why I thought that I could finish all that food, because I didn't, I thought I was just so excited that it was only $10 (everything else I'd eaten in Miami thus far was crazy expensive). Nevertheless, this meal was very good, especially the pancakes. My friend got the croque madame and a side of chorizo, which she said was very good as well. Can't wait to come back here for Sunday brunch next time I'm in Miami! Although, next time, I hope I'm not delighted by strange scenes of weird men on bikes riding around with monkeys in diapers hanging out in baskets (Yeah, that happened). read more

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OMG. this place is packed. Waiting was long, and waiting for the food was long. i don't know if it's worth it, but the smoked salmon was REALLY fresh. I got the salmon egg benedict. I love that for brunch, i have to try it every where I go. So the hollandise sauce wasn't that great, nothing special or to remember it by, but the salmon, so fresh and had the right saltyness. i loved the salmon. oh they also poached the eggs really well. things i didnt like: service sucks. read more

Balans - smoked salmon benedict, good price too! - New American Near Me - Miami Beach, Florida

We are frequent patrons of Balance. The service is amazing as well as the food- reason why we always come back. Oscar, Rosi and Hugo always give us an incredible service and not to mention Mariah the manager who is AWESOME! So attentive and welcoming. The happy hour is incredible and to tell you the truth this place has the best Hookah in South beach! I totally recommend it. read more

Balans - Hookah time - New American Near Me - Miami Beach, Florida

I was walking down the Lincoln road with my friend and this place looked good! It was a beautiful day and we decided to sit outside. We grabbed red wine and some food to munch on. I ordered the fried seafood and my friend had a crab cake. Both dishes were delicious. Since it was during Happy Hour, both plates were only $7 each! What a bargain! It was such a treat to sit outside enjoying a beautiful evening with my girlfriend and people watching! We really enjoyed the place, food and service! read more

Husband and I walked to the closest food and boozy establishment we could find after running a few errands on Lincoln Road. We assumed all Lincoln Rd restaurants to be overpriced and disappointing so my expectations were low. I was pleasantly surprised! We had really good service while enjoying their patio. Prices were extremely reasonable... $9 for a set of grouper tacos that were YUM -- for Miami this seems like a steal! My boo's whiskey drink was more like a double which he did not mind at all. This spot is a great location for a mid-day rose. Check it out! read more

This was such a great place to come for dinner with reasonable entree prices and portion sizes. It's located right in the center of all the shops and there's plenty of outdoor seating- perfect for any Miami night! We ordered a cauliflower crust pizza appetizer, bang bang chicken salad, and truffle gnocchi. All three dishes were cooked very well. The ingredients were simple, but each ingredient in the dish really served its own purpose to form a nicely flavored dish. My truffle gnocchi was in a light olive oil sauce that paired perfectly with the fresh vegetables. The goat cheese was a surprising addition that added creaminess to the pasta. I did not taste any truffle in the gnocchi (they probably used truffle oil). I think the dish itself is amazing, but if you are looking for a strong truffle flavor, this is not it. Nevertheless, check this place out when you get tired of shopping on the strip! read more

Went here for brunch with a couple friends on a Sunday morning. It was pretty hot, so we decided to grab a table outside. There wasn't too much of a crowd, so we were able to be seated right away. After perusing the menu, I decided to go with the chicken salad, which was pretty good--had a lot of chicken and was very fresh. We also split a nutella crepe--which was tasty and came out quickly. Overall, this place is very old-school, but still has some charm and serves up some decent food on the main strip. read more

Stopped here for breakfast on my recent trip to South Beach. Great breakfast. I got the Jumbo and left full and happy. Eggs were perfect, pancakes nice big and fresh, plenty of maple syrup, nice fresh bacon, and loved the sausage. I don't usually eat fruit, but enjoyed some fresh cut fruit as well. Great place!! read more

The owner reached out to me the day after I wrote my initial review and processed a refund the same day. That is amazing service. Thank you, Jonathan. So, as I stated previously, Balan's South Beach has a nice patio with outdoor seating. We shared two bottles of wine that were priced very fairly. We also shared two pasta dishes. The truffle, mushroom, goat cheese pasta was to die for. I'll be dreaming about it for weeks to come. Would definitely return for a full dinner when back in the area. We had a lovely time on the patio on Thursday night, but as visitors to Miami my friend was not aware of the automatic gratuity many businesses in Miami are now placing on bills (regardless of the size of your party). So my friend inadvertently gave our server double the appropriate tip because the server decided to take advantage of tourists by deliberately withholding the itemized receipt and also not mentioning the auto tip. Beware of this very shady and unethical business practice if you choose to dine here. read more

Restaurant is nice and clean and we were promptly acknowledged the moment we walk up. Asked to be seated inside since it was so hot. We sat for about 15 minutes and 2 other tables were seated and their orders taken before ours. Food was good. I ordered the Steak and Eggs. My colleague ordered Jumbo Breakfast. Food came out in a timely manner except for the pancakes that comes with the Jumbo Breakfast. Pancakes came out almost at the end when my colleague was done with his meal. Manager heard this and discounted us the 10% Yelp and and additional 10%. Great Job on that. It shows management cares. I'll definitely return read more

Great environment, music and service. I had Herb Chicken for lunch and it was amazing. Nice place to have lunch with friends, family or girlfriend. read more

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I had 2 experiences. A few weeks ago a friend and I stopped for happy hour and a bite to eat. The service was good. I had the fried seafood - freshly made. Drives were also good. This week, my husband and I stopped for lunch. We chose the lunch special - a very good value. The churrasco was a bit tough and hard to cut, but really tasty. We could substitute salad for soup, very nice. Again, good service. I've always enjoyed Balan's for breakfast. These 2 experiences will keep me coming back. read more

I visited Balans in South Beach last week and was pleasantly surprised. I had visited the Balans in Brickell early in the week, had a good experience, but prefer this Lincoln Road location. Balans is located in last 1/4 or 1/3 of Lincoln Road and is close to Segafredo. It is a similar style to Segefredo. I was in for a late lunch with my daughter. She ordered the Bang Bang Chicken Salad and it sounded so good I ordered the same. We were not disappointed. There was a nice spicy kick to the dressing. The salad ingredients were super fresh and the portions were on the larger side. It was the perfect lunch for a warm South Beach afternoon. The table we sat at outside offered some interesting people watching and some highly desirable shade. Our service was exceptional and our waitress was spot on. She was professional and efficient. I would be happy to go back to Balans anytime. read more

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The food here is incredible. My second time here in a week. My first visit i had an awesome Salmon dish. It was topped off with a light carrot souffle and the kale complimented the salmon. Nicholas had the Crab linguine and he ordered it again tonight. Tonight, I am eating a Filet Mignon Fettucine meal. Sooooo good. And the prices are very reasonable. Can't end my review without talking about the awesome staff. Kai's made the best recommendations on our meals and is very attentive and friendly. Victor welcomed us back and is so nice. He even offered to have the chef (who is divine) make my salmon dish again...even though it was the special from my last visit Do not leave South Beach without eating at Balans. They are open for breakfast and lunch. I will make this my stop everytime I visit South Beach read more

Very tasty food that won't break the bank on Lincoln Road. Came here on thanksgiving afternoon and ordered the chicken club sandwich-one of the tastiest club sandwiches I've ever had. It had lots of garlic and extra crispy bacon: delicious! read more

Balans - Chicken Club Sandwich - New American Near Me - Miami Beach, Florida

Stopped here for dinner on Friday. Didn't look at the menu at all. My 9 year old wanted to watch the soccer match on tv and we needed to eat. Pleasantly surprised with the 10% off for the Yelp checkin. Seated quickly at around 9pm. Outside seemed busier (understandable) than inside. Our waiter was efficient with our drinks and food order. There is no kids menu so I orders the fettuccine with marinara sauce for my son. He liked the dish, maybe it had too much marinara sauce, but overall good. I ordered the Mediterranean trio and the crab cake. The trio came with hummus, baba ganoush, and tzatziki. The baba was a little off, other items were good. Pita was nice and warm! For drinks, I had the mint mango margarita and it was very good - had 2. All in a decent place in Miami Beach. Keep in mind they have hookahs setup outside, so if smoke/vapor is an issue, you should sit inside. read more

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Food came out super quick! Loved everything we had. Menu was great, lots of options. Waitress was great too. And mimosas yummy!

I can't, I cannot and yeah... I do not like this place. After arriving in South Beach to actually dine at another restaurant and discovering that they closed early, I decided to come here as I have had it bookmarked for quite some time and most of the reviews seemed to be 4 to 5 stars... what a mistake. This was an evening visit and upon arriving the place was dead with only two parties outside and no one inside. I opted to sit inside and upon going in there was no one to greet me or provide instruction as to how the seating situation worked. After standing in the middle of the restaurant for about a minute, an employee walked in and I asked if I could just choose anywhere to sit and was advised "Yes". A waiter eventually arrives to my table and after reviewing the menu I opted for the following selections... Fried Calamari - (IMO) this dish should be renamed to fried rocks battered with beach sand. This was horrible, the calamari was fried way too hard, tough to eat and the slices were too thick, I will give props in saying that the dish "looked" pretty but was inedible even with the sauce provided... because I knew I had another item on the way I did not complain and opted to just wait for my entree. Jambalaya - (FML) I love southern cuisine so I was so shocked when it tasted like, like, like THAT. Horrible. Here was another "pretty" dish where you had pieces of shrimp and spicy sausage sitting on a bed of rice and topped with slim fried onion rings but all flavors come across so wrong. I have to admit that I think the rice was the worst part of it as it seemed that it was made with some type of tomato based sauce that ended up just tasting awkward. I literally ate two bites and could not do it anymore and called the waiter over to advise of my dissatisfaction. The waiter advised that I would have to speak with the on duty manager who came to address the issue rather quickly, I was offered to see if I wanted anything else but frankly if BOTH the appetizer and entree sucked... I was not interested. For whatever reason (maybe I forgot to mention the dissatisfaction with my appetizer, however you would think something is wrong if the full plate of calamari is sitting right there as well) I ended up paying for my soda and calamari. I left this restaurant as I came in... HUNGRY. No. Wait. I did leave with something... a new view about this restaurant and it's not good. I will certainly not be returning but interestingly when I spoke of my experience to another person, they advised that they never went here for dinner but that this place has consistent good brunch. Maybe I should return and try out there brunch specials but at this time I can't even foresee that. read more

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My friends and I found ourselves looking for a place to grab a simple bite to eat and a drink. We ended up going to Balans, not our first choice but Segafredo was too busy. We were promptly seated and our order was taken. We ordered a grilled chicken salad and the hummus trio, in my opinion the hummus was better than the salad. Our server was polite. No complaints there. I can't really tell you what it is but I just feel this place is missing something, maybe is something with the service or maybe they need to be more creative with their menu? Maybe a little bit of both? But definitely something is missing, at least that's my opinion. read more

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I was disappointed to find Balans at the very end of Lincoln road. It was so hard to resist all the other restaurants that we passed but was so glad we were able to avoid all other temptations because Balans was so worth it. It's BBB = Bueno, Bonito and Barato! The manager greeted us at the door when we arrived early for our dinner reservation for 14. Hostess and waitress were very sweet and pliable. We started off with some amazing mojitoes, sangria (both red and rose) and margaritas. Appetizers hit the spot with the greek platter, calamari, tomato basil & mozzarella (was missing the basil, what the heck), and the most unbelievable dish EVA Clams soffrito with the wine and butter sauce. It was so delectable that we used up all the bread to mop up the mouth-watering juices. I had the rib eye with tamarine sauce. It was as good as expectable but not anything like them clams saffrito. I kick myself just thinking about that dish. I should have just ask them for some pasta and made it into a clams saffrito pasta dish. Man, did I mention that they were THAT good. For dessert I pick at some fruits and sorbet. Someone ordered the flourless chocolate pecan brownie and claimed it was amazing.. I wanted to try it but remember that sad looking party dress I have waiting for me to put on in a couple of hours. I had to make a sad decision and kept my hands busy by nibbling on the fruits.... read more

This place definitely deserves 4 stars! Why? Well, for me it was the following; We came here for brunch; sitting under a big parasol and enjoying the warm Miami weather. I checked the menu and wasn't feeling super hungry / the need for greasy food. And, let's face it, you lovely US folk do love to fry your food... Or stuff it into a breakfast burrito. Nothing wrong with that, I love me a good breakfast burrito; but I just wasn't up for it this day... One quick glance at the menu and there it was: a fresh fruit bowl and Granola with orange / honey yoghurt. Thank you Balans! Oh hey, have I just discovered a title explanation for the venue here? I was thrilled with the fruits; freshly chopped mango / pineapple / kiwi (superfruit yeey) and melon. The Granola was a a fresh blend of several nuts / granola (duh obviously) and light yoghurt. The coffee was OK, not bad - not the best roasted beans ever, but fine to start you day with. Service was good and you can smoke on the terrace. Yup, I'm one of those... All and all a nice experience and the Mimosas that passed by looked like I really - really - really wanted to drink them. Sad thing that I had to drive. Care for a light breakfast / brunch? Balans was the way go for me! read more

Balans - Super yummy, fresh & healthy granola - New American Near Me - Miami Beach, Florida

Ok food, great location for people watching.... We happen to be walking around Lincoln Rd, which you all know is the main tourist strip of SoBe. Fun place to walk around but I'd recommend getting real eats somewhere off this strip. Anyways, we were hungry and stopped by Balans for breakfast since our hotel concierge recommended it. There's a patio and indoor seating. We sat inside on a busy sunday since the small patio was already packed. The patio has a great view for people watching and seems like a fun place to just chill and enjoy your drinks. Service was quick to seat us but then kinda slow when it came to taking our orders and bringing out the food. The food is mediocre, nothing to write home about. We all ordered simple things- salmon and lox, mozzarella and tomato salad, and a grilled chicken sandwich. My sister said her chicken was dry and it would have been nice if my bagel for the lox was toasted but maybe I should've specified? They have a pretty decent array on their menus. I saw they also have daily happy hours too which is cool. I think this is only good for chilling with your drinks on a lazy afternoon, maybe even HH. Skip eating a meal here. read more