So I started to give this place 4 stars.. but I really like the guys there and the pizza so I bumped it back up to 5 stars. The pizza is really good even by the slice. They allowed me to customize my slice of cheese and it had the perfect ratio sauce to cheese for me. I realize that it gets reheated n the oven.. and I love a crunchy crust.. but too often that causes it to be overdone.. and burnt a bit. My Greek salad was good and again, I like their pizza but I think I if you know these things going in, you will love it too. Quality of ingredients-5 stars Service- 5 stars Fun NY style atmosphere- 5 stars Crust- 4 stars Hope that helps! read more

See all

A few weeks ago we tried Bala's for the 1st time. This is by far the best sausage and onion NY Style pizza I've had in I don't know how long I was shown & looked at the pizza in the store and to me it looked overcooked. Honestly, I was a little worried. Another lousy NE FL Pizza on my horizon was my thought. However, when I got home I tried it and not only was it perfectly cooked, it blew me the f&ck away. Sorry for the language but it really did blow me the F&ck away. It was the perfect sausage and onion pizza from my youth. It matched the memory of perfect pizza that I thought was lost forever. We also ordered a Grandma's Original pizza with extra cheese. Not only was the taste different from the sausage pizza which is unlike other pizza stores in this area it was delishious in an entire different way. Plus the cheese isn't chewy!!! A Calzone rounded out a perfect pizza experience. Today was my wife and I's 25th wedding anniversary. We celebrated it with a cruise with the kids back around the holidays but had still planned for the 2 of us going out tonight. During the day today we decided to go to Bala's for pizza to celebrate instead of a fancy French dinner. We ordered my favorite Bala's sausage & onion pizza, a grandma's original with extra cheese for my wife and a BBQ Chicken pizza for one of our sons who decided to eat with us tonight. We added 2 cannolis for the anniversary cake. Again the pizza was great and the cannoli were so good we could have eaten a few of them or probably more than a few of them.... The rainbow cake is next. The employees were very nice. The establishment was clean including the restrooms. The only negative about this location is they really do need more handicap parking at the entrance. Im recovering from back surgery and neck fusion surgery within the last 1 1/2 to 2 years. I have less than a year of Physical Therapy under my belt due to healing times and it's still difficult for me to carry 3 boxes of pizza and a container of cannoli during rush hour around 30 to 40 yards through traffic in a busy parking lot. I do my best not to bite the curb and so far so good getting to my truck. I do cover up my ailments well so they probably dodn't realize I needed assistance and figured my wife had it on this last visit. All in all, I very highly recommend Bala's Pizza. Even for a 25th wedding anniversary when one can afford a high end restaurant experience. The pleasure their pizza gave us made it the perfect choice. All the way!!!! Sausage over escargo! This dinner was perfect. Thank you Bala's and Yelp!!! What a find!!! read more

See all

I was in the Silverleaf community today going to some open houses with my sister and we decided to grab a slice of pizza for lunch. They have about ten different pizza options already cooked that you can order by the slice and they heat up for you. I got the NYC original that had pepperoni, sausage, mushroom, green peppers and onions. It was a tasty choice. My sister got a slice of the pepperoni pizza and also enjoyed her choice. There are about ten tables for dining in, and they also do a regular takeout business. Service was fairly quick. They have a lot of New York scenes painted on the walls. read more

See all

Came in here for a slice with my dad while waiting for my dog and wow this is my new favorite pizza place. Homemade and traditional NY style pizza. I'll be back! read more

Bala's Pizza - Slice - Pizza Near Me - St. Augustine, Florida

See all

Service was great, friendly, quick and easy. First time visiting just wanted a slice. It was a perfect bite. If we had more time, we would have gotten more. The place was small with enough seating and very clean. read more

Service was superb. Very helpful and friendly, even remembered my name. Got a pizza and bomber cheese knots. Pizza was nice and hot. The knots were soooo good and they have different flavors. Can't wait to try them! read more

Bala's Pizza - Bomber knots - Pizza Near Me - St. Augustine, Florida

Decided to try this place as it was recommended to me. Called in a pepperoni pizza and antipasto salad 1:10 prior to desired pick up time. Sliced 10 minutes early yet somehow got the order 15 minutes after the request time on an order placed over an hour in advance. It was a late Saturday afternoon 4/4 and the restaurant was not busy. Pizza was Nee York style and cut in large pieces and overall was an 8/10. Salad was 9/10 and was exactly as advertised. Still can't believe the order wasn't ready given the lead time and more importantly they seemed to care less. No apology much less any thank you or acknowledgement at all. There are too many pizza joints in this area and several that have just as good pizza and superior service. read more

Watch out list! Best slice of cheese pizza ever. I am really impressed. Place is like hiding across Fox cafe. Attention is friendly and professional. I declared this cheese slice pizza my top one. read more

See all

We visited Bala's Pizza for a Yelp event and scored 2 free slices and a drink--a great way to try this NY-style pizzeria. Walking in, you immediately get hit with that classic pizzeria vibe: boxes stacked up, the smell of sauce and cheese in the air, and that familiar hustle-and-bustle feel. We tried the Grandma's Pizza and the Chicken Bacon Ranch, both recommended by the super sweet girl at the front. They looked a little dry sitting out behind the display box, but once heated up in the oven (NY tradition style), they came out hot, crisp, and melty--exactly how NY pizza should be. The bottom was nice and crunchy, and the cheese melted beautifully on top. The sauce had great flavor, though all the slices leaned on the dry side. The Grandma's pizza had a fluffy interior with a crunchy base, topped with savory sauce, cheese, and basil. Really well-balanced and satisfying. The Chicken Bacon Ranch was especially flavorful--rich, creamy, salty, and satisfying--but again, just needed a bit more moisture. We ended up grabbing a cheese slice and another drink because it all smelled so good, and honestly, cheese is the best test of a pizza place. No frills, just dough, sauce, and cheese--Bala's passed with solid flavor. The place is clean, with NYC-style frescoes on the wall and bold black and red tie-dye tiles on the floor, giving it that authentic bodega feel. Overall, very tasty, friendly service, and a fun, nostalgic vibe. Just wish the pizza was a little less dry--but still a solid spot for a NY slice fix. read more

See all

Food and service excellent. Reminds me of a Brooklyn pizza shop. The pictures on the wall fit perfect for the restaurant read more

Bala's Pizza - 2 slice pizza special - Pizza Near Me - St. Augustine, Florida

My second favorite pizza joint in Jax! Super clean restaurant, staff is always welcoming and the pizza... never misses

Always great pizza and Italian food. Fast service, good prices and good tasting with a good menu. read more

Bala's Pizza - Sicilian and regular cheese.....NY style! - Pizza Near Me - St. Augustine, Florida

Pizza is delicious, it was my first time here. I got the all meat pizza. Sliced are large, not too greasy and crust tastes similar to pizza i had in Italy. Seating area is small, but reminds me of old school pizza joints. Definitely an experience you have to try. read more

Bala's Pizza - All meat pizza - Pizza Near Me - St. Augustine, Florida

We've been going to Balas since it opened. It used to be top tier. Once they opened their second location, everything has gone downhill. Every time we order, we are just met with more disappointment than the previous visit. The sauce is either too much or too little, it's changed so much it tastes like generic pizza sauce, if that's what you want to call it. We used to boast about how great it was, ratio of sauce to cheese was perfect, now we have to ask for extra cheese just to cover the pizza, otherwise you're just eating sad bread and dipping sauce. Their process for online orders isn't much better. Most of the time, by the time we are notified that the pizza is ready, it's been out for several minutes and is cold by the time it gets home. Tonight's visit was the last straw. We asked for extra cheese like we always do. But when we went to pick it up, the cheese was still so raw that it was white. The staff asked if it was okay, and we said no, it needs to go back in the oven. They put it in for a few minutes, took it back out and ask again. My husband just took it at that point, almost 45 minutes later. It was great for my toddler who prefers cold, undercooked pizza. For us, we had to take the pizza we paid for and put it back into the over for another 10 minutes for it to be cooked. I've worked in the food industry, I get that you get slammed quickly. But to present a customer with a pizza that still has raw cheese and is clearly unevenly baked is just unacceptable. They truly got too big for their britches and are cutting every every corner they can. The staff are not trained properly and do not know how to handle a rush. I also highly recommend that you DON'T get their tiramisu, unless you like biting into partially frozen dessert with minimal flavor. I can't say we will return after over a year of sun-par pizza. Save your money and just pick up a pizza at walmart, it's about the same quality for half the cost. read more

Bala's Pizza - Pizza Near Me - St. Augustine, Florida

I had seen other good Yelp reviews for Bala's Pizza and it was on the way home from an afternoon out with my parents, so we decided to pickup dinner here. I ordered online (there was a small convenience charge that wasn't disclosed, so I don't know if calling is better) and received a text confirmation that our order was received. We arrived probably about 10 or so minutes after the text I received that the order was ready. The space is intimate and focused on the pizza itself, not the seating area. And focus on the pizza they do. The product was very, very good. The pizza was great both initially and as leftovers (always the sign of a solid pie in my book). The staff were friendly and seemed to have a solid system going pushing out pies efficiently with strong taste on a busy Friday night. Grazie! read more

Bala's Pizza - Meatball Parmigiana pizza - Pizza Near Me - St. Augustine, Florida

Bala's pizza was so good! We don't live that close to it, but we drove down for a Yelp event and will certainly make the drive back soon. We were able to try a few different slices during our visit, and while the bbq chicken was pretty spicy, it was still yummy. Yet the meat lover was my favorite. The huge slices were packed with flavor, the staff were really welcoming, and the artwork inside was a perfect touch. Thanks for a great visit! read more

See all

We had a great visit to Bala's pizza. Our visit was inspired by a Yelp event, which was a great way to get us down to a new part of town. The shopping center appears to be pretty new and everything is really nice inside and out. I love cheese pizza, and they did a terrific job with their thin and massive slice. My wife and I shared some of the other options, and the pepperoni was another win, especially with parmesan cheese added to it. While we don't live super close by, we will be making a trip back soon for sure! read more

See all

Good Pizza always when I go It's close to my home and I always get different varieties of pizza and wings and deserts , read more

The service . The girls at the register we're friendly and waited on us with a smile. The pizza was delicious. You felt like you were in New York. Yes we're going back. You can buy by the slice, which is always great to try different varieties like buffalo chicken, veggie and more. read more

Well, we heard it was a good pizza and food. Now I get it, we are all different and see things differently. So, I have a lot of foreign and domestic food experiences. Honestly, this place ranks just below Dominos; if they had a bad day, then it was today. The single worst pizza I or we have had in years. I say they are small and if you're starving, give them a try other go the racetrack. read more

Super convenient location to our house so we come often. Pretty big pies and super good! Usually pretty quick to get orders out too.

Awesome pizza, best I've had ever! Ingredients are noticeably better than most. Definitely NY style, thin crispy and you gotta fold it.

If I could give negative stars I would on this order. We ordered a Grandma's Bianca - which clearly states on the menu - No Sauce, but added Sausage. What they did was give us an old cooked pizza that previously had sauce and scraped it off and then put the Bianca toppings and the sausage on it. We showed up 9 minutes before the scheduled time and the pizza was already "done". It felt cold to the touch and looked old. Upon bringing it home, it was as hard as a brick and totally dried out. It was absolutely disgusting and totally inedible. To their credit, they did refund the order after making excuses and explaining why there was tomato sauce on a no sauce Bianca Pizza. We have also eaten from the Original location and have had very very good food there. Do better - much better - considering how much these pizzas cost. read more

Really really solid big fan of this place every employee was super nice and just very personable, went near closing and they did so good! Delicious! read more

We are from NY and this is the best pizza in St Augustine! We love the crust!! And we are so happy that they've opened another location in Silverleaf! read more

Absolutely delicious slices & super friendly staff. Classic pizza shop with a cool vibe. Will order from here regularly - some of the best we've had in the area. read more

They are now open. Great pizza. Staff is really nice. Meatball Parm pizza is really good. So is the Grandma Pie. Regular cheese & meat lovers pie is also great. The Cannoli is really great!!! read more

I had high hopes for this place but that quickly went down the drain. They don't open til 12, they don't have a lunch special, I called and the guy listed off the pizzas currently available by slice, I get there they don't even have the pizza that he said they had and when I asked how long it would be for a different pizza I was told "idk". Horrible customer service, mediocre pizza. Won't be back. read more

I don't know who taught these people how to make a pizza but it was terrible. I ordered a margarita pizza and all I could taste was sauce on pizza crust. They didn't even put the sauce to the end of the pizza dough. They left about 2 inches of dough with no sauce on it around the entire pizza. I had high hopes for this pizza to be good, but I guess I'm still searching for a good NY style pizza. read more