Out here in Lawrence for a family high school graduation and we all met at Balis for a Saturday evening dinner. The first thing you need to know is that it is loud as shite! The music is blaring and it is not, I repeat, not a place to just dine, chill, converse and listen to music ( in the background). Drinks were good, not too strong, just right. Food was average. What you would expect. There's seating outside. It is lively for sure. Service was questionable for 14 hungry guests. We waited for a loooong time for our food. read more

Thank you for the amazing food, service, drinks and welcoming our furry family member to sit with us in the patio. And thank you for making her lunch. We truly appreciate you. Our doggie appreciates you too. read more

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Service was great. I love their drinks. The food taste so good. It was my first time here and l Love. Planning to go back this weekend. read more

Highway robbery smh!!! $7 for 3 slices of SALAMI. $7 for half fried plátanos $7 for 3 slices of fried cheese. I eat this dish everywhere I go and I have NEVER NEVER have been charged more then $13-15 Max! I'm so upset not becarse of the price but just overall. I understand things aren't cheap anymore. But a $24 tab for this meal is absurd seriously read more

Bali's Restaurant - Receipt - A restaurant receipt from Bali's Restaurant located at 59 Essex Street, Lawrence, MA, displays the server's name, station, and order number. It lists three fried items—cheese, salami, and green plantains—with prices, along with subtotal, tax, and total amounts. Payment details include cash and Visa tendered, with change due. The receipt is crumpled and printed on thermal paper. - Latin American Near Me - Lawrence, Massachusetts

I've been to this place many times for great food and great atmosphere! I was there last night and had a great time as usual! We had a variety of dishes, but the one that stood the most was lobster stuff with shrimp! The dish was fantastic! read more

Bali's Restaurant - Stuff lobster - Latin American Near Me - Lawrence, Massachusetts

If you want good chicken, real chicken, chicken chicken, this is the place for you. Other things on the menu looked good but I'm a chicken guy and this place has it by the barrel. Great service too. Requested a drink that wasn't on the menu and they happily made me 'their' version of the drink which happened to be the best I've tried yet. read more

Bali's Restaurant - a plate of food on a table - The image shows a white square plate with partially eaten fried chicken pieces, French fries, and ketchup smeared on the plate. A serrated knife and a fork rest on the plate. In the background, there are two drinks: one in a mason jar with a straw and lemon slices, and another in a tall glass of water. Condiments, including ketchup, are also on the table. The setting appears to be a casual dining environment, possibly a restaurant or bar. - Latin American Near Me - Lawrence, Massachusetts

Bali's is really nothing fancy, it's a hole in a wall pretty similar to other bars in Lawrence. But like the old saying "good things come in small packages" that's what u get with Bali's. Just be sure it's your type of vibe, it's very much geared to the Latin/Caribbean crowd. The staff was very friendly and courteous. The food was fantastic, get yourself the sampler, comes with fried cheese, tostones, meat, salad, veggies, it's got it all. On one side of the club u have the music going with the bar and small side tables, great music from old school to new new school, beer buckets, just a great vibe, though a little tight as you can imagine. Then on the further side you have the karaoke with tables all around and a large screen to sing along. The Karaoke offered a great list of songs, the DJ kept everyone entertained the entire night. Bali's is perfect for small groups looking to sing the night away, enjoy great food, maybe catch the game on one of their TV sets. I can see it being an issue moving around during a busy night, if there is a flaw it's in the available space. read more

Bali's Restaurant - Appetizers Dominican style - Latin American Near Me - Lawrence, Massachusetts

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Terrible service, people go for the drinks and the Spanish vibe but other than that these people are terrible

Food is great. Great music but ordered to go and found a rubber band in my food. Didn't eat it because that's is not appetizing to find in your food. I figured to pay more /plus tip/ and wait longer/ struggle to find parking (compared to the food at convenience stores that's a fraction of the price) for better food but I guess it was a miss. read more

Bali's Restaurant - a bowl of soup with a ring on it - The image shows a round container filled with a yellow, oily substance that appears to be a soup or broth, with black specks scattered throughout. In the center, there is a black ring with a piece of seaweed attached, floating on the surface. The container's edge is visible, and the overall appearance suggests a food item, possibly a soup or broth with seaweed. - Latin American Near Me - Lawrence, Massachusetts

Paid almost 40.00 for Soupa and had no meat! Just water and potatoes .. People should make there food just like it is in there country or get out of the kitchen.. The sancochou was worth 2.00 read more

Not sure where to even begin... Ordered the pasta special (yes, I know, why did I order pasta at a Latin American restaurant...I"ll get to that later in this review) and my guest ordered a pork soup (I think). Well, 45 minutes and two margaritas (poorly made...omg please send the bartender to bartender school please) later, we still didn't have our food. I complained 2x. Was told both times that the kitchen was busy with preparing other orders. What?? Place was barely busy and hardly any waitstaff brought prepared orders to the front to be picked up, so how could our meals be late. Waitstaff was more interested in dancing to the unnecessarily OVERLY LOUD music. I mean seriously, it is a restaurant not a concert venue. I am not a prude and I like the Latin themed music, but it should be turned way down so people can talk. So, why did I order pasta? I could not read the menu. The font is so tiny and the color scheme so bad that you can't figure out what is being offered. Simply put, you can't read the menu. If you go, look online to see the menu. Anyway, after 45 long, loud minutes later the meal arrives.....cold pasta under warm'ish sauce with 4 of the tiniest meatballs I have ever seen served or represented as a meatball. When I say the meatballs were just larger than a marble, I am not kidding. The soup was warm..tasted like canned soup with chinks of pork (I think) and some root vegetables I believe. My guest kind of liked it. Needless to say, I was ticked off. I told the manager it was not right that I was made to wait 45 minutes for cold food. The waitress lied to me 2x and she did not care to check on our meals. I asked to be comped the drinks (I would not have ordered a second margarita if the waitress told me my food was on the way), but the manager said she couldn't do that. Huh? She did remove the cost of the soup (oh joy..). I was going to stick to my guns about the drinks, but I couldn't wait to leave the overly loud venue. This was my second visit. My first time was fair. On my first visit, I asked for the flan. I love love flan. I was served what looked like a custard pie. I didn't bother to return it because I really wanted something sweet and the "pie" was sweet enough for me. On this second visit, I had high hopes. But, I was dead wrong. I can say I will not be back. Maybe you will have better luck. read more

Omg I went yesterday an I bought a appetizer an steak with onions ,white rice , beens , the steak no favor , the appetizer no flavor an cold , the beens cold . Not a good place to go to eat before was delicious no more . Waste my money mad. read more

Bali's Restaurant - Bali's appetizer the yuca was cold an I give complain they bought fresh ones but went good came the beens was cold . - The image shows a large square white plate with a variety of Latin American foods. There are fried plantains, a small salad with shredded lettuce and carrots, a slice of tomato, and a portion of fried yuca. The plate also contains cooked meats, including beef and possibly sausage, with some vegetables like carrots and onions. The setting appears to be a restaurant with a dark wooden table, a wine glass, and napkins nearby. - Latin American Near Me - Lawrence, Massachusetts

This place is forever POPPIN! There's always parking but it's crowded to ordered food. Some advice, it's worth the wait. The frituras as so freaking good. I'm all about it! Things to order: Yellow rice Chicharrones Carne guisada Empanadas Yuca Pernil List goes on, I love the food here. 4 stars bc the service is always a hot mess and it's just a dingy looking place but food quality is always on point! read more

This place hands down has the best food but the worst service. I've ordered before and they usually say 20-30 min and we usually give them 10 extra minutes. And we would still have to wait 10 additional minutes. today at 2:53pm ordered 3 mofongos one with meat and 2 ordered of fried cheese ... she said 30 min.. we went in at 4:06.. we got our food at 4:28... read more

I came to Bali's for the first time last week Sunday. Entering Bali's there was loud music playing in the front and it was set up like a bar. Towards the back is where you get seated to eat. The wait was not long at all less than 5 minutes as the table had to get cleared. The music was loud, but not disturbing. So let's get to the point! The food was delicious, the food was warm and well proportioned. The only minor issue i had was the ladies bathroom was EXTREMELY cold and where we were seated as well. We were sitting near a door so most likely that was it. I will definitely return whenever i'm in Lawrence. Not a fancy restaurant, but for what it is it worth it. Prices were reasonable as well read more

One of favorite Spanish food restaurant in town. Love there food and never been disappointed. Only problem is the wait which is understandable due to how pack it is. read more

All excellent, the food is incredible. A very nice girl attended me always attentive es una flakita pequena espero que sigan dando tan increíble servicio la bebida muy buena i love this restaurant! read more

Amazing food great service the pastelitos are so delicious too! Couldn't have asked for a better meal. Also had tamarindo and passion fruit juice that was delicious. read more

Bali's Restaurant - Latin American Near Me - Lawrence, Massachusetts

Worst fkn disgusting slop I have ever had in my life.... the mofungo has big shrimps on it on their menu and when it came it tasted like it was microwaved and the pieces of carne inside were so hard it almost broke my tooth.... then you charge $16 for carne frite and it was chewey nasty probably rat meat with purple onions on top..... nasty nasty food. If you want good Spanish food, DONT TRY THIS PLACE. Service sucks, and there dirty. I should have read the comments ABOUT PEOPLE FINDING ROACHES IN THEIR DELIVERY, because I wouldn't even have taken one bite. Disgusting. I threw it out and demanded my money back and when grubhub called your pos place, you had the nerve to tell them "nobody ever complains" .... first of all clean that rat hole, and second, learn how to cook because that shit is nasty read more

I've been coming here for years. The food is delicious and the prices are very reasonable. They usually play pretty good music and it's not too loud if you're sitting in the back area instead of the bar area. The only compliant is that sometimes service is slow but for the most part it's not bad. I love their Mofongo dishes and their picaderas. read more

We waited an hour for our food. We ordered fried pork, shrimp in sauce with white rice and beans. Waitress never came up and offered any drinks or napkins after food was brought out when we were clearly had empty cups. Food was just warm and you could tell it sat in the back for a little bit. Waitress initially told us the food would be out quickly when we attempted to order an appetizer after we ordered our meals. 50mins later we received our food. The food was just okay and not worth the time waiting when there are plenty of other Spanish restaurants like Terra Luna and Japu right around the corner. read more

The service is terrible the food take a long time to come out . Once the food is out the waitress's never come to your table they literally don't check up they came twice to my table once to sit us and the other time was to bring the check, like I wasn't done eating nor did you bring me another drink ! The food is good but could go to another place And have the same quality food with better service! Recently there was a shooting (source ; eagle tribune.com) read more

I am so happy to have discovered Bali's Tropical Café. I was in Lawrence on business this Fall Campaign, and Bali's was recommended to me by everybody. I stopped by and was pleasantly pleased by their friendly staff, great service, wonderful drinks, and delicious food. A great vibe in this wonderful place. Is it politically correct to say that everybody who works here is beautiful, handsome, charming, welcoming, and dedicated to delivering wonderful service? The music is terrific too. Take out, or dine in... this is a good place. read more

I went looking for mofongo. It was ok. I ate churrasco. The wait was terrible. Had to wait around 45 mins for the food.

If I could I would give it a 2.5. The food is great and the atmosphere is good. Ive been here on multiple occasions and most of the time when it's not busy and the wait has been awful every single time. The food taste good but the wait is unacceptable. They have two bars, none of which are comfortable to eat at read more

The food here was great. The service was very helpful considering how large of a group we were. The atmosphere is relaxed and tropical. Definitely stop in for some great Dominican food! read more

It is currently 7:12 pm My boyfriend and I placed our order at 6:06 pm. 5 minutes ago we received our appetizer, with no utencils...I understand they are busy, but over an hour wait for Rice and Beans? We didnt even order any alcoholic drinks in order to eat and leave as quickly as possible... it is 7:15 we are STILL waiting on our food... this is very disapointing. read more

Great place to go have buffet lunch and maybe sneak in a beer! The food taste amazing you will not want to stop eating!!! If you come to dine in and want to order food, come with plenty of time this is not Mc Donalds! Fresh food takes time to prepare! Small place not my knida place to dance the night away unless you want everybodys' butt rubbing up on you, which is what you will find on a Friday and Saturday night!!! .... That's what the snobby locals come to do here every weekend. read more

Delicious food and drinks. Loved the ambience. However, we found distasteful our debit cards been taken out back to the kitchen for 10 minutes. Then server comes out of the kitchen to process the debit card on the front desk. Maybe I will bring cash next time. read more

I didnt really enjoy the food, but the atmosphere is nice, good place for late night drinks.

The best food, I had the balis plater it was great excelent service too, tried the sangría with my dessert I am very sastified

The lady owner/slash manager needs customer service skills. Needs to be trained! The quality declined a while ago. I continue my loyalty to the place due to the history. Its been their for a while, its was once a great hole in the wall eatery... food was once really good. That change some time ago! Once in a while they (WOW) me with okay food. But lately a lot has change. Alot has to do with management. Poor attitude + Poor food quality= YOU Lost a once Loyal client. (if your food is not great) and you see I am brining money to your pocket. Atleast Have Great Customer Service... Recommendations: Learn to problem solve. read more

Horrible Service!! Last 3 visits were horrible experience. I took my mother to eat there and she ordered a mofongo with chicken and i ordered white rice with chicken parm and both chickens tasted like pure vinegar. The most recent visit was utterly disgusting and i will never go eat there again if i go it would be to simply drink. I bought some food from the buffet and after i left got to my job and getting ready to eat my lunch and there was a big long black hair wrapped inside my locrio de chuleta mind you i have short blonde hair... read more

I know Lawrence has bad reputation cause hight crime level but when it come to have a good meal for low cost and peaceful and extraordinary serve Bali is the place to visit love this place if you like to litem to good Latin music and have a exotics time come and visit bali's 26 years working with f&b business I know what I am talking about. Have fun!!! read more

Excellent food, $10 buffet. Everything looks fresh and hot. Replenished regularly. Service was great. Good music.

I hate this place because the music is too loud, also how the food its not even good and they take a while to make it. Its just a waste of time. read more

I went to this bar/ restaurant tonight. With a friend. No where to sit. No where to stand. I am Southern. We talk to people. We just do. It is our natural nature. I bought with cash 2 Presidenta beers. I ordered myself a 2nd one my friend went outside to answer her phone. So I sat alone at a table 20 minutes. Was asked to move to the bar since in Was not ordering food. I then give Mr Juan a $10 bill for another beer. He did not serve it. Not give me my money back. He told me to leave. He said my friend was an issue. Ok. So no beer. No change from or a $10 back as I gave him. He refuses to serve me. I did nothing wrong but be Southern. Nice. Talk to people. Its a bar. That's what people do. I bought my own drink. As well as my friends drink. I paid my own way. By the way I do not speak Spanish. I try but am not so good at it. I have no idea why they treated me this way but I was asked to leave. Never have I ever been asked to leave anywhere. I am a born on this soil American. I am so tired of being not treated even as a human in the town or city of Lawrence Massachusetts. This was just to much for me. I have never been insulted as I have tonight. Thank you to the door man who was kind to me. But as a human I am feeling totally degraded by this. I guess I don't understand the rules around here. But as an American citizen with American cash I was not only kicked out I paid with $10 for a beer I beer got and no change. I was totally sober when I walked in and when I left. Thanks for the horrible treatment. I will never go here again. This town is not kind to Southern white women. Yeah I said it. I was the only Southern white person. No I don't fit it. But I was trying to. By being nice. By being a good human. By spending my money locally. This place was highly recommended to me. I hate I feel this way. My first Christmas since my mother passed away. This is how it happened to me. So sorry wish it was not so. Judge me on my own merits not others. I minded my own business. Wanted to see the band but was asked to leave. What a crock???? Hope no one else goes through this at all. I just moved here and this is the first place I have been to. Thanks for a horrible welcome to the city. Your food looked great. All I could think of was when I had the money to come back and eat I would. A neighborhood bar I could embrace. Not so much now. Thanks for that. I feel worse now than I did and hope my mother in heaven can see all I wanted to do was be around people and not so very alone. Starting over is so hard to do. But I am doing it. I hate that I moved to a city with so many unkind people. read more

Came back last Saturday night, around 6pm with a group of 7 people and we were seated down right away. We only had one waitress and she wasn't very good at keeping up with the orders, remembering who ordered what and the bill took ages to arrive. I didn't try anyone else's food but everyone seemed to enjoy what they ordered. I had the goat and I would not recommend anyone to order that dish, it was mainly bones and fat, barely any meat and the plate was promenaded by sauce, which I don't mind eating my rice with the sauce for some flavor but I ordered goat meat not the sauce that they cook it with. My mojito was incredibly good, I had three of those. I also had a margarita and that one tasted like an old shoe box. Dont recommend seating at the bar and have dinner there because its way to close to the main entrance door and the people that hang around the bar are not the best to have dinner with.They were playing salsa in the place and it was very very loud so we had to do a lot of loud talking. It was a good dinner with the family; I would probably go with something else next time. read more

This place is the worst customer service I ever been to. I went with my wife and we just order fried chicken and sweet plantains it took them like an hour to bring my food and the place wasn't busy. the waitress no experience at all she passed my table 5 times and I told her if she could bring my wife a soda , she never brought the soda . the food was bad to the sweet plantain wore burnt and the chicken felt like you was eating more bones then meat its called "chicharrones de pollo" and to end for the waitress to pick up my bill from the table to forever I had to get up to the bar and ask them to charge me . I will never go there again. they need experience people how to treat customer's . read more