Now, based on the look of this place, one could easily assume they were going to have a tantalizing food experience here, and then they would realize they were wrong. I should say we went there for dessert and coffee, so I cannot speak about their food. I sure hope their gaudy desserts do not reflect the food in any way, shape, or taste. The coffee tasted like burnt liquid. Now I like strong coffee, but this was just not good. I really wanted to like it because I was routing for this place, but I'd be lying if I said the coffee and our desserts were good. We had cannelloni filled with mascarpone cheese...the cannelloni had a burnt taste and the mascarpone filling was very bland. You would think they put more effort in putting together a flavorful dish, but no. Very disappointed. WIth all the bad, I must say our waitress was delightful. She was exceptionally helpful and provided wonderful service, a stark contrast to the snobby waiter we had before she took over for him. I would go back to try the food before crossing this trendy looking restaurant off my list. read more

Balla - Macchiato at Balla. I give it a measly "blech." - Italian Near Me - Pyrmont, NSW

Manfredi .... job well done !!! Where do I start with this place? From the very moment you walk through the doors and onto what appears to be a catwalk strip up the middle of the restaurant for you to strut your stuff like a boss, you get a sense that this place is far from a high brow snooty fine dining establishment (no offence to those who enjoy these restaurants cause I know I certainly do but just wasn't feeling it on this particular night) .. so of course I was beyond myself when I walked in here - perfect first impression. I love the fitout of this restaurant - sooo much space and shapes and angles - for anyone that has been, you will understand what I'm talking about - round tables, rectangular tables, triangular tables, various levels, floor the ceiling windows, sharp corners on the bar, rounded steel in the kitchen, seafood on display as you walk through (bright hues of red and orange and white ... arghhh stop me here). The food, as expected based on his reputation as 'The Godfather' of italian/australian cooking, was 'bellissimo' .... there's a vast number of wood-grilled items on the menu at Balla which is ALWAYS a good thing. I decided on an all out seafood assault - entree of the mildest Pacific oysters and a main of a wood grilled whole fish of the day (snapper) with salsa verde and salsa salmoriglio - solid effort on food. Service was not the quickest but when we did manage to get a hold of them, they were super polite and highly knowledgeable. Ohhh not to mention have incredible accents *swoooon*. I genuinely enjoyed this restaurant and no doubt will return at some point. read more

Attention vegetarians... don't go here! Four of us went here for a work lunch. It started off alright until they started explaining the menu. I'm a vegetarian and I noticed the only vegetarian options were entree portions, no mains so I asked if I could get the entree vegetarian pasta as a main instead and pay more. I was told I could not, and that as a vegetarian they recommend I order the entree pasta and a salad. So then I thought hmm, maybe I'll get the set menu instead because there was a different entree I liked but again, no vegetarian option for the second course. I asked if I could get the vegetarian entree pasta as part of the set menu and again was told no. Again it was recommended to me that I order an entree pasta and a salad to which I finally had to say "I'm not interested in a salad." In the end I decided to order 2 entree pastas as my main. I was hungry, an entree won't fill me up. She kept trying to convince me that the entree pasta was actually more like a main but I didn't believe her. I was right too, one was not big- I know this because my colleague got this as her entree. When I asked for two as my main meal the waitress looked at me like I was crazy. I could see if I was overweight I might get some weird looks but I'm not big. It was literally my only option if I wanted any main sized vegetarian meal.Then when the other waitress brought it out she said "wow big portion!" Ok I get it, you all think I'm a fatty for ordering two- but what other choice did I have? (and don't tell me to order a salad). When my colleague tried to order the set menu after all this we were told if she ordered it we all had to. We nearly walked out. The waitress luckily asked a chef who told her it was ok and it was lucky they did. After being told they could not accommodate a vegetarian numerous times we were definitely ready to leave. I ordered the chickpea tart as an entree because it was one of the only other non meat/seafood options and I don't recommend it. They tried to sell me on the fact that "you won't get this anywhere else"- yeah- I know why... because it's bland and boring. It was a flat piece of chickpea like crust with some shaved cheese. That's it. Not worth $12 bucks by any stretch of the imagination. The other food was good but nothing to write home about. My boss really liked his lamb but my other colleague got the turkey and it was really dry. We had to ask for water numerous times and two cocktails came nearly 15 minutes after two of us got our two wines. The only thing that made this place feel special was the free bread (which was good). The iPad wine list was a nice touch but they also have that at Black in the Star and that place is a million times better. While the servers were friendly, they had no authority to change anything which is a bit ridiculous for a restaurant of that standard. I wasn't asking to substitute ingredients, only to get a larger portion. We were appalled that they had no accommodations for those who don't eat meat. For a restaurant who tried to appear high class we found it to fit more with standard, middle of the road aussie restaurants... no changes allowed, extra charges and poor service, but with the pretentious attitude. Oh and there's a surcharge for using a credit card! What a joke! For the service and price there are a million other places I'd rather go. read more

#kningjaeats fancy modern Italian. Located in The Star, Balla has a relaxed and elegant ambience. The dishes are not really made for sharing since it's made with such finesse and combining all the elements on the dish creates a delightful mouthful of flavour. They have an extremely extensive wine selection that you can browse on their ipads! and of course their knowledgeable waiters are more than happy to be of assistance for recommendations. Both times I've visited have been pleasant experiences. read more

See all

I decided on Balla for lunch with my favourite ladies... We don't get to catch up often, so we wanted something special... And we're a mix of professionals, students and in-betweeners, so "special" couldn't be so expensive that the poorest amongst us would need to sell body parts on the black market. Balla has a Chefs Hat, harbour views and a $39 for two/$49 for three course Sunday lunch menu... Perfect! First things first when we arrive... The wine list! Presented on an iPad (I think I like good old paper menus better... But it's nice to have plenty of information about the selection), we ummed and ahhed over the beautiful variety... I'm not particularly knowledgable about wine but according to the wine aficionado at the table, the list was excellent. Once we settled with a nice dry white, the specials were described to us... I think I drooled. Unfortunately I'm a vegetarian (who occasionally dabbles in a little seafood) so none of the specials (and few of the menu options) suited me. We chose a range of fish, meat and vegetarian dishes between us... and every last mouthful of every dish was savoured and enjoyed! Delicious, plentiful, delicate... just plain yum! Julia, who hails from Italy, even remarked that the food "really tastes like Italy... it reminds me of my grandparents", which I take to be a good sign. After lunch coffee was surprisingly weak and watery... but that was my only complaint for the day (and who needs coffee with that fantastic wine list anyway?!). Balla was a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon with friends - I highly recommend it. read more

We went there for a business lunch. Service was good at first, but then it all went to hell when their credit card devices stopped working which made us all late for our meetings. I also had to keep asking for our wine which is one of my pet peeves! Food was good but for the prices, not great. Our mains came out and they were the size of entres so we were still hungry afterwards. I would come here for a drink and some nibbles maybe, but not dine here again. read more

Went to eat for here two weeks ago with my brother. We had the fried scollops, oysters and t-bone stakes. The waiters were friendly and polite and the wine waiter recommended a very good Italian red wine. The food was good but I reckon it can be better. No offence chef. The reason I give this place 1 star is because of how I saw the manager treat the employees on my way to the toilet. He was swearing at a waiter for some reason and the waiter looked scared. I asked my waiter who that man was a while later and he told me that he was the manager. I've never worked in hospitality but that didn't seem right. I would have knocked that man out if he was condescending down on me like that. I'm sure the staff there are probability scare to lose their job or something... Anyways I'm not ever going back to such a place. Raf. read more

Let's all chant Balla Balla Balla!! Located at one of the swankiest dining precincts in Sydney. The menu is a modern interpretation of classic Italian. Though the venue is quite poshy, the dishes served are simple and stunning using fresh and quality seafood, meat and vegetables. The floor-to-ceiling glass windows display an amazing view of Sydney's harbour, the bridge and city. We indulged in an amazing three course pre theatre menu for $55 which included entree, main and dessert. The food was simply divine served in a reasonable time frame by attentive, helpful staff. We'll be headed back for sure. read more

See all

Excellent, bar for Pre dinner Drinks. Food and service was exceptional. read more

Formal in its appearance, lively and crowded, this restaurant seems on that surface to be of a higher end in dining for Sydney. Unfortunately the hype and experience were dull, the food was interesting, it's presentation was lovely but the flavours didn't quiet match the expectation presented by the beautiful plating. The gnocci I had was nice, the serving size acceptable, however the Octopus I ordered was burnt and dry. Drinks were overpriced and watered down, as to be expected at the Star. The service was fine, nothing exceptional. I wouldn't recommend to my friends unless they had no other options. If you must go to a restaurant in the Star, try Black. read more

Went there for a catch up and was pretty good. Nice entrees and mains, though presentation was lacking on the gnocchi and duck ragu, it was definitely tasty. Didn't try a fish dish which seems to be their forte, but one of my dinner companions had the tuna and was well-impressed. Service was great, very attentive and explained everything well. Having the wine menu on iPad is a good idea, though I was disappointed they didn't have any Australian wines. read more

It was my friends 30th, and we decided to do a fancy dinner for the occasion. Balla looks perfect and a very pretty location, but pretty disappointed in the quality of food to price ratio. I've had better. I don't mind paying a higher price tag, as long as it's worth it. The service was meh. Given we got there a little late, ( which we had called to advise them of) we were directed to the bar to wait. It wasn't a long wait, maybe 10 mins, but not once did the bar staff (4 people) ask if we would like a drink until we were told our table was ready. They all seemed more interested in polishing the glasses. Once seated, the waiters seemed uninterested to attend our to us and water for the table didn't come until our entrees. Also our glasses were scratched on the inside and when we asked for just 1 new glass the waiter tried to tell us it was only on the outside and was procrastinating about getting us a new glass. The squid ink spaghetti was very acidic, and I wasn't a fan of how the prawns were cooked. The lobster risotto was under cooked (pre al-dente), very crunchy and you could barely find the lobster. Wouldn't go back or recommend read more

I am very fussy with my pasta. My wife is Italian, so I know when the pasta is good and when it isn't. Balla makes really good pastas.All of them are delicate but flavoursome The char on the bistecca was also fabulous. Just the right balance of meat and charcoal. The wine list could be better value, but I am a fan read more

Seafood extraordinaire in The Star precinct. The kitchen is open plan, so you watch the chef's at it, as they put on a show preparing world class dishes. There is a wine cellar as an ornamental piece in the middle of the restaurant too. You are able to walk into the middle of the room before you are greeted by the reception desk where a friendly face asks if she can help you. The service at this restaurant would make it worth it, the dishes are all around the $30-$50 region, so you'd want to make it a special occasion where you can celebrate and enjoy being made to feel a little bit special. Big windows span across one end of the room, offering a delightful view of the harbour at night this is dazzling. read more

My wife and I had dinner here tonight and were deeply disappointed. The venue is nicely designed and the general ambience of bustling cooks and staff generated high hopes of a well prepared Italian meal. They were soon dashed. I had pumpkin ravioli and my wife had spaghetti with crabmeat. We also ordered side of broccolini and a leaf salad - and a bottle of sparkling water. That was it. No wine or dessert. It was all terrible, apart from the water. Both the pasta dishes were bland and tasteless. The spaghetti was so characterless that we had to ask for some tabasco sauce to perk it up. Even then we left most of it. We couldn't finish the ravioli either, which was well beyond the reach of tabasco. The broccolini was limp and overcooked and tasted of nothing. We left most of that too. The salad was coarse and largely inedible. Surveying the general disaster, we decided to leave and cut our losses. It turns out there were a lot of losses to cut. The bill came to $160! We'd ordered main course sizes of the two pasta dishes and they were charged at $42 each. Seriously? The manager - at least we think he was, it was hard to tell from his shambling attitude - who brought us the bill handed it without a smile or a thank you. The other serving staff were polite and charming, but not through his example. All in all, this was a pitifully poor experience for such a lauded venue. Looking through the other reviews, some people have clearly enjoyed the food at Balla. I can't imagine they were there tonight. As it happens, very few people were. We certainly wouldn't go again and couldn't recommend that anyone else should. read more

The difference between a good restaurant and a show stopping restaurant is tough to determine. Balla makes this a clear cut decision. The way the service is constantly roaming and ready to help at any whim is a breath of fresh air. Our server Alfio was so attentive and helpful that he helped take this amazing dining experience from a 9 out of 10 straight to 11. By all means necessary, this place needs to be listed as a a worldwide destination due to the amazingly savory food, the incredible service, and the beautiful ambiance. 11 of 10. Grazi. read more