If I could give zero stars, I would. Ballantine on a weekend night feels less like dinner, more like a sonic assault. The noise is deafening. The service? Not terrible by intent--but stretched absurdly thin. One server, too many tables, and a look in their eyes like they've seen things. The whole place is wildly inefficient, overpriced, and serving food that barely justifies the effort. It's not a cozy Italian spot--it's a sports bar in disguise. And once that illusion breaks, all that's left is the echo of shouting, clinking glass, and unmet expectations. read more

See all

Great food and cold draft beer. Husband and I had dinner on Saturday night about 7:30 PM. Our waitress was new, but confident and we got really good service. This place has a comfortable atmosphere with casual dress code. I recommend the sliders, as they were tasty and not too heavy. We were leaving as the younger crowd (the hoodie brigade) came in around 9 PM. There was a female singer & guitarist named Emma who made the dinner experience even better. read more

Our server was excellent. Shared the boneless wings and fries. The sauce was tasty, the wings were over fried and greasy. Others ordered pizza. The carnivore was greasy. The build your own was convenient, but pricey. Location is convenient. Nice night so the windows were open which was nice. Cocktails were good. read more

We came here to celebrate our anniversary, and it couldn't have been a better choice. The food was absolutely amazing, but the real star of the night was our waitress, Izzy. From the moment we sat down, she made us feel so welcome and taken care of. We did run into a couple of small hiccups, but Izzy handled everything with such grace and kindness--it was honestly impressive. She fixed things so quickly and with such a genuine smile that what could've been little stressors turned into sweet moments we'll actually remember fondly. She truly went above and beyond to make sure our anniversary dinner was special, and we left with full hearts (and full stomachs!). If you want not only a great meal but also an experience that makes the night unforgettable, ask for Izzy. She's a gem and made our celebration one we'll never forget! Also bonus points as she's a twin and we have twin boys read more

Security guy was very jumpy and created unneeded problems for clients. Manager was called and was unhappy with him but did nothing to smooth the situation. Security guy is creating unnecessary problems for the business. Security was a bold guy on 12/12/25. Get rid of him until you lose all you regulars. He is bad for your business. read more

Atrocious. Do not go here. We walked in a party of 5 at 6;05pm. There were maybe 10 people in the restaurant. Most of them at the bar not eating. We ordered within 10 mins of sitting down. 50 minutes later we still didn't have our food. My kids are crying in their seats because they are so hungry. I bitch at the bartender and our waitress and our food finally comes out. The kids chicken is burnt to the point where it's like dust on the plate. My wife's chicken is cold like it had been ready for a half hour. The crying kids still don't have anything to eat. We leave and go to McDonald's. read more

3.5 rounding up. Came here with a friend for a "moms need a break" evening. The server was so nice. Unfortunately, the Moscow mule tasted like vodka with just lime juice so we asked for more ginger beer with the next round. It was a just a fraction better. We didn't order more. We ordered the garlic knots - A++ Freshly shaved parm, soft insides, so good. I ordered the crispy chicken club that did not disclose it was made with chicken thigh on the menu. So be aware if they haven't updated the menu. There was live music and they were cognizant of our desire to be able to chat and say us further away from the speakers. read more

Stopped in for a couple $5 martinis and mules while passing through Willoughby. Happened in on a night where a lovely guitarist was playing some live music, and I just loved her rendition of "Dancing in the Moonlight" The Cosmo was done perfectly and the Mexican Mule was enjoyed as well! We ordered some honey sriracha Brussels sprouts which were spi-i-i-cy! They had cherries and slivered almonds which were just divine. I'm not a goat cheese lover so we subbed out for mozzarella instead! Woo-wee, my lips be burnin! We also had a nice simple strawberry pecan bleu cheese salad with mesclun mix + a white sherry vinaigrette, and oh my gosh, let's not forget the bacon! This was really a terrific texture! I have usually only come here for the dancing and the typical bar scene, but I'm happy we were coming this way for a piece of furniture. Way to go, Bally's! read more

See all

Our party of 4 was in the mood for some burgers and since we were in Downtown Willoughby we said let's go to Ballantines. Hadn't been here in years and we were pleasantly surprised. First the drink special, the Pumpkin Caramel Mule was the ladies choice AND their new favorite! I went with my location test drink, a Bloody Mary. Without any hesitation it's in my top 5!! Perfectly spiced with a great selection of stuffed olive; piece of pepperoni; celery slice; lemon slice and lime slice all scewered together! Nice combo. We all had burgers and the hand cut fries. Burgers were perfect and so were the fries! No doggie bags this night!! Final note, our server Olivia, was fantastic! Ready for our humorous dinner banter; on the spot when we needed something and worthy of this recognition!!! Thanks Olivia!! It was a while but it won't be long for a return. Downtown Willoughby mainstay, and rightfully so!! read more

Visited DTW for the first time in a while and sat at the bar at Ballantine. Service was pretty friendly. It was clean and they put effort in to social distancing their customers. We ordered the BBQ pork poutine and the caramelized onion and mushroom spinach pizza. The toppings on the poutine were delicious but there weren't many fries on the plate and they were over cooked and too crispy. They lost the potato flavor. The onions were almost absent from the pizza, which, except for the occasional mushroom, lacked flavor. The ingredients were fresh, so I appreciated that. The liquor selection at the bar is vast, you'll find any flavor of vodka you can imagine. They even carry several flavored whiskeys. Worth a stop if you're looking for fresh bar food and drinks! read more

Ballantine - Sat at the bar and enjoyed a pizza - Sushi Bars Near Me - Willoughby, Ohio

We wanted a mid-week clambake this fall and Ballantine was one of the few places that offered one. The overall clambake came with a lot of food including an excellent cup of chowder followed by a tray with a dozen small to medium clams, two roasted chicken thighs, roasted corn, red potatoes, coleslaw, melted butter, and thankfully a nice cup of bouillon. It was all quite good. In hind sight, I probably would have ordered another dozen clams for $13 because they were a little on the small side, but it was still a generous amount of food with one dozen. We loved the friendly and attentive service. The chef and head bartender even came out to chat with us. read more

Friendly service always, great dinner specials. Very nice during the warm months in downtown Willoughby. We didn't eat inside but did order a to go special. read more

Ballantine - Menu - Sushi Bars Near Me - Willoughby, Ohio

We came here for Cleveland burger week - we ordered the beer cheese with tortilla chips as an appetizer, the gyro burger for my husband and the peanut butter bacon burger for me. The beer cheese was tasty and filling. The bar tender was attentive and friendly. My husband loved his burger, that was cooked to order. Unfortunately, I ordered my burger med-we'll to well done and when they served it to me, there was blood on the plate. I cut into the burger and no surprise, it was bright pink. I asked if it could be cooked a bit longer, and they agreed. Two minutes later, they brought me the same burger, still pink in the middle. I tried to eat it, but I just couldn't find it appetizing and gave up after a few bites. The bar tender kindly took my burger off the bill but I left hungry. I would consider coming back but definitely not for a burger. read more

Love this place. The filet was cooked perfect. I like well done steak and it's usually dry. It wasn't here it was cooked perfectly. The steak fries were good as was the asparagus. The pizzas are great. The cheese is fresh and they're wood cooked pizzas. Rosemary fries and chicken wings are excellent. Atmosphere is casual with a full bar and music playing in the background. Service is very good. You can see the chef cooking in the open kitchen. Drinks are good too! The Ballantine Bellini is really good!! Located in downtown Willoughby on the main strip. This place is a great gem. A little pricey but worth it!! We will definitely be back. Try the desert too. The Caramel cheesecake was sweet and the sauce was buttery. One of our favorite restaurants. read more

See all

Came here for the first time tonight and everything was delicious. Our waitress Jillian was super friendly and on top of things and the bar tender makes a fantastic old fashion. Our waitress did say they got a new chef and the whole menu changed just a few weeks ago. We had the brisket empanadas (apps half off on Mondays) and they were very tasty-- the sauce they came with I could have licked off the plate. We got a salad, fried chicken sandwich and a half roasted chicken with a side of Mac and cheese. The Mac and cheese was incredible... the chef actually made a proper béchamel sauce and they use aged cheddar. The roasted chicken in BBQ sauce was super tasty and came out beautiful. The fried chicken sandwich was huge and soooo so yummy and came with garlic parm fries. I don't know what the food on the old menu was like but this new chef can cook! So long as this chef sticks around we will be regulars here. Honestly thinking of coming back tomorrow again for dinner :p haha read more

Great food and great service. They used to have a better happy hour. They need to bring it back

I love this place, but I have to be honest when I say I have never eaten here. I just go in for drinks and they usually have a dj on Fridays and Saturdays. The bartenders are awesome here, that is the main reason I like to go here. They also have the best liquor selection in downtown Willoughby. LGBTQ FRIENDLY read more

Oh no no no you didn't...my husband and I just stopped in before heading downtown to hear Vivaldi. It's our first wedding anniversary. Here's the scoop...nicest waitress and attentive...worst meal ever...bowl-o-arugula with teeny-tiny feta and a quarter of a diced chicken breast. I am on a diet, yes, thanks. My hubby's margarita pizza was something from an e-z-bake oven with a popin' fresh dough and teeny-tiny strips of basil. The world of dining had really gone south...sorry not sorry for this review. Okay for drinking and clean bathrooms, though no latch on the ladies door. Happy 1st babe. I love you! Cheeseburgers after the concert? read more

The brisket grilled cheese is one of my favorite things on this planet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Excellent food and friendly staff. We'll be back for sure, the short rib grilled cheese is my favorite

Save yourself $37 and just say NO to the Clam Bake. The waitress Izzy did a good job, and the duo playing music was good.... but the clambake Mediocre clams, no melted butter, over seasoned hard 'redskin' potatoes, cold corn and burnt/over seasoned chicken. read more

We went during happy hour for $5 dollar margaritas. They were just okay and the staff wasn't very friendly. There was live music, which I enjoyed. read more

We stopped by here for after dinner drinks on a Saturday evening. We were seated and waited in immediately. Our server was very attentive. I had a Bellini, the drink itself was pretty good, however, it came out filled to the rim which in turn made it spill a little making the glass and table sticky.....nothing that a little water didn't fix. After 10 pm the place turns into more of a club/lounge atmosphere. The ambiance was nice and this a place I would go back to. read more

Ballantine - Great place to grab a Bellini! - Sushi Bars Near Me - Willoughby, Ohio

See all

A friend and I went to Ballantine's on a last minute decision. We were very pleased to see that they had really good entertainment. We ordered drinks and apps. we were very pleased with our selections. spinach dip and quesadillas. The server we had was greatand the food came out hot and quick. read more

Who's sex is on fire? Belgian drafts served by hambones. Cigarette butt toss. The first line is in reference to Ballantine's theme song by Kings of Leon. At one point, the song was played twice in the span of 10 minutes. If this song is on heaven's playlist, I'd rather burn in hell. The rest of the tunes didn't impress either. Progressively through the night they actually got worse until eventually morphing into a soundtrack more appropriate for a gay dance club than a brewpub. The second line refers to the staff. I just expected the bartenders to offer a little more knowledge and expertize about the extensive craft beer offerings. Instead, the bartenders appeared to be imported from BW3's. The third and final line is in reference to a near fatal encounter of friendly fire upon leaving Ballantine. Outside, droves of chain smokers catch a buzz. One drunken blonde in particular chose my leg as target practice. My last memory was a glowing ember of carcinogenic proportions heading straight towards my denim covered half. It was unavoidable. I was a casualty. Ouch. read more

Ballantine - Sushi Bars Near Me - Willoughby, Ohio

Haven't had the chance to dine here yet, but I'll tell you what - Ballantine has the best bathrooms in Downtown Willoughby. Stone walls Separated urinals Stand alone stall Two sinks Paper towels - stocked Soap - stocked There's even a shelf in front of the urinals to put your drink! 10/10 would pee here again. read more

Ballantine - The Johns - Sushi Bars Near Me - Willoughby, Ohio

When this restaurant first opened and for some years after it was an eclectic atmosphere and what Willoughby needed. The food was well thought out and delicious. The last three times it greatly missed the mark. The steak I ordered had to be returned 3 times and the party I was with had issues with their food as well. NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO DETAIL AND GET YOUR OLD CHEF BACK!! read more

Finally getting around to reviewing tho place. Let me put bluntly. Dining here was one of the few times I seriously wondered how unacceptable it would be to lick my plate. Parking in downtown Willoby sucks, but the food makes you forget about parking. It was one of the first real dinners my wife and I got to enjoy without having to rush home for our son. My sis was watching him overnight. So we try this place on a whim. No prior knowledge of it at all. It just looked cool. I love it when things work out well. This place was cool, lots of craft beers. I had their cranberry BBQ ribs with fresh rosemary fries.... I don't even know how to describe it. Maybe plate licking worthy? Service was great dinner was amazing!!!! read more

Early dinner on a Saturday evening. Great mussel appetizer! Pizza is also great and I don't like pizza so much. Rosemary fries are good. Burger isn't too shabby either. I could tell the server might be a little green but she was warm and friendly. Maybe the wheels fall off once they get busy, but, I had a good experience. read more

Went in for pre-dinner drinks. Got ignored by bartender for 10 minutes (at 6:30 pm!) Bartender then acknowledge I was alive and told me she had to help someone else first. That someone was another bartender she was chatting with. Left and went to Oliver Twist. Got jumped on for service there. Go spit in the wind, Ballentine. read more

Oh, Ballantine, I don't know what to make of you! I think you could really shine if you didn't stretch yourself quite so thin in a misguided attempt at being trendy. It's nice that you're trying to branch out with your menu, but Asian fusion is clearly not your speciality, and I really think you need to work on perfecting a handful of specific dishes before overrunning your menu with mediocrely prepared options. (Those sushi nachos, though? Those were fab. Why can't everything on your menu be so yummy?!) Service was absolutely terrible the evening we went as well! We visited on half-price sushi night, and as soon as we sat down my sister (a Ballantine veteran) asked the waitress if there was a wait on the sushi should we choose to partake, as the chefs can get quite backed up due to the deal. The waitress told us no, everything was running on schedule, but then added with a bit of attitude that sushi *does* take a while to prepare, as if we were uncultured dolts who had never heard of this mysterious delicacy before. Um, sushi actually doesn't take that long if you know what you're doing and there aren't a million orders up. I'd venture a guess that it's probably one of the quicker things to make on the menu. Definitely faster than a steak! Our waitress continued to be pretty terrible. She dropped off our appetizer, but didn't bring any plates or silverware, and then disappeared! We had to flag another server down. After I asked for a water she vanished once again. After waiting ten minutes we had to flag down the same alternate waitress as before, who I assume gave our girl a bit of a talking to as she finally showed up, somewhat apologetic. "Oh, right, I told you I was going to bring you a water, didn't I?" It's not like Ballantine is a big place. Not that hard to keep track of your table! Food, with the exception of the sushi nachos (Seriously, I LOVED those things, and they're the reason for three stars instead of two.) was mediocre. I got two sushi rolls and they tasted like something you'd pick up at the grocery store. I didn't try my brother-in-law's pad thai, but it looked watery and strange, not like any pad thai I've ever seen. Seriously disappointing meal. read more

When I got there I waited for my table 15 mins. After we got seated it was We got the beer cheese with chips it was a good meal after my Girlfriend got the pizza i got the Chicken sandwich The food was great. But Next morning i wake up 4 in the morning with the worse stomach pain i have ever experienced. I go back to sleep and wake up with even worse stomach pain. Do not recommend read more

Very interesting cocktails. Short ribs sandwich is excellent. I can't wait to go back to try something different.

Had great drinks and pizza on a Sunday night. Sweetest bartender ever. Made us feel right at home and even stayed past closing (9 pm) to let us have another drink. Excellent place except bathrooms were smelly probably from a busy weekend. read more

This spot is really a 3.5 type trendy restaurant in downtown Willoughby. Friendly servers and cool decor with bar, long tables or booths, all good for group seating. I liked how the garage windows could be open on a nice day. Bar tvs for the game. We showed our room card for a free appetizer as instructed by our hotel, but server said that was old promo, was a lil put off because we had a party of 6 they got the business due to a real promo flyer, so they could just honor it.. Oh well, they had a happy hour that had a good variety so we ordered our food, a mix of regular items and happy hour. We ordered a firecracker roll to share as appetizer. Due to kitchen call in we sat there for an hour with no food, we were starving. Bummed that they didn't make the pizza or adjust to bring other items out where they had help? Just not creative problem solvers at all here. Finally a manager apologized and got us some tasty wontons with cheesy chicken dip w/ sirracha that was some service recovery, or really just free app we should have received any way. Most of the food was really good when it finally arrived, some items are interesting but not very good. They have a huge menu so you can find something for everyone, huge beer selection and full bar. read more

My review is definitely in need of a revision. I went to Ballantine last week to celebrate my mother's birthday and had an excellent VEGAN meal. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus! And you can find vegan food in good old Downtown Willoughby. I started off my meal with an avocado roll and a cucumber roll. You can tell that the sushi is made in house and it tasted fresh. I could have eaten about 10 more rolls. They were that good. Then for my meal, I had vegan lasagna with a tofu ricotta cheese. Sounds weird if you're not a vegan, but you'd never be able to tell the difference between tofu cheese and the real deal in this dish. It was full of fresh veggies and a zesty sauce and was really satisfying. I washed all of my grub down with a Moscow Mule or 5. Served in a copper mug, it tasted as it should. There were a couple other vegan items on the menu that sounded interesting and I'd love to go back for more sushi. They just launched a new menu in late August 2014, so if you haven't been to Ballentine in awhile, it's worth a visit again. read more

Ballantine - Avocado and cucumber maki rolls - Sushi Bars Near Me - Willoughby, Ohio

See all

The three cooks in the back are not wearing a mask. You can see them in the window off the corner of Glenn and Erie. They were also eating while preparing the food read more

Avoid the $28 scallops. Three scallops that when stacked are approximately the size of 1.25 'normal' scallops. Willoughby isn't New York City. read more

Ballantine - Sushi Bars Near Me - Willoughby, Ohio

This establishment is terrible. I have been treated very badly by the workers every time I have been here. The male workers will enter into the women's bathroom without notice and it's very creepy. I've also been touched very inappropriately by the male staff here. Will not be going back, it is not a safe place for a woman. read more

Decided on this place because my boyfriend had a good experience last time he ate here, but something must have changed...new ownership or new management?? Staff clearly did not care about their jobs. First impression, I asked that we be sat somewhere warmer but we were relocated somewhere even colder, despite the fact there were plenty of warmer tables away from the window completely open. I had to leave the table in the middle of the meal and heat up by their fireplace in the back where they had sat zero people (??) It seemed to me they cared more about showing the street they were "busy" then making people comfortable. You would think for the moderately high prices that their food, drinks, and service would reflect that quality, but unfortunately this was not the case. First was the drinks. We ordered a sidecar and a new york sour. Sidecar was the only decent thing about this meal. The New York Sour came out looking like cranberry juice and tasted strange. We asked the server what was in the drink and she said "some cabernet"...as in red wine. The cocktail only lists bulleit rye, fresh lemon, and simple syrup in the ingredients, I said. She replied "Oh, do you not like it??" As if we were from another planet. Then comes the food. We ordered the mussels and the endive salad to start. The mussels were not bad, just ok, but the salad was very disappointing. Tasted completely bland and maybe had 2 pecans on the whole thing. Leaves were very large and difficult to eat too. I'm usually a big fan of salad in any form. We split the fish of the day, sea bass, but could not believe how bland that was also. Sea bass is hard to mess up, but they managed to succeed in making it bad. It was swimming in oil and had no flavor. Sea bass is a fatty fish with buttery flavor, it doesn't need extra oil...it needs seasoning. The broccoli we got as the side lists "garlic, chilies" as it's seasoning, but the broccoli came out completely unseasoned, no flavor, no garlic or chilies. The bill was $72 and nearly everything was subpar or awful. Their menu descriptions are completely inaccurate. Do yourselves a favor and go to Willoughby Brewery right across the street instead, save yourself a terrible experience and save yourself some money at the same time. This place is not worth it. read more