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

My friends and I are regulars at Ballentine. We especially enjoy happy hour and craft beer night on Wednesdays. The service is great and the happy hour menu is very reasonably priced. The craft beer selection is fantastic. The wood fired pizza is a favorite. It does get crowded and a bit loud later in the evening, but we are a bit older we're gone by then. read more

We took Westside friends to Ballantine for dinner last Friday night, and they were impressed by both the restaurant and Willoughby's night time ambiance. It's unusual to find a spot that's casual enough for jeans, but serves a meal you might find in a high-end eatery, without the huge check arriving at the end of your dinner. Our server, Olivia, was attentive and friendly, which helped make our evening out a great night. We'll be back. read more

Always tremendous, the service is top notch. Management doesn't miss any details, the ambience is perfect, lively yet not overbearing, extremely clean to the point of corners, under tables, and all the places that matter are spotless. The menu selections are inspired and creative with huge investments of detail. Just awesome, highly recommend! read more

The restaraunt was nice, clean, and comfortable. The service was a bit of a let down, but I'm pretty sure it was just our waitress Natalee. The rest of the staff was on top of things and they paid more attention to us and that's the only thing that saved the 3rd star. First, we ordered drinks. I specifically asked for a lemon slice with my HefeWeizen beer (It's a German thing). Drinks came, no lemon. I asked again when we ordered an appetizer and dinner. She walked away, placed the order, then disappeared. I finally went to the bar and got the lemon myself. When she arrived with the appetizers, she saw the saucer of lemon slices and said, "Oh, good, you got some!" We started out with the crab cakes. Very tasty. Nice citrus sauce and plenty of chunky crab. For the entree we both had the seafood arrabiata. Lobster, shrimp and scallops in a spicy red pepper sauce served on linguine. Very good. Throughout the dinner, we placed the empy plates, empty glasses (hoping to get another drink) at the end of the table so it was very easy to see. She would just blow right by and never stopped to ask us if we needed anything. We had to flag her down to get service. If it wasn't for the waitress forgetting just about everything we asked for, this would have been a 4 star dinner. read more

Ballantine - Sushi Bars Near Me - Willoughby, Ohio

if i could give zero stars i would because this place is not gender neutral!!! they will let girls in with sweat shorts but not guys!!! so gender racist in this era!! it's absolutely ridiculous!! people should not have to identify as a girl or boy to be allowed in!! how are you going to let a girl who is wearing the same exact shorts to come in but not a guy!! it's absurd and they need to either need to treat people like equal or need to make girls dress up as well?? read more

Ballantine - and i was allowed in with the same sweat shorts - Sushi Bars Near Me - Willoughby, Ohio

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Nice place. The staff is great and accommodating. The food is pretty good and you get what you pay for. Can't complain.

Got a quick bite to eat with my 12 year old son. Ordered two sushi rolls which were excellent except for the two small hard lobster shell pieces in the surf and turf roll. Thankfully my son didn't choke too badly. Ordered two of the $8 Caesar salads which were much larger than side salads as we expected. I told the waitress this was way too much for us and asked to take one back. Unfortunately, I ordered it and was informed by the waitress I will still have to pay for it. Never had this type of a response from a waitress in all of my years dining and working in the business. Might want to consider customer service here. The $8 salad I took home didn't affect the tip I gave the waitress. Not sure this is how all of your customers would react though. read more

Great experience at Ballentines. Met some friends for a birthday dinner, server was exceptional. Started with lobster nachos -delish! I ordered Pad Thai, the others ordered ribeye and filet. Pad Thai was good, not fantastic, but wasn't disappointed. My friend ordered a medium rare ribeye, she thought it was too well done. Our server was extremely gracious and took the steak back, brought back a new ribeye, which my friend cut in, & declared it was too rare (eye roll). Then manager came by to check and offered to cook the steak himself, which he did. I couldn't have asked for better service and we all had a great time! I would definitely go back again - and get the lobster nacho's and a ribeye!!! read more

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First time coming here with my girlfriend and this place is phenomenal. Atmosphere is great and the decor is something different. I got a pizza and it was probably one of the best pizzas I've ever had. The salad I got was fresh and the ginger dressing was something out of this word. COME HERE AND EAT read more

Ballantine - PIZZA WOOOOOOOO - Sushi Bars Near Me - Willoughby, Ohio

I went here for a girls night out a few months ago, and it was OK. Our waitress was really good, but the place was super loud so it was hard to hear her at times. I ordered the pretzel chicken, which, in my mind, was perfect because we were gonna be drinking that night - so a good source of protein with a side of mashed potatoes. Overall, it was good, but the chicken was kind of dry - which was a turn off. The table also ordered mixed drinks, which were delicious. Later on the night, we came back for the DJ and dancing - and that was a ton of fun. read more

Ballantine - Pretzel chicken - Sushi Bars Near Me - Willoughby, Ohio

Ballantine is probably the best bar in the DTW. They will actually serve you, for one, and they have some really great things to eat and drink. The "shroom" pizza I had was very tasty. I wouldn't order that if you're planning on making out with anyone later on though, very garlicky. There are so many great beer choices here that it's actually a bit hard to choose. So you should probably try all of them. The bartenders are probably not the best. Mostly because they don't know a friggin' thing about any of the glorious beer they are serving. I think they should! I know that I got a completely different beer than the one I actually ordered at least once... but that was okay because it was good and not anything produced by Miller or Budweiser. But they get points for actually being attentive and realizing that we were there. I'm sad that I missed the whipped cream show. Bummer. Something worth noting, I noticed that they offer more than one gluten-free beer option. Really, the only bad thing about Ballantine is that as the hour grows later, the clientele gets more Jersey Shore. And the music gets worse. My sex was not on fire. So yeah, Ballantine is way cooler in the early evening and you should probably drink up before Snookie and her crew show up. read more

Ouch, definite buzz kill during my b-day festivities. After midnight this place turns into a west 6th asshole hangout. Not recommended for people who have mortgages now. I can't understand how such a classy, progressive spot devolves within an hour into a neanderthug hell hole. I know it's easy revenue, but the potential for a door shuttering violent incident is too great. Kick the damn kids out! read more

Ballantine reminds me of something that could make a go on East 4th. Instead, its located in what Stefanie C. calls DTW (which I am using from now on!). Ballantine is sophisticated and casual at the same time. Its menu is upscale pub grub (a Cleveland theme, for sure) which they have named "gastropub." To be honest, and I always am, I am not sure their menu really lives up to the gastropub category. I think the bar is set pretty high when it comes to pub grub in this town, and I don't know that Ballantine has that inventive of a menu. Their menu is still great, even if it isn't inventive. Not everything needs to be inventive. Most important thing to know: Beer. They have around 50 on tap and almost 100 on their list. Now, that is impressive. DTW is the "going out spot" for all the young folks in Lake County and surrounding areas, so the bar will fill as the night goes on. read more

So here's my update on Ballantine... After my negative review that I wrote in October, the manager (a friend of mine) sent me a message apologizing for the incident. He also mentioned that he had fired the bouncer who was acting like an ass that night. The only problem is that he didn't fire that bouncer. He continues to work at this bar, and he's still up to the same old tricks. A few weeks ago a friend of mine saw him hitting on some younger girl. My friend went up to the girl and told her that the bouncer was an asshole. Her reply was that 2 other people had already told her the same thing! He's over 40. He's got a wife and kids apparently, and that doesn't stop him. He also works at Fitworks. So be aware that he may try to solicit business from you when he should be cleaning tables and keeping the peace. Enjoy your Ballantine experience people! :) read more

Before Gordon Elliot did Doornock Dinners and Tyler Florence did Food 911 there was Sara Moulton Cooking Live and my favorite (of all time) Two Fat Ladies. They were the best. Drank, smoked during the whole show and made real food with butter and sass. This place reminds me of them, but with a Hungarian feel. Schnitzel, chicken livers and paprikash. All homemade. So heavy ya need a nap and take a huge dump after. I came here for a birthday celebration last year and loved it. Very similar to a few places in Slavic Village but way more polished. Here ya have to deal with finding parking or be a tool and valet. If it were on the West Side I would come more often. Red Chimney and Seven Roses are closer for me...and I can still buy rocks just up the block! Lónak négy a lába, mégis megbotlik. read more

Great selection of microbrews! A good mix of both East and West Coast brews from some of my favorite breweries such as Dogfish and Bell's, as well as Belgian beers. Good happy hour food menu as well including corn dogs, pizza, and mac n cheese. Probably crowded on weekends, but a great place to hang out on weeknights as well. read more

Great craft beer selection on tap! However, if you have questions about the selection, the bartenders don't seem to be the most knowledgeable. On the bright side, they are pretty to look at, so there's that. I had already eaten before stopping by, but the food looked pretty appetizing. The place has valet parking in the back along with the brewery and the other restaurants on that side of the street. read more

Ballantine is my go-to place when I want good wine, a good meal and fantastic service. And it's even a place my 17-year-old daughter loves (and she's pretty picky). My personal favorites -- the salmon, roasted brussel sprouts, the scallop appetizer over fresh corn and bacon bits (YUM!) Hubby, who makes pizza for a living, can be caught ordering their pizza and he loves it. However, I would advise against getting the bruschetta unless you're looking for a huge hunk of bread. Tuesdays are half off bottles of wine - and it's a great deal. I love sitting by the giant open windows in the summer -- almost like eating outside. Interesting fact, if you don't finish a bottle wine, you can have the wait staff cork it and you can take it home with you. I usually make a reservation on Fridays and Saturdays. Sad thing: They're not open for lunch. :( read more

I've been on a bit of a Ballatine kick this summer. I might be biased because I worked there the first couple summers when it opened but I think it's a great pick in DT Willoughby. The food is decent, but the best part is really the atmosphere and beer selection. I love the open windows that face the street. It's fun to place to have drinks with friends and split some appetizers. Try the Belgian fries. I don't usually hang out here very late so I don't know about the supposed d-bags and bad music that seem to happen after a certain hour. I guess you have to figure out if that's true for yourself....ha? read more

A Few years since our last visit, (we moved) We were not disappointed! Ambiance was pleasant, staff was friendly ( though short staffed as EVERY post covid restaurant is) meaning those who DO show up really want to work rather than sit home on unemployment. Stephanie really hustled yet never made us feel the least rushed. The food was out of this world: the wood-fired pizza was perfect, crispy but not dry; tasty. The large portion beef short ribs were magnificent, full of slow roasted beefiness, on top of just creamy enough mashed potatoes, and the candied carrots bursting with flavor and just enough sweetness. I almost couldn't eat it all! My bride's shrimp over the mushroom risotto was also text book, if not better. Again full of the mushroom flavor without overpowering the shrimp and sauce. Shrimp the way they should be, tender and sweet, not overcooked or rubbery at all, like so many other places. The funnel-cake desert was a hoot, but as good as you could find at the best county fair! read more

We've been to Ballantine several times - mostly because some friends of ours live close and always want to go there. They have an excellent beer selection, true. But for me, that's only part of the story. I feel a lot of restaurant/bars get an un-earned pass sometimes just because they have lots of beers on tap. Ok, props where props are due, but you're not automatically awesome just based on the beer. Ballantine, however, stands on its own feet. The food is pretty good, with a little something for everyone. How about grilled scallops or perhaps the sausage platter (Sconnie love) for an appetizer? They have wood-fired pizzas which are good. Aged beef cuts are Ballantine's signature and they are very good, if a bit more pricey than your average 'gastropub' fare. But they are the real deal (35 day aging, inventive flavor combintions, rubs, etc.) And they are LARGE cuts too. Good food, many many beers. Try it out if you're in the area for dinner. read more

Ballantine is a tasteful gastropub in the quaint town of Willoughby. I've stopped a couple times to try their amazing selection of micro beers. They also make an outstanding house hamburger! The service was friendly and there is ample parking on the street. A great place to stop! read more

Not the favorite if you have a peanut allergy please avoid this place. The only thing as having a nut allergy I could eat was a salad or steak read more

You get the feeling the chef at Ballantine is trying to do something a little more than the standard brewpub/burger place. On the night we went, he has made his own ketchup. The food here is good, chef is clearly reaching for something more, even if he doesn't succeed you have to admire the effort. For the record, the food was good, it all seemed to need a little tweaking, for example, homemade ketchup was a bit bland, my rib with thai style sauce had a thin sauce that fell off the ribs, so you couldn't really taste much of it. The restaurant does has a really long beer list and best of all, raspberry lambic on tap!!! as well as some other tasty brews. The restuarnat is beautiful, dark wood and open/screened windows to the street. This can be an issue if there are as many bikers at night as there sometimes are in Willoughby as it can be kind of loud. Still, it seems like a fun place, the servers wear vintage style bowling shirts and the menu changes daily. Definitely worth a return trip. read more

Decent food and hit or miss service. Definitely not a place high on my list anymore for dinner. They do have a pretty nice draft selection though! The last few times I have visited for a drink, there hasn't been a huge crowd. Starting to think it's just the general DT Willoughby area... read more

Went here on a whim with the husband and he was always bragging about this place because you can get drinks, steak and sushi all in the same place. We went and shared a steak and sushi. Both were wonderful and had an amazing meal! Our server was also very nice and accomodating. read more

Didn't order any food. Just ordered drinks with a few friends. The service was great. Ambiance was nice and I really like the style of the restaurant. I would recommend. read more

Call it my favorite watering hole just doesn't give it justice. However when you been made to feel like family over coming here for 10 years, it's like a comfortable pair of shoes. When you consider that there are 29 beers on tap oh, many of which are some pretty darn good ipas, it gets even better with the food menu. Firstly they have the best Happy hour in town. $5 burgers, sushi items, wings, well a whole bunch of things. Not pub grub, but not pretentious either. Everyone that works there is spot-on. There are a lot of great places in downtown Willoughby, but this one is my spot. read more

I wasn't there for the alcohol, but my friend had a Margarita that he enjoyed. They had a wide selection of fancy beer, that might interest some. I was a starving Gluten Free Veggie and there because it was the most interesting sounding restaurant that popped up on my Gluten Free Yelp search. Our server was polite, careful, and informative. I had their Gluten Free pasta dish. It was delicious. Penne pasta, a number of sliced veggies, including sun dried tomatoes in a tasty cream sauce. My companion had sushi that he reported was the best he'd had since leaving California. He let the server choose for him and had a happy surprise with the crab/wasabi rolls that he wouldn't have picked for himself but reported was his favorite of all the choices. Desert was a happy surprise. There were two choices in the Gluten Free category. I went with the Triple Chocolate. I was good but not fantastic. The only real disappointment of the meal was the coffee. They didn't have espresso so I went with regular coffee with cream. The cream they provided was sweetened. It tasted almost like those fake creamer that try to make your coffee taste like an Irish coffee, but only manage to make it taste strange. As others have reported it was a bit pricy, but the food was good and I find that most places that carry Gluten Free food usually are. We were there in mid-afternoon. There were TV's showing the Ohio State football game, but they were not blasting and it was easy to ignore them and carry on a conversation If you are there for the game and some pub grub, sit in the bar and I am sure you will have a good time. read more

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Really disappointed. No more pierogies, no more lobster mac. Garlic knots had no garlic. The hand held brisket with alabama bbq was more like pot roast on a bun with coleslaw. Meat did not taste like it had been seasoned with anything. Very bland. read more

You know what? We had a great dinner here. The Firecracker sushi roll was delicious, super fresh and packed with flavor. I loved it. The pierogies and sausage with caramelized onions were awesome. The wedge salad wasn't good. I like spicy food but the dressing was overly spicy for no reason and without a mention of it on the menu. My hubby doesn't do spicy, and so he didn't like it at all. Everyone else at the table ordered steaks and said they were good. Service was good. I have wanted to go here for a while and I am glad we finally went. We will definitely go back. We were still talking about it the next day. read more

Seems like all my fellow Elite's on Yelp have nailed the review on Ballantine's. I personally have been coming to Ballantine's for over 3 years off and on both for food and fun. The food itself has made some changes about 2.5 years ago and has been going pretty strong since. Their happy hour apps at that bar are well worth it, beer selection is fantastic, and even the martinis are poured appropriately if you know what I mean. As for fun, its the typical Willoughby late night crowd, 21-31 yr old booze hungry people looking for the usual late night hook-up, not really here for the ambiance, just here because it appears that 'classier' girls hang out at Ballantine's. Regardless, to each their own right!, no biggie because I'm usually closer to home by the time all this action starts so I enjoy Ballantine's for what it has to offer as a hip "gastropub" type venue between the hours of 5 and 10. Overall, I do like Willoughby, enjoy the small town feel, and love the potential for great food, but just hope that the late night partying doesn't take away from the realness of Downtown Willoughby and what all the owners take pride in. Added kudos for the 1899 pub being part of the Ballantine family. read more

After checking out the Willoughby area, we decided this place had a very nice feel to it looking from the outside and decided to check it out. It's seems like one of those gastro-pub place with good food and good beer selection. Unfortunately, the food was not up to our standard. The service was also really slow that day. We waited for about 15 minutes after we ordered for their bread to come out. And then another maybe 25 minutes for the food to come out. This is probably one of the slowest service. My boyfriend ordered their aged steak and I ordered a pesto penne. The steak was A-OK (using the Yelp word). Nothing was wrong with it but it definitely wasn't outstanding. The cost of the steak wasn't any cheaper than a nice restaurant. My pesto penne was the same - it had some good ingredients, but they did not do a good job with the sauce. A pesto sauce should not be like water. As a result, a lot of the pesto flavor didn't get into the penne, so it tasted somewhat bland. When it comes to paying, our waitress was also taking forever. I understand they're busy, but that's still quite slow for a busy restaurant. Highly doubt I'll go back again unless they have some cheap special. read more

I've been here a couple of times since it originally opened. The food's always been average, so I never really made it a 'go-to' establishment. I live close to downtown Willoughby so I pass by here all the time. I've been shocked at how crowded it is every time, so I just had to go back. It's now one of my favorite DTW restaurants! Our server, Nicole, was outstanding. She made us feel like we were the only ones in the place. I was being very picky about my beer choice, and she had no problem bringing me different samples. We started dinner off with a spicy spicy salmon roll. I'm usually a little hesitant to order sushi from a non-traditional restaurant, but this was really good. The salmon had that 'melt in your mouth' flavor and consistency. One of my dining companions ordered the rainbow roll and I couldn't get over the size of it! I will definitely be back when I have a sushi craving. Our meals were top notch. I ordered the scallops and scampi. It came on top of pork fried rice. Originally, I was sceptic of the pork fried rice being paired with shellfish. The chunks of pork in the rice tasted like they were candied. So delicious! Another person at the table ordered the bone in pork chop that was on special. I can't really tell you how it tasted because it was devoured before I could ask for a bite! I'm guessing it was good. Downtown Willoughby is becoming a hotspot for visitors. When looking for a place to dine, Ballantine is it hands down. I'm so happy that I live less than a mile from here! read more

Hours of trying to shop for living room furniture with the husband, right before we came here, had us believing one thing: we're just opposites who attract- what he hates, I love and what I hate, he loves.. This was until we tasted the pasta here- worst pasta ever. The terribleness of the pasta brought us together again lol... so I really can't be too disappointed with them after all... Ordered the "Glut"ton's pasta: pasta, Zuchini, Squash, Tomato, asparagus, Goat cheese cream, arugula-pesto drizzle...mmm.... the idea of it had me anticipating deliciousness...I mean, it's pasta, and it's goat cheese... Impossible to screw that up right? Wrong! The pasta was literally uncooked when it came. They took it back graciously when I complained and brought it back: still chewy the second time around ( didn't have the heart to send it back again...). The goat cheese sauce was average at best...To be fair they did not charge us for the pasta... and the cocktails were good. Really good. Hubby ordered Lobster stuffed Salmon ( weekly special) which was delectable as well.... Oh and the Bacon Wrapped Scallops... Amazing. Service:polite, not overtly friendly. I feel that the staff handled the Saturday night bustle really well. Ambiance: very Park Slope-y. Busy, loud, and crowded. Perfect if you are out with friends or a casual date. I wouldn't go here for a special occasion dinner. Also, they DO NOT DO LUNCH anymore. Had driven all the way here a week ago, only to find upside down chairs on tables.... read more

I really enjoyed this place and highly recommend it. On Friday night, my friend and I wanted to go to dinner close to where I live so I said "Ok. Ballantine's." (There isn't much choice in Willoughby unless you want to go to Panini's or the Willoughby Brewing Company.) The valet guy was very nice. Also, no wait, but the place was crowded. Our server (James [I EVEN REMEMBER HIS NAME, HE WAS SO GOOD]) was so helpful and, quite frankly, wonderful. I asked him if he had a certain type of beer and he said he didn't, but offered two others I would like instead. He knew his stuff. We ordered three different bruschettas for appetizers. They were taking SO LONG. My friend was getting annoyed. They finally arrived, and James and (what I can assume is the GM) arrived, apologizing for the tardiness of the apps, and offering a round on the house. They left and my friend said "you know, that makes all the difference to me! The service can be excellent but without the GM apologizing, I wouldnt give him a great tip but now, I would give that guy anything!" The bruschetta was fantastic. Yum. Then came the entrees. I had the salmon special. IT WAS SO GOOD. Like, really, really good. My friend asked how it was and I said "OMG. This is magnificent." I ate every last bite of it that I could scrape onto my fork. He got the Flippin Good Burger. I asked "how is it?" He said he would actually like more onions on it (vegetables is what he called it) and said the fries were really good. Against every fiber of his being and saying what I thought I would never hear him say: "I think you need to write a YELP review about this place. This is REALLY good." The only reason for four stars and not five is while our table was a pretty good table, it was really drafty, and we did wait a while for those apps and then to order entrees. That said, I would highly recommend James and come back to Ballantine's again. read more

My friend and I recently went to Ballantine for a quick lunch. We both had a veggie burger and asparagus. Overall the food was ok. I was honestly expecting more from what I had heard of the place. The portion size was great but I think the burger lacked a lot of flavor. A decent meal and the staff was kind, courteous and prompt. Nothing too exciting to write about. I'll probably stop back to see what else is going on in there but for the price I expected more. read more

Ballantine was on my list of places to try in this area for a long time. We decided to go for New Year's Eve. I was very excited but I heard some mixed reviews. The wait staff was very friendly. The ambiance was nice. We ordered the special for the holiday. Our first course was Artichoke Toast. It was a piece of artichoke on a crouton with "prosciutto" (pretty sure it was bologna) Ew. The salad appetizer was a head of romaine chopped in half with cherry tomatoes and little balls of mozzarella thrown on top with some sort of gross balsamic dressing. The main courses (steak and scallops) were decent but left a lot to be desired.. they also charge about $40 for a $5.99 bottle of wine. This place has a nice presentation but as far as flavor and quality goes, it's not worth it. I won't be back. read more

My family and I had a great experience here. Service was great food was awsome and l thought it was nice that dave the manager went to every table to make sure everything was ok. I will defiantly be back and I do recommend ballantine. P.S. best sushi in town read more