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    Balvanera

    4.5 (220 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 2:30 pm, 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM
    Updated 3 months ago

    Balvanera Photos

    BALVANERA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Trendy
    Classy
    Upscale

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    Recommended Reviews - Balvanera

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    Brianna G.

    Love the ambience here. The service was also great you can tell that they truly want to take care of their customers. We also all got steaks and they were cooked exactly how we like them! Definitely a yummy spot

    Papas Fritas  Pollo
    Julia H.

    Always an amazing time at Balvanera!! We went recently as a larger group for a birthday. They are incredibly accommodating, kind and quick with service. Every time I visit the food is incredible!! Notable favorite are the octopus, empanadas and that CHICKENNN is literally one of the most amazing things I have ever eaten in my life!!! Espresso martinis are one of my favorite in all of Pittsburgh as well. Overall a truly incredible spot and one of my favorites in Pittsburgh for a nice occasion or celebration

    view of the dining area from the bar
    Courtney W.

    We just came to sit at the bar and have a couple drinks and they were delicious! The bartender was able to customize a drink for my mom based off of her taste preferences. Although we didn't get food this time, what other people got looked amazing, so we will definitely be back! The overall ambiance was elevated and natural, with a very sophisticated vibe. The bar was a little more casual if that's what you're looking for. Overall, great experience!

    Papas Fritas
    Stuart H.

    Romantic, modern, classy vibe with delicious Argentinian small plates and incredibly attentive staff! We were out on a double date with friends with a reservation for Balvanera after a show! As soon as you pull up to the restaurant, you know you are in for a treat... across from The Terminal, the brick building with black framed windows and a gorgeous elevated sidewalk patio invites you in to your dining experience! The homage to the existing building with the exposed steel beams and the modern touches of wood, greenery, and pops of color... the dining area is stunning! Most of the patrons dress to fit the experience and the menu doesn't seem to attract families with young kids, so date night feels elegant in all regards. We lucked out with a booth seat in the corner, but the setting sun did cause the room to be quite hot.. even with the windows shaded. The food was divine!!! You may not know exactly what you are ordering.. unless you are well versed in Argentinian dishes... but you won't be disappointed with the amazing flavor combinations, obviously fresh curated ingredients, and the excellent care in plating. We wanted to try a lot of the options, so we ordered small plates... and even a steak... to share! The waiter allowed us to pick the pairings and order at which the food would arrive - which is rare but fantastic as you can curate your own dinner journey! Let me take you on it with me... - Boquerones - a divine first bite of fresh lemon, zesty tomato, and an almost undetectable but pop of saltiness from the white anchovies. Don't chicken out!!! Even the waiter said that this is the best bite on the menu! - Arancini de Coliflor - perfectly crisped balls with a tart finish of the quince puree - Empanadas de Carne - flaky dough with a pool of juicy beef and flavorful seasoning. - Empanadas de Humita - succulent corn and vegetables again with the flaky dough coated in poppy seeds - Salchicha Parrillera - flavorful and perfectly spiced with a sweet blend of peppers - Harlow's Caesar - freshhhhh lettuce toasted and coated in both the dressing and cheese - Papas Fritas - even the French fries ooze excellence, clearly fresh made and hot when they arrive to the table - Angosto Carnes from the Grill - the chef offers to slice your steak for you... and it was the perfect option for sharing! Cooked to a perfect medium well and seasoned to allow you to enjoy the flavor of the beef... paired with two fresh chimi and salsa that are such delicious flavors too! One of the best steaks that I have ever had!! - Zanahorias - a wonderful transitional plate with the inherent sweetness of the roasted carrots and oranges with a palate cleansing crème fraiche The wine here is a unique selection with tons of delightful options. I soooo wanted to try an Orange Wine, but we dipped a glass of the Malbec and the Mendoza Blend. Both drier, but still with smooth taste and an element of sweet. Perfect pairs to the culinary cabaret! With such a feast, a dessert menu seemed impossible, but the decadence and creative persuaded us to continue! - Bruleed Basque Cheesecake - the crisp burnt topping with the soft fluffy cheesecake. This is a MUST!! Group sharing makes dessert simpler, but you almost want your own piece with the surprising quince sauce too! - Tarta de Chocolate - cooling to the palate and a balance of richness and sweet, the roasted hazelnuts and malted whip add subtle salt and sweet to balance this dessert perfectly To top it off, they treat you with a mini alfajores with the bill. The shortbread and dulce de leche filling are a nice ending to an already extravagant meal! Make a reservation! Get fancy! Bring some friends! Enjoy a culinary self curated tour of Argentinian elegance!

    Chorizo Criollo * pork sausage, roasted red pepper
    Karen H.

    I miss Argentina so much and I'm glad we have Balvanera in the Strip District to remind me of a country I love! The space inside is pretty large with multiple tables, booths, and a sizable bar area. The service here is impeccable with the lovely staff clearing off our used plates between courses. We ordered a good variety of dishes to share and my favorites were the empanadas, the provoleta (which sold out and we luckily got the last one!), the ribeye, and the almendrado dessert. Pro tip: they don't have pisco sours on the drink menu but you can ask them to make you one!

    Beets

    Great atmosphere (though loud indoors) and terrific service from Alexa. Food was solid, though not as memorable as we expected. Neglected to take photos of our favorite items (‍) the empanadas and beef tartare. The steak, while a flashy presentation, was a steak. And the chicken (which several reviewers raved about) was a breaded chicken with a nice sauce on the side. Think this is a better restaurant for a group since you might want to order a variety of things, difficult to order if you're only two.

    Vinnie R.

    Balvanera wow. I enjoyed every moment of this experience. This restaurant in the Strip District provided such a great dining experience from start to finish. I ended up going on my own and sat at the bar, which I actually really liked. The service was great and I felt comfortable the whole time. The inside is really beautiful. There are large windows that let in a lot of natural light during the day and the lighting inside at night gives it a warm, cozy feel. It feels upscale but still comfortable. Depending on the time you go it can get a little loud, but it still works perfectly whether you are going for a romantic dinner, meeting friends, or even going with family. For food, I had the Caesar salad, the carrots, a steak, and mashed potatoes. I enjoyed every single bite. The steak was cooked perfectly. I ordered it medium and it came out exactly how I wanted it. It was soft, high quality, and full of flavor. You can tell they use good cuts of meat. The sides were just as good and everything felt well put together. Overall I had such a great experience and I would definitely come back again. This is a really nice spot in the Strip District if you want a good meal and a great atmosphere.

    Argentinean Filet (10oz)
    Paige B.

    Most tender steak that ive have in a long time. It was also cooked PERFECT at medium rare!!!!! We started our dinner off with the Octopus Small Plate (Pulpa de Playo) which was paired with some greens and olive mixture that was very tasty and the octopus wasnt over cooked. Then we ordered our meal and decided on the Argentinean Filets. They were amazing! To go with our steak we ordered the Ceasar (which is big enough for 2-3 people), the Mushrooms (Setas Salteadas), and the Pure de Papas which was very creamy mashed potatoes with olive oil. There was only one thing I didn't like from the assortment and only because it had too much salt in my opinion and that was the Ceasar Salad. The anchovies made it too salty but I did add pepper to it and that made it all better. After dinner we got an Espresso Martini (super strong and delicious) and the Dulce De Leche Flan as well as the Almendrado which was homemade vanilla icecream with an almond brittle and it was by far the best dessert I have tasted in a LONG time that was gluten free from a restaurant. The service was also very friendly and attentive and our server was very knowledgeable on the menu and was good at offering option for us since we are gluten free. I really enjoyed the restaurant and the atmosphere and will most definitely be back!

    Glass of red and romera spritz
    Jayme B.

    I finally tried Balvanera's brunch and it did not disappoint! I made a reservation on Open Table for a Sunday morning. We were greeted and seated right away. The brunch menu consists of a variety of different items such as sweets, small plates (platitos), brunch items, sausages (embutidos), steaks (carnes), sides (guarniciones) and brunch cocktails. We started with Harlow's Caesar (of course! lol) my friend ordered the huevos florentinos which is their take on eggs Benedict. I ordered the huevos a caballo which is their take on steak and eggs. Everything we tried was delicious as usual. Our server was also great - attentive but not overly. The space is gorgeous and the natural light helps to make it feel more magical.

    Skirt Steak
    Craig S.

    We now have been frequenting for brunch. Balvanera is now one of our favorite locations in the Strip District. The Clasico is my favorite and my wife love the Ensalada Nicoise (tuna). Ask for River or Madi! Their service is top level. Solid choice of beverage, Cosmosa! Cheers, thanks, and enjoy!!

    Jamon Iberico was amazing.
    Nancy C.

    We come to Balvanera for special occasions and love every bite. The service is also top notch and it's a really classy place. Now to the most important part, the food. We like to get a couple different things to try and share. We love the complementary bruschetta. We always get the jamon iberico which is amazing since it's aged for three years. Last time, we had the chorizo especial which was very good. The waiter sold us on the salchicha was so much more flavorful. We really enjoy the Acosto steak from Argentina. Nothing like a good steak from Argentina. Best in the world. The super whipped buttery potatoes are the stuff made of dreams. Soooooo good. If you love meat like I do, you have to try it. You'll love it.

    Rocio C G.

    Let's start with the fact that they sat my family of 6 down at 9:10pm which, I hate doing this to restaurants but we had a long day and were starving. This was our first night in Pitt and we had no idea if the food was going to be good. Let me tell you, it was one of the best dining experiences ever! The staff was so welcoming regardless of the time and were so accomodating. We ordered the empanadas de carne, arancini, setas salteadas, salchicha parrillera and jamon iberico to start. Everything was so well seasoned and spectacular. We then ordered the lomo, entraña, langosto and lubina- the steaks were some of the most tender i've ever tasted. So well seasoned and just WOW! We then finished with the pistachio ice cream, delish! Seriously couldn't recommend this place more, 5+++ stars! The food was so good we didnt even take pictures of it

    Boquerones
    Holly H.

    Across from the terminal in the strip district. This restaurant has a delicate elegance to its woods marble lighting. The staff was attentive service at times too good. The assistant staff a little bit too eager to clear the table. The food was different. It was delicious. First time trying octopus and I will probably have it again The steak, a tad bit overdone my request to medium. But I must say it was delicious. There were four of us sharing numerous small plates the beats excellent, the lamb sausage wow, and the blood sausage was different than what I'm used to. And yes, I would order all of these again. The biggest surprise was a sweet potato ice cream highly suggested. Our waitress was Whitney very beautiful woman answered all our questions and quite attentive to our needs

    Setas salteadas. Absolutely a must for a mushroom fan

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    Balvanera Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Balvanera

    Do they have gluten-free options on the menu?

    The first thing our waiter asked was if anyone had allergies or dietary restrictions. Although not denoted on the menu, the staff is very knowledgeable and guide you to the… 

    To they take walk ins?

    Yes! While we recommend making a reservation - especially for busy weekends - we do take walk-ins for our dining room, full-service dining at the bar and in our bodega area on a first come first served basis.

    Where can one find the current brunch menu?

    Hi Ellen! Thanks for inquiring. Our brunch menu is available on the BALVANERA website here: https://www.balvanerarestaurants.com/location/balvanera-pittsburgh/#brunch-pittsburgh

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    Most artist, they present are new with a small fan base…read more Similar to the improv. I don't mind the small plates of appetizer type portions. I love the intimate concert vibe. Up close to an artist they may need that audience to feel comfortable with performing.

    Avoid this restaurant. They make mistakes constantly on togo orders…read more On day one, I had ordered a bread pudding and paying for it. After waiting 30 minutes for it, they decide to come out and tell me that they are out of bread pudding. It would've been beneficial to know that prior to paying, however, they did not even offer a refund. Instead, they told me they would give me a tiramisu instead. On day two, I placed an order for a salad with a chicken skewer upcharge. Upon getting my order and opening the container, I saw that the skewer was not in there despite being charged $10 for it. The other items here at the restaurant were not good, and I do not recommend this as they don't want to make good quality food. Lobster ravioli is pretty dry and tough to chew. Tiramisu is missing that earthy coffee flavor. Chicken caprese says that it comes with fresh mozzarella, however, they only gave us small circle of cheese on one side of the sandwich (covers about 1/4 of the sandwich). Do not get the truffle fries, they are the exact same taste as the normal fries. Last, the crab and shrimp dip is highly inconsistent. The first day, it was good and actually had pieces of shrimp. The second day, zero shrimp. In the end, this restaurant has several deficiencies that they do not seem willing to resolve.

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    Ritual House

    Ritual House

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    If you wver want a quick lunch, with no reservation for a party of 5, please RUN to Ritual House…read more Lets chat about it. Ritual House is located in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh. I had to travel there for work. Lunch wasnt provided for us that day so we took matters into our own hands, Lol. Ritual House staff was extremely friendly and we joined the 5-10 minute wait list because we didnt have a reservation. We were seated within minutes. Our waiter was a young man who didnt miss a beat. We were greeted by him and he immediately took our deink orders. I opt for a ginger ale. For my lunch, I ordered the GREEK PANZANELLA with grilled chicken- garlic croutons, feta, cucumbers, olives, red onion, roasted heirloom tomatoes, red wine vinaigrette. $18. The chicken was tender and the salad was so good. I can see myself coming back here for sure. Check out these photos.

    Okay, this place is so over-hyped. It's all style and no substance, as Paul Hollywood would say…read more The cocktails were good, I'll give them that. But the food and experience seemed like they prioritized the Instagrammability over actual quality. The bruleed oranges were... basically just cooked oranges. Burrata nothing to write home about. My miso black cod, it was almost like they ran out of whatever sauce they normally put on it and instead just drizzled teriyaki sauce from their salmon entree. I'm not exaggerating. Two others at our table ordered the same and were underwhelmed. Honestly, look at my photo in this review and tell me what on that plate is "black miso"??! The cookie table had some decent cookies (I can make better at home). The tiramisu was DRY (you're supposed to soak the ladyfingers!) and among the worst I've had. One plus I'll give them was that the strawberry salad was very interesting visually and quite tasty, though it needed about 4x more of the pretzel mixture to balance. This must be a birthday attraction too, because they were bringing out a dessert with cotton candy and a literal firework about every five minutes and it was so distracting and embarrassing. Cannot recommend coming here unless it's maybe for dessert and cocktails. It's just not worth the money.

    Photos
    Upstairs dining area
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    Salad with Salmon
    Salad with Salmon
    Martini Tree $30 - mix and match three martinis, we got a Beanitini and two Lavender Lemon Drops

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    Martini Tree $30 - mix and match three martinis, we got a Beanitini and two Lavender Lemon Drops

    Balvanera - argentine - Updated August 2026

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