A month or so before our trip to France I was searching for a restaurant to have a nice meal where my wife, 3 sons, and I could eat something we've never eaten before, while not breaking the bank during a 2 week vacation. Of all the restaurants in Paris, Balzar jumped right out at me. "The Frenchies" on YouTube also had it on there list of restaurants that are tourist friendly. I knew then that I had found one of our restaurants in Paris. I went online and made reservations about a month before our visit. We would have been charged if we no showed but we had no intention of doing that. Finally it was the day to experiance Le Balzar. Our reservation was for 630pm and within a few minutes after we arrived the restaurant started filling up. Please make reservations if you want to eat here. If you don't you may be waiting to eat. The menu has many meals that I would like to try. I was undecided at the time of ordering what I wanted to eat. That hardly ever happens especially when I have months to look at the menu to decide. I went with the bone marrow with steak and frites (fries) as the main. My wife picked the eggs and mayonnaise with beef bourguignon as her main. All 3 kids picked the onion soup as their starters. One of the boys picked the Confit Canard (duck) and the other 2 went with the steak and frites. We ordered a bottle of Pinot Noir for our wine. We decided to go to Galleries Layfette for dessert after dinner since it was very close to the hotel. Le Balzar does have what looks like excellent desserts as well. The bone marrow was delicious. I have never tried it before but I thought it was great and now I want more. My wife's eggs melted in my mouth. French mayo is so much better than the mayo in the USA. It's a whole different world. All 3 kids loved the onion soup with 2 of them saying it was the best they ever had. Huge thumbs up for the steak and frites. All 3 of us who ordered that cleared our plates and were very happy. Great fries!!! My wife's beef bourguignon was incredibly tender with a great wine sauce. The duck was crisp on the outside and juicy on the inside without any gamey flavors. It was his first time eating duck and it's now on his radar to eat again. The wine was recommended by the server and was also enjoyed by everyone who drank some. The restaurant staff could not have been nicer or more professional. The restaurant is also very clean. Le Balzar has been open for almost 125 years. They must be doing something right! Make a reservation!!! I highly recommend. read more

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Recommended by a friend and so worthwhile to visit! Excellent service and excellent food! We had the Comté souffle for a starter and Caesar salad with chicken and boeuf bourguignon and all were very good! This brasserie is very nice and cozy, old chic! read more

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Stopped at Brasserie Balzar after a friend's recommendation. We did not have a reservation but they graciously got us in. Interior was light and open and most of the other customers seemed like regulars. We started with Soufflé Compte which was delivered piping hot, fresh and delicious. From there, my wife ordered Caesar salad which arrived with huge chicken breasts that were moist and tender, melt in your mouth tender. I ordered the boeuf bourguignon which was brought to the table in a cast iron skillet brimming with freshness. As soon as I tasted it, I felt I was in heaven! The beef was so tender, it melted in my mouth. Along with the pearl onions, carrots and mushrooms, it was full of robust flavor. Our waiter was excellent. Didn't rush us but was always there when we needed him. Can't recommend this place enough. 10 stars! read more

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Amazing food. We have the ratatouille and the potato gratin and they were the best we had in France. And the tarte tatin is a must try. Solid efficient service. read more

Big portions, but the food is bad. Dry roast chicken, metal flavored canned tuna on the Salad Nicoise, etc. Nice servers though. 119 year old restaurant and the food tastes like it. read more

nice of the restaurant to have accepted us with no reservations. sirloin steak was tough and hard to chew. ratatouille was really good. ambience is upmarket brasserie. read more

Brasserie Balzar - l'addition - Brasseries Near Me - Paris, 75

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You want old school, this is the spot!!! I think this place is close to 150 years old. The food is magnificent and the service, good. I highly recommend the steak with bearnaise, pretty special. I also think these mashed potatoes could be the gold standard here. Step inside on late 1800's Paris and enjoy! read more

Atmosphere: When we envisioned a french brasserie, Brasserie Balzar encapsulated our ideas of what one would look like. Brasserie Balzar is a bit on the formal end, and the restaurant gives a slight elegant feel. The restaurant faced the street, and we enjoyed hearing the pitter pattering of rain and occasional cars that passed by at dinnertime. Service: Our server was friendly and gave us good wine recommendations to pair with the beef Bourguignon. We were served at a reasonable time, though it took a bit to receive the check at the end. Food: We ordered the Mixed Balzar plank for the table, which consisted of charcuterie and 2 types of cheese. It also came with some delicious cornichon pickles! The board was good overall, but we would've wanted more variety, especially with the cheeses. For our meal, we shared a Starter + Main Course + Dessert set among 2 people. We ordered the onion soup as our starter. It was very flavorful, but there was a little too much cheese for our liking as there was still a large clump of cheese by the time we finished the soup. Our main course was the Traditional Beef Bourguignon with Tagliatelle, which was scooped and mixed from the roasting pot to our plate right in front of us. The beef was tender, and the red wine sauce was rich, flavorful, and coated the pasta well. We ordered a Bourgogne rouge wine per the recommendation of our waiter, which has instantly become our favorite wine we've had to date. For dessert, we ordered the ice cream and sorbet thinking that we would receive 3 flavors (as the menu stated "choice of 3 flavors"), but potentially due to a language barrier, we only received one flavor, which was the lemon sorbet. It was still great, with the tartness perfectly finishing off our meal. Overall: We enjoyed our experience at Brasserie Balzar. The food was great but besides the wine and beef bourguignon, a bit more was desired from each of the other dishes. We would come back to try other options at Brasserie Balzar in the future. read more

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Excellent all around! Great unobtrusive service and top quality food! I couldn't have enjoyed the evening more.

When we are in Paris this is one of our favorites! The waiters are friendly and ready to please. The room is cozy and is shared with Parisians and tourists. The menu is varied including French classics and very reasonable. We have been going for thirty years and it doesn't disappoint! read more

Nice and Easy in the 5th. Brasserie Balzar is a nice intimate brasserie. Simple comfort food, friendly, English speaking and accommodating staff. This is not one of the huge, over the top art deco institutions like Le Coupole, which I think may be the reason why some Americans downgrade this place, not understanding what it is -- a nice neighborhood joint. My wife and I shared the bone marrow -- perfectly cooked, followed by steak frites. My wife the entrecote (rib eye) with matre'd butter; me the faux filet (New York) and pepper sauce. As it turned out my steak was a little under-cooked. Not a problem, our server happily had it grilled for a couple minutes to perfectly medium rare, "a point." Great frites and sauces. A nice inexpensive bottle of Cote de Rhone and we were set. For desert? We split the profiteroles. Well, not exactly split. I got two of the three luscious, chocolate en-robed orbs of delight. Ouais! read more

Great little brasserie. Delicious food! Great atMosphere and our waiter was lovely. Enjoyed our time

This was possibly the worst meal I had during my trip to Paris. We needed to eat an early dinner prior to a night tour and this was one of the few places in the area that was open prior to 7pm. I ordered the Chateaubriand (which came with french fries). The fries were great, but the Chateaubriand was tough and possibly the worst cut of meat I've ever experienced. The other guest had the Grilled Entrecote Steak (came with fries also). The steak could not be chewed at all! It was full of fat and gristle. This meal was so bad that we paid and left the food on the plate. Lesson learned...wait until after 7pm for a decent dinner meal in Paris. read more

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ate lunch here on Christmas Day and let me tell you it was the most memorable & fun experience ever! our waitress was 10/10. order anything it's all delicious. read more

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A wonderful French brasserie established in 1886, Brasserie Balzar offers French classics and delicious wines. The setting makes your feel like you are in someone's home. Peals of laughter echo in the dining room. Simple red linen. Gracious hosts. Eating with strangers that we've met one hour ago. We met another couple when both Yelp and Trip Advisor falsely informed us that Le Bistro de Perigord was open. Resolutely, we were informed we could not imbibe. So the head waiter of Perigord recommended Brasserie and all four of us set off and chatted along the way. We sat down and talked about politics, our homes, French culture, Tesla, and fashion. My hubby and I ordered: calf liver, escargots and roasted duck. And two bottles of wine: Pascal Jolivet Pouilly-Fume 2014 and Cotes du Rhone 2011. My calf liver was perfectly cooked. Perfectly seasoned and seared, it looked nothing like liver and tasted like a seated buttery liver. It was wonderful. Our companion said he doesn't usually order liver but that was the best liver he has ever had. The escargot was buttery, garlicky and parslied. So good. Kwai's duck was perfectly seared, very flavorful. Solid dish. I know I've been saying that France had some of the best wine and French food I've ever had, and its true. I thought living in New York gave me the best of everything but apparently, I was missing out. Apparently France only exports 50% of their wine to other countries. And what I've been drinking in New York was not the best of French wine. The wine was unbelievable. The Cotes Rhone was a full body beautiful buttery red. The Pascal Jolivet Pouilly-Fume 2014 was a perfect light, crisp, flavorful white. The meal was wonderful and we stayed until closing time. Thankfully, the other diners were too busy drinking and laughing to leave. read more

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Excellent very professional service & delicious food! The beef was tender and flavorful. read more

I was quite disappointed. As a solo woman traveler I was not given a warm welcome and then I was seated next to the door so a blast of cold December air hit me at frequent intervals. The service was inattentive. I ordered lamb medium rare and it was overcooked with a thick sauce. Reminiscent of a school lunch meal. I've had so much delicious roast lamb in my life but the lamb here was tough and the delicate flavor drowned in the gloppy gravy. I also noted that all the other tables got an amuse bouche but I did not. I don't know why. Not a good experience. read more

I must say that arriving to Paris was exciting because I was excited for the food adventures we were about to take on. Our hotel recommended this restaurant to us although we told them we wanted to go to "Frenchie's". This was right around the corner, and although the person had never heard of "Frenchie's", he assured us that this would be better. My husband started off with the French onion soup, because when in France....It was actually pretty good. Even I had it, and I don't like soup, and am slowly being an adult about eating onions. Entrees came out. I got steak and mashed potatoes and my sister in law got chicken and fries. The food was truly under whelming. My husband had the sauerkraut plate, which I give him a lot of credit for eating and my brother in law had the duck pate, which he did not seem happy with. We were so unsatisfied and regretful of eating here. We skipped dessert. I felt sort of cheated. We had 1 1/2 days in France and we just wasted a food experience at this restaurant. I kind of feel like our hotel may own this restaurant and that is the reason for sending us there. read more

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Food was absolutely delicious. Thanks to a tip on Yelp if you make reservations ahead of time on La Fourchette then you could get an extra 30% off your meal. Would recommend the wine, French onion soup, and scallops. Be careful when ordering 'medium rare' beef/steak as there can be some confusion with the English/French. read more

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It is one of the oldest brasseries in paris food: good food but nothing special. reasonable for swiss prices but a little bit pricy for france. service: we had a waiter that always made jokes. its fun but when i go to a restaurant i more likely want to have a waiter that understands / fulfills my wishes and is professional and not makeing jokes about it. but taste is different. atmosphere: nothing special. the waiters dressed well and the table was made pretty well. read more

Brasserie Balzar - Chateaubriand with Sauce Bernaise (around €38.-) - Brasseries Near Me - Paris, 75

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An excellent brasserie! Wonderful wait staff. Menus in French and English. Had melon and port, the fish of the day, the profiterole dessert. It's a beautiful atmosphere with crisp white tablecloths and napkins. I'm a food lover and this has been my favorite brassiere in the Latin quarter for twenty years. read more

Such a wonderful classic restaurant. I ate there three times during one week in Paris. Why so many times when Paris has so many wonderful restaurants? The food was authentic, beautifully prepared and plated and the service was excellant. This restaurant has been in business since the 1920's and they know what they are doing. Particularly enjoyed their daily specials. The second time I was there, I realized I was the only American there and I knew I had stumbled on the perfect place to indulge in French cuisine during my stay. I love it when a business is confident enough to stay true to its identity and takes pride in doing what they do well. read more

This is a lovely brasserie near the Sorbonne. My first impression was that this could be a place that intimidates non-regulars, but I saw that once we ignored those thoughts and just got on with it, we had a very pleasant experience. I went in specifically wanting to try an old school classic. The waiter spoke: english, spanish, "whatever you want", and he provided good service with a smile. I asked him for a wine suggestion, and he couldn't have been more helpful, even giving us a few choices and diplomatically allowing us to choose based on price (if we so desired), deftly handling the fear customers in that situation have about being steered towards the more expensive choice. The meal I selected was beef in broth, with the bone. The condiments included cornichons, mustard, and sea salt. The bone had the marrow in it, which you could dig out and eat if you so desired. It was heavenly. As I worked my way through the dish, I realized I was mesmerized and lost in the experience. This brasserie was reportedly a regular haunt of the fin de siècle crowd. It's easy to visualize this being the case. Next time I'd like to try and get a table on the terrace facing the street, even though eating at Paris cafes and brasseries is often more about the sideways glance to watch your fellow diners, more so than viewing the passing traffic. It was a very enjoyable experience. read more

J'adore. There you go. This is officially a French Yelp review. I came here on a Saturday night with my brother, also known around these parts as my borther. We rolled in at 11:20, also known around these parts as 23:20. It was somewhat late but that's how they roll here. Turns out, the restaurant closes at 11:30, but it was quite full when we got there so there were no signs of ill will when we asked for a table. At least no more than you normally get as an American in Paris. We had a table against the wall - the kind that they trap you into by pulling out the table just so you can sit. Luckily I have an adequate bladder. This meal was a mission. Escargots. Foie Gras. Yellow Chicken. Two things I couldn't leave Paris without having, and one thing that you can get just about anywhere. My brother had some salmon tournedos. Watch out! Flying fish! The escargots were great, even though we got six when I ordered twelve. The foie gras was exactly what you'd expect. Meat butter. Holler. Along with dinner, we had a bottle of Rose. Because we're men like that. Everything was great. When the bill came, the head server saw me playing with my Nike+ FuelBand and asked if he could try it on. Then somehow he put it into reset mode. No, dude! Stop that! He had a mustache that wouldn't quit. read more

Old school Parisian Bistro. I guess it's more of an experience...coz i was certainly not too impressed with the food itself. Several sites/blogs touted Balzar as THE place to dine. We wanted to check out the Sorbonne/St Germain area, so we picked a restaurant that was in the area. My lamb chops were OK. I asked for them to be done Medium Rare, but they were definitely medium. I'm pretty sure they had no real regard for my request...coz you know, the French know best. Eh. The escargots were good, but not anything i couldn't get in any good restaurant anywhere in the world (i've had better escargots @ a Japanese-Italian fusion chain restaurant in S'pore. no joke) The servers were theatrical, somewhat fun (but odd) and the food was overpriced. If you were starving and this was the only place opened....it ain't bad. Otherwise, skip it and keep looking read more

First night in Paris. Long day, saw this inviting place and decided to give it a chance. Our meal was delicious! We had the French onion soup and it was very good! The flavors blended as the hot soup cooled for eating. I had the Chateaubriand and Gordon had Duck! Perfect! Our waiter, Norman, was FABulous and made our night special!! Watched the locals and felt fully engaged with the City of Lights!! Come here to enjoy Paris! read more

The perfect place for a true Parisian experience. Surrounded by locals, we knew we had come to the right restaurant for our first dinner in Paris. We ordered a bottle of Sancerre, the French Onion Soup (which was as good as you should expect...being in the land of its namesake, after all) and the Chicken entree. Perhaps we should have been more adventurous, but after a long day of traveling, we both sought comfort food. And comforted we were. More than anything, the atmosphere is a reason to go. I loved the service, the ambiance, the menu. Simply lovely. read more

Enjoyed this place as our 1st dinner in Paris. Food and service were great! My boyfriend got their day special of the veal and I got their rump steak. It was cooked to perfection. Along with our plates came some rice pilaf (with the veal) and some scalloped potatoes for the rump steak. We did not leave anything behind. My boyfriend also enjoyed their Dijon mustard on bread. It was the most spicy thing he has ate since we got here. read more

Brasserie Balzar - Rump steak medium rare and scalloped potatoes - Brasseries Near Me - Paris, 75

We arrived here at 10PM for dinner not-so-fresh after an 10 hour flight from San Francisco. After dropping our bags at the nearby hotel, the concierge directed us here for a quick dinner. My steak au poivre was rubbery and drowning in what appeared to be gravy. Easily the worst steak au poivre I've ever had. The service was disinterested, at best, and contemptuous, at worst. To top it all off, it was exceptionally expensive with a steak, salad, soup and half-bottle of wine costing over 100€. Every other brasserie we visited on the trip was spectacular in comparison. read more

Only had a petit dejeuner as it was €8.50 and thoroughly enjoyed it. Best coffee we had had so far in Paris on our 6th day the bread and jam hit the spot on a cold December morning. Also good orange juice (I'm picky about my juice.) The covered patio kept us warm while still being able to people watch in the Latin Quarter. Wish I would have found this place sooner! read more

Brasserie Balzar - 8.50€ for petit dejeuner and a covered patio from which to people watch. Perfect! - Brasseries Near Me - Paris, 75

It was a very nice dinner but.... I wanted the roast chicken , it wasn't on the menu. The foie gras used to come with a glass of Sauterne wine. Too many young waiters. Boy I'm getting old! read more

Brasserie Balzar - Brasseries Near Me - Paris, 75

We were very disappointed by the food the services. We were 6 people for dinner. Each of our dinner came 15 mins apart. The service was terrible we had to asked for our sides orders 3 times. Even thought the restaurant was not full. The only thing that was good was the chocolat cakes. I wouldn't recommended. read more

This is a classic brasserie that I actually heard about via Goop of all places. Perhaps because G.P. vouched for it, my expectations were a little high. The decor is classic with seats packed very tightly together. I found the staff to be very friendly and attentive, For my meal I had the skate wing with potatoes. The skate wing was cooked very well and had good flavor but there were a ton of bones in it, which took away from the dish a bit. While I don't think I would visit again, if you are in the 5th and wanting some classic fare, it could be worth checking out, read more

Old skool french brasserie at its best. If you're looking for classics in the 5th. A little on the pricey side, but you're paying mostly for reputation. Found the place a little too bright. Had the stuffed pigs feet. Was hoping to be served a whole pig's feet, but was served only the meat fried, but still very good! read more

It had been a few years since I got to return to Paris. After getting off the train from Munich, my grandparents picked my wife and I up and this was the first place they took us. My Grandfather has been a regular there for years, even has some sort of membership/rewards card. We arrived at noon and although there were only one or two diners, during the course of our meal, the place really started to fill up with regulars. Lunch started with a celebratory glass of champagne then moved on to a bottle of wine. We all settled on the classic steak tartare which I was informed was freshly ground to order. This was absolutely, the most amazing meal of my entire time in europe for the week. The capers really set off the tanginess and contrast to the buttery smooth beef. The fries were spectacular and groved in the middle perfect for scooping the steak. We were stuffed after the tartare and my grandfather being the frenchmen that he is, insisted on deserts and coffee. He suggested we try the baba au rhum which was a type of bread pudding where they bring out a bottle of liquor style rum and you help yourself to as much or as little as you want. From the food, to the service and the local feel, needless to say, I can't wait to return on my next trip and enjoy another fantastic meal with my grandparents. read more

Brasserie Balzar - Amazing Steak tartare. - Brasseries Near Me - Paris, 75

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I had a wonderful dinner here with my wife and son. We sat for almost three hours and enjoyed escargot, Chateaubriand, yellow chicken, sole, and a variety of desserts topped off with a Gevrey Chambertin red burgundy. Everything was perfectly prepared and served with appropriate French dignity and disdain for my lack of french speaking. This is a very classic, pricey French restaurant experience. read more

Traditional and semi formal but not stuffy. Get the au poivre-AMAZING sauce as only Paris can do! Immaculate service and thoroughly enjoyable meal. Be prepared to enjoy and spend 50E each. read more

Not in the trend with most Parisian places that Brasserie Balzar has a good service and food. Special menu for kids for affordable price, nice atmosphere. Food is amazing, beef tartar is a masterpiece! read more

The service was great and while the onion soup was better than most, there was something about the ambiance that left me at 3 stars. You can hear the loud clamoring from the kitchen, the decor is old and drab, there is construction on the exterior. Everything is over priced. Seems like a place taking advantage of their fame to stay sub par. read more

My favorite Paris restaurant...My wife and I recently stayed 6 nights in Paris. Balzar was the restaurant highlight of our trip. I got hooked on their green salad and the half chicken w/green beans (despite the fries being great) and Profiteroles glacées for dessert. I dabbled w/the steak frites but returned to the chicken. Ended up having 4 meals there because it was just such a wonderful experience. The food was fantastic. The welcome from Gabby was always gracious. The service provided by both Norman and Phillippe was professional and warm. I thought the prices represented a great value. I wish Balzar was 2 blocks from my house. I'd be there 4x/week. read more