Balloons Restaurant & Catering

Food was great! Service was great! I highly recommend, had the drunken ribeye it was terrific!

I had the peppercorn steak and it was wonderful. The side I picked was the garlic mash and they were even better than the steak. I was with a lot of people and everyone was happy with their food. The service was great.
The kids can get steaks for $ 10. My son accidentally threw his steak off of his plate and into the floor while try to cut it. The waiter was cool about it and replaced it. But he didn’t just replace it he soothed our 7 year old, because he was super upset.

OMG… oh my goodness!!! What a gem of a restaurant. Don’t let the location fool you. Has to be one of the best steak houses I’ve ever eaten at. And not only is the food great but the service was exceptional. A must eat when in or near near Auburn, NY.

For Auburn this is a decent choice for steak or seafood and if you like pasta you won’t believe your eyes as I witnessed bowls full of at least one pound of pasta! I would rather have a smaller portion cooked to perfection but I did not order pasta.
I ordered steak. And I did not order the right one, for me. While it was good, it was not what I expected. I ordered the tenderloin Gorgonzola. I pictured a filet with the blue cheese on top. Not the case. My filet was hacked into 3 pieces and drenched in an ugly, grey gravy. Ick. I pulled the pieces of meat out and ate them alone, the flavor was bomb.
My man always orders something better than I and this was no exception. He got the peppercorn NY Strip with a side of broiled scallops, $ 35, ouch. Delicious however.
All meals come with bagged iceberg lettuce a tradition in this area, not sure why.
The table was preset with bread so soft and under baked it turned back into dough in the mouth, another trend in this area. I WANT CRUSTY BREAD DAMMIT.
Did I mention this place was packed last night, on a Tuesday? As we left people were still pouring in– and they ALL knew each other. Balloon’s has a HUGE following.
I will go back. I will order a plain steak or that huge bone in ribeye, OMG that looked amazing.
I am also psyched I found a new bar to go to in Auburn. This bar is old skool and square, in the middle of the room, my favorite set up.

Tasty food tasty drinks friendly staff and funny patrons. Love that it’s next to the prison and looks like a dump, it keeps the dbags out!

The place is in dire need of a re-​model. It was very outdated and dark. Our waiter John was outstanding. Our meals were just okay. I had the baked scrod and hubby had a NY strip steak. Nothing to write home about. The prices were very high considering all dinners were ala carte.

Excellent steak. Nuff said.

Always great food. Never had a bad meal at Balloons. Great food, great service, friendly staff. The Rattlesnake Pasta is my favorite! The steaks are great. The specials are always really «special.»

Who would have dinner across from a maximum security prison in a place that just looks like a corner bar from the outside? If you are asking that question, don’t hold back, give it a try. Nice homey place with excellent food. Steaks are great. Service is second to none. Excellent Bar. Go for it!

Great food, great portions but ambience is lacking. I followed others advice and got the drunken ribeye. Delicious – orgasm on a plate for sure. For apps we got sweet chili calamari and East Utica Greens. So good! My first time eating greens and I gotta say I’m hooked. I boxed the rest up for tomorrow. Also ordered the turtle cheesecake but had no room in my belly. Looks awesome in the box and I’m hoping to be able to eat it tonight! Servers were top notch. The furniture, bathroom and dishes were old and chipped but the food outweighed that. Would have gave it 5 stars if tables and dishes were better.

My favorite restaurant in Auburn and one of the best places in town to have a nice meal. The Sweet Chili Calamari is a great appetizer and the Drunken Ribeye is a great steak. The Rattlesnake Pasta is also very good.

The steak is great! The service was very accommodating. The history of this place started in the 30’s and part of it used to be a barber shop. The owners grand daughter Jessica made are dessert which was ridiculously tasty. I recommend the turtle cheesecake. its across the street from the prison there where the first electric chair execution took place. sorry if that killed your appetite… Ha! i crack myself up.

How is it that I have lived in Auburn for about 4 years and I just found out about this place today!!! Fantastic menu! Prime cuts of meat, seafood, pasta, etc. This place is very quaint. I’m sure being located across from a max security state penitentiary may dissuade people from going but it shouldn’t. I recommend the druken ribeye, fantastic flavor and very, very tender. Turtle cheesecake for desert, will be getting that again! If you have the kids at the sitters or are taking someone on that second date, this place is it. The music from Frank Sinatra sets the romantic tone. Sure to be a wonderful evening.

LOVE Balloons. Great menu! Steaks are outstanding. Desserts are amazing. Fun crowd at bar while waiting for table. It make seem odd to visitors that it is located across the street from the wall of a max security prison, — it’s been there for as long as I remember, family owned — unique, warm and delicious.

You just can’t go wrong! Very extensive menu; great service and wonderful food. And the area’s most entertaining bartender.