Balzem

Good food, solid service, good wine selection.
Good for dinner.
Kabobs were solid.

This place is as tasty as it is cute AND they have a great wine selection. From $ 9 a glass and up this is a fantastic place to grab a glass of wine and the staff is super friendly.
Plus — everything on the menu that contains gluten is marked with a little star so everything without is GLUTEN FREE! WOO (including the french fries which are excellent).
Both times I went I got lucky and was seated in the front window table which is so nice to sit and watch people walk by. This place is actually laid out kind of perfect with small 2 person tables perfect for intimate dates, a long table for larger groups, round tops and bar seating for those who like to mingle with others. Into it.

Cozy place –lovely atmosphere! Casual ambiance very chill very cool. The food was delicious and the service fantastic. The boys were nice and friendly! Would definitely go again!

Do Not order the lamb chops. Everything else was tasty.
I grabbed dinner here with a friend who was visiting from out of town and we chose a few plates to share.
We initially chose two small plates and one main, but the waiter recommended a 3^rd small dish. The portions are generous and it was more than we needed, despite barely eating the lamb.
We started with the Burrata (which was tasty), Octopus (good) and truffle Mac and cheese (delicious).
The lamb chops unfortunately tasted like dirt — the actual flavor of dirt (like when greens are not thoroughly washed). Maybe it’s something of the seasoning, because all 4 chops had the flavor. Whatever it was, made for the worst lamb I’ve ever had. And I order lamb all the time anywhere I eat.
The lamb came with a tasty potato gratin, which we did finish.
If we were in some small town somewhere, I’d probably give this place a second try, since the other dishes were tasty. But in NYC, I just can’t recommend this restaurant.

Walked in on a Saturday night around 6 pm without a reservation and the host sat us immediately. The restaurant was dimly lit and I love the music that was playing in the background. We ordered the grilled octopus served on arugula salad and it was amazingly delicious. Highly recommended. The hostess recommended the Manti, Turkish beef dumplings and in my opinion it tasted gamey to me. I would opt out on it. For our entrée, we had the mushroom and truffle oil flat bread and I give it 5 stars. I find it cute when the check came and the receipt was in a box that says, «Enjoy the little things in life, for someday you will realize they were the big things.» I live around the neighborhood and I would definitely return.

Last time I had wine here with some friends, it was a great experience. The staff was knowledgable about their selections, as we gave them grape varietal, they gave us fantastic recommendations. The pita bread with their in house hummus was also a good finish with the wine.
The atmosphere was low-​key, and accordingly lit. The vibes were overall good, as I am looking forward to coming back here.

Outstanding Mediterranean /​Greek/​North African cuisine. Most of the servers are Francophones which was a nice change of pace for me and the plates were outstanding. Octopus, soups and the Greek Esque salad were totally on point

I really enjoyed brunch at Balzem, an adorable tapas place in Nolita! There was no wait and the staff was incredibly sweet. I found the food to be solid and reasonably priced. Here are some favorites:
1) Artichoke dip– So delicious! Comes with chunks of artichoke and shrimp. Get this!
2) Hummus– Freshly made and packed with spices! They also refill on pita bread if you need
3) Lamb chops with potato gratin– Although small, it was nicely done. I really liked the creaminess of the gratin.
Come for lunch (12−2pm) for $ 12 special where you can get a sandwich & soup or salad & soup

This was a great find. We were in the area for another restaurant but were not interested in the evenings menu. Out came the Unilocal app. A big «A» on the window is all I needed once I found out it was a mediterranean tapas bar. Stick to ordering tapas. The portions are large enough to share and there were no disappointments. A few people in our party ordered the shrimp carnival. Next time we will order just one for the table and share. Should have listened to the waiter!!! My kids were happy with the steak frites. I had the best humus ever and that’s impressive since my kitchen is a humus factory on the weekends. I need their recipe. A unique table favorite was the Turkish meat dumplings. We didn’t have dessert… how could we? Rice to Riches is right around the corner.

Cute little Mediterranean place in Nolita. We came for brunch and had a blast! Beer, wine and mimosas only, but it’s enough to keep you happy. Food was great, the sharing plates at lunch were a bit limited, but there were some good options to share with the group.

I had such a good time at Balzem. I love the atmosphere, the service was friendly and the food was good. They had choices of 2 wines for happy hour and both were light n crisp. I was there for a while so i had a whole bunch of tapas. The mushroom pizza is absolutely amazing. Octopus as also very good. If anything, would skip the ceviche. Will be back.

Came here for drinks and light dinner. It was really nice inside, dark and sort of rustic feeling. I tried the artichoke dip with shrimp, the zucchini pancakes and the Octopus. All the dishes were delicious. The artichoke dip was creamy and cheesy, the shrimp added a subtle bit of extra flavor. The Zucchini pancakes were great. The octopus was light and lemon flavored but cooked just right. I would definitely go back. Unfortunately they were out of the prosciutto appetizers and burrata but all the appetizers sounded amazing, it was really hard to decide. Our waiter make our wine recommendations which was helpful. Overall, great experience and nice date spot with small plates for sharing.

Cool tapa place.
We opted for the lighter dishes. The prosciutto wrapped burrata was tasty. The ceviche branzino was ok — a bit too tart for me but the texture of the fish still has a nice chew.

Had a glass of prosecco here and enjoyed the indoor outdoor feel of the place. It was a crisp fall day and they had the floor to ceiling doors open with the heaters on. It felt very rustic and sexy.
The menu is tapas style and the food all looked and smelled delicious coming out of the kitchen. Would definitely head here again for a shared lunch or a date night.

Can’t really speak on the food since I was only here for happy hour. It’s from 4 – 7, and select wines and beers are $ 6.
It didn’t look too crowded for a Friday at around 6:30, but it seemed as though a lot of people made reservations, as opposed to just walking it.
When I get a chance, I wouldn’t mind coming back and trying some of their tapas!

I was looking for a Mediterranean spot in Soho that wasn’t super fancy, but also not a falafel stand (though i appreciate both). A quick Unilocal search came up with Balzem, a really cute spot sandwiched in between a bunch of other businesses in one of the oldest parts of Manhattan. With its low lights, dark wood and small to medium-​ish sized dining area Balzem appeared to be the perfect choice!
I managed to get a reservation via OpenTable, and it was Wednesday so I thought «Oh there’s no way it will be crowded» but I was wrong! Every seat was taken when I met my friends and i was super happy that I had made the reservations.
The pictures don’t lie. This place is intimate and cozy despite being able to seat at least 30 people or so at one time (it could be more). I was immediately comfortable in this spot and settled in to check out the menu.
Let’s get to what I had to eat!
TRUFFLE MAC & CHEESE
Are truffles cliché at this point? Maybe, but I don’t care. This mac and cheese was delicious, though I will say the size of the serving was pretty small and would be best as an appetizer for one person. There were four of us and each of us basically had two bites.
ITALIAN MEATBALLS
Exactly what they sound like: this is a small plate of three medium sized meatballs (don’t expect Pizzeria sized monsters here). Given that this is supposed to have pine nuts, raisins and other tasty ingredients I expected more of a flavor PUNCH to hit me, but instead this was surprisingly mild, but okay.
OCTOPUS
This grilled octopus was my absolute favorite of the appetizers. The servings allowed everyone to basically have 1.5 pieces. The pieces served were all tentacles, which were still meaty and delicious. The chew was perfect, they weren’t overdone at all and they had a wonderful flavor to them.
TAVERN CHICKEN
This dish features a chicken thigh marinated in red pepper paste and herbs. It is served with cracked wheat veggie rice with a small side salad. The chicken was absolutely bursting with flavor. It was grilled perfectly so it had a sweet and smokey flavor all at the same time. The veggie rice was good but not too salty, which I was glad about since it balanced out the chicken. The salad was very standard but it was nice to have some greens to balance out the dish.
Service at Balzem was great. Our waitress was very attentive and there was no waiting for our seats. I’d go back any time!

Sat at the bar and the bartender gal was just the sweetest and the food, AMAZING! We ordered 4 apps and they were all melt in your mouth good. They have around 6 beers on tap that are a good selection. Wine is a bit pricey though. I’m not sure how you can go wrong with good here, we really couldn’t have been more satisfied. Things I can remember we got: Manti, omg yes, order this! Spinach dip with shrimp and gruyère, yes!, Lentil soup, good hearty lentils not overcooked. I think the burrata too which was great. Definitely recommend! Small place, great spot for a date, awesome ambiance.

We had a reservation for 5, and we got seated at what looked like the repurposed bar. Three of us were literally sitting on the inside part of the bar. It’s a very strange setup. They mentioned that they were fully booked for the night so they couldn’t seat us anywhere else, but that never makes anyone feel better when the restaurant is empty at the time. I think there were still empty tables that we could have used by the time we left. And the restaurant is set up so the tables are pretty close to each other.
The staff was overall nice though. The two female staffers were courteous and helpful, but the male staffer was a bit ride and didn’t want to help us. The bussers were also very rushed and a bit too handsy with our personal items.
The zucchini pancakes ($ 11) were pretty disgusting. I felt like I was eating dirt. The flavors were reminiscent of dirt. The sauce on top made me want to gag. Don’t get it.
The prosciutto wraps ($ 15) were simple mozzarella wrapped with prosciutto. Three pieces. Not good quality for both the meat or cheese.
The octopus ($ 16), mushroom pizza ($ 18), chicken ($ 22), and shrimp pasta ($ 19) were all ok, probably overpriced for the portion and quality. I mean, everything was edible, but nothing will jump out as especially good.
Also skip the crème brûlée ($ 10). Nothing special.
Overall, there are better places for wine and food, so I don’t see Amy reason to come back.

Made a reservation for two and came in at 7. Not many people here in Sunday evening, so you don’t have to make a reservation in order to get a seat. We ordered two tapas-​octopus and zucchini pancake. We also had mushroom with truffle oil, which was recommended by the waitress. Love all of them, especially octopus! Really nice.

The atmosphere is very quaint and intimate.
That’s about the only good thing here. The food really was subpar. We got everything or waitress said were the best sellers. And the only good thing was the truffle pizza.
Also the tapas list is mostly vegetarian so anyone who needs meat in their meals. Don’t come here.
I wouldn’t recommend this place for tapas, maybe for drinks to sit outside with couple pals. But definitely not for the food.

Nice atmosphere. French barmen.
Un bon moment à un tarif raisonnable.
Un stand de vin impressionnant (je nai pas regardé les prix…).