Bar Bolonat

the hostess was clueless and although we had a reservation sat us at probably the worst table in the restaurant even though there was another one available that she gave to a party that just walked in without a reservation. not a great way to start the evening. the food was great and the server was also very nice. i really like this restaurant but was very disappointed that the hostess did not offer us a better table.

We started with the cauliflower, the lavash, the beets, the fried olives and the eggplant. All very good and very shareable. Main courses (striped bass, branzino, duck and poussin) were also very pleasing. Creamy chocolate mousse and rhubarb-​buttermilk ice cream concoction ditto. Service was just fine.
A few cautions: the poussin arrived substantially later than the other mains, and although we were sharing bites, the delay was a real downer. Another aspect of the poussin: while the dish is very tasty, it takes a lot of work to (carve) eat. The darkness of the dining room turned cutting and eating the poussin from a mere chore to conversation-​stopping torture. Finally, the after-​dinner drink selection proved to be more limited than the (printed) menu suggested — really a bad idea to run out of whiskies!
Not likely that we’ll be going back anytime soon, but overall we did enjoy ourselves and we were well-​served.

Great cocktails and good food. A bit pricey but you are also paying for the atmosphere. I loved the deep fried olives. The bagel is over rated not get it.

Another disappointing meal at Bar Bolonat. Not sure why this place continues to be hyped up. To start off, the service is very rude, and they made it clear that we should order all the dishes to start off. In essence, they want the meal to be quick, and that was clear from how rapidly they brought out the appetizers and entrees. It really took away from the experience of trying to enjoy a leisurely Saturday meal.
The food quality is just ok. We ordered the Branzino ($ 30), and they gave us ½ a filet with some limp spinach vegetables on the side. Extremely disappointing to pay $ 30 for what clearly is not a full Branzino, which is usually a substantial dish. Additionally, while the Kibbeh is tasty, 3 pieces is hardly sufficient for a $ 17 dish. Overall, the portions were tiny, and despite ordering 4 dishes for two people, we left hungry.
Overall, this is one of the most disappointing meals I’ve ever had in NY. Spent over $ 120 with tip for a mediocre meal for two people, and left hungry.

We came for brunch and our experience was mixed. We have eaten at Balaboosta and own the cookbook so we are fans of the food. The food did not disappoint. However, it is pricey for relatively small portions. Could live with that though. Found the restaurant dark and only somewhat inviting in terms of ambience. Could live with that too. Took an incredibly long time to get our cocktails– and I could see the bartender drying glasses, standing around, doing all sorts of other things before she got to this. Did not like that. But here is the kicker. When we went to order dessert, we were told that the kitchen was now closed. Nice server: «Oh I thought they told you the time the kitchen closes when you were seated.» Really? Don’t you think we would have ordered dessert when we ordered our food if we knew? There is something about the way this place is managed that is off: too slow and haphazard. Would be happy to go to Balaboosta and Taim but will skip this location.

The food here is good but the server we had was a pretentious jerk who ruined our entire meal by making us feel uncomfortable through his confrontational attitude.
Stating the plates are «family style» is a blatant lie when you get no more than a mere spoonful to share. We had the fried olives, Japanese eggplant, fattoush salad, kibbeh, ceviche, ribs, and sea bass.
The ribs were juicy but if you’re sharing, you get a sniff and a lick and the plate is empty. Tiny portions, not suitable for sharing unless you’re a petite bulimic. The salad, kibbeh and sea bass were average and nothing to write home about.
The server insisted that we place the entire order at once and stubbornly did not allow us to consider ordering more food later in the meal.
The horrid attitude, the tiny plates and elevated price tag mean that you are left feeling hungry and resentful which is a pity because you really want to enjoy the place. We ended up getting a slice of pizza around the corner afterwards.
We love Balaboosta. We are severely underwhelmed by Bolonat.

We went there for brunch on Saturday — wasn’t too packed. The food is an interesting take on classic Israeli dishes and was delightful — we’ve had omelette and latkes — both fantastic, rich but not too heavy.

4.5 out of 5 stars
Book through opentable, 1000 pts for 6 pm on a Saturday night? I’ll take it!
Start with the Jerusalem bagel, although I agree that it could be complimentary? The bagel is served warm and fluffy, satisfying to pull apart, dip generously in the olive oil and zaatar.
Get the Japanese eggplant — the sauce is delicious even with the bagel! Squid was over salted but the citrus (amba) aioli was refreshing. Zabzi tagine was just ok imo-​meat was tender, couscous went well with broth, but I wasn’t wowed.
Duck was perfect — tender, juicy, good amount of fat. Israeli cous cous went well.
Mushroom pasta was a little cold, prob better hot, but tons of mushrooms and perfectly al dente.
Halva crème brûlée was a little bit grainy but maybe the intent? A little sweet but dessert is meant to be so. Even came with a candle for my bday.
Service is excellent — drinks were never low, table always cleaned. A little bit of a wait between some dishes but made time for conversation.

After being extremely impressed by the brunch menu at its sister restaurant, Balaboosta, a month ago, my girlfriend and I decided to come to Bar Bolonat to check out the dinner menu.
They offer small, medium, and large which as explained by our server are comparable to snacks, appetizers, and entrees. We decided to share the chickpea gnocchi (medium), wild mushroom pasta (large) and fried baklava ice cream (dessert). The tables adjacent to ours appeared to have ordered the whole menu! We worried that we under-​ordered but the amount was just right for us.
We did have a laugh at the portion of the chickpea gnocchi. It was 6 «half of a thumb sized» bites. Probably smaller than most of the «snacks». The dish however did win the best and most unique gnocchi I’ve ever had. For such ridiculously small portion size and had to share? I wished we ordered more.
The wild mushroom pasta, on the other hand, was probably 4 times bigger in portion! Who doesn’t love hand cut house made pasta smothered in creamy heavenly sauce, topped with crunchy toasty bread crumbs and herbs? There were plenty of chopped wild mushrooms folded within. I could definitely have eaten this whole dish myself!
Fried baklava ice cream sandwich — just by the name itself I knew we had to give it a try! It wasn’t as unique in flavor as I hope it would be. It was really just a baklava stuffed with vanilla ice cream. Good but nothing to write home about. Wished we gave the tahini Crème Brûlée a try instead!
Overall — Foods were good, services were wonderful. But I think I just loved Balaboosta more… Or maybe I just love brunch more?

To be fair this place probably deserves closer to 4 stars. Service was fine and the food tasted great. My issues lies with the Yemenite shrimp curry dish. I know it’s Chelsea, I understand it’s seafood but $ 20 for 4 shrimp and a wafer of bread in a little bit of sauce???
While the bill adds up quickly at this restaurant it’ll be a little easier to swallow as long as they keep churning out dishes like the black chickpeas w/​squid and lamb bacon. GREAT dish!

First time trying Israeli food and it did not disappoint. My sis in law made a res here based off the fact that it’s the same chef as balaboosta, another gem in soho. I liked the family style portions so I’d recommend coming in a group of four or more to try more plates
We tried the Jerusalem bagel, the Japanese eggplant, the beet salad, the deep fried beef (kibbeh), the fried cauliflower, and finished with the mushroom pasta. The standouts were the eggplant, beets with a creamy sauce, the cauliflower and the pasta. Everything was heavily flavored but didn’t feel overwhelming, and the mixture of sauces served with each complemented the dishes well. The fried cauliflower was amazing and unlike anything I’ve had before.
For dessert we got the pear dish which to be honest I don’t really remember.
Great spot to try if you like Israeli food!

I’m continually impressed with this restaurant. Last week I stopped by with a friend for a last minute dinner.
The team behind Bolonat and the team that executes the experience on a nightly basis, are top notch. From food, to service, to ambience, they are executing it well.
What I like most about this place is the flavors. Simply. The menu is laced with interesting and subtle variations of classic dishes but spun in a way that is exciting and fresh. Fried Cauliflower with peanut tahini and a peanut-​butter flavored Israeli snack called Bamba, is UNREAL. The Kibbeh is addictive, we ended up getting a second order.
Like I said, this place is a gem. I will continue to come back, and let everyone I know they need to stop by. Thanks, Bolonat.

Echoing previous reviews of being rushed and ripped off but I have less time to be as eloquent as they–
Last night my friend and I went to Bar Bolonat with the expectation that we would have a great meal, ESPECIALLY for the pricing on the dishes. The reality = not so much.
We were told at the outset that we needed to be up by 8pm for a reservation. Fine. 8:05pm came and not only was the restaurant basically empty (which should have been an indication of trouble tbh), our wine glasses were promptly taken away then and we were given major looks from the unfriendly bus-​woman/​hostess. Basically we were being hustled out after paying 20% tip on a meal that neither of us particularly cared for… aka we will never be back and odds are this place will be out of business within a short amount of time.

Very happy with my dining experience last night — Bar Bolonat’s food and service and ambience completely exceeded expectations. The West Village doesn’t lack unique or attractive restaurants but Bar Bolonat stands out as a wonderful dining experience, great for a catch up with friends or as a cute date spot.
We started with the Everyday Cauliflower, and I’ve never tried Balaboosta’s Crispy Cauliflower but I’m sure this version is just as good. The dish is easy to share and composed of bite-​sized cauliflower florets covered in crunchy bamba (a peanut-​based topping). I’d definitely order this again.
For my main I ordered the Wild Mushroom Pasta and my friend ordered the Branzino. The pasta is hand cut and cooked to a perfect al dente consistency, and the mushroom sauce is flavorful and packed with mushrooms but not overly creamy or heavy. Very generous portions of both.
We ended with the Fried Baklava, which is pistachio ice cream covered in phyllo dough layers and flash fried for a flaky crisp exterior. The portion was only four bites, but it was delicious and I didn’t feel guilty (or stuffed) afterwards.
Great restaurant, and I left full and happy. If you’re looking for relatively good value here I’d recommend the large plates. I’ll be back!

I loved that Bar Bolonat allowed me to make a reservation, and we were seated right on time on a recent Monday night. The restaurant has awesome ambience, and it was packed with small parties at the tiny tables — get ready to get close to your neighbors. I love Taim, and was really excited to try out another restaurant from Einat Admony. Bar Balonat definitely fits in with the surrounding tony West Village — portions are teeny and prices are not. However, if you can get past this, the food was tasty and surprisingly filling, I actually took part of my Green Fatoush salad (served with avocado, mint and feta — amazing) to go since we filled up on the roasted cauliflower served with peanut tahini. Service was also great and though there wasn’t many options for wine by the glass, the Sangiovese I enjoyed ($ 13) was a nice complement to the flavors of the food.

I love Israeli food more than I should. It’s like an addiction. Unique spices. Plenty of veggies. Beautiful colors. There’s so much to be had.
Bar Bolonat is one of those restaurants hopping on the New Israeli cuisine bandwagon. But sadly, it should hop off.
For starters, the hours listed on their Google profile on the night we went indicated a closing time of 11 PM. We arrived around 9:15 for a nice relaxing meal only to be told that the kitchen would be doing last call because the restaurant closed at 10. When we explained the time on Google, the waiter said «Yes. We know. We have to fix it. Sorry.» Our relaxing dinner became a rushed experience.
The décor is very nice but not reminiscent of the food served. It’s just another dark restaurant.
The portions are VERY small and the prices are quite high. I get the idea of sharing. My husband is Israel of Moroccan descent. Passing plates around the table at his parents’ house is normal and expected. But Bar Bolonat made me feel like I was being ripped off. We ordered the Jerusalem bagel served with zaatar, the ravioli, the octopus and fried olives served with labane and ended up spending about $ 60. The bagel was a bit a stale and nothing like the beygeleh (a type of bread found in Jerusalem) from which it is adapted. The ravioli dish came 2 ravioli. The octopus was kind of bland. The olives were okay. In reality, $ 60 wouldn’t be bad if the portions were even 20% bigger.
The service was fortunately good.
Sadly, we left that night rushed, hungry and aggravated.

Had an excellent dinner last night here. Did it family style. So we got to try a variety of dishes.
The shrimp in a light curry sauce was perfectly cooked bringing to mind a Thai dish. The fried olives were a savory and spicy start. The cauliflower was also amazing just the right mix of texture (crispy and crunchy) and flavor. I also recommend the chicken, shirt rib, and duck. Even the drinks were spot on.
I will definitely want to come back and try a couple of the other dishes.

I recommend:
Everyday cauliflower
Japanese eggplant
Bass
Lamb
Cute little restaurant in a hip neighborhood. Loved the food, the ambience and the service! For appetizer, we had everyday cauliflower (amazing combination of sour, savory and crunchy), Japanese eggplant (cooked to perfection, I just wish there wasn’t cumin in it) and beets (good, but not amazing). For main course I had bass with the side of carrots, which was crunchy and delicious. My husband had lamb and loved it. I tried the mashed potatoes from his lamb and it was delicious!
The service was great and it was easy to find parking nearby. Will be back!

Came here a couple of nights ago for a birthday dinner. We were a group of 6, they seated us before the whole party arrived which was great.
Décor inside is minimalistic and modern. The space isn’t too big but they do take reservations. Unfortunately bc of our size we were seated in a back corner right by the kitchen.
We started off with a pitcher of their «sangria» type cocktail. The pitchers aren’t very big but give you more bang for your buck than the wines. We got 4 pitchers for 6 people.
Since this place is small plates and we were a big group we ordered almost everything on the menu. Here’s a breakdown
Food:
–Jerusalem bagel: served warm. Very light airy, olive oil and za’atar served with it are great also. If you get it don’t eat it all but save some for the sauces you’ll have in your other dishes
— balaboosta: I don’t eat olives but my friends said they were bomb
— Japanese eggplant: not very exciting, the least memorable thing we ate that night
— Beets: this was probably my favorite and I don’t even like beets. It was a mix of golden and red beets with a fantastic labneh sauce. A must get
— squid: I don’t eat squid and there wasn’t too much commentary on this dish so I’d say it’s probably average
— za’atar ravioli: totally delicious, the filing is rich but not too heavy and the sauce it comes in is amazing. I wanted to lick it. But there are only two ravioli in a serving. Also have a bit of cooked spinach on the plate
— green fatoosh: great dressing, one piece of avocado in the entire salad but a good sized serving
— everyday cauliflower: peanut tahini is on point, they’re fried lightly on the outside so crispy outside and soft inside. One of my favs of the night
— Zabzi tangine: the short rib is great, very soft and was falling apart but the couscous had no flavor to it. Could have used some more spice or zest or something
— Shrimp in Yeminite curry: I don’t normally love curry but this was a light sauce and not overpowering flavor. One of the dishes you should save the Jerusalem bagel for
— Hudson street kibbeh: second favorite behind the beets. The meat inside is perfectly spiced, tender and moist. The preserved lemon sauce was zesty and kinda mustard-​y. Overall perfect
— Grouper: the falafel crust was yummy but the fish itself was meh. I’m not a huge grouper fan though
— Duck: pretty good, very fatty. Israeli couscous was good. Not very memorable
— Poussin: awesome chicken. Juicy meat, crispy skin. Crispy rice was great, I think there’s some saffron in it and they mix in pomegranate and walnuts. Great dish, another must.

Great take on Israeli food executed in a modern way. This is a great spot int he west village for date night or yummy Israeli food.
The menu has lots of options. The medium size dishes are small so if you are hungry definitely get an entrée.
My choices: Jerusalem bagel, short rib with Israeli rice, and the kebah! The couple next to us got the crème brûlée desert and it looked amazing.