"The branzino and prawns weren’t as fresh and the branzino was a little overcooked."
"Mains were not as impressive. Fish was a little overcooked and a bit under seasoned."
"The steak was extraordinarily small, cold, and overpriced."
"The cauliflower and potatoes were very good too but the potatoes were a bit too salty and the cauliflower a bit on the bland side."
"The cauliflower shawarma; it came out cold, soggy, and bland."
Service
Pros:
"The service was pleasant."
"While the waitstaff was nice..."
"Service was incredibly amazing."
"All staff were really nice."
"The staff was truly awesome, our glasses were filled the whole time."
"The staff was knowledgeable about the menu, providing excellent recommendations and catering to dietary restrictions."
"The waitstaff at Balaboosta are patient souls. They handled every curveball question and food sensitivity my family could pitch at them with ease."
Cons:
"Service was slow and spotty."
"In general the server was not pleasant at all."
"Service was really bad."
"The server we had was a pretentious jerk who ruined our entire meal by making us feel uncomfortable through his confrontational attitude."
"We were turned off that we had to order all of our food at once."
"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."
"Very rude staff. Gave the smallest table in an empty restaurant."
Ambiance
Pros:
"Beautiful and comfortable dining area with an intimate feel."
"Great ambiance and hospitality, well curated short menu with dishes packed with spices and flavors."
"The space is cozy but elevated."
"The atmosphere at Balaboosta is warm and inviting."
"It’s has fast become one of my favorite restaurants."
"The middle eastern food together with a professional chef touch created amazing set of tastes."
"The place is tiny, super cozy feeling, and exactly what I was hoping for on a rainy evening."
Cons:
"The music was too loud to have a one-on-one conversation."
"The space was too tight (I had to awkwardly get up to use the bathroom while bumping the other table), and the ambiance was noisy (loud music and chatty waitstaff)."
"When the restaurant got really busy after 7 pm on a Saturday, it became a bit noisy."
"Atmosphere: Noisy and echoey."
"We were immediately shoved into a tight and noisy corner by the hostess."
"I sat outside next to the bus stop which wasn't great for the atmosphere."
"The seating was pretty tight."
Value
Pros:
"Will absolutely be going back. Completely worth the $$$."
"Money well spend!"
"Food and brunch cocktails were good and fairly priced."
"For the neighborhood, it's reasonably priced, high quality food with a warm ambiance and attentive service."
"Glasses of wines are heavy pours, which is great."
Cons:
"We thought it was little bit on the expensive side to what we got (ended up paying $120 per person without drinking alcohol)."
"Tiny portions, not suitable for sharing unless you're a petite bulimic."
"The steak was extraordinarily small, cold, and overpriced."
"The menu is healthy with quality ingredients, but boring and not spectacular."
"The bill was over $70 a person and they charged for pita bread (i find that in poor taste)."
"Portions are very small and overpriced."
"Especially for the price at the end of the evening, $74 a piece, I didn't feel that I got what I paid for."