Best Empanadas I've had so far in the city, and the sangria was delicious. Worth the price!

Blown away by balvanera. Came in on a Saturday evening for a double date with an 8pm res. It's super dim and intimate so it's great for small groups or romantic dinners. We started off with a pitcher of sangria and then 4 empanadas, a cheese board, and pulpo a la plancha. They were all absolutely delicious. We then got a bottle of red wine and split the tabla de carnes with a salad. The steak was cooked perfectly and it was so flavorful. This was the perfect amount for a party of 4! The waiter also brought us a complimentary bottle of the same red wine we previously ordered. Ended the dinner with a flan to split (there's a coupon for a free one on yelp!!) Fantastic service and delectable food. Need to come back again! read more

OMG! Argentinian Cuisine. Second time at Balvanera, should have written this review the first time. If you're craving steak, but not just a steak, this is the place to go, especially if you're with someone special. Balvanera is intimate, with the most charming and sweet servers, plus an interesting menu. Banquettes are more than comfortable, portions are good. Lighting is low, and even though the place is small, people sitting next to you are far away enough not to be sitting on your lap. My husband and I just came back from a wonderful Valentine's Day meal. We started with Sepia a la Plancha, and Empanadas. First of all, Sepia (cuttlefish, from the Mediterranean) is so rare here, I was in shock that it was on the menu. And, a la Plancha, means it was on the grill, in garlic and olive oil and salt. I can't tell you how tender it was, it melted in my mouth with memories of Spain wafting in my brain. Hubbie is not a fan of calamari, and truth be told, he loved this. Cuttlefish has a texture somewhere in between squid and octopus. Empanadas were incredible. Two small ones, with chimichurri sauce. One was meat, the other, I'm still not sure what it contained, but both were delicious. On to our next course, which was one chorizo, and one morcilla. One of the reasons I wanted to eat at Balvanera again was because of the morcilla. My Darling had the chorizo, and I had the morcilla. We also split those as well. The morcilla is so rich, with a lovely creamy texture, you don't want to swallow it. You want it to keep on grazing your taste buds over and over and over again, which is not a lovely sight. Chorizo was plenty interesting as well. My expectation was that it was going to be spicy hot, but, I guess chorizo is not in Argentina. Juicy and full of flavor, salty, just not picante. Main course, we shared a 20 oz bone in rib steak. with a side salad. The steak was perfectly cooked rare, and more chimichurri sauce, that I could not get enough of. Salad was very lemony. We both had no problem killing that steak. We also had two glasses of a Cabernet Sauvignon, which was just heavy enough to compliment the steak. Do you believe we had enough room to have dessert? Yes we did. The dessert list is short, but sweet. We had olive oil gelato and a chocolate tart. Both were great, though the olive oil gelato was more interesting. Make your reservations now, while they still have sepia! No kidding! read more

Went last night, really excellent Argentinian food We had: apetizers- curdo de scallops (super and light) - setas saltadas, really good, albodigas (meatballs) Main dish: Entrana (medium rare)- this was spectacular especially after you put the chimichurri sauce on top. Would definitely go back, it is really reasonable for the amount we eat and we also came without a reservation and it was very easy to get a table. Service was excellent too! read more

The octopus and the empanadas appetizers were sooo good and the skirt steak was cooked perfectly. Highly recommend! read more

I Just Love this restaurant! Excellent food by the master chef Fernando. Great service and nice place. Amazing combination! Don't miss the empanadas! Thank you Carlitos for the warm attention read more

Balvanera - With the master chef Fernando and the best host Carlitos. Thank you! - Argentine Near Me - New York, New York

Summary: Being from Argentina, I am in constant search of a great Argentinean restaurant/steakhouse. While this restaurant doesn't hold a candle to the now closed "La Pampa" on UWS, it does a decent job of delivering great steak flavor, the Argentinean way. The Food: We had the corn empanadas, endive salad, scallops, and the bife Angosto. The corn empanadas were amazing. Finally, a restaurant that bakes, rather than fries empanadas; the way it's supposed to be done. The scallops were very fresh with a nice, light spring flavor. The endive salad had a bit too much dressing for our taste. Now, as for the steak... Here you get a hefty piece of beef. We split it and it ended up being more than plenty for both of us. It is cooked the Argentinean way, just thrown on the grill, no salt, no pepper. You will actually taste the meat, rather than it being masked by salt; a sign that the cook knew what he was doing. So that was great to see and taste. The Service: Quite nice. I took my girlfriend here for Valentine's dinner. I had made reservations 3 weeks in advance and was called to confirm about a week beforehand. The hostess was very understanding of our cab/traffic situation and still had a great table set up for us when we arrived about 20 minutes late. Our server gave great recommendations and was quite attentive to our needs. The manager also came over at the end to see how everything was and gave some great recommendations for restaurants in Queens and where to find those elusive "facturas" which was very helpful. The Atmosphere: Very run of the mill décor; nothing to set it apart from anywhere else, but very clean, which is good to see. Tip: #1. Skip the fried beef empanadas and have the baked corn empanadas instead. Real Argentinean empanadas are NEVER fried. In fact, nothing in Argentinean food is ever fried aside from French fries. #2. Order the 16oz Bife Angosto and split it. It is a pretty hefty piece of beef. Overall, even though it is a bit pricier than I'd like, this is a decent place to get a great Argentinean steak. read more

Loved this place. The empanadas are a must but do yourself a favor and order your own. You wont want to share. One of their Malbecs was the perfect pairing for our dinner. We also loved the octopus first dish. Chimichurri sauce is apparently my favorite thing... who knew? I put is on everything I at after that first bite. The only thing we ordered that I thought was just 'okay' was the pasta. It was a simple squash and spinach cavatali pasts. It was just okay. I would suggest trying something else since the rest of the food we had was fantastic. Special shout out to the steaks. Amazing. Dessert was meh. We tried the ricotta with honey, nuts and fruit along with the pecan pie. The tea ice cream on the pecan pie was very interesting and I enjoyed that but the rest of the other two desserts were nothing special. read more

Adorable argentinian place. Cozy. Intimate. Great wine! Great music...Gustavo Cerati-oh how ive missed ur sultry voice. The octopus was perfect!! The beet salad looked beautiful although i didnt get to try it. The dulce de leche gelato was delicioso!! Thank u for a lovely dinner! read more

Made reservations on open table for a Christmas Day Dinner for me and the old man. We arrived a half hour early and we were seated immediately regardless. We opened up with the burrata and some empanadas which both were great. Then we both got ribeyes. The beef is grass fed and dry age, imported from Uruguay and man you can taste the difference. Had mine medium and it was exactly how I imagined a perfectly cooked ribeye to be. Flan con Dulce de Leche? Why not. Check the wine list to get some of the best picks from Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile. Fernando Navas and his staff made us feel at home with exceptional, friendly service. Really loved the cozy ambiance in this place.. Like many of the other yelpers report, this place transports you to Buenos Aires. I'll enjoy coming back. Highly recommended! read more

This place justs keeps getting better and better. The wines are always changing and specials are constantly changing. The caring service just cannot be beat. These people act like your a relative they haven't seen in years. My entire family loves this place. My friends keep thanking me for the recommendation. This is 100% the most hidden jewel in Manhattan. The quality of the meats poultry and fish are amazing. This has to be one of the most romantic places in the "Big Apple" . My wife won't even consider another place for Valentines she is obsessed with Octopus. She was obsessed with Michael White and Marea central park south. The Octopus was excellent there. However Balvanera has it beat. My wife is so hard to please. The chronic complainer. Mrs.CC i call her. read more

Came here for brunch w my gfs and it was so yummy! We were seated almost right away without a rsvp (Sunday around 2:30ish PM). There were a few (3-4) occupied tables. Our waiter was friendly and attentive. The brunch dishes were abt $15-17 (dont quite remember) and it comes with 2 drinks (one alcoholic either sangria/mimosa and the other is non alcoholic). My sister and son shared a burger, i had the clasico w poached eggs, one of my gf had a sandwich and the other had a steak. We ordered a side of blood sausage (the best!!! I had it when i was in Argentina and have been cravin it since!) and empanadas! My dish was super good. The poached eggs were cooked jus right, with a side of salad and slices of crispy thick cut bacon. I really enjoyed the beef empanada, the corn isnt for everyone becos the cheese they use is slightly stronger. My gfs enjoyed their dishes and my sis let me try some of the burger, cooked nicely and tasty (chimichurri marinade). I really enjoyed the blood sausage but was hopin for more than 1 pc. It was served with pesto tomato and greens. I could have like 3 of those!!! Overall, great brunch and definitely will come back! read more

Want to give two stars but I'm bumping it up to three because the sweet corn empanadas were delicious. I came with a friend and opted for the empanadas and grass fed ribeye. So disappointed with the steak...it was tough and took forever to chew. It was recommend to us by the server so we ordered it confidently but we should have just stuck with our original plan and ordered a bunch of tapas. read more

Balvanera - Argentine Near Me - New York, New York

this review is for the laughs - jajaja ¡a la recontara mil parió como no van a tener milanesa! the place is great, if you're from south america (like me) it's hard to find a place with the aesthetic and vibe of a traditional spanish restaurant equivalent to those in argentina, paraguay and uruguay; especially in the city. so when you find one -- it's balls to the walls for the empanadas, provoleta y milanesa. eso era todo que quería y por lo menos no había más milanesa. so tread carefully as the chicken cutlet is probably the one thing that goes off the menu fast as it's essentially bread chicken cutlets which meets the likeness of most american customers who aren't willing to try anything else off the menu (i could be wrong, there must be a chicken shortage somewhere). or it's just that good! the waitress was very kind and her accent took me back to my roots, that feeling of being surrounded by those who cherish food and a good time. the atmosphere was great and the only piece of food i enjoyed were the empanadas - they managed to do what they needed to do -- satiate me. i recommended the corn empanadas, but for the those in the back they're called humitas. they were spot on. i'll definitely be back for another drink and in hopes to try the milanesas-- once and for all. buen provecho chavales read more

This place is a neighborhood gem! The food is amazing and the vibe friendly and relaxing. Great tapas and veggie oprions as well as amazing steaks. read more

This is one of the best restaurants in NYC. Yes! I know that this is a big compliment, but believe me, this restaurant is amazing. Meals, personnel service, atmosphere, everything. You won't regret, more over, you will return! read more

Amazing place! Meet soo good! Service is really nice! And prices are fine! We ordered big piece of meet, and you can share it! read more

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We liked this place a lot. Drank a superb bottle of Malbec Ate very, very good beef Were well looked after by the staff. One thing, the background music was a bit poor. read more

My friend and I came here for dinner and it's amazing. The restaurant is right at the corner with very simple but cozy interior decoration and has a lot of window exposure. Following the waitress's favorites, we ordered the sweet corn empanadas, octopus and cavatelli. Everything is amazing. The style of food is fresh(a lot of vegetable) that gives you a good taste of healthiness but also rich in ingredients that will goes with the flavor of the main component. read more

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So to start out they were out of about 3 different dishes (this was at 6:30pm and the restaurant was mostly empty). The menu is too small to be out of anything. The waitress didn't seem knowledgeable about the menu at all; specials, preparation etc. The food came out in a fairly quick amount of time. But after that it was almost impossible to get another drink, a dessert menu, some bread. We had to ask multiple times just to get another order of drinks and a desert menu. A bit disappointing. read more

I came here for a birthday dinner and enjoyed all of the dishes that I tried. This place has an intimate date night ambiance and the tables aren't too packed together which is a bit rare when dining in the LES. As a starter, I tried the beef empanada, the burrata and the Setas Salteadas. The empanada was pretty standard as was the burrata (standard burrata is still amazing), but the setas were fantastic!! The savory creamy goodness of truffle and egg yolk covering a wide variety of mushrooms, yes please. I'm a huge mushroom fan, but I'd be shocked if this dish wasn't a favorite for anyone who tried it. For an entree, my boyfriend and I split the skirt steak which was perfectly cooked and seasoned. Another great thing about Balvanera is that they have sangria pitchers! read more

I live down the street from Balvanera and have been awaiting its opening eagerly. I was not disappointing. Upon entering we were greeted by a polite host and a lovely waitress. We decided to go for 8 of their appetizers so we could sample as much of the restaurant as possible. I wont go through each one I will just say....get the carrots....they are insane! Superb place and you should go. Just save me a table please. read more

This restaurant was nicely decorated and clean. The staff members were friendly. The dishes we ordered were well presented but the taste was ok. read more

Balvanera - A gigantic tentacle of an octopus - Argentine Near Me - New York, New York

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Organized a friend's birthday dinner here and could not have asked for a better experience! The staff was incredibly accommodating to our large party on very short notice, and the service was top-notch throughout our meal. The chef/managers worked with me to customize a fabulous menu (first time I've experienced a "steakhouse" to have so many delicious vegetarian options that we needed for a few people in our crew), and each dish was spot-on. Our favorite dishes: burrata, empanadas, pulpo and zanahorias. Would highly recommend this place for a big party (prix fixe is actually a good value, with a "bottomless" option for +$28 only). I will definitely be back! read more

Phenomenal place with amazing food. I've been here about 3 times now and the food, wine, and service have been great every time. Wine/beer list: Good number of wines by the glass, and some really good beers on tap (try the Goose Island Matilda). Sangria: Delicious and not too sweet. Some places make their sangria like juice, but here it's nice and strong with lots of fruit. Empanadas: DOPE. The sweet corn ones are out of this world. The boyf, an avowed corn hater, LOVES these. I suspect he does not, in fact, hate corn. Assorted veggies: Their veggie plates to share are delicious. The roasted carrots are really delicious, offset with a creamy yogurt sauce and pepitas. The cauliflower is incredible. The salads are also delicious. Steak: If you're coming to an Argentinean place, you've gotta get the steak. We've had both the strip steak and the rib eye, and both were super delicious. Come here, order some wine, and slather everything you eat in their amazing, super garlicky chimicurri. Oooh yeah. read more

Absolutely fabulous. Went there with a group of 18 and Fernando was great about arranging the menu, accommodating the vegans in our group (Yes, Argentinians can be hospitable to vegans!), and generally made it very easy. Food was super good, wait staff was very nice and responsive, we satisfied tastes from teens to seniors, and I looked like a hero for arranging it all. What s find. Would definitely come again, large group or small. read more

Went here for Christmas dinner with the Fam. Service, food, and drink were all great.

On our first visit we were very impressed! Everything we ate was great! The service was attentive and friendly. The room & the music are understated & elegant. We will be back! read more

For my first father's day, we decided to try out a new place in our neighbourhood. The menu looked good, so we called for an 18.45 reservation. They told us it was a quiet night, everyone must be out barbecueing, and it wasn't a problem at all. Great! We get there and decide to share a bunch of starters and a mains. The starters come out one by one, and they're all decent to good - scallops crudo, setas (mushrooms) and papa rotas. This is where things take a detour. Twenty minutes after clearing all our starters, the waiter informs us that the cheeks needed for the carbonara are not available. Not sure why it took them that long to tell us, and that's where he leaves it hanging too - no suggestions or alternatives. So I ask the waiter, "do you have anything to substitute the cheeks with, like, I don't know, pancetta?" He says "I will ask", and goes back to the kitchen. Another twenty minutes pass, and he comes back. There is no pancetta either. Again, no follow-up. I could ask if they have plain bacon, but we look at each other and decide that we want to move on. Do we want to take a look at desserts? We're both on the fence, but decide to give it a go. At this time, our baby boy (it's my first father's day, remember) has woken up a few times and gone back to sleep. We order the cremoso de chocolate. I think you can guess by now what happens next... The waiter comes back after a good twenty minutes and informs us that, unfortunately, they ran out of cremoso de chocolate, but they still have everything else! It was a crazy weekend, sorry about that. We should have known to give up at this point (three strikes in a row on things we ordered from their menu!), but against better judgement we order the pecan pie. Another twenty minutes pass by. A pregnant waitress walks by and asks us if we're waiting for anything. We ask for the bill, and tell her that we're giving up on the pecan pie. She's apologetic, and says that, while this is by no means an excuse, they had someone cancel last minute to wait tables. That explains what's going on with our waiter at least. Two minutes later, a pecan pie arrives, which was on the house at this point, so that certainly earned them a star back. But sixty minutes of waiting on 4 different orders, only one of which finally makes it to the table? That's a bit rich. As I write this, I am reading in the sidebar here that this place is from chef Fernando Navas, and that he previously worked at El Bulli in Spain (Rosas, Catalunya). Ferran Adria would at the very least have run a tighter ship in his place. Nevertheless, while I didn't have the stomach for it today, I do intend to go back for the beef cuts that sound really good, and I hope to up the ratings when I do so. Maybe this was a one time fluke because the normal Sunday waiter got sick and cancelled... (Oh, one final note - we don't need restaurants that play a full Bob Marley CD. I've never owned one, but I feel like I know all his songs by heart. If you're going for no personality at all in the music, at least mix it up) read more

We only had time to have a few appetizers unfortunately, my fiance started to not feel well for the evening so we didnt have time to try their famous steaks. However the servers and hostess were extremely nice to us and the level of service was top notch! We are so grateful for their hospitality and will certainly be returning in the future. The coquettes and provoleta were awesome too read more

Awesome food. Awesome ambiance. Awesome service. What else is there? Apparently my concise, pithy, to-the-point, other synonyms for same, review doesn't meet Yelp's standards for word count. So I'm writing more words that tell no one anything about the restaurant. read more

MY FAVORITE PLACE ON THE CITY! As an argentinian i can tell that empanadas are AWESOME, just like home I have been there for my birthday and they give us champagne, a delicious one. The service is incredible. Super recommended place read more

Balvanera - Argentine Near Me - New York, New York

BYOB Mondays exists, do not miss out! Food is amazing and that's a great addition to any restaurant as you do not see that often in NYC. Service is always great and if you're lucky you can get an outdoor table. read more

Our first time here and it was all around a positive experience! The wait staff is very attentive! Constantly refilling glasses and always making sure you are satisfied. The food is very delicious esp. loved the roasted carrots and the mushrooms! They really made my Grandpas 90th very special! Thank you so much! Looking forward to going back! read more

Had a great experience Went here on a Friday night with a friend (Called an hour ahead for a reservation for 2 and they were able to accomodate) She and I shared a few small plates , all of which were delicious - tomatoes and strawberries with fennel, burratta, she had the skirt steak and I had the fish of the day (bass). Would recommend everything we had. On the margin, if you're stuck tryign to decide what to get, I'd say go for the steak. The argentinians know how to make a good steak.... Enjoy! read more

Regardless of the 7 degree weather, we quickly walked over Balvanera 15 mins early for our 10pm reservations. Hostess was very accommodating and sat us at the bar while they got our table ready. Boyfriend ordered a glass of red wine and before I could order my glass of sangria (which isnt on the menu), our table was ready. Sangria is very tasty if you like sweet. Its loaded with fruits (strawberries, blueberries, apples) Our waiter was great, fast, attentive and knowledgable, great service! we started off with the scallops, jamon and chorizo. Jamon was good, served with olives. chorizo was great! Not greasy but great taste. My boyfriend's scallops unfortunately were nothing special. They are served with slices of apples. For entrees boyfriend got the seared foie gras (which isnt always on the menu, it was on this special Valentines Day dinner) and I ordered the skirt steak medium with a potato puree as a side. My skirt steak was good, flavorful especially with the chimichurri sauce. Only compliant is it may have been a bit too salty. Boyfriend said foie gras was great, good portion which brought 3 pieces of foie gras and risotto. For my entree they had some issues getting the potato puree out so I was half way done with my steak by the time they were able to get it over. They were extremely apologetic, so much so they gave us each one drink on the house, so sweet! Overall the service was amazing and the atmosphere is great for couples. read more

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Great tapas place, great for a date. Empandas Caseras - you can choose between the sweet corn and the corn beef, or you can mix and match (each plate comes with two empanadas). Tried the sweet corn, it was alright, but probably wouldn't order again. (3/5) Pulpo de Playa (octopus) - was very good. good texture, flavor and crunch on the outside. Would definitely order this again. (5/5) Setas Salteadas - market mushrooms, these were good sauteed with egg (yolk intact). (4/5) Ancho (Rib eye) Grass Fed - good portion size, shareable. The meat initially felt a bit tough / dry, but this is resolved when you eat with the sauce that comes out. Preferred it with the Chimichurri sauce (green). Also comes with a side plate of fries which were pipping hot, and nice and crunchy. Overall the steak was good... (3.5/5) not sure if I would order again. We were two people, ordered 3 tapas, and one steak to share. We were pretty full.... we could have one with 2 tapas instead of 3 and would have been ok with the steak. Overall this was a great meal would be down to come back. Next time, we would probably just stick with the tapas! There were some that we wanted to try that had ran out. read more

Will review this 6 stars, Amazing service, delicious food!! Pedro and Jose are kind and professional waiters, always in detail when I ask questions about the food selection. The burrata is literally my favorite appetizer here especially if your vegan. I enjoy the environment when I come here and I will recommend this Argentinian restaurant to anybody. read more

Balvanera - Had this on my last visit, Empanada de Carne and Croquetas de Coliflor. - Argentine Near Me - New York, New York

reliably good. moderately inventive in form... seasonal salads, abundant servings, relaxed and aware service. good both when one wants full argentine meat abundance and also when one want tapas, salad, and vino... feels like a good value read more

Bougie restaurant on the bougiest corner of the LES. I felt like I walked into a restaurant in the village when I step foot into Balvanera. But the sense of confusion quickly died off after we were seated. The restaurant was cosy but classy, lively but also intimate. There were couples on dates but also friends having a great time. The amazing decor and setup (indoor and outdoor seating) only added to the delicious food. Please do yourself a favor and get the mushrooms and octopus for starter. The tabla for two was also a great way to taste the full meat menu and definitely feeds 3-4 people. We brought our own wine ($25 corkage) and had an amazing time. read more