The food here was so delicious. Would absolutely come back!! The steak was perfectly cooked and the appetizer was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. read more

Balvanera - Argentine Near Me - New York, New York

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Visited for the first time tonight and it immediately became a new favorite spot! Excellent everything from start to finish--service, food, ambiance, music, everything! Can't wait to visit again, and soon. read more

Balvanera - Scallop Crudo - Argentine Near Me - New York, New York

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I loved this restaurant. My friend and I were craving steak and I did a search and saw this restaurant. It did not disappoint. The wines were delicious. The room is cozy. the staff were very helpful. We hade the Gaucho meal for two. So good. It started with empanadas, then a cheesy, vegetable spread on crust bread, two different types of sausage and three steaks, Strip, Rib Eye and Skirt Steak along with a selection of sauces. Everything was great and enough food to even have some to take home. I will definitely return. read more

I and 3 other friends came here for their boozy brunch using a Pulsd voucher. The food, drinks, and vibes were excellent and I would definitely recommend. read more

Balvanera - Argentine Near Me - New York, New York

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Amazing! Highly recommend - Steak - Ham and Cheese Empanada - Brussel Sprouts Paired perfectly with a bottle of red! read more

Made a reservation for brunch on Sunday afternoon. We used a PULSD voucher and really enjoyed the entire experience. Start to finish, our server Kelly took greeting care of our table. We enjoyed the pulpo and beef empanada appetizers. Both were perfectly cooked and flavorful. The pulpo was tender and served on top of a red sauce and aioli with olives. The flavors mixed so well. The empanada was juicy and perfectly crisp. The chimichurri sauce that accompanied the empanadas was my favorite part! We also had drinks and brunch entrees. We left full and happy. There was a birthday at my table, so Kelly took extra care to help me surprise the birthday guest with a cupcake and candle I brought in. That was super kind and above & beyond! Kelly was the star of our brunch experience! She was attentive, took questions, and made sure we enjoyed every part of brunch. Thank you to the entire Balvanera team! This place is a gem :) read more

Came here for a friend's birthday party and at the very least, the company was the bomb! Interior (1*): the inside is really small, so for such a large group, it was kind of tight. Especially between our table and the one behind us - there was no room for waiters to walk through, and in the end my jacket on the back of my seat kept getting pulled away. Bathroom is semi-hard to find, as there are only small ones, but I suppose this is typical of an NYC restaurant. Space is hard to find. Food: The praised burrata (1*): I always love a good burrata, but the overuse of dill is really off-putting in such a fresh spread. If you love dill, go for it, but unfortunately this spoiled it for me. Meatballs (4*): this is such a tender amalgamation of meat and sauce - definitely would recommend. Great in texture as well as taste! Grilled Octopus (5*): has to be the most perfectly grilled octopus I've ever had. Perfect amount of char on a fully cooked piece of octopus. My main miff about this dish is the quantity you get. Empanadas (4*): these delectably fresh, crispy, tasty, buttery and fluffy beef-filled wonders are a must-order. Never had a better empanada yet - someone do try to recommend me a better option, but this has been a top choice thus far. GRASS-FED Ribeye Steak (5*): what foodie doesn't know that ribeye is the way to go in the steak world? Fattiest hunk of beef...and on top of that, it's grass-fed! You can definitely taste the difference between a regular steak and this one - I'd come back for this. Flan (5*): I usually shy away from ordering flan outside - some people never get the texture right, and it ends up taking a syrupy, mushy texture. Well, luckily it was my friend's birthday and the cake you get is flan! It's super smooth, and FIRM - best texture of flan. Also, it's not too sweet, which is great. Even though I have a sweet tooth, I don't like the sugar getting overbearing. Thumbs Up! Brioche Cake (3.5*): fluffy, warm, and crunchy on the outside. Definitely something if you're a bread-cake person! Luckily not too mushy. Cremosa de Chocolate (5*): love the chocolate cream/mousse - this takes on a thicker texture like pot de creme, and I only wish they served you more in the dessert! read more

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Great Argentinian steakhouse in the lower east side, relatively cheap steaks with good sides. read more

Balvanera - Argentine Near Me - New York, New York

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Stunningly awesome food. We came last night with ~20 colleges for a holiday party. I love their courtesy, promptness and ambience. You have to Google the words from the menue before you order. We have ordered fried chicken, ribeye, pesto pasta, mushrooms tapas, beef empanadas, salmon crudo, octopus etc. Anyway main points from the foods are: 1) foods were juicy and tasty 2) services were so good 3) courteous They have only one restroom. Please expect to stand up in a line for the restroom for a long time. Overall the restaurant will be my favorite in East village area. read more

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Balvanera is an incredible hidden gem! It's perfect for groups as well as a date night or catching up with a friend. Their wine selection is excellent and every dish from apps to mains to desserts are exceptional. The service is also top notch. The servers are attentive and friendly, but also give you space. They also have their covid set up sorted. They are on the corner so there is ample space between tables and they are definitely taking every precaution to make their guests feel safe and comfortable. I cannot recommend this place enough! read more

KenScale: 8.0/10 Balvanera is a new Argentine restaurant in Lower East Side from chef Fernando Navas, who has previously worked in places from Nobu in Miami to the famed former Il Bulli in Spain. I haven't had an opportunity to explore what Argentina's cuisine would look like and only had preconception that it is heavily meat-based. I was pleasantly surprised with a lot of delicious foods coming out of the kitchen. For starter, you can never go wrong with papas rotas, crispy potatoes with roasted garlic aioli that were nice bites to start the meal. I also enjoyed the flavor of humita empanadas casera consisting of sweet corn, roasted red pepper and provolone. I'm not a huge fan of sweetbreads in general, but the soft and crispy sweetbreads served with grape mustard, peppercress and oranges was one of the better ones I've had. Ensalada de endivias composed of endives, pears, cheese and garlic chip was also a light dish with fresh ingredients and nice texture. The highlight of the meal came down to skirt steak, which came with fresh chimichurri sauce, salsa criolla and fries. I was very impressed with the tender meat of the steak, as well as the balanced flavor without overseasoning problems. For dessert, a trio of gelato ended the meal with nice flavor that wasn't overly sweet. Getting a reservation at this place isn't particularly challenging, although on my visit on Christmas day, the restaurant was nearly packed during dinner time. Balvanera offers some nice selections of Argentine wine. The vibe of the restaurant is that of a typical down neighborhood restaurant. At some point, I would love to visit Argentina at some point, but in the meantime Balvanera is a solid option in the city to explore what the country's cuisine has to offer. read more

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Went here on Saturday night. There weren't many people Went here alone, had a bunch of small dishes, no steak as I recently had one. The service was excellent. Coliflor- roasted cauliflower, broken almonds, dried apricots, onion vinaigrette Delicious, perfect texture to the cauliflower. The vinaigrette was unique and gave it some nice acidity along with the sweetness of the apricots. Mollejas- soft & crispy sweetbreads, grape mustard, peppercress, oranges The waiter described that the texture was a bit different from other sweetbreads. By different he really meant perfect. Probably the best I have had outside of French places with a perfect soft inside and a light crisp outside. Empanadas Caseras hand cut roast beef - hard boiled egg, onion, fresh chimi and humita - sweet corn, roasted red pepper, provolone, aji amarillo. The former was fine. The latter was very good. Probably overall the weakest of the dishes. Housemade Chorizo- pork, parmesan, roasted pepper Solid. Could have used a bit heat. To drink: Iced Mate Tea: Solid. It's mate so yeah. Dessert: Torrejas- brioche, dulce de leche, berries Nice portion size. Brioche had a nice fluffy texture. Berries helped with the sweetness. Overall quite good. 4.4 overall for the food. 4.6/4.7 including the excellent service. Great place read more

Great service, the food was good. My favorite was the croquetas and de bacalhau and the empanadas caseras. read more

Balvanera - Argentine Near Me - New York, New York

This place is AMAZING! Great date spot too. It is not too loud and it is a great atmosphere. There are lots of dishes to choose from and everything was delicious. The staff was also sooo friendly. read more

Balvanera - Mushrooms, cauliflower, and octopus - Argentine Near Me - New York, New York

Amazing meal. Don't know how I've overlooked this gem for so long. 16oz ribeye was perfectly cooked. Served with 1/2 of a roasted garlic bulb, roasted red pepper, and some clovery greens that I didn't have time to process mentally before all the blood shot to my stomach to begin a holy union of digestive climax (or maybe the opposite). We started with the app empanadas, not pictured in this review or my memory. Ok at best. The salad that comes with the steak has all kinds of tasty little bitter tendrils, glazed with a fine layer of oil and a little bit of salt, this is one badass sidekick. We added fries too which were fresh and delicious. Service was a little spotty. But the place was empty when we arrived, completely full 20 minutes later, and seemed to be managed by just a few servers. Forgivable. read more

Balvanera - "ANCHO" 16oz Ribeye. Medium rare w roasted garlic, red pepper, and greens. Served w side salad, chimis, and fries. - Argentine Near Me - New York, New York

The beautiful thing about NYC is that right when you think you've tried all the best restaurants you stumble upon a neighborhood gem and have the best meal! The steak is fantastic, the menu has options for everyone and the wine is great! This restaurant is perfect to bring parents, great for a date spot or just a casual dinner with friends. It's reasonably price and the service is great. 10/10 read more

Had an amazing meal here! My friend and I shared: +burrata +corn empanadas +octopus +mollejas (sweetbreads) +steak with frites +brioche cake The burrata was excellent, though the peaches were out of season so not great. Loved the empanadas and the octopus was flavorful and perfectly charred - it can be kind of bland sometimes but this wasn't the case here. The sweetbreads and steak were amazing, too. Finally, I could have eaten that dessert for every course. Hadn't really tried Argentinian food before and I'm hooked. So good. read more

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This is my new favorite Argentine restaurant. The food was fantastic and the steak I ordered was perfect. The staff was nice and attentive. The only thing that was frustrating was the noise level. It was INCREDIBLY loud, to the point that I could barely hear the person sitting directly in front of me. This was due to a large group celebrating someone's birthday and while Im all about people enjoying themselves, their volume level was so high that I could barely hear the person sitting across from me. The staff should have told them to at least consider that other people having dinner may not want to leave with a migraine. Aside from that, I loved the food. I ordered a few things from the menu and enjoyed all of it. I'll definitely go back. read more

Balvanera - 16 oz. Ribeye - Argentine Near Me - New York, New York

The food was delicious but just a little salty This place wasn't on my radar until I looked up places for steak in the area. Saw the good reviews and decided to check it out, and was not disappointed. We came on a weekday night near closing time and it was not too crowded The mushroom with truffle butter was oily but so good. Small bits of bread were soaked in the dish and very flavorful. For the main course, we got the 10oz skirt steak and the striped bass. Can highly recommend the steak. The roasted garlic head was an amazing complement to the dish. It was a tad on the saltier side. The striped bass was average, and overall too salty (especially the skin). I tried the house sangria and can say it was average. Not the best sangria I've had. Flan was spot on. Check in for the complimentary dessert! The thick caramel was a perfect contrast to the soft flan Can recommend: - Setas (mushrooms) - Skirt steak - Flan - complimentary! Would skip: - Striped bass - Sangria read more

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Did the octopus and mushroom for appetizers and it was fantastic. Perfectly cooked octopus and variety of delicious mushrooms. The 16oz skirt steak was juicy, cooked to perfection, and well balanced in seasoning. lol the sangria is also top notch! Not too sweet or sour. Amazing service. All around will recommend and come back !!! read more

Balvanera - Octopus, mushrooms! - Argentine Near Me - New York, New York

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Wow, my new favourite spot/gem in the lower east. Empanadas with sauces were out of this world. Torrejas was incredible. Service and ambiance was as good as the food. Highly recommend! read more

Balvanera - Empanada de Carne Empanadas Caseras Empanadas de Humita - Argentine Near Me - New York, New York

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Wow. Love. Come here. Order what I ordered and just enjoy. The atmosphere was so amazing and the food was even better. I only stuck to the vegetarian dishes but was so amazed at how every dish was thoughtfully crafted. read more

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BYO on Monday nights! Great place for dates, family meals, really friendly staff. Try the Morcilla- best I've had and I usually don't like blood sausage. Other great apps that you can't go wrong: salmon crudo, scallop crudo, ensalad verde, burrata, sardines, must have the provoleta. The skirt steak is a must! read more

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Great spot for brunch with a date or friends. The food and service are truly top notch. Everything we ordered was spectacular and the presentation is amazing - the dishes and drinks look as beautiful as they taste. This place is located on a secluded/quiet street corner in LES, which gives its outdoor dining a pleasant, peaceful atmosphere. We came for brunch around 2pm on a Sunday and there was no wait. read more

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Balvanera is on our short list of no-fail restaurants. We return frequently and are repeatedly delighted by the excellent food. The steak and fries are hot, perfectly cooked and seasoned, always. Last night we also tried the lamb sausage, yellowtail crudo and boquerones, and each one was scrumptious. Consistently friendly service and cozy atmosphere complete the experience. read more

The food is delicious wonderful plunge the way to come be more courteous and nice definitely gone back .

We had an amazing birthday dinner at Balvanera, our server Jessica was amazing. Definitely go with the bone-in ribeye, it is so worth it. The octopus was wonderfully tender. Great wine pairings as well. 11/10 night-- Thank you Jessica!! read more

Average restaurant. Not much stood out. Okay food and the service was decent! You could usually score a reservation which is great.

Loved this place. Appetizers were small for the price and not enough for our group of four. Empanadas were $14 and super tiny. Sangria was very good. Not the strongest but good nevertheless. Ribeyes were seasoned wonderfully and the addition of roasted garlic was PERFECT!! The sauces were incredible + the fries were divine. Food is well worth the cost, restaurant is super nice and the ambiance is incredible. My group really enjoyed their visit!! Would definitely come back. read more

Balvanera - Awesome ribeye + fries. Plated beautifully. - Argentine Near Me - New York, New York

I am reviewing this as someone that does not eat beef. If you eat beef, I'm sure you will love Balvanera. I cannot fault them for having a menu that caters to beef-eaters. My friends that ate there with me seemed to love everything they ate. I had the humita empanada with the sauce it comes with. It is pretty good! It's on the sweet side so if you want something savory, it may not be for you. But it is not sweet like a dessert. I ordered the Lubina (picture posted). I would have given it a 5/5. However, it came with olives (not listed on the menu). I loved the dish aside from the olives that they added. Since the restaurant is dimly lit, I could not tell the difference between the olives and chick peas. It wasn't the end of the world for me, but the meal would have been better without them. It should be mentioned in the menu so you can ask for them to be removed, if you'd like them removed. Overall, great place with great service. read more

Balvanera - Lubina - Argentine Near Me - New York, New York

Omg!! I came across this spot when reading an article, "Where Do Models Dine in NYC During Fashion Week". Between the service, cute neighborhood ambience and great good it's not a miss. The little things made me so happy at this restaurant I.e., roAsted pepper sauce/ spread for bread, the perfectly mixed sangria, and the quaint floral on a candle litt table. read more

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Amazing food, service and wine. The Buenalma Malbec is excellent with any meal. However, they no longer carry this wine. Alisa Malbec replaced the Buenalma Malbec. The Alisa is very expectable Malbec. Alisa is a very balanced, fruit wine good with the Skirt steak. read more

Balvanera - Argentine Near Me - New York, New York

Great food and even better service. Plus the ambiance felt very true to an Argentinian experience of people shamelessly chatting for hours over a bottle of wine. I loved it all!!!!! read more

Awesome service, amazing food, reasonably priced! I will def be going back. Oh and the Sangria???? Oh My......DELICIOUS! read more

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One of the best authentic Argentine Steak house in LES! Great and tasty appetizers and meats

This is second time I visit the place, food is always amazingly delicious, their skirt steak is my favorite. I was there to celebrate my boyfriend birthday, not only they provide good food but also they have delicious wine selections.Definitely recommend to anyone who has a good steak in the city . read more

Balvanera - Argentine Near Me - New York, New York

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I am really confused about the rating here - 4 1/2 stars? I always pass by this place and been super curious and when I looked it up on Yelp, it says such wondering things and so I expected to blown away. A is not a food person, like me and so when we came here for dinner and he didn't like the food either and that says something. I was excited to get the Pulpo De Playa (octopus a la plancha, olivada, aji ahumado), since it seems like it was a popular dish and I love octopus. They should have given us a steak knife, since you couldn't cut the octopus with the butter knife, because it was overcooked. It was super hard and not tender at all. Very disappointing, since it seem like it was winning dish. Cachetes (braised veal cheeks, potato espuma, mustard green, jus) - A thought they might be marketing fake veal cheeks here, because when we both asked each other, shouldn't this be lean and tender, rather than dry and disgusting? I couldn't stomach this at all. The flavour profile was definitely not a veal cheeks, because it tasted really old. Albondigas (grass fed beef meatballs, tomato ragu, parmesan) This was another fail, the meat was so dry and the seasoning weren't good at all. You know who has surprising really good meatballs? DIG INN, they're always consistently good, moist, and flavourful. Chorizo (pork, parmesan, roasted pepper) and the Morcilla (Blood Sausage, roasted pepper) - I don't care for their version at all. The only meat dishes that we ordered that were moist, but the ones that I thought would have been on the drier side. Setas Salteadas (market mushrooms, poached organic egg, soy-truffle butter) - This was the only dish that I liked. There was another dish that came with mushrooms and I want to say this place knows their mushrooms, but for an Argentinian restaurant to do meat poorly is a bit sad. This dish I really enjoyed having and I would have forego the croutons, since they didn't really need to be there. Flan - A didn't like this dish, the texture was good, but flavour wise I had better flans. The place ended up having 3 group of parties and not sure if they were understaffed, but service wasn't great and A just didn't care for it. As for me, I don't get it, how could this be a 4 1/2 restaurant, when there are 152 reviews and not located in a tourist area? read more

Atmosphere: cozy, relaxing Wine: 2017 Laureano Gomez Malbec, light, notes of berries and dark chocolate- delicious Appetizers: cauliflower: roasted to perfection with a sweet bite of apricots Provoleta: for cheese lovers! Could have had this as my main course! Pulpo de playa: grilled octopus! Melt in your mouth! Main course: ribeye- not impressed. The steak was ordered to be cooked medium however was delivered half rare half well done. Overall good restaurant with great wait staff! read more

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1. Has open reservations for a group at decent times. 2. Good food in a nice atmosphere. 3. LES/East Village. Usually, you only get to have two of these three things at the same time. Balvanera offered us all the things, and I am duly grateful. I am even more grateful for fantastic sangria, stellar service, excellent empanadas, and all the chorizo I could ever want. read more

Unbelievable, best steak I've had in NYC for a long time. Really recommend going here with some friends and splitting the Dry Aged Ribeye. The mushroom side is also amazing. read more