Balzem

Summary

This restaurant is right around the corner of Lombardi’s in Nolita. We were hungry, and of course all the super popular restaurants had wait time. This one though for some reason had none, so why not?

They served us complimentary bread with olive oil and olives. Nothing much to say, but it was a nice gesture and good too.

We also ordered octopus which was cooked in red wine sauce, pan seared and served on arugula salad. The octopus surprisingly had a very nice char to it. It was crunchy or tender at the right spots. I liked how some parts of it was like eating a soft sponge, and others was like biting into a nice crisp.

The tavern chicken was flat chicken thighs marinated in red pepper paste and herbs, grilled and served on cracked wheat veggie rice. It was also served with a side of tomato and greens. The chicken was pretty good. It was tender and juicy, and they gave a good portion size. The rice though was pretty good in that it tastes literally like El Pollo Loco rice. Since this restaurant doesn’t exist in New York City as far as I know, I highly doubt they bought it and brought it here. Regardless, it was nice to be reminded of those flavors.

The burger balzem was an 8oz beef with balzem sauce, tomato, arugula, and sesame seed bun. There wasn’t anything special from the burger, but it was juicy and a good size.

The french fries had a nice crisp to it, almost as if it was double fried. It’s like eating a thick Burger King style french fry.

It wasn’t busy this night, so service was stellar and prompt. Price wise, it’s very affordable and a surprising stumble for us.

Final Verdict

It’s a good alternative restaurant at a reasonable price around the Lombardi area.

Yelp Jabs

we came in & sat at the bar asked about the happy hour & the frozen sangria .. not included go figured - strike one.. we still wanted to try it so we got it , it comes in a wine glass barely half full - strike two.. & finally that half glass was $15 dollars ughhhh strike three !!

Looking to be burned by happy hours seems to be a common pattern that Elitists exhibit.

Tables are very close together, so beware of people listening in on your convo!

This happens everywhere especially in city environments. Welcome to the city where most people don’t really care about your conversation!