Cafe Balaban's - Mar del plata

Just picked up carry out from here on Saturday! Everything was delicious! We started with the shrimp appetizer and the strawberry kale salad. Both were delicious and very fresh tasting. For main course I got the Beef Wellington and my husband got the Stiffed Chicken. Everything was well seasoned and there was a lot of food. They are only doing curbside right now and you have to make sure you order at least 48 hours in advance, but the food is well worth it! Right now it is located in the building with Patty Long Catering on it, not sure where their permanent location will be, but def look forward to eating here again! And will be excited when they start dine in service again!!!

A late lunch at Balaban's on a hot St. Louis summer day. It's known for its wines; they also have some tasty dishes. It's pretty low key at lunch, so if you're looking for something good that's a bit different, Balaban's is worth a try. Their flatbreads are great. Before I had to become a GF freak, I loved them. This visit, I had to go sans gluten, so I had their Pear Pecan Salad and a cup of Cucumber Bisque soup. The mixed green salad also has dried figs and a great vinaigrette. I rarely eat an entire salad, but this salad was just the right size. The only thing I didn't finish was some dried figs, which for me were a bit too many. True to its name, the soup offered the freshest flavor. Hubby had the Applewood Bacon flatbread. He enjoyed it, though he expected a salty sweet combo. Instead, it had a more tart flavor, maybe from the goat cheese. The diced pear didn't add flavor, mostly texture. Still tasty but has opportunity for improvement. They don't have fountain soda, so if you want a coke, you get to pay $2.50 for them to bring you a cup of ice and a can of Coke. Wow. Our server was not good. He waited until we were almost finished with our meal to check on us. We were not impressed. The dining room is small and he had one other table. One star for him. Bleh. We'll visit again, but we stick to the lunch menu when the prices are more reasonable and we can still enjoy the tasty food. If you're in the mood, pick up a bottle of wine to enjoy later.

Well, got to celebrate a nice but final HH at the current Chesterfield location. They're moving, so be on the look out potentially in the Soullard area, then eventually Central West End for a new Balaban's locations. Ownership is also changing so hopeful the quality of Balaban's remains exceptional. Overall I feel they're a solid 4+ having a higher end menu and drink pricing even HH was $20pp, so know a full meal is gonna hit the wallet. But the food quality is top shelf, and they have excellent food selections. They also have an all you can eat gourmet Sunday brunch, but it's not inexpensive. HH specials included 1/2 off all wines (except Premiums) by the glass, $2 ice cold local beers like Bud, and a variety of appetizers for discounted price. Today we ordered a couple Flatbreads to share, both Margherita and Applewood Bacon Onion were very tasty. Added a side of their sweet potato chips served with a creamy horseradish dip, perfect complement with drinks! Overall this is a very nice place for a meal; and I'd say caters to wine connoisseurs with the broad wine selections you can choose a bottle and have it with your meal. Enjoy Balaban's if you're looking for a top quality, well above average meal. Cheers!

Came here for the wine tasting and finally trying them out since they are closing the Chesterfield location. The wine is a bit overpriced compared to the total wine across the street. Might be a reason they are closing. The steak flatbread pizza wasnt that great. The steak was so dried out from being cooked twice it was like dog food. They really need to put it on the pizza raw so it cooks to a med rare instead of well done like I got it. Flavors were plane too. It could have used some more spices and seasoning. Dinner was disappointing. The lobster ravioli barely tasted like lobster. The home made pasta was very tough and dried out like it was made several days ago. Sauce was a bit too lemony. The pork chop was overcooked and dry. The crust was good but didnt overcome the improper cook. Sauteed spinach was awful. Barely cooked blanched spinach with half and half poured on top. Masted potatoes tasted like instant.

We went for dinner at the bar last week. You can't beat the wine here-good selection and it only an $8 corkage fee. They have a good menu with many options-the salad portions are huge!!! Like the half salad is plenty for two people to have prior to entrees. The oysters were delicious and large-I think they were $3/piece. The reason I didn't give 5 stars was because we didn't see much of our waitress-it was almost like they were short staffed. We will go back though.