Ballantine

Ipaloosa is coming in February! Can’t wait for all the new beers and sushi. Always a good steak and beer selection. Relaxed atmosphere and great staff.

First visit on 12/05/2015…I couldn’t resist hearing the music so I decided to check it out… nice spot to bring your friends and have a good time, dance, and of course drink! Will definitely be back!

Excellent meal and excellent service. We had several different things from the menu, including the sushi special and lamb burger. They were perfect! We will definitely be back!

Ballantine, you do not impress me. It had been about 2 years since I gave you a try. You added more Asian items… But took away the sauce with your fries. I ordered the sticky ribs, but the plum sauce was overpowering. Your only redeeming quality was the Rosemary and garlic laden fries. Service was slow, somewhat inattentive and the wine list was subpar. You’re going to have to do more to lure me back to your bar.

This spot is really a 3.5 type trendy restaurant in downtown Willoughby. Friendly servers and cool décor with bar, long tables or booths, all good for group seating. I liked how the garage windows could be open on a nice day. Bar tvs for the game. We showed our room card for a free appetizer as instructed by our hotel, but server said that was old promo, was a lil put off because we had a party of 6 they got the business due to a real promo flyer, so they could just honor it. Oh well, they had a happy hour that had a good variety so we ordered our food, a mix of regular items and happy hour.
We ordered a firecracker roll to share as appetizer. Due to kitchen call in we sat there for an hour with no food, we were starving. Bummed that they didn’t make the pizza or adjust to bring other items out where they had help? Just not creative problem solvers at all here. Finally a manager apologized and got us some tasty wontons with cheesy chicken dip w/​sirracha that was some service recovery, or really just free app we should have received any way. Most of the food was really good when it finally arrived, some items are interesting but not very good. They have a huge menu so you can find something for everyone, huge beer selection and full bar.

The ambiance was fantastic, the food not so much. I ordered sushi, and it just didn’t wow me or taste especially fresh. Granted, I have been spoiled the past few months with California sushi fresh from the ocean, so I may be a bit of a snob. The service was fine, drinks were appropriately alcoholic, and I had a nice time. But to pay so much money on food ($ 80ish), I expected to really like it!

My friend and I recently went to Ballantine for a quick lunch. We both had a veggie burger and asparagus. Overall the food was ok. I was honestly expecting more from what I had heard of the place. The portion size was great but I think the burger lacked a lot of flavor. A decent meal and the staff was kind, courteous and prompt.
Nothing too exciting to write about. I’ll probably stop back to see what else is going on in there but for the price I expected more.

Lots of sushi options and discount night was Monday! I had a burger too that was good but nothing too extra special tasting, though I beleive they offer grass fed beef (I had a turkey burger). Appetizer menu is what I would’ve liked to try. Kinda a dark feel to the place good for a date probably not to celebrate a family birthday. Lots of drink options.

I love Ballantine. Here’s why; I can get some amazing sushi, and a lovely (affordable) glass of wine. My husband can get a fantastic burger, and an interesting beer on draught. This is my go-​to, local pub. I gave it 4 stars because the typical Willoughby crowd is usually there.

Went here on a whim with the husband and he was always bragging about this place because you can get drinks, steak and sushi all in the same place.
We went and shared a steak and sushi. Both were wonderful and had an amazing meal!
Our server was also very nice and accomodating.

Hours of trying to shop for living room furniture with the husband, right before we came here, had us believing one thing: we’re just opposites who attract– what he hates, I love and what I hate, he loves. This was until we tasted the pasta here– worst pasta ever. The terribleness of the pasta brought us together again lol… so I really can’t be too disappointed with them after all…
Ordered the «Glut“ton’s pasta: pasta, Zuchini, Squash, Tomato, asparagus, Goat cheese cream, arugula-​pesto drizzle… mmm… the idea of it had me anticipating deliciousness… I mean, it’s pasta, and it’s goat cheese… Impossible to screw that up right? Wrong! The pasta was literally uncooked when it came. They took it back graciously when I complained and brought it back: still chewy the second time around (didn’t have the heart to send it back again…). The goat cheese sauce was average at best… To be fair they did not charge us for the pasta… and the cocktails were good. Really good. Hubby ordered Lobster stuffed Salmon (weekly special) which was delectable as well… Oh and the Bacon Wrapped Scallops… Amazing.
Service:polite, not overtly friendly. I feel that the staff handled the Saturday night bustle really well.
Ambiance: very Park Slope-​y. Busy, loud, and crowded. Perfect if you are out with friends or a casual date. I wouldn’t go here for a special occasion dinner.
Also, they DO NOT DO LUNCH anymore. Had driven all the way here a week ago, only to find upside down chairs on tables…

Oh, Ballantine, I don’t know what to make of you! I think you could really shine if you didn’t stretch yourself quite so thin in a misguided attempt at being trendy. It’s nice that you’re trying to branch out with your menu, but Asian fusion is clearly not your speciality, and I really think you need to work on perfecting a handful of specific dishes before overrunning your menu with mediocrely prepared options. (Those sushi nachos, though? Those were fab. Why can’t everything on your menu be so yummy?!)
Service was absolutely terrible the evening we went as well! We visited on half-​price sushi night, and as soon as we sat down my sister (a Ballantine veteran) asked the waitress if there was a wait on the sushi should we choose to partake, as the chefs can get quite backed up due to the deal. The waitress told us no, everything was running on schedule, but then added with a bit of attitude that sushi *does* take a while to prepare, as if we were uncultured dolts who had never heard of this mysterious delicacy before. Um, sushi actually doesn’t take that long if you know what you’re doing and there aren’t a million orders up. I’d venture a guess that it’s probably one of the quicker things to make on the menu. Definitely faster than a steak!
Our waitress continued to be pretty terrible. She dropped off our appetizer, but didn’t bring any plates or silverware, and then disappeared! We had to flag another server down. After I asked for a water she vanished once again. After waiting ten minutes we had to flag down the same alternate waitress as before, who I assume gave our girl a bit of a talking to as she finally showed up, somewhat apologetic. «Oh, right, I told you I was going to bring you a water, didn’t I?» It’s not like Ballantine is a big place. Not that hard to keep track of your table!
Food, with the exception of the sushi nachos (Seriously, I LOVED those things, and they’re the reason for three stars instead of two.) was mediocre. I got two sushi rolls and they tasted like something you’d pick up at the grocery store. I didn’t try my brother-in-law’s pad thai, but it looked watery and strange, not like any pad thai I’ve ever seen. Seriously disappointing meal.

Before Gordon Elliot did Doornock Dinners and Tyler Florence did Food 911 there was Sara Moulton Cooking Live and my favorite (of all time) Two Fat Ladies. They were the best. Drank, smoked during the whole show and made real food with butter and sass. This place reminds me of them, but with a Hungarian feel. Schnitzel, chicken livers and paprikash. All homemade. So heavy ya need a nap and take a huge dump after. I came here for a birthday celebration last year and loved it. Very similar to a few places in Slavic Village but way more polished. Here ya have to deal with finding parking or be a tool and valet. If it were on the West Side I would come more often. Red Chimney and Seven Roses are closer for me… and I can still buy rocks just up the block!
Lónak négy a lába, mégis megbotlik.

Finally getting around to reviewing tho place. Let me put bluntly. Dining here was one of the few times I seriously wondered how unacceptable it would be to lick my plate. Parking in downtown Willoby sucks, but the food makes you forget about parking. It was one of the first real dinners my wife and I got to enjoy without having to rush home for our son. My sis was watching him overnight.
So we try this place on a whim. No prior knowledge of it at all. It just looked cool.
I love it when things work out well. This place was cool, lots of craft beers. I had their cranberry BBQ ribs with fresh rosemary fries… I don’t even know how to describe it. Maybe plate licking worthy? Service was great dinner was amazing!!!

I’ve been here a couple of times since it originally opened. The food’s always been average, so I never really made it a ‘go-​to’ establishment. I live close to downtown Willoughby so I pass by here all the time. I’ve been shocked at how crowded it is every time, so I just had to go back. It’s now one of my favorite DTW restaurants!
Our server, Nicole, was outstanding. She made us feel like we were the only ones in the place. I was being very picky about my beer choice, and she had no problem bringing me different samples. We started dinner off with a spicy spicy salmon roll. I’m usually a little hesitant to order sushi from a non-​traditional restaurant, but this was really good. The salmon had that ‘melt in your mouth’ flavor and consistency. One of my dining companions ordered the rainbow roll and I couldn’t get over the size of it! I will definitely be back when I have a sushi craving.
Our meals were top notch. I ordered the scallops and scampi. It came on top of pork fried rice. Originally, I was sceptic of the pork fried rice being paired with shellfish. The chunks of pork in the rice tasted like they were candied. So delicious!
Another person at the table ordered the bone in pork chop that was on special. I can’t really tell you how it tasted because it was devoured before I could ask for a bite! I’m guessing it was good.
Downtown Willoughby is becoming a hotspot for visitors. When looking for a place to dine, Ballantine is it hands down. I’m so happy that I live less than a mile from here!

$ 2 for a glass of ice is a little ridiculous!
Had the Pat LaFrieda burger, it was good but really greasy. Wife had the Pad Thai, it was mediocre at best.
The atmosphere is super trendy and makes for a great vibe. Service was great, very aware and attentive.
All and all, nothing special… good bar good at best… pricey!

My review is definitely in need of a revision.
I went to Ballantine last week to celebrate my mother’s birthday and had an excellent VEGAN meal. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus! And you can find vegan food in good old Downtown Willoughby.
I started off my meal with an avocado roll and a cucumber roll. You can tell that the sushi is made in house and it tasted fresh. I could have eaten about 10 more rolls. They were that good.
Then for my meal, I had vegan lasagna with a tofu ricotta cheese. Sounds weird if you’re not a vegan, but you’d never be able to tell the difference between tofu cheese and the real deal in this dish. It was full of fresh veggies and a zesty sauce and was really satisfying.
I washed all of my grub down with a Moscow Mule or 5. Served in a copper mug, it tasted as it should.
There were a couple other vegan items on the menu that sounded interesting and I’d love to go back for more sushi. They just launched a new menu in late August 2014, so if you haven’t been to Ballentine in awhile, it’s worth a visit again.

I wasn’t there for the alcohol, but my friend had a Margarita that he enjoyed. They had a wide selection of fancy beer, that might interest some. I was a starving Gluten Free Veggie and there because it was the most interesting sounding restaurant that popped up on my Gluten Free Unilocal search.
Our server was polite, careful, and informative. I had their Gluten Free pasta dish. It was delicious. Penne pasta, a number of sliced veggies, including sun dried tomatoes in a tasty cream sauce.
My companion had sushi that he reported was the best he’d had since leaving California. He let the server choose for him and had a happy surprise with the crab/​wasabi rolls that he wouldn’t have picked for himself but reported was his favorite of all the choices.
Desert was a happy surprise. There were two choices in the Gluten Free category. I went with the Triple Chocolate. I was good but not fantastic.
The only real disappointment of the meal was the coffee. They didn’t have espresso so I went with regular coffee with cream. The cream they provided was sweetened. It tasted almost like those fake creamer that try to make your coffee taste like an Irish coffee, but only manage to make it taste strange.
As others have reported it was a bit pricy, but the food was good and I find that most places that carry Gluten Free food usually are.
We were there in mid-​afternoon. There were TV’s showing the Ohio State football game, but they were not blasting and it was easy to ignore them and carry on a conversation If you are there for the game and some pub grub, sit in the bar and I am sure you will have a good time.

Great craft beer selection on tap! However, if you have questions about the selection, the bartenders don’t seem to be the most knowledgeable. On the bright side, they are pretty to look at, so there’s that.
I had already eaten before stopping by, but the food looked pretty appetizing. The place has valet parking in the back along with the brewery and the other restaurants on that side of the street.

Haven’t had the chance to dine here yet, but I’ll tell you what — Ballantine has the best bathrooms in Downtown Willoughby.
Stone walls
Separated urinals
Stand alone stall
Two sinks
Paper towels — stocked
Soap — stocked
There’s even a shelf in front of the urinals to put your drink!
¹⁰⁄₁₀ would pee here again.