Balthazar
Balthazar is one of the many Keith McNally restaurants in the city. Some of his other restaurants include Pastis, Minetta Tavern, and Cherche Midi. This restaurant has been on our list for quite a while. The menu looks very basic, so we never really had the urge to make a reservation. For this Friday evening, we were able to surprisingly walk-in with 3 people at around 5:30 PM. The restaurant was crowded but not as packed with lines or a crowd as it typically has.
Ambiance & Service
The interior is very similar to the other Keith McNally restaurants. They have this French bistro vibe going for it. The tables are small, and they really try to pack the place as much as they can. The sound level in the room is quite loud, but not uncomfortably so.
The service is very quick, and you can tell they are trying to rotate tables as fast as they can.
Food
The Rhone “Le Petit Renard” ($19 - right) was a Grenache-Syrah blend coming from Famille Coulon, France 2021. This had very nice aromas of blackberry and pepper with some silky tannins and a smooth, lingering finish. This was decent thankfully coming from a big restaurant like Balthazar.
The Pomegranate Martini ($23 - left) came with Ketel One vodka, Pama Liqueur, Cointreau, and lemon. I thought the blend of this was good, though I felt this was pricey for what it was.
The complimentary bread came room temperature with some butter on the side. The bread’s innards were soft, and the crust was crispy.
The Beef Short Rib ($43) came with creamy polenta, smoked bacon, tomato, and mushrooms. The short ribs as expected was fork tender, and the flavor overall met expectations. There wasn’t anything stellar about this, other than it tasted good, especially compared to other French restaurants.
The Steak Frites ($49) came medium rare with maitre d’ butter and Bearnaise sauce. The steak surprisingly had a nice char and grill marks on it. It was cooked perfectly medium rare, and it was decently tender. I was not a fan of the bearnaise sauce unfortunately because it tasted very academic. The fries were wonderfully crispy though and not oversalted.
Overall Impression
Balthazar really is no different than many of the Keith McNally restaurants in the city. The food is quintessential French bistro style, and the flavors are good. If you’re in the Soho area and have not tried a Keith McNally restaurant, do anticipate waiting during prime time hours. Otherwise, I think the restaurant itself is a bit on the touristy side and is not worth the wait if you’re willing to travel to other places in the city.
Yelp & Google Jabs
If this has been on your list, then it’s worth a try. Maybe come for the dinner menu. That could be more exciting.
Looking at their menu, I definitely did not think it was all that exciting for dinner. If it’s your first time, the menu is very typical French. If this is your first time dining at a NYC French restaurant, it’s definitely worth a try.
Tried French cuisine for the first time and I don’t think I loved it. We’ve heard a lot of good things about this restaurant and wanted to try it out. We definitely recommend making reservations if you go however, it’s so packed inside you can barely move around and you’re sitting so close to everyone.
This “packness” that this Elitist describes is common in trendy, small restaurants in NYC. Just like Paris, expect there to be very little elbow room. Also this Elitist has not ever tried French cuisine which is interesting. They ordered a risotto, which would not be a good item to break into French cuisine.
Revisions
- Nov 14, 2025 - Initial revision.