Brasserie Balzar

It was a very nice dinner but… I wanted the roast chicken, it wasn’t on the menu. The foie gras used to come with a glass of Sauterne wine. Too many young waiters. Boy I’m getting old!

J’adore ce restaurant. Je l’ai trouvé dans «500 Food Journeys of a Lifetime». Quand je suis à Paris, j’y vais. Il vous faut La Gratinée.

A wonderful French brasserie established in 1886, Brasserie Balzar offers French classics and delicious wines.
The setting makes your feel like you are in someone’s home. Peals of laughter echo in the dining room. Simple red linen. Gracious hosts.
Eating with strangers that we’ve met one hour ago.
We met another couple when both Unilocal and Trip Advisor falsely informed us that Le Bistro de Perigord was open. Resolutely, we were informed we could not imbibe.
So the head waiter of Perigord recommended Brasserie and all four of us set off and chatted along the way.
We sat down and talked about politics, our homes, French culture, Tesla, and fashion.
My hubby and I ordered: calf liver, escargots and roasted duck. And two bottles of wine: Pascal Jolivet Pouilly-​Fume 2014 and Cotes du Rhone 2011.
My calf liver was perfectly cooked. Perfectly seasoned and seared, it looked nothing like liver and tasted like a seated buttery liver. It was wonderful.
Our companion said he doesn’t usually order liver but that was the best liver he has ever had.
The escargot was buttery, garlicky and parslied. So good.
Kwai’s duck was perfectly seared, very flavorful. Solid dish.
I know I’ve been saying that France had some of the best wine and French food I’ve ever had, and its true. I thought living in New York gave me the best of everything but apparently, I was missing out.
Apparently France only exports 50% of their wine to other countries. And what I’ve been drinking in New York was not the best of French wine.
The wine was unbelievable.
The Cotes Rhone was a full body beautiful buttery red.
The Pascal Jolivet Pouilly-​Fume 2014 was a perfect light, crisp, flavorful white.
The meal was wonderful and we stayed until closing time. Thankfully, the other diners were too busy drinking and laughing to leave.

Nous confirmons que la Balzar n’est plus que l’ombré de ce qu’elle était. Hélas ! Des plats principaux assez mal préparés (viandes et poissons effectivement bien trop secs; le monsieur à notre gauche a renvoyé 2 fois sa foie de veau) et tristement garnis, un décor poussiéreux et un maître d’hôte bourru né font qu’amplifier la déception. Seul point positif: le service souriant et attentionné, mais il né justifie plus à lui seul les prix toujours aussi élevés.

Food was absolutely delicious. Thanks to a tip on Unilocal if you make reservations ahead of time on La Fourchette then you could get an extra 30% off your meal.
Would recommend the wine, French onion soup, and scallops. Be careful when ordering ‘medium rare’ beef/​steak as there can be some confusion with the English/​French.

Traditional and semi formal but not stuffy. Get the au poivre-​AMAZING sauce as only Paris can do! Immaculate service and thoroughly enjoyable meal. Be prepared to enjoy and spend 50E each.

Balzar is exactly what we wanted — an old school French bistro. It was a great experience overall. We had been warned that the service would be curt. It was a pleasant surprise. They were patient with my terrible French and our two boys.
Of course, we started with escargots, which was fun and tasty (anything is good with enough butter and garlic!). The entrees («plat») were also very good. I got the special (lamb chops), which was excellent. The desserts (flan and chocolate mousse) were just OK. .. the weakest part of the evening.
I would recommend booking in advance. If you book on The Fork (La Fourchette in France), you can get significant discounts. We got 30% off.
You definitely get the feeling that this type of restaurant is a dying breed. It is fun for tourists and there were plenty of older Parisians in the place, but I don’t think the younger generations of Parisians go to places like this. But I would definitely recommend this place for tourists looking for the old school bistro experience.

On a bien mangé. Resto historique. A essayer.

Arrived at 6:30ish on a Sunday night. There was one other couple when we arrived and about five tables filled by the time we left an hour later. It seems to cater to an older formal crowd, not so much to tourists. The free bread was overbaked and very chewy. I had the scallops and my husband had the salmon. We both thought our dinners were cooked well and they were tasty, but they were overpriced. My scallops were very small. Service was fast but the waiter was not very personable. Plenty of seating especially given the lack of customers at the time, but we were seated at a table that required moving another table to let us squeeze in. Another customer was seated right next to us and they had to move our table to let her in also. They do take credit cards, menu is available with English translations, and our waiter did speak English.

It is one of the oldest brasseries in paris
food: good food but nothing special. reasonable for swiss prices but a little bit pricy for france.
service: we had a waiter that always made jokes. its fun but when i go to a restaurant i more likely want to have a waiter that understands /​fulfills my wishes and is professional and not makeing jokes about it. but taste is different.
atmosphere: nothing special. the waiters dressed well and the table was made pretty well.

Very good selection of French cuisine. Wait staff very friendly to Americans. Nice selection of wine

Serveurs agréables et souriants, service rapide le dimanche soir. Ambiance agréable. Le coeur de rumsteack sauce au poivre et la purée sont excellents Je recommande vivement cet endroit !

I had a wonderful dinner here with my wife and son. We sat for almost three hours and enjoyed escargot, Chateaubriand, yellow chicken, sole, and a variety of desserts topped off with a Gevrey Chambertin red burgundy. Everything was perfectly prepared and served with appropriate French dignity and disdain for my lack of french speaking. This is a very classic, pricey French restaurant experience.

Old fashioned OK place. Nice atmosphere if you like very very traditional. Food OK but nothing special. Better than Chez Julien but you would get a better meal for half the price nearby at Le Petit Pontoise.

The perfect place for a true Parisian experience. Surrounded by locals, we knew we had come to the right restaurant for our first dinner in Paris. We ordered a bottle of Sancerre, the French Onion Soup (which was as good as you should expect… being in the land of its namesake, after all) and the Chicken entrée. Perhaps we should have been more adventurous, but after a long day of traveling, we both sought comfort food. And comforted we were.
More than anything, the atmosphere is a reason to go. I loved the service, the ambiance, the menu. Simply lovely.

Alors même en rêve mange dans le cartier étudiant ou le cartier latin je pense que les restau manqué de classe se lui si e horible et très brûlant désagréable pour discute en amoureux je déconseillé de passé la page très rapidement

Old skool french brasserie at its best. If you’re looking for classics in the 5^th.
A little on the pricey side, but you’re paying mostly for reputation. Found the place a little too bright.
Had the stuffed pigs feet. Was hoping to be served a whole pig’s feet, but was served only the meat fried, but still very good!

This is a lovely brasserie near the Sorbonne. My first impression was that this could be a place that intimidates non-​regulars, but I saw that once we ignored those thoughts and just got on with it, we had a very pleasant experience.
I went in specifically wanting to try an old school classic. The waiter spoke: english, spanish, «whatever you want», and he provided good service with a smile. I asked him for a wine suggestion, and he couldn’t have been more helpful, even giving us a few choices and diplomatically allowing us to choose based on price (if we so desired), deftly handling the fear customers in that situation have about being steered towards the more expensive choice.
The meal I selected was beef in broth, with the bone. The condiments included cornichons, mustard, and sea salt. The bone had the marrow in it, which you could dig out and eat if you so desired. It was heavenly. As I worked my way through the dish, I realized I was mesmerized and lost in the experience.
This brasserie was reportedly a regular haunt of the fin de siècle crowd. It’s easy to visualize this being the case. Next time I’d like to try and get a table on the terrace facing the street, even though eating at Paris cafes and brasseries is often more about the sideways glance to watch your fellow diners, more so than viewing the passing traffic.
It was a very enjoyable experience.

The best dinner I had in Paris was here! Great service and great food. It’s a little more expensive than other restaurants but the cost is worth it. I had 2 glasses of wine, coffee, gazpacho, salmon with risotto and sauteed peaches with crème = 60 euros.
It starts to empty out around 11, so best time to go is ⁸³⁰⁄₉.

At this point the Brasserie Balzar is definitely resting on its laurels. We just ate there and it doesn’t compare with the meals we ate there years ago. The food was overpriced and just average at any price. Skip it and save your money to eat at a place that is really earning its reputation.

Old school bistro. Being sandwiched in with other diners is only festive when in Paris. Food is above average. Snails were strong; yellow chicken was okay. Really good frites. It is conveient to the Hotel Atmospheres.

Balzar n’est plus une brasserie…
La choucroute a disparu (sauf le mercredi), tout comme le pied de porc, etc… La carte est limitée, ce qui ferait espérer une cuisine soignée: mais les ris de veau sont trop cuits et presque carbonisés. Le pain et le mille-​feuilles datent de la veille, le baba au rhum est plutôt un pudding. Le tout parait bien cher.

J’adore. There you go. This is officially a French Unilocal review. I came here on a Saturday night with my brother, also known around these parts as my borther. We rolled in at 11:20, also known around these parts as 23:20. It was somewhat late but that’s how they roll here. Turns out, the restaurant closes at 11:30, but it was quite full when we got there so there were no signs of ill will when we asked for a table. At least no more than you normally get as an American in Paris.
We had a table against the wall — the kind that they trap you into by pulling out the table just so you can sit. Luckily I have an adequate bladder. This meal was a mission. Escargots. Foie Gras. Yellow Chicken. Two things I couldn’t leave Paris without having, and one thing that you can get just about anywhere. My brother had some salmon tournedos. Watch out! Flying fish! The escargots were great, even though we got six when I ordered twelve. The foie gras was exactly what you’d expect. Meat butter. Holler.
Along with dinner, we had a bottle of Rose. Because we’re men like that. Everything was great. When the bill came, the head server saw me playing with my Nike+ FuelBand and asked if he could try it on. Then somehow he put it into reset mode. No, dude! Stop that!
He had a mustache that wouldn’t quit.

You can’t get more classic than Brasserie Balzar. Make sure to make a reservation and even with one, you’ll wait about 45 min more. Yes, this place is busy from open to close! Steak tartar is the real deal here — get it! Expect to spend quite a bit, but it’s well worth it.

Pas à la hauteur des autres avis
Dans sa globalité, cette brasserie est bien. Cependant, elle n’a pas été à la hauteur de ce que j’avais pu en lire. Le cadre est celui d’une brasserie classique, le charme en moins. L’éclairage est un peu trop fort. Les tables sont les unes à côté des autres mais ceci est l’inconvénient de la majorité des brasseries. Le service est de qualité. Bön accueil, service aimable, plats servis ni trop vite ni trop lentement,… Concernant la cuisine, j’ai été extrêmement déçue de trouver uniquement des pommes de terre un petit morceau de navet dans un intitulé de plat qui mentionnait «légumes de saison». Le rapport qualité prix n’est pour moi pas au rendez-​vous concernant le plat. Même si la viande était de bonne qualité.

This is a classic brasserie that I actually heard about via Goop of all places. Perhaps because G.P. vouched for it, my expectations were a little high. The décor is classic with seats packed very tightly together. I found the staff to be very friendly and attentive,
For my meal I had the skate wing with potatoes. The skate wing was cooked very well and had good flavor but there were a ton of bones in it, which took away from the dish a bit.
While I don’t think I would visit again, if you are in the 5^th and wanting some classic fare, it could be worth checking out,

La vraie brasserie Parisienne.
Jamais déçu, on peut y aller les yeux fermés. Ici pas de grande cuisine mais simple et efficace.
Coup de coeur pour les serveurs, le cadre, l’ambiance, les vins et j’en passé.

Une brasserie sympa
Le service est très professionnel et très agréable. Les serveurs ont beaucoup de répartie. Les repas sont très corrects, le vin choisi était un régal. Il faudrait que cela soit plus grand. On reviendra.

La perfection dans la tradition
Maison de tradition et quel cadre ! La cuisine de tradition que vous mangiez chez votre grand-​mère, un service de grand style avec une véritable tenue de tradition, une clientèle feutrée et distinguée: à réserver pour vos grands et petits moments de la vie !

Old school Parisian Bistro.
I guess it’s more of an experience… coz i was certainly not too impressed with the food itself.
Several sites/​blogs touted Balzar as THE place to dine. We wanted to check out the Sorbonne/​St Germain area, so we picked a restaurant that was in the area.
My lamb chops were OK. I asked for them to be done Medium Rare, but they were definitely medium. I’m pretty sure they had no real regard for my request… coz you know, the French know best.
Eh.
The escargots were good, but not anything i couldn’t get in any good restaurant anywhere in the world (i’ve had better escargots @ a Japanese-​Italian fusion chain restaurant in S’pore. no joke)
The servers were theatrical, somewhat fun (but odd) and the food was overpriced.
If you were starving and this was the only place opened… it ain’t bad. Otherwise, skip it and keep looking

Deuxième visite, pouir essayer de réviser mon opinion
Deuxième visite dans cette brasserie dont le souvenir né m’était pas resté positif. 23h samedi, ouf il reste de la place. Cette fois l’accueil est plus aimable, mais les tables toujours serrées, on est à Paris quoi! La carte n’a toujours rien de celle du groupe Flo. Rien à dire, du classique, mais c’est cher et pas de formule. «Dos de cabillaud risotto parmesa“n: 23 €, arrivé la peau noire cramée, le risotto plutot du riz avec du parmesan et des champignons, des croutons. bref tout ce qu’il semblait rester comme acompagnement d’autres pats. En entrée des poireaux vinaigrette, bof bof. Et la carte des vins, toute petite fait très mal… une bouteille de Bourgogne aligoté 2009 à 29 € ! Bref, toujours moyen comme souvenir. très cher, très décevant par rapport aux autres adresses Flo.

Bön, c’est une brasserie typique, vraiment parisienne, avec le menu qui va avec (typique), le brouhaha qui va avec (classique), la qualité qui va avec (standard), l’addition qui va avec (50 EUR + par personne, faut pas déc…). Heureusement, il y a l’accueil, topissime, souriant et professionnel à la fois. De ce point de vue là, c’est une réussite.
Choucroute, tête de veau, hachis et tous les classqiues sont là.

J’adore aller au Balzar, par forcément pour la nourriture (correct mais rien d’extraordinaire) mais pour le cadre rétro et le service impec! Ici il y a au moins 5 serveurs + maître’d dans une salle d’environ 50 tables, donc l’attention est toujours sur vous. Le moindre petit geste et ils arrivent avec une grande sourire ou une petite blague bien moquer.
Ici, c’est du service à l’ancien. Les serveurs sortent des plats de la cuisine et les pose sur une petite table de préparation où il disposent les mets sur les assiettes juste devant vos yeux. Je né sais pas pourquoi il font cette étape en plus, mais c’est bien sympa de le regarder manipuler la nourriture avec les gestes gracieux et attentionné. Donc si vous avez marre du service horrible, un petit saut dans le temps chez Balzar vous ferez du bien. Promis!

Situé rue des Écoles à coté de La Sorbonne, Le Balzar est la brasserie parisienne «old school» dans toute sa splendeur.
Les serveurs moustachus en gilet de service noir et chemise blanche, l’ambiance Art Déco, les miroirs, les banquettes, les nappes en coton soyeux, les couverts en argent, l’atmosphère boisée…tout est la.
En 5 minutes on se retrouve projeté dans les années 30.
La carte est classique, les plats sont toujours délicieux.
Mon favori: un pavé au poivre saignant avec son assiette de frites. Le paradis!
Je n’ai plus faim, ce n’est pas grave je prend quand même une part de tarte tatin avec sa boule de glacé vanille.
Le vin me tourne la tête, j’écoute mes voisins américains assis à coté de notre table. Ils appellent le serveur, celui se retourne et leurs dit: «ketchup?»
C’est le genre d’endroit qui me donne envie de rester toute ma vie à Paris.

Véritable institution du quartier latin, la Brasserie Balzar n’a guère changé depuis les années 40, lorsque Sartre et Camus s’y donnaient rendez-​vous. Garçons en uniforme noir, tables rondes en marbre et terrasse vitrée, elle constitue l’archétype de la Parisian café experience, comme disent les touristes américains.
Seulement ici, c’est garanti 100% authentique (même si entre-​temps la brasserie a rejoint le groupe Flo). La disposition des tables face à la rue est étudiée pour optimiser l’observation des gens qui passent. Idéal pour siroter un petit noir en bouquinant, ou pour déguster une raie au beurre seul ou accompagné.

Une brasserie familiale, à l’ancienne: de vrais serveurs avec la serviette blanche sur le bras et un majordome en chef pour vous accueillir et vous placer. Mais les dernières fois que j’y suis allée, je trouve que l’atmosphère avait changé en un peu moins bien. J’ai compris pourquoi: cette brasserie a été rachetée par le Groupe Flo. Badaboum! C’était donc ça…
La décoration façon Art Nouveau, de grands miroirs et des plantes rendent le lieu chaleureux et agréable. Les plats sont succulents: des lottes, des soles marinières, des viandes, des légumes de grande fraîcheur. J’ai aussi un souvenir de tarte tatin savoureuse.
On croise des touristes, quartier oblige et des habitués, fidèles, bien connus par l’équipe. En face de la librairie La Compagnie, sous la Sorbonne, à deux pas du Champollion, il y a pire comme lieu de rendez-​vous familial ou amoureux…
Paris Paris…

Brasserie classique, service efficace
Le soir il y a souvent de l’attente après 20 heures.
La côte de bœuf est très bonne
Un peu cher.

la brasserie parisienne bien classique
serveurs en uniforme
carte qui né bouge pas pleine de bon plats traditionnels bien realisés
bien sur c’est pas donné, mais c’est le quartier
en bref, c’est efficace

Oh I agree with the concise review by Hainsworth. Food is classic bistro fare that warms the soul, comforts the spirit, and satisfies hunger so well that I laugh with joy after a meal here.
Exceptional service by true restaurant professionals.
Expect to pay 100 euros for 2 people to eat 3 course meals with 2 glasses of wine.
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Oh je suis d’accord avec la revue concise par Hainsworth. La nourriture est l’exemple classique de tarif de bistrot qui chauffe l’âme, réconforte l’esprit, et satisfait la faim si bien que je ris avec la joie après un repas ici.
Le service est exceptionnel par vrais gens de métier de restaurant.
Compter payer que 100 euros pour 2 gens qui mangé chaq’un 3 plats avec 2 verres de vin.

Une institution à Paris.
Il faut y aller sans hésitation, c’est professionnel, académique, parfait.