Balboa in Old Montreal offers Italian fare anchored by wood-fired pizzas with a standout organic sourdough crust, complemented by pasta, antipasti, and desserts that many reviews call delicious. The ambiance is repeatedly described as beautiful and inviting, providing a lively yet intimate backdrop for casual nights out or dates. Service is praised for being attentive and friendly, and the cocktails and wine list receive positive mentions, though several visits note slow or inconsistent service and long waits for drinks or dishes at busy times. The pizza is often the star, with reviewers praising the crust and toppings as among the best in town, while a few say the price is high for the value and some pizzas do not rise above the ordinary. Dishes such as fungi pasta and arancini are highlighted as excellent, whereas some patrons found the bolognese or certain plates underwhelming. Overall the place is seen as a stylish and reliable destination in the area that delivers strong pizza and atmosphere, with many diners planning to return to try more of the menu.
Franchement l'Italie de Montréal avec le meilleur rapport qualité prix service!
Nourriture vraiment excellente! Tout était très bon! Le menu est créatif & classique!
Service vraiment excellent! Notre serveuse était sympathique & extrêmement attentionnée! Le décor est très beau! Un sans faute!
We enjoyed a great meal here, we're Australians visiting Montreal & have been shown so much hospitality! The fried olives were a standout, as was the limoncello cocktail. Our server Nick was perfect & so fun. It's in a beautiful part of the old town with lots of restaurants & bars & people out & about. Recommend it!
Went in a group of 4 for dinner, with reservation. Took us 15 minutes to be seated even though we showed up at reservation time & there were plenty of empty tables, then they forgot about us for 45 minutes (while waiters were passing by us looking at our table).
Finally, when we got to order, we ordered food & drinks. The food came first!! We had to wait an extra 10 minutes for our drinks (they were fine drinks).
As for the food, it was fine, nobody was super impressed by their dish. If the prices were 60-70% of what they are at this restaurant, then it would be worth it.
Delicious food the service was great our waiter was attentive & very friendly answering all our questions the restaurant itself was so fun with great decorations & atmosphere & the pizza was some of the best I've had with a homemade sourdough crust & tasty toppings & the rest of my party said the pasta & drinks were also very good quality.
Yummy 😋 Had a date here with my boyfriend & the food was delicious! We both had pizzas that were so good & left us satisfied & stuffed! The tiramisu was also amazing!
Nice place & the staff is super nice & friendly.
Had dinner here for new years even & everything went smoothly.
I've had pizza at many places in the city & this is definitely not my favourite. The pizza is good, but the dough doesn't stand out as well as the toppings.
We had the pepperoni & fungi pizzas. The pepperoni amount is generous & the fungi is not bad. However, the dough isn't up to par & the pizza doesn't stand out in any way. Just for the price & I was expecting more, compared to some other places I've tried in the city.
The bolognese pasta was very underwhelming. The tomato sauce was basic, not a lot of meat. I wouldn't recommend.
If I'm in the area & I crave a quick pizza, I might grab one, other than that, I wouldn't come back here.
The pizza & pasta are pretty mid. However very cute space & good service!
Fun date night at Balboa Pizzeria in Montreal with a great atmosphere & really good food. We shared the mushroom pasta & the margarita pizza & both were delicious. Would definitely come back 🍕✨
The service was mediocre. The appetizer & pasta were just okay but the pizza was terrible! They are cheap on there toppings so all your are eating is ordinary dough. Skip this place, you're not missing much!
Jan 4, 2026
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My partner & I are from Halifax where we know every good food spot so coming to a city much bigger & trying to find somewhere to eat that met our standards of food from home we came across balboa which blew us away!
Staff was amazing & food was just as good. Definitely will be back on our next trip.
Nous sommes arrivés un groupe de 8 personnes, sans réservation, pendant le congé des fêtes. Malgré que le restaurant
était très occupé, le personnel a tout fait pour nous recevoir. Super ambiance, excellent service, & délicieux repas. A refaire!
J'ai mangé au Balboa récemment & j'ai vraiment passé un super moment. Le lieu est moderne, joli & vraiment agréable. L'équipe est sympa, souriante, & le service est rapide. L'ambiance est détendue, parfaite autant pour un repas entre amis que pour un dîner en couple. Franchement, je recommande à 100 % : on y mange bien & on s'y sent bien.
