Les avis sur Balboa convergent vers une expérience majoritairement positive autour des pizzas au levain cuites au four à bois et des plats de pâtes dans un cadre chaleureux du Vieux-Montréal. La cuisine est décrite comme savoureuse et généreuse, avec des pizzas variées et des plats comme les arancini et le tiramisu; certains trouvent les pizzas excellentes tandis que d'autres estiment que le rapport qualité-prix est élevé pour le quartier. Le service est souvent loué pour son accueil et son professionnalisme, mais quelques passages signalent des temps d'attente plus longs et des questions sur le pourboire et la tarification. L'ambiance est régulièrement saluée et le décor est apprécié, ce qui en fait une adresse agréable pour un dîner entre amis ou en couple, et beaucoup indiquent qu'ils reviendront lors d'un prochain passage.
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.
Balboa Montreal Review: Great Vibes, Amazing Service...but is the pizza worth the Old Montreal price tag?
Old Montreal is buzzing, & Balboa is the hot new spot everyone's talking about! As a self-proclaimed foodie, I had to check out this June 2025 opening, especially after hearing whispers it has the'best pizza in town.'
The short version? It's gorgeous, the service is flawless, but my wallet is still crying. Here's the breakdown.
The Vibe & Service: 10/10
From the moment you walk in, the place is a stunner. Located right in the heart of tourist-central Old Montreal, Balboa delivers on ambiance. The decor is absolutely beautiful so think exposed brick, warm wood beams, & chic, twinkling lights. It felt festive & intimate, perfect for a Saturday night dinner with friends.
The service was truly the standout of the evening. Our server was amazing, attentive, & incredibly friendly. They made the entire experience feel special, & I genuinely cannot fault the staff at all.
The Food & Value:
We booked a table for four people & started with the pepperoni pizza & a fresh caprese salad (which was delicious, as you can see!).
The wood-fired pizza itself (the one I was told was the best in town) was good. It had a great crust with those nice, charred bubbles & quality toppings. However, was it'the best pizza in town'? Honestly, no. It was solid, but didn't blow me away.
& here's where my'underwhelmed' feeling comes in: the price. Being charged $25 for a pepperoni pizza & $20 for an average cocktail (hello, Espresso Martini!) feels excessive, even for a prime tourist location. The prices definitely reflect the location & the stunning fit-out more than the culinary execution.
Bottom Line: You're paying a premium for the stunning atmosphere, the phenomenal service, & the Old Montreal postcode. If you're looking for mind-blowing pizza value, you might want to look elsewhere. If you're looking for a guaranteed beautiful night out with perfect service, this is it!
Family of four, with an 11 year & 3 year old. We came when they opened, 5pm. One of the best meals we have had in years.
Zucchini appetizer was out of this world amazing.
Everyone's pizza was some of the best you can have. My wife who doesn't like pizza proclaimed to our amazing server'this is the best pizza she had ever had!'
I had the pepperoni, my wife had the vegetarian & our kids split the four cheese. Amazing location, phenomenal food & great staff!
New restaurant in early 2025 so they havent stacked the reviews yet but Balboa is onto something & they will be well known very soon!
We dined here twice (so far...) on our first trip to Montreal. The pizza is delightful, especially the organic sourdough crust! It has just the right amount of chew. Save room for the tiramusu - you won't regret it!
Walked in off the street not expecting much but the fungi pizza & carpaccio were amazing! The staff were very professional but casual at the same time, made for a very pleasant evening.
Loved our experience at Balboa Montréal! The vegetarian pizza was absolutely delicious & paired perfectly with a glass of wine. Great vibes, friendly service.
I picked our dinner spot for the location. The service was amazing! The food was exceptional! Nick our server was very attentive & the most friendly soul I have met in Montreal. I will definitely be back to this restaurant! This was by far the best dinner we had while in Montreal. Mind you we visited several Steak Houses & I would pick Balboa over all others!
Me & my friends spontaneously picked this restaurant earlier in the day while we were in Old Port because of Italian food craving. First thing we noticed was how welcoming Dil (sorry i might've misheard his name but the server with curly hair & glasses working a dinner shift oct. 28) was 😁 we were asked where we wanted to sit & was able to grab the table with a rear view of the whole restaurant. We're from Toronto so the interiors of the restaurants in our area aren't usually spacious but we were actually amazes by how nice the interior of the restaurant. Food was amazing. The pepporoni pizza was cooked in wood oven & has the perfect balance between salty & sweet. They were very generous with the pepporoni too. The vegetarian pizza tasted so fresh & flavourful, the pesto wasn't overpowering anything & the vegetables are perfectly cooked. Funghi pasta was probably the best funghi pasta we've ever had. Our server specifically said they cook it Italian style, so there's really not much cream but the flavour would still be there. For someone who gets tired of cream-heavy food, this was probably the most perfectly cooked funghi pasta for us. Service was perfect. Our server wasn't really on our face the whole time, would check up on us to ask how the food is so far & then later on pour us water. We didn't really need to ask for more things as we felt like everything was provided. Honestly, we don't speak French so it was nice being served nicely still despite the language barrier. The overall vibe of the restaurant was definitely a 10/10. It's so sad that they don't have a branch in Toronto but we would definitely go back when we get the chance! 🤍
The food is amazing!!! So delicious that we have to unbutton our pants to make more room 😭🙏🏻🍕 we ordered Pepperoni pizza, Vegetarian pizza & Funghi tagliatelle, & the flavours of all are worth for the price. The space is such a vibe, cozy & if you are with your group, it's intimate in a way that you all will enjoy the conversation with one another while enjoying the food in front of you. Wonderful service as well! Very welcoming & friendly. Truly a great place to dine & enjoy the night out ☺?
J'ai été agréablement surprise par mon expérience au Balboa. L'ambiance est très agréable, l'intérieur du restaurant est très vintage & accueillant. De plus, le serveur Nic a été en mesure de me donner un très bon service & il m'a également conseillé sur les plats & je n'ai eu aucun regret. Je recommande ce restaurant & je vous souhaite d'avoir la chance de vous faire servir par Nic.
I rarely leave negative reviews, but this visit was truly disappointing. The service was painfully slow & inattentive - we waited nearly twenty minutes before anyone even brought water. The music extremely loud. For an Italian restaurant, I expected much more care & authenticity. Between the poor service & the mild, uninspired food, it just wasn't worth the price. Sadly, I won't be coming back.
