Good food, good music, fun. Server very efficient. Will be back.

Love that the steaks are grass fed and am happy to pay more for it. Excellent seasoning and taste!

I picked Ballentines for my birthday dinner based off their menu online, and a couple reviews I read. Every thing was great except the service, the waitress seemed to come from the back every 20 minutes , and we didn't see her on the floor in between. We must have been her only table, the other tables seemed to be well attended to, was kind of a weird experience.
The food was great, 3 entrees, and a large sushi roll, drinks were good, and a nice variety.
I'll definitely go back, but will probably sit at the bar.

Never disappointed, service slower than normal, but food was worth the wait

Amazing service and food! I had the edamame appetizer, spicy tuna roll and California roll. Everything was perfect!

Food is always amazing, great service! I love the location and the atmosphere.

Great food. Interesting specials & expanded sushi menu. Plenty of non-sushi offerings like a delicious pretzel chicken dish & wood-fired pizzas. Friendly server. We happened to be there on the night of a bar crawl so the noise became louder than usual. Our server apologized profusely. Non-bar crawl guests were lingering and talking at their tables. Nice place to relax & socialize.

I came with a party of 9 for my birthday. Ballantine has several great tables for larger groups. I appreciated that the server brought us individual checks- much easier than everyone splitting the bill. I had picked Ballantine because I wanted somewhere that has good sushi. Everyone seemed happy with their food and we had a great time despite the noise level being a little high.

Fantastic happy hour!

We haven't been to Ballentine's in a few years, and we were not disappointed. We ordered two pizzas and they were perfect. waitress was quick, efficient and friendly. We did go for an early dinner (6:15pm reservations) and the restaurant was only half full, but I am pretty sure even when filled our waitress would have been awesome. Table by the window to people watch...very enjoyable evening and we will be back soon!

Our waitress was great. The food was good. The relaxed atmosphere was just right.

We had 12 to our group and they fit us comfortably in a private little area in the back, had great service, turned the Cavs game on for us! Great food! Best I have seen it in years!

We're from out-of-town, and took a client there for dinner. The food was good, though the ambiance of the restaurant didn't quite match the presentation of the food on the website. The website made it appear to be more upscale - pub-like - but still upscale; that wasn't the case. Lobster nachos were disappointing, and the sushi used imitation crab instead of real crab.

I have been to Ballatine many times, and have generally had a good experience. But this experience wasn't so great.
-The server was personable, but it was kind of in a robotic, fake kind of way. This opinion was solidified by the fact that she goofed up an order: she was going through the motions.
-My friend's noodle dish with chicken had to be sent back because the chicken was very rubbery. Oddly, his wife had the same dish and the chicken was fine. When the server took it back and brought him a burger instead, she brought it was fries instead of the salad he had ordered. To Ballatine's credit, they comped him his meal, which was the right thing to do: The messed up two orders.
-My steak was undercooked.
-They were out of two menu items...early on a Friday night!
I hope this was a one-time experience. Still, the staff and attention to detail exude an impersonalness.

The server was really sweet, the host was very on top of things, the sushi was wonderful and the menu items were very different and we really enjoyed them! The arugula salad was very tasty!! Glad to find Ballantine! And can't wait to go back!

We had heard good things about Ballentine and were anxious to check it out. We booked on Open Table and did not know that the evening we selected there would be a fundraiser with 1000 people going bar to bar in Willoughby. It was so loud it there it was deafening. We had to scream at each other and could only speak to the person directly in front of us. The food was outstanding, but we had a miserable time and left quickly once we were finished eating. The plan was to have a leisurely meal to celebrate my birthday, which we did not do.

Always a great meal and service the best! Great wait staff no matter who we get - best sushi in town!

My husband and I wanted a place to bring the kids that had a good menu and could allow us to enjoy the beautiful weather. We have a 3 and 1year old. The staff was great with the kids, they washed off the high chairs, gave them things to do and had a great kids menu! We were able to enjoy the weather with their garage door style Windows, had good food and were even able to enjoy a beer with the kids!

We hadn't been to Ballentine's in almost a year, so we decided to give it a try. Our waitress had mentioned that it had been going through a bit of an identity crisis in trying to decide to be a steakhouse or asian fusion, etc. I had a three-bone rib appetizer that was served on pork-belly rice. It was really enough for an entree, and it was delicious. My girlfriend had a sushi roll, but she was unimpressed. We both had a steak for dinner. I had the bone-in ribeye with garlic mashed, served oscar style. I really enjoyed it, but had no room for it all (should have boxed the appetizer after 1 bone).

The wine list is limited, but we were able to find a nice cab. They are also able to cork the bottle, if you can't finish. It can be a bit boisterous, so you may need to raise your voice and strain an ear to have a conversation. Our server was polite, upbeat and minimally intrusive.

Met two friends on a Friday night. Lobster nachos, were not nachos, more like Asian chips with rice and cold shreds of lobster drizzled with extremely peppery sauce. Wedge salad was boring, lettuce was getting old, barely any toppings and the wimpiest drizzle of dressing. Pizza was ok, wine was ok. One friend hated her pad Thai, other friend said sushi was average. Needless to say, none of us will be back for anything other than a drink.

My steak (and my girlfriends) was cooked to perfection and the atmosphere was perfect for my Valentine's Day dinner.

Food was good, although they apparently did not have our OpenTable reservations, despite us having a confirmation. They were able to seat us though after a bit.

We had an impromptu date night and lucked out with a quick reservation 30 minutes after we were heading out the door. I had steak, my husband had sushi - both of what they are known for. Our server was courteous, made a point to not crowd us as he could tell we were on a date (no kids!!) and was knowledgeable about the menu and any questions we had

The sushi was great and the wine list offered a nice variety.

service was just okay this time, usually it is very good

Sushi was very good, fresh. Sat at the sushi bar to watch food prep. Friendly chefs and wait staff. Good selection of draft beers

Downtown Willoughby. This is a restaurant/bar that has many food options from apps to burgers to sushi to pizzas to full blown entrees. Mass appeal rules. I found the menu to be creative, but when the food arrived, it wasn't as exciting as it was hyped to be. The place has various nooks-bar is in the center, window booths allow patrons to enjoy the view of Main Street, and there is also a back area which looks to be a more intimate space. Wine selection adequate, extensive beer and cocktail list. Prices are on the high side for what you get. For example , a 'rocks pour' of bourbon was $11 ($2 more than a straight pour). Overall, service was deferential and unassuming. We were able to chat without yelling cross table and enjoyed the diversity of menu choices. When in Willoughby, this place fits the bill for wide appeal in group settings. If you want something specific, like a burger or sushi, there are better options, but this place does the trick for catering to a wide taste range.

Great variety!

Food was great, wine & beer selection as well. We had sushi, a flatbread and a burger. Will continue to come back.

Great food choices. Loved the sushi

My wife and I discovered Ballantine about a year and a half ago -- we were initially very impressed with everything about the restaurant: cool, hip atmosphere, good service, decent menu, well-prepared food. We've now been back a couple times in the past 4-6 months, and while they've maintained the cool, hip atmosphere and good service, the food has unfortunately taken a dive. Same solid menu, but the preparation has really been disappointing. Salads were fine, but our medium/medium rare steaks were quite rare; oddly, they cut my wife's filet in 3-4 places after they grilled it (almost like a flank steak?!?). My broccoli spears were undercooked/crunchy, and my roasted redskins were also undercooked (needless to say, not very palatable).

I really hope that they get their issues fixed in the kitchen as we really like -- or used to like -- going to Ballantine. Not sure how soon we're going to be ready to try it again, as our last couple experiences have been average at best.

Scott

There was a group of 7 of us, who had a reservation and were seated in the back by the fireplace. Service was great, food great, but toward the end of dinner, about 15 younger people (20's) came in the back as well. I'm all for fun and having a good time, but there were already obviously drinking and were laughing and screaming at each other, grabbing, doing piggy back rides, etc. We could no longer even hear ourselves and it because so uncomfortable, we skipped dessert and coffee and went elsewhere. Again, I am no fuddy duddy and we all had plenty of drinks, but I would not have put this group in the back just to sit and drink (they never ordered food). To top it off, as we were sitting in the lobby waiting for our rides, the waitress came and told me that they were taking unfinished cocktails from our table and drinking them!

Sushi was great, Peanut rice bowl was awful, server was very nice, we were there on a Saturday evening,and it seems like that would have been a good time to have a college football game on the tv, instead we got to watch the local lottery show.

The entire staff were friendly and helpful with food and appetizer suggestions. I had the Pad Thai Bowl and it was delicious . We will definitely go back!

Hello. Great restaurant, thoughtful and helpful management, and server Rihanna was fantastic and helpful. So much so that two of us went back the next day for a cozy dinner, and even got Rihanna again. Perfect!

As a figure competitor, I appreciated being able to pick my protein, carb and veggie. It is rare for me to brands to easily go out for dinner

Excellent service and delicious sticky buns

Great Draft Beer list that included a wide variety with something for even the pickiest beer snobs. Appetizer came with a generous helping of Sushi that was surprisingly delicious and the main entrees were even better. Food came out quickly and cooked to perfection. Best burger with an egg I've had thus far - Delicious! Sauce on the sticky ribs made me think I was in St. Louis or Memphis. Service was quick, not over bearing and friendly. An almost perfect dining experience! Can't wait to go back.

Took forever to to waited on and trying to get refills on our drinks was unacceptable ! Food was great...

Not a busy night and our dinner took three hours, we had to ask for everything... Refill on beers, wine... Status of food. Food was ok, mediocre sushi...that on top of extremely poor service.