Bala Baya

Name: Bala Baya
Address: Arch 25, Old Union Yard Arches 229 Union Street, London, United Kingdom, SE1 0LR
Telephone: 020 8001 7015
Price range: £41 and over
Rating: 4.5

4.5

1066 Reviews

£41 and over

Middle Eastern

Hot spot
Innovative
Neighborhood gem

Bala Baya brings the essence of the Middle East to Bankside’s Union Street Arches, the first stand-alone project from Chef Eran Tibi, whose vibrantly progressive cuisine pays homage to his roots.

Eran’s creations offer you a unique experience that is all about feasting and sharing whilst ensuring that all ingredients are all responsibly sourced.

The restaurant pays tribute to the atmosphere of Eastern Mediterranean cities which has been carefully replicated by multi-award-winning designer, Afroditi Krassa. Inspired by Bauhaus architecture, Bala Baya has created a kaleidoscopic space that allows you to experience the sun-kissed youthfulness of the Middle East from the heart of Southwark.

Follow the camel!

Make a reservation

Party Size

2 people

DateTime

Sep 19, 2024

7:00 PM

Booked 2 times today

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
£41 and over
Cuisines
Middle Eastern, Tapas / Small Plates, Mediterranean
Hours of operation
Sun 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Lunch Mon–Fri 12:00 pm–2:45 pm Sat, Sun 11:00 am–3:30 pm Dinner Mon–Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
Phone number
020 8001 7015
Website
http://balabaya.co.uk/
Payment options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Smart Casual
Executive chef
Eran Tibi
Catering
We are always happy to discuss any catering requirements, please contact bookings@balabaya.co.uk with any questions.
Private party facilities
We are always happy to host private parties, with our Tel Aviv inspired dishes perfect for sharing we can seat up to 50 guests upstairs on the mezzanine or 100 standing. For enquiries regarding hiring the whole venue, please email bookings@balabaya.co.uk

Location
Arch 25, Old Union Yard Arches, 229 Union Street, London, SE1 0LR
Neighborhood
Southwark
Parking details
The nearest parking to us is Union car park, please find more information here: http://www.unioncarparks.co.uk/southwark-street-se1.html
Public transit
Southwark, Borough, Waterloo, London Bridge
Additional
Bar Dining, Beer, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Bala Baya Bagel£7.50
malted Jerusalem bagel, tea, sesame seeds & herb butter (V)
Bala Baya Pita£3.50
two homemade, freshly baked pita (Vg)
Levantine Olive Mix£5.50
harissa marinated mixed olives (Vg)
Feta & Apricot£5.50
macerated apricots, saffron, oregano (V)
Chickpea Hummus £12.00
spiced chickpea, coriander & chilli relish, parsley, sumac, homemade pita (Vg)
Braised Beef Hummus£15.00
braised beef, coriander & chilli relish, parsley, sumac, homemade pita
Chunky Salad£15.00
pickled red onions, chillies, tomatoes, cucumber, soft herbs (Vg)
Aubergine Mess£18.00
blackened aubergine, oregano, tahini, pomegranate molasse, lychee (Vg)
Jeruslem£17.00
shawarma rubbed Jerusalem artichoke, labneh, harrisa & rose, chervil (V)
Season’s Flower£16.00
stuffed courgette flower, three cheese polenta, harissa honey, vodka tempura, herbs (V)
Cauliflower Steak Crumble£17.00
fried cauliflower, pomegranate syrup, smoked parmesan crumble, lime yoghurt, parsley (V)
Fire Grilled Cabbage£15.00
hispi cabbage, bonfire peppers, almonds, rosary goats cheese, pumpkin granola (V)
Club Tropicana£21.00
yellowfin tuna, avocado, pineapple, harissa, smoke, kataifi
Prawn Baklava£27.00
king prawns, kataifi, bitter lime syrup, lime cream, Persian lime & nori dust, pistachios, rose
Fish & Fennel£52.00
canoed whole sea bass, burnt sage, fennel & picked herbs, vine tomatoes, butter & arak
Brisket Doughnut£21.00
Moroccan doughnut, beef brisket, bonfire tomato & chilli, orange spiced jus, amba tahini, coriander
Wagyu£21.00
beef carpaccio, green harissa, blueberry jam, mustard, lemon thyme, pita crumb
Kebab Dumplings£23.00
lamb forequarter, date jus, shawarma spice, semolina, garlic yoghurt, buttered pine nuts
Laffa Couture£18.00
marinated chicken thigh, charred red onion, sumac, tahini, toasted pine nuts, pomegranate, nigella laffa
Got Meat?£58.00
chicken shawarma, bonfire lamb chop, 36hr braised pork belly, saffron, mustard pickles, apple slaw, gem leaves

Desserts

Burnt Babka£12.00
poppy seed paste, creme anglaise, lemon thyme, saffron, apricots, almonds (V)
Hey Honey£12.00
knafe cheesecake, honey, za’atar, strawberry compote, mint (V)
Midnight Malabi£12.00
coconut, white rum, black tahini, morello cherry, vanilla, rose, sesame brittle (Vg)

What 1,066 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.5

4.5 based on recent ratings

4.7Food
4.3Service
4.2Ambience
4.1Value

Noise • Moderate

1,066 Reviews

R
Rebecca
London
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on September 5, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
The food here is absolutely amazing 10 out of 10. I went with my boyfriend for his birthday, we got the veggie plates which were all amazing. The aubergine mess was by far my favorite dish followed by the cauliflower steak. The Jerusalem artichoke is also amazing. Honestly can’t recommend this place enough!!
Is this helpful?
OT
OpenTable Diner
Cheshire
2 reviews
4.0
2 reviews
Dined on July 5, 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Lovely food. Attentive service. Very good all round.
Is this helpful?
NC
NickC
London
14 reviews
5.0
14 reviews
Dined on May 26, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
We tried almost every Meze dish. All delicious. Delightful service too
Is this helpful?
j
jackg
London
5 reviews
5.0
5 reviews
Dined on May 1, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
Great food and friendly service! Really creative dishes with a flare
Is this helpful?
m
murmur10
London
11 reviews
4.0
11 reviews
Dined on April 14, 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 3
food is delicious.We will go back for that. What they do with aubergine is miraculous. But close to £200 for me and 2 boys, with no booze, is expensive. And £27 for 3 prawns is verging on outrageous. Service is lovely. They need to turn the generic house music down though, it was waaaaay too loud in a half full restaurant
Is this helpful?
OT
OpenTable Diner
London
4 reviews
5.0
4 reviews
Dined on March 12, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
Every dish was just a taste explosion. Loved the service and the food. Will def be back
Is this helpful?
B
Bobbi
London
13 reviews
vip
5.0
13 reviews
Dined on February 26, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 3
Fabulous service & the food was absolutely exquisite..
Is this helpful?
OT
OpenTable Diner
London
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on February 15, 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Amazing food extremely pricey. 4 people paid over £300 for 1 bottle of wine market price £12 and 1 dessert. We were still hungry. Perhaps you can serve more bread with your messes.
Is this helpful?
p
paulonsite
London
6 reviews
4.0
6 reviews
Dined on February 8, 2024
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Attentive staff, fantastic food. Just the background music was a bit loud making it hard to have a conversation at the table
Is this helpful?
OT
OpenTable Diner
London
3 reviews
1.0
3 reviews
Dined on December 24, 2023
1. Overall 1
2. Food 1
3. Service 1
4. Ambience 1
I had a reservation for 24 th decrmberwhich I mafe weeks ago they asked my confirmation a day before which I confirmed and on the date of reservation they sent me a mail stating rhey are sorry ro hear my cancellation which is ridiculuous I immediately sent email and tried to reach them by phone without success and it seems the decided to close the restaurant for few days without any apology and on the contrary sending an email as if I eas the one cancelling never will go
1 person found this helpful

FAQs

Bala Baya is rated 4.5 stars by 1066 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

Party Size

2 people

DateTime

Sep 19, 2024

7:00 PM

Booked 2 times today

Arch 25, Old Union Yard Arches, 229 Union Street, London, SE1 0LR

Additional information

Neighborhood
Southwark
Hours of operation
Sun 5:00 pm–9:00 pm Lunch Mon–Fri 12:00 pm–2:45 pm Sat, Sun 11:00 am–3:30 pm Dinner Mon–Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
Price
£41 and over
Cuisines
Middle Eastern, Tapas / Small Plates, Mediterranean
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress code
Smart Casual
Parking details
The nearest parking to us is Union car park, please find more information here: http://www.unioncarparks.co.uk/southwark-street-se1.html
Public transit
Southwark, Borough, Waterloo, London Bridge
Payment options
AMEX, Mastercard, Visa
Executive chef
Eran Tibi
Additional
Bar Dining, Beer, Cocktails, Counter Seating, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Patio/Outdoor Dining, Weekend Brunch, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Website
http://balabaya.co.uk/
Phone number
020 8001 7015
Catering
We are always happy to discuss any catering requirements, please contact bookings@balabaya.co.uk with any questions.
Private party facilities
We are always happy to host private parties, with our Tel Aviv inspired dishes perfect for sharing we can seat up to 50 guests upstairs on the mezzanine or 100 standing. For enquiries regarding hiring the whole venue, please email bookings@balabaya.co.uk

Bala Baya

Make a reservation

Additional information

Menu

Plates

Bala Baya Bagel£7.50

Bala Baya Pita£3.50

Levantine Olive Mix£5.50

Feta & Apricot£5.50

Chickpea Hummus £12.00

Braised Beef Hummus£15.00

Chunky Salad£15.00

Aubergine Mess£18.00

Jeruslem£17.00

Season’s Flower£16.00

Cauliflower Steak Crumble£17.00

Fire Grilled Cabbage£15.00

Club Tropicana£21.00

Prawn Baklava£27.00

Fish & Fennel£52.00

Brisket Doughnut£21.00

Wagyu£21.00

Kebab Dumplings£23.00

Laffa Couture£18.00

Got Meat?£58.00

Desserts

Burnt Babka£12.00

Hey Honey£12.00

Midnight Malabi£12.00

What 1,066 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

FAQs

How is Bala Baya restaurant rated?

Is Bala Baya currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Additional information