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: 4.7

4.7 (1070)

£41 and over

Middle Eastern

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

Make a reservation

2 people

Jul 6, 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 2 times today

About this restaurant

Neighborhood gem
Good for special occasions
Innovative

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!

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 1,070 people are saying

Bala Baya reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

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

4.7

4.7 based on recent ratings

4.8Food
4.4Service
4.5Ambience
4.1Value

Noise • Moderate

1,070 Reviews

D
Daniel VIP
Los Angeles33 reviews
5.0
Dined on June 13, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
3rd time at this restaurant and the food and service was as amazing as the first 2 times. We always select the fixed menu and everything was delicious, especially the sea bass and ceviche.
Is this helpful?
K
Karen
London5 reviews
4.0
Dined on June 7, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 3
Service good. Food quality was also good but disappointed that 2-4pm on a Sat the only option was a brunch menu. The dinner menu is much better from experience.
Is this helpful?
J
Jessica
London18 reviews
5.0
Dined on March 22, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Stunning and delicious food. Never disappoints. Such a gorgeous place and a great night out
Is this helpful?
A
Adam
London6 reviews
5.0
Dined on March 12, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Highly recommend, have been here many times, the food is always incredible, never disappoints
Is this helpful?
d
debbie VIP
London21 reviews
5.0
Dined on February 11, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Probably one of the best restaurants I’ve been to for a while - although I do wish the service was more attentive. That would have made the whole experience outstanding. The food was faultless. Thank you to the chef and team!
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O
Oliver
London2 reviews
5.0
Dined on February 8, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Sensational food and great service! Will be back ASAP!
Is this helpful?
R
Ruti
London5 reviews
4.0
Dined on February 3, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 4
a modern and fusion take on middle eastern and Jewish dishes, great taste, good presentation, very good service.
Is this helpful?
O
Oona VIP
London55 reviews
4.0
Dined on January 8, 2025
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
Great food, amazing flavours, but some of the dishes seem overly expensive
Is this helpful?
j
julie
London7 reviews
5.0
Dined on December 1, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
We had a great meal here, super friendly service, really tasty interesting food and a great Martini. We'll be going back at some stage.
Is this helpful?
L
Luke
London24 reviews
5.0
Dined on November 29, 2024
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Fab setting, location; delicious menu choices and superb service. Despite being fully booked, the dishes just kept on rolling with no delays. The vegetarians amongst us commented on how good the flavours were for what are normally quite plain food ingredients. Well done to the team.
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FAQs

Bala Baya is rated 4.7 stars by 1070 OpenTable diners.

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

Make a reservation

2 people

Jul 6, 2025

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

About this restaurant

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 1,070 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