A new bar and eatery has debuted in Waltham. Called Balani Restaurant, the newcomer is located at 469 Moody St., in the spot formerly occupied by Raffaele’s Ristorante.
The restaurant comes courtesy of chef Dave Becker, who also operates Juniper in Wellesley and Sweet Basil in Needham, Eater Boston reports. The menu features pizza, poutine and smoked meats plus an extensive list of cocktails, beer, wine and other spirits.
Start the meal off with a smoked pork belly mandu with ancho apple butter or roasted Brussels sprouts. For the main course, try the chorizo pizza topped with roasted veggies, tomato sauce, manchego and Romano, or the scallop paella with monkfish, saffron rice, chorizo, mussels and roasted jalapeño sauce.
With a five-star rating out of three reviews on Yelp so far, Balani Restaurant has already made a good impression.
Julie M., who reviewed the new spot on Nov. 23, wrote, “I had a delicious boozy slushy with gin in it to start and loved it ... I had a plate of the duck poutine which was to die for! The ribs were crispy and yummy.”
Yelper Jen M. added, “I loved this place! We got the duck poutine and it was incredible! The fries stayed crispy and the cheese wasn't too much or too little. It had a great big duck egg on top and was just perfect. The drink I got was the Neuromancer, which was great. ”
Swing on by to take a peek for yourself: Balani Restaurant is open from 5–10 p.m. on Tuesday-Saturday. (It's closed on Monday and Sunday.)
