Ballou's Restaurant Wine Bar

Visited on evening of March 2. Disappointing. Dark dingy decor not kept up and dreary. Food was not great. Mac and cheese was gummy and not hot. Told the server and she said “sorry” with no offer to change or rectify. Goodbye $20. Meatball appetizer was dreadful. Restaurant was dirty, especially the bathrooms with spots all over the walls and overflowing trash. Service was fine, I felt bad for our waitress. Needs new everything. Not recommended.

Let me preface this by saying the service, wine, and tapas were exceptional. I'd come here purely for wine and appetizers. The atmosphere is very comfortable, the large windows really amplify how cozy it is during windows. Not gonna lie, makes a great dating aesthetic, it's unfortunate that the entree's disappointment.The appetizer we got was cheese fondue (tiger cheese which is a type of gruyere) with carrots and apples. It was delicious.Now the entree's, not great. I got the brisket and my wife got a lobster risotto. The brisket was dry with very little flavor and the risotto was overly salty and without balance.All in all, this would be a great place to come for appetizers and wine but not a meal.

The food was very good. Afternoon lunch with my family (party of five) visiting from out of State.This visit, the service left more than a lot to be desired. We were literally the only customers in the restaurant, and it took a very long time (at least 20 minutes) before we were asked what we wanted to order. The woman taking our order was not friendly. My BIL stated loudly that he was hungry. She was within earshot. It felt like we were ignored. We nearly left. In hindsight, I wish we had.We have been making eating here an annual tradition, usually having lunch in June, but after this last experience, I believe we will take our business elsewhere this summer.The reason I gave 3 stars was for the food. Service was one star.

Drove an hour because we heard great things about this place. Sat down and waited 20 minutes before we walked out because no one ever took our drink orders. They had 1 wait staff at 1 pm on a Saturday. Huge disappointment, now we need to find somewhere else to go.

Amazing food and lovely atmosphere. But it’s been 1.5 hours and we have only gotten appetizers… we had been hoping to stay for fondue dessert but didn’t plan on this being a half-day meal. Parking: Plenty of parking in the area.