Balos Estiatorio — Restaurant in Washington

A true 5 star experience from the customer service we received to the food🙌🏽🤌🏽

If you have a party of more than 8 people, you’d be considered a “large group.” I couldn’t find any detailed reviews when originally booking so here you are. This review will mainly be for “larger parties” (we had 11)

From the start, Alyssa H (the event coordinator) was on top of her game when it came to answering any and all questions I had, making sure things were up to my liking, explaining how the pre fixed menu works, and I’m very grateful for her. She truly made planning my birthday dinner seem seamless! Definitely want to give her, her praise!

With the Banquet/Pre Fixed menu you have 3 different menu options; I chose the “$125 per person” menu which included; 
Classic Spreads, Greek Salad, Green Salad— Cheese Saganaki, Calamari, Grilled Octopus, — To our main course which we all got to individually pick, the options were Greek Roasted Chicken, 16oz Prime NY Strip, Lamb Chops, or Lavraki Filet.

Getting to the restaurant, all the menus were custom with the name I wanted on it which was nice and we were even seated a bit early from our reservation time! Everything was evenly spread out amongst the classic spreads and appetizers when the whole party arrived. My group ended up feeling so full that none of us had room left for the main course!! Portions are very generous!

Out of the food options, my favorite were the Calamari, Cheese Saganaki, 16oz NY Strip, and the classic spreads! My girlfriend really liked the Lavraki as well. The only thing I really didn’t like was the octopus. I saw lots of high ratings on it but it tasted kind of burnt when we got them, was not a fan

I saw lots of reviews on “music being too loud” I didn’t experience that nor would say it was a problem as we were seated towards the back of the restaurant. The whole restaurant design is immaculate!! Only downside is the bathroom situation. The bathrooms are unisex so everyone waits in one line. Lines are always super long and when you have to use the restroom, you’ll probably be waiting for 15-20 minutes. It didn’t bother me that much to give them any less of a rating, it is what it is

This was the first time going to Balos for everyone in my group and they couldn’t stop talking about how great of a restaurant it is! Highly recommend booking a 9pm or later reservation as the napkin throw happened towards the end of our meal, 1130/1145pm. Perfect way to...

I recently visited Balos Estiatorio during DC Restaurant Week to celebrate a friend’s birthday, and while the experience had its highlights, the billing practices left a sour note. The Good: The evening began on a positive note with our reservation honored promptly. Our waiter was attentive and managed to keep up with our large party of seven efficiently. The drinks, including the standout Banana Espresso Martini, were timely and well-crafted, striking a good balance of flavors. We opted for a prefixed menu curated with the help of the event coordinator. The dishes arrived on time and included two servings of each item for our group. The Greek Salad was a standout, fresh and vibrant, and the calamari with green sauce was quite enjoyable. The lamb, while good, varied in doneness, which was a bit disappointing. The other items, such as the Tuna Tartare and Crab Cake, were less impressive—salty and mushy, respectively. The grilled salmon and roasted chicken were also underwhelming, with the chicken being notably dry. Desserts, chosen by the chef, were a letdown and failed to match the quality of the earlier courses. However, the gesture of bringing out candles for the birthday song was a nice touch. The Bad: The billing process was where the experience fell short. The total bill of $1500 was shockingly inflated due to various fees that were not communicated upfront. There was a 3% administrative fee for booking through their service, which was only revealed when we received the bill. Additionally, an automatic gratuity of 20% was added, which, combined with a service charge and a 4% operations fee, made up about one-third of the total bill. To our surprise, tax was also charged on the gratuity, which is quite unusual. The cumulative effect of these charges left a bad taste, making the evening feel more like a costly affair than a celebratory occasion. The lack of transparency and excessive fees overshadowed the enjoyable aspects of the meal. Final Thoughts: While Balos Estiatorio offers a pleasant dining experience with some good dishes and attentive service, the billing practices warrant caution. If you decide to dine here, be sure to review your bill carefully and inquire about all potential charges beforehand to avoid any unexpected surprises. And to not have the full experience, DJ and paper being thrown...

I'll start off with a good. The vibes are pretty great other than the seating being a bit uncomfortable due to the lounging couches mixed in with normal chairs. Are we lounging or eating brunch/dinner?

The ambience was overall pretty good. The live music was a great touch.

Upon entering the restaurant we were seated at our table and the waitress/hostess watched just pull out our tables so we can get into the lounging sofas. Not a strong start. It was an awkward situation.

We ordered the restaurant week 3-course meal. For the starters, we had a mix of the octopus and watermelon feta salad. The octopus was a star and was very good. I can see why it's their most popular dish. Watermelon feta was a surprisingly good mix and a great way to start the meal.

For entrees we had a mixture of the steak and eggs, the gyros and the burger.

Those who had the steak and eggs enjoyed their meal.

The burger was a below average burger that had the person who ordered it wishing they had gone to Five Guys instead.

For the three people that got the gyros, we were all incredibly disappointed. We tried to lamb and the pork. The meat on both was unseasoned, bland, dry and just overall unpleasant. There's a reason they give you a large bowl of tzatziki... Because otherwise you would choke mid bite trying to swallow your meal. My wife and I agreed that this is the worst gyro we've had in the area. To their credit, it is quite a large portion, but I don't think that's a good thing in this case.

For the desserts we had the baklava and the Galaktoboureko. The baklava again with a large portion but with a subpar taste. It did not taste fresh and it was not flaky at all. The yogurt ice cream was pleasant enough.

The Galaktoboureko was very good and it was a hit with everyone in our party. The population was also very disappointing. It did not take fresh and it was incredibly hard to cut. Most of us did not finish it.

I will say our waiter with the most glorious mustache and beard. He was very pleasant and did his best. I hope his hand heals soon.

Overall, I am incredibly disappointed with the experience. While there were some highlights. The negatives were noticeable and they far outweighed the good. The inconsistency was frustrating to say the least.

I don't think we will be back. I also cannot recommend...