Is Balthazar worth it in a day?
DependsIn a day
Keep Balthazar only when it outranks a half-day elsewhere.
Allow 1.5–2 hours.
Red banquettes, antiqued mirrors, and a from-dawn-to-late energy that nails the Parisian-brasserie fantasy in downtown Manhattan. The magic is a weekday breakfast in a corner banquette with the bread basket and a coffee, not the elbow-to-elbow weekend brunch crush — the room's beauty and the people-watching are the real draw, the food merely dependable. Electric for that early, unhurried sitting; wrong for anyone craving quiet, a bargain, or a destination meal.
- Price
- $40–80 a head depending on the meal
- Time
- 1.5–2 hours
- Last verified
- 2026-06-17
Is Balthazar worth it…
How we verified
- Keith McNally's French brasserie at 80 Spring Street in SoHo opened April 21, 1997; bread and pastries are baked fresh daily at the adjoining Balthazar Bakery. · en.wikipedia.org
- The room recreates a grand Paris brasserie with red leather banquettes, antiqued mirrors and a tin ceiling. · balthazarny.com