The Balcony

Last Saturday me and three friends went here
At the podium a man checking IDs told us it was eight dollars per head none of us had cash I axed if they would take credit card and he told my friends that there was an ATM at the establishment the man asked me to give my debit card to put on hold until my friend came back
My friend Johnny came back with $ 40 and was given back $ 8 change
At the end of the night the man gave back my credit card to my friend and he had swiped it for $ 40 my friend said «but you already got the $ 32 from my other friend why did you double charge us and overcharges and the guy said take it up with your bank»
Do not give anyone in this place your credit card my problem is the fact that if they were going to swipe my card for $ 40 why didn’t they just swipe my card for the $ 32 instead of having my friend pay the ATM three and leave to come back with us with cash

Horrible place we got robbed the owner was nasty and we paid money and got no food !!! What place does that I never been to a restaurant who treats customers like trash!!! I don’t recommend this restaurant to anyone stay as far away from this place as possible the owner is a crook! !!!

Tried to rip us off 1000 dollars party of myself, my wife and 6 others of my friends, do not arrange anything here unless you love your money being stolen. We NEVER got food or appetizers for 4 hours, and they tried to distract us with bottles of cheap wine. Owner said they’ll reimburse us for 50% because he knew he messed up with not serving us but still tried to rip us off for a profit, basically saying he wanted 50% of nothing but bread… worst new years 2016 to start off with… thanks balcony. Don’t go here at all for anything, they’re legit crooks… ⁰⁄₁₀ very rude people would rate 0 stars if I could… WARNING: DO NOT GO HERE
PS, they make you pay first then they supply you with NOTHING, go somewhere else!!!

Everything was bad from the beginning. Called to make a reservation for 4 for Saturday night at 7:30. Was told only 7:00 and 7:45pm was available. I chose 7:45. After giving the menu a quick look online and seeing they only had 3 entrees to choose from, I called back and asked if that was accurate. I was told their website was being updated and that there were plenty of other entrees to choose from.
We get there at 7:40 and place is completely empty (now I’m wondering why I couldn’t get a 7:30 reservation?). I did read this place turns into a dance club later in the night but I did not expect it to be EMPTY. We were seated on the «dance floor» area and just one other party arrived at the same time we did. When we glanced down at the printed menu’s that were already on the table I saw the same three entrees I saw online. I asked our waiter who then proceeded to tell me they had two other entrees, a pork chop special and the second one he mentioned was one that was one of the three on the menu.
Not sure what kind of restaurant only has three entrees on the menu…
Needless to say we excused ourselves and walked out. Maybe this place should just stick to the dancing and live music since i have read good things about that.

Okay new management again so let’s give it a try. Basically because my favorite band was playing I brought along a table of 12.
Bathrooms were updated but no matron as promised. Maybe because reservations were down? Place was half empty and about 100 people less than my last visit which definitely made it a better dancing experience
Food was better I must say! Definite improvement from the bland food previously served. We had about 10 different items and everything was served in pretty good time. Only one waiter so he did a pretty good job dealing with all of us.
My one issue is that no one answers the phone it seems… ever.
I heard some were calling and left messages and received no call back. I did mine via FB message and email and did receive a response however someone needs to monitor the reservation system in a more timely fashion.

Well I’m not sure where to begin… This place is definitely a 40 year old and up type of crowd. My friends and I got there for dinner. They have a few tables when you first walk in next to the main bar. Everyone coming in the place will walk past your table. The food service wasn’t great, and the bartender had no clue how to make drinks. Our waiter barely ever came back to check on us. I would never go back here to eat. Our table was right next to the open doorway to the «club» which is basically a small wedding reception venue. The DJ was all over the place with the music. It was constantly switching genres. He played a few new songs, but in general it was catered to the older crowd. There was a free buffet in the back (weird). I’m surprised I didn’t run into any of my parents friends here. The only reason I’m even giving this place two stars is bc my friends and I had our own fun. There weren’t a bunch of creepy guys trying to hit on us. We were definitely the youngest people there (we’re in our early 30’s). I would not come back here.

I used to like the balcony. However, lately it seems few things have changed to the worse. For example, When I valet park it takes them 5 min to come around to open the door for me and I am the only car there. One time I was told to get out of the car and pay the $ 5! The dancing floor is nice but it gets crowded so fast with people who carrying their drinks and others who when they dance need a whole dancing floors by themselves because of their wild kicking!!! The dancing floor becomes big time hazardous.

Very cool place. Good music. Nice atmosphere. If you like to dance this is the perfect place. Matt the waiter was wonderful. Patrick the bartender was friendly and funny. The fourth star is for them! Definitely going back!

Waiter Matt was awesome. He recommended drinks, appetizers and the main course, she had the short ribs I had the salmon. Served piping hot cooked to perfection. Topped by foamy espresso Canoli and Italian rice pudding! Chef prepared food was awesome. Top shelf drinks served by Patrick from the old country of Ireland.

Nice place overall.
Parking sucks, my friends and I got a ticket because we parked on the street. They do have valet though. I never tried the food but the drinks at the bar were pretty good. It was packed when i went there on a Saturday night.
I would never go back though. Maybe if i was 40 years old. This place is for an older crowd. If you are under 35 years old… do not come here. Unless you are hunting for MILFs, looking for a sugar daddy or just enjoy old men creeping on you all night. Beware you may see your friends parents here

This place is awesome! I went there for my 30^th birthday and I had a great time! The dj played great music and I had a big group of ppl with me. We all had a blast. Drinks are reasonable and great place for dancing! Will be back!

This place was alot of fun! It’s an older crowd to me (i’m in my late 20s), most of the people there seemed to be in their 40s. But the crowd mixes great together. The place is set up nicely, cozy and romantic when you walk in, loud and clubby toward the back. I went there with my boyfriend for drinks and dancing and had a blast. It was a DJ night, and the music was great. Also, it happened to be right around Halloween so alot of people showed up in costumes which was fun. Will definietly go again.

This is a Friday night review for Drinks and Dancing.
First off, the balcony is located in the middle of nowhere. But don’t freak out when your GPS will take you through back way truck alleys, because it’s actually located in the middle of the suburbs. There’s valet, but don’t bother because, I mean, it’s the ‘burbs, everyone has a driveway, there’s plenty of street parking.
They have a free salsa lesson which is fun to attempt or give up and watch from 9– 10 pm. There are a few drink specials, but none that great. We got the $ 30 pitcher of sangria which tastes like jolly rancher… sadly that means there’s barely any alcohol in it.
Overall it’s a friendly environment to practice your fanciest spins and hair whips, but not the type of place to come if you are looking for a club experience. This is mostly for seasoned dancers coming to show off their skills, so pack your fancy shows in their suede bag.

Made a reservation online but could not get anyone to answer the phone there to confirm. Seemed very shady. We moved our reservation to somewhere where a person answers the phone and acknowledged our business.

…Ok spot… some nights are good. but mostly dead older crowd spot.
ci
Ok …spot. nothing special. Good in winter

So if I could leave 0 stars or negative stars I certainly would.
Where to begin !!!
Arrived 7:00 ish for dinner before the salsa lesson.
No food. Why? Because the chef quit like 4 weeks ago. Think you want to change the website maybe? Think you wana let people know? Nah not important.
Bartender suggests we order pizza and so we were there for the dancing. So we order pizza to be delivered to a restaurant. Yes you read that right!
And the beat goes on. Waiting waiting. Shoulda been a sign that we were to have a bad night when the amount of people showing up were like 0
8:00 ish rolls around around and DJ finally shows up and after a few minutes talking to the extremely unusually shy DJ– find out from him that the class is cancelled.
But then he backtracks. Not sure. Off to bartender who confirms a half hour later when asked directly that yes in fact. It’s cancelled. How did he know? Apparently I he learned from DJ.
After all that time. Of waiting for nothing! Are you kidding??? We were hot. Pissed. No manager in site no owner in site and bartender is wanting to comp our third drink. Not the first two. Say what?
Oh no never again. Off to Euro lounge.
Where we had a way better time. And danced thank you.
RETURNED that evening, glutton for punishment. Wanted to check out the dance.
Three girls twerking. 20 people in the place most of them employees. Bartender and se guy who earlier said we shoulda called in advance to see if they were offering food, finally apologized.
The story just got worse and worse. Supposedly this guy was friend of owner and bartender is related to owner. Who th f knows. Horrible horrible experience.
Where are the 0 stars Unilocal!!!

We came here for new years and it was the worst experience!!! Do not come here!!! The owner is a complete disgrace! We were promised appetizers, entrée, 1 bottle of wine, buffet at midnight, then breakfast at 3 in the morning. we were a table of 8… we received bread and 1 bottle of wine and no other food. They kept telling us it was coming. the owner rudely dismissed me. We called the cops and filed a report and demanded our money back. They made us pay first before we even received any service… then we got nothing and they refused to give us our money back! This place is robbery and the owner is a crook! Don’t even bother stepping foot in here. It was cougar land also, no one under 50 in there. It was the worst experience and the worst service! Boycott this place! AWFUL!!! Disgusting service!!! They deserve to be shutdown!!!

I came here for my cousin’s big bday bash and was surprised by just how delicious the food was! He had rented out the «hall» type area in the back and we had a blast dancing the night away. I would definitely come here again and sit in the main dining room.

*this review is for dancing only, not food!
Came here last Friday night when it just so happened to be the night they re-​launched Latin Fridays. Also, no cover charge. Double yay! Got there in time to take advantage of the free lesson provided by Marcus Nieves of MDN. The beginner class was upstairs, intermediate was on the main floor. They dance on 2 here.
For me, Balcony is dancer heaven. The space is inviting and provides ample seating all around the room. You won’t have an issue finding a place to stash your shoes/​belongings or to rest your feet (which I had to do many, many times). The place was clean, even the bathrooms! And there was never a wait when I was there. The high ceilings are a nice touch and adds to the ambiance. Salseros y salseras everywhere. Like, REAL dancers. The crowd, vibe, music, sound, layout, everything… are all perfect. I can’t explain it. I just love it. And, they serve tap water! It’s free!
If you’re not too comfy getting out there on the dance floor, do not fret. There is so much seating, you can just sit and observe. Just like people watching, there’s dancer watching. And boy, will you have plenty to watch. Plus, servers come to your table and take your f&b orders.
FYI: Friday night drink specials are from 8p-​11p. $ 5 Coronas, $ 7 Bacardi & Ciroc Drinks, and $ 30 Sangria Pitchers. The servers and bartenders were all so, so nice.
TIP: Drive around for street parking — it’s free, safe, and there’s lots of it.
I’ve read articles online that neighbors have complained over the years (even before it was Balcony 2yrs ago) re: noise and parking. For this reason, there is talk that they might turn this establishment into condos and move The Balcony on the other side of Route 17 so as to avoid these types of complaints (sad). Hope it doesn’t happen anytime soon. I want to celebrate my 30^th here before the end of the year!

THIS REVIEW IS ON DRINKS & AMBIANCE, NOT FOOD:
We came here on a Friday evening, for a nightcap. There were quite a few (loud) people outside smoking cigarettes, no big deal. We walked inside, the bar tender greeted us and asked if we were here for the party, we said no, just a cocktail.
We sat at the front bar, very comfortable, nice design, a little gaudy but still classy none the less. We asked to see a drink menu, pretty interesting stuff, my wife and I had different menus with different drinks, we didn’t think anything of it. She ordered a brown sugar & coconut mojito and I ordered a gin concoction. The bar tender said «okay, let me grab a different bar tender» A new bar tender came by, was confused about our order because one of the menus was old, but made our drinks anyway. My drink was pretty decent but not as described, my wife’s drink was bitter and tasted like dirty tap water. The first bar tender asked what we thought of the drinks and did not hesitate to replace my wife’s cocktail with a standard mixed drink. They even brought us 2 slices of cake, gratis.
The main area lounge/​club/​dance floor, is really nice; it doesn’t feel like you are in a residential neighborhood in Carlstadt, NJ. The music was a little weird, top 40 with weird looping mash-​ups and sound distortion, but it was interesting. It’s hard to tell what this place is trying to be, a club, fine dining, bar, party hall. I think if they picked a theme, cleaned the menu up, and made it so that every bartender could make the drinks it would be better.