Balkonie Restaurant

This place is around the corner from my house, and I have never been. It kind of tricky to see from the main road, being almost directly behind another good sized building. It's been around for years and apparently changed management. I went in with no expectations, because reviews have been pretty mixed. University of Maryland Black Alumni were having an after party there to kick off homecoming weekend, and I decided to go since it's so close to home! I showed my ticket and ID at the door, and I was able to go right in. Unsurprisingly, it was packed when I got there! The bar is big, and the dance floor is pretty spacious. From what I could tell, the staff are doing a wonderful job tending to the crowd. They do not have a drink menu, but there is a food menu. It was a mixture of bar food and some more unique dishes, like jerk salmon and jollof rice. $15 is a good price! That's what I ended up getting for myself. It didn't take long for it to arrive, and it was honestly more food than I expected. The jerk seasoning was a little salty, but not enough to take away from the meal overall -- still quite enjoyable! The jollof did not disappoint with the kick it had, whew! Based on this evening, I would come back on another occasion. Staff were friendly accommodating, and the things I got did not disappoint. The DJ was incredible too, but I think UMBA brought him. Great job Balkonie!

I learned about this place on Facebook from a promoter who was hosting an event at the location. They definitely promoted it well because it sounded like it was going to be an amazing event however, that's not how it turned out. The space had absolutely no AC so it was extremely hot in there. They tried to combat it by putting up fans which didn't help that much. They had also advertised that it was a wing and whiskey night. Meaning that there was going to be whiskey tastings and wings for free. We were given a half an ounce of some type of whiskey, and two chicken wings the entire night. Then DJ also didn't show up until about 11:30pm when the event started at 7pm. I gave them two stars because the bartender was really nice and the lounges decor was nicely put together. However, I would not be back here.

The venue is larger than anticipated. We had the jerk salmon and wings with jollof rice. The jerk is spicy and flavorful. The wings ended up being a larger portion than the salmon slice. I'd prefer a touch of cabbage or plantain to balance the meal but that might have been a late night bar menu. The bartenders were very good.

Great Restaurant excellent wings great servers great prices nice atmosphere clean I definitely will be back great entertainment

BrunchSo I was invited for a girls day Sunday BrunchSet up is really nice... Girls at the desk were polite$40 Bottomless Mimosas $29 BrunchFirst problem people were walking in and outSecond problem food was scarce to noneThe reservations are set up to accommodate a certain number of people during a time slotI understand it's their first Sunday but there was a lot of miscommunication and very unorganizedI got one Mimosa and no food for $40SpokellI never give a bad review because I can find something good to take away most timesI support my community but this was really disappointingSpoke with the manager and he has me waiting .... Refunded me my moneyThis really has the potential to be a good Brunch spot

We went a few weeks ago. The experience was disappointing and underwhelming. The food served was inadequate and not worth the price tag. The environment and food display gave off a school cafeteria/pot luck "vybez". A recap of our experience can best be described below.Brunch was served on porcelain plates paired with carry out style, napkins and shrink wrapped plastic utensils.The actual food offered was not as advertised. The waffles were small, cold and soft "Eggo" style waffles not Belgian as depicted. The chicken was a tad undercooked and the eggs were bitter.We were served by staff instead of serving ourselves (like at a typical buffet), none of the food was labeled.The Brunch was overpriced and the food and condiments were a bit limited to be considered a brunch. Basic brunch package options were grits, bacon, eggs, home fried potatoes, rice, chicken, fish, waffles and fruit. One type of syrup, ranch, hot sauce and cold butter was available upon request.$$$ - $24.99 - Basic brunch; $39.99 - Brunch with bottomless mimosas; $49.99 - Brunch with bottomless mimosas, shrimp and crab legs.I emailed mgmt stating my concerns and offering recommendations, I have yet to receive a response.Not worth the money, quality not as advertised, don't waster your time.

love this place. Good food. great vibe, go check it out!! Go on a night with a band!

Food was delicious. Drinks were well balanced and the DJ was fire!! We sat at the bar and the service was prompt. Food came out piping hot.

They called me in to be a Bartender, for about 4-5 weeks. Even got up out of my bed for last minute call ins, about 11pm to go to work. He raved about how he liked my work ethics...then one day texted and said you can have the day off....then never reached out to me again and has ignored my communication to him. I had always heard negative things about him but didn't want to go off of other people's opinions!!! I guess they were ABSOLUTELY CORRECT!!

Nice people - 100 degree and AC broken. They had whiskey tasting with no real whiskeys - just bullet. If you plan an event to draw folks in you need to be better prepared. I would never return