The Original Balkan Restaurant

With minimal time in Sydney we were recommended to dine at the family run, Balkan, from a friend who has dined there for years. This style of food was a new experience for us and we walked away very full and happy. No background music just lots of conversations and laughter from the tables.

This little neighborhood restaurant is small but mighty! Family owned and operated, the staff clearly knows that they live or die by their quality and service - there is no corporate entity ready to bail them out in hard times. We were greeted promptly and with sincere smiles, then offered any table that was open. We wanted dishes we had never tried, so our server explained the constitution and preparation of several different dishes. We ordered three dishes between the two of us dining. There is wine, but no wine list. Our server told us what wines they had and we ordered accordingly. Service was swift. The cabbage rolls are huge and flavorful, served with peas, potatoes, and steamed cabbage - very hearty. The seasoned skewers of pork were a little on the tough side, but their flavor made up the difference. The sausages of beef and pork were tender, juicy, and just perfectly seasoned. Our dishes came with the traditional salad, which resembles a mixture of potato salad and cole slaw. It is a large portion of salad, and really quite good! Prices were reasonable. From Hyde Park, slip down Oxford Street a couple of blocks and turn right on Crown. The Balkans is just ahead on the right.

We had pasta and kebabs last night at the Balkan restaurant. The table service was fantastic. It was friendly and very welcoming. The food service was very prompt and the quality exceeded my expectations. We will definitely visit here again. Thank you for the great night.

We needed a restaurant close to that part of the city and looked online to find one close. The Balkan popped up. The website and menu looked appealing so we booked.Turned up early for lunch and were the first ones in the restaurant. The owner and waitress came to greet us and take our orders. It was hard to pick as it all sounded very appealing. A fantastic mixture of seafood and meat, cooked in a Croatian style.For entree, we had a mixture of Calamari, octopus, and prawns all chargrilled at the front of the restaurant, with a couple of pots of garlic prawns and fresh bread to soak up all the wonderful juices. It looked amazing when it came to our table and the taste was even better, especially washed down with some fresh Croatian beer.Main was even better! Seafood Platter for two, Chargrilled prawns, chargrilled lamb cutlets and salmon and a mixed grill. And a wonderfully tasty potato and cabbage salad which looked basic, but tasted amazing.Then for dessert, a mixture of pancakes with fruit, chocolate and ice cream - yum!The little old lady cook came to greet us from the kitchen to make sure everything was ok and it was great! And the owner and waitress were both very entertaining - it made our visit fun to top off the great food.If you're looking for some fantastic Balkan flavours and live chargrilled seafood and meat, then don't miss the Balkan on Oxford St.

I stayed in an apartment just around the corner from The Balkan on a recent vacation to Sydney and decided to try out the Balkan based on the suggestion of some guys eating there on their street side table.I really enjoyed it. I think it's a Croatian restaurant but they specialize in grilled meats and seafood. I had a wonderful simple dinner salad before my meal that I absolutely loved. The dressing was very light but delicious. I seriously considered returning there just for the salad but ran out of time. I had the salmon for dinner which was already great. The staff was nice and everyone there seemed to be a regular because the host hugged everyone who came in and they all spoke like they were old friends. Always a good sign.I highly recommend the Balkan if you're in the area.