Balcon by Tapavino

Reviews

• Dwight A.

  star star star star star 10 June 2026

  You only get one chance to make a good first impression!  They didn't disappoint!  Something to be said for a wine bar that gives you a taste of their $5 happy hour wine. That show pride in what they are serving.
  
  I love the way their extensive wine list has detailed categorizations for each wine, both bottles & glasses. It makes it great to find your styled you're not an expert on a region's wine.
  
  1/2 priced bottles up to $200 until 5:30. I think there's an early dinner here in my future!

• Kurt C.

  star star star star star 8 June 2026

  Balcòn by Tapavino; This restaurant group are creating some of our favourite restaurants and and dining experiences. Perfect for a date night.
  
  Balcòn by Tapavino is situated in the corporate end of town toward Circular Quay. We were here on a Wednesday night and it was still busy. The restaurant is a large space with bar seating, a number of tables inside and outdoor seating on the balcony; hence the name Balcòn. The restaurant has a modern design and it is quite open. The space is dimly lit with a plethora of spanish wine surrounding you in caged storage bays around the restaurant. These bays are lit showcasing the 5000+ Spanish wines available. So you know the drinks menu will have something to your liking. We sampled a lovely Brut and some reds including a pinot and a very nice syrah/shiraz that I will be looking out for.
  
  The drink list is not just restricted to wine they have a nice cocktail list and some very nice beer to choose from including Er Boqueron an intersting Spanish Blonde Ale from Valencia brewed in part with seawater from the Medterreanean.
  
  We were fortunate enough to be entertained by our waiter for the evening Alan formely of The Doyle restaurant group and Quay, soon to be Manager of the new venture Born. The service was impeccable, relaxed, yet very polished and providing us with food and beverage recommendations that did not disappoint. With so many great options on the menu it was difficult to decide and the guidance was greatly appreciated. We will return to try some of the options we did not get to try this time. We were also informed that they like to keep the menu fresh by changing it up every so often.
  
  We were here for dinner allowing us to order from different parts of the menu which included tapas(individual portions), Prima(starters), amazing cured meats from the charcuterie and larger portions from land or sea, as well as desserts.
  
  To start, we whet our appetite with some Jamon and cows milk cheese seved with crisp . A great way to start the meal, simple with quality produce. We also shared the stuffed coca flat bread. A tasty crisp flatbread  filled with chorizo, egg and greens. We followed this with prawns a la plancha; A delectible Prawn dish served in their half shell perfecly grilled in their Spanish coal oven, seasoned with red pepper lemon and herbs.
  After much deliberation and some help from Alan we decided to share the deliciously rich flavoured, tender, melt in your mouth slow cooked beef cheek, jarusalem artichoke, beer mustard & smoked paprika. We also went with  the shaved cabbage salad with raisin, almond and manchego salad. A generous mountain of texture and flavour definitely recommended.
  
  You can always manage room for desserts on this occasion we shared the balcon mess: a delicious concoction of white choclate and thyme cream, strawberry sauce, meringue and oat croquant. Combing this with a lovely glass of PX.
  
  A great dining experience with great food service and wine. What more could one want...?

• Katie B.

  star star star star star 30 May 2026

  Exceptional service, divine food and stunning decor!
  Thank you for making us feel so special.

• Nhi P.

  star star star star star_border 17 May 2026

  4 stars for now until I come back to sample the rest of the menu.
  
  As a fine party of one, I sat at the bar which is a great spot to have a chat with the bartender and if you're at the right end of the bar, watch the action in the kitchen too. Fantastic service on a Monday night at least - when I asked for a wine recommendation the bartender let me try two reds so that I could pick the one I was happier with.
  
  It is a much larger venue than Tapavino the original restaurant in Bulletin Place - so less cosy but also less cramped and easier to get a table.
  
  The menu has a fair bit of variety from the jamon to the cheese to the tapas to the larger seafood and meat dishes. I tried the chicken liver pate which was creamy and came with nice rye crisps but lacked a bit of flavour (e.g. a bit of pepper would have gone a long way). I also tried the poached octopus and kipler potatoes which was cooked perfectly but again lacked a bit of punch. For dessert the baked apple is sweet and comforting on a winter's evening.
  
  Overall I enjoyed the experience and would like to come back to try some of the meat dishes (think lamb shoulder, flank and tripe) but it wasn't a standout location I'd be rushing to tell my friends about.

• Robert C.

  star star star star star 16 May 2026

  A wonderful restaurant that is located just behind the Sofitel Wentworth. Having visited Tapavino previously and loved the food at that restaurant, we were really looking forward to this dining experience.
  
  Offering a variety of Spanish tapas dishes covering light snack like dishes to heavy meatier plates to share. There is quite a choice so there is something for everyone. The wine list is extensive and we were told by the waiter that they had at least 5000 bottles in stock. Now that's quite a selection. The wine list was more like a wine encyclopaedia.
  
  We started off with Jamon Serrano, Chickpea Panissa, Goats Curd. The jamon was plentiful (lucky we love it!) and the panissa (chickpea fritters) provided a lovely crunch to the dish.
  
  Our food journey continued onto Baked Cows Milk Cheese, Salt Baked Potato, Shaved Mushroom. The cheese was oozy and so creamy. The potato was a nice vehicle for the toppings. Mushrooms added a nice accent and flavour.
  
  The Braised Lamb Shoulder, Honey Wine, Olives was melt in the mouth. There was a smoky purée that accompanied it and delicious.
  
  Salt Baked Beetroot, Raw Beets, Walnut Cream had a wonderful crunch from the raw beets and the the cooked beetroot was sweet and went so well with the lamb. The cream gave it a contrast and made it more savoury.
  
  We finished on a high note of 'Balcon Mess'. This was a creation of white chocolate & thyme cream, strawberry, oat croquante, and meringue. This was their Spanish take on the traditional Eton Mess. The highlights of the dish were the croquante which was reminiscent of an excellent Anzac biscuit (most likely due to the oats and syrup taste to it) and the meringues were light and crunchy especially the thin white one which had a sweet herbal taste to it.
  
  The service was lovely and the waiter helped us guide us through the extensive menu.
  
  Thank you to Jennifer and the team for looking after us and to Zomato for introducing us to this restaurant.