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Babaluu
Categories: Restaurants Spanish Restaurants Basque Nightlife Bars Spanish, Basque, Bars [Edit]
136 Yorkville AveToronto, ON M5R 1C2
Neighbourhood: Yorkville
(416) 515-0587
- Price Range:
-
$$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Attire:
- Dressy
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Music:
- DJ, Live
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Coat Check:
- Yes
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Good For Dancing:
- Yes
- Has TV:
- No
7 reviews for Babaluu
7 reviews in English
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Review from Karen S.
9/26/2011 3 photos
I've heard about this place for the salsa dancing, but didn't expect the food to be good too! There's a minimum spend of $45 per person if you don't want to pay the $10 cover for the salsa lesson that starts at 9:30pm on a Friday.
It was pretty empty when we came for our dinner reservations at 8pm, though it quickly started getting packed just after 9pm. We came here for a bachelorette. The hostess came around and presented the bride-to-be with a complimentary martini on the house. Lots of bachelorettes and birthdays there! Ratio of girls to guys for the salsa portion was 85% to 15% with most guys standing by the sidelines... interesting place for singles??
The food! So good. Definitely go for the seafood paella. Packed full of flavour, large and full of seafood goodness. There is a 35 minute wait for it which was actually more like 1 hour for us. Oh well. We weren't in a hurry. The grilled calamari was drenched in an oil pesto, and cooked to perfection. The seafood soup was loaded with seafood and very tasty. Pass on the French onion soup, but definitely go for the guacamole!
The service was very friendly and I'm definitely interested to come again just for the salsa.Listed in: A good time with friends
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Review from Darren L.
Scarborough, ON
1/30/2012 1 Check-in Here
If you like salsa dancing and live in the downtown area... you've probably already heard of this place. In fact, you probably told me about this place! If you show up around 9pm, they have a introduction to salsa class for free that will help teach you the basics of how to have sex with your clothes on, on the dance floor. Once the classes are over, all the hardcore salsa dancers appear out of no where and start tearing the place up! If you are an attractive girl, there are many men waiting to dance with you. If you are... pretty much any guy and are willing to even try to dance, you will have your pick of young, attractive women waiting to be flung around the dance floor by you. Every time I stood up, at least 3 very attractive women would look at me with hopes and aspirations that I would pick them. Just learn the basics and they will be happy.
As for the food. Well the dinner was pretty good. Nothing too special. The dessert, well the dessert felt like it was made 2 nights ago and on top of that, had a long hair in the cake... no thanks. Almost ruined my night. They have a live band but I understand why no one was there until 9pm on a Friday. -
Review from Charlotte W.
North York, ON
9/27/2011 ROTD 1/6/2012
This is an interesting venue for sure. I have only been here twice; once when I was in 2nd year of university and I was captain of the school's exchange committee (so I brought exchange students from all around the world for salsa-ing...sigh...) and just recently for a bachelorette. As per other reviews, this is a popular destination for bachelorette's and I can see why. It is a fun and lively place to be.
The party was slightly spoiled in the beginning by the obnoxious guy who checks bag at the entrance. First of all, I really don't understand why bags need to be checked...I felt like I was in certain malls where police use their big sticks and flashlights to seek counterfeit or banned goods. We had brought a variety of things for the bachelorette (games, prizes, balloons, etc...) and the guy said that we had to check in the bags at $2/bag. We said that the items were for the bachelorette (re-iterated prizes, games, etc...) and he responded "why do you need all those things anyways?" Finally, he conceded (with a HUGE sigh and eye roll) but I personally felt he had targeted us just to be nasty or spiteful. So beware - you could get grilled more than at a security check point at the airport.
The rest of the evening was better. The hostess had brought the bride-to-be a martini and the waiters were very obliging. One had to be part of a game which included girls to be blindfolded and to have "man parts" stuck on the waiter...
Food was actually better than anticipated. I was not that hungry but I had a salad and crab cakes which were moist and fluffy. Portions are quite big so do not be afraid to share (they have lots of Tapas items on the menu). Signature meats, pastas (for the vegetarians) and paella's are of course available. Lots of drink options and a reasonable selection of red and whites.
The restaurant turns into a semi-club in the evening with a salsa lesson. Space is limited for the class so don't expect to be doing the Pasa Doble, however, it is fun. And yes, the ratio of women to men is 100:1 however later on in the evening, there are many single men who will either ask you kindly to dance or just grab you from behind and start grinding...be warned.
FYI. Be sure to bring lots of towels for mopping sweat. Because the dancing area is so small, be prepared to have men in their sweat-soaked shirts rub against your bare arms so that your arm is drenched...many of my girl friends also experienced this unfortunate sweat transfer.
All in all, this is a fun place for dancing and entertainment! -
Review from Heather B.
Scarborough, ON
9/20/2009 5 photos
Ola Chicca!
So went here last night for my friends Bachlorette party and we had a blast!
It's a Spanish Lounge where you have dinner and then you can have a lovely salsa lesson from a pregnant lady - she is so sweet!
She's very good and she watches you so if you're doing it wrong be ready to stand out in the crowd :)
The food is great we had a variety of things to share from spinach bread with feta, mussels, fried/grilled calamari - ALL delicious!
For Entrees we had Paellas - which is rice palif with calamari, chicken, shrimp, sausage, mussels and clams. It's $49.00 but it's meant for 2 people. There was so much left over they can wrap it up for your to go home.
The place requires you to spend $45 per person but that is easy with appetizers entrees and a drink. I thought i was reasonably priced considering it was Yorkville.
LADIES - be prepared to get asked to DANCE with those gents.
It's all in good fun most of the people there are older (25-oldies).
The men are not sleazy, all they want is a dancing partner. As the night goes on though I found the music VERY loud and the dance floor TOO packed to move around. You are confined, because there are some dance PRO there that are spinning and twirling.
The staff where very attentive and friendly.
I really enjoyed my night here. -
Review from Amy K.
North York, ON
2/10/2011
Who knew a place famous for salsa dancing can serve such excellent food?! I really enjoyed the quality and presentation of the dishes. Delicious, authentic, and with a modern twist is always a plus in my book. The ceviche was delectable, as a professed sushi addict, this was a new way to explore "raw" fish, in a nice citrusy dressing with cilantro oozing out of every morsel. The guacamole also very tasty and a must try, especially with plantain chips . The only downside would be the hefty prices and high spending minimum imposed on weekends ($45/pp). The atmosphere is very romantic, with candle light and a live spanish band playing upbeat melodies throughout the dinner hours. This enjoyable high class hideaway in trendy Yorkville is not too be missed,
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Review from Jen K.
4/19/2010
My friend, the salsa addict, wanted to go to hit his second salsa spot of the night. It was Thursday night and I was struggling on 4 hours of sleep and just stepping off the plane from the CA but somehow I managed to go out at past midnight. The spot was pretty dead but my friend wanted to dance so I was game and it helped me wake up. We were the only ones of the dance floor for the longest time. Dance for about an hour but stopped when they started to play reggaeton music (sorry not a fan). Learned from a local that Wednesday nights are better here for salsa.
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Review from Kat S.
Toronto, ON
11/5/2009
Granted, I never actually got to try the food here. BUT a friend and I made plans to go for post-work drinks and tapas at Babaluu. According to the website, the hours of operation are 6pm to 2am, so we agreed to meet just after 6. When we arrived, the doors were locked and there was one guy working inside. He clearly saw us standing at the door, but totally ignored us. Finally, after about 10 minutes we knocked and he came and told us that the restaurant was going to open at 7 that day. So apparently they just wing it there and do whatever they feel like. We went to Caren's Wine and Cheese (great!) instead, but I wasn't impressed with their lack of organization and total disregard to customer service.
