Balboni Italian Restaurant Jakarta

Balboni is an upmarket Italian restaurant located in Kota Kasablanka Mall. It is the property of Mr. Lal De Silva,  an Australian national also the owner of the popular Harvest bakery shops, and Negev and Chateau Blanc restaurants.

The concept of Balboni changed recently with the arrival of a new Italian General Manager, Andrea Gianini (who used to work in La Luce). Once a fusion Italian-Asian restaurant, Balboni is now a traditional Italian restaurant and it seems this new concept is more successful.

My first impression of Balboni was very good. The place was crowded and the service impeccable. Andrea, the GM, was on the floor, instructing his team to make sure each table was well taken care of. The staff was really attentive, even too much. There was not 3 minutes without someone coming to my table to ask if everything was ok.

The music playing was quite good and upbeat. It makes the place a rather nice spot for a pre-party evening. I saw they have regular DJ events on weekends too.

In the open kitchen, I could see there was a western Chef as well, Ivan Tarrago, a Spanish man who is the corporate Chef for all the venues of the group.

The prices are reasonable: I had the Bruschetta for 59,000 rp and a Pizza Margherita for 70,000 rp. It was not incredible, but considering the quality of the service and the atmosphere of the restaurant, I felt it was good value for money. I would not come from far away to visit Balboni, but if you leave near from Kota Kasablanka, it is worth a try.