Balls Brothers - Mark Lane in City of London, Westminster

Nice atmosphere, although slow bringing out food. Food was tasty though!

Fuimos a almorzar y pedimos dos sándwiches calientes fuera del menú. La salchicha ciabatta estaba quemada y la tostada era ridículamente pequeña y no valía 8. Luego, al final, pedimos dividir la factura y eso aparentemente fue un problema. Pedí pagar en efectivo y la camarera puso los ojos en blanco y dijo 'ponlo sobre la mesa' sin modales. Evitar a toda costa. Si quieres ir a un Balls Brothers, ve al que está en The Gherkin.

Sonyas Sandwich Bar es la razón por la que me gusta venir aquí. ¡Ella hace sándwiches deliciosos! Completamente lleno de ingredientes frescos y bien presentados. Perfecto para cualquier ocasión.

The expectation is met - just a bite and something nice to wash it down with. The fact that they got our order wrong and we profited from free extra sandwiches that we hadn't ordered was a plus. An accessible semi-basement bar which did all it needed to.

Menu selection was poor. Servers seemed overwhelmed with the numbers of diners. Wine was fine.

Conseguimos una comida deliciosa, bebidas increíbles y las cosas estaban muy bien! Definitivamente uno de los mejores lugares de la zona!

Excellent service food and wine was just what we wanted. Great for a business lunch/evening and a good evening

Primera vez para mis amigos y yo. La bienvenida y el servicio continuo fue excepcional. La tabla vegetariana para compartir era divina. Como las dos botellas de Vidal. El precio fue bueno. No me importa pagar un poco más por una buena calidad y un gran ambiente. Definitivamente volveré a reservar con Gabriele ya que mi compañía tiene un 25% de descuento en enero: -)

I came here for dinner on a Monday night with three of my work colleagues; besides us, there was only one other table being served which should have been a warning sign. Despite the lack of guests, the wait staff was pretty bad: after delivery of most of our drinks we had to call the waitress back over after ten minutes to deliver the rest of our order, we ordered still water – and specifically requested no gas – and received a bottle of sparkling water. The food was not memorable and just average. I’m not real sure how this place stays open with the lack of customers and the lack of service, etc., would rate it as just “ok” and I would give this place a pass in the future.

Recently had our work Christmas party here. It's a nicely decorated venue, located close to a number of central stations, however the food was not amazing. Most of the vegetables accompanying our Christmas dinners were on the raw side of al dente (carrots and sprouts). The food also came out in batches, meaning that some colleagues had finished before others had started. That said, the DJ was ok and the dance floor had some good vibes.

Unfortunately the confirmed reservation I made with Open Table wasn't picked up in time by the venue, so we were left trying to find an alternate venue for 8 people at 1pm on a Friday in the City. Not ideal. Fortunately found space around the corner at Minster Court, who were extremely friendly and understanding and moved tables to make space with no fuss or recriminations.

service was prompt and professional. food arrived speedily considering restaurant was fairly busy. it was hot and well presented. service remained attentive throughout our meal.

1st time here, very busy, waited a while to be shown to a table ordered prosecco which was very nice and we both ordered sandwiches my rare beef sandwich was delicious! The bread was very fresh and plenty of filling, we shared a portion of chips! Not offered any condiments for the chips so had to go up to the kitchen/bar area ourselves to find some! No one asked how our lunch was and no one refilled our glasses! The bill had 10 percent service charge which I did not feel should be charged as the service was very poor!

I found this on TripAdvisor since I wanted something near the Tower of London for lunch on our last day. We arrived without a reservation but were promptly seated. I found the place a little stuffy with lots of business people all dressed up having their "working" lunches-some more liquid than solid, if you know what I mean! My other half had Tomato & Basil Soup plus a Chix & Bacon sandwich. I had the Chicken Schnitzel. I had 2 beers-a London Pride and an Italian Birra Moretti draught. My other half had a glass of D'hill Chenin Blanc. I had hope for more choices of local ale, beer, but they kept pushing the Amstel? Food was ok, but I was hungry a few hours later! I think I'll pass on this and similar type places next time and just find a local, everyday type pub where Onslow from Keeping Up Appearances would hang out! Two additional comments: 1) I did like the "Gin & Bear It' sign 2) Be careful because they add on a 10% service charge regardless of the quality of service-our was average so 10% was ok

Fresh tasting fish has become more common in London, keep it up please. Some of do have taste buds and we are not afraid to use them. Thank you also for avoiding the temptation to disguise meat with mounds of French 'erbs. Smothering meat with a shoulder-shrugging 'erb compost is OK if you don't actually like meat or if its been out of the fridge too long or has been injected with water-retaining phosphates. Fresh, high quality meat is already dead - it doesn't need to be strangled with perfumed weeds.

Didn’t have my reservation and even though I had the email confirmation we ended up on a bar stool table. Not great Decent food however!

8 of us met for lunch in the bigger of the Private Rooms which is ideal for 8 people max and all had a wonderful time. Menu and wine list is excellent and we had very good service. The room does get a little warm sometimes but soon cooled down with door ajar for 5 mins max. 2nd time there in private room and would recommend it for a small group gathering needs to be booked well in advance due to popularity. stuart.smart@willistowerswatson.com

E' un vero pub inglese dovi trovi ottima birra e cibo buono. E' frequentato da una clientela elegante ed il personale è disponibile e competente. Qualcuno del personale è italiano e ti risolve i problemi di lingua.

i have been coming here for years The new décor was lovely and bright and feels very warm and welcoming. The food was lovely as usual. Thanks

Purpose of our lunch was a business catch up meeting. The atmosphere was convivial and not too noisy so, we were able to conclude business prior to enjoying lunch. The service was excellent service, food is delicious, particularly the cocktails and I love the wine list. Must try the cocktails next time

Come here every week and have continuos great service by John, he makes the most amazing cocktails and you can tell he's just so passionate about his job!

Came to Balls Brothers for a quick catch up with friends, took us ages to be able to order food and we waited for 20 minutes before it arrived, however our cold sandwich and quails eggs had been ready for more than 10minutes out on the side. The service was shocking, we tried to attract the attention of the waitress who ignored us and when we were able to speak to her she was rude. Will not be coming back any time soon

There is an enormous choice of lunch venues in this area of the City, however I would certainly rate the newly refurbished Balls Brothers in Mark Lane as one of the most pleasant. My friend and I received friendly and personal service from the moment we arrived even though it was very busy and most tables were occupied. Our food was excellent, hot and well presented and the recommended bottle of wine by the waitress was most enjoyable and very reasonable. I shall look forward to returning ........

I don't usually leave reviews as they are time consuming but I was so pleasantly surprised by John's cocktails I have to mention it here so that other readers looking for ideas on where to try the best cocktails may try Balls Brother at Mark Lane to see how good the food and the drinks are, especially the drinks. Ask for John and get him to mix you a drink, I honestly think he can mix up anything that matches your mood. Well done to the team there.

Great atmosphere for an after work drink. Happy hour deals are excellent, a bottle of wine is just over £10. The fries are killer, thick and cooked to perfection. Will be back!

I came to Balls Brother Mark Lane and had an Amazing food with a good deal on happy hour, delicious cocktails and wine!!! Recommend

Came here for after work drinks and nibbles with my co workers. Can say we all left the new refurbished Venue with a smile on our faces. The sharing boards and gin summer cocktails are definitely something i would recomended. Perfect place to come for a drink and nibble, Will come back and try the lunch menu which the staff recomended us to do. Thank you mark lane for looking after us. Definitely returning here,

Very traditional atmosphere and cozy design. Really friendly and helpful service. Amazing price on happy ours!!! Perfect place to take a lunch break or meet someone for a dinner. Plenty selection of wine. Cocktail sausages are the best in the city, I swear.

Came here for drinks just they re-opened after the refurbishment. Before I found this Ball Brothers to be dark and dingy. Now it is light, bright and stylish. Good selection of wines, and excellent service. What's not to like.

I have been going to this venue for many years and it has always been good but now after the full internal refurbishment I believe it is a great venue in the city for ambiance, food and service. And more importantly great selection of wines. All in all good value for money. Highly recommended.

I have lunch here once a month during work, we usually take our insurers to have a few sandwiches and bottles of wine. We usually book a room as it a lot quieter than the main area... The service is always amazing, but we do sometimes get forgotten about because we are in a room, but a few waves to the bar staff through the window and they are always happy to help. The sandwiches are lovely, and exactly what you need just for lunch, and we always have a few bottles of the pinot white wine and it is lovely. Staff are lovely always very helpful. Great venue for lunch.

Received an email inviting me to review their establishment as a venue for corporate entertaining. The place is great! The meals are high quality and reasonably priced, it's one of my "go to" places close to work

Terrible bar which is as far from the brand image portrayed on the Ball's website as could be possible. Dark, dingey, appalling service, horrible food (frozen fish and chips) and none of the cocktails we were looking for. And £42 each for the pleasure. It was like some horrible 70s throwback. Wednesday night in the city of London and less than 10 people in there. Now I know why. Why is this part of the Ball's chain? Dishonest group marketing. Not to be recommended.

A trusty wine list but limited food menu - no steak and chips!!!

Lunchtime party of 3. Pre-booked, Long established chain so anything less than good would indicate a serious problem. Good mixed menu enabling a range of food from a three course meal to a sandwich. House white Burgundy very acceptable. I enjoyed potted shrimps with sour bread toast followed by prawn linguini with chili. Tasty. Service fine. Sufficient space between tables to enable a discrete conversation if required. Clean. Came aware with a positive feeling about the place.

We arrived today at midday without a reservation. There were still plenty of tables free. Service was quick and efficient. The food is good and we had the ham and cheese toastie and chicken bacon and Brie sandwich. Both lovely and accompanied with a large bowl of fries. Good wine menu. Will be back

Shared drinks and dinner with colleagues after a day-long meeting nearby. The drink menu is pretty cool in that it describes the different offerings for each spirit using a four square of qualities for that spirit (see picture), which is useful if you don't know the brands they offer.Food was quite tasty, too, although the only "adventurous" offering I tried was the kidney starter, which was fantastic. Crowd was on the young side, but that makes sense given the proximity to so many corporate offices, including the Gherkin.

We were at a Rugby World Cup event which was well hosted by the venue the food was great and the staff were excellent very helpful.

The food is good, prices are fine but (on this occasion) service was slow. I would say its probably a 'bad day', so will be back.

A lovely place to work away the afternoon watching Wimbledon. Isabella and her team delivered great service with a smile. They were even more helpful when I came back an hour later having forgotten my shopping. Anyone looking for the best and happiest service in the City will find it here. definitely coming back ! Thanks guys, Paul

We hired the whole venue for a company quiz night and had a brilliant time. The staff were fantastic and couldn't be more helpful and the platters and pizza's we ordered went down a treat. Excellent venue where everyone went above and beyond to ensure the event was a great success.

Very competant and timely meal , well presented and served with a smile. Added advantage of Davy`s solid wine list.

We had a few cold beers and wine in this cosy and very pleasant pub. Service was good and the atmosphere very warm. Although food was available we did not eat this time.

We used the whole venue for a networking event for 40 people and everyone seemed to love the atmosphere, staff (helpful, cheerful and efficient) and food (great canapés, generous portions and well presented). The ol fashioned pub atmosphere was perfect for post-seminar drinks. Definitely would use this venue again.

This is a nice location for a sandwich and a pint of adult beverage, in my case bitter. My favorite is the old fashion roast beef, cooked just right, thin slices, perfect for a light meal. They also have a nice selection of wine.

We arrived just after 1pm, waited over an hour for food, which was only a cheeseboard and hot sandwich. then waited another hour for coffee which never came! The service here is so awful, its not worth the wait.

Met clients for lunch and was disappointed by the level of service and the crowded space. The food was not that spectacular either.

I like this Balls Brothers. The staff are always friendly, the ambience is nice, the food is good, the service reasonable and, most importantly, I can always get a table without booking. I think it is because it is a little off the beaten track. It is a fairly regular haunt for me for a pleasant business chat over a glass of wine and a sandwich.

Nice bar, good cocktail list but virtually empty on a Friday evening. Because of that the ambience was not great, but it did allow for conversation. Be nice to see it busier

Haddock chips and peas — one of the dishes included in BB's 'British Classics' menu. Very little actual fish and oily batter. And the things chefs (cooks?) do to chips these days! Mine were a dirty brown colour, limp, lukewarm and presented in a square pile, reminiscent of a Rubik's Cube or a mini log cabin. The crushed garden peas and tartare sauce were neither here nor there. A complete let down and at £13, a relatively expensive one at that. Definitely not your classic F&C.

Recommended for a business lunch, the private room we were given was perfect and the service weas excellent.

Went there as a group for drinks and dinner after a conference. Service was ok.

The City of London has so many places to choose from standards can be variable to say the least. I often use this establishment to meet people when in the City. I may be spoilt as we always book one of the private rooms (there are a couple). The prices are reasonable and one can generally eat well without breaking the bank. My particular favourites are the sandwich platters. The fillings are generous and taste fresh. The bowls of sausages are particularly delicious, especially with some English mustard.One word of caution (which is why I had to downgrade the service mark), always check your bill carefully. This is not a deliberate error on their part, but (I would think) an error that occurs purely because they get so very busy. I have had to send the bill back a couple of times having been charged for somebody else's food and wine.Notwithstanding the above (which is only something one should always do at a restaurant anyway) the overall experience is very good. I like a busy restaurant and this is definitely one. The wine list is good, not too expensive, staff are very friendly and once trained to one's preferences (if you get my drift) are attentive without being intrusive.Food is good and location is spot on. I will continue using Balls Brothers here for sure.

Booking a table late in the festive season can be hit and miss anywhere, and although my name wasn't on the list despite the booking, the staff swung into action and produced a table and three chairs very quickly. Service was attentive and pleasant, considering how rushed they all were due to Christmas crush. Always a convivial atmosphere at this Balls Brothers – no complaints at all.

Decent food once they changed the chef and there is some good value wine plus friendly staff makes this a pleasant place to while away the time amongst friends or colleagues

I dined with colleagues last night - great wine and the food seemed good. However, once the main course plates were cleared, a mouse ran across the restaurant floor - came right up to the table next to us, fearless! I asked the waitress whether they realised they had mice "erm, I think I should tell my manager" she said, then couldn't find the manager! I was so shocked it didn't cross my mind to challenge them any further ..... so if you're squeamish, stay clear of the cheese board and stick to the wine (which is good - and as far as I know not something that mice tend to like!)

Lovely atmosphere, friendly service, huge selection of drinks inc. wine (of course!), cocktails, fizz & ports. Food is yummy too with a good selection. Reasonably priced for London and in a great location,

Atmosphere very pleasant, great sandwiches, wine reasonably priced and caters for all tastes. the staff are in the main a great team and always accomodating where they can iof you haven't booked - Sarah in particular.My colleagues and I have frequented Balls Bros for some years and are not changing venue's for lunch any time soon.

Balls brothers in mark lane is a city staple for lunch providing a good choice of sandwiches with efficient friendly service

Working in the City of London you are spoilt for places to entertain or have a casual drink and few will have the flexibility of Ball Brothers, Mark Lane. Whether pre booked or walking in off the street, the management will do their best to accommodate you with either a private room or a table in their segmented bar area (although a booking is recommended for the rooms). The table service is always friendly and efficient with the sandwiches varied and containing plenty of filling! A varied wine list caters for the casual budget drinker and the fine wine connoisseur alike. I have been frequenting Balls Brothers for many years now and can safely say that we never leave disappointed and our returning patronage says it all. Looking forward to our next Bourrée there. Deano.

Haven't been to Balls Brothers for years. The food was absolutely fine; steak was cooked well and vegetables were nice and crunchy. Bottle of new world sauvignon blanc was about £30 but very good. Service was friendly and the restaurant felt like a traditional London pub. Not the cheapest meal in the city but bill was not a shock either.

Hadn't been here for a while since our office moved South of the river, Hays Galleria is now my local. Brought back fond memories when I recently met colleagues for a lunch, Balls Brothers have still got it, perfect for a quick business lunch.

Went here for new year eve organised trip. Firstly very overcrowded restaurant, I can only assume that they were greedy and wanted to cash in on the evening by trying to fit too many people into the restaurant. The table we were allocated was so small and they expected us to fit three people around it. It was very badly organised utter chaos when we first arrived. We complained to the management who proceeded to offer excuse after excuse after excuse as to why they couldn't accommodate us all, non of which was "their fault"! Once we realised that we were going to have to make do with the table, we decided to try not to let it spoil our evening. Unfortunately, things did get worse. The food was sub standard, bread with starter was stale, no butter. Main course was cold and salmon so salty, my friend could not eat hers. Dessert brûlée was burnt. Customers who had steak all had to have it medium, they were not asked how they would like it cooked. Some members of the party had smaller portions as they ran out of food. I will be writing officially to the restaurant to ask for compensation for ruining our much looked forward to new year celebrations. I would certainly not recommend this restaurant.

I have held three drinks and nibbles receptions at Balls Bros Mark Lane in 2012 and they have all been excellent, and will certainly be arranging some more in 2013! The staff who looked after us were wonderful, and my guests loved the food and the complimentary bubbly at the Christmas event.

We had a great meal and no one hassled us to leave even though we just had a drink left on table - good time had by all

This is your original-style Balls Brothers with all the oldie wooden furniture etc but a recent (I think) refurbishment has kept it feeling fresh. I came for lunch with a friend and had the fish and chips, which was delicious. My firend had the burger - great portion sizes! I have been a couple of times after work as well. It wasn't particularly busy either time but the service is always good and the happy hour offers are certainly worth coming for!

like all balls brothers, this is overpriced and doesnt offer much.There are much better bars in the city worth visiting over this one.

Let's make a nice surprise to my girlfriend having oysters and champagne!!!!! OMG they ran out of everything including oysters in a very quite friday night, UNBELIEVABLE!!!! No manager on the floor, no chilled champagne very disorganized. We waited 30minutes to have our bottle of champagne because they didn't have a cold one and they didn't let know us that the kitchen closes at 9 o'clock. Anything tha we ordered to the waitress has been told us that was finished but not straight away always after 5 minutes. While we were waiting our champagne we had a couple of champagne cocktails made by someone who didn't know how to make them.... I can't reccomend this place to anybody!!!

Excellent waitress apart from that average

I haven't been to a Balls Brothers for about 10 years. I won't be going back for another 10. I received a reservation email, but on arrival, they did not have my booking. Our table by a window, was still very dark and gloomy. Ordered 2 glasses of Chateau Lugagnac Bordeaux Superiore at £10.65 per glas and were told there was none left! Changed to d’Arenberg The lovegrass Shiraz at £11.65 per glass and were very dissapointed, in fact I remain unconvinced I drank what I paid for, as we had 3 different waitresses in 2 minutes keen to take our order. I asked about the wine when the food arrived and my questions were completely ignored! My Sirloin at £28 was a lovely steak, destroyed by overcooking. Overall, I an unenjoyable experience.

We visited after work to have a bite to eat and a beer. The menu was extremely limited, and they were out of many of their beers (apparently a delivery was happening the next day). You would think they'd pay attention to running out of beer!

The food was fine, but the service was awful, we each recieved our meals seperately, so I had finished mine before 1 of our party had even recieved their food and the restaurant was empty so that was no excuse. After the meal I wanted to pay and no body was serving the restaurant part directly so I couldn&#039;t even pay the bill without queing ten minutes at the bar. <br /><br />So all in all very unhappy with the service.<br /><br />Carl

Chargrill, Bradford- staff were delightful and very helpful. Unfortunately the simple cheeseburger meal we ordered was dry. Burger bun was very chewy. Burger itself was well cooked but lacked a decent salad/ accompaniments. Venue was a quiet place at 6.30 on a Saturday to have a quick meal before theatre or cinema.