Bala Baya
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Bookings

Mon - Fri / 12 - 3pm + 5 - 11pm
Sat - 11 - 4pm + 5 - 11pm
Sun - 11 - 4pm + 5 - 9pm

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For group bookings over 20 people, please email us.

Arch 25, Old Union Yard
Arches 229, Union Street,
London SE1 0LR

The most unconventional restaurant in town!

Welcome to Bala Baya, London’s treasured Middle Eastern hotspot located in the iconic entertainment district of Southwark. Our extensive award-winning menu features a range of dining delights, leaving a happy heart and full stomach. Under the well-known arches, you’ll find our home, a quirky restaurant in Central London which provides all you could ask for from your Eastern Mediterranean fairy tale.

Bala Baya will be your new number one entertaining eatery. We’re made for music lovers, culture cravers and garlic nutters… as a hub for food with no boundaries, it’s no surprise Bala Baya is known as one of London’s quirkiest restaurants.

Prepare yourself for an for an unique drinking experience at our outdoor bar which will leave you with a new standard of fun-dining.

We bring the heat of the Middle East sun straight down to the UK’s largest city, which is no wonder why we’re known for the best heated outdoor dining in London. Our very own chic Eastern Mediterranean restaurant, Bala Baya, has the reputation for being loud, loving and limitless! Don’t just think of us as your top aesthetic places to eat in London, visualise Bala Baya as your favourite luxury getaway accompanied by a feast from the middle east!

An immersive dining experience like no other

Have you ever heard of a quirky restaurant found in Central London that purposefully takes you to the Eastern Mediterranean capital of cool? As you enter Bala Baya’s outdoor & indoor dining, you’ll notice your senses come to life, becoming part of a city with a savvy attitude and cultural astuteness.

From delicious melting pots of culture to waiters dancing on tables and grandmothers drinking arak, this unusual dining experience in London is the most authentic Middle Eastern escapade – and one you’ll never forget!

You’ll discover that it’s not only our food & staff that bring you Middle East, but also the very hub of the menu – the Bala Baya restaurant. From the terrazzo tiles to the traditional pita-oven – a childhood favourite of Bala Baya’s very own Eran Tibi. Our quirky restaurant in Central London resembles exactly what the Middle East is all about through traditional 1930s Bauhaus-inspired architecture and cuisine, adapted from our Arab descent.

The story of Bala Baya: London’s best mini Middle East

At Bala Baya, we wanted to be seen as more than the number one go-to quirky restaurant in Central London. We dream to give life to your foodie fantasy. What made this Mediterranean holy grail come to life were the very people that birthed Bala Baya.

Eran Tibi created the very term of adventurous eating, by building a menu that grants no boundaries, ensuring our food echoes exactly what Middle Eastern culture is all about: affection, creativity and diversity!

Our history has encouraged Bala Baya to become more than your common fun restaurant stationed in Central London. Eran Tibi was brought to life by a Tunisian-born baker and Syrian mother, making his childhood all about cultural fusion. So the next time you find yourself in our Waterloo Southbank based restaurant, forget about the British day-to-day and immerse yourself in Eran’s nostalgic Middle Eastern hub – made for good friends to share good food, making good memories.

So, are you in or out?

And no, we’re not quoting Aladdin, although it does seem rather fitting. Without gloating too hard, we also love to shout about how our central London based restaurant comes with outdoor seating, so no matter how unpredictable the UK weather can be, we accommodate for all four seasons, even if all in one day. Although our Eastern Mediterranean culture is loosely based around our hot climate, you’ll still find our outdoor dining space comes with a cover in London, keeping Bala Baya’s dishes fierce & fiery whilst you sip on our sun-kissed cocktails, come rain or shine.

Restaurants in central London with outdoor seating are hard to find, especially those with one of a kind platters that satisfy your tastebuds, but under the arches you’ll find our very own warm outdoor dining in the very heart of London.

So our question to you is… are you in or out?

The Bala Baya way – make our space your home

Just like our Middle Eastern culture and heritage, we are all about sharing life with our beloved family and friends. Our collectivist nature has become an essential component to what makes us, at Bala Baya, so popular today.

Bala Baya has been designed to be informal, welcoming and of course, the best gay friendly restaurant in London – we’re the comfiest hub for food around! We exist to make unforgettable memories with your nearest and dearest, because after all, we are family.