The Balance Restaurant

Ok - have to admit this was our first time in Johnstown so we didn’t know what to expect. It’s a sleepy old town, that’s for sure. We were pleasantly surprised to find Balance on Main St for Sunday brunch. The food was very good. We had Bloody Mary’s - one of which was a Korean Bloody. It had Kimchi on the top and was served with chop sticks in the glass - wow, so unique!! It was really good. Eggs done just right, Pancakes were super light and fluffy, and the side salad was crispy and fresh. It’s the place to go if you are in JTown

This is one of those places that gets it all done right. The food is extraordinary with inventive mix of ingredients. The parmesan crusted lemon brussel sprouts were so amazingly delicious. Thai inspired salmon was perfection. All that being said, the service was friendly and attentive. Simply outstanding in every detail.

Came here twice while on vacation. Almost the whole city was shut down for 4 days around new years, so we were grateful to find Balance open. We had two meals here on the same day. First was lunch. Our server, who had a unique name that started with a B(something like Breagan, Breland??), was excellent. She was so sweet and knowledgeable. We had the ham and bean soup to start. So much flavor! My partner kept talking about it all day. The waffle sandwich was super good, though eventually messy enough to use a fork and knife. We enjoyed the experience so much we came back for dinner. Sat at the bar. Nate was nice enough. Our meal, however, was terrible. The charcuterie board was kinda a joke. Two slices of salami, some sausage, and...turkey??? There were three cheeses. No idea what they were. Maybe an aged cheddar, feta, and brie? Not sure. They were very dry. The spicy jam was amazing though. We ordered the steak and fries as our entree. Boy howdy this was bad. The fries were cold, hard, and over salted. We ordered the steak MR, but it came out MW/W. I took one bite and couldn't eat more. Same for my partner. The gravy was so salty it was inedible. We literally each had one bite. We voiced our concerns and told nate we just couldn't eat this. We boxed it up hoping some some moisture and microwave action later would rejuvenate the fries. It didn't work. We were not offered a replacement meal. We had brunch reservations for the next morning but decided to cancel them and go somewhere else. We could not risk spending so much money again on this quality. I work in the industry. I get that a place has bad nights. But to not be offered a replacement or to offer a word with management was simply unacceptable. Our words of unsatisfaction should have been more than a clue.