Balo Kitchen is serving up Asian comfort food and they are definitely hitting the mark because every single thing that I had here was delicious. They are nestled in the "The Block" -- a food court in Annandale. On a Thursday night this place was comfortably full with people enjoying their meals at every table. When we got our food it was hot and fresh. I first tried their fried chicken tacos on roti. So unique to add the roti in there and I liked how it was able to hold up and also not be too heavy. I was pretty full after just 1. Then I tried the lemon pepper lime wings, also delicious. The lime initially kind of through me off but quickly began to grow on me. And then my all time favorite were the garlic Lo mein noodles with beef added. My oh my. I would drive to VA just for these if I was craving them. I haven't had good noodles like this since I was in California. And I don't think I mentioned it earlier but the service was spectacular. Everyone is so kind in here! Check it out. read more

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Love this place and can't wait to what's in store for them in the future. The pork belly is amazing, the tostones as well. Great portions, quick and friendly staff, place is in a food hall but I'm looking forward to their stand alone restaurant. This food is a must try, delicious! read more

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I popped into The Block for Dan Dan noodles and Balo has them. I ordered it regular spicy and it was ready to go within 10 minutes. The portion is large and the spice was great. Amazing flavors! read more

Balo Kitchen - Comfort Food Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

This a kiosk/food stall at The Block. We opted for the fried chicken wings with fish sauce and chow fun with chicken. The food is made to order so it took about 15 mins. The food was hot and fresh. The wings were so hot in fact, that it melted the plastic fork (see photo). The wings with fried perfectly crispy and it was juicy inside. The fish sauce caramel was light. Could have used more sauce on the wings themselves or at least a side of extra. The homemade ranch was good. 9/10 Needed more sauce on wings. The chow fun had a great wok hei flavor. Didn't have a lot of green onions or chicken. The noodles were a tad overcooked as well. And there were no char marks on the wide noodles. Also, at bottom of the bowl, way too much oil. There was a puddle of oil. We could not finish the rest. Way too oily. 7/10 If the noodles were less oily and had more chicken and green onions, solid 9. Again, WAAAAY TOO OILY! read more

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Ok. Clearly, this place is not at a deficit for good reviews and rightfully so! I have eaten here three times and never been disappointed. Twice I've had the Laksa Noodle Soup with Pork Belly as a protein and the other time I came I had the Beef Stew (Bò Kho) because the first time I was jealous of my buddy's entree. Thus, on my second visit, I switched it up and tried it. 3rd visit, back to the favorite, Laksa Curry and this most recent time I added fried egg on top for a little extra oompf! Although this place is one of several choices in this food hall, and in the local are, I literally make a special point to battle the DMV traffic and pick up a meal there anytime I'm in town. The service is quick and the food is delicious - spice levels appropriately scaled, the quantity of protein in the dish was generous for the portion size, the temperature was hot (not unbearable) and held its heat for decent amount of time while consuming this deliciousness. The vibe of the food hall varies by the day. Some days the tv's by the bar are showing sports games, other nights there may be trivia, and once there was a cool dj. This place is buzzing with a nice vibe no matter the day (of the three days I've been there, lol). This place is a new definition of a value meal. Solid quality, filling, clean tasting. All for about $20. I'll take it. read more

Balo Kitchen - Laksa Noodle Soup (Curry) with fried egg added. - Comfort Food Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

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My girlfriend sent me an article about restaurants closing in August, and I saw the Block Annandale is closing at the end of August as they are redeveloping the area with apartments here. I had to look up when I went based on my memory, text search, & the name of the place I chose in the Block on my credit card bill. It was on Friday, December 14, 2023 that I was at Balo Kitchen. I had atypical work travel that day. That evening I hung out with a friend who invited me to the Legion Hall. I needed to grab dinner, and what better place than the Block where I have multiple options to choose from! Staff was nice here, and the food was delicious. However, the price was $17.49 after tax for this bowl with rice & some beef. It wasn't a whole lot of food. My friend commented that it wasn't that much meat there, who was frankly right. I kind of felt a bit dupped on this one. read more

Located inside the block food hall, in the back right corner is balo! I was super intrigued by the brussel sprouts one of my favorite dishes if done correctly. I asked the cashier if it was good and crispy and he said yes. So i went ahead and ordered. It came out to be around $13 for a small which i thought was kinda pricey but it came out pretty quickly. It smelled a little garlicy so not great if you're trying to impress but decent portions. Unfortunately it was not crispy at all even though it was fried. It was pretty soggy but the flavor was there! If it came out crispier I think there would be a lot of potential! Would come back to try something new but not sure I would order them again read more

Balo Kitchen - Brussel sprouts - Comfort Food Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

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Came here on a Friday night 20 minutes before closing and ordered the green beans. They were made to order so crispy with a hint of salt And garlic. It doesn't come with anything other than the green beans and it was the perfect meal for me. dish I often use the crispy green bean dish as an indicator of if I'll like a place's other food. These were great so I'll be back to try their other offerings which looked interesting and unique. It's a food court so there's open seating and a bar in this place too. Fun to bring a group of people and everyone can get what they want from the various food places. I'll be back to try some of their other dishes too! Service was friendly. read more

Balo Kitchen - Garlic green beans - Comfort Food Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

My all time favorite meal is the lemongrass chicken with fish sauce! It's my ideal comfort food when I'm missing my mom's home cooking! The chicken is always so tender, and I love their pickled veggies with scallion sauce. The fish sauce makes it so so good! Service is always quick, and they serve it in a plastic take out container, so whatever you don't finish, just ask for a lid to take it home! It's located inside the block Foodhall, and there's a lot of seating inside and outside! read more

Balo Kitchen - Comfort Food Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

Realllly good food! We tried the chicken and rice dish, I got the soy glaze flavor. If came with pickled veggies and ginger scallion oil and it was sooooo good. The second dish was chow fun noodles with crispy pork belly and let me tell you it was cooked to perfection. The noodles had a nice wok flavor and the pork belly was crispy and tender. Even after we saved some for left overs it was still Crispy! We will be back to try other food. read more

Balo Kitchen - Comfort Food Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

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I love Balo's menu!! It has a great variety of dishes to choose from with different asian-southeast Asian inspired cuisine. If you're looking for something more of a variety, this is the spot. I definitely enjoyed the small tapas such as the chicken wings, grilled corn, and Dan Dan fries. I do Not Recommend the papya salad. It was brand, very very dry and bland. No sauce or taste. The roti tacos omg! My fave! And my husband is obsessed with their lo mein version. Saucy, flavored and portioned well. Let's talk about service because there's always room for improvement. They have in several times gotten my order wrong and wouldn't correct it. They would repeat the order but give the wrong dish. It got to the point they would repeat my order verbally but input the wrong order. And of course, would need to pay another dish.. My advice, speak loudly to them and have them repeat your order twice out loud. Overall, great go to place in The Block. Good vibes and good food. read more

I got the Pork + Rice with the Crackling Pork Belly and the pork was delicious! I was worried the Crackling pork belly would be too chewy but it arrived very crispy and worth the $0.75 cent up charge. I also got the pineapple soy sauce and recommend it. It was not too sweet at all. Mostly salt with the right amount of sweetness and umami. Now, my partner got the chow fun wide rice noodles with tofu and those were delicious!!! I kept stealing hers, so next time I plan to get the chow fun wide rice noodles with crispy pork belly. Our friend got the wok-fried steak and rice and also enjoyed it. He has peanut allergies but was okay with this dish. My order was ready very quickly after ordering via the QR code. Balo kitchen shares a wall with another restaurant inside The Block so make sure to go to the correct pickup counter on the right. There was plenty of seating in The Block and Ball's food hit the spot! read more

Delicious foods that you can order using their scanned menu system and have it ready instead of standing in line. Balo Kitchen is inside the block in annandale. They provide variety mixed of asian culture food. I love their chicken wings with fish sauce (part vietnamese). Their Dan dan noodles (part taiwanese) tasted okay. not something i would order again because noodles is plain and all seasoned is in the meat. Their beef and rice is delicious. Everything seasoned right with plenty of meat and rice and veggies. All their bowls takes me 2 seatings to eat. It does take them a bit long to make the food so expect 15-20 minutes to make the food so call or orddr ahead! The staff is super nice and sweet! read more

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Tried this spot out on the block in Annandale. The block is known for being a typical hangout spot in the dmv and there was a good mix of people from high schoolers to adults in their 30s. The food was good but was slightly overpriced. The pork belly on the rice was crispy and more flavorful than the one in the fries. read more

Balo Kitchen - Fried Pork Belly Rice and pork belly fries - Comfort Food Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

Since The Block overall is set up like a giant cafeteria with it's own section for different cuisine/drinks, Balo Kitchen is just one of the few places you can order from. Sometimes the line can be a bit long and slow ( they only have one person ringing up orders) I do like the added convenience of a kiosk right next to the front if you already know what you want to order. It helps speeds the line up! I got the chicken over rice. Pretty solid bowl with a generous amount of chicken, pickled greens, rice cooked with chicken broth and on the side, some fish sauce for that extra umami. For the price you pay for, I think it's a tad high but I think it's average around the area. I'll have to try more next visit! read more

Balo Kitchen - Chicken Rice Bowl with pickled greens, sauteed green onions, with fish sauce on the side - Comfort Food Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

Food options are delicious all in one place! Highly recommended! Nice bar with music. Very courteous. read more

Balo Kitchen - Hawaiian Teriyaki chicken plate. - Comfort Food Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

Warning: This place is addicting! I live in RVA but whenever I go up to NOVA to visit my family I always have to find some sort of excuse to get tacos from this place! I've always ordered online for pickup and they've been pretty quick. There really isn't a point in putting the time that you wish to have it ready by, they will go ahead and just work on it and get it done asap - One of the orders that I had done was done about an hour early. Fortunately, I was closer than expected and could do the driveby pickup haha. I went with my sister the first time so it does take getting used to around the parking lot and where to go to get what. The Block is pretty kickass and I would like to try the other food options that are located there (like poke bowls and some alcohol bar-like places). The place can definitely be packed but it's a food hall - what do you sort of expect? Anyway, I ALWAYS order their pork belly and grilled chicken taco (at least and pretty good for traveling too - from NOVA to RVA). If my husband is with me then we'll in addition typically get their fried chicken and shrimp as well. They never disappoint! I'd like to try the other foods listed on their menu but it's sorta of like, "Why fix it if it's not broken"? I know that I will always be satisfied with their tacos so...why order anything else when I'm in town? haha. LOVE their tacos and I'm so glad my sister was nice enough to share this delicious location with me. (She actually does love me!!! haha) read more

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I've always preferred to address issues directly with businesses, giving them a chance to rectify them. Recently, I ordered a crispy pork bowl with rice and chicken soup through Toast. Unfortunately, they called me 15 minutes later to inform me they didn't have the soup. That was fine, and I asked them to cancel it. When I picked up my order, I was disappointed. The meat and rice were cold, which is strange coming from an Asian restaurant. I inquired about the reduced portion of pork belly, which I noticed hadn't been reflected in the price. The employee apologized and said there was nothing she could do as they did in fact change the quantity recently. I'm surprised, as I had a great experience there just a month ago. I'm not sure what caused the decline in quality read more

Balo Kitchen - Order - Comfort Food Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

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Great Vietnamese street food in a very cool setting! This place is a part of The Block; a sort of cool food court with multiple eateries, and communal dining. I tried crispy pork belly rice and pork belly banh-mi, both excellent! Planning to return for more! read more

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So so sad this place is closing along with the rest of the block. Went here three times in the past week to get their amazing chicken nuggets. Definitely my favorite thing on the menu. read more

The food hall is nice, I got the wings in the 3/5 spice level in a flavor, it was a little greasy and its taste and spice was missing. The employee was nice tho read more

Balo Kitchen - Chicken wings - Comfort Food Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

This place used to be decent -- it's become a total rip off -- came in ordered steak and rice with extra meat $7.99 extra got and took it home and it's the same amount of meat as a regular portion -- the bowl has more rice than meat -- and the lakasa noodles definitely taste rotten with the tofu not eatable -- waste of money forreal -- avoid this place like the plague unless you like getting ripped off and get shitty food -- service was good nothing to complain about that -- but the food and prices total rip off --never again. read more

Balo Kitchen - Where's the extra $8 of meat we ordered. Bowl full of rice - Comfort Food Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

So sad that this place with the block will close at the end of August. We had the green beans and eggplant and the laksa and crispy pork belly udon. If they move, we will visit them at their new location read more

Really solid food. I used to order here for takeout often, but I tried it again recently, and it was as good as I remember. However, the prices have gone up quite a bit. For example, I used to get the crispy pork belly, and now they charge 2 dollars extra to get that kind of pork belly, which is ridiculous. This time around, I ordered the chicken and rice in the large size, and while it is pretty expensive, they give a lot of chicken and rice, so it can be spread out into two meals. The fish sauce that comes with it is really good over the rice, and the chicken is well cooked. I also got the Brussel sprouts with fish sauce caramel, and they had really good flavor, but I wish they were crispier and had more sauce. The place is located inside the Block, which is a food hall with a couple different of food places. It is a really cute place, and I recommend checking it out. Overall, a great (but pricey) place to eat at or to grab takeout, with a variety of different options. Also as a side note, the food often is ready before the estimated time when ordering takeout, so you should keep that in mind if you decide to do that. read more

Balo Kitchen - Brussel Sprouts with Fish Sauce Caramel - Comfort Food Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

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Everytime I go to the Block, I get something from Balo Kitchen. They are located in the back right of the block in between Snocream and Bold Dumpling, and they specialize in Asian comfort foods such as Taiwainese popcorn chicken, pork belly and rice, and Vietnamese bun bo hue. One of my favorite features of Balo Kitchen is that aside from ordering at the register, you can also order using a kiosk next to their counter or using a QR code that is posted on each table in the hall. If the line is too long to stand in or if you know exactly what you want, then step on up to the kiosk and skip the line! Everything I've ordered has been delicious, hot, and great portion sizes! They're not skimping out on the food. I have gotten the small and large of a couple dishes - Taiwainese popcorn chicken being one of them - and there is a difference, but not a significant enough one where I'd say go for the large over the small. One last plug for Balo Kitchen: they serve their dishes hot and fast! I think the longest I've waited for my food is 15 minutes, and that's pretty reasonable. So if speed is of the essence and you want something hot, Balo Kitchen is the winner! read more

Balo Kitchen - Comfort Food Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

Ordered a bowl of garlic butter parmesan lomein noodles with pork - garlic butter Parmesan itself bring some surprise element to a Chinese dish. It was enjoyable and filling! Love to see some fusion and it didn't over empowering the lomein noodles. I'd love to try other flavor to see how it turns out. The price wasn't so bad for amount of noodles and meat in a bowl! Service was quick and friendly as the cashier was very welcoming as we were deciding on which dish. The Block itself was packed with people and good vibes as they were here to socialize and grab a quick bite or a quick refreshing drink. read more

Balo Kitchen - Garlic butter Parmesan Wok-fried lomein noodles with pork - Comfort Food Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

Not sure if we got jipped or they just got our order wrong, but we ordered the large pork belly rice bowl and chow fun to go. Both entrees came in a small bowl with neither filled up to the top. The food was tasty but the portions we got were too small to justify the price ($15-16). Probably would not come back, can get better value elsewhere. read more

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I love this place every time I go. There's always at least 5 things I want, mostly based off what I see on other people's plates as they walk away. This time we tried the chow fun, with basil and pork belly. The pork belly was perfectly crispy and melted in your mouth like butter. The street corn- I'm undecided. The corn itself was small and felt overcooked. The flavor was interesting- almost just like Mexican elote... couldn't quite taste too much of a different Balo flavor. Always would recommend and go back. read more

Balo Kitchen - Pork Belly Chow Fun - Comfort Food Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

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FOOD I've been to Balo Kitchen a couple of times, and it has yet to disappoint. It is located in The Block and offers a variety of Asian/fusion comfort foods from spicy basil popcorn chicken, poutine (customizable with smoked pork belly, scallions, steak, etc.), chicken/pork/steak and rice, fried rice, dan dan noodles, banh mi, laksa curry soup, beef stew, and so much more. How they maintain the quality of their food despite their extensive menu never fails to surprise me. It's a staple late-night drop-in, and a great spot to hang with friends or grab a quick bite to eat. AMBIANCE The store is located inside The Block and has ample seating cafeteria-style inside the foodhall that is shared with neighboring vendors like Pokeworks, Snocream, and Bold Dumpling. SERVICE You can order by Kiosk (1) or by going up to the front. We ordered by Kiosk and found it easy to navigate. Once we ordered, we entered our phone number and received a text when the order was ready. read more

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Come hungry and with some will power to make some tough selection because everything is good. Unassuming food court style with high energy and full bar besides you. The small chicken nuggets with spicy mayo dip was amazing. The dan dan noodles had tons of flavor. Definitely coming back read more

Balo Kitchen - Pork Belly Taco - Comfort Food Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

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So glad Pho Wheels food truck opened an outpost at Balo Kitchen in The Block. Great way to enjoy the food without having to chase after the food truck! The Bahn Mi comes in 2 sizes, Small and Large. The Small is quite filling with the fries and a Large is hard to conquer. The Tofu Eggplant Bahn Mi sandwich is my favorite! Every bite is bursting with flavor with a soft as butter hoagie roll, crispy tofu, well cooked chunky pieces of eggplant, complemented with sriracha aioli (highly recommend substituting the mayo for sriracha aioli!). The crispy fries are the best part and come with the sandwich! While the 2 large flaky crispy Roti Canai Veggie Tacos are fun to try, they are overstuffed and the crispy brussels sprouts don't pair well with the tofu. Before even taking the 1st bite, the toppings started falling out and very messy to eat. Sadly, the tacos doesn't come with fries. Excited to come back for the Bahn mi! read more

Balo Kitchen - Crispy hot fries! - Comfort Food Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

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I love coming here! Located inside the block, with tons of food options on the menu.. this is one of my favorites. I usually get the chicken and rice meal and it's so flavorful!!! You have to add on a fried egg to just complete the meal. I also love the popcorn chicken here! Definitely get the aioli sauce with it to complete the meal. read more

I'm not usually one to write reviews but after eating here, I was compelled to write about my meal. I ordered the large pork and rice which amounted to $19. Not only was the bowl not large (and filled with mainly rice) but the pork belly provided felt like 90% fat / 10% meat. Flavors were fine but I couldn't get over how unsatisfying and not worth this food was at the price tag. read more

The block is consistently my favorite place to hang out when people come in from out of town. In particular, the Block is my hands down favorite. I've had a number of dishes here and none of them have disappointed me. The go to favorites are as follows: (1) the Laksa noodle - Don't get more than a level 2 even if you are Asian and/or know Asian heat. It's authentically spicy and numbing and so savory. Anything above a level 2 would be a little too much. (2) The pork belly over rice is super savory but balanced with a bit of sweetness. It's the most scrumptious bite that you'll have here. (3) The dandan is great too, along with some of the other noodles dishes. But beware -- it's definitely spicy. (4) The nuggets are also good and lots and lots of flavors. But the portions are quite big so you may want to split with others. Overall a great place for solid food. I've been back multiple times and will be back again! read more

Balo Kitchen - Comfort Food Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

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Stopped by Balo Kitchen to try one of their dishes. From the main entrance, it is directly straight ahead. The line area is next to the SnoCream counter. You can order in person by standing in line or placing an order at the kiosk, which probably will save time if there are several people waiting in line. Since it was my first time, I tried the steak and rice ($16). The steak cubes are tender with a delightful Vietnamese marinade sauce. It includes lettuce and slices of tomato on a generous bed of rice. My son and I both enjoyed the steak cubes - but it seemed a bit expensive for a container that was mostly rice. That said, it's a tasty dish that is satisfying. Overall, I think Balo Kitchen is very good. I plan to try some of the other dishes on our next trip. Although there are benches inside the food hall and a couple outside the hall, it's probably easier to carry out and bring home on a busy evening (like Saturday night). read more

Balo Kitchen - Ordering area for Balo Kitchen inside the Block. - Comfort Food Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

I saw that this place has Hong Kong french toast and was excited because the last place I had it was in NYC. I went with my friend who has never had it and she was excited. We ordered the french toast and everything except the condensed milk tasted old. The bread tasted a bit stale, the butter tasted like it was sitting in the fridge for too long open, the oil that they fried their toast definitely was used more than a couple of times. The toast just tasted of old oil. I probably wouldn't get it again. I hope this was just a mistake and if it isn't I hope they change this. The portion for the large was decent and definitely enough for 2 people. read more

Balo Kitchen - Hong Kong French Toast - Large - Comfort Food Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

I got the crackling pork belly and it was disappointing for the price I paid. I got a lot of rice and maybe 8 pieces of dry pork belly on the bed of rice. The price was $15 for mainly rice. You're better off supporting a Chinese butcher who specializes in crispy pork and you can get the whole container filled with just meat for less. read more

A while back I had a terrible experience here, but last night I had a craving. I ordered the beef garlic noodle bowl to go and it was so delicious. It was a nice portion and they customized it for me because I actually can't eat a lot of garlic. It was so flavorful and really hit the spot. I'm glad I can start getting food from there again! Yum! read more

Balo Kitchen - Beef garlic noodle bowl - Comfort Food Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

Both dishes that we ordered were so delicious!! We ordered the Steak Frites and Beef Garlic Lomein Noodles. The beef was the same in both dishes - thinly sliced and marinated. Steak Frites: The fries were cooked so well - crispy exterior with soft, fluffy interior. All the toppings worked really well together giving the dish an Asian-Latin fusion feel. Beef Garlic Lomein Noodles: One of the best Asian fusion noodles I've had. The garlic compound butter and Maggi flavors dominated the dish while the Parmesan flavor wasn't really noticeable. read more

Balo Kitchen - Steak Frites and Beef Garlic Lomein Noodles - Comfort Food Near Me - Annandale, Virginia

The place was a bit expensive but they do give you sizable portions! I am able to save enough leftovers for lunch tomorrow but that's probably because I don't eat very much to begin with. Everyone else I went with was able to finish their meal. I got the Crispy Fried Cutlet (Chicken) + Rice in the "Curry Rice" style. I believe that was $12? Then added a "63 degree egg" for an additional $1.50. The egg was worth it! I love how well it went with the curry. Curry was too thin in my opinion, but it was tasty! The crispy chicken was decent and the whole meal overall was quite enjoyable. I do think that $15 for cafeteria style food is pretty expensive but then again, I did add an egg to my entree. Overall, I would definitely recommend the entree I got and wouldn't hesitate to order the same thing next time! read more

Balo Kitchen - Chicken + Curry Rice - Comfort Food Near Me - Annandale, Virginia