Overall, I think the pupusas are over-rated: 3.5/5: The chorizo y queso pupusa is good. A little too much cheese for me, so some cheese-scraping was required. Flavor is good. They seem a little thinner that at other places. 2.0/5: The chicharron pupusa is kinda bad; the filling is pasty, not so flavorful, and the texture is a little mushy. read more

Balompié Cafe #1 - Chorizo y queso, and Chicharron pupusas. - Salvadoran Near Me - San Francisco, California

"Excellent!" was my response when one of the staff asked how things were while clearing away our very clean plates. My favorite place for pupusas, along with Balompié #3. The staff are friendly and accommodating. I asked for extra curtido because my husband ate most of the original portion we were served. Of course, pupusas are the star, perfectly griddled, nice ratio of flavorful filling to masa, but I also like their refried beans. They're just done well. And the rice too. The restaurant isn't large or fancy (I do like all the football club scarves that line the walls and the fun soccer ball light fixtures) but it's a homey neighborhood spot, that can accommodate a large party in a pinch. We came in almost at closing time and not long after we sat down, a party of nine also sat down. And we were all served without feeling rushed. read more

Balompié Cafe #1 - My plato tipico - 2 PUPUSAS COMBO (2) LQ (LOROCO Y QUESO) and CHICHARRON with rice and beans - Salvadoran Near Me - San Francisco, California

***Unfiltered Photos*** This place never disappoints. Been in this location and the location near excelsior a few times and I must say that they're very consistent with their pupusas and service. Staff are always kind and hospitable. Their pupusas is one of the best if not rhe best in the city. The place is clean and well-maintained including the restroom(as always). I'll never get tired of this place. read more

Balompié Cafe #1 - Salvadoran Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Menu has changed just a little. Had to ask for their combo with pupusa's and tamale. The tamales got smaller for sure but maybe it was an off day? The pupusa still hit ! read more

Balompié Cafe #1 - Salvadoran Near Me - San Francisco, California

We just had the worst greasiest pupusas ever we always go to Balompie #3, and today we ordered from Balompie on 18th St and we're so disappointed the pupusas were super greasy, Plato's were green, hard and not sweet and all. To bad to have to spend so much money on not a pleasant takeout. read more

Yeah, I ordered 2 pupusas, finish one. Then yeah, upon further inspection found that there was a cockroach in the last papusa. It's it sucks, that they had Insect issues there because the food was okay. It's pretty good.. read more

Balompié Cafe #1 - Piece of pubusa, dipped in, they're red sauce that has a cockroach in it. - Salvadoran Near Me - San Francisco, California

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If you haven't tried pupusas, you don't know what you're missing! This place hands down has the BEST pupusas in the Bay Area. It's a cozy, family-owned Salvadoran restaurant that makes you feel right at home from the moment you walk in. The food is authentic, fresh, and full of flavor--every bite tastes like it was made with love. The pupusas are perfectly crispy on the outside and packed with delicious fillings on the inside. I could eat them every day and never get tired of them! Don't sleep on the curtido and salsa either--they complete the experience. Whether you're new to Salvadoran food or a longtime fan, this spot is a gem. Support local and do yourself a favor--go try it! read more

I've had breakfast here two times. The food is good, servings are a little smaller and service can be a tad slow. Both times I came in (Sunday and Saturday mornings), it seemed like there were only 2 servers working. The service wasn't horribly slow but I notice the small wait. The portions are a little smaller for the price but the amount of food still fills me up. Regardless, this spot is worth trying. I'd like to come back and try other things than breakfast. read more

Balompié Cafe #1 - Number 1 breakfast with Casamiento - Salvadoran Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Some of the best pupusa around. It's pretty far out of Mission Street but worth the drive.

The service was great! Ambiance perfect too - not too loud, they have fútbol playing, draft beer, aguas frescas, and sangria too!! Unfortunately pupusas were super greasy compared to others. My friends said the same :/ Yucca and chicharrón were good! I did try the loroco por primera vez and loved it! read more

Balompié Cafe #1 - Loroco con Queso Pupusa - Salvadoran Near Me - San Francisco, California

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We barely slipped in around closing time, and got the whole fried fish, fried yuca and chicharon, the jalapeño and ground pork pupusa, and the shrimp and cheese pupusa. As Yelp recommends, get the shrimp and cheese pupusa!! It was my favorite pupusa and it was super cheesy and yummy. Honestly, Balompie's pupusas are better than Panchitas. You should make that extra walk from the Bart station! We were really surprised by the fried fish and the fried yuca. The fried fish was really well seasoned, and the onions were on the sweeter side, but pickled. The onions suit the savory fish, and we liked how the rice was very umami. The rice was a bit undercooked. The fried yuca was very "umph" and it's the best fried yuca I've ever had. Both are must gets, especially that fish! The wait time can be a little long, but you can entertain yourself with some cheap beverages (; read more

Balompié Cafe #1 - Pescado Frito - Salvadoran Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Best Salvadoran food in the city! The pupusas are always top notch with tons of options read more

My sister asked for Balonpie's takeout for her birthday. I ordered caldo de res for me, pupusas plate for my sister and a friend and carne asada plate for my husband. Everything was delicious! The service was great--the food was ready when I picked it up. The best surprise of the meal was home made tortillas!! Loved them!. read more

The food here is pretty good, but I honestly would probably not come back just because of the overall service and experience. I came on a weekday for lunch and there were a few parties seated there already, nothing crazy, and there was maybe one person in line in front of me to order. I only ordered two pupusas (a queso y loroco and a revuelta) and only after paying did the lady tell me it'd take about 25 minutes to come out, which surprised me but there was not much I could do and it wasn't that big of a deal. It ended up taking almost 45 minutes for just two pupusas, and only when I got home hungry and tired of waiting did I realize that they didn't even get my order right. They gave me a frijole pupusa instead of revuelta pupusa, which was really disappointing because I was really excited to try the revuelta. They were honestly both tasty (although extremely greasy), but I really can't justify coming here again if it means waiting for a crazy long time without notice and not even getting the right order. I even noticed as I was waiting that every single seated table also seemed to be waiting and had no food in front of them. Maybe ordering online is the way to go, because ordering there in person seemed inefficient and disorganized. read more

Balompié Cafe #1 - pupusa - Salvadoran Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Big ass pupusas! Warning it gets hot in the restaurant, sit by the open window. I've been here a handful of times over the years. It's incredibly full on weekends, especially if their is a match on. Recently popped in on a Thursday afternoon, it was rather empty. If you eat pupusas on a regular basis you know how long it takes to get them on your table. Having the place virtually to myself was great. Ordered the two pupusa plate. I had a revuelta, Mexicana with casamiento. Do not eat these if you are lactose intolerant, you will hurt yourself. Thankfully I am able to process lactose and ate the f*%k out of them. The revuelta was just as I remembered, hearty. This was the first time I ordered the Mexicana. It was stuffed with a stunning amount of cheese, super satisfying cheese pull. I love hot spicy foods, the jalapeño didn't kick, they were fresh not pickled jalapeños. I'm not a fan of ground meat but the ground pork in the Mexicana gave the pupusa a great texture contrast to the jalapeño bits and gooey cheese. Casimento was bland, I slathered it with red sauce and that made it pop. I would bring my Salvadoreña mother here, she'd love it but still find something to complain about. read more

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Food was good, portions could've been bigger, especially considering the prices. I think my scrambled egg dish had only one egg

Food is excellent here. I've had the pupusas, sopa de res, desayuno típico and all have been excellent. Service is also great, everyone is super nice and make you feel welcome. Ambiance is great, very much a family restaurant, and there's always some soccer match playing on their TVs. Affordable. read more

Randomly found this place in the city. Ordered delivery to work. Food arrived HOT. We had bean & cheese, revuelta pupusas with plátanos and beans on the side. Flavor was delicious and the pupusas are stuffed with cheese. So tasty with tons of flavor. The overall prices are decent for Salvadoran food. I would definitely order from here again. Excuse the mediocre photos, I was so excited to try them that I forgot to get a good photo with all the fixings. read more

Balompié Cafe #1 - Salvadoran Near Me - San Francisco, California

The food was ok, but the service was the worst I've ever experienced, I ordered a to go order and they made me wait over an hour and half for few pupusas, and I could clearly see that the priorities delivery orders that came through apps ( DoorDash and Uber eats) . The stuff was extremely rude and unprofessional I would never go back read more

Balompié Cafe #1 - Chicken pupusa - Salvadoran Near Me - San Francisco, California

This place is great. They're probably one of the best pupusa restaurants in San Francisco. I always order from them on uber eats--I get 3 cheese pupusas. The wait time isn't too long, they're pretty quick with the food. And my food has never been delivered cold! You should go in person too, which I've done before as well. Parking might be a little hard to find so unless you live close by I'd recommend uber or lyft. It kind of reminds me of your classic neighborhood sports bar as they have a giant TV in the corner that normally plays soccer. The staff is really great too! read more

Balompié Cafe #1 - Queso Pupusa - Salvadoran Near Me - San Francisco, California

Food is really good. But the empleoyes are ruee af. Need to be more nice. Like, my food is not for free

I always thought this place had a bad costumer service. The only time I been here and loved it, is when Evelyn is around, always smiling and giving good vibes. I was here tonight with my family, they all loved pupusas but not the rest of the food, tiny portion, my bistec was under cooked, not well done like I asked, I got hard pieces of rice. I hope they change the workers, for someone that really likes to work and is happy to welcome people. I will be back for to go pupusas read more

Balompié Cafe #1 - Not well cooked Bistec, hard rice and "salad" (just small portion of carrot. - Salvadoran Near Me - San Francisco, California

Im born and raised in San Francisco and Balompie was once the best spot for food from El Salvador. My family and friends have been going here for years!! As of today, I will discontinue going here! I ordered the platanoes con casamiento Y crema. The plantanoes were cut into small like nibbles as if they were pieces of dog food. I also ordered Pupusas de queso and they gave me Pupusas de frijol! we called to complain and the waitress mentioned that she had a lot of the same complaints but the owner does not care. bad service to the community!! read more

Balompié Cafe #1 - Salvadoran Near Me - San Francisco, California

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This place is not really good, they took a long time for pupusas if you have a chance don't go eat there if you're hungry. Cause this restaurant is to expensive the food do little for the price they giving you. read more

Balompié Cafe #1 - a bowl of salad and two small bowls of sauce - Salvadoran Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Balompie was recommended by a sweet el salvadorean lady at the ferry building farmer's market, and i'm so needy for pupusas that I found myself bus over the next day to try them out. I tried the espinaca pupusa and the frijoles one. The first one hit the spot, hot, delicious and cheesy, but I was let down by the beans one which felt like it wasn't freshly made. I also felt the salsa was sweet and didn't pack much spice. I'm a regular at Panchita's a few blocks down so the standards are very high. I'll be back here again though, can't go wrong with pupusas read more

Great Salvadoran Food Salvadoran cuisine is a mix of Native American cuisine from various indigenous groups with influences from Spanish cuisine. Pork and seafood are heavily used as is corn. Pupusa is arguably El Salvador's most notable dish. It is a thick handmade corn flour or rice flour flatbread stuffed with cheese, cooked ground pork meat and refried beans. Some restaurants offer pupusas stuffed with shrimp or spinach served with cooked tomato sauce and lightly fermented cabbage relish called curtido. The pupusas at Balompie Cafe are delicious. Their plantains are really good and they server very good coffee. The space is clean and comfortable and the service is good. The place is very popular so it can get crowded at times, so if you are going, you better time your visit so that you avoid big crowds. read more

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I've come here more than once before. Today it was extremely busy but the staff was very polite. The table's were quickly cleaned & the staff stayed busy the entire time I was there. I walked in around 12:30. The place was very well kept & clean. The pupusas here are the best in the SF Mission and second to none. Please stop by & don't miss out! I went somewhere else on Monday night and it's only Bc this place was closed but oh boy this is the best. I'll compare others to this place and when u know better u pick better. read more

( cracking knuckles) I don't know why I have never done a review for this spot I'm going to say it's because I've been going to this place since I was child growing up in La Mission my Tia lives on 17th so this was our go to spot when we visited her back then you had the men watching soccer and families having a meal together I love this place and no matter where I live I always make a trip to eat some delicious yummy pupusas and I do eat them with my hands lol this place takes to my childhood here and in El Salvador when you go make sure to come with an appetite because everything I have ever ate here is delicious read more

I've been going here since I was born! Delicious, affordable, and always has a home-like/ authentic environment!

I came on a Saturday night with three friends, and the restaurant had a decent number of people in it, but we were seated promptly. Since there was another party of four that arrived before us, we waited quite a while for our food, but we were more than satisfied when it finally arrived. The pupusas were generously filled and were well cooked, without being burnt. The agua de tamarindo was also just the right level of sweetness. And the price is right (you can easily eat here for less than $20/person). read more

Balompié Cafe #1 - 2 Pupusas - Salvadoran Near Me - San Francisco, California

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THIS IS THE BEST PAPUSA SPOT! Not only do they have amazing food the customer services is impeccable. I live in the area and come with my dog every other Sunday, and this place has found a spot in my heart. The owner is the sweetest lady who continually shows my dog and I love as if we were her own sons. This place will be buzzing on a Sunday morning and she'll always come out with a smile and a bowl of water for my pup. Don't take my word for it, come see it for yourselves! read more

Balompié Cafe #1 - Salvadoran Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Look, I won't BS you. You already see the rating, you know this place is the boss with the sauce, and I sure won't dissuade you. This review is more of a journal entry for me and an ode to Balompie's than anything else. Balompie's was admittedly my first pupusa experience, and like a king size bed or flying first class (h/t Hulu) it ruins all other pupusas forever. Their dough is incredibly soft and holds moisture well. Their variety of fillings (admittedly revueltos and loroco are probably the most authentic but I appreciate seeing things like chicken and beef in there) are outstanding, and the cheese is great. The perfection of the balompie pupusa lies in three parts: 1) the red sauce is just the perfect compliment. I try to marinate my pupusas in it and sponge up as much as I can. 2) the slaw has this perfect amount of tanginess to it that make it a great pairing with the pupusa - I've never had better. 3) the fillings are pretty generous especially for the price, and the proportion of cheese and filling to dough is in the optimal balance. other places always feel a bit too doughy, a bit too greasy, or too cheesy. One of the places I miss the most after moving to DC. read more

Balompié Cafe #1 - Salvadoran Near Me - San Francisco, California

A very hearty and quite affordable meal. We ordered two of the plates so that we could try more stuff. The pupusas were, of course, great. My favorite was the steak and cheese because the meat was more substantial in that one, but the shrimp and cheese was good too. The meat that came with the yuca fries was tasty too. The yuca was a bit inconsistent - some delicious, some tough and stingy. Casamientos and pastel were ok. Unless you're particularly hungry, one plate might be a little much for one person - I was in a food coma for the rest of the day. It was sort of hard to order since we didn't know Spanish and the menu isn't that clear, but just do your research and get over the awkwardness and it's fine. read more

Balompié Cafe #1 - 1. Pupusas, Yuca y Pastel. 2. Two Pupusas y Casamiento. Split - Salvadoran Near Me - San Francisco, California

I have been wanting to check out this place for a while but never really gotten a chance because of the minimum 2 pupusa per person orders. However, I suddenly have the idea to check this place out when it is not busy, so they can probably accommodate us with just getting 2 pupusas total for the 2 of us. We did just that on Wednesday, 1 hour before closing. There is a decent number of open seats, so we sat down and ordered just 2 pupusas. The waitress still made us aware of the policy of minimum order, but she was willing to comply that having 1 person or 2 people in the table is the same thing because you are still occupying one table. If they didn't, then it is a loss for them. A nice touch is that instead of a regular bill, you are given a shoe with the receipt attached. That complements well with the general football ambiance (soccer, as the Americans say) with the football lighting. The pupusas in general were mostly warm with the coating a little bit more moist than expected. The cheese inside is quite filling, but there should be a little bit more meat inside. For the shrimp and cheese, the shrimp is somewhat fresh, but the cheese drained out the flavor. For the pork and cheese, the pork is quite flavorful so I recommend this pupusa. The vegetables served (curtido) are too watery; even though they are pickled, such liquid should not be included in the side dish. Regardless, the vegetables are decent but not as salty and spicy; they are also not as fresh as I had hoped. The salsa on the side is okay, as I have had better in general. Overall, this place is quite mediocre. read more

Balompié Cafe #1 - Salvadoran Near Me - San Francisco, California

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Delicious pupsas! Really generous servings and super friendly staff. They even reheat nicely. The platanos were delicious too! read more

Balompié Cafe #1 - Two Pupusas arroz y Frijoles Combo - Salvadoran Near Me - San Francisco, California

I have been coming to Balompie for years and years. I use to go the one on 16th street until I found this location. The 16th street neighborhood is kind of sketchy. This location is alright. Parking at both location is horrible. Street parking only. I've tried all kinds of meals here. All are really good. Love their home made tortillas dipped in their red beans. You really can't go wrong here whatever you order. I've gotten their pupusas, so yummy! Chili relleno, one of my favorites! Breaded Chicken, so good! Fried Plantains so yummy! Writing this review makes me want to drive to SF. I live in San Jose! There have been times I've driven to SF just to eat here. Definitely recommend this place. read more

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05.14.21 We stop by here for a to-go pick up pupusas: 4 zucchini, 2 queso con loroco, 2 beans and 1 order of plantain. The staff were nice and we gave tip to the "pupusera". The cortido and tomato sauce was a bit salty though in this location but worth to visit and eating this type of staple food for papi. read more

Balompié Cafe #1 - Salvadoran Near Me - San Francisco, California

Me and my girlfriend Salvadorian Came to have a great lunch like the last time because the food it's amazing But we never come to this one we usually go to the one on mission , first of all no costumer service at all we were never given water the two plates came separately the meat was raw on my bistek with onions and in her plate bistek wit sausage was raw and her sausage was bad along with her cream was water and the sauce for the pupusas was tomato juice with water i worth paying 20.94 for it , I have to say my plate the amount of rice were two spoons of rice and four spoons of Beens the meat was horrible raw and no flavor and red raw I ask them to cook it and came back the same after 10 min raw and worst tasting now they had a party and there were cleaning out our table so fast that we didn't even finish our food we were very upset so we left completely mortified. My plate was 17 .99 and not worth paying at the end I only ate the beans and the rice and the tortillas , horrible experience we total paid including two naturals drinks $60. We are never going here to eat again the chef was never interested on the fact of our complaints I hope the service gets better and the food . read more

Balompié Cafe #1 - Original bistek - Salvadoran Near Me - San Francisco, California

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I have a Salvadoran friend and I brightened up we should go out for papusas! Well we were strongly guided to the Balompie Cafe by him. I am a novice when it comes to papusas but this place delivered and I loved the varieties bean and cheese and the cheese ones were my fave . We ordered a dish of yucca. My friends loved their pork and carne asada papusas , it was all quite filling. It helps to know some Spanish here , but they were able to take our orders both and in English and Spanish. read more

Was craving pupusas and tried this place for the first time in the mission district. I got their rice, plantains/crema, and a bean and cheese pupusa. They pack their salsa and curthido in ziplock bags. Our order took longer than usual to get ready but once we got it everything was delicious, esp. the rice. It had carrots, tomatoes, and bell peppers. The pupusa was yummy too. Everything was very well made. The place was in a cute little corner on 18th and Capp. They had outdoor dining on both sides of the corner. Would definitely go there again. read more