I had written a review on the original location. I heard they sold the place. We stopped by here…read moreafter many years of being away... and wishing, missing this food badly. This is the best burrito in all of Tacoma/Lakewood!!! I tell everyone to try them. People don't know what they are missing, because they are just getting pupusas. Who would think they would have great burritos. So, these are not like any other burritos, because they are not Mexican. They use their delicious black beans, their white rice with a few little veg, sour cream, onions, cilantro, you can get really good chile sauce if you want it spicy. The sauce is so good. No cheese... can you believe it? Cheese is not even needed. You can get chicken or carne asada, or like we got, no meat and they will add avocado slices. I really wanted no meat, and platano frito added. This is what we used to get, and it's great. They should add a no meat option to the menu, and also the platano option. Everyone that loves unique delicious burritos, come check this place out. The guy that took my order was friendly, and even made our burrito half no cilantro. Thanks! They get busy.

I love the food, the pupusas are delicious the atmosphere is great. They are friendly and patient.read more

I am not sure what may be going on with El Balcon Express. We have been here several times and…read moresimply love their food. It always seems popular too. But in the last few weeks we have gone passed it they aren't open and there is a sign on the door saying they are closed for seep cleaning. I never owned a restaurant and neither do I know how long a deep cleaning could take. I suppose it varies depending on what is being cleaned. But as of 5/9/26 the restaurant remains closed. The last social media post from Facebook was January of '26. The website associated with this profile on Yelp doesn't seem to be working and neither does the website associated when you Google them which is very concerning. Hopefully they will be open again soon and none of this is subtleties amounting to a permanent closure.

There were a few reasons I tried Balcon Express. 1) never had El Salvadoran food, 2) close to my…read morehouse, 3) was recommended by a colleague, 4) Yelp reviews were very positive and saw that the restaurant responded to reviews which doesn't happen often - definite a plus! So, I parked - I found a street parking around the corner. It's a small establishment with an ADA bathroom. You can go and order with the staff, or you can order with a kiosk. I happened to do both! I asked the server who told me later that he was the cousin of the owner and el Salvadoran, what he would recommend. I ended up getting Combo 2 which is two tacos and a pupusa (which I've never had). Both I got pork and pupusa he said to get pork and cheese. I liked it ALL. Although the puousa is made of corn and tasty, I prob wouldnt order it again. I really, really liked the two tacos. The seasoning and taste was delicious!!! I am craving it right now as I am writing this review. They gave me condiments - 3 different hot sauces which I liked the avocado one which was a great creamy sauce. And there 3 pieces of lime and cut radishes. Plus, there were pickled onions which was tasty! I asked a lot of questions because I wanted to eat them all the way he would so The server told me to put the pickled onions on the pupusa. Oh, that made a huge difference. So delicious!!! Next time, I am just going to get 4 tacos - yep 4! lol and may try a burrito just to see how that is. I ended up getting a Jarrisco with Tamarind flavor. Oh it was a sweet and perfect complimentary drink. I will def be back! Really enjoyed it.

My first visit and it was amazing!!!! They have been recommended as the best pupusaeria in the…read morecity and bakery. And I detected no lies! So good and affordable. The staff are very friendly helpful, and welcoming. The restaurant is spacious, bright, and clean.

My boyfriend and I stopped by cause they had an offer for a free drink, tamale, pupusa or…read morequesadilla grande and we wanted to try it out. We opted for the drink as we were heading to a friend's for dinner. I got the ensalada while my boyfriend got the horchata and I appreciated how the cashier asked if we wanted ice or not. We also saw some cute Halloween decorated conchas and saw that for four of them was 9.95 so got that to share with our friends. The conchas were delicious and not too sweet. There was plenty of parking near the location. When you enter, you see the restaurant half which is a lovely, cozy space that can seat many customers of all party sizes. They have a section for napkins, utensils and to go boxes too. If you go to the left, that is the bakery as well as small store of different goodies. They had all types of pastries, cakes, and snacks that you can choose from. The prices seem fair. When we entered the bakery side, the employees welcomed us and told us to let them know if we have any questions. Very friendly and quick service! We definitely want to come back to try their pastries, cakes, and food again. They also do have a point system that you can sign up for to get discounts and even a birthday reward too.

Really excellent pupusas! I wish I lived close by, because I would come back all the time. I…read moreespecially loved the Zuccini and cheese. The slaw is also seasoned very well and the beans are tasty.

Heading up to go to the Emerald Queen for some slot and table game fun and we discovered this…read morefantastic pupusaria! Hands down one of the best pupusas I have had. The place is clean, (bathrooms spotless) and the customer service was top notch. Very friendly, and they brought our food out without a long wait. Love,love the black beans with the plantain and the Crema! I also had the Salata orange drink that has all the fruit in it, and it was refreshing too. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone that is craving El Salvadoran pupusa's .

OMG.... I'm lost for words. Their Revuelta Pupusas are out of bounce! I always drive by this…read morerestaurant, and thinking when I can try their food... I finally got to try it after a year of driving and thinking... and it was a very very delicious!!!! I was so excited, I forgot to take pictures of my pupusas and adobado pork taco. You have to try their food. Amazing! Going to go back tomorrow for more :)

Take out: It was delicious and perfect! Food was fresh and…read moredidn't take long for pick up. The black beans were so yummy and portions were good. Def recommend

First time trying this place. First impression, restaurant was clean and organized. Kind people…read moreat the front counter. Picked up a variety of pupusas. All delicious! Their frijoles was so rich and creamy . The curtido was crunchy and bright with hints of oregano. Complemented the pupusas so well. Will need to ho back to try the others

Our server was attentive and kind. They had Christmas music playing. We got the chicken and cheese…read morepupusas and they were delicious. I also got the roast chicken with soup and loved it.

I thought this place had shut down but when I sent my husband to buy tamales, he came here. He said…read morethe place was up and running with customers. He only came here because he thought that if the tamal cost $6 then they had to be good. They were not. When I asked him where he got them and he said here, I looked it up on Yelp, who was saying they were permanently shut down. Little to no flavor. Traditional Guatemalan tamales have a slice of red bell pepper, and an olive in it, giving it more flavor but this one just had the meat and let me add that the amount of bones that were in the tamale was just absolutely unacceptable. Everyone knows that you don't put bones in tamales. The amount of times I bit into a bone or had to spit them out, made the eating process so unpleasant. I had told my husband to not come here anymore since it's so overpriced but I guess he forgot. It was just another reminder why I don't come here anymore

When we walked in we weren't exactly sure of the process, but it was clear we were supposed to…read moreorder at the counter first. The restaurant is big, spacious and super clean. We ordered the churrasco chapin (grilled steak with rice, black beans, sausage and house salad) and dobladas (tortillas with beef, cabbage and onion and homemade tomato sauce). The dobladas were yummy and hefty but not too heavy. The churrasco wasn't bad, lots of food. Food comes out relatively fast and is a little more on the pricey side.

Came here for pupusas, got distracted and ordered a birria pizza. The woman at the register was…read moreworking hard, quickly, and efficiently multitasking Food is fresh and smells delicious and it came with consome I am a happy girl

Pupusas were ok, but the tacos were not. I usually avoid…read moreplaces that make more than one type of cuisine because either only one kind of food is good or neither is good, too many pots on the stove so to speak. Maybe if this place only made pupusas and other Salvadoran food it would go from just ok to actually good.

I love this place. I used to go here more often when I worked near the border between SeaTac and…read moreDes Moines WA. Customer service is always great and I love their 3 tacos and rice and beans plate. I order the same thing every time and no change in quality over the last 6 years. I had a large appetite for tacos and I went alone today around 11am and was greeted with a nice smile as usual. If you order the tacos, get the steak and barbacoa. It's so good! They also serve you chips and salsa prior to your meal and what makes them different from others is that their chips are warm and the salsa has just the right spice level.

This is a really cute little spot. The ambience is casual but not sweatpants casual. It's a family…read morerestaurant for sure. There is a small bar area in the back. The service was great. Our server was so sweet and attentive. We ordered chicken tamales and a queso and spinach pupusa and a queso and chicharron pupusa. We also went through two baskets of chips and salsa, which were divine. We both really enjoyed the food. The tamales are a bit expensive at 6.50 each, but they're a safe food for me with my food allergies. So to me it's worth it! There are potatoes and peppers in with the chicken. The chicken was flavored well. These are gluten free and dairy free My partner had the pupusas. The chicharron was his favorite of the two as it was very flavorful. He also really enjoyed the sauce which tastes like a tomato soup flavor vs like a more traditional salsa. He wouldn't get the spinach again, but it wasn't bad. He said they were very comforting. We will be back! $25 to leave full and content.

Wow. Love the Washington Angus clean beef here. Gives the food an edge. All the items one the…read moremenu are terrific and yes you can ask for titems to be added or left off. I like the Mexi burger and sandwich offerings for when you have that one person wanting a burger. This place also has an assortment of wIngs; Buffalo, Hawaiian, Chipotle or Barbecue. But face it your here for the Papusas or Taco's. Maybe the steak fries. Look for specials. Drinks: Pepsi products. Check the sizes. Small is Small. Medium is the best value. Tired of pop? Try one of many bottled choices. My fitness pal: No Cleanliness: above average employee's are clean. Bathrooms: Mall - average Service: average Kids Menu: No but cheese nachos and fries are available

We were hungry & eager to try the food, so didn't take pics til after we dug in. I got a carnitas…read morestreet taco, revuelta pupusa & plaintains & cream. My daughter got a carne asada lunch burrito. All was EXCELLENT & I wish closer to home,lol. The carne asada is very flavorful & an excellent pupusa. The plantain is a bit sweet for my tastes, but still delicious. The carnitas were a bit dry, but still very good.