Mi experiencia en este lugar fue realmente decepcionante. Desde el inicio, el servicio fue muy deficiente. El mesero prácticamente no estuvo pendiente de nuestra mesa; la mayor parte del tiempo se encontraba en la parte de atrás conversando con una compañera, mientras nosotros teníamos que levantarnos e ir hasta la barra para poder pedir lo que necesitábamos. Además, tomó nuestra orden de manera incorrecta, lo que generó aún más incomodidad. Después de eso, simplemente desapareció y nunca regresó a verificar si necesitábamos algo más o si todo estaba bien con la comida. Para empeorar la situación, la propina fue añadida automáticamente a la cuenta, lo cual resulta totalmente injusto considerando la mala calidad del servicio recibido. No recomiendo este lugar read more

Not good food service ok I order a 1/4 of chicken and they only give me one drumstick and the chicken is not fresh maybe from de day before I ask the lady about the rest of my chicken and she said this is all the chicken ‍the only good thing is the leche de tigre this is good read more

Didn't have high expectations but it was a great experience. The service was great, it was busy and it seemed like there were very few waiters, however the waiter was above and beyond. We ordered a pisco sour, choclo con queso,sudado de pescado and pescado a el grill. The pisco sour i would not recommend but the food was delicious, flavorful and the portion was good. Also, the price is fair. They had these spicy sauces that were so delicious. I deft recommend it! read more

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Excellent quesadillas, tacos are fresh and made to perfection. Staff were so friendly and quick to bring out the food, take our orders. Came with my hubby for date night and I am so happy we came. We're seated right away, drinks orders taken quickly and the menu was extensive. So many great options to choose from, but we decided on quesadillas, tacos, rice beans. Food was great. Prob one of the best spots I've been to in a while. Would definitely return. read more

Food is ok. My son liked the Lomo Saltado , however he havent tried other good places. Ceviches was pretty plain , not like real Peruvian Ceviche ( they didnt served me Canchita) lol , i know but how come Peruvian restaurants dont serve Canchita... I mean , its ok , if you end up here , but no for driving out of your way... read more

Great food good Ambiance good service I been going to this place a long time now with my family

Drove out of my way to give this place a try. Over all I was happy with it. Had some different things so it was good. 1) Place was clean and welcoming. 2) I was quickly sat down. Place has a Spanish (Latin) feel. There is always music playing. I personally like it and am used to that but I have found others who get put off by this. 3) Waitress was friendly and attentive. 4) Ordered the meat-stuffed Tostones. They were good. Meet was not particularly very tasty. Ordered the Ceviche. I ordered it spicy but came with limited spiciness. Tasted good but was missing that Peruvian Leche-De-Tigre taste I like. The Overall, it was good and I would order it again. 5) Beers was cold and fresh. Sangria was delicious. Overall I would return to this place again in the far future when in the area and in the mood for Ceviche with a twist. The sweet potato were Caribbean style. They are a bit sweeter to me. As I mentioned, the Leche De Tigers was missing flavor. read more

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The food is delicious and after the ceviche I was actually full but still ate the steak menu read more

El Balconcito II - Ceviche Mixto / inka coke - delicious - Peruvian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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A good friend had recommended a Peruvian place after I shared a story of having some on a recent trip to NYC. She mentioned El Balconcito II, in Northeast Philadelphia. She also said that they have the best Lomo Saltado she's had in Philly. We made plans to meet up and have lunch there (Thursday, Jan 16th), and I was happy I waited to go with her. Upon entering the restaurant, you will see a clean, well maintained establishment. The aroma of whatever was cooking in the kitchen when we walked in was heavenly! It was during lunch time, yet there were plenty of places to sit. We took a booth, and looked at the menu. My friend, being fluent in Spanish, took care of ordering. I only know a few things in Spanish, and I used what I knew when it was necessary. The waiter was attentive and friendly, and answered any questions I had. My friend suggested Intry a drink they called "chicha morada", which is a purple corn beverage. I had never heard of it, and was skeptical about what could possibly taste like. But she said that I was going to like it. She was right. I did. The first food to arrive was the Ceviche. I had never had it before, and once my friend explained what it was, I wanted to try it. Then the main dishes came out. She had a steak and shrimp entree, and I had the Lomo Saltado. This is the dish I had in a little corner restaurant in NYC. It was really good, but THIS one is way better. So, just as a heads-up, your experience may be better if you speak Spanish, or go with someone who does. I'm sure they have waitstaff who speak and understand stand English, I just happen to go with someone who speaks Spanish. I'll have to see how it is when I go with others who don't, or go by myself. They do take credit/debit cards. I didn't see an ATM, so I don't know if there is one. The portions are very decent, the wait for the food wasn't long, and the waiter kept us abreast of the time until our food would be ready. I am looking forward to the next visit to El Balconcito!! read more

El Balconcito II - Ceviche De Camarones, Doña Isabel's Chicha Morada - Peruvian Purple Corn beverage, and Lomo Saltado. - Peruvian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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I'm completely shocked with the food i got from here today. Not only did I find plastic wrap in my food, but the plantains were extremely hard, and old. There was no green sauce that came with the food. And there was not even 1 egg used for this rice dish. If I had to guess how much egg was used I would guess 25% of an egg was used to make my dish. Most of it was bland rice. With dry cut up chicken. Please check out my pictures I've included. This is NOT authentic Peruvian food. Extremely disappointed. read more

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The food was great, but the waitress was terrible. Unfortunately she forgot our drinks and, while rarely came to the table to see if we were okay or needed anything else. To catch her attention I had to raise my hand like I was back in school in a classroom where you had to raised your hand to participate in class or get your teacher's attention. Therefor, finally when she can catch a glimpse of my arm raised as a student of a class, I said "Miss, you forgot our drinks and I look forward to waiting for my cold passion fruit juice, she looked at me like "Oh, I messed up". Basically she forgot our presence completely because neither came back to tell me that there was no more passion fruit juice and at least offer me another drink. Then when she came back I asked her what other drinks they had and she said they had mango juice and when she brought the mango juice, for my luck the mango juice was warm. To all this while the waitress is at our table my friend decides to request something from the menu and the waitress says, "Tell me everything you need or want to order now because I have to go to eat," I was like "Really?, WOW . " Every restaurant should have a first class service and very good preparation does not matter what day of the week either, but I think the owner of El Balconcito II does not take it very seriously. However, the food was very good, but the service needs to improve on a day like Sunday where many people come and want to go to a restaurant to eat a good meal and have a good service. The place is also wheelchair accessible with nice spacy rest rooms too which it is a BIG plus for people with disabilities. Spanish: La comida estuvo buenísima, pero la mesera estuvo pésima. Lamentablemente se olvido de nuestras bebidas y, muy rara la vez venia a la mesa a ver si estábamos bien o necesitábamos algo más. Para coger su atención tenia que alzar la mano como si estuviera otra vez en la escuela en un salón de clase donde uno alzaba la mano para participar en la clase. Cuando logró alcanzar a ver mi brazo alzado como alumno de clase, le dije "Señorita, se olvido de nuestras bebidas y yo que con ansias esperaba mi jugo frio de parcha (maracuyá), ella me miro como "Ay, metí la pata", pero luego me dice; "Oh, fue que cuando fui a buscarlo se había acabado el jugo de parcha", a todo esto digo yo en mi mente "Pero se te olvido de nuestra presencia por completo porque ni regresaste a decirme que no había más jugo de parcha y por lo menos ofrecerme otra bebida", pues me dijo que tenía jugo de mango y cuando me trajo el jugo de mango, yo que ya estaba casi ahogado lo pruebo y para mi suerte el jugo estaba caliente. A todo esto mientras ella está en nuestra mesa mi amiga decide pedirle algo del menú y la mesera nos dice; "Dígame todo lo que necesita o que desea pedir ahora porque tengo que irme a comer" , a lo que me quede "¿Enserio?, WOW". Todo restaurante debe tener un servicio de primera y muy buen preparado no importa que día sea de la semana, pero pienso que el dueño no lo toman muy enserio. Pero nada, cocinan muy bueno, pero el servicio debe mejorar un día como hoy domingo donde muchas personas salen y desean ir a un restaurante a comerse una buena comida y tener un buen servicio. El Balconcito II es accesible para personas en silla de ruedas. Los baños también son muy amplios y limpios. Esto es algo muy importante para las personas que están en silla de ruedas. read more

El Balconcito II - Una Mariscada. Great dish if you're a seefood lover as I am. Un plato esquisito si usted es un amante a los mariscos como yo. - Peruvian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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rarely do I really say that an eating experience here is like having a festival of Diverse and amazing flavors dancing around in your mouth. It is BOTH tantilizing and thrilling..... Almost like a rollercoaster ride..lol.... A girlfriend and myself stopped in the other evening, and as we dined in, the restaurant seemed to have a flow of customers who shared the same expressions of enjoyment and savoring the food adn flavors.. We started with the Stuffed Plantains with the shrimp and the garlicy sauce that complimented each little crustacean. It was a good size, and easily shared... The appetizer ran about $12.00 and meals were no more than $20.00 even for Surf and turf. I got the Shrimp and Rice with a side of Rice and beans.it was an evening of Deliciousness and contentment. My friend ordered the Lomos Saltido.... tender steak and veggies and french fries... believe it or not.... the perfect taste... and combo... came with rice and was Great. I highly recommend this place.... plenty of seating... We left feeling content and NOT overly stuffed and sick. A sure sign that the food is both fresh and well-prepared. This place is definitely family friendly and the music was very relaxing. They DO have a delightful home made Sangria....that I highly recommend. fruity and light... A perfect compliment to the meal and good company. I cannot wait to take my mother... hse will be in love with the homestyle foods and Great flavors. See you there.. read more

I got this restaurant name confused with El Balconcito which I always go to. Truthfully, I was a bit skeptical since I've been so used to going to the other one. We did take out and got ceviche, yuca, lomo saltado and sweet plaintains. At first, I wanted pollo a la brasa but they had ran out on Sunday dinner. When we went to pick up the food, we walked to the bar. The place itself is pretty nice and spacious. The Peruvian dishes run about $12+. As for the food, we really enjoyed the ceviche as it's one of my favorite Peruvian dishes as pollo a la brasa is second. The portions are pretty good and the food was delicious! The yuca came with some yellow spicy sauce which was very good with a hint of spice. The plantains were also really good! However, the lomo saltado was not that great. They give you a box of fries for you to mix it so it doesn't get soggy. The original lomo saltado has more tomatoes and from my memory, the sauce was a bit red. I didn't like this one at all. Otherwise, we enjoyed everything else. Overall, I would recommend this place as Peruvian restaurants are very limited. read more

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I thought this was a great restaurant. Communication with the wait staff can be a bit difficult if you do not speak spanish but food is a universal language to me. If you are picky and need to ask a bunch of questions then this is not the place for you. I had the shrimp stuffed plantains and the paella valenciano. It was great. read more

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Third time coming to this restaurant, last was approximately 1 and a half years ago. Last night it was NOT that good. Shrimp cocktail with NO cocktail sauce, the waiter and staff including the manager didn't know what cocktail sauce was, seriously?. They served the shrimp cocktail dipped in MayoKetchup sauce. Tostones with NO side sauce, they didn't even ask if I wanted something for my dry tostones. Anyways this will be the third and last time going, I will NOT return; previous times I had cocktail sauce with my shrimp cocktail and my tostones came with garlic sauce. read more

One of my top 3 favorite places to eat! The food is always consistent, hot and fresh. I always order the lomo saltado, the steak is cooked perfect every time and always full of flavor. Their margaritas are very good as well, however at $10 a piece I don't think i will be getting drunk off of them. Don't forget to get the tostones rellenos, soo good! highly recommend this place. read more

El Balconcito II - Lomo saltado front and center, to the left, chicharron de pollo - Peruvian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I have been here many times, both eat in and take out. Fantastic! Everything has always been great! We especially like their Cerviche - spicy! It helps if you speak Spanish, but most of the wait staff speak English. read more

El Balconcito II - Fried flounder. - Peruvian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Service: Waitresses were accommodating and understanding.. Also, we got two different menus. One that had the updated food and prices and one was older with old prices. When the bill came, we got confused that no one told us and we got charged more. So be aware of the prices. Kitchen/food: My party and I waited over 1 hour for our food on a Wednesday night. Not sure what was taking so long because there wasn't a lot of customers but us and another table of 2. When the food finally came, we only enjoyed 1 dish out of the 4 dishes that we ordered. Don't remember the name but it was the seafood with rice. That dish was amazing. The others were so-so. Ordered a steak but it was too burnt and dry when we wanted medium rare. The other 2 seafood platters were way too salty and overcooked. Not sure if we would come back or this is just a one time experience. read more

First thing I want to mention is that their hand dryers in the bathrooms scared the crap outta me. I thought it was a paper towel dispenser and it blasted air on my hands so quickly that I yelped because it didn't look like the regular hand dryers you'd see everywhere! Anyways, I came here with my boyfriend because I wanted to see if their food tasted just as delicious as their other restaurant and it's certainly way closer. The servers were so nice and inviting and food came out quick. I got a medium well bistec a la pimienta which is steak with peppercorn sauce. The steak was so soft and tender and it just was seasoned so well covered with the peppercorn gravy on top. I accompanied it with broccoli and some yellow rice so I wouldn't leave any sauce behind since it tasted so great! Certainly would come back for the great food and service!! read more

I came here and the waiter was chatting with the customers and I was starving all I ate today was breakfast I give it 1 star

La comida no tiene el sabor peruano que especiaba, el precio de sus platillos es muy caro paro lo que es y si quieres probar el pollo a la braza es difícil de obtenerlo, pues tienes que cachar el mejor tiempo para probarlo. Que si llegas temprano no está listo, que si llegas más tarde ya no hay pollo. read more

A friend of mine married a woman from Peru. Every time they come to Philly we run around trying everything that is Peruvian or close to it. El Balconcito II was a place that my wife and I tried by ourselves on a whim and we were in no way disappointed. We ordered a grilled sausage appetizer and ceviche. Both were out of this world. We had Paella for our entree and it was fantastic. Everything was perfectly cooked and flavored. The atmosphere was great, the food was great, we'll definitely be back with our friends. read more

They have the best fried red snapper and Peruvian fried rice In the city!!! Great portions and fairly priced. If you're in in the NE area (they have two locations) and are jonesing for some Spanish food, then this place is it! read more

Very nice place. My first time there. I order a sangria, is a must to try. Delicious. Also the churrasco platter is very good. For kids the salchipapa is awesome. Will be going there again. read more

As I was there eating my experience was probably a high 4. But I got the ceviche mixto and there was too much onion, too much lemon, too much spices and in the end it made me feel sick and currently my appetite/like for seafood is gone. The prices could have been more reasonable. Not to mention my dish was $14 and I asked for a little more shrimp and they charged $7 extra! The dishes did have a generous amount though, so my family just got 2 meals to share. We got a whole chicken with fries and rice and the ceviche mixto. The chicken wasn't bad, but my mom felt sick afterwards too. The best part were the fries... There's lot of other food in Philly, just don't go here. read more

Ok so the 1star has nothing to do with the food , food has always been amazing (well at least at Godfrey , I'm praying the food here is as good) , my issue is with the online ordering and all the online information , I placed a order directly threw them on the website it clearly says El Balconcito... I submitted my order and a error came up saying that it didn't go threw but capital one sent me a notification stating otherwise so I call them to see if indeed it went threw and was told "hopefully we call you back and let you know" I call back 15 min later to find out that it didn't and they try blaming the app I used saying they don't have drivers when my order was for pickup and I never used a app so I just placed the order again over the phone , the funny thing is everything I did was supposed to be for the Godfrey location but come to find out it the one all the way up castor and Cottman , so why is it when I google the one on Godfrey all of castor information comes up, they need to get this fixed if I google El Balconcito click on El Balconcito it shouldn't have El Balconcito 2 number under it with the website to #2.... if you place a order for pickup call and make sure which location you are ordering from DO NOT USE ANYTHING THAT HAS TO DO WITH ONLINE... and make sure it's the correct location which is crazy in itself read more

El Balconcito II - That's who I called and ordered from so why did I have to go all the way up castor ave - Peruvian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Muy buena comida pero definitivamente es variable. Por ejemplo el caldo es excelente y bastante en cantidad. Igualmente, el ceviche, cuál estuvo delicioso y no muy salado o mal presentado. Pero en cambio el lomo salteado fue un poco decepcionante y no muy bueno. La persona quien nos ayudo fue muy formal y atenta. Cuando llegamos la música estaba con un volumen muy alto la verdad (ya que fuimos en un tiempo de almuerzo) a el punto que, no nos escuchábamos en la mesa. Lo cual fue arreglado a lo que la chica nos ofreció cambiar de mesa a un area donde no era tan duro. También las bebidas estaban bien, no muy fuertes ni aguadas cuales son los casos que aveces uno encuentra. Definitivamente volveré y me sorprendió no solo en la calidad pero también en el sabor. read more

If you eat here, be prepared for a décor-free, no-frills environment with spotty service, and, possibly the worst part, a jukebox with music like Chris Brown-- or some kind of autotuned nightmare crap-- that is turned up REALLY LOUD while you're eating. Beyond that, we arrived for lunch after driving from South Philly to be told that they were out of Peruvian chicken. (And this was 1:30 p.m. on a Sunday and they were serving dinner until 10.) It turned out they had 3 - 1/4 chicken portions left, so we ordered them, along with a mixed ceviche, stuffed plantains and fried yucca. Communication with the server was not great, and this at a table where three out of four people spoke Spanish. The menu has is half Portuguese, and they had pork and clams, and since I love this dish, I asked the server if she had ever tried it. She shook her head and said no, and sort of acted like I was asking a ridiculous question. I mean, why would a server know what's on their own menu? Amateur hour. We decided on a Parihuela (seafood stew) to split and one person at the table ordered a Jalea (mixed fried seafood with fried yucca, and topped with thin red onion and tomato). The food: The ceviche was tasty, but nothing to write home about, and I was told the stuffed plantains and yucca were good. The chicken was sort of disappointing, but then again, I have been searching for a great Peruvian chicken in the area for years and just coming up empty handed. They do get points for making their own aji verde (a spicy green chili sauce). That was awesome and I slathered everything in it! The Jalea looked great, though the person who ordered it could not eat it and had to take the whole thing home. But the Parihuela was worth the whole trip. It's $25 and it's served in a pot with a ladle: shrimp, lobster, clams, mussels, white fish, calamari and either cuttle fish or conch in a seafood broth with cilantro. This was excellent! So, the food was decent and we ate our butts off and had tons of leftovers, all for $100 for four people. If you wanted, though, you could definitely get out of here for around $10 per person. Conclusion: El Balconcito II is an adequate place to eat in the Latin food desert that is Philadelphia, but is not the solution to the Peruvian chicken problem that plagues the area. read more

This is a great spot, welcoming staff. It has a wide variety running from steak to seafood, the plates used to come in bigger size but now they made them smaller for the same price! Not sure if they changed cook over the years but the food have a different taste. read more

Amazing food.. the flavors are definitely there. Depending on time the place can get supper packed and staff changes as well. Some moore friendly than others. But overal its an amazing place and cofee so delicious. read more

El Balconcito II - Chicken breast a la plancha w tostones and salad.. - Peruvian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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A place not good for the family, food has a tasteful but extremely expensive, Dad service. Tío Pepe es Mejor!! read more

3rd outing at the restaurant...9/17/2016 @approximately 935 pm.. a waitress greeted my guest and myself and sat us promptly. After that the night went SOUR. The restaurant WASN'T OVERCROWDED...YET...another couple was seated, waited on, served and began eating...25-30 minutes later...a waitress only stopped to take our order after my fiancé who is of Puerto Rican decent some in Spanish to get the waitress attention that we haven't received any SERVICE. AFTER ORDERING....THE FOOD WAS POORLY SERVED AND NOT TASTEFUL. THE YUCCA FRIES were thick like uncut whole carrots...very unappetizing. The PAELLA for 2 was horrible...SHRIMP..RUBBERY (OVERCOOKED), MUSSELS & CLAMS, OVERCOOKED....THE LOBSTER was slightly better...but the BROTH was sour... The Assistant Manager/Head Waitress came over 3 times to ask if the food was pleasing...she only spoke ENGLISH in seeing my reaction to the inquiries about the food and service directed to my fiancé. When the check came, the Assistant Manager/ HEAD SERVER asked my fiancé SPEAKING IN SPANISH...how everything was..my facial displeasure and fiery response..expanded to my DISSATISFIED EXPERIENCE... Other prior experiences were pleasant...perhaps because I was accompanied by a group. That fact does not EXCUSE THE BLATANT LACK OF COURTESY RESPECT SERVICE QUALITY OF FOOD AND ATMOSPHERE WHICH ALL AMOUNTED TO A FINAL SCORE 0-100 0= F F is for FAILURE.... I'VE POSTED MY REMARKS TO FACEBOOK..& made a brief commentary on Facebook Live.. I've eaten in practically every small & large multicultural cuisine house in the city. Though this experience has been the most discouraging and offensive dining affair to date. read more

This is a Peruvian restaurant which has been open for years. The food here was surprisingly okay considering the location. Yes, I know, do not judge good food by its location but it was honestly better than I expected. I had the chicken breast in a lemon sauce which came with a side of Rice and salad. The downside is that you feel like your in someones basement paying a little too much for such simple things. read more

For me this 1st time Peruvian food was a disaster .. Especially being a Veggie [I was already reluctant to go but being forced by friend to atleast try, went there] .. I asked for some recommendation from SERVER [and the moment she heard RECO for VEGGIE .. SHE was like "VEGGIEE :XXXXX " ] .. I mean, worst look a have ever got when asked for a veggie food .. I someone how managed to get a veggie dish by customizing a entree .. when it came, I was kinda nervous already but didn't have any options to try .. I was really BAD and now I am sure I am not gonna go to this place again but still had that BAD taste and not sure if I am gonna ever try Peruvian food .. Service was also very slow and the server's were really Off track .. Delayed food on the table .. read more

Ate here last night the food was AMAZING!!! From the salad down to the plantain very impressed they have a great chef read more

El Balconcito II - AMAZING - Peruvian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Let's start with YES there is sometimes a language barrier BUT the menu is in both Spanish and English so if you can point then you should be fine. On the occasions I have been there the girls have spoken English just fine. Everything is delicious from drinks to food. The tostones with shrimp are a must. I could drink the garlic sauce. I have yet to find something here I felt so-so about. If you in the area is worth a shot. read more

The food and drinks are always delicious. Service is prompt and professional. Our waitress was so nice and accommodating. She helped us decide what we wanted and we couldn't be more satisfied. With plenty left to take home read more

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Love the food here, great service, authentic peruvian dishes.... I would recommend for first timers, try : Lomo Saltado or Cebiche.... Come here often, I do a 45 minute drive just for this place on the weekends! read more

This place offers great food and it's a good place to dine in. However, if you're ordering some kind of steak for pick up or takeout, I would not suggest it since it gets dry fast. read more

or wow I loved it all, the exquisite sangria, the very good fish ceviche, the good jumped tenderloin and the tasty huancaina potato, the excellent cleanliness and the good service the waitresses very friendly, if I highly recommend it. read more

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