I had the rotisserie chicken and it was really good. The hot salsa sauce that they gave me was really good also. I brought my wife and kids and the prices are reasonable and we all enjoyed our food. read more

El Balconcito is excellent. Although its technically Portuguese and Peruvian, a lot of what they serve is Dominican, and damn good Dominican at that. While not the best Portuguese and Peruvian I've ever had, El Balconcito's version are about the best to be found in Philly. read more

I have been here a few times and never have been disappointed however not overally impressed. The restaurant it self is literally a whole in the wall. The service here is mediocre but the food is flavorful and fresh. I would recommend this dive if you really are not looking for the best service...but are looking for some good Latin American food. read more

Drove by this place on the way home from work for a few weeks,then had to stop in. My wife, being Puerto Rican, was craving some latin food. I opted to get takeout one night to bring home. I got a half of a roasted chicken, these beef stuffed tostones, regular tostones and these cod fritters. The food was okay, nothing to write home about. Maybe I'm used to more flavoring in food the way my mother in law cooks. It wasn't terrible, but not what I expected. the fritters were soft in the middle, with a mushy fish texture...not a good combo. the stuffed tostones were okay, but the filling was this odd creamed beef mixture. the chicken was standard. good, but again nothing lke what I was expecting. All in all, it was good but I probably wouldn' t go back. read more

The restaurant itself isn't much to look at. However, the food was delicious!! Authentic! My Fiancée and I got an appetizer (the plantains cupped with shrimp placed inside) and our main dishes. My fiancée is allergenic to lobster, we didn't order lobster but, he mildly broke out when we got home. read more

Went to this restaurant when meeting up with a friend. The atmosphere was traditional Spanish style, moderate volume music and tv in corner playing the music video. Got the eye from everyone since I was the minority there. Got the steak with two sunny side eggs on top, French fries, plantain, white rice, and the homemade sausage. Friend got the chicken breast dish with yellow rice. Table came with delicious bread;warm, light crispy outside and super soft inside. The bread and the sausage was the best, everything else was bad. Sausage came on a platter with fire under it, great presentation. Was not greasy at all, and had good chunks of meat. Their homemade Verde salsa was good, very similar to Bueno e Sano salsa. The chicken breast looked like it went through the deli slicer 5 times and the yellow rice was tasteless (coming from a Puerto Rican). The steak also looked like it went through the slicer. The fries where not crispy at all... The plantain were good. I definitely ordered the wrong dish but, when a Puerto Rican orders in Spanish and is disappointed, then it has to mean something. The $54 + $8 tip was not worth it. read more

Good food but it's too restaurant is too small. Generous portions. Wide variety of drinks available. Even the pickiest eater can find something to eat. However, with the restaurant being so small and the large plates gives it a claustrophobic feel to the place. read more

The food is good but the service isn't. Waited wayyy too long for our food. The servers are forgetful as well. I would ask for something and never received it. I would have to ask multiple servers just to get another drink. Definitely consider this before deciding on eating here. read more

Cozy, welcoming ambiance within the restaurant itself. First time here and I was pretty pleased with the Ceviche Mixto. They offer three different levels of "how spicy" you'd prefer your plate for the ceviche. Servers were great, food tasted fresh and was affordable. read more

El Balconcito - Peruvian Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

This restaurant food is delicious and it welcomes everyone. I live three blocks away and have drove by for 11 years finally I went in a few months ago and the food was amazing, and the servers are very nice. Limited English though but not too bad. I had the chicken and shrimp and it was cooked to perfection and it was also a large portion. I currently go there often because the prices are reasonable. read more

The worst experience ever. This place don't even deserve one start. I never leave reviews, but this time it's necessary. This restaurant it's extremely expensive and the amount of food that you receive don't justify the price. I ordered grilled chicken breads with garlic shrimp. This order comes with two sides. As a side I got tostones and fried yuca. I paid $25 for three thin pieces of chicken, 6 small over cooked shrimp, 3 tostones and 5 cold pieces of fried yuca...horrible...I also got a piece of flan which I don't think you can call the tiny piece of flan that I got "piece". The piece was so small. Unbelievable, it also seems that they cut one piece of flan in two and gave me one of the two pieces. I'm extremely disappointed with the taste of the food, the amount of food and the price. I don't recommend this place. read more

I was very disappointed with the service tonight and the food.... it's Saturday night and we decide to go here because it's been awhile since we have visited. We walk in and we're seated right away but the chairs and floor were full of rice. No one ever came over to clean it. It took about 10 minutes to place a drink order so I placed our appetizer order too. We ordered calamari and 15 minutes later they came out extra crispy and hard, just like the bread which seemed old. We ordered steak and shrimps, I ordered shrimps in garlic sauce veggies and tostones. Well, steak was hard, shrimps were over cooked. Overall everything seemed to be awful! Last time here. read more

Cozy little place with terrific food! I had the 1/2 roasted chicken from the Peruvian menu and my friend had a steak with shrimp from the Portuguese menu. We both really enjoyed the lunch and the service was very good, too. Lots of great choices on the menu, so I'll be back soon. read more

The seats are horrible and the ceiling is old. They charged me double what I owed them and 11 dollars more for- I dont even know what. The administration is atrocious. read more

This restaurant is very small. It was once a corner bar in its past life. They have booths and tables and the light is on the dim side, making it cozy. The food is Peruvian/Portuguese was a strong emphasis on seafood. Their seafood selections are very fresh. I had the tostones with shrimp. The tostones were hot, crunchy and with just the right amount of salt. They serve the tostones molded into a cup shape and top with delicious perfectly cooked shrimp. The table ordered the fried yucca as an appetizer and it was tasty. Very lightly battered and cut into chunky sticks, serviced with a limey cilantro dipping sauce. The menu offers red snapper, octupus salad, crab and lobster dishes.They offer a full bar so you can have a cocktail or drink with your meal. Some of the dishes are a tad pricey, but the food is excellent and bursting with freshness. Staff was pleasant and spoke English. read more

The food is super good and always comes in large portions! Never have been disappointed. The drinks are great as well. They even have Inca Cola and Chicha. read more

I love this place the only thing is this one is supper small like basement small but they have a second location not to far from this one that is more spacious there shrimp Tostones cups are amazing and there red snapper and salmon and the light sauce they give you with there rice I have noticed one place prices are different from the other are bill was slightly higher and this location not sure why read more

They charge you more on tax. It happened to me five times in a row. I've got annoyed and told them they calculated tax wrong. And they lied and saying it's right but couldnt show me the calculator bc they did lie. For every meal they charged me 1-5dollars extra. Food is mediocre. You can find better places that doesn't trick your customers and lie about the bills. read more

I was in Philly PA yesterday and did a search for a local peruvian restaurant. Found Balconcito. Had choritos a chalaca and a few more dishes. The food was great and did not disappoint. Place is a hole in the wall but well worth the visit. read more

Now this place is a random neighborhood joint away from Rt 1 in northeast Philly. You would never expect it. It's a peruvian restaurant tucked away a couple of blocks away from Rt 1. I went with some coworkers and the portions were very generous. You can tell when you are the only non-Hispanic person in the room and the waitresses can only speak Spanish that this is the real deal. When you order the ceviche the portion is HUMUNGOUS. I loved the tostones. I'm not a big plantain banana fan, but these were to die for. Lightly salted and crispy, they are yummy. Next time I want to try their tostones filled with chicken or meat. If you love seafood, their seafood platters are plentiful. My brother had the paella valenciana and it was filled with lots of chicken and seafood. For $18 it was huge and we brought it back home. The guy next to us had some HUGE platter of calamari and shrimp and I forgot what it was called but that's what I want next time. Sounds like jaleo or something like that. It is slightly out of the way but you know what...it's worth the trip. Tax is included with each entree and it even has a full serviced bar. I think el balconcito II may be closer off interstate 95, so maybe I'll try that next time. Again, pretty damn good for philadelphia and a neighborhood gem. You can easily find parking on the street. read more

My husband preorder food for Mother's Day. The order was suppose to be picked up at 2 an hour later and the food wasn't ready. We called the place at 12:30 to make sure the food would be ready for pick up and they said yes. We also paid in full. The food was given to us at 3:30. An hour and half from when they were suppose to have it. They will never get Business from us again. read more

I just became a huge fan of Peruvian food. El Balconcito is where I was re-introduced to this cuisine. We had heard about Peruvian rotisserie chicken and this place is known for it. Before that was served however the homemade green Aji hot sauce was an immediate hit. A squeeze bottle on the table was quickly one quarter emptied on fresh bread slices. What unique flavor: jalapeno chlle, cilantro and garlic. The waitress says she is not sure exactly is in it, but the owners make it once or twice a week. We got appetizers, Shrimp cocktail and tostones with shrimp. The tostones were the best I have ever had, but he shrimp cocktail a bust. These came straight from a steamer in a mayonnaise sauce. Guess shrimp cocktail is different in Peru. In addition to the rotisserie chicken we had the mixed ceviche. Wonderful texture flavor and acidity from key limes. When you go bring a few friends, the portions are huge. read more

I haven't been exposed to much peruvian/portuguese food but, if el balconcito is any indication, i love it already! We've been here a few times and sampled the tostones with shrimp as well as chicken which are both very good. The absolute best part is the green sauce they serve with it. I'm not sure exactly what is in it but it is spicy, fresh, garlicky goodness and I would buy a bottle of it if they sold it like that. read more

This is my first time going to this restaurant I ask for garlic shrimp with tostones. they used the smallest shrimps possible and for some odd reason they came in a red sauce that had no flavor of garlic and the tostones where a little on the harder side. my friend had some camarones a la plancha which were served with the shell...i dont think it should've been served that way but anywho even the waitresses and waiters need training, alot of confusion with the safe or no comunication. If I place my order with one, I shouldn't have another asking me if I'm ready to order. Its a little awkward and annoying. Who's the server and who's the busser ? finally I let her know everything about the food I told her the only thing i enjoyed was the dressing and my bottle water. yo trabajo en Cocina tambien yo pruebo lo que voy a servir antes de llevarlo a la mesa unos Camarone's asi yo no Los sirvo read more

I never would have ventured all the way out to north Philly had a friend not recommended El Balconcito for the great ceviche. I am so glad we did make the drive out to try this great little place. El Balconcito looks like a hole-in-the-wall but is very cozy inside. There were a lot of families there eating with young kids and a very jovial atmosphere. The food was really good. We ordered ceviche and tostones rellenos de camaron (shrimp tostones). The latter were ok and really filling but the shining star was definitely the ceviche. I have tried a lot of ceviche while traveling around Latin America and I have found it is hard to replicate it here locally. A lot of restaurants parboil the seafood first rather than letting it cook by marinating in lime juice, which is more authentic. El Balconcito's ceviche did not disappoint, they did it just right and the taste was spot on. I will definitely make the trek out here again in the future. read more

Great menu most thorough Peruvian selection limo saltado sig dish of peru was superb its sirloin tomatoes onion fries and rice very succulent but also lots of seafood read more

I was born and raised in Peru and I have fond memories of my family making great food growing up. I moved from Northern NJ and I've been looking for a good Peruvian restaurant in the Southern NJ, East PA area. El Balconcito is not that place. I ordered Papa a la Huancaina and Arroz Chaufa de Carne. Papa a la Huancaina had a runny off-color sauce with a bitter aftertaste (it was subtle, but it was there. Probably a result of not removing seeds from the yellow peppers when they made it.) The arroz chaufa tasted like anything but arroz chaufa. It had a condiment I couldn't put my finger on, but definitely not one used in Peruvian cuisine. The beef used had been shredded as it's usually used in Caribbean cuisine, and it had no flavor and it was dry. The eggs were dry. The rice itself was crushed, instead of full grained. I'm not sure about you, but back in Peru we used cracked rice to feed our ducks, not to serve to our families. If you have never had Peruvian food before, do not be fooled by this place. It does not represent Peruvian food as it's meant to be cooked. read more

Their shrimp ceviche is a MUST TRY and you can park in the lot right behind the restaurant to avoid street parking. Prices to me are reasonable. read more

The food here is THE BEST outside of Peru and/or NYC. And yes the service isn't the greatest but considering the location and the quality of the food. I. Willing to overlook it's lack of great service. read more

My boyfriend was born in Peru, lives in London, and misses his Peruvian food. When he comes to visit me in Philly, he always wants to go to El Balconcito. Our main complaint is that we always eat too much here! The food is tasty and the portions are big. On different occasions we've had pollo a la brasa, tostones rellenos de carne, bistec a lo pobre, arroz chaufa (real chifa!), ceviche, churrasco, and I can't remember what else. Not as good as some of the places I've gone in Peru, but its the best I've found here or in London. read more

The food was great, but the service was bad, she sat us and basically forgot we were there, not enough napkins, had to ask twice for everything and had to wait an extra 20 minutes for the bill and ask twice for it since the first waitress forgot about us again. read more