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.

We have driven by Taqueria La Michoacana a number of times and when we managed to sit down and see…read morewhat their Yelp score average was and what kind if menu items they had we made an effort to come here and try it out. What really sold me was the Cheesy Birria Tacos that I spotted while checking out the menu and so I knew pretty much exactly what I was going to order upon arrival. And that was indeed what I got and they were excellent! The beef that was the specific meat in the taco (Birria can also be goat or lamb) and was absolutely wonderful. The cheese and the crunchy tacos rounded out this small lunch quite nicely and was very satisfying. There was a red sauce in a cup that came with my three tacos in which I dipped the tacos into it which added to the pleasant spicy heat. These tacos I highly recommend and they also have other menu options that look quite promising as well. I can't wait to go back!

Food: the food was delicious! I ordered the awards burrito and the carne asada fries. What I like…read moreabout the fries was that it came with jalapeños! Usually you either have to ask for it (which I always forget) or they don't so it was a pleasant surprise. The cheese is also nacho cheese which was yummy! Service: we walked in and was greeted with a hello. The ordering was quite easy and quick. Ambiance: casual restaurant

Outstanding authentic foods. A great little hole in the wall! The quesabirra is to die for.read more

The food was really good, and they had a great variety of options to choose from. The staff was…read morealso very friendly, welcoming, and kind, which made for a nice experience. My only complaint is that it was quite hot inside. Overall, a good spot and I'd come back!

Ordered delivery. Great tacos and enjoyed the beans and rice! I got a fish taco and although the…read morefish was more deeply fried with a crispier exterior than I like (rather than lightly battered), it was still quite good. My husband loved the assortment of meat tacos he got and we both enjoyed a side of beans and rice which was a large portion. Only miss was the breakfast burrito. Parts of it were too bland and the contents weren't mixed well together so you either got a really bland bite of egg with no sauce or just a bite of all sauce and no egg.

I've frequently go to the Kent one, and never visited the Tacoma one until yesterday. I cried…read morebecause it holds the same standards, quality and customer satisfaction. It is a bit smaller, but food wise I will be back! We went for a dinner and it did not disappoint. Lines for the drive through are long, so we went inside to dine. Loved how sweet and patient the ladies were taking our order. You order your food first, and then they will bring it out for you. Little salsa bar, Coke drinks, huge flavorful portions will make you happy that you visited. I ordered the birria, and although I wished for more consommé, I think if you ask they would have given it. The burrito is epic. Overall so happy to have gone and enjoyed it!

My visit isn't complete with the chips and guacamole and you can't beat the prices. The last time…read morewe were there, the AC was blasting, so being a sweater. The service was just okay. We walked in and the host was having a conversation with one of the wait staff and instead of greeting us and asking us to hold one for a second while they finished up, they ignored us, and continued talking for probably a full minute before acknowledging we were there. O get needing to finish a thought or tell someone something important about something going on that night, but at least greet your guests and ask them to wait a minute. Feels like common courtesy.

I am going to bump up a star for Red Star Taco Bar. They have the Sunday Sip here which is a drag…read morequeen show along with brunch. Sunday Sip's were previously at a different venue but just recently it started here and it's a great place for this event. I have always liked the food here and we have gone here twice now in recent times not only for the Sunday Sip but also for a meal with friends. The mixed cocktails are great as is the food which I have always been partial to. Out of the recent visits I had an amazing torta, something I haven't had in a long time and a bowl with their tequila chicken for the meat which was also excellent. The more I come here the more I like it having it come at five stars at this point and time.

What a nice little Mexican restaurant that is hidden in this little corner of Tacoma. Not often you…read morefind a place that has great beer and great coffee and great Mexican food. That is three greats, I know I just said that. But this little hole in the wall place provided great atmosphere cozy area to be able talk very easily to my sister and experience an amazing lunch. You do order at the cashier/order taker and then they give you a number and when your food comes out, you get the food delivered to the table with the number. When you are done, you have to buss your own table and do all that stuff besides wiping off your table. I thought the environment was awesome and I would highly recommend again and again to anybody that wants to come great place. And they do put the taco in Tacoma.

I was craving a breakfast burrito on my way to work. Looked for a good option from Gig Harbor to…read moreRenton. To think I almost settled for some premade coffee shop microwaved brk burrito I got the carne asada BK Burrito... with the habanero carrot hot sauce Pure heaven. The meat is tender and ZERO gristle which is almost impossible lately anywhere u go. Then I indulged and got churros. Nor disappointed but pleasantly surprised- not greasy or dry but so so perfect. Also combined their homemade agua Fresca w ice tea and it was DELICIOUS I'll be back here soon for a date w my hubby. He'll love it! (Great customer service too!!!!)

Was looking for a place with authentic Mexican food and I'm glad I came here! Ordered 2 mulitas de…read morelengua and it was so flavorful! Also love that the salsas are actually spicy, everywhere you go now the salsa always lacks spice. Definitely will be coming back!

I've been here twice, getting the fish dinner and later sides of rice and beans…read more I thought the rice had lots of flavor, and I'll go back for more. The beans weren't my favorite at first taste, but they grew on me. They are flavorful too, and a tiny bit spicy. I'll order them again too. The fish was fried (not deep fried), straightforward, delicious. I love that there's a fish option with all the other meats. The price of the fish was on the menu, but I didn't see prices for the rice and beans sides. When the sides' cost was told to me, I was somewhat surprised ($9.44) as it seemed a little high. But I realize costs are going up for everyone and these folks planned, purchased, and cooked the ingredients for my tasty meals, plus they need to make some profit doing it. So, I'll pay it. They deserve it. The parking is awkward if not dangerous. It's worth parking on a side street half a block or more away. The location is great, very convenient, however.

Not sure why these guys changed their name, but still the best carnitas in town. Crispy, juicy,…read moreflavorful, not too many chunks of fat...perfecto. Keep it up, Fernando!

Owners said everything is the same just switched names to Taqueria Bravo but everything is the…read moresame. In same parking lot as the gas station with a few parking spaces. Great beans and food!

OMG This is a restaurant I WANT to gatekeep. Loved it so…read moremuch. ALL food and drink was top notch. Flavorful meats, fluffy rice, fresh hot sauces, airy Tres Leches cake, dangerously good cocktails. Great decor and vibe. Mix of indoor and an outdoor seating. Companion rated it a 9.8/10 and only knocked it down due to the waitress to be very attentive.

Indita Mia seems more charming than it actually is…read more I'm not usually one to pick apart a business let alone a local business... The restaurant itself is beautiful but I feel that the amount of money it costs to eat there should be reflected, if not in the food itself then at least the service, and both were lacking. This is a place I've been heard about a lot on TikTok, I don't know if it is honest reviews, or if it's paid promotion, but the pictures and videos that are used online are doing the food more than justice. Upon walking in at exactly 6:03 PM, I have Life360 to reference arrival and departure, we get to the front door and it's pretty slow with maybe a few people in the bar, with what looks like a full staff; we finally get greeted at 6:14 PM and get seated outside. I'm thinking maybe they got done with a rush and are getting ready for the next dinner rush, so that's why it took long to greet us. I'm assuming the best here and extending grace where it may be needed, as I also worked in the restaurant business and know how busy it can get. As we get seated, again, it takes a while for someone to bring us water but me and my friend aren't noticing quite yet how long everything is taking. We finally get our waitress and she brings us water and asks if we want any drinks. My friend orders her drink and I stay with my water and we get asked what we want, we're not sure yet so we ask her to come back. As time goes on, it's about 30 minutes so at this point with us waiting for someone to bring my friend her drink and finally being seated at 6:14 PM, that brings us to 6:45 PM and my friend is just now receiving her drink and we're being ask what we want to order. I ask her to see if the mole is nut based as it's a food allergy for me and I know most places will use nuts as a base and some don't. It's now 7:03 PM and I check my phone to see how long it's been since I asked about the sauce. She and other staff walks past us SEVERAL times before stopping to see if we were ready or needed anything. It's now 7:17 PM... I figure it's now clear that I'm time stamping and checking my phone for the time. We finally get our waitress to our table and she asks us if we're ready to order, and we obviously have quite a few things in mind since we were sat down 6:14 PM. My friend orders her appetizer and her entree, the waitress turns to me and asks if I'm ready, so I ask, "Were you able to find out if the mole is nut based?" She tells me she forgot to ask and runs back to the kitchen. She comes back about 5-10 minutes later and tells me it is so I go straight to my Plan B as I am plenty prepared for first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and so on backups for my order. We wait about another 20 minutes, so let's say it's 7:43 PM, and we get our appetizers. The food is so salty, but at this point, we're both so hungry, we eat without complaint. Another 30 ish minutes go by and we get our entrees. Within the time we got our first dish and now (8:13 PM) no one has checked on us to even see if the food was good. The food did NOT look anything like the food content that's shown in pictures and videos. We're both just eating because it's 8:13 PM and we got to the restaurant at 6:04 PM; we're hungry. We HAVE to call someone over for some boxes and the check at this point because the sun is now pretty much gone and luckily that was quick, but it took us a while to grab someone as the entirety of the staff continued to walk by us several times, as we obviously aren't eating, talking to each other, and look like we're trying to flag someone over. It's quite obvious actually. We've been very polite this whole time, we both worked in the restaurant business, so we know it can be stressful especially for women. By this point of getting our check and I'm paying, it's already 8:20 PM. We didn't take long to eat and also are appetite has kind of passed with the time as well. I pay and my friend thankfully asks about the desert I ordered back when we initially ordered our whole meal! (Appetizers, entrees, AND DESERT!) Thank god she did because I would've forgotten; it's been over 2 hours at this point! The waitress tells me she forgot... brings it out quickly. We use the bathroom and leave quickly. It's the official end time of 8:31 PM... 6:04 PM to 8:31 PM... A slow greeting and service with a hasty send off. *eye roll* *sigh* I was so disappointed in the greeting, the hospitality, the food, the urgency, or at least the concern/attention that I feel should be presented when the food service went the way it did. I felt disregarded and conned out of $150 to be honest. This review is to not tear them down, even though I did provide a lot of concerns, but to provide constructive feedback, because it is a beautiful restaurant with a breathtaking location on the water, but the experience was not worth $150...

We had a fantastic meal here! The place was packed, but we were able to get a table top. You order…read moreat the bar and they bring your food to you when it's ready. You can leave your tab open, which we almost did just try more food! We got three vegan dishes: the vegan nachos, the vegan Cubano, and the Chef Daddy Mac (vegan). Everything was so good! The nachos were a huge serving. There were two of us, and even though we had two more dishes coming, we still ate almost all of them. My friend got the vegan Cubano. She's not a vegan, and she said she really enjoyed it. She would definitely get it again. I got the Chef Daddy Mac. I ended up only taking a bite because we had eaten so much already I brought it home and it served me two more dinners! And it was delicious. I went to the bar and flagged down one of the bartenders to let them know how much I appreciated that they had a vegan menu at their restaurant. I was so pleased with the food and the thoughtfulness that went into the dishes. It wasn't just food without meat, and it wasn't just regular dishes with a meat alternative. These were crafted vegan dishes that can stand up in any restaurant against any animal-based dish. The atmosphere wasn't my vibe. As a Christian, it felt a little odd to be in that environment. The food was so good, though, I can't wait to come back and try more vegan options on the menu.

Want to visit a goth establishment in the greater Seattle area, without having to be a member? THIS…read moreIS YOUR PLACE. Goth vibes, with the same bar lines, but without the cover. Bonus... their house drinks have a great geeky vibe. :-D Now.... what else do they have? Well, do you want some fun photo-booth action?? This is your place!.... NOT THAT ACTION PERV!!! Want to play some pool? GOOD LUCK! Especially if you're a stereotypical introverted goth that doesn't want to talk to anyone, since the need to ask whomever is currently playing on the sole table, is likely the only way you'll get access. :-p Orrrr maybe your game is strong and you can just stare them into allowing you next? Either way, get the chips and salsa. Just don't eat them on the table, you heathen!! Also..... NO Nickelback, and NO Country!!!