El Balcon — Restaurant in Bremerton

For anyone who doesn't know, El Balcons is a Salvadorian and Mexican food place; walking downtown, if you blink, you may have missed it. This little hole in the wall restaurant offers two tables and a small little counter to eat at; if you experience El Balcon's food, you'll be experiencing it on the go. El Balcon offers up a wide variety of food items; I feel there may be a few too many choices as I was getting a little overwhelmed reading each one and forgetting what previous things had in them. None the less everything that I could remember sounded intriguing and yummy, after reading the reviews my husband and I were excited to try this little place. I ordered combo number 2, and my husband had a Carne Asada Burrito. My combo #2 came with two tacos and one pupusa. On my part, after looking at the menu many times, I just blindly said, "I'll order this one," so my little tacos were good, filled with decent chorizo, but nothing spectacular; however, the pupusa, was terrific. I had no idea what it was so I was excited to try something new, what can I say; it was indeed yummy and something I will order again! My husband's said his Carne Asada Burrito, was good but not excellent, simply because they added more ingredients than the burrito needed, which most places around this area will do. He usually will ask a restaurant how they prepare it before he orders it; this time, he wanted to try it the way they would make it. El Balcon's restaurant's location is on pacific ave downtown Bremerton, within walking distance from the ferry boat and Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. Finding parking can be a pain, especially downtown, cross your fingers for street parking, and during prime hours, you may find yourself parking way off and walking a bit.

My takeaway from it is, if I am downtown wanting Mexican food on the go, I would undoubtedly go back; they offer many yummy-sounding options; as I stated before, a...

A story about a man and a burrito from El Balcon.

It was June 2021.

Helium Development, my employer, had a biweekly tradition of catering lunch for the employees.

This ritual is lovingly known as "Helium Lunch."

However, this June of yesteryear, I had accepted a new job. And it was to be my last Helium Lunch.

“Tomorrow is Helium Lunch, Michael. What do you want?” said Nick, Helium's founder. “You should decide since it’s your last Helium Lunch” "EL BALCON," I fired back.

The only legitimate response.

My heart warmed as I thought about the sensational flavors. The meat, the cheese, the sauces.

“Ahh, I’ll have a Cuban.” I thought to myself. “That will be nice.” Sleepless, I awaited the day of my reckoning with the Salvadorian goodness.

The day arrived.

An El Balcon burrito ’twas to be mine.

But alas… my wife fell ill [slightly sick].

I worked from home, no burrito para mi.

Here we are in 2022. The new job didn't work out. Fate, it seems, had other plans.

Helium hired me back, and tomorrow? Well, tomorrow is Helium Lunch. I don’t remember the last time I ate a burrito from El Balcon… 15 months? 18 months?

But I'm going to get one tomorrow.

And yeah, I'm going to...

Update 3/22 for the new location. Same great menu with the awesome fresh made dishes I have enjoyed these last 7 years. Love the option to dine in now, with plenty of seating. You order at the bar then pick up by the kitchen when it is ready and they call for you. Could use a microphone and speaker setup especially once it gets warm and the patio opens up. Still no alcohol, but I would love the option to purchase some beers when here in the evening.

Burritos' the size of your head! They are soft, plump and filled with everything that is delicious. I will be trying more things off the menu as I can only eat so much each time I am here. The employees are super nice. Don't expect to order and quickly get your food to go and make it to that ferry you are afloat late for. Plan on taking your time, maybe sit at the park at the end of the block to enjoy the creation they have have...