Balcon Express — Restaurant in Tacoma

After reading about this place in various posts, we had the opportunity whilst driving down 6th Ave to stop by and give it a try. To be honest, we had our Central American and South American countries confused, as we thought we were going to be experiencing some Venezuelan cuisine (being Empanadas), but soon learned we were about 1500 miles off course according to the global cuisine map of excellence…. That being said, some of the best discoveries ever made can be attributed to just that, having been off course, whereby Balcon Express is just such a place.  As they have aptly described themselves by stating Balcon Express is a family owned Latin American style restaurant serving in the heart of Tacoma’s 6th Ave. Specializing in pupusas, tacos, and burritos. They describe themselves as being a grab and go style restaurant in addition to having some dine in seating. This somewhat really just scratches the surface as the place is actually really nice (ie: everything is shiny new) and one could say somewhat simplistic chic! Yes, they definitely are set up for the convenience of ‘Grab & Go’, but there is also plenty of seating spread between two self seating eating areas where after ordering at the service counter your food will be brought over to you.Tables are stainless steel clean along with brightly colored metal seating along with large windows and nice artwork. Upon entering you will find all the Balco Express offerings posted upon video screens featuring item, picture, description and pricing. Simple, straightforward (and no mention of Empinadas) But,... one can indulge in delicious street style Tacos (chicken, beef, pork, chorizo and veggie) Tortas, Burritos (as well as a mini burrito which is larger than expected). There are also Bowls, meal combos and sides. But the big attraction was something totally new to us.. Pupusas!  These are a filled thick griddle cake or flatbread from El Salvador and Honduras, made with cornmeal or rice flour and in El Salvador, it has been declared the national dish and even  has a specific day to celebrate it. Pupusas at Balcon Express feature fillings such as bean, cheese, pork (or all combined), or veggie which we tried consisting of a hot gooey spinach cheese concoction that was grilled to a brown crispness and totally amazing. Pupusas are also served with a side of Curtido which is a Salvadorian version of a cabbage slaw which has a tangy palate cleansing effect but also delivers a bit of heat which pairs well with the fried Papusa.Everything is super fresh and made to order so don't expect instant eats like McDonalds, but sit down, enjoy the ambiance, have a soda (or complimentary chilled water.. nice), and know your food will be some of the freshest and most authentic local El Salvadorian food to be found as well as being prepared and served by some of the nicest...

Omg. What a gem. I totally wish this place was here when my husband lived 5 minutes away 😭 I was able to order takeout which was a little confusing, but I eventually figured it out (use google). I got 4 pupusas (bean and cheese/ pork and cheese) with the slaw and red salsa oh my gosssh. To die for. These tasted just like the ones my aunt used to make when I was little and would visit her in Cali. I was skeptical when I saw the slaw because it was a different color than I’m used to (the slaw I see usually looks like coleslaw but still is pickled and has a kick to it), this one was pink but man did they prove me wrong. Even the slaw tasted the same!! I also got my husband the mini pork burrito which he said was so delicious so yay. As soon as I arrived, I was instantly greeted by this very kind gal, their bathroom is so cool, I’ve never seen a bathroom with a sliding door! It was very clean too which I appreciated. The whole restaurant is so so cute, small so not much space for a lot of people to eat there but regardless, the food is absolutely amazing. I spent about $27 in total for 5 items. Very worth...

We found this restaurant on TikTok, so we decided to drive 30 mins to check it out on this past Saturday (10/19/24) We took the food home for dinner.

My wife & daughter had the mini steak burrito. Later on that night my wife started to fill sick throughout the night. My daughter started to fill sick as well, and on the same night my ( 5 year old ) daughter started vomiting and experiencing diarrhea all throughout the night . My wife started to experience the same similar symptoms as my daughter the very next morning. They both ate the same type of meal , which it was the steak mini burrito.

This is definitely a case of cross contamination and also mishandling of food from this restaurant which is very dangerous . This is unacceptable and to witness my wife and daughter go through these type of suffering symptoms, it definitely has me regretting coming to this restaurant.

To the future customers that’s thinking about coming here for yourself or bringing your family… Please be careful especially with a restaurant that cross contamination or proper handling of food...