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Balompie Cafe
Category: Restaurants Latin American Latin American [Edit]
3349 18th St(between Van Ness Ave & Capp St)
San Francisco, CA 94110
Neighborhood: Mission
(415) 648-9199
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 8 am - 9:30 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
347 reviews for Balompie Cafe
Review Highlights
"Loved loved loved my $3.50 pupusas here."
(in 224 reviews)
"I love the deep fried yuca and the orchata."
(in 18 reviews)
"I usually eat the loroco con queso pupusa or just beans and..."
(in 7 reviews)
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346 reviews in English
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Review from Caralisa L.
San Francisco, CA
2/4/2012 1 photo
I came here a pupusa virgin a few years ago after seeing it on 7x7's Try Before You Die List (which Balompie consistently places on, year after year). The pupusas are so delectable that I don't get them anywhere else but here! I usually throw my calorie caution to the wind and order the chorizo and cheese pupusas (yea, I told you I go all out). The complexity is what I'm a sucker for...you have the tartness from the curtido, and richness from the chorizo and cheese, which is balanced by the salsa and the doughiness of the masa! They have ran out of chorizo and cheese pupusas when I came for dinner once though. And when you order to go, they give you more than enough curtido in a Ziploc bag!
My boyfriend's had their chicken enchiladas and the sauce they put on them makes you want to lick your plate clean! I'm glad none of the waitresses bat a single eyelid at the sight of me when I'm at Balompie: an Asian girl who adores their Salvadorean pupusas! -
Review from Diana O.
San Francisco, CA
1/23/2012
I'm so glad that this is a strictly Salvadorean place and not one of those Mexican/Salvadorean places. Perhaps those are good, but I can just imagine some clueless person ordering a burrito and not being impressed when maybe what they SHOULD have gotten were pupusas revueltas. Can people back off of burritos in general please? There's so much more to Mexican than that! I digress...
You can't have a discussion about Salvadorean places without talking about pupusas. It would be like a discussion about a Southern restaurant without talking about their fried chicken. In addition to the more traditional pupusas of cheese, pork, and/or beans, they've got specialty ones that would raise some eyebrows in the old country. Spinach, mushroom, carrot and cheese? Whatever. I stay traditional. Never disappointed. I recommend pairing them with the salsa and curtido (quick pickled cabbage and carrot) to cut the richness.
I've also had the yucca with chicharron, chicken pasteles, and empanadas. These empanadas are made with a fried plantain exterior and filled with either refried beans or a milk custard. I prefer the custard.
The horchata here has a texture that can read as gritty I guess if you didn't grow up with it. To me horchata SHOULD have texture. Try it! You might like it! They always have it on hand in addition to another beverage. In the past it's been tamarindo--a sweet-sour cloudy tamarind drink, or chan--a citrusy bright red drink with flax seeds.
Take a break from all those burritos you've been eating in the Mission and come here sometime. -
Review from Liz Z.
1/12/2012
maybe i don't have the affinity to Salvadoran food or my taste buds were whack the day we had lunch here, but i was not impressed by the food and feel crestfallen that i chose this place amongst all the other places we could have gone in the Mission District.
i had the orchata drink, the yuca frita (fried yuca) con pescaditos (anchovies fried) with the side of empanadas con frijol (fried plantains filled with beans). the yuca entree was okay, the drink was gritty, and the plantains filled with the refried beans made me almost heave. i was disappointed, since i've had Salvadoran food before and it was tasty. my only reprieve from the nausea was the futból game they were showing on the tv. -
Review from Sara D.
San Francisco, CA
Updated - 2/11/2012
Phenomenal. Every person I bring here agrees it is simply delicious.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/31/2010
WOW! Great pupusas, great yuca, great spot.
Affordable and open early earns it the five star rating.… Read more »
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Review from Andreia G.
San Francisco, CA
1/11/2012
Why did I come back to this spot again?
Our orders:
I orded the carne asada with casamiento. The steak was flavorless but the casamiento was tasty.
My coworkers ordered yuca with chicharron and 2 pupusas. I tried their dishes and neither was anything special. I am not a fan of pupusas so I cannot judge them but the chicharron was dry.
The prices are high for what you get. Also, it takes forever to get your food. Definitely not coming back. -
Review from Angela L.
11/27/2011
PUPUSAS:
1.) Spinach = Yum, I liked this. Simple, but I like my cheese.
2.) Pork = This was good. Dun remember what I'd compare to, but it reminds me of something else familiar. Will verify next time.
3.) Seafood = Meh. Good but not as good as the other two above!
SERVICE:
Not bad...
ATMOSPHERE:
Casual.... -
Review from Mayra L.
San Francisco, CA
11/23/2011 1 Check-in Here
My coworkers are obsessed with Balompie...like OBSESSED. They love this place.
So one night, as my GF and I hungrily approached Yamo's and caught the dinner rush hours. We watched the growing line of Hipsters and foodies and decided to duck out.
OK, onto Gracias Madre. Well, after walking in and being greeted by a four person LOUD mariachi( I mean loud). I told her I had a better idea. I knew that Balompie was down the block and we decided why not?
I'm soo soo glad we did. We walked in to a crowded restaurant, with a communal seating arrangement down the middle. We were seated at a table in corner and served with water and two really sweet waitresses who quickly served with wine and cola champagne (an El Salvadorian soda that tastes like bubblegum). We both ordered the 2 pupusas and casimiento. I got the super vegetarian as well as the cheese and beans and so did my friend.
The food was freakin delicious. I mean, I've had pupusas before, but Balompies blew the others outta the water. They were perfectly fried, and they gave you little bowls for you to but your own condiments on (very nice) and the portions where big.
We left, there stuffed, a little tipsy (well at least I was) and so ready to bring friends next time.
TIP: Try the casimiento with the pupusas. So good. Also heard the yucca fries here are delicious. -
Review from Blondie R.
Alamo, CA
12/11/2011
The pupusas were good. I had the loroco con queso(Salvadoran vegetables with cheese) and the zucchini pupusas. The curtido(Latin American cole slaw) and salsa were also good. The horchata was OK. It's not fancy, but the service was great and it was very reasonably priced. It's a short walk from the 16th and Mission Bart station. Ok, I saw the review about the cockroaches. Hey, did you know that some female cockroaches get pregnant and stay pregnant for life? And you think you have problems?? Well, the place looked clean and I didn't see any cucarachas. If I could have seen a nice big fat pregnant one, I would have given them 5 stars!
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Review from Andrew W.
This is my favorite pupusa place. But, it only gets 4 stars because arepas are better and because as good as they are pupusas are not 5 star worthy food. Kind of like when you watch gymnastics and the gymnast has a lower score because of lower degree of difficulty.
Actually, the chicharron and fried yucca is my favorite dish here. I would skip the sweet corn tamal. It is a bit flavorless.
This place feels like a sports bar in latin america. small wood tables. small flat screen tvs playing soccer. banners for soccer teams. but, the place is filed with white hipsters as are most places in the mission. so much bad facial hair and plastic-framed glasses. you know it is no longer ironic if everyone is doing it!
This place is not crowded and the service is friendly. but, not terribly attentive. We waited quite a while for the check to arrive. I noticed because we were trying to get somewhere. -
Review from Sarah D.
10/6/2011
Balompie Cafe has made my life miserable... miserable because I live so damn far away and I can't eat their pupusas whenever I want!
For years my husband had raved to me about this little El Salvadorean restaurant in San Francisco that he said made _the_ best home-made pupusas. He claimed it was so authentic that the menu was entirely in Spanish. Now, I always take what he says with a grain of salt, but the last time we were in San Francisco he took me and a few friends to Balompie Cafe, and I've got to say it was worth the hype.
For only a few bucks a pop, the pupusas were outstanding. I tried two: the fish and the prosciutto. While both were great, the fish pupusa was my personal fave. I wish I were eating one right now. (It's totally reasonable to buy a $400 round-trip flight to get one, right? Riiight?)
Not only was the food great, but the staff were all lovely as well. They were very patient with us while my entire table desperately tried to narrow down our options, which took a little work. And who could blame us? I'm sure everything is excellent.
One final note, their menu is NOT all in Spanish. That grain of salt was warrented after all. -
Review from Claire b.
Nob Hill, San Francisco, CA
1/7/2012
Loroco con queso pupusa is so good. I love how they give you such a generous amount of the pickled cabbage condiment to eat with it.
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Review from Ben S.
Brooklyn, NY
11/12/2011
Only stayed in the Bay Area for a week - and not even in San Francisco - but this place was so good that we had to go twice.
Everything was tasty and fresh, the service was prompt and friendly, and the soccer memorabilia gave it a distinctive character. I recommend the papusas, of course. There are some great vegetarian options here. Oh, and it's a great value: a filling dinner + tip for just under 10 dollars. -
Review from Blake B.
12/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
I've been turned on to pupusas by a friend's family of mine and have loved them ever since my first bite so I was curious how they would be in a restaurant. Obviously they weren't as good as homemade but they were pretty close and very good. We ordered three different kinds and all were delicious although I think I ate my weight in cheese there. The staff was very friendly and it was pretty inexpensive as well.
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Review from Natalie Y.
San Jose, CA
1/29/2012
I'd give them a 4.5 if I could. I had 3 different types of pupusas (pork and cheese, spinach, and el salvadorian vegetables). They were all greasy and good though it was pickled cabbage and spicey carrots that added a great touch. I also had a side of fried plantains with sour cream. The food is quality and comforting and the atmosphere is friendly and inviting. Also, I'm not much for sports on tv while I'm eating. I might not return but I'd recommend it to a friend looking for good pupusas.
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Review from Jocie M.
San Francisco, CA
12/31/2011
Brought friends here 3 times, and everyone's always satisfied.
Finding new papusas to like each time, top 3:
Chorizo and Cheese
Super Vegetarian
Shrimp and Cheese
Heard mixed reviews of the Mixed Beans and Cheese, 1 friend found it dry and kinda eh, another liked it.
Always happy with the plantains.
A side order is good to share amongst 4, it's 1 plantain per side and cut up into about 8-10 pieces ($3.75). The breakfast plantain plate is 1 plantain with beans, cheese and sour cream for dipping - for double the price of the side ($7.75).
A lot of people order the Horchata, typically a milk and cinnamon drink. I think Balompie adds a little bit of chocolate and my friend described it well as "Mexican Ovaltine" which is still good, a little different from other Horchata. -
Review from Courtney S.
San Ramon, CA
8/15/2011 1 Check-in Here
As the name suggests, they are really into football (soccer) at this restaurant. I opted for the whole fried tilapia instead of the famous pupusas. The fish came with mixed vegetables and seasoned rice. I think I liked the sides even more than the fish, and the fish was just that good! I had an orchata -- which was delicious, the fish was to die for, and the service was great.
My only complaint has nothing to do with the restaurant really. Dude, what's up with that parking situation? :-) -
Review from NAEL K.
San Francisco, CA
1/19/2012
so far the best salvadoran food if the mission although la santaneca is hard to beat , loroco pupusas did the job , really amazing also had a chicken stew that had an amazing sauce and i have to say they do make the best beans in the whole city if i am not mistaken , really good spot
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Review from Nilu r.
San Francisco, CA
9/11/2011
I love Salvadorean food. I am on a mission to try all the Salvadorean places in SF...which brought me to Balompie yesterday. I had the Lengua encebollada and it was tender, delicious, perfectly cooked, but just a little under-seasoned so that I had to douse it with hot sauce. The tortillas were also tasty but just a tad too thick for my taste. Still though I ate both of them even though they are off limits on my low carb diet!
The place it bustling and crowded at lunch time so you dont end up getting a lot of attention but that is ok since soccer was on and as I waited for my food, I watched some good Mexican soccer...
I would come back here and try the pupusas very soon. -
Review from Stef S.
9/4/2011
Let me start off by saying that I LOVE Salvadorean food.
The Mission is where it's at. Great authentic pupusas and orchatas for authentic prices. I don't want any of that overpriced fake crap that they serve in fancy schmancy Latin-food restaurants. I want the real stuff. Homemade tortillas. Homemade pupusas. Everyone speaks Spanish, and the place is packed with locals. I enjoyed the vegetarian one (zucchini, mushrooms, carrots, etc), but my faves were the shrimp and cheese one and the ground beef and cheese ones.
Balompie is small. You may have to wait a while before being seated, but for $2.50/$3.50 per pupusa, you can't beat the price. I opted for the 2 pupusas + rice/beans combination for $8.50 with a $2.75 orchata. Salvadorean orchatas are a little different from the Mexican ones. They taste like a lighter version of chocolate milk, and they're made from morro seeds (instead of rice), cocoa, cinnamon, sesame seeds, etc. (Thanks, wikipedia!). Delish.
My friend enjoyed her chicken enchilada with rice/beans plate, which came with a salad and two homemade tortillas, accompanying cabbage and a spicy red sauce.
Good luck finding parking. But such is life in SF.
Great service. Great prices. Great, authentic food.
If you're looking for a pretentious place, this is not for you.
EDIT: Originally a four star review turned two stars. My friend found a bug in her food. That generally makes for a 1-star review, but given the quality of the food and the fact that I haven't had any problems, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt. -
Review from Stephanie C.
San Francisco, CA
Being half Salvadorean, I'm definitely no stranger to pupusas. I used to go grab some all the time with my dad when I was little. It had literally been years since I've had GOOD pupusas until recently when I went with my cousins.
I ended up ordering the plato tipico, which comes with two pupusas of your choice - I had the queso pupusas - refried beans, and rice. The pupusas were thick and cheesy, not oily at all. The rice and beans were just okay to me, but I enjoyed everything as a whole. The salsa and cabbage are a MUST to put on top! You'll love it ;) After, we all shared two plates of empanadas. YUM! They were warm and sweet and the perfect ending to our dinner.
Balompie is on the smaller side, so there isn't tons of seating. Come early or be prepared to wait and/or sit with other people.
I'll definitely be back! -
Review from Ziru C.
Albany, CA
7/30/2011
I'd just learned about pupusas and I was so excited to try them. This was the first place I got to try them and definitely a great intro to 'em.
When you get them on a plate, it doesn't look like a lot of food, but it is incredibly filling. I got a pupusa, yuca, and pastel (corn pie) in the Salvadorean sampler plate, which I thought would be a nice try-a-little-of-everything meal. Everything was tasty and flavorful.
I've gotten to try their different pupusa offerings on multiple occasions: chicharrones y queso, Mejicana, chorizo y queso, espinaca y queso, and camaron y queso. I think I liked the spinach one the best.
I have grown to love Salvadorian orchata. It is delicious, and almost has a chocolate taste to it. It has a richer flavor that Mexican horchata. Yum!
Great food at great prices with friendly service. -
Review from Vanessa S.
San Francisco, CA
8/10/2011
I've been coming here for a while. The food is made to order, which means you'll be waiting a long time for your food. The quality is authentic Salvadorean Cuisine. Its not for those on a strict diet. You leave this place feeling stuffed. The food is excellent, affordable and comforting.
The Service how ever is questionable. Very casual, not refined or very attentive for that matter. But its a neighborhood, family owned restaurant and there's really no need for such pretentiousness! -
Review from Fran C.
Daly City, CA
11/5/2011
Best pupusas I've tasted in a long while! Thanks to my friend's birthday, they decided to have pupusas that evening. I'm in love! They ordered tons of pupusas in variety of flavors. I loved them all! Their cabbage slaw is very delicious (I'm usually not a fan of slaw). Their yucca fries was good but I've tasted better (hence the 4 stars). Chicharrón too was great! It's not the normal crunchy chicharrón you see in the stores cause it's very meaty but it was still great! It actually reminded me of Lechon Kawali. Oh sooo bad but soooo yummy good! =)
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Review from Aditi R.
11/8/2011
Solid food, awesome friendly and efficient staff, and a very nice, cozy authentic atmosphere. And if you're a soccer fan, then it's a plus because balompie means soccer and there's always a game playing on their tv here!
That's Balompie for you. My inner fatty in the past few days is going overboard wanting to try as many different places as I can. So I've been channeling that by picking places that are a bargain. And wow, is this place a bargain!
My roommate and I decided to basically try all that they're known for. So we two combination plates that combined 3 types of pupusas, plaintains, yuca, pastel, arroz, and frijoles with orders of an orchata and cantaloupe juice. What is a pupusa you ask? Good question. Wikipedia says, "A pupusa is a traditional Salvadoran dish made of thick, hand-made corn tortilla that is usually filled with a blend of cheese, cooked pork meat ground to a paste consistency, refried beans , or queso con loroco (loroco is a vine flower bud from Central America). I left the last parenthetical because we had no idea what loroco was. Now we do. Yay wikipedia!
Pupusas are kind of like arepas. Except they do taste slightly different. Balompie makes them fresh and you can really taste the cheese. The toppings were the vegetables we ordered in the pupusa (our order for pupusas were the loroco y queso, pescado y queso, and the super vegetariana). My favorite was the super vegetariana - simply because of the fillings. But really all are incredibly tasty and at about $3 bucks a pop for a pupusa, you're in for a treat! On to the yuca - ah fried goodness. I could eat these all day long. So crunch, tasty, and perfectly seasoned. Loved it. The plaintains were soft, chewy, and not overly sweet. Absolutely perfect. The orchata required a little getting used to as I am not an immediate fan of really sweet drinks. But it grew on me. And for those who don't know what an orchata is - made from morro seeds, not rice. Other common ingredients include ground cocoa, cinnamon, sesame seeds, nutmeg, tigernuts and vanilla. Finally the cantaloupe juice was good, slightly watered down, but still good.
Finally, the service is great. You can hear mostly spanish at this place but they can tell who's new and who can't speak spanish pretty accurately. And the service accommodates that very well.
And the final bill for all that food?! $28 with tip. Boom. I'm a happy happy girl. Thank you Balompie. You've got a repeat customer! -
Review from Mitch A.
Updated - 11/7/2011
Had brunch here yesterday. Good, solid, fresh food. Their horchata I think is the best in the city, not too sweet and very fresh and tasty. Try their breakfast specials. Lots of people were eating the Menudo but I'm not that adventurous.. The cheese pupusas were great as well.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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6/14/2008
Tasty Salvadorian food. I had 3 different Pupusa's and the one with shrimp was the best! I ordered… Read more »
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Review from Beth W.
San Francisco, CA
5/14/2011
Friends of ours recommended this place months ago. I'm not sure why it took so long to visit. Oh, yeah -- because a dinner of carbs stuffed with cheese is something I reserve for rare occasions. :)
Pupusas are so good, but when prepared fresh and to your specifications, they're out of this world. The pupusas at Balompie came to our table fresh, hot, firm on the outside, soft on the inside and filled with melted cheese. One was spinach and cheese and the other was ground pork and cheese. I would have loved a little more spinach in mine, but I'm OK with the idea that pupusas aren't going to be health food, no matter how much curtido you put on top.
Since we didn't want to turn our evening into a total pupusa-fest, we also ordered entrees. My man had camarones in garlic sauce, and I had them in tomato sauce. The dish came with plenty of prawns. The tomato sauce was flavorful without being overpowering. The plates were heaped with rice and we also got little side salads -- with lettuce that was actually green and tomatoes that were actually red, which is kind of rare for a Latin American restaurant.
The service was friendly and prompt, and the place has a very authentic feel -- there were older Latino guys watching futbal on the television while younger diners scarfed their pupusas. And the prices are totally reasonable. This isn't a super romantic date spot (the place is pretty loud), but the food and service make up for it. -
Review from Cat C.
I've been craving pupusas for awhile so I knew I had to drag bf to Mission to get some! I've heard so much about Balompie because it's been on the 7x7 list so we decided to head over to this location. Oh Mission how I love how you make parking such a pain in the ass for us! After about 15 minutes of circling around we finally got lucky with a spot across the street.
FIrst thing I noticed upon entering is how cramped the seating is. We ended up sitting at the semi communal table (bunch of tables connected together). This place is on the smaller side and was packed on a Sunday afternoon. He and I both ordered a shrimp and cheese pupusa ($3.95), he also got a sausage & cheese one ($3.95) & I chose a traditional cheese and pork one ($2.95) for my second. The wait for the pupusas were a little longer than other places we've been to but they were so yummy! He liked the shrimp one the best while I liked the pork and cheese one the most! They were big and had plenty of cheese oozing out. The curtido and hot sauce added the finishing touches to them.
Prices here are slightly higher for pupusas and the place is packed, but definitively worth it if you're craving a pupusa while in Mission.Listed in: Cheap A$$-ness!
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Review from Peter S.
San Francisco, CA
11/18/2011
This is my pupusa spot! Love this joint. I usually get the pupusa plate, which comes with two pupusas of your choice, rice, and refried beans. You get your little bowls of cortido and hot sauce on the side and then proceed to go to town. It's delicious. I love the atmosphere too. It's a family restaurant and the crowd is always a great mix of folks, young and old. The waitstaff is so friendly and welcoming, especially if you have questions about the menu. Balompie is just a warm and friendly place. I wish I could crawl inside a pupusa and eat my way out.
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Review from Carlo M.
San Francisco, CA
1/8/2012
I can't recommend this place. Place was rather packed on a Sunday afternoon, and the locals seem to like it. Honestly, the food was bad, mostly because the ingredients were poor, and the pounds of salt used by the cook could not hide that. No reasons to go back.
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Review from Anna T.
5/27/2011
Not sure why this is on the 7x7 list. That list is seriously letting me down all the time. But when I can't think of what kind of food to try, my friends and I default to the list to try something new. ugh.
I really like papusas, but this place was just okay. And you have to get two papusas per flavor, so it's really difficult to find room in your stomach to try more than one flavor by yourself. But thankfully, you don't really need to try more than one flavor because the excessive cheese overpowers most of the flavor anyway.
The variety is nice. I enjoyed the zucchini and fish papusas, but the cheese in both was excessive. I appreciate that this place has nice service, but then again most of the places in that general area have to be attentive otherwise they wouldn't survive. Probably won't go back here unless I have a ridiculous papusa craving. But even then, I think Planto in Berkeley is better. -
Review from rahul c.
San Francisco, CA
11/20/2011
Really good salvadorian food. I had chicken enchiladas which were excellent and the popusas looked awesome. Added benefit is that it is good for your spanish as nearly everyone esta hablando español.
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Review from Lauren K.
San Francisco, CA
4/18/2011
This was my first experience eating a Papusa and I have to say... I am in love. I tried their super vegetarian and the bean/cheese Papusa and they were both amazing. We shared a side of fried plaintains and empanada's and we were stuffed to the gills. The price it totally right and the servers are quick and happy to be there.
If you're looking for a long lingering meal with lots of ambiance, this is not the place for you. Come when you're ready to throw down and move on with your day. -
Review from Marissa H.
San Francisco, CA
6/5/2011
These pupusas are wonderful! 2 order min for both regular & specialty. Reg are $2.50 each & special are $3.50 each so not the cheapest pupusas in town.
Pupusa w/ loroco - A+. Not sure what type of veggie loroco is, but it's yummy. A bit tart/bitter, it pairs so well w/ the melted, gooey cheese & grilled corn shell.
Pupusa w/ zucchini - A+. Not a lot of zucchini in it, but enough to offer a flavoring to the cheese & corn shell.
The cabbage slaw was delicious - shredded cabbage w/ a lite spiciness...I'm a spice-wuss & this was perfect. I topped both pupusas with all of the slaw & wanted more at the end (no, I didn't ask for more!). The red sauce (hot sauce?) is more on the jalapeno/spicy side so I only drizzled it on top of pupusa/cabbage mixture but the sauce added a different zip/hotness to the dish not gotten when eaten w/o it.
I stayed away from the cut veggies brought as my waitress warned me they were "very spicy"...I saw the jalapeno seeds layered on top of the carrots/cauliflower/jalapeno pepper mix & said, no thank you!
Horchata is made fresh there daily & it's for real. Soooo good, & I'm not usually a fan b/c it's too watery. But this was just right...a bit sweet, not overly watery or gritty. I think I had the best lunch of pupusas & horchata I've ever had! And all for under $10!
$10 min for credit card charges, otherwise cash.
The restaurant obviously knows what they're doing. I used to live in the area & the place was always packed. It was like that today as well w/ Latinos, Americans & everyone in between having a sit-down meal or takeout. In the words of Arnold... "I'll be back". -
Review from tara d.
San Jose, CA
8/22/2011 1 Check-in Here
I love this place they have two locations both are always busy. Its a good sign when places are busy and have their own native people coming in to eat. The food is close to authentic home cooking. I grew up eating food from E.S. and I can say its been one of the closest to grandmas cooking. The service is good and they have reasonable prices. We go out of our way to eat here when we are in the city. I even order to go with a dozen pupusas because its that goooood!
check it out I recommend it! -
Review from Claudia L.
San Francisco, CA
10/31/2011
Best pupusas on the market. Add some beans, and you are set! They make their pupusas extra chessy, their beans extra delicious, and quick service. I love their empanadas de pollo too!
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Review from Anish B.
San Francisco, CA
6/23/2011
Good to come grab a bite with a large-ish group. I stopped by here for a pre bday bar hop 'lets fill up so we can drink more' stop.
Its a pretty chill place, not somewhere you want to bring out of towners to, but somewhere you can come hang with your buddies. Not a good first date spot. You get the idea. -
Review from Ziyan C.
5/25/2011 6 photos
Overall disappointing! My favorite food blog TastingTable recommended this but I felt like Ive had way better Latin American food. Probably the best was the fried yuca, but the pupusa especially werent that great at all.
* Fried Yuca, with Chicharrón / Pork, $8.75
- Perfectly crunchy outer layer, soft steaming inside.
- Pork also cooked fairly well on outside but more tender on the inside
- Flavor wise a little plan but the salsa goes perfect with everything
* Pupusa
* Frijoles / Beans $2.50
* Chorizo y Queso / Sausage & Cheese
- both skimpy on fillings, and dough was really thin, don't get a nice soft fluffy bread that blends in with the filling.
- lacking in flavor, had to have it with salsa -
Review from Kurt B.
San Francisco, CA
7/17/2011
o Homey, relaxing atmosphere with equal parts local regulars and visitors. Check.
o Great prices. Check.
o Fun, friendly, and efficient service. Check.
o Amazingly tasty foodies? So freakin check. -
Review from Ai S.
Bay Area
7/14/2011 1 Check-in Here
I came here to fuel up before my dance class at ODC. The minute I walked in, I wanted to skip the class, order some beers and food, and watch soccer with the locals. Had a veggie and also a pork papusa, which were made fresh. They smelled great, but unfortunately, it took so long that I only managed to gobble down half of one before my class. The rest, I ate afterwards, and they are not very good cold.
Not the fairest review, so I will have to check it out again and sit down to enjoy over beers and good company. -
Review from Emily C.
4/1/2011
Very very very tasty.
Definitely get a few pupusas. (If you haven't ever had pupusas, be sure to put some of each of the bowls of condiments that come on the side on top of your pupusa.) I wasn't impressed with the fried yucca or the horchata, but the Salvadorian style steak we ordered was delicious.
So yeah, there are a couple things on the menu that I didn't love, but I still loved Balompie.
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