El Balazo

It’s a strange feeling coming into a big restaurant and yet it’s like it’s being catered. You stand in line and order your food from a line of women behind a cafeteria style counter.
I ordered Combo #2, Chile Relleno with a Cheese Enchilada. I was mostly disappointed when she slopped my enchilada on a plate then walked over and microwaved it. I thought, «Well that ruins it».
The Relleno was tough. Which I guess means under cooked. Not to mention lacking in flavor. My son liked the whole beans my mom got.
Everything tasted like bad catered Mexican food.
The restaurant itself is cavernous. After you order your food you go find your own seat. There is a bar perched in the center slightly higher than the seating areas situated around it.
Some of the Mexican catholic dogma artifacts on the walls are interesting. Everything seemed dingy and sad and covered with a layer of grease.
I don’t think I’ll be back again. There’s so many other better Mexican food options out there.

My understanding is that El Balazo has been sold to new ownership due to an array of problems. I forgot what their new name is, but I came here last week with my parents for dinner.
I ordered a Super Burrito with Carnitas and it was very good. It was creamy from the avocado and sour cream, the pork was very savory and flavorful. It wasn’t too salty or bland. It was enjoyable. My sister ordered 5 tacos of different meats (carne asada, chicken, chile verde) and they all had a huge portion of meat. Their bar had happy hour or something and my dad got a margarita for $ 5.
Service was friendly and we got our food made on the spot and pretty quick. Paying took a couple minutes though because the cook was working all the positions.
Overall it was a good experience so I hope their problems are behind them. The burrito was a little less than $ 9 which is kind of expensive, but they do give you free chips with delicious salsa which is always a plus.
Give them a try!

Food is good but is pricey. I paid almost $ 10.00 for a bean and cheese burrito with some carne asada. I think I’d rather go to a taco truck next time I get a bean and cheese burrito craving.

I used to love El Balazo. Now that I have to watch the waistline, and can’t eat a 1200 calorie burrito for lunch, I have switched to tacos. I’ve noticed the quality of food isn’t great. The carnitas is marginal, the mole is even worse. Grilled chicken is pretty good.
The service is always slow. Unlike some others, I like the quirky old location, although I wish the exterior patio was dog-​accessible.
I was spoiled by living near the SF Mission district for a spell. Dublin is a wasteland when it comes to good Mexican food. I smell a business opportunity!

My husband loves their Chile Rellenos and i really like their fish tacos. For Pleasanton, they are really good; but definitely nothing compared to the authentic taquerias in the Mission/​Valencia district of San Francisco.
Nonetheless, I’m a fan of this place, given the other options. haha :)

I went there for the first time and regretted going there for food. I got a basic burrito (cheese, sour cream, chicken, rice, and black beans) and it was barely edible; the cheese wasn’t melted at all and each bite was salty. My fiancé got the chile relleno and he said the cheese was hard and it looked like it had been sitting at the counter for weeks. According to him, the pico de gallo was the best tasting item on his place. For the $ 20 I spent, I should’ve gone to La Piñata in San Leandro.
The bar gets 2 stars. How could it be that I was at a Mexican taqueria/​bar and fruit-​flavored margaritas weren’t available?! That was a bigger disappointment beyond the food. At least my pineapple and vodka drinks were $ 5 each.
I would not return regardless of how drunk or hungry I would be. Next time I’m in the mood for Mexican and if I’m in the area, I’ll go to Taco Bell (no joke).

Awesome burritos and the beer is cold too. But this is not the style family restaurant, it’s more a boys go get a burrito and beer type restaurant. I’ll go back for a carne asada burrito and cold corona.

Is it the best Mexican food? Naw. Is it a solid place for lunch or a quick burrito you are craving? Absolutely.
Pleasanton seems to be baron of any quality Mexican food — I have only found one place that approached El Bolazo.
The prices are reasonable, you get to watch the person make your burrito and stop them from throwing a spoonful of something you don;t want in there, a phobia of mine every time. Plus they have lunch specials and happy hour deals. Plus lots of TVs.

My first 1 star review. I hate doing it, but I feel it’s my duty to report how this solo star was rightfully earned.
I came here only because my other two El Balazos were closed (both in San Ramon, what a sad sad day it was too). I didn’t think anything of it, you been to one, two El Balazos, you’d think they’d all be the same. That’s what I get for assuming. Yes I was the ass. Never ever again. They didn’t have: Chile Rellenos (my sole reason for going), Jarritos, or Flan. WTH? They had the NERVE to charge me $ 2 for an Arizona tea which everyone knows and even if you don’t it SAYS SO ON THE CAN is $.99, and the food we did order was not good; tasteless and salty and way over-​priced. Oh, and the normally complimentary chips and salsa with the order were «extra». Pfffsshhhh.
I wish they woulda kept «my» El Balazos open and closed THIS one down.

It’s good, but I’ve gotten tired of it.
For a town with all Spanish street names, you’d expect to find some good comida auténtica. Pleasanton is actually rather disappointing when it comes to finding good Mexican. (Maybe I got spoiled from living in Santa Cruz for 4 years). But El Balazo might be the best Pleasanton has to offer, and it’s really not half bad.
Let’s break it down. HUGE (possibly overpriced) burritos. Unique menu items like cactus burritos can make this a memorable experience. Fully stocked salsa bar to spice up your dish. Fun atmosphere with full bar. I’m not a sports fan, but if you are, I could see spending an afternoon watching the game and throwing back tequila shots while snacking on delicious nachos.
When I’m in Pleasanton and want good Mexican, I go to El Balazo. When I don’t want to spent 9 dollars for a burrito, I go somewhere else.

I do not venture out past the east bay hills to the TRI-​city region much, I typically saunter around the peninsula, silicon valley and the east bay. But me and the wife were invited by some good friends to San Ramon, your typical suburban town and we were asked what type of restaurant we would like to go to?
Now every Unilocaler who has read my reviews knows I am not the guy for the fast food chain restaurants, when I’m out of town, I want to GO LOCAL! Give me some of your homemade, hometown tasty goodies to get me to travel back across the hills.
So, I replied, I haven’t had any really good Mexican food in a while, is their a local place we could try? We were taken to El Balazo.
El Balazo, the building itself, was pretty bad, the place was old, deteriorating inside, dirty and just looked like it needed some serious remodeling. Now, in saying that, I have had awesome food from places that looked like it belonged in a Brazillian Ghetto, unfortunalty El Balazo’s food tasted as gross as it looked.
I had a chicken burrito, from the steam table… yeh…a steam table. A steam table is ok when your feeding 500 people and the food is turning over very 5 minutes, not so good when it’s turning over every 5 days. Took one bite, put it down and started drinking cocktails. I gave this place 1 star because they have a full bar to help you forget the food your eating. My wife had the Nachos, or should I say the lackluster Nachos with the same steam table food plus «canned cheese».
Anyway, let’s just say, I love my San Ramon friends, not trilled with their Mexican food. I think we’ll bring them back over the hill for some good Mexican food next time.

Yeah, had the super chile relleno carnitas burrito. Really good, BUT total price for a burrito with a few chips: $ 9.88.
I wish they would clean their salsa bar more often.
The choice is yours, but I think my next burrito will be from the other local Mexican joints in the area. Olé!!!

Just read that all of the El Balazo locations (except S.F.) have abruptly closed.

The ambiance is interesting — the full bar in this place takes center stage. It’s a little dim, but nice enough to eat inside. We’ve only placed phone orders and picked up. They actually don’t provide waiter service; you order your food at the counter and find a place to sit.
Regarding the food, I have friends that swear by this place and I also have friends that say «eh…» As for me, I feel that it’s good enough to hit up once in a while because their portions are awesomely large. Their super burritos have the diameter of a large softball and are about 8″ long. They’re filled with meat, beans, guac, sour cream, rice, cheese, and salsa. Their ingredients are fresh but the thing that withholds my accolades is the fact that their carnitas are seriously under-​seasoned; it’s quite disappointing. Of course, if you smother it with enough salsa, it boosts the flavor factor a bit. To me, the perfect burrito is everything their super burrito is (minus beans) with slightly greasy, moist, super-​flavorful carnitas. They miss the mark, but not by that much which is why I say this place is «A-​OK.»
chicken, flavorful. beef, not seasoned, but fresh and tender. pretty good!

Hmm this place is weird inside. Kinda divey but huge, with a big bar in the middle.
Carnitas were god but bland. Everything could have used salt.
The burritos are huge, this place is better than the little Mexican place behind it.
So far no Mexican place is impressing me by work.

A telltale sign that you’re not eating 100% authentic Mexican food is when you spot the word «burrito» on the menu. But, I’ll let it slide because El Balazo does get really durn close to the real thing!
When I eat here I almost always get the taco platter. It’s never been bad, the portions are always plentiful, and the salsas you get (at the salsa bar) are good. The food is always fresh and orders are made right in front of you.
One little bonus is that they have Mexican sodas in addition to the regular fountain drinks you see everywhere else. The Senorial is always a favorite of mine.
At this particular location they’ve got a big bar and even host karaōke and dj nights. If you’re from Pleasanton or familiar with it at all — it’s almost funny that this place almost converts to a club later at night. P-​towners know all about the zoning laws in the area and how bars and clubs are few and far between. So — for a while (at least when I lived in Pleasanton) this place was a bit of a hot spot. If you’re looking for a high school reunion while you eat — go here!

El Balazo sports the best and worst location for a restaurant; It’s situated right next to the entrance and exit ramps for Hopyard Rd., so it’s easily seen from the main street, but there isn’t a direct entrance-​way into El Balazo’s parking lot, as you have to make a u-​turn and go through Burger King’s parking lot just to park next to the restaurant…
Anyways, back to the cuisine. I was pleasantly surprised with the food at El Balazo. It’s expensive, since you’ll be paying about $ 8 for a burrito and $ 11 for a platter, but El Balazo has a value menu that has PLENTY of value. The value burrito (in your choice of meat) is not bad and comes with soda and chips/​salsa, for only $ 4.95. But I advise everyone to order the value taco salad, which is simply delicious. For $ 6.95, you get a good-​sized taco salad filled with whatever (carnitas, steak, chicken, etc.), sour cream, salsa, beans, rice, cheese, all the good stuff, in addition to soda and chips/​salsa… It’s almost chipotle-​esque in how they make the burritos and taco salads, and if you don’t feel like chipotle, El Balazo is a serviceable alternative, especially if you want more options alcohol-​wise…
As an aside, do not sit at any of the tables adjacent to the billiards table. When customers decide to play there’s a good chance you might get whacked in the back with someone’s follow through…

This location pisses me off — and I’ve been 3 times. Only 1 time have I actually ordered and gotten food.
There is a big neon flashing sign on it that says «open ’till 2 AM.» So, one would usually think that it’s safe to assume that it is open until 2 AM. Nope, it’s not. I remember once we went into the city and knew we’d get home after 12. We stopped by El Balazo at around 12:50/ 1 AM. Nope, closed…
Went there another time because the other location was closed. There was a sign where you ordered advertising their chicken soup. I ordered. «Sorry we’re out.» So I ended up getting a kid’s chicken something or rather. We also got a free burrito because the drunk behind us didn’t want tomatoes in his burrito because «he doesn’t like them» even though he piled them up on his new burrito at the salsa bar. The burrito was gross and was mostly beans and rice and could have fed 4 people.
Went there yesterday night at 11:30, there was a sign advertising chicken soup sitting on the order bar so I ordered that. They said, «sorry, it’s only made during the day.» Ummm… sign should be taken down then. I just walked out and didn’t order anything and decided just not to eat dinner.

Ok, this location used to be a great breakfast location, so I’l try to be unbias. This place isn’t very original. It’s super cheesy mexican design. The staff is cool, the food is ok, the drinks are beer.
If you’re looking for a place to go for mexican, venture to Dublin; if you’re looking for a bar, go next door to this place; if you want good food, go to Livermore.
If you must, go to meet and a drink, then go somewhere else to eat.
enjoy.

SOLID 3 stars.
The SF location holds a special place in my heart. When I read reviews on the road coming here, I was a little let down because I thought this location would have a higher rating.
We had a long day of snowboarding and all we wanted was a yummy burrito and a cold drink. This location is open until 2am! I was here on a rainy Sunday night (yesterday) and was happy to see some patrons inside.
We had the Carne Desabrada (shredded beef) platter with rice and beans a Mole Taco and margaritas. Everything was good. Margaritas weren’t strong but at $ 4 a pop, it was a good deal. This beat the bland over priced resort food in Tahoe!
Great bar set up, food is good and the best thing of all, they are open LATE! Make this your après ski burrito stop!