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Ballard is the north end's answer to Capitol Hill when it comes to edgy, innovative, and delicious dining. Restaurants have taken a cue from the beloved year-round farmers’ market (held every Sunday, rain or shine, from 10 to 3 along historic Ballard Avenue NW), and fresh produce, local ingredients, and top-notch quality are de rigueur here. There's sure a lot to choose from—savor anything from chewy slices at local pizza darling Delancey to pristine Northwest oysters at the Walrus and the Carpenter.
This steak house gives high-quality beef a Mexican accent. Barley-fed Australian Angus and American, Japanese, and Australian Wagyu hit the grill, while USDA Prime meat goes into tacos and tortas. The salsa bar and appetizers, including handmade guacamole, are fresh and flavorful. There's a strong wine list to go along with all the beef, and the bar stocks a superb selection of mezcals.
Ray's has a split personality: there's a fancy dinner-only dining room downstairs (reservations essential) and a casual café and bar upstairs. Both serve fresh seafood in classic preparations—clam chowder, steamed mussels, crab cakes, grilled salmon—but the main draw here is the view over Shilshole Bay. Competition can be stiff for seats on the café's deck, especially at happy hour. If you're going to splurge on dinner downstairs, reserve a window table.
A "Staple" at this glam Italian restaurant might mean spaghetti with clams or a grilled half chicken. But visitors looking for a special experience are best served by going "fancy"—settling in at their table in the exposed-brick dining room and choosing the chef's menu. Four courses are served family-style and change nightly—expect handmade pasta, something for the wood-fired grill, and a surprise or two.
