Get FREE email communications from Fodor's Travel, covering must-see travel destinations, expert trip planning advice, and travel inspiration to fuel your passion.
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.
This tiny café, which looks like a cross between a truck-stop diner and a Tex-Mex joint, serves an outstanding Mexican-style breakfast (and lunch and dinner are just as good). Wait for a space in the tiny dining room, belly up to the counter, or just watch the frenetic activity as everything from soup to salsa is made from scratch. Try delectable pork carnitas; chorizo from the state of Michoacán; mole negro over pork or chicken; rockfish with cinnamon and guajillo chiles; or mouthwatering chilaquiles—tortilla chips cooked in green or red salsa and topped with cream.
True to its name, this low-key, bustling Ballard favorite serves traditional Mexican food from the Oaxaca region. The mole negro is a must, served over chicken, pork, or tamales, and there's a long menu of other good options, from tacos to pozole to rack of lamb. It's a small, casual space with comfortable tables, seating at the counter overlooking the open kitchen, and gorgeous black-and-white photos adorning the walls. It can get busy, especially on weekend evenings, and they don't take reservations.
This small, unpretentious Ballard café makes some of the city's best bagels, which you can get with a classic schmear or as part of a creative, elaborate sandwich. Breakfast burritos come in regular and giant (one-pound) sizes and include a variety of delicious salsas made from scratch. Bagels and burritos may sound like an unusual pairing, but Rachel has them both down, making this a dependable choice for a quick, tasty breakfast or snack.
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.
During the day, this café/restaurant centrally located on Ballard Ave. is a handy pitstop, similar to a coffee shop but on a grander scale. Come dinnertime, the mood changes: there’s table service, craft cocktails flow, and the Middle Eastern flavors are stronger, with more mezze options and five types of kebabs. There’s a large, open dining room and a covered patio; counter-service breakfast and lunch offers around 20 options for eggs, wraps, mezze, and salads, most with a Middle Eastern accent; and the coffee bar is managed by local chain Café Vita.
This is a hyper-focused "only-in-Seattle" kind of place, serving only congee (Asian rice porridge), only for breakfast and lunch, in a a breezy location along Shilshole Bay. Congee, like risotto, is really a vehicle for other ingredients, and the choices here shine, whether it's a classic, like chicken or tofu, or something more distinctive, like blue crab or wild boar. The simple dining area doesn't have water views, but it's a quick trip with a to-go order to the beach at Golden Gardens or the gardens at Chittenden Locks.
There's a battle between Paseo (in Fremont) and Un Bien for the title of best Caribbean roast sandwich in Seattle—and everyone's a winner. At both places, the signature sandwich consists of succulent, slow-roasted pork shoulder, stuffed in a baguette along with caramelized onions, jalapeños, cilantro, and aioli. That's the classic, but the menu has a dozen variations, including steak, chicken, tofu, and prawns, and you can ditch the bread for a rice bowl. Whatever way you go, you'll end up with a sweet, savory, juicy indulgence. There are a few picnic benches for eating on site, but a takeout order makes an easy, delicious picnic up the road at Golden Gardens.
