6 Best Restaurants in Ballard, Seattle

Local restaurateur Renee Erickson was inspired by the casual oyster bars of Paris when she opened this inconspicuous spot, located at the south end of Ballard Ave, behind Staple & Fancy. The result has been a lasting sensation. In town full of oysters, the freshness and selection here manage to be a cut above. Reservations aren't accepted, which is why every day when the doors open at 4, there's a line waiting to fill the tall tables and the seats at the zinc barand why at any time a wait is likely. The menu also offers refined small plates, mostly other seafood and vegetables, but oysters are center stage. If you love them, you'll love it here.

Set in a largely residential section of eastern Ballard, this place has everything you could hope for in a neighborhood restaurant: a comfortable, warm setting, attentive service, and creative comfort food made from local, seasonal ingredients. They’re known for their bread; often a restaurant afterthought, here it’s given star treatment—cut thick, grilled, and topped with butter as though it were a ribeye. Everything on the small menu gets that same kind of care and attention, whether it’s a steak, a fish, a vegetable, or a cocktail. If the weather’s nice, try for a table on the garden patio.

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.

Its distinctive setting, in charming old house smack in the middle of Ballard Avenue, suits San Fermo's simple yet elegant Italian menu, which emphasizes house-made pasta and local ingredients (some coming from the restaurant's own farm). Tables both on the porch and in the small dining rooms have a relaxed, homey ambiance.

Oak paneling, dark accents, and wide windows onto bustling Ballard Avenue give this quasi-Italian joint an lively, stylish vibe. The menu keeps one foot firmly rooted in Italy, particularly with creative pizzas and pasta, but there are decidedly non-Italian alternatives such as a lamb burger, Dutch fries, and baked Alaska for dessert. Sunday brunch is similarly eclectic: you can have baked eggs, biscuits and gravy, or stick with pizza.

Dine here to experience a classic Ballard phenomenon: a casually sophisticated kid-friendly restaurant. Local families come here for pizza night, but this ain't Chuck E Cheese; toppings include foraged mushrooms, shishito peppers, garlic-and-fennel sausage, and five kinds of cheese. There are two crust choices: thin, blistered, and round, or thick, chewy, and square. That all may sound a little pretentious, but as the 10-year-old at the next table will tell you, mainly it's delicious. (She may not be so enthusiastic about the charred broccoli.) Local microbrews and a long, predominantly Italian wine list help keep the grownups happy.