This weekend, the husband and I were hankering for some outdoor or nearly outdoor eating and weren’t feeling a particular type of food calling us. So we decided to try somewhere new (for us) and ended up at Ballard Loft for lunch at a table inches from the outdoor patio. Their website bills them as a ‘casual neighborhood eatery and bar that embodies the charm and soul of our industrial Ballard location’. How did they measure up? More after the jump.

Ballard Loft has a nice expansive patio, but on Saturday, after dealing with the insanely packed University District Farmers Market, I didn’t feel like lunching in full sun. So we grabbed a high top table immediately inside the large roll-up doors. Service was fast, pleasant, and not at all overbearing. Our server casually chatted with us but didn’t hover.

The music was a good level for enjoyment and for conversation.

We ordered drinks from their mixed drink list (about 8-10 drinks long). I had the Loft Rita (Sauza Hornitos, Triple Sec, sour mix, mango, and a sugared rim served on the rocks). The husband had Hendricks, soda water, and lime. The drinks were decently strong and tasty. Definitely not the strongest drinks I’ve had in Ballard, but not wimpy.

For food, we ordered fried pickles, a chorizo dog with avocado and mango salsa (and a side of fries), and a beef chili dog with a side salad. Whenever I see fried pickles on a menu, I must order them to compare them to People’s Pub, my gold standard for fried pickles.

While they didn’t come close to People’s Pub’s pickles, I did enjoy them. The breading was much like a corndog breading, but crispier. Only about half of each pickle was actually covered in the puffy breading, the rest was simply fried. They were crispy and not very greasy at all. The tartar sauce was a nice accompaniment, but I like a Dijon aioli a bit better for fried pickles. Overall I think these are a second place finish to People’s Pub.

Next came the dogs.

I was surprised at the different sizes of the dogs. Mine (the chorizo, on the left) was a good 1-2 inches shorter than my husband’s. The rolls were definitely not meant to be used to pick up the dogs, but were a knife and fork addition. The chorizo was nicely spicy - enough that I could feel the heat and was almost tempted to reach for a glass of water, but not hot enough that it overwhelmed the flavor. The avocado and mango salsa was tasty. The fries, however, were only slightly above average. We both agreed that while they were perfectly acceptable fries, they could have easily been frozen and mass-produced.

Likewise the chili on my husband’s dog was just ho-hum. I wouldn’t be surprised if it came from a can, but it might also simply have come from a chef who likes a very typical and unassuming chili. It certainly wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t great. The beef dog was tasty though and the salad was very fresh.

Overall, we both agreed that Ballard Loft is a ‘non-chain’ restaurant that feels a lot like a chain. There are certainly better places to eat in Ballard, but we both enjoyed our meal and we will go back and try some of their other menu items. The nachos and spicy honey hot wings sound tempting enough to bring us back a second time.

The total bill (without drinks) was $25 for the two of us. With drinks the total came to $44.

Ballard Loft
5105 Ballard Ave
Seattle, WA 98107
206.420.2737
M-F 11:30am-2am
Saturday and Sunday 12pm - 2am
Happy Hour Daily 4-6pm