Ballard Smoke Shop Reviews

We arrived early so it wasn't busy. Service was fast and friendly. Atmosphere is American diner. Clean and in good shape. Omelet and hash browns were delicious and the rye toast was the best I've had in ages.

The sidewalk in front of this place looks pretty grungy. I suppose that's to be expected after the paying customers finish partying at night and the less respectable contingents do whatever disgusting things they do before the sun rises. I wish the business owners would start out every day with a fresh sidewalk cleaning. That said, don't let the state of the sidewalk and street stop you from trying the Ballard Smoke Shop restaurant. We finally had breakfast there, and I loved it! Where else can you get toast AND your choice of hashbrowns, french fries, fresh fruit, cottage cheese, sliced tomatoes, a cup of soup OR salad with your breakfast for under $10? And there was nothing greasy about my breakfast. The place was clean, service was excellent, and the fries were the best I've ever had. Don't let the outside scare you :)

This is one of the last "Old Ballard" bars and diners around. Lot's of nautical decorations, strong drinks and OK food. Good breakfast cheese omelets.

As that there are two sides to the Ballard Smoke Shop - the bar and the diner, I’ll do this in two parts. . . . . Side A - The Bar The drinks are crazy strong and insanely cheap. The bartenders look like they were born there - and will probably die there. The walls are covered in pictures of fishing boats from just down at the Fisherman’s Terminal - this aint no sissy nightclub. This is a working mans bar for working men! The patrons are the drunken louts, they type you would expect in a wonderful dive bar like this. Side B - The Restaurant This is the type of plaace where the waitresses call you “hon”. “Need some more coffee, hon? Lemme top you off”. The food? Total americana greasy spoon. Eggs, bacon, Pancakes - real maple syrup here, folks - hashbrowns, and a bazillion types of toast. They have hamburgers, shakes, steak, fries, baked potatoes - pretty much everything you would expect from a roadside diner. Something for all tastes. How is it? Goddamned delicious! The pancakes are light and fluffy, like I said the maple syrup is real and not this fake corn syrup maple flavored crap, the plates are plentiful - and the prices reasonable! You will walk out of there after eggs, sausage, hash browns, pancakes and coffee (and a generous tip) will be well south of 15 bucks. If you’re in Ballard and someone tries to steer you to the vastly overrated Vera’s, punch them in the face, call them a fool and then take them to the Ballard Smoke Shop so that they may know The One True Way.

I got kicked out because I went into the side that was reserved (no one told me there were no signs). I tried to explain but the owner would not listen

Ballard has changed almost beyond recognition from when it was Alaska's most southern fishing town. This place has not. There is a bar on one side and diner on the other. The diner has good diner meals and old style high caffeine diner coffee. The bar side is festooned with photos of fishing boats at work in Alaska as well as other fishing memorabilia. It attracts a crowd of friendly regulars, some of whom are still in the business. Its also dead bang cheap for eating or drinking. Don't ring the bell unless you want to buy a round for the bar.

Our breakfast here was exactly what we wanted - simple breakfast food prepared well with quick service.

The food is your standard diner fare, the service is excellent and the history of this place is great! Check it out.

This is a classic diner updated to modern times. Old timers mix with the tourists and Ballard regulars young and old. The staff are caring and will gladly keep filling you coffee cup. Specials change everyday but we stuck with classic eggs Benedict and a Mexican themed eggs and tortilla chips called migas. Both, we would gladly order again. They open early and close late. Comfortable booths that even my 85 year old mom is comfortable in.

Food here is amazing. We weren't sure what we were getting ourselves into but with all the other great reviews we decided to try it. Scrambles and hashbrowns were fantastic. Service was fantastic. If I lived in Seattle, this would be a go-to place.

That’s one of my best experiences in American breakfast ! Really local and fresh food , super clean and the staff are super friendly! I really recommend!

When we visit Ballard we stay at a hotel just a few blocks from the Ballard Smoke Shop. One morning we stumbled on this restaurant and now stop for breakfast whenever we can. The restaurant is very clean and the service is great. They have senior breakfast menu items that are a great value. I don't eat potatoes or toast for breakfast and I'm able to substitute with fresh fruit and sliced tomatoes at no additional cost. My cup of coffee is filled often.

This place has been around forever and it's not going anywhere. It's a local staple with awesome greasy diner food, strong drinks, pull tabls and a old school juke box. A perfect Sunday Funday starts here!!

Looking for a great breakfast? Don't miss this place. Very good menus and food quality was above average.

Ordered the Swedish pancakes with eggs - easy over - with Swedish pancakes and sausage on Syttende Mai before the parade. The service and the food were exceptional. Endless cups of Joe. My eggs were easy over as they should be, the yolks slightly running, the sausage was scrumptious, and the pancakes light like crepes topped with the right among of powdered sugar, with jam and preserves to add,

We had breakfast here. Excellent and friendly service. They were out of a few things but made good substitutions. Place is old, and you may think not worth your time. But it was good for us.

Love this place. Retro without being ironic. Great breakfasts and lunches friendly servers. Everything is homemade including the soups. Great value, great food. The huevos rancheros is some of the best in town.

This is our favorite "breakfast" place - great food, amazing staff (shoutout to Paul and the manager Kailani "sp?"), but lunch and dinner are just as enjoyable. The service is truly noteworthy - I've seen many people walk through the door and greeted by name like an old friend. The surrounding restaurants are trying VERY hard to outdo each other, each a different form of gastro-pub, but The Ballard Smoke Shop sticks to its roots and delivers a great menu and superior service, and that is what makes this place so special.

I was happy the place was open early for breakfast. The other option I was considering didn't open until 8am. The food was good, the service was friendly, the atmosphere was pleasant and clean. Free parking before 8am. I had the California Benedict. (No meat) Yum. With fresh fruit instead of hash browns. I would definitely go back.

We went to this area of Seattle hoping to just stroll, check out the shops and get a bite of lunch. We actually hoped to get lunch first....it took us a while to find a restaurant that allowed minors to dine. The law Washington state has about minors in "bar areas" becomes a new level of absurd on NW Market street in Ballard. We fell into this restaurant mainly because the kids could ear there. Service was friendly and good. We didn't have refill issues for our water. The food came out quickly. I got a club sandwich that was large and tasted like a club sandwich should. Spouse got a burger. The top bun was a bit burned but overall it was fine. The girls got waffles (ended up being waffle so they felt this was false advertising) and eggs benedict to share. They liked the food and ate it all except the large amount of whipped cream. We were in and out quickly and off to shop again. If it were just spouse and self we would not go again as it was just OK, but we would go likely go again if we had the kids with us.

My 17 year old son and I stopped in here so he could grab something to bite while I made some phone calls. He ordered a basic burger and it was delicious! I almost ordered one for myself. The waiter as very friendly.

Very good early breakfast i a nice old 50s style restaurant and bar in Ballard with good service and a cowboy scramble.

It might look a little rough but it's worth a shot if you like strong drinks and friendly people. Worth checking out

I've tried several of Ballard's diners since I moved to Ballard a couple months ago. I have found that Ballard smokeshop has the most simple, clean and fresh breakfast in Ballard. This is not a typical greasy spoon diner. Their hashbrowns are not greasy, their eggs are not greasy, and their food is fresh. I usually order egg white omelettes with a side of dry toast and home fries and everything is always delicious.