Best Comfort Food Restaurants in Ballard

Hands down best food we’ve eaten in Seattle. Pork belly, mackerel, fried mushrooms, and the “smooth” cocktail. All to die for. Also, Vela was a delightful server!!

First time visiting! Recommended by a close friend. The food was absolutely outstanding! We shared the Bruchetta, so full of flavor. Then I had the Pappardelle, and my husband had the Orecchiette. Both dishes were some of the very best pasta I've ever eaten, including my own! We had to order bread just so as not to miss a single bit of the sauces! The owner was warm and cordial and greeted me personally at the table. He is such a professional, authentic man who seemed sincerely interested in my experience. He was busy all evening but made time to stop by every table to speak with his patrons. Bravo! The ambiance was the perfect place for us to celebrate our 30th anniversary. The entire bustaff was extremely pleasant. Unfortunately, our specific waiter seemed distracted or disinterested in our dining expericence. Never told us about the specials, never came back to check on us or our food, and I had to flag him down a couple of times to get his attention to order. To be perfectly honest, the two waterboys gave us much better service. We ordered 2 glasses of wine, an appetizer, 2 entrees, 2 desserts, an espresso, and an aperitif! We certainly were not dining on the cheap! And to top it off, he dropped the check before we even finished our deserts and without inquiring if we needed anything else. It was as if he was rushing us in an attempt to flip the table despite there being several other open tables. We felt bad tipping him accordingly, only 10%, but we observed other staff showing a much higher level of engagement with their tables. I also heard him make several disparaging remarks about a table while he was at the waiters station, and I was in the gentleman's room. I definitely felt like there could have been some implicit bias at play because we were two men, or perhaps he thought we were dressed too casually. Either way, it was a black stain upon what was otherwise an exceptional dining experience! Thank you so much! We will definitely be back, despite it all.

Every time we go to dinner at Betty, we are not disappointed. From wine to starter to main to dessert, everything was beautifully prepared and presented. Portions are generous without being excessive. Service was attentive without being intrusive. We didn't feel rushed to eat and leave, and the wait person paid attention enough to note that I had not finished my main, and asked (before I did) if I needed it boxed.

Food was good. Chill atmosphere - good service. Happy hour drink specials into the evening.

Wonderful offering of Clam Chowder on Nat'l Chowder Day! Thank You, Dukes!