3 Best Restaurants in Ballard, Seattle

Autumn Martin, formerly head chocolatier at Theo Chocolate, specializes in creative, high-quality desserts (including vegan options) such as a s'mores molten chocolate cake with house-made marshmallows and caramel, and cookies with house-smoked chocolate chips. Thick, rich milkshakes come in gourmet seasonal flavors like Meyer lemon with lavender, or grownup boozy shakes like smoked chocolate and scotch. Hot Cakes is open late night, too. A few long communal tables make for casual dining. The company's take-and-bake mason-jar desserts make a great gift.

For a lighter bite, head north to Martin's plant-based ice cream shop, Frankie & Jo's at 1411 NW 70th St.

What began as an effort to clear the fridges during a pandemic shutdown resulted in a new concept for this small Ballard café. Some of the city's best bagels come stacked into towering sandwiches slathered with traditional toppings like cream cheese and lox, and creative originals like scallion cheddar spread with baked egg, kale, and king oyster mushrooms. The one-pound breakfast burritos all start with scrambled eggs and include fresh salsas that show the restaurant's commitment to making everything from scratch starting with excellent ingredients.

A sibling spot to the Mexican steakhouse next door, this ode to Mexican coffee serves a single-origin bean grown by a cooperative in Oaxaca and roasted locally by Fulcrum. Fresh-squeezed orange juice and tres leches cakes complete the feel of a contemporary Mexico City café, but a few touches keep it Seattle, including the assortment of locally baked pastries.