2 Best Restaurants in Ballard, Seattle

The view of Shilshole Bay might be the main draw, but the seafood is also fresh and well prepared. Perennial favorites include grilled salmon, Kasu sake–marinated sablefish, Dungeness crab, and regional oysters on the half shell. Ray's has a split personality: there's a fancy dinner-only dining room downstairs (reservations essential) and a casual café and bar upstairs. Be forewarned that during happy hour in high season, the café's service can suffer greatly because of the crowds.

Sure, it's touristy, but snagging a spot on the sun-drenched balcony to watch the boats floating past after an afternoon exploring the Ballard Locks is quintessential Seattle summer fun.

The "Staple" side of this Ethan Stowell restaurant might mean gnocchi with corn and chanterelles or a whole grilled branzino. But visitors to the glam, remodeled, historic brick building are best served by going "fancy," meaning the chef's menu dinner where diners are presented with several courses (technically four, but the appetizer usually consists of a few different plates) of whatever the cooks are playing with on the line that night—cured meats, salads of exotic greens, handmade pastas, seasonal desserts. You won't know what's coming next, but it's usually remarkably good.