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.

Renee Erickson was inspired by the casual oyster bars of Paris to open this bustling shoebox of a restaurant. Seats fill fast at the zinc bar and the scattered tall tables where seafood fans slurp on fresh-shucked Olympias, Blue Pools, and other local oysters. The menu also offers refined small plates like grilled sardines with shallots and walnuts or roasted greengage plums in cream. In true Parisian style, the service can be disappointing, but for those in search of stellar seafood, it's still worth the slog. Arrive soon after the 4 pm opening or you may be in for a long wait, though you can get on the waitlist via their website before you head over. If you do have a long wait, kill time at Erickson's tiny Barnacle bar next door.