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Ballard Loft
Category: Nightlife Bars Sports Bars Sports Bars [Edit]
5105 Ballard Ave NW(between Dock Pl & Ione Pl)
Seattle, WA 98107
Neighborhood: Ballard
(206) 420-2737
- Hours:
Mon-Fri 11:30 am - 2 am
Sat-Sun 12 pm - 2 am
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Music:
- DJ
- Best Nights:
- Fri, Thu, Sat
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
171 reviews for Ballard Loft
Review Highlights
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"The lion's share of it is hot dogs." In 15 reviews -
"Also had the Lil Montanas sliders and they were AWESOME." In 40 reviews -
"The shuffle board is a huge bonus and the tvs ensures a..." In 9 reviews
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171 reviews in English
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Review from Lisa B.
Updated - 5/7/2012
So I have to say, I came here the first time and the waitress was AWFUL.
We came back for bloody marys and Sarah helped us. She was AWESOME, a complete difference from the last person, the bloody marys were delicious, and I had the prime rib dip, pretty good! I've always been impressed with their food, would love to see a breakfast menu but other than that, no complaints...
Oh yes! AND they have Buck hunter ;) An added plus!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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4/25/2012
I am giving this place four stars because the place itself is really neat... maybe we got unlucky on… Read more »
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Review from Danny J.
Seattle, WA
5/23/2012
Last night my GF and I stopped in to get a quick dinner. It was a Tuesday about 7:15 and the place was half full.
Upon entering we weren't greeted and after awkwardly standing around the entryway for a minute or two attempting to get someone's attention we decided to have a seat at a table directly in front of the bar - surely someone will take care of us there. We sat, patiently, for 12 minutes where we were not acknowledged at all. Several servers came within a few feet of us but we were essentially invisible. We got up and walked out.
Our visit was an attempt to use a daily deal we purchased on GoogleOffers. I immediately called Google and they refunded my money.
I live in Ballard and will never go back through the doors of the Loft. They get 2 stars because I had been there once before and had a decent experience. -
Review from Brad H.
5/6/2012 1 Check-in Here
A great find in Ballard thanks to Yelp and Groupon!
The service is quick, friendly, attentive and personable, always a key factor in a great meal.
The food was fresh, high quality tasting, competitive prices for the market, and of good proportion size.
The atmosphere is upbeat, non corporate and the music is played at a level where you can still hold a conversation with ease.
Beers are served cold and with a great selection of tap beers.
Overall a great place to relax, grab a beer and enjoy some great food! -
Review from Chris S.
5/19/2012
Yeah so I was there on a Wednesday night and the service sucked. Server kept coming upstairs several times, but failed to stop by our table. Finally when we waived her over, and put our order in and when my mustached grayed, we got our drinks. To top it all off, I was overcharged. I so pissed and wanted to leave so bad that I didn't even mention it to the staff. Go to a place where the servers are more attentive and not so grumpy.
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Review from Danielle L.
Seattle, WA
5/15/2012
I came here last Saturday night to watch the NHL playoffs with my husband & two little girls. We had dinner, and I had a couple of drinks. We had a great time! The food was excellent, the service was good, and everyone was nice to our kids.
Oh and they have the BEST onion rings I have ever had. Yum. I might come back again just for the onion rings. -
Review from Christine Z.
Seattle, WA
Updated - 3/16/2012 9 Check-ins Here
My FAVORITE Sports Bar in Ballard!!!
Good beers on tap!
Good food - try the A-BLT salad (as a wrap) and add chicken, YUM!
Great HH - $1 off drafts and wells, and food specials!
TV's all over the place!
Shuffle puck, Buck Hunter, YEEEEAH!Listed in: Eat, Drink & Do: BALLARD!, For the 21+ crowd (or those…
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/9/2011
The Loft is a pretty good place to hang out. I've been here a handful of times at different times… Read more »
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Review from Alexander L.
Seattle, WA
5/15/2012
I love Ballard Loft. Use to go there every Sunday night after church. The food is very good, the beer is great... I can't say there is a whole lot wrong with the place, like I say its good. The price is okay not too expensive, but you get what you pay for, it's almost a rip off to them in that the food is better than what you pay for. It is definitely a great place to kick it with friends and relax.
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Review from Lorraine N.
Memphis, TN
4/30/2012
This place was perfect to go watch a game and grab a beer. I went on a Sunday and it was happy hour all day, which was fantastic. I sat at the bar and ordered the nachos and a few beers, all of which were great. The staff was friendly and I liked the atmosphere a lot. I will definitely be back.
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Review from Nerick M.
2/19/2012
This place makes for a nice happy hour spot and an even better sports bar. There are two levels and a nice outdoor seating area. I have yet to check out their happy hour and late night dining. I hear it gets "livelier".
Anyway, the fare is definitely happy hour type of food. I was able to sample the fried pickle spears and the Purple People Eaters, which are eggplant and roasted peppers sliders. Those were crazy delicious.
The main dining area when you first walk in looks like it could get a little cramped during busy nights. There are a lot of flat screens hanging above and along the walls for your viewing pleasure. The service seemed fairly attentive and friendly.
The Ballard Loft seems to be another addition to the great HH places in the great land of Ballard. -
Review from Elizabeth T.
Seattle, WA
1/28/2012
I have nothing to say about this place's food, because I never even got SERVED.
10 min ago, my bf and I walked into it. Stood at the entrance for 1 min, a waitress walks by, nothing happened. The bar was not full, at all. Maybe 3 or 4 groups of people at most.
Went to the bar to ask if one of the TVs could switch to Fox. Bartender said maybe but he would only show it upstairs. So we just moved upstairs, stood next to the tables, while a waitress stood by watching another waiter clean and arrange tables. The waiter finishes and walks away. Nothing happens. I ask the waitress: is the table reserved? She smiles: NO. And that's it. Nothing happens.
We walk out of the bar, and move to King's hardware, where we sit down, I open my laptop, use their free wi-fi, and write this review.
The two years I lived in Ballard I never knew of Loft's existence. Now I know why. It wasn't worth knowing. -
Review from Emily T.
Seattle, WA
1/16/2012
Best part: drinks. Worst part: food.
New to town and still exploring. Found it via a Happy Hour app on my phone. Really cool building itself, I bet it's great in the summer when the patio is open.
I wouldn't expect anything better than glorified bar food. I got the Blood Orange Margarita, which was delicious.
Husband and I both got the BLT; he got fries and I got what they call "Lobster Bisque" and it was also the special.
Special must mean it's been sitting in a giant vat for a few days. First of all our food came out in less than 5 minutes. That's great and all, it was 6ish on a Thursday night. But this was TOO fast. The kind of fast that makes you think "was this stuff just sitting under a heating lamp all day?"
The bacon certainly was. It was so tough and hard I could barely chew it. Bread was tasty and the pesto aioli was good too.
The soup had a layer of grease on top and was a weird orange color. It was tasty but probably because I was starving. It tasted like lobster, but there was no lobster to be found. -
Review from J.J. B.
11/4/2011 2 Check-ins Here
The only reason I went to the Loft in the first place was to redeem an irresponsibly-purchased Groupon. This place is worthless for food. Granted, I would have had a better time if I was only there to drink beer and watch sports (not uncommon for me and they do have tons of TVs), but my girlfriend and I went specifically for food and were very disappointed.
We had never been here before so we were intrigued by the long list of slider options. We each got an order of sliders and the meat patty was delivered to us looking grey as if it had been boiled or even microwaved. Disgusting. We asked to swap out our beef sliders for the pulled pork and even those were underwhelming. I guess the fries were decent, but that's the only concession I'll make. When let down by a simple slider and the next best menu options are hot dogs, you know you are not at a place where food should be consumed sober. -
Review from J C.
Seattle, WA
3/16/2012
I was at the Loft for the opening rounds of the NCAA tounament. Plenty of TVs to cover all the action and they do sliders the way that most bars wish they could. It's a Gonzaga bar, so you have to be prepared for that. But ultimately of you're looking to watch sports in Ballard it's the place to be. And if you happen to be there while Sarah's slinging drinks then you're in for a treat. She's attentive, friendly and will make you laugh. Come on down.
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Review from Aaron S.
Seattle, WA
3/11/2012
After hearing about all the buzz, I decided to stop by with some friends on a Saturday night. The drinks were pretty cheap and service to order was pretty prompt despite the busy time. This is a great spot for people who are looking for a chill and laid back atmosphere, a huge relief from going to Downtown Seattle and fuss with parking. This place definitely hit the spot for me.
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Review from Suzy K.
Seattle, WA
11/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
Been twice now - the first time was summer and we grabbed an outdoor spot. Perhaps this is why I didn't realize it was a sports bar.
Our first visit my husband was pleasantly surprised to find that they have vegetarian sliders, I opted for the vegetarian quesadilla. Service was good even with the place being packed and the food was really quite good. We returned last Saturday in hopes of finding a cup of soup and salad. Score - delicious tomato bisque and satisfying house salad (husband had to go for the vegetarian sliders again with his soup). Again, very good lunch and the waitress was very nice.
If you are reading this you probably know by the category of this joint- but I hadn't yelped it ahead of time. This is a total sports bar (read = drunk college kids in the early afternoon yelling). Sitting inside I was overwhelmed by the number of tv's and varying games they were playing. (I don't watch sports at all & husband doesn't watch sports at all, so read this with that in mind) So it totally wasn't our scene. I would definitely go back again in the summer when we can sit outside and be away from it all.
If you are looking for a sports bar with great vegetarian lunch items - seriously, look no further!!! -
Review from Sarah K.
2/8/2012
Came here last night for trivia night. If I was basing my review on just that I would probably give 4 stars, because it was fun, and the host was pretty awesome. A lot of items on the menu look tasty but they just fail to live up to expectations. I ordered the classic cheese sliders. I think it was just frozen hamburger patties, yuck. Luckily the fries tasted okay. My sangria was decent. I'd come back for trivia, but would make sure I eat elsewhere first.
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Review from Stephanie K.
Manhattan, NY
11/11/2011 1 Check-in Here
Great sports bar! You've got great food, strong drinks, and a lot of flat screens to get your football on! We stayed at this bar for 7 hours last Saturday getting our college football fix. The bartenders were extremely friendly and I love how they know everything about their regulars.
The best part about this place was the food though! Really great fish tacos, and their fries are amazing! If I lived in Seattle, I would make this my go to sports bar. Especially to watch the Lions kick the Bears ass! -
Review from Kelly H.
2/14/2012
Went here with a few girls after work. It was pretty crowded even up stairs but we got our food in thirty minutes which was surprising. The waitress was very attentive and even gave all three of us one free drink to share, which after breaking up with my boyfriday made my day. I would definately go back even though their prices are inflated for the quality. The nachos I Got tasted greasy and flavorless. I would go for drinks rather than have dinner there, it's just not my kind of food.
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Review from Pete S.
Seattle, WA
Updated - 11/29/2011
Good TVs, good beer, sliders and decent service. Sometimes staff gets overwhelmed during busy times, i.e. Friday nights so need to staff up for the servers work hard.
Time to fix the men's bathroom though...stall door and sink broken for about two years.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/22/2009
Love this place; great sliders, all the games, great beer and good atmosphere. Had some terrible… Read more »
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Review from Chelsea J.
Seattle, WA
Updated - 7/6/2011
I went here last night and had a great BLT and fries. The food is really good, not your typical bar food. The bread on the sandwich was thick cut Columbia bread and the fries were crispy and not greasy at all.
I like Ballard Loft and will continue to come from time to time but there are some strange elements. Last night when I was here with a friend there were kids in the bar! Not just two young kids which seemed strange enough by itself but two very rowdy little boys. It was very unpleasant and inappropriate. I think the owner or the server should have said something to the mothers who were ignoring their kids and letting them literally scream in the bar and throw the balls that go with the games upstairs. The kids were screaming their heads off right next to us and no one said anything to them.
I asked our server if she could at least ask the mothers to keep their kids seated near them so they weren't right next to us yelling but she said she couldn't do that. I felt badly for the server but still....it nearly ruined our experience at the Loft.
Other than that part of the night it was pretty good- meaning the food and beer were tasty. But what bar allows kids inside? If I wanted that I would have gone to Red Robin or a TGI Friday's. Very strange.Listed in: It's Finally Friday!, Ballard
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/4/2011
Cheap drinks, fun space, no cover, decent crowd. The Loft is a great place to hang out with friends.… Read more »
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Review from Morgan L.
10/9/2011 1 Check-in Here
Damn this place is crowded on Friday nights!
My boyfriend and I just wanted to check this place out. I heard they had good wings, and we love wings! Luckily, we found a nice spot at the bar. Unluckily-- we couldn't order food cause it was way too crowded.
Super cool bouncer, super cool bartender.
I think this place is more fit for my boyfriend and I earlier in the evening rather than later! If you're looking for a chill place, head up to Zayda Buddys! -
Review from J C.
Seattle, WA
2/14/2012 1 Check-in Here
On trivia night, was pretty cool. But the food is def. meh. And I don't drink enough to rate the beer or whatever.
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Review from Kayla s.
8/15/2011
Thanks for the awesome late night McDonald's Run and Saturday Morning hang over! Good times.
This place is so awesome! Hung out in the loft all night. I am glad it wasn't super crowded because it took a while to be able to get up to the bar. It would be sweet if you had a mini bar upstairs! Definitely coming back here tho! -
Review from LJ P.
Seattle, WA
1/30/2012
I came here for lunch... no crowds, no heavy drinkers, lots of TVs but all had volume off.
I had the Montana sliders and they were great, nice and juicy (sliders are so often too dry). And the beer battered fries were great!
Service was perfect, available but not pushy.
Great spot, tried with a social deal, but I'll be back! -
Review from Robert H.
Edmonds, WA
4/2/2011
Awful experience with a truly psycho lady bartender. We will never be back and we have already deferred many a parties from heading to this bar.
Spend your money elsewhere. This place is really not worth your time. -
Review from Heather R.
Lynnwood, WA
6/22/2011
I really like this place. They have great food and great service - what more could you ask for? I've been here twice now - once for a work meeting (a little loud for too serious of a meeting, but not bad if it's informal) and once for a birthday celebration with coworkers. The second time we were able to sit outside and the outdoor seating is SO nice!
As a vegetarian, I'm always happy to find lots of options for me on a menu. This is a great place for a casual lunch with both vegetarians and meat-eaters. There is definitely something for everyone.
Favorites on the menu for me include the hummus plate and the veggie sliders. They also have great drinks.
I'll definitely be back, especially on those rare sunny Seattle days when we can sit outside again. -
Review from Jocelyn A.
Seattle, WA
Updated - 3/23/2011
Despite what I said about "never returning" I have tried the Ballard Loft a few more times. I have realized that it is a great spot to watch a game on a Sunday (or any other time when it isn't busy). The food is good bar food, nothing special...but good. Every seat has a good view of a TV.
Wednesday night is wine night and it is nice to sit on the patio with friends and drink 1/2 off wine!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/9/2009
Despite the fact that this bar is very close to my house and they have warm cookies for dessert...I… Read more »
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Review from Mike D.
San Francisco, CA
1/1/2012
Fun place to watch football on Sundays. Not a huge place but if you get there before kick-off on Sunday morning you're usually safe to get a good table. The wait staff are cute and friendly. The atmosphere makes it one of the better places to watch sports.
As for the food, the lunch is pretty good. Go for the sliders or one of the dog on a bun selections. The Mexican lettuce cup appetizers were an interesting idea but almost impossible to eat. Avoid.
The only major slam on the place is the breakfast. I've tried most of their items (excluding the breakfast burrito which is supposedly pretty good) and have found them all to be really bad. I'm always surprised because the rest of their menu is pretty good. The French toast was one of the worst I've ever had. It was basically Wonder bread that was over-cooked and under prepared. The bacon wasn't even that good. Heck, even their orange juice tasted gross. In short, eat before you get there. -
Review from Nick H.
1/12/2011 4 Check-ins Here
From the other reviews the Loft sounds like a place I would never set foot in on a weekend evening. However, their trivia night on Tuesdays is a blast! It's free, they have some cool prizes and it was quite a challenge too!
The Loft serves above average pub food. They've got a ton of different sliders, hot dogs, sandwiches, pizzas and other entrees. They've got a few salads as well, including a delicious Greek salad. The nachos were excellent. They have a decent selection of beer on tap, including some rotating taps (they had my favorite winter beer, Jolly Roger). And if you have a sweet tooth, order the chocolate chip cookies. They're served hot out of the oven with a glass of milk. Our server was super-friendly and attentive.
Really the only downside was the men's room was kind of rank. Despite that I'm looking forward to more trivia nights at the Loft! -
Review from Akvile H.
5/23/2011 2 Check-ins Here
This place is great for lunch, especially if you are looking to do a work meeting over drinks/food, the upstairs is great, if not, there is outside seating as well on those nice and sunny Seattle days.
The servers have always been really great when I have come here with coworkers, the location is great, prices are appropriate, and the food is delicious.I am a big fan of their Cuban Pulled Pork Sandwich, you should try it out if you like pork and a great lunch sandwich. They also have really good fries, salads, sliders, nachos, humus plates, and fried pickles..yum!
There are also a lot of tv's inside, video games, plenty of seating everywhere, and you can even bring your (well behaved please) dogs to hang out in the outside area while you eat/drink. Not sure if you can bring them inside, but they do seem to be pet friendly. Check them out! -
Review from Elynne G.
Seattle, WA
3/4/2011
Maybe I should've read reviews before going because everything I ate sucked. Maybe I should've read the menus better. Maybe, just maybe, this wasn't my kind of place.
When you walk in, it's badly laid out. There's like a one person table in front of the door, weird! Service is non-existent. The waitresses walk by you like you're invisible and you are a wondering lost soul trying to find a table. Or just dump yourself at the bar for better service.
It takes our waitress 15 minutes before she realizes we've sat at her station. She brings menus and drinks before disappearing again and never taking our food orders. We have to stick our necks over to get her attention.
While waiting for my bridesmaid, I ordered the beer battered onion rings because it seemed like something unique. My fiance orders the chili and the fried pickle spears. Food arrives and I don't know why I don't like anything we ordered. Nothing fantastic, not even worth the price.
We order more food when the rest of our party arrives and the food gets worse. The spicy honey hot wings are gross and small. Can't believe a sports bar can ruin hot wings, it's retarded.
I'm never going back. There are so many other better bars to hang out at in Ballard. -
Review from Brittany L.
Lynnwood, WA
5/26/2011
Great place for when summertime hits.
I haven't actually had food here, but they have great drink specials so I've been here to just chill out with some friends on the patio and drink a beer or two (or three!). They also don't seem to mind that we stay there much longer than most should. The space is a little awkward on the inside, and weekend evenings can be tough finding a place to sit (especially when it's cold and the patio isn't open!). Also, the crowd can be very diverse -- which I happen to love.
Not bad. -
Review from Daren D.
9/26/2011
Fri nite, the sound system is bumpin' and the air is fresh. We had good hang out time.
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Review from Roy A.
Seattle, WA
2/7/2011
Great food, good people! Plus, lots of TVs and they have pool, shuffleboard and a couple video games.
Get the chorizo nachos or one of the many specialty dogs. -
Review from Diego S.
1/11/2011
I saw the lil event reminder, told my girlfriend and was like lets go check this out for tomorrow night! Wow I couldn't have picked a better place!
They had this Chicago polish, it was a mix of Chicago hot dog/Chicago polish's. They had the tomatoes, green relish, peppers, onions! My girlfriend order'd it & I was jealous! I order'd the Baja sliders! delicious! The bacon, cheese, guacamole, home made pico de gallo made this a succulent bunch of lil burgers!
They also carry Black Star Beer! -
Review from Aaron I.
San Francisco, CA
2/3/2011
Good tvs, solid bar food, fun games, good peoples, and really good atmosphere. Don't expect some fancy sports bar, but do expect above average after work restaurant bar playing whatever game of the night your looking for. Miss the neighborhood spots like Ballard loft.
Beware you might start off having a couple drinks after work here and end up experiencing Ballard's finest nightlife debauchery, which if you are lucky enough is a good ol' time.Listed in: Washington
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Review from Inna B.
8/26/2010
Ballard Loft for happy hour after work? OKAY!
I enjoyed my gigantic delicious beer that took me the entire stay to finish, and the outdoor seating area.
The nachos and the hummus plate were both pretty good, but not especially mind-blowing. I rather enjoyed all the jalapenos on the nachos and the tzatziki sauce with the pita! I contemplated the happy hour sliders because they let you substitute a veggie patty for no extra charge, but then realized that (almost?) all their sliders had bacon and/or cheese on 'em. I'm trying to limit my consumption of both things, so I decided to focus on the pita/hummus and beer.
The outdoor seating was perfect for a sunny but not-too-hot day that it was, and the staff was nice about letting us expand our table as more people came... and good about letting us split the bill between a few cards.
Did I like it? Oh, yes! Did I fall in love with it? Not quite. 4 stars it is!Listed in: Happy Hour Adventures!, Ballard
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Review from Cami G.
Seattle, WA
12/13/2010
Yeah, Trivia Tuesdays used to be good times for all but home dude announcer man needs to check himself and stop being annoying. Turn down the mic a few notches, too. I like to hear other people say things and your lame trivia questions about Star Trek Voyager are getting in the way of that.
Bartenders at Ballard Loft are pretty cool and attentive. Good beer on tap, nice LCDs all throughout the joint to broadcast Seahawk losses and Sounder wins. I appreciate that.
The food is just mediocre. It's standard bar fare but nothing that I would order twice. I'll stick to my beer and Monday Night Football at the Loft after having eaten at home. -
Review from Sue M.
Seattle, WA
2/19/2012
Since many of the other establishments along Ballard Avenue don't open until 3 or 4pm, we once again gave the Loft a try. VERY marginal food, slow service, no seat covers in the ladies room. Who's running the joint????? We say skip it altogether. Hit the Boxcar in Magnolia for a much better fish taco!
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Review from Melissa F.
Bellevue, WA
1/12/2011
Somehow the Ballard Loft has become the go-to meeting place whenever members of a certain group of friends come to town. We start there, get some drinks and random food in us, and then set off to wherever: the next bar, a local rock show, someone's house. The atmosphere is just chilled out. It's a nice mix of people: fratheads, potheads, skanks, and everyone in between!
Drinks and food are average-priced - nothing to write home about. There's a pretty big terrace out front, equipped with heat lamp things. Chairs are a big scarce (but aren't they always in a bar?), but people are generally fairly friendly. It's got a good space for big gatherings, such as when 15 friends meet up and are trying to decide where to go from here.. you know what I mean! ;)
