Grog

I came upon this place while looking for an escape from the heat during a rare hot day in Seattle. My boyfriend and I were elated to find out it was happy hour (4-6:30 I think) especially because it was Saturday!

We were led through a bright restaurant and sat at a table that was pretty tiny so I asked if there were any others available. The waitress kindly showed us the upstairs bar and that's when I knew we had found one of our favorite Ballard restaurant/bars. You have to be 21+ to sit in this part of the restaurant and I'm glad I was way past that age because the dimly lit and nautically themed bar was exactly what I needed on a hot day. We agreed to try the daiquiri that the bartender recommended. Yum! Not too sweet and complimented with brandy cherries...my favorite!

While the happy hour menu was delicious we were a little disappointed with the 28$ scallop dish. The scallops were cooked perfectly but there was a huge portion of Farro taking over the whole plate and I just felt that 3 small scallops for 28$ was a bit much. The happy hour mussels, calamari and oysters were by far more impressive and we ordered more bread to dip into the rich broth from the mussels. You know it's good when you want to pick up the bowl and drink the broth!

The next time that I head to Seattle I'll definitely be going back to this awesome spot in the Ballard.

This place is under the radar and is attached the the Ballard Oyster Annex. We came in about 6pm on a Friday, and there was only a couple other people in the bar area. We grabbed some seats at the bar and perused the menu. The cocktail menu is fairly limited and most is scotch/whiskey based, but they do have some solid gin/vodka drinks.

I got the Luna Moth & another drink I'm forgetting the name of. Both were great, and I enjoyed the second drink way more - too bad I forgot the name of it! but my husband and sister felt that overall their drinks were a little too sweet.

I would definitely come back in the future, and it started getting a little more rowdy in there as soon as we left. Hopefully they expand their drink selections to include more drinks with gin/mezcal. Worth checking out if you are in the area.

This is very cool spot if you're looking for a nice discrete place to come with friends, a special date or significant other. It's owned by the same manger as Annex downstairs.
My girlfriend had the muscles and pasta, she like the muscles, but not the pasta so much. Their wine list was spot on. Mike our waiter was very nice and he catered to our every needs, just a real nice guy.
I recommend the spot, service and I will be back to really try the menu. Make sure you ask for Mike.

This has been so many businesses over the years. This is the newest. Although, I guess it might have been here for a long while. Nice atmosphere. Pretty good food. There's a separate lounge in the back.

All for me grog, me jolly, jolly grog. All for me beer and Tabasco. For I spent all me tin, on the lasse's drinking gin and across the western ocean I must wander.

It's hard to narrow down my review of Grog to anything other than a novel...but I'll try. There is just SO much good stuff to say about this place that I have to confine myself to bullet points!

-Cocktails menu is AWESOME and very inventive!
-Space, vibe, service were perfectly suited to Ballard - great spot!
-Must Try Cocktail: The Long riffle served with Hum and Grapefruit beer. This is an awesome experience and you HAVE to try it!
-Favorite Cocktail: Black Flag
-Hot Grog: Ben Nevis is a wonderful winter sipper
-Cold Grog: Dainty Canal is a dangerously good ... I could drink that one for days!
-Food: We tried half the menu and between the Spice Market Short Ribs, Julio's Citrus Salad, Sichuan Sandwich, Popcorn Chicken, and Donuts
Favorite Food: Sichuan Sandwich hands DOWN stole my taste buds heart! The rest of the dishes were GOOD but I had to name a favorite

In short- go here immediately and follow this plan:

Round 1- (Optional- depending if you want dessert) Order off the Hot or Cold Grog menu to get the party started
Round 2- Order a smaller plate and The Long Rifle
Round 3- Get the Sichuan Sandwich and Black Flag
Round 4- Donuts and either a hot grog or branch out
End- Happy tummy, happy person! Repeat weekly for best "happy" results :)

It's really hard to review a business as newly opened as the Ballard Annex's back bar, Grog. I thoroughly enjoyed my Twice Round the Equator cocktail. It had fernet, chartreuse, and orange tea among a few other ingredients, and was tasty and served to the brim.

The bar menu features small plates only and I am dying to go back and try the cocktails in servings of 1/2/4/8. The space is lovely and service seems decent.

That being said, if you can't make a standard like a Moscow Mule taste good, something is missing.

I loved you once, Grog. You had an amazing cook, a savvy attentive bartender and delicious, delicious food and drinks. I loved hanging out in your dimly lit bar, feeling pampered by your staff. But then,one day....

YOU F*ing FIRED EVERYONE.

Maybe that's an oversimplification and no, I have no idea what happened behind the scenes but I've been back a few times and you have clearly cleaned house.
IT IS NOT A GOOD CHANGE.

Now, you're just the Ballard Annex's bar, with the same over-priced seafood and boring cocktails as the front of the house. I wanted really badly to like the change, to see some sort of new vision come from your Big Shakeup. Nope. Just the Annex, with more space. Fuck that. I want McGregor and Matt back.

Looking for a great night on the town in Ballard, there were so many options. We stumbled upon grog and WOW!!! Keegan was hands down remarkable and made what was planned for an average night extraordinary. From his knowledge on spirits and wine to overall obvious passion for delectable sips, he helped us curate a unique experience. We will most definitely be back (when Keegan is here) and can't wait to see what he has in store for us next! Thank you Keegan for making our evening dmemorable!

Grog! Grog?! Groggggg! Im typing it out repeatedly cause I KNOW some of you have no idea where/what I'm talking about. Picture a drunk sailor yelling it, and it will always remain in your head. I promise.

I'm guessing this because it just opened a bit ago and not enough people know about it yet! just after it's mama restaurant, Ballard Oyster Annex House (whatever, stay with me here) opened up over the summer, Grog opened up in the upstairs area with it's own backdoor entrance kind off 22nd NW and Leary Way. Kinda. (Don't PM me that I made you lost if you believe me here).

Despite us being almost the only ones in there, I enjoyed the nautical themed wooden space, the friendly and attentive service, and the food. Spicy popcorn to start with accompanied our drinks, and then we moved on to some really, really delicious popcorn chicken that managed to be fancy and not crazy breaded and served over rice with hot sauce. Perfect booze accompaniment. Beer prices were a little high for the area, but nothing to be shocked over.

It being quiet, I highly suggest it as an after work or chill ladie's night place. You'll have the place to yourself, can stretch out in a big booth, and have great attentive service and delish food. Definitely an option to come back..just wish it was a little more lively in there!