Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
EATING
Ballard offers a growing number of reputable places to eat and drink. It's
an ever-changing scene, meaning you can have fun testing out the latest
start-ups.
CAFE BESALU
BAKERY, CAFE
$
( 206-789-1463;
www.cafebesalu.com
;
5909 24th Ave NW; pastries from $2.30; 7am-3pm
Wed-Sun; 40)
Once off the itinerary of Ballard's weekend visitors, who traditionally
stick to Ballard Ave, Besalu has started to cause a stir from its isolated perch on 24th
Ave with its French-style baked goods (in particular the croissants and quiches), which
some bloggers have hailed as 'better than Paris.'
FRESH FLOURS
BAKERY, CAFE
$
( 206-706-3338;
www.freshfloursseattle.com
;
5313 Ballard Ave NW; pastries $3.50;
7am-5pm; ; 17)
With Stumptown Coffee (imported from Portland, OR) and al-
mond croissants so flaky they can seriously damage your laptop, Fresh Flours is a lead-
ing player in a strong field of Ballard cafes. The tiny tea cookies hint at a Japanese in-
fluence.
LA CARTA DE OAXACA
MEXICAN
$
( 206-782-8722;
www.lacartadeoaxaca.com
; 5431 Ballard Ave NW; mains $7-12;
11:30am-3pm & 5-11pm Tue-Sat, 5-11pm Mon; 17)
Mexican restaurants are often duds in
Seattle, but then you walk into the Oaxaca, which almost feels like Oaxaca, the Mexic-
an city famous for its black
mole
sauces - try the
mole negro Oaxaqueno
, a house spe-
cialty. You can sample the same stuff on tamales or go for a combination of various
small plates.
Seating is mostly picnic-style, and there's a full bar - handy considering there's usu-
ally a wait for a table.
