« Ballard Restaurants

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• Mr. Fantastic
  Has anybody ever actually eaten here?
• Mr Fantastic
  I'm taking even odds this will be a pizza place soon...
• SeattleRichardson
  Great French food for Ballard....maybe not Le Gourmand, but you're not paying as much either. I've taken customers there a couple of times for a business lunch. Both times everyone really enjoyed their food and the overall ambiance of this place is wonderful. The service is swift and the food comes out HOT and with a smile. I was also surprised at the wonderful house coffee they served...can't remember the name but it was worth two cups which I never do at lunch. The "prix fixe" meal at $29.99 is a great deal and you will be unbuckling you belt on the way out! Lastly, don't leave without trying the French Onion Soup! I think the Ballard News Tribune had a review of Carnegie's this week, last week? If you go you won't be disappointed but call ahead as I think they are only open by appointment/reservation....thus everyone thinks nobody goes there. Never been for dinner but I'm sure it's great too.
• jeannette777
  I love this place. Easily my favorite restaurant in Seattle. They are open Tuesday through Saturday. A reservation is a good idea for the weekend, but not always necessary on weeknights. It is NOT reservastion/appointment only. The food, service, and ambience are all incredible. I eat here at leas twice a month, and EVERYTHING is ALWAY delicious. I equally enjoy sharing the chateau briand with a foody friend, or bringing a book to the bar and enjoying small plates.
• Melissa
  I took my husband there for a romantic birthday and the food was amazing - at least 3 different prix fixe options and all offered a wonderful selection. The service was quiet, responsive, and wonderful. A lovely place we plan to spend more time at.
• Michael
  Just got back from dinner here - really great!
  
  If you want a fancy type dinner in Ballard this is a great spot for it.
  
  We had the Chateaubriand which was perfect.
• Sal
  This is absolutely our favorite place in Ballard. Period. Number 1. Numero uno. We have been to just about every place in Ballard, and this is the very best. Hell, this may be the best place we have ever been to in Seattle.
  
  Why? I don't know. It just always, always, always seems to work out that way. Very good ju-ju at this place. Good medicine there.
  
  Our waiter, who we always get, is without a doubt the best in Ballard. He said that one time a guy came in with a fish he apparently had caught himself and he asked the chefs to prepare it for him.
  
  They did.
  
  I mean this place blows everything else in Ballard out of the water because of the pure oddity of this place. I mean .. it used to be a library. Otherwise, the people are fantastic and each and every time we go there we feel there's something special about it that no one else knows about. I can't say enough about this place. Ballard is much, much, much better with Carnegie's and so much the worse, worse, worse without it.
  
  That first reviewer is totally whacked out of his coconut. Have YOU eaten there Mr. Fantastic? Pumpkinhead ...
• Gen
  This place kinda cracks me up from the exterior. It looks like it might be on Kitchen Nightmares or something. I've always wanted to try it though. Glad to hear it's good... I'll have to go sometime.
• Nordic Woman
  Fantastic. I eat there on a fairly regular basis. It is like eating in someone's dining room where the host just happens to be a fantastic French chef. The food is outstanding, consistant, and compared to, oh, Ray's Boathouse or El Gaucho or the Metropolitan Grill or any number of restaurants, the prices are much easier on the wallet and the food is to die for. It is my dream to win the lottery, buy the building, live upstairs, and eat dinner there every night of my life.
  
  They have a price fixe menu and an ala carte menu, both very reasonable. For the price of an entre at Le Gourmand you get a 3-course meal. Frequently I'll go in and just have some French onion soup and some wine, or a glass of wine and some appetizers in the bar.
  
  A bunch of friends just got back from France where they ate at a 2-star Michelin restaurant that cost them....wait for it...$800 for lunch, for three (yes, three people)...and the one bottle of wine they ordered was so cheap in comparison that they could have washed their feet in it. BY COMPARISON they all agreed that Carnegies was at LEAST as good, and for the price, more than reasonable.
  
  Did I mention that they have a fireplace in the dining room? It is the best place in town for a romantic dinner, and the food and service is impeccable.
• Sman
  Is this restaurant still open? I stopped by twice and the doors were locked.
• Maria
  Always consistently good and a VERY comfortable place to spend a few hours over drinks or a few bottles of wine. What’s wrong with the exterior? It makes me feel like a LITTLE of the old Ballard still exists.
• saballard
  After reading the reviews here and looking at their website, we went expecting there to be a bar menu because the regular menu is definitely out of our price range. Once seated at the bar and drink orders taken, we were told they no longer have a bar menu.
  
  The appetizer list is limited and they were out of one of the appetizers. So we had one appetizer (calamari- which was great) and drink and then went to Ray's. I had my heart set on the mussels that I saw on the menu online at Carnegies, but is not on their menu in the restaurant.
  
  I would definitely go back, now knowing what to expect, and have an appetizer or soup and a drink, but from the looks of how empty it was (we were one of 3-4 groups at 7:30 on a Friday night), they may be in trouble.
• SPG
  Haven't been in a while, this is a good reminder to go back. Thoroughly enjoyed it the last time.
• seattlepdx
  We've walked by this place for years now and never went in because we were never sure that it was open.
  
  Tried it last night based on the reviews (based on the reviews we've seen here) and have to say that the food is excellent. Simple food, nothing new or exciting, but it's all skillfully prepared. The quiet dining room was comfortably crowded and felt as though we were dining at someone's home.
  
  Our only complaint was the long wait between soup and the main course, but that was just a minor hiccup.
  
  And, reservations are not needed...I called about 30 minutes early just to check, but it's clear they'll be happy to seat you if just walk in.
• Mymble
  For a special treat, this is our restaurant of choice in Ballard! If anything is not to your liking, it will be corrected ASAP! Looking for great food and friendly service, it's the best!
• Mymble
  Ate here recently......best dinner/service yet...the Calamari was perfection!!!!!!!!!!!
• OingoBoingo
  No need to go to France, save the money and eat here. The food's great, the wine selection is not a 'dump' list and they speak English! Service with modest decorum and a refreshing formality. I so like the kitchen because it is wide open..no secrets here. It's a gem.
• FrankieSardines
  A Disgrace
• carollevin
  Carnegies has been one of our favorite restaurants since even before it was in this location-- they used to be the 24th St. Bistro on 24th & 80th. The food, the service, the ambiance is inviting. I especially love that it is quiet, that true conversation can happen and does, including ohs & ahs over the dishes being served. I always recommend it. Our daughter is a vegi and the chief graciously prepared a meal for her that was elegant and visually beautiful. She was thrilled. She is so tired of risotto as her only choice everywhere else.
• gurple
  I haven't been this underwhelmed by a meal I had high hopes for in a long time. Part of it is just that their style didn't jive with me too well -- everything they serve is heavy, heavy, heavy. But also I don't think they're trying very hard -- they've got a good reputation and a unique location and they can coast.
  
  The salmon was overcooked and the coq au vin clearly sat a while before it came out. The creme caramel was quite nice, and the french onion soup was fine.
• Club Penguin Cheats
  They are open Tuesday through Saturday. A reservation is a good idea for the weekend, but not always necessary on weeknights. It is NOT reservastion/appointment only. The food, service, and ambience are all incredible.