The Department of Planning and Development has approved Azteca’s application for outdoor seating. The new outdoor space is approved at 7.25 feet wide and 28.25 feet long.
This is the second outdoor seating area along this stretch of Market to be approved in the last few months. The Market Arms recently opened with picnic tables and a TV in front of the pub.
Azteca to add outdoor seating
Let the whiners start…oh no, I have to walk around outdoor seating! What about my right to have have 15 ft wide sidewalks for my 3ft wide backside!
God forbid we enjoy a little of what most of the world takes for granted.
Bring on some sidewalk life!
Fine news. One thing; will Ballard become another Belltown? Then the whining will be “we need more police presence”. Which we could use currently. Now, if summer would arrive we could take off a coat, or 2.
Azteca = worst restaurant in Ballard. Period.
Yea screw that blind lady I saw one day with her cane caught up in the fence. She should just stay home if she can’t navigate correctly.
Atlas and Norwegian: love the PREwhining you do every time.
“Yea screw that blind lady I saw one day with her cane caught up in the fence. She should just stay home if she can’t navigate correctly.”
Blind people get around fine in European cities with sidewalk cafes. Hell, if blind people are your concern, maybe we should remove every lamp post, curb, tree, planting bed, tied up dog, small kid etc. etc.
“PREwhining you do every time.”
Just because we know there are so many ‘Dons’ out there.
with la carta and matador in ballard, who even eats at azteca anymore?
Hasn’t Azteca had tables on the sidewalk for many months now? Aren’t they on the corner?
Well, I for one, will be happy for Azteca.
Our kids grew up on Azteca, a truly family-friendly place, with what I think are the best margarita’s in town… (well, the best stiffest, which is important when dining with ones own toddlers, right?) Tom, our favorited waiter there, has known us since the kids were in high-chairs, at the Shilshole Azteca and then at Ballard. I love the fajitas, carne asada, and tostados; the kiddies loved the cheese and chicken enchilladas, rice and beans. And the kids ALWAYS would order Shirley-Temples that come in the special Azteca-themed lidded plastic cups with straws. Our son at, at 23, always wants to go to Azteca when he comes home to Ballard.
And for folks who want locally owned chains, the owners live in Burien.
Good luck to Azteca with the new outdoor seating. I know that I’ll be there soon, happily sipping margaritas in the fresh air.
My late father was blind. As long as there isn’t a grade change (stairs for instance – there’s a treacherous area in the U-district off 45th) this isn’t really an issue given canes and seeing eye dogs. My dad used to go around our neighborhood with his little hacksaw trimming out-of-control bushes though, no one likes a branch in the face. The handicapped are not as helpless as you think!
gobigblue – we don’t want to eat with overpriced yuppies like yourself
Azteca is a chain but it is locally owned and the family gives a ton back to local charities. The inside of the restaurant can be a little dark, so outdoor seating would be great.
Went to the Northgate one- was the worst mexican food I’ve ever had. Is the Ballard one better?
I really don’t know why anyone would want to sit outside on Market Street and try to enjoy a meal…it’s impossible! Bus and car exhaust fumes and incredible noise from constantly heavy traffic are not my idea of pleasant ambiance for dinner out. And yes, it is getting harder to navigate the sidewalks what with all the outdoor eateries and obnoxious tent signs everywhere.
Tent signs are annoying.
I’m all for outdoor seating, but seriously Azteca has the worst Mexican food I’ve ever had the displeasure of eating.
Oh so Betsy, so you’re saying that the first day your dad went outside he was navigating with the grace of Rudolph Nureyev? Some people cope better than others, some may have recently been afflicted.
I think these fences on the sidewalk are just a blight. I’m not against shops putting out chairs and tables for customers to sit outside. But with our weather, why do we need permanent impediments on the sidewalks that are only used a few months out of the year?
Look at the place next to Kinko’s, it’s been closed for months and the only time I’ve seen it used lately is as a corral for that homeless lady with her 5 shopping carts. At least some, such as La Carta, are kind and smart enough to remove them in the winter.