The Lady Bug Cafe at 7334 15th Ave NW is hard to miss. It’s fire engine red with black spots.
The Lady Bug opened just this week and is hoping to fill a niche in Ballard. “I’m trying to be a part of my community and fill a hole,” owner Mark Hackett tells us. The little cafe will be open at 4:45 starting tomorrow morning, that’s 15 minutes before the first bus, he tells us. Hackett roasts his own coffee beans and will have hot drip coffee ($1.50) and French press coffee ($3) for those waiting for the bus. Along with the fresh coffee, the cafe will serve “breakfast on the go,” homemade soups and sandwiches. “People loved the meat sandwich,” Hackett says of Rizzo’s French Dip, which was previously in the small building.”So this is a truer French dip.” Hackett received his classical training in New York City and his chef, Tom Yuengling trained in France and Switzerland and trained at western culinary in Portland Or, and at the CIA Greystone.
The cafe is open 4:45 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the weekends. Prices fall in the $5 to $7 range.
