‘Corner Spot’ opens in Central Ballard

Back in February, we reported that neighborhood hangout Crooked Nail had closed at the corner of NW 56th St. and 17th Ave. NW. According to a liquor license, it looked like a new establishment called “Corner Shot” was in the works.

We were close. It’s called Corner Spot, a new bar and restaurant that has quietly opened over the last week or so.

Corner Spot is owned by Loyal Heights resident Kacy Fitch, who used to be the co-owner of the cocktail place Zig Zag Cafe near Pike Place Market. “I was tired of the commute,” he told us. “And I wanted something small that I can manage myself.”

Fitch says Corner Spot aims to be a friendly neighborhood bar “away from the craziness of Ballard Ave.” with quality food, drinks and service.

From chef Mario Pujals, the menu ranges from small plates (i.e. charcuterie) and soups and salads (i.e. balsamic caesar) to sandwiches (i.e. smoked turkey) and a couple heartier options (i.e. creole mac & cheese.) Pujals said more tapas-style food is coming.

Fitch is known for his craft cocktails, but he says he has “something for everyone” at the bar — including a good selection of wine (and even champagne) by the glass. The beer taps include local favorites Maritime, Reuben’s and Fremont.

Corner Spot is currently open from 3 to 10 p.m. (to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday), but it plans to add a lunch menu on Friday and Saturday soon. The bar is 21-and-over for now, but Fitch said he’s working on a city permit for a bar railing to make it kid friendly.

(Our thanks to Henry and Alex for the tip!)

Geeky Swedes

The founders of My Ballard

13 thoughts to “‘Corner Spot’ opens in Central Ballard”

  1. All you whiners… If you know of Zig Zag, then you will know that hey produce nothing but QUALITY!!!

    Don’t want to pay for quality?!? Wendy’s just reopened for you.

    Can’t wait to spend countless hours and dollars here.

  2. They are doing the same disjointed concept that seems to continue to fail at this location, over, and over, and over. No one ever does a post mortem. Tapas? Creole? Everything bar? Pick something.

    This corner has to win for most failed restaurant attempts in a Ballard location.

  3. @Meh: You’re correct. The most recent bar before this one, the Crooked Nail, seemed to finally be doing OK, mostly because they stuck with a regular menu and didn’t try to overly-eccentric like all the previous attempts in this off-the-beaten-path location. Sadly, that was short lived when the owner died.

    However, like James said, Zig Zag is one of those places that is well worth going to, so I’ll definitely be giving this place a shot. While I can’t see a non-vanilla neighborhood bar lasting here, I would not mind a mini Zig Zag close by.

  4. Looking forward to trying this. If it’s anything like Zig Zag, that probably means tasty cocktails.

    Please don’t ruin it by making it kid-friendly.

  5. The owner of that building is probably now charging a higher lease rate than they were charging the previous failed restaurant. A restaurant shelling out 40% of revenus on occupancy costs can’t survive, even with overpriced food/drink.

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