Ballard Hockey Bar opens this weekend on NW Market St

A new hockey bar is opening up this weekend in the former Pho Big Bowl location at 2248 NW Market St.

Ballard Station owners Jesse and Kayla Young are opening the all-ages Ballard Hockey Bar just a few doors down from the Ballard Station as a short-term project “to give the neighborhood a safe, fun, and affordable place to support our Seattle Kraken,” Jesse told My Ballard in an email.

The building will soon be torn down to make way for a 7-story apartment complex, but the Youngs wanted to make use of the space to help discourage crime and vandalism in the area.

“The increased crime and awful behavior of individuals seemed to increase when less businesses were open,” Jesse said. “So with a deadline of June 30, 2022 for the new space we set off to clean up the neighborhood while providing something new and fun for Ballard.”

The Ballard Hockey Bar is an underwater theme, with community-style tables—built like a fishing pier or dock, Jesse says—and surrounded by four 75-inch TVs, “so every seat in the house feels like you are on the ice.” They’re calling this area the “Kraken Den.”

The order window has been named “The Krak Shack” and will serve bottled and canned beer and cider with highlights including locally brewed IPAs, Hop Valley Kraken Stash IPA, Labatt Blue, and Molson Canadian. They’ll also serve wine and spirits with hockey-themed cocktails including the “Five for Fighting,” “Power Play,” and “Krak-Can.”

Food will include pizza, fries, hot dogs, and nachos. “We want patrons to feel like they can have a slice of pizza during pre-game, fries at intermission, and a hot dog to celebrate the victory,” Jesse said.

The Ballard Hockey Bar will open softly this Saturday (March 5) and will continue for all Kraken games until Wednesday, March 16. During the soft opening, all food sales will be donated to the World Central Kitchen which is providing emergency food relief for Ukrainians.

Photos:Mason Reister Morris