Salmon Bay Cafe
(206) 782-5539
5109 Shilshole Ave NW
Seattle,
WA
98107
47.6645
-122.3826
Neighborhoods: Ballard, Adams
What People Are Saying About Salmon Bay Cafe
The Editor
Contributor
Citysearch
The Scene
Salmon Bay is a real-life reminder that Ballard was once a fishing village. Local denizens in commercial fishing gear fill the place most weekdays, but the kind, no-nonsense waitresses aren't above serving their diner-style fare to the Patagonia crowd or the multi-pierced types.
The Food
In the tradition of great coffee shops, the larger-than-life breakfasts come with bottomless cups of coffee. The omelettes, named after local neighborhoods, could satisfy a starving angler--and often do. Expect to wait in line on weekend mornings, but the wait will give you all the more time to work up the immense appetite required for the cafe's generous greasy-spoon fare.
User Reviews
heysaundra
April 07, 2008
Love this place; have eaten there a lot. Great service (service was a bit slow last year when they had almost all new staff - but it's back to normal great again now), MAGNOLIA omlette is incredible (although would do for about 3 meals worth of food just the omlette alone, let alone w/ the sides). If you care that that some of the booths are torn a bit, etc, then this is not the place for you. If you want good food (it's a value considering the volume of food), a nice view of sailboats & the cut to the Locks (from the back room) & a no-frills diner atmosphere, this is the place for you. Great to bring kids because it's noisy & they blend right in. Definitely try one of their specialty omlettes (the Magnolia is our favorite). Even our teenager & daughter in her 20's like eating here. Something for everyone.
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peanut26
February 09, 2008
I just wanted to say 'thank you Salmon Bay Cafe.' Whenever I am having a gloomy day and in need some quality comfort food, you are always there for me. You keep the coffee coming (good coffee!), your atmosphere is casual and inviting, and your servers are real people. And the food! YUM! I love the home fries instead of cheap hash browns, and the omlettes that I have tried so far are packed full of fresh seafood, ripe avacado, fresh spinach etc. I also commend you Salmon Bay for staying the same cute little restaurant all these years and not getting all 'yuppy' on us. I can still dine in a pair of jeans and a tee shirt and not think twice about it. Thanks again!
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lucky108
April 07, 2007
I have never in my life been treated so badly by waitstaff at a restaurant. During the meal, the service was terrible and we were pretty much ignored by the staff. We had to beg for water and coffee refills (the waitress actually glared at me when I asked for a glass of water). But the worst came when we went to pay; because we were in a group of seven, she flatly refused to let us pay separately. Instead, she insisted that we have one person pay for the entire group (a 90-dollar bill!). She kept repeating to us, "our rule is that for groups of six or more we don't split up bills and we include a 20% gratuity" over and over. We tried to reason with her by saying that we didn't need her to split up the bill, we all knew how much we owed and wanted to pay separately. I think what made her angry was that three of us needed to pay with debit. But it would have only taken a couple minutes - and there was no line at the register, only our group. I really have no idea why she was so rude to us, we did nothing to deserve it. In the end, my friend had to cover the entire bill with his card and we all had to pay him back. The food was average and certainly not worth all the trouble. Nothing could persuade me to go back to this place.
read full reviewThe Details on Salmon Bay Cafe
Know Before You Go:
Lunches range across the typical burgers-fries-sandwich choices; from a cheeseburger to a gooey grilled cheese, each one satisfies old-fashioned appetites.
