Ballard Annex Oyster House

Visiting Seattle and had a great dinner at this restaurant. Had a bottle of bubbly and started with some oysters. Our server told us where the different types were from and what to expect from each type in terms of taste. Followed with a bucket of steamers, mussels and clams in a lovely broth that was delicious and not overpowering as some can be. For our main course, we had the scallops. WOW...they were terrific. Perfectly cooked and well seasoned. Nice room, great service, cool neighborhood. It all worked! Would definitely go back again in a heartbeat.

Absolutely phenomenal! I visited for Seattle Restaurant week and am already planning my next dinner.

Always a pleasure. It feels down to earth here, but the food is top notch and the service is excellent. What more could you ask for?

Ballard Annex was out of my way, but completely worth the trip. It's smaller than I expected, but has fun decor. (Expecially the cool paintings.)

The service was great. They kept our drinks filled, delivered us hot food, and helped with meal selections.

I ordered the crab and bacon cheesecake for my first course. I will absolutely go back just for this. It was delicious and the flavors were well balanced. The tomato jam on top was a nice touch, and it spread nicely on the crostini toast. So. Freaking. Good. Seriously, I want to go back soon.

For my dinner, I tried the gnocchi. It was good, but not great. My friend ordered the salmon and said it was excellent.

For dessert, I ordered the creme brulee. It was top-notch. I'd definitely order it again.

So yeah, go there.

I was about 15 minutes early, but our table was ready so I got to sit down (before the other 5 guests arrived). Ice water was poured and I was offered bread - which was warm! The server was especially kind - we talked about the birthday and the dessert/candle and how she should give me the bill. It was as if she was in on my making a great birthday dinner for my son-in-law - and the rest of my family - and wanted to make sure that it was a nice experience.

Went for the oysters, which were excellent! Lots of options for seafood; some vegetarian or vegan options available as side dishes (salad, roasted vegetables). Very nice atmosphere. Can be a bit loud though. Servers took good care of us. We were a party of 8 on a Friday night. Parking is difficult on this block due to the high number of popular eateries. Give yourself extra time.

We came for the oysters and left full and happy. My father came into town and his favorite thing to do is eat fresh Puget region oysters. The Annex did not disappoint here. We have been here before with a great experience under the belt it only felt right to come back again.

It was a pretty quiet night, maybe a small handful of patrons (some at the cool bar seating, others in groups and a couple ones and twos throughout). There were three people running the floor, however, somehow it still took 20 minutes to get a second round of drinks even ordered after a single Rainier had been requested. Our total time at the Annex was an hour and a half. This all seemed a bit long for such a slow Tuesday night.

The lobster mac & cheese along with the Brussels sprouts were pretty bland. The fish and chips were pretty soggy. I would say $170.00 for 3 people eating non-market priced fish (aside from the oysters) is pretty steep for the quality of food we ended up with. The redeeming factors was that when we saw our waiter, he was friendly and also fun, also my father got his oysters that were super tasty along with a couple glasses of wine in our bellies. May try another oyster place before coming back here next time he is in town.

Have eaten here many times. Always reliably excellent. Friendly service. I love the trout

Came to celebrate our nephew’s engagement with his new fiancée. The waiter brought us a bottle of champagne on the house to start our celebration!! So thoughtful and unexpected! Had a great food and can’t wait to come back!

Overpriced and disappointing. Oysters weren’t worth the price!

Would have been nice if we were told the cost of the lobster when we ordered. I guess we could have asked but when $72 is added to bill for the lobster roll I was a little shocked!

These folks know how to cook seafood perfectly. Ordered the steamed clams - first time ever all clams were wide open. Fresh oysters and a very good selection of reasonably priced wines

Had a lovely dinner enjoyed the fresh oysters, nice champagne!

If you like seafood and PNW cuisine, then you won’t be disappointed at the Ballard Annex. I love this place.

Exceptional service from our waitress and delicious food made for a wonderful night out.

I just went here for the second time and it was not as good as my first. Maybe just an off-night or maybe it was just too busy because it was a Saturday, but our waiter went to get a wine sample and never came back; he just totally forgot. No biggie, it happens, but we felt a bit neglected as a pattern. Also, I am gluten free, so ordered the scallops but just asked that they come on a bed of greens instead of what it normally came with (I can't remember what that was--maybe cous cous). They basically just made a completely plain scallop salad, which I think totally altered the dish instead of just substituting the one problematic ingredient of the dish. It would have been fine (I love seafood salad), except there were only THREE scallops for the $30 pricetag. So, $10 per scallop. Total rip, and I was still hungry when I left. The oysters and cocktails are very good, though, and I'm sure I'll give them another chance.

Very disappointed after watching "food Paradise" witch feathered the Annex. The "chips" were soggy, limp and unappetizing .... the coleslaw was nothing like the fresh coleslaw made on the show.... actually not even coleslaw! looked like left over purple onions and maybe a large tablespoon at best of the cold nasty onions.. the 3 pieces of cod were the only thing I could eat.. The Martini was served in the wrong glass, was not shaken, and not the least bit chilled and wimpy olives to boot! Just soooo disappointed after such a good spot on the TV... aint going back .... less you all fix it!!

Fabulous service and delicious oysters.

Great happy hour after a day skiing.

This is a great place for a semi-fancy meal for a couple or a big family gatherings. I’ve been here for my anniversary and for when my brother visited from out of town-it’s fancy but not pretentious, and everything is excellent

The food was delicious and the ambience very lively. The staff was very helpful and welcoming.

Amazing food and service

Food was very mediocre. My group was very excited by the menu and we all ordered a wide variety of options on the menu, and every dish ended up being somewhat disappointing. Great ambience and accommodating for a large group of us.

The whole trout was amazing! Great atmosphere, perfect for big groups or couples.

Just made it to happy hour (3.30-6pm) which allowed us to try 6 or so different dishes at very reasonable prices in one of our favorite seafood restaurants in Seattle.

What a great new years dinner!

Delicious food, as always! First tried this place last fall and it has become a regular date-night spot since. Every meal we've had has been great- good service, nice place!

We had a lovely dinner celebrating my sister and brother-in-law who were recently married out of the country. Ballard Annex was able to seat our group of six with short notice, and we received excellent service. The waitress knew details about the cocktails (both on the menu, and what the bartender could make special order). The food is delicious - the trout is really fantastic, and my husband and I had the crab gnocchi and octopus salad to share, with were both superb. We've been here 3-4 times before, I look forward to each visit!

We were there early so definitely quiet. The staff was friendly and the food was great. The oysters were fresh and shucked perfectly. Looking forward to going again!

We were a bit disappointed in the food from the last time we ate here. We were almost the only other party in the whole place which seemed odd.

This is one of my favorite restaurants in Seattle! The food is always delicious and they use quality ingredients. The staff is wonderful and I love the atmosphere. Their happy hour is one of the best, you can't go wrong with the white fish dip and the chowder. I would highly recommend the Ballard Annex to anyone!

Had a great experience. The bartender who took care of our party in the bar area was awesome. The food was great and had nice proportions, presentation, and flavor. Would highly recommend this place to any who are curious. The octopus, squid, and oysters were on point!

Great & fresh oysters.
Oyster Rockefeller's were some of the best I've had.

Came here for an early brunch with 3 kids under 3. It was really quiet before 11am, which is exactly what we wanted with that many young kids. Service was excellent and attentive, and we all liked the food. Kids loved the french toast.

Awesome brunch. Bartender was super talented. He created a custom martini for me. it was so good!

High quality food! Good service. Great if you love seafood!

This was one of the noisiest restaurants I've ever been to. We had to shout across the table to be heard. Not kidding! I finally gave up. It was frustrating. The wait staff was really nice and had wonderful suggestions but they seemed a bit over-extended. We had 3 people come to take our drink order. Nice that they were so attentive but overall disorganized. Maybe someone called in sick?
The food was decent. Loved the dozen oysters we ordered. Came with fresh horseradish! Yay! I think the fish and chips were good according to my friends who ordered it.
Would I go back? Maybe if I didn't want to talk to my table mates.

Although they did not notice it was my birthday the food was phenomenal: simple yet perfectly executed! Our server was pretty dang good too...

Great seafood and drinks. We were seated upstairs in the bar area at a 4-top. Service was attentive but not overbearing. The baby octopus appetizer was tender and delicious. Willie's bucket with oysters, mussels and clams in butter, wine and garlic is so good--highly recommend side of bread to sop up the wonderful broth!

Great food. The bartenders make a wonderful cocktail. Had a lovely time!