Nice, cozy, updated place. Â Great selection of alcohol, but I like the Crispin Hard Cider!!! Â Yum!! We sat at the bar and I had a wonderful black bean w/dead animal soup for lunch. Â Tasty, perfectly spiced to my taste anyways. Â Service was great, waitress was attentive, the owners came over to chat. Â Very friendly place.
Review Source:Would I take people there to impress them? No. But would I go there all the time and be mad if I can't get a table? Probably.
PROS
Good beer and wine selections, and inventive cocktails. (Although they were spring-themed and not summer-themed in late May ... I demand summer-themed.)
Our server was a veteran and the hostess seated us promptly.
Good, big burger.
CONS
It was dinner time on a weekday so the place was pretty loud and brat-friendly. (Disclaimer, I am preggo and allowed to call them brats.)
Little parking nearby - it's residential.
Waffle fries not seasoned.
Truly, it's 1 star for breakfast, and 3 star for lunch/dinner. I've gone a handful of times over several years and service has always been fine, but the food pretty average. Except breakfast - I honestly didn't think it was possible to mess up a small breakfast menu, but ick. The chorizo burrito was really bland and overwhelmed with meat. The french toast wasn't completely cooked, and just in general had a bad taste, like perhaps the griddle wasn't fully cleaned. The fruit on the side was brown at the edges and not freshly cut. I hate being the grouchy reviewer, but it seriously was gross.
This may be why we were one of only two tables there - I expected it to be busy and a bit of a wait since just about everywhere is on a Sunday morning (much less a holiday weekend).
It's a great neighborhood location, but I think we'll have to save it for happy hour brews and not much else.
I hate to rate this place so low, because the food is pretty good. Â But the service is bloody awful. Â
We came in for dinner, knowing that afterwards our daughter was going to go to her schoolmate's house to do some homework and we were going to wait for her, drinking beer and perhaps sampling some dessert. Â The dinner-ordering thing went OK - they were out of a beer I wanted, which I'm reading in these reviews as a consistent theme, but food came and was good. Â But then it started to go sideways. Â
The server asked if we wanted dessert and we said no, not now, maybe in a bit. Â So she brought the bill... and promptly wrote us off. Â My wife took our daughter to meet with her schoolmate, and I waited for-freaking-ever for the server to pay attention to me again and realize that maybe I wanted a second beer. Â (She seemed to have a favored perch behind the bar, where she appeared to be doing nothing.) Â I also asked for the dessert menu, which she did not provide (and yet another tap was dry). Â After waiting a bit for her to remember that I'd expressed an interest in more food, I snagged a menu on my own. Â Irrelevant, because I never got a chance to order anything else. Â
My wife returned from dropping off our daughter, but the server didn't ask if she might want anything else. Â We finally had to flag down another server to find our server so we could get our tab - which was yet more delay. Â We still had some time to burn before our daughter was finished with her homework session, but we decided to find somewhere else to spend our time and money, someone that might actually provide SERVICE. Â
We had been to this restaurant when it first opened, and we stopped going because the service was poor. Â We tried it again a few months ago and had an acceptable experience, and enjoyed the food (in the bar area). Â After today's experience, it will be a few more YEARS before we try this establishment again. There are too many other places in Seattle that act as though they care you came in, to waste one's time on this place. Â They don't care and, for reasons that escape me, they evidently don't think they have to.
I would say this place is "A-OK" Â but that's about it. Their burgers, $10's and up, are massive, so come hungry. The size is the only notable thing about them. They are pretty standard burgers with fresh condiments your choice of fries or the soup of the day. Â
I live on NW 70th and it took me about a year to try this place due to less than encouraging reviews. What  I've found is that they serve beer and pub quality food, plain and simple.
With Delancey just blocks away I kinda like that Barking Dog is just a regular old neighborhood restaurant without the trendy hype. Could they stand to amp up there menu slightly? Probably. Could they take the waffle fries off their menu so they aren't referencing Wendy's with every plate? Yeah. But I don't think they are trying to kid anyone.
They are OK and nothing more. And that's OK by me.
Good food and fun atmosphere. They have a nice happy hour. The place wasn't very crowded when we arrived at around 5, but within 20-30 minutes it was packed. The seating arrangements felt a bit crowded and the noise level loud.
I would have given them 4 stars for the yummy food, but our waitress was way too pushy about getting us out of there. She asked my friend if he was still working on his food and he said yes. About five minutes later, she came back to our table and took his plate away which he had just said he was still working on. She didn't even give us a chance to object - just rushed away. I don't care if there are people standing at the door waiting for a table. We're paying customers with the right to enjoy our meal. We'll leave when we're ready.
You may be wondering why I gave this place one star...... it is because I can NOT give it zero.
I came here tonight with 3 of my friends. We go there around 4:15 ( its Sunday) and the place wasn't busy at all. It was my first ( and last) time here. Walk right in and take a seat and we were kindly welcomed by our waitress.
She provided us with a " Beer and Wine" menu and a "happy hour menu" and we were told they would not be serving food until 5 pm. Okay fair enough... we came for dinner and we will have a few drinks and wait for the kitchen to get cooking!
After we looked at the drink menu the waitress came over and asked what we would like to drink.... I am not sure if she was having a bad day or if she hated her job but she clearly wasn't happy.... No worries we ordered 4 different drinks and she walked off and came back 3 or 4 min later and said " we don't have 3 of the beers you ordered". We questioned why and she let us know they have rotating kegs and the printer ran out of ink so they just had this one revised copy of the beer and wine menu.... revised in ball point pen. She unfolded the revised menu in front of all and let it go in hopes it would land on the table, when it missed she let out a heavy sigh and picked it up and tossed it on the table and walked off. This is the kind of stuff you see on TV! It was weird...... Im not even mad!!! I began to laugh and picked out another beer....
When she came back we updated our beer order and ordered wings, fries, and chili off the Happy hour menu.
A different server came back and said we are out of the beers you picked.... what else do you want. By this time my buddy was slightly irritated and asked.... in a slightly nice way " what beers do you actually have? Do you have....... Guinness? And guess what, this place has that..... Amazing.
The fries, wings, and chili came out........ I wish they wouldn't have. The fries were FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC!.........compared to the chili that tasted like you were licking beef.... thats it, beef no seasoning... just beef and the wings were covered in flour then fried, not sure if they were seasoned at all.... served with sweet and sour sauce tho.
By this time it was 5 after 5 and we asked if we could get a dinner menu since we saw some groups of people around us with dinner menus, the waitress gave us no answer and simply walked away.
A few minutes had passed and we were getting low on our drinks and a new waitress came out and asked if we would like anything else and we told her we were very interested in dinner and perhaps some scotch. She brought out some dinner menus and a receipt with scotches printed out on it.
I ordered their ale house burger, cooked medium. I got a burger patty (well done) with a bit of cheese on a bun with onions pickles and lettuce on the side...... I have had burgers a lot better than this one. Friend 1 ordered the same but asked for no onions..... she got more onions than I did. Friend 2 asked for the french dip and got meat shavings that tasted like index cards on a hot dog bun all which was cold. Friend 3 was smart and didn't order anything.
When the waitress came out and asked how everything was..... we ( in a polite way) let her know the food wasn't all that good. She felt bad and said she was sorry and took the french dip off the check. When the check came promptly after that friend 2 felt bad for bringing us here and laid a card down to pay. When they got the check back to sign and tip we noticed there was an 8-9 dollar difference between the first receipt that said the total and now they had charged the card almost 10$ more. When we asked there was no real answer " there must have been drinks on your table that hadn't been added to the bill yet"
We asked to talk to a manager or owner. We were told that there was no one there.
Now I don't usually write long reviews and if a place isn't worth going I will give a few key points about what I didn't like and thats it. But in this case there is so many things wrong that its unbelievable this place is still operating.... Maybe this was an off day and everyone was...... tired? I don't know but I would strongly recommend you eat at dicks burgers on your way to here..... save some money and frustration.
I have been dinning at Barking Dog Alehouse for the last 5 years living in Ballard.. Â The food has degraded in the last years and so has the service. Â It took me awhile to post this, because I would like to be fair with my personal comments.
My BFF and I were having lunch and ordered a couple of mixed drinks.  My best friend ordered a mix drink, that was served with a lime  She noticed the lime wasn't fresh, looking brown on the edges and tired.   The server checked in on us, asking how the drink was. My friend said it was OK, BUT asked for a fresh lime.  She mentioned it looked old because it was brown on the edges.  The server ARGUED with my friend, the lime was just cut a few hours ago.  She continued to argue to us, the customer without offering a fresh lime.  C'mon it's a lime :-) a fruit.   The server finally says she will bring a fresh lime over.  Yeay.. I was appalled and flabbergasted with the events, over a fresh lime.
The server then walks over to the bar to get a fresh lime and at the same time, was complaining to the bartender about our table. Â We were an ear shot away. Â The bartender told her to be quiet and stop arguing. Â Then another server who wasn't on her shift, chimes in and makes it worst.
Now the other server who wasn't on her shift is yelling, and I do mean yelling in the restaurant by the bar, while other customers are seated. Â It was SO embarrassing! Â The events got even worst. Â More yelling from the server who wasn't on her shift. Â The bartender was trying to fix the issue by offering to redo the drink. Â He was very pleasant and helpful! Â But at this point, we were exhausted from the yelling and the embarrassment that was experienced. Â The bartender even offered to waive the bill because of bad customer service. Â We declined and paid our bill. Â
I won't spend my money and/or recommend Barking Dog Alehouse again. Â The Dog is barking because the service is horrible. Â It only takes one (1) bad experience, to loose a loyal customer. Too bad though, BDA does offer really great brews!
Well love the beer rotation and friendly service but what has happened with the food? Â This last Thursday was my last meal. Ordered the chik sandwich and it came dry bland no sauce and a salad that was merely leaf, a couple tomatoes, and some dressing. Â Time to change more than the paper menu.
Review Source:Out of the way and very busy.
This place is a little oasis at the convergence of a few sleepy neighborhoods. Â It's dog (parked outside) and family friendly, has a great beer selection, a small bar space for people to watch the game, and helpful staff. Â We came here on the early side of a Saturday night, and it took awhile for our party of 2.5 to be seated. Â
Despite what the waitress assured, she seemed harried and rushed, probably because of the large table that was lingering while new customers piled up. Â We were seated in the back area, which smelled a bit like tin and stale beer - but that might have been the aforementioned lingering group. Â The beer selection is great. The food is fairly standard pub grub with some northwest stuff sprinkled in (ling cod sandwich, salad salad salad.) Â I opted for the steak salad, and my husband for the chicken sandwich. Â Our food was out in, what seemed to be, 5 minutes. Â I was skeptical it was going to be cold, but it wasn't - and my husband's waffle fries were as great as the previous reviews have said. Â My steak on the salad was great, but the greens were weak and overdressed, with only a few firm grape tomatoes adding color.
I've had better - but I've also had their fried and standard pub grub. Â I know, I know - don't order the salad when the specialty is fried foods! Â However, some places this kind of entree can stand on its own - here, not so much.
If you're in the neighborhood, it's worth giving a shot, however, I won't go out of my way to come here again soon.
Love Barking Dog! Â Perfect neighborhood restaurant/bar with great beer on tap & delicious food. Â Warm & cozy feel and a great happy hour! Â The only downside is there are always sooo many (usually screaming) kids. Â My advise is to go after their bedtime :) Â Staff is usually good but sometimes they seem a bit short staffed & you have to wait a while.
Review Source:I was traveling out of town with my Husband and our dog, and we called the Hotel to see if they had any suggestions on where we could eat and still take our Dog. So glad that they referred us to this place. The place is cute, the food is good, and the customer service was Excellent. Our small Little maltese Dog Lola also enjoyed it!! The Nachos and sandwiches were very good. Wonderful Customer service and the prices were so reasonable.
Review Source:This place makes me pretty happy. They have multiple vegan options on the menu, and it's all pretty good (except the potobello sandwich -- bland and makes the bread soggy -- stay away). The tofu fries are yummy, and I've had good salads and veggie burgers. I think every time I've ordered off the cocktail list, I've ended up with something way too sweet -- if I just go with a standard vodka soda, it's always fine.
It's nice to have a neighborhoody place within walking distance. Sometime I will make it in time for happy hour.
I am basing my rating of 3 stars on 2 experiences- one was a night out with friends, after which I would give the Barking Dog 4 stars, and one was a dinner with my parents & two small children, after which the Barking Dog earned one or two stars.
At the night out, I noticed the fun atmosphere and excellent beers. I also really liked the food. It was a good time. There were lots of people with kids in the restaurant, which didn't phase me because I have little kids (who I left home with daddy) and honestly as long as the kids aren't in my lap or at my table then I don't care what they are doing, they don't bother me.
The place was so swarming with children, that when my parents were in town I decided to bring them there with my rugrats rather than go somewhere farther afield. I was distracted and busy, so I forgot to bring my 18 month old daughter's sippie cup. THIS PLACE ONLY HAS GLASSES- NOT A SINGLE UNBREAKABLE CUP- NO PLASTIC, NO DISPOSABLE, NOTHING. How can you have high chairs and a kids' menu, and not a single paper cup that I can put in front of my kid? I'm not asking for a sippy cup or a straw, just something that I can hold for my toddler to drink out of and not worry she is going to grab it and throw it to the floor that will break into a million pieces. It's the weirdest thing to me, that this place is so popular with parents and yet they don't have the most basic of small children's cup-ware?
Second, this isn't as big of a deal but it really rankled me, our waitress had no idea about little kids and kept putting breakable & hot things right in front of my toddler. HELLLOOOO???
Third, our table was really wobbly and my 3 year old kept leaning on it (she was tired), which almost caused a few of those fragile glasses to fall... not quite, but enough to give my dad an anxiety attack.
So yeah, fun place to go out if you leave the kids home and don't mind other people's rowdy children. But not really that child-friendly.
Oh, I'm supposed to rate the food? I know I liked it the first time, but the second time I was too worried about the potential for destruction (that could have been so easily prevented with the right equipment!) to enjoy anything, so I have no idea. I think it was ok. I can't remember what I ate!
I love this place. Where else can you get a GOOD 20 oz beer for $3.75 on happy hour?
The beer menu rotates very often too. As in, I came in last week and got an IPA and this week it's replaced with an even better IPA. Dig it.
The food is decent. I usually cave and get waffle fries. Who doesn't love waffle fries? They also have burgers, fish and pizza. I wasn't impressed with the French dip.
Plenty of seating but only 3 tv's and they are first come first served for games.
Outdoor deck and plenty of street parking.
I'd give 4 stars but I knocked one of because *sometimes* the service leaves much to be desired. Also, it's a family place, so there are always screaming kids there. I've got the headache to prove it right now.
This was a debate between 2 and 3 stars, and the husband said, "if you're willing to go back, it deserves 3 stars." Â Keep in mind we live in close walking distance of Barking Dog, which is why we're willing to go back -- and the Duvel bottles are only $7.
The Barking Dog is just OK. Â We've never been thrilled by the food, but they do offer vegetarian options that aren't awful. Â My husband always gets the veggie burger (which comes with guacamole, kinda nice)and I either get a salad or the Portobello mushroom sandwich. Â I'll give them this -- they have pretty good waffle fries, and a great beer selection, which is reasonably priced.
I eat fish on occasion and ordered the fish and chips on our last visit. Â (I also saw the review that stated that the fish and chips were some of the best in Seattle -- Say whaaaa?!!). Â The fish was tasteless (even after a good amount of salt) and Lingcod, not Cod. Â I felt bad for killing that poor guy to not even enjoy it. Â :( Â I guess the batter was good and crisp, but it should still be tasty, no? Â
Maybe I should mention the $12 appetizer special that I had that same night, the Caprese salad with Heirloom tomatoes. Â First of all these were NOT heirloom tomatoes (I am a tomato connoisseur, and these were a Safeway special, nice and mealy and pale pink) and typically one thinks of nice fresh basil on a Caprese. Â The chef managed to find some shriveled up, dried basil to top the salad. Â I rarely send something back, unless it's BAD -- this salad was sent back so fast that the waitress got whiplash. Â Did I mention the salad was tiny and sad looking and $12??? Â Wow.
My Mom ordered the pizza, which was OK -- definitely not as good as Crash Landing and I give them 3 stars (see, I told you Barking Dog should only get 2 stars), but she enjoyed it well enough. Â
Finally, a good reviewer should definitely discuss the atmosphere and customer service. Â Every time I've gone here, this place is swarming with kids. Â If you have kids or like kids, good for you -- but it you want to go and wind down (even at 7pm or later), you'll have kids squirming in their chairs beside you, making annoying faces, trying to get your attention. Â "HEY! Â Don't try to relax!! Â PAY ATTENTION TO MEEEEEEE!" Â Keep in mind that Barking Dog is one of the few places in the area that allows kids. Â Just FYI. (P.S. The tables/ chairs aren't the most comfy either, but I think that helps with turning tables.)
The customer service is "interesting." Â This last visit, the waitress was actually sort of nice (yes, the blonde that many other reviewers talk about, and yes, she is often very annoyed and wishing she didn't work there). Â She apologized for the bad salad and brought me a new one, even though it still wasn't good. Â The service here is often slow, but to the wait staff's defense, there are just not enough servers (maybe this is why the blonde gal gets annoyed easily?). Â The place can easily sit 20+ tables, but they'll still only have one waitress on a Friday or Saturday night.
In conclusion, I get the feeling that some guy, who really likes beer, decided to open an alehouse, and become the chef himself, even though he's never cooked professionally in his life. Â He's often thinking about how to save on costs, so he never keeps extra wait staff on hand, even on the busiest nights of the week. Â This place has good potential, it's just not quite there yet.
Right in little residential Ballard sits Barking Dog, one of my favorites. Just down the street from the abode, so no cab needed. Hooray!
The warm and ski-lodge-like feel to the alehouse reminds me of great bars just off the slopes in Colorado. This place isn't very big, but I've never had a hard time finding a place to sit.
The prices are a little higher than other nearby bars, but the feel of the place makes it worth it to me.
I haven't had a bad plate of food yet; definitely a higher standard than bar fare. The waffle fries are a must!
My favorite pub in Ballard.
I'm there about 3-4 times/mo. Items I love:
Donna, the service manager, she is awesome
Ruben
Best fish and chips in town, seriously. I don't know if its the quality of the fish, or the batter they use, but its fabu.
Pepperoni pizza
Crab cake
French dip
The constantly rotating beer tap. Once/week (I think) there is always something new on the menu.
The motto here seems to be, do a few things and do them very well.
Came at 6pm for dinner with a few friends. It was packed! And it was a Thursday night! I started with a glass of house red wine, pretty good stuff for being more about beer.
Had the Pacific Sandwich, basically battered fish on a toasted bun with fix ins and amazing tartar sauce. It was pretty epic. That fish was delicious! It came with waffle fries... WOW. There was a lot of hype on the yelp reviews about those waffle fries, but that hype is well deserved! I'm totally on the bandwagon! I totally wish this place were closer to home, but even though it's not, I will DEFINITELY come back! Yes, it's THAT good!
Great place. Â Now stay away! Â NEVER EAT THERE. Â It's small, so if you are there, I can't be, thus you must resist the urge to eat there when I want to.
The food is really good, and the drinks are well made. It can get very loud, so be ready for that. It's great place for kids; unless their #&*$# parents decide to let "the village" raise them and allow them to run around. It's happened on several occasions, and yes, I have kids that I don't allow to run amok.
I normally get the French Dip, but I have also had the breaded fish in a sandwich and just as Fish and Chips. This is a great neighborhood joint.
We came here for lunch and really enjoyed it! The alehouse is cutely decorated and the bar area is comfortable and inviting. I liked the setup.
I had the burger and a Bloody Mary. The burger was great! Very tasty and cooked medium-well. The waffle fries were really good, too. Not greasy at all.
The Bloody Mary was strong! Bloody Marys and mimosas are $4 till 2pm on Sundays. A great deal.
Service was pretty good. The only negative thing was that there were several tables in the restaurant that had dirty dishes on them the whole time we were eating there waiting to be cleared and wiped down.
When we first arrived all the empty tables were dirty and/or had dirty dishes on them so we just sat down at a dirty table. Seems like they need one more person to help with tables and serving.
Nevertheless I would come back! The feel of the alehouse was cozy and you can bring kids in the main dining area, too.
We went here with a groupon last week and it was very tasty! Â We started off with the chips and salsa and a cider on tap. Â Both were very good.
For my entree, I had the caesar salad with chicken which was good! Â And I'm pretty particular about my caesar salads. Â Good dressing to cheese to lettuce ratio :)
My fiance had one of the burgers, and he also thought it was delish
Overall - pretty good! Â Not unbelievably amazing, but definitely someplace we'll considering going back to.
The mutt just gets better and better! Â Come here for a beer or 4 and delicious food. Â Taco Tuesday! Â Try the burger! Â The club rocks too! Â I think I need a safety meeting... If you work here and you're reading this, I love your face! Â Robert, you're a gentleman and a scholar. Â Tonya, T-Rose, Veronica, Haley, you're all absolutely awesome! Â
I'm pretty sure the new Cheesy Pleasures menu item was named after me. Â That's how I roll. Â If you can keep up with the tap rotation you're going to be here everyday and drinking a ton. Â Get after it!
Wide range of good beers,
Diverse group of customers,
Excellent service.
We first came here because of a groupon and boy are we glad we found it! It is a great place in a residential area of Ballard. It's a blend between a pub, a restaurant, a family restaurant... people seem to be there as couples, as friends drinking at the bar, as families dining together, as large groups having a good time. It's a really nice mish-mosh of people, actually. We felt like we stepped into family-oriented Brouer's that's less crowded and has cheaper beer.
As Abt 12 fans, we were thrilled to see that they had not just Abt 12 but several other kinds of Belgian beers. Beyond the alcohol, the food is good-enough (we've had nachos, burgers, meatloaf, and salads there now), the service is excellent, and everything is reasonably priced. I also really appreciated how many vegetarian options they had on the menu, even though I'm not a vegetarian myself.
I've recommended Barking Dog to several people since coming here a few weeks ago and have returned already for another easy meal!
I admit I may be biased as I feel lucky to live close enough to walk to this place and enjoy some awesome specialty foreign beer on tap with some tasty fare. Â
It's nice to have a neighborhood ale house that is usually busy but I've never had to wait for a table. Â It's pretty family-filled during the peak dinner hours with little ones and dogs but it's still cool. Â
The food is good; they have salads, sandwiches, good sized pizzas, burgers and substantial dinner fare like meatloaf. Â When was the last time you had meatloaf on a menu?!? Â It's kind of reminiscent. Â
The service is typically good but when it's slammed, I understand they're doing their best and sometimes one must wait a bit. Â That's alright because I've never been disappointed with my experience there. Â A great Ballard establishment off the beaten path of Ballard Ave.
Congrats to the Barking Dog Alehouse for receiving my first "one-star" rating! Â How did they earn such a high honor?
SLOW SERVICE. Â How slow, do you ask?
1. It was SO SLOW, that at one point, we offered write our own ticket and personally deliver it to the kitchen. Â (our server was grossly overextended)
2. It was SO SLOW, that my wife walked to a nearby store, bought snacks and brought them into the restaurant to appease our hungry, cranky kids while we waited for our order.
The only reason we didn't walk out of the Barking Dog was because they were showing a game that we couldn't watch on our TV at home.
POSITIVES:
1. The TV worked. Â The game was on.
2. When it finally arrived, the food was fine. Â Of course, our hunger was pretty strong at that point (only our kids ate the snacks from the store), so almost anything presented to us on a plate probably would have tasted good.
ADVICE TO THE FEMALE EMPLOYEE (not our server):
If you ABSOLUTELY MUST make a nasty face to a customer while their back is turned, it would be wise to make sure that person's family isn't watching you.
We won't be back. Â And I doubt they will miss us.
I'm starting to really like my new neighborhood.
The Barking Dog was one of the closest places that showed up in my Yelp search after I started looking for a new local watering hole in my neighborhood.
I've been here a few times now, and every time, there has been some GREAT NW beers on tap here. For food, I've tried the burger, which was cooked great - and the bacon was some of the best I've had on a burger. I also have tried the fish & chips, which were crisp and flaky, and come with an EXCELLENT tartar sauce.
Conveniently located just off of 8th Ave NW on 70th, the BD is right in the middle of a huge residential neighborhood. King County Metro #28 will easily get you to and from the Barking Dog.
Woof Woof!
One star is too much for these a-holes. Â I've been in there 3 times, and have only not been completely offended by the level of service once. Â It has a decent selection of beer, and a bistro-esque food menu... but good luck getting served if you aren't a friend or neighbor.
Some words of wisdom to the staff...
"Earth to Barking Dog Staff, you are just a food server, get over yourself and treat your paying customers with some respect! Hey you the owner, you are a worthless sack of monkey dung."
It truly pains me to give the Barking Dog only two stars, but the quality of service has taken such a nose-dive that I'd be lying to give it anything better.
This used to be one of my favorite spots. The beers were of a wide variety and always tasty, I enjoyed their Wine Wednesdays, and their pizza and waffle fries were excellent. These things are all still true, however the wait staff is just unacceptable, unfortunately.
I had several visits where various waitresses were inattentive at best, and completely unfriendly and unavailable at worst. This all culminated a couple weeks back with a waitress whose friends that were going to give her a ride home sat very near to our group and proceeded to glare at us and eventually became very rude and used expletives against some of the people in our group. Now I know trash talk at bars can be rough sometimes, but this is not The Bit in Ballard or something, this is supposed to be a family restaurant/bar, and the fact that our waitress had these two sitting there disturbing our group was ridiculous.
When people from our group attempted to talk to the friends of the waitress, the waitress took her friends' side and actually tried to physically move one of the members of our group who was just standing there and talking. She is not a bouncer - putting her hands in a forceful way on a customer is unacceptable. All the while both her and her two friends continued to be rude - no apologies were made.
We were a group of 20 people that brought a lot of money in that night for the restaurant and that waitress - I only regret this all happened after she had received her tips.
I hate to say it, but this will be the last time I go to the Barking Dog.
Great little alehouse in an unassuming nook of Ballard. Â Went here for a friend's birthday dinner. Â The Alehouse burger was massive - a delicious juicy, gooey, mess, complete with melted cheddar, caramelized onions, and barbecue sauce. Â Pretty sure half the sauce got on my pants, but it was worth it. Â
Also, another plug for the waffle fries - I'm constantly wondering why people don't embrace this awesome fry trend more often?!? Â I can only think of one other Seattle restaurant (BluWater Bistro) that serves waffle fries, but Barking Dog's were a nice complement to the loaded burger. Â
Also, it turns out Wednesday is 30% off wine night, so 3 of us split a decent bottle of Malbec. Â All in all - a great little neighborhood watering hole, sports playing, drinks flowing. Â Good times.
The Barking Dog has successfully survived a near fatal, but very well-intentioned rocky period after a change in ownership, and has established itself as the neighborhood pub for the northeast Ballard area.
Under the original owners, the food was what could best be described as classy pub grub, featuring sandwiches served on Macrina and Tallgrass breads. Â When the current owners took over, they changed the menu to focus on fresher/healthier ingredients and certainly some cost cutting (no more local breads!) Â Our visits rapidly became less frequent as the food quality and selection became less consistent.
However, I am very pleased that  through the attention and care of the new owners, they have established a standard pub menu that has something for everyone at reasonable prices, and offer weekly specials to keep things interesting.  Things have been back to relative normal (sans the Macrina buns) for the better part of two years now, and it is once again our easy, no-hassle option for a quick meal out.
The service can be a little inattentive on busy nights, but not aggravatingly so.  The hefty  tap selection features a couple of standards, but is primarily made up of regional brews that rotate on regular basis (probably as the kegs run out) and their bottle service is rich with a wide variety of Belgian ales.  We primarily stick to beer, but they do have a full bar and nice selection of single malt scotches.
They also have free wifi in case you want to camp out and "work from home" over lunch, and get there early to snag a seat at one of the picnic tables outside when the weather's nice! Â It is family-friendly, so it's not uncommon to see a fair number of kids ranging from newborns to 'tweens earlier in the evening, but it's typically adults only after about 8pm if kids aren't your thing.
The Barking Dog is like the long-term boyfriend you know you should break up with, but he's just too comfortable and safe to leave. I keep returning because it's in my hood, they've got a great selection of beers, okay food, and WiFi. Good on paper, but something just ain't right.
For one, they don't have a good French dip: a cardinal sin in my book. And it's troubling, because it sounds like it should be great-- I mean, they marinate the roast beef in beer! Sweet! But then they slather it with cheddar and serve it with watery au jus. Gross. The salads are really good, but I can't forgive an effed-up FD at an alehouse. Figure it out. Â
Service is nice enough, but slooooooooow. Still, it's a comfortable spot to meet with friends, and the food could be worse.
If The Meowing Cat Alehouse opened across the street, I'd go there instead.
As my very first review of a local jaunt, I thought I would start with the Barking Dog Alehouse. Â I want to bring back some objectivity to criticisms both constructive and subjective to this site. Â I guess I have seen too much whining and want to give my input. Â In fact, it was this ver "whining" that almost kept my wife and me from going to the Alehouse.
Jennifer and I picked up our car insurance across the street from the Barking Dog earlier this week. Â Our first reaction was, "what a cool looking place. Â We have to try it!" Â (Background: We just moved here from Southern California... by the way, helloooo Seattle!)
We read the reviews and were discouraged from going. Â That being said, we thought, "what the heck. Â Let's see for ourselves." Â We were delighted that we did.
Make no mistake, this is not an elegant, fine dining experience, but it is also not a dive either. Â It's on the upper half of the scale..clean, has character, big screen flat screen TV over the bar so everyone can see it and pleasant staff. Â
There really isn't a greeter at the door and in fact, one might make the mistake of asking the people eating at a table right in front of the door for a table seat. Â Honestly, I almost did.
The first thing we noticed is that they have a decent meal selection, something for everyone. Â Pizza, burgers (free range), chicken, salads, seafood... but not so much you feel like your brain hurts from all the choices. Â The beer selection is great too. Â I purchased an African draft... quite good, and my wife purchased a glass of local wine. Â
We had their hummus appetizer, Barking Dog burger and Portobello mushroom sandwich. Â Both were excellent and served as requested. Â We didn't have room for dessert and if you knew me, you would know that the food was plenty. Â The bill was $60. Â If you are from SoCal, you know that any meal down there is going to be 20-30% more so we were satisfied with that price.
All in all, we had an excellent time. Â We watched a little basketball, had a couple of drinks, ate well and headed out the door thinking that we will be back. Â It is not quite 5 stars but I feel guilty only giving it 4. Â Again, it's not a fine dining place, but a comfortable neighborhood restaurant with it's own elegance. Â
By the way, they have WiFi too.
Barking Dog Alehouse could become one of my favorite places for moderately priced dinner and drinks. I had the mushroom & goat cheese pizza, and it was delightful. I was worried that it would be too sweet because of all the caramelized onions, but they contrasted nicely with the goat cheese and mushrooms. The crust was thin without being floppy, and the toppings of course were excellent. Barking Dog has a wide selection of wine and beer; there's something for everyone.
My dessert was not nearly as great as the pizza. I had the crème brûlée ($6.95). Everything looked great until I cracked the top layer and discovered that the custard underneath was quite runny; after I took a couple bites of the custard, an oily, yellowish liquid started seeping out to fill the void. I ate about two-thirds of my dessert and had to stop after that. The custard was not as cold or as creamy as it should have been; rather, it was warm and felt oily in my mouth. And there was no flavor of lemongrass or ginger to speak of (the menu claims that the custard is flavored with lemongrass and ginger).
Enjoy the pizza, pick your favorite beer or wine, and stay away from the crème brûlée.
I went here on V-day with my friend because:
- She lives in Ballard and knows the owner/staff
- We wanted somewhere not annoyingly romantic cause we just wanted to drink booze and eat bar food.
- I don't know why I'm making a list when those were the only reasons.
ANYway... as the fact this place is an alehouse would suggest, great beer selection, lots of local microbrews and Belgian stuff on tap. Sadly I forget what I had (two cocktails & four beers deep in about two hours, what can I say) but it was so perfect! For food, I just got the basic burger and I was happily surprised. Talk about the epitome a GOOD HAMBURGER. It was all charbroiled tasting with caramelized onions and thiiiiiick slices of bacon. My friend got a bratwurst with sauerkraut that was also quite delicious. And guess what they serve on the side? Not just french fries, but waffle fries! For some reason that's just so much more exciting... I have a theory it might be the airpockets that let you get more ketchup... when I work it out I'll let you know.
I will resentfully comment that there were tons of families and kids... Â that's not really my scene. But hey, families have to eat too. And there's an easy solution to this problem: just eat in the bar! That's what we did. Done and done.
So... let's recap the important highlights.
- Belgian beer
- Waffle fries
- Once again, this list is... useless. Fried food and beer = GOOD.
I think this place deserves a solid 3 stars. Noting fancy and really more of a restaurant than an alehouse. They are VERY family friendly in the sense that there were a lot of kids in there but I have to give the place credit, it didn't feel like Chucky Cheese.
Menu was pretty straight forward. Spilt a Blue Salad and Halibut and Chips with the wife. The fish was great with an excellent batter that wasn't soggy and adhered well to the fish and I loved the waffle fries! The blue salad was fine. Mixed greens from a bag (always end up with a little of the slimy nasty bits) and some chopped romaine. Nice and lightly dressed but with a noticeable absence of blue cheese. Doesn't that kinda make a blue cheese salad?
Service was fine. Obviously hard working and I felt for them. It is a restaurant - shouldn't you teach you kid to eat in one... or is that too much to ask?
"Is there any point to which you would wish to draw my attention?"
"To the curious incident of the dog in the night-time."
"The dog did nothing in the night-time."
"That was the curious incident."
Similarly, the Barking Dog is a curious place. It doesn't have the feel of a bar, but the ambiance isn't quite like a restaurant either. It's fairly spacious with slightly dimmed lighting and an interior design that mixes darker hues mixed with polished wood furniture. My friend observed that it looks like a slightly upscale condo. The several times I've been here, service hasn't been a problem and my food has been ready quickly.
I had the halibut and chips which was quite good. The breading is excellent and I love their waffle fries. The drawback is that it is a bit pricey for the amount that you get. Then again, so is my mortgage. My dining companion and I also got the wing appetizers. I liked the mildly spicy breading of the wings, but they really need to get a better sauce. We tried to upgrade it by mixing the wing sauce, ketchup and tartar sauce. In retrospect, a terrible idea.
The selection of beers is rather nice and they have a decent sized TV above the bar (even if they were mostly showing ESPN2: NASCAR XTREME last night). Friends have raved about their salads, but I don't really have enough personal evidence to make that call. They don't really play music here, but there is outdoor seating which is nice in the summertime. Overall, I would deduce that this place is pretty good for a casual dinner with light conversation.
What kind of lame-ass place opens up in the middle of a family neighborhood and then makes families feel spectacularly unwelcome? I brought my kids in once; never again. Aside from the prominent signage ordering parents to keep their kids in their seats, it was clear that our server had little patience for the non-adults in our party. Nothing whets the appetite like a scolding from a self-important 22 year-old.
My husband and I went back, on our own, a few months later. The service was marginally better but the food was absolute crap and overpriced to boot. The beer was fine and the location is great, but I'd rather be in the car for 20 minutes and spend my money someplace that puts some effort into their menu (not to mention their attitude).
Here's hoping the next restaurant to operate in the space will recognize how eagerly they'll be embraced if only they acknowledge their willing audience ...
If you only need 1 reason to go, here it is: Â I was watching Discovery Health, and the owner of Barking Dog was on a show. Â He got a pec implant. Â AWESOME.
Besides that, waffle fries are dee-lish, drinks are great. Â Acoustics in there are a bit loud, so good to go on a night that's not too busy. Â I have forgiven this place after the one night that me and the hubby went. Â After being seated, we got our food... AFTER ONE HOUR. Â Worst part was no "Sorry it took so long" or anything... one of the only times that we did not leave a tip.
We were so mad, but it being Barking Dog, we gave it another shot. Â Needless to say that we were not disappointed. Â Smoked chicken sammich is my fave.
**UPDATE 3/25/07**
I have downgraded from 4 to 2 stars!! Â This place is under new management!! Â ACK! Â Bad, bad changes have been made so far. Â They have removed the 1 thing that I look forward to because no one else has them and that is the waffle fries! Â The horror! Â In addition, the buns used on the sandwiches are no longer fancy schmancy, they look like super cheap buns. Â And no more smoked chicken sandwich.
Our waitress did advise that the waffle fries will be coming back soon because of the uproar, but buyer beware!! Â NOT the same place anymore... that and they will be doing some remodeling this week with a grand re-opening.
Listen up people. Give this place another chance.  Why? Do it for the beer.  Oh, and also the chef from the Nickerson Street Saloon (<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/s5vlcgzLO8uk4yZsxUQRUQ">http://www.yelp.com/biz/…</a>) just bought The Barking Dog in January and is in the midst of major revamp.  And things have already started to change for the better. Â
I had been warned by various friends that the beer selection was great, the food was pretty darn good, but the service at The Barking Dog was just down right rude. Â But I think with the new owner that's all changed. Â I went Saturday and then again last night and the service was attentive and friendly. Â Don't worry. Â It wasn't over the top bending down to eye level friendly or checking on you every 7 minutes to see if you've vacated your table yet attentive. Â Just pleasant and laid back.
Regarding the beer, excluding Brouwer's (<a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/EP1SGHNwZNKe82wfqIsPkw">http://www.yelp.com/biz/…</a>) and Bottleworks (which happen to be owned by the same person...conspiracy!), The Barking Dog might just have the best selection of beer on tap in Seattle.  Either way, it's a pretty damn good start.
Regarding the food, they have a small but decent selection (fish & chips, organic burgers, salads, etc) but our waiter explained last night the owner is in the midst of revamping the entire menu. Â So don't go and get attached to any one thing. Â It's likely to change in the next few months. Â I was especially excited to hear that they're adding more vegetarian options. Â Never fear. Â I think I heard correctly that they've already ruled out the dreaded, last resort Gardenburger because, hello, boring. Â
Normally, I'd give the place 3 stars because despite the fact the beer selection on tap is awesome and the food ain't nothing to shake your finger at, it is a wee bit expensive. Â But, a lot of the older reviews don't accurately reflect the current goodness, it's only a short walk from my house, and they always have my favorite beer on tap. Â Yaay for Lindeman's Framboise!
You get the Sprizee 4 star stamp of approval, neighbor.
Updated 4/15/07: After being back about 5 more times, I'm knocking off a star. Â The service is still great (a change since they're now under new ownership) but the food seems to be generally going down hill to just average. Â The beer selection is still awesome and if I was rating on taps alone I would give it a solid 4 stars but the food simply isn't as good as it could be. Â Keep it in check, Barking Dog.
Updated 6/22/07: The food has improved and the fries are now waffle (boy howdy, so good). Â Back to 4 stars, people. Â The service is always friendly and I'm a sucker for friendly service. Â Aren't you?
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