I've lived in the Ballard area for 30 years. I went to the first parking lot event in June to support the Needy. I ordered a hot dog with cream cheese, paid the cashier and left a tip. I was handed number 18 and told it would be right out. While I was waiting two others ordered and received their food. 25 minutes later my hot dog finally arrived. The server was carrying a small white/brown dog in his arm and my hot dog in his other hand. He sat the hot dog down on the table and called number 18. I handed him my number and he said you have to pay. I told him I already paid 25 minutes ago, that's why I have number 18 in my hand. He picked up the hot dog and told me to leave. He acted like he owned the place and was very rude. When I tried to get an explanation, he got very upset and told me to leave Hattie's and never come back. I turned around and went back to listen to the Maldives. Next thing I know this guy comes storming across the parking lot, handed me $5 and told me to get out.
Worse customer service experience ever. This person should not be working with customers. Plus carrying your dog while in kitchen and serving food has to be a health violation. Needless to say, I will never ever go to Hattie's again. I will tell all of my friends not to go there. Aunt Hattie would be very upset!
I was visiting a friend in Seattle this week and we decided to try out Hattie's. We went to the bar and she ordered a beer. The bartender promptly brought her the wrong beer, but she's not one to complain. I don't drink beer very often so after looking at the menu and not seeing anything I particularly recognized I asked the bartender for a recommendation based on the fact that I don't like hops and I usually drink Shock Top or Blue Moon. He immediately got angry and shouted, "Just tell me what the F*** you want!" I said nevermind, but then he angrily poured four samples of beer and put them in front of me and said, "Here are 3 IPA's and a cider. Just tell me what the f*** you want". Clearly if I don't like hops I wasn't looking for IPA's!
Anyway, this place would have only received one star, but I liked the DJ.
I went to Hattie's Hat with a Groupon for a weekday brunch, and I was fairly pleased with the experience.
The food was tasty and the portions were generous. We had the hangover burger and the French toast; the egg on the burger is served over easy, and so tends to drench the bottom bun before you're done with the burger.
The server was prompt and very friendly. The decor was very clearly that of a bar, rather than a breakfast restaurant; people looking for a waffle house experience should look elsewhere.
In total, a brunch for two (including drinks) was less than $35.
Two stars for good - though few - beers on tap. About 5-6 beers to choose from, a list of what looked to be rotating taps of nice local brews.
As far as food goes, it can best be described as big and bland. I sure got a mountain of food, but I could've used a mountain of salt on top. The only sensation my tastebuds experienced was getting burned by the too-hot fish and chips I ordered. Stop by here for drinks, but skip the food unless you're starving.
Can't comment on the food as we didn't get to order our food. The waitress ignored us a couple of times after we were seated. She was serving the table behind us, made eye contact and knew we were there - don't see any reason why she felt she can just ignore a customer. The un-welcomed feeling we got after unfriendly service turned us off and after waiting patiently (long enough) for someone to help us, we left.
Review Source:I felt like after my visit today I needed to update my review - we snagged a booth in the bar.. much better than sitting in the back room - in my opinion. Once again we shared the carafe of mimosas - yum! And instead of having breakfast I opted for the Hat Bacon Cheeseburger, it was delish! Those fries are perfection! My boyfriend had the fried chicken breakfast which I had a bite of and it was delicious! Our waiters seemed, to me, to be joking around with eachother telling me to tell the other server "thanks for doing your job" which i figured he was joking around so i told her thanks - my bf made it out to me later that I probably shouldn't have said that.. but i was doing it for all in good fun - if anyone who works there ends up reading this, I really wasn't meaning to be rude, the waitress laughed when i said that so i figured it was a joke, not a diss.. am i wrong? anywho - another good experience with good food - i like this place!!
Review Source:This is my all time favorite, go-to spot in Ballard. One thing you HAVE to remember is its not like all those avaunt-gourde, "Im going to cook something normally gross, add some obscure spices and a side dish that will just confuse you more", pop-up cramped restaurants. Its, Hatties Hat. It has and will always be more of a diner feel. So the fact people are leaving super critical reviews on things like eggs and coffee, they're already going to the wrong place. That ritzy brunch place you stand 45 min in line for is down the street. Or up the street, whatever, they're all over now. Lol.
I love hatties hat. Its my ol reliable, great food and great drinks. Seriously, it's a place that is; great food, great drinks. It's just that simple folks. A lot of people constantly look  at me more for suggestions of places to go to eat, drink and hang. Hattie's is always an option and I can't tell you how many people Ive taken here. New friends, family, out of town guests, colleges and co-workers, dates, any and all. The atmosphere is so versatile, the food/drink hours are great, not to mention the options of the food and drink. PLUS They do movie nights with themed cocktails and bites! And lil fun events to get the patrons involved, like karaoke!! Even LIVE MUSIC!!! The employees have always been very awesome and super attentive. I actually went their the other day after not for a long time and noticed a GLUTEN FREE delicious breakfast item!! The waitress was very nice and on point. I went with out of town friends who are pro skate athletes and they loved it. Felt very like a very good tour guide. Thanks Hatties!!
On the suggestion of a new friend, this was the brunch spot for today. Â I was so excited upon seeing the place and then entering that I knew I had found a gem.
The whole look and feel of this place is awesome. Â Wooden booths and wainscotting. Â Awesome bar.
If your looking for a great Bloody Mary look no further. Â I tried the traditional and it was great. Â I can't wait to try the others.
Chicken fried chicken brunch was sooooo tasty. Â The gravy, while not traditional Southern, is very, very good. Â Eggs cooked just perfect and potatoes.
This is a can't miss. Â Don't be in a rush, because you will miss the coolvibe and energy here.
Came here for happy hour. Parking is hard to find and the place was so dark I wasn't sure it was even open. The $5 nachos were mainly chips, grease, and a TON of pico de gallo with some black beans straight out of a can and a sprinkle of cheese. My $5 glass of chardonnay was small. The music was so loud you couldn't carry on a conversation. Service was ok.
Review Source:Hattie's is practically in landmark status. Â It's been there longer than the newer, hipper places that surround it. Â It's a survivor and to be a survivor, you have to be doing something right. Â This is a small distinction but I don't view Hattie's Hat as a restaurant with a bar, I view it as a bar that has some pretty decent food. Â I haven't been a huge fan of their brunch. Â You do get huge portions, but the food is average. Â Although, the pancakes are very good - huge, light and fluffy. Â the bar food however is good. Â Wings, spinach casserole, nachos, burgers and such. They have a lot of good deals on Happy Hour. Â A good place to check out if you're down this far South on Ballard Ave.
Review Source:Came in for breakfast on a Monday. It was surprisingly busy! They have about eight different types of bloody mary's and they were all fun and delicious. The fried chicken breakfast was worth the wait (I say that because they were pretty slow!) All in all it was a great deal for brunch but I recommend ordering a drink while you wait because it might be awhile!
Review Source:Hattie's Hat was pretty good for breakfast. My friend and I ate here this weekend.
I had the smoked salmon Eggs Bennie ($10.65) which came with hash browns. Hash browns were average. Benedict was pretty good. The smoked salmon was lighter in color than I'm used to but tasted pretty good. The salmon was a bit dry.
Coffee was fine ($2 with refills). Service was fine. All in all it was alright. I wouldn't run back but if someone suggested coming for breakfast I would come again.
The bar definitely has character. I read it's the oldest bar in Ballard! If so, that is pretty cool!
I think it's more of a bar than restaurant - definitely a great mix. I had the Swedes and my husband had the fried chicken sandwich. I tried all of their hot sauces on the table. They were great and spicy. I'm really excited to go back for drinking. They're open late and serve food into the wee hours of partying. The inside is dark and cute. Their booths are angled and pretty large.
Review Source:Stopped in for brunch after the Ballard Farmers Market a couple weeks ago. Well, the FM was still in full swing; I meant after I was finished shopping. Even though Ballard Ave. and Hattie's Hat were teeming with people, our party of four didn't have to wait for a table. We immediately found a corner booth in the back room, where the decor is a hoot. I remember being particularly fond of the cat portraits, but there is much more to keep your eyes entertained.
All four of us raved about our respective brunch meals. Â We were pleased there were plenty of options for vegetarians (they even have a mushroom gravy!)--I opted for the Tomato-Basil-Garlic version of Hattie's Bennies. I like my hollandaise sauce a little creamier (it was kinda thin), but I certainly liked it enough to give it a second go. My bf's Frenchy Toast was delicious (yes, I snagged a bite or two) as well.
I'll definitely return for brunch, and am curious to experience their trivia + karaoke nights to see how divey Hattie's really is.
I'm an extremely discriminating Yelper--under my current moniker, i only have a wee passel of reviews, but formerly, in SF, with a different email, etc, which i just don't have the energy to 'merge' if even possible, i had a veritable hoard.
my point being, you can TRUST ME.
so go on, and git satiated at this wonderful niche for yummy scrumptious bar food-- that is, to my SF-honed pub standards, rather grand.
i've only done the dinner menu-- my golden standard of pub or bar fare is how they render my fries 'extra crispy'. i like them, well, extra crispy! not burnt into matchsticks, and obviously, not 'steak fries'.
Hatties' does it right.------ takin me thru the night...french fry munchin........
i get the chik sammy, he gets the club or the burger - and our fries are, for like 5x in a row, sublimely extra crispola .....
sigh...we done left ye old Ballard back in July for West Seattle, and our hankering for Hattie's never diminishes. we luvs us sum Hattie's.....
so, i'm a major fan, perhaps because i stick to one craving when i go there, but i betcha i'd groove on other menu speshialitees were i able to indulge there more often.
all hail the HAT!
We went for breakfast. Â It was not too busy, so service was very quick. Â My wife had the Fried Chicken, she enjoyed it, however the hash browns are nothing special. Â I had the Beet Hash, which I enjoyed. Â You have to like beets. Â We both chose biscuits as our "toast" type. Â They were very good, I heartily recommend them! Â We got the french toast for our toddler, it was adequate. Â
Portions are large. Â We had some leftovers. Â
We used a Groupon we had for this place. Â I'd definately eat here again. Â We do not live nearby though. Â
FYI: There is a non-functional doorbell button in each booth.
This would be a 4-star if the ambience wasn't as dark as it is. That's okay, as it's a classic Ballard pastime and I'm glad to see it still standing in the land of the  Ballard yuppie. I was VERY happy with the food, surprisingly. I got the Aloha burger with chicken, pineapple, etc. Should have asked for no mayo though. Fries were good. My friend seemed happy with his chicken fried chicken and combo meal. I liked my drink, it was a lemonade concoction.
Bartenders very friendly but at the end of the day, it's a dive bar. I might be more tempted to hit this up in winter. Decent pricing.
If you go to this semi-hipster bar to eat chose to sit in the back area with the too cool light fixtures and roomy booths it a lot quieter then the front next to the bar.
You've got to try their chicken fried chicken dinner with garlic mashed potatoes and gravy. Â Although they are terribly inconsistent with portion sizes it's memorable and reasonably priced at $13.45. 5 stars when you get a large portioned chicken.
You can also get this fried chicken as a sandwich with bacon and cheese for $10.95, also very good with a generous supply of Cajun fries but you'll miss the yummy gravy. 5 stars
We also tried the Voodoo burger $9.95 w/fries which was cook perfectly but would not recommend this item as the green chilies overpower the whole burger and the Cajun spice which work well on the fries doesn't taste right on the burger. Lots of other great looking burgers on the menu we'll try next time. 2 stars
If you're looking for a no meat meal then the Final Four for $10.45 is a great pick. They have 14 sides to choose from. Â We had a large portion mixed green salad, jasmine rice, black beans, and steamed mixed vegetables. A very filling meal that all tasted fresh and not over cooked as is the case at a lot of places we go that don't really do vegetarian. 4 stars Â
The service was friendly but not really attentive, but hey it's a bar.
Good food, reasonably priced, a hidden gem in our book.
Love Love Love this place. I have been here twice and have had a great experience both times. We came here Cinco de Mayo morning to start this drinking day celebration off right. It wast not too crowded, but we were there early. We had drinks, Peach Mimosas and Bloody Mary. Soooooo good. I had the Chorizo eggs benny, I am picky about my egg yolks... RUNNY ALWAYS! I had no complaints, service was attentive the whole meal!
If your looking for a great hang over breakfast, or a boozey brunch this is a great  & unique Ballard gem!
*it can get packed on the weekend so prepare for a wait or try the bar!
I didn't want to write a review until I had had both breakfast and dinner here, but that mission has been accomplished.
Breakfast - I have had the chicken-fried chicken and eggs and the biscuits and gravy. Â The chicken-fried chicken was awesome, delicious, yummy, perfect, etc. Â The biscuits and gravy were good, but too sweet for my taste; I am hoping for a fatty, savory delight with biscuits and gravy. Â However, they were still tasty, and if you like a sweeter flavor, then these might be for you.
My boyfriend has had Chang's migas. Â Twice. Â My boyfriend is one of the most difficult-to-please people ever when it comes to food. Â His opinion was that the beans were rich with flavor, and the eggs were scrambled just right. Â When he goes to a restaurant and orders the same thing he had the last time he was there, take note, people.
Dinner - We went there for dinner last night. Â My boyfriend is a vegetarian, so there aren't as many options for him - sub a veggie patty on any of the burgers, a couple other meatless sandwich options, or the 4 sides entree. Â It'd be nice if there were two meatless entrees available. Â But, whatever, sucks to be him. Â He was pleased with his veggie burger, though.
I had the brisket with mashed potatoes and braised greens. Â Holy sh*t this was a great meal. Â The brisket was tender, smothered in a slightly spicy barbecue sauce. Â I could cut it all with my fork. Â So good. Â The mashed potatoes are like my Aunt Martha's, creamy, rich, decadent, amazing, only better because these have GARLIC. Â The braised greens were the surprise in this meal. Â I ordered them becuase I wanted something healthy, but I wasn't expecting them to be spicy, brothy, oniony, savory, mouth-watering deliciousness complete with some fiber. Â These greens MEAN something.
The service is not mind-blowing (it's a dive bar) but good. Â Folks are nice and attentive.
I will definitely be coming back here, again and again.
This is the first time I have been to Hattie's in about 6 months or more. This is not for any other reason but time and space.
So it was kinda surprising to find this place to be so packed and sort of a different feeling. This was all confirmed when the fellow that showed us to our seats and brought us water and coffee answered my question... "Has something changed here, is there new ownership?" "Yes, there are new owners.." "Are you the owner?" "Yes... (Smile)" if anything you will know about me is I love service and I love to get to know the owner of beautiful places like Hattie's, for nothing more then to be able to say hello. Â The service was awesome, and the new ownership is really doing all the right things.
Some things that have changed that give you a double take is that before it was mostly men that were the servers and the bartender. Now its all women. Not a big deal just a different touch.
Food is still very good and you cant walk away without a Bloody Mary or two.
I will make sure to put this back on our Brunch rotation.
A bunch of us came here after the Polar Bear Plunge at Golden Gardens on New Year's Day! Â And let me tell you - we were all glad Hattie's Hat was one of the few establishments open on New Year's Day!
We were hungover, and in desperate need of a greasy spoon/comfort food-kinda place! Â We could not have been more pleased... It was exactly what we needed after a night of celebrating and drinking!
The place was packed, but our group was seated very promptly. Â The service was fast and friendly, and we were stoked to get our food shortly after ordering! Â Everyone around us seemed to be enjoying their food. Â We were all too hungover to even think about ordering any drinks (the usual, mimosa, did not seem the slightest bit appealing to me that morning), but the mimosas and bloody marys going around to other tables looked delish. Â The prices are very reasonable for what you get.
Chicken fried chicken is MONEY!!! The chicken was crispy and smothered in the yummiest gravy!!! Â I'm glad the BF ended up getting the same thing because there was NO sharing going on with me =) Â We both REALLY liked the chicken fried chicken - it def got us out of our hangover funk!
As we were devouring our food, the group vowed to make a tradition out of the morning activities - Polar Bear Plunge followed by brunch at Hattie's Hat!
The BF and I are now fans, and we can't wait to come back to check out their dinner and bar scene!
I love Hattie's Hat. I'd been here before a few times, late at night, after doing a typical Ballard pub crawl. Most recently I visited Hattie's on New Year's Day for brunch, AFTER having spent NYE at Hattie's. Oh yes, NYE here was wonderful. They cleared the tables in the back room to make way for a dance floor and at 2 AM they served a complimentary breakfast buffet to everybody. Both visits were packed, but everybody working was efficient and friendly. The owner is almost always there helping out. One bartender was having a bit of an extended conversation with a male patron about baseball, and I patiently waited for him to finish his conversation - so the bartender told me to put my money away and bought my drink for me. They easily have the best biscuits & gravy I've ever had.
Also, ask for the Aardvark hot sauce, if you like to add a little spice to your meals.
When I stopped into Hattie's hat for the first time, I didnt really know what to expect- hepatitis? Angry sailors? Ballard-ites with polar fleece and flannel? The very last option was certainly there in abundance, but what I saw was a dive bar indeed, but a very clean dive bar at that, staffed with a couple of very competent bartenders and a waitress who proved to be kind and humorous when my non intoxicated self decided to drop my drink in my lap an hour after arriving. Settled in the well light backroom with an old fashioned (straight up bourbon and orange peel over ice, no fillers- Alice likes), I realized myself and company had the entire back area to ourselves- cool, since the front room was pretty crowded. By the time we left 2.5 hours later, there had been a couple parties adventurous to brave our company and come back, but it being a Monday probably helped with the slower pace.
Plus, the ladies restroom was amazingly clean for a dive- in the top 5 cleanest dive bars Ive been in.
How do you make a grilled cheese better? Even better than a grilled cheese with caramelized onions and tomatoes? You top it with the world's best ooey-gooey cheesy spinach casserole and then you serve it with sweet potato fries, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. They have tons more great comfort food like chicken fried chicken and mashed potatoes. This is also the only bar I'd ever gone to on St. Patricks day and gotten a decent plate of corned beef and cabbage with brown bread that wasn't all dried out and bland and icky, it was in fact super delicious and they're not even an Irish bar.
OK so I might be biased, I loved this place even before I met my fiancee and this is where we had our first date. We're coming back here in the near future for our rehearsal dinner in the back room! Great music, great food, great atmosphere; I just wish I still lived a few miles away.
Wowee. The owner is so helpful! We had group of about 7 trying to fit into a 4-person table by the bar, and the owner immediately went on a (successful) mission to find us a much bigger place to sit.
He quickly discovered one in the back and whisked us away into the land of a much more comfortable (for our group size) table, and even checked to make sure we were comfortable about 10 minutes later.
The staff members were a bit hard to catch on occasion, but they got us our drinks and some food in good time. I had a Hoegaarden and a 1.5lb order of fries with tartar sauce to share with the table. The fry options were $2.50 for the 1lb "small" or $3.50 for the 1.5lb "large." I found the fries to be a standard tasty and the tartar sauce quite good. I love ketchup, so I was pleased that a bottle was already sitting on the table.
It was a strange crowded dive-bar-ish kind of experience, but... for that... it was pretty good. I enjoyed my time spent chatting, drinking, munching, and staring at the old signs on the walls.
"It's totally a hipster's wet dream in here." my friend Garrett beams. I wince at the sound of the bartender's back pocket keys scraping against the wall as he exits his impressive wooden den to deliver my beer. "Sorry," he says when he notices my pained expression. There are several hip-level scratches etched into the wall at the mouth of the bar entrance which tells me this keying happens frequently as employees attempt to navigate the narrow walking space alongside the tremendous wooden structure. Garrett says something about the beast of a bar being hand-carved, shipped "around the horn", and installed in 1904 which makes me gurgle on my beer: "Who the fuck says 'around the horn' in 2010?!"
Hattie's Hat IS what it IS and I've decided I like it. It's dark, grimy, has cheap decent food, and there's something really comforting and even charming about that. Plus they have Poutine and we all know how i feel about Canadian soul food. Something tells me if I sailed around the horn some Hattie's Hat breakfast would be mega-satisfying.
Happy Hour: Everyday 3 - 7PM 10PM - 12AM ($1 off drinks/ $2 menu)
Brunch 9AM - 5PM Sat & Sun
Uh, this place stunk. Â I know that we went in there on New Year's Day...I know that the snarky and uncaring attitude that our waitress possessed was likely due to the fact that she was highly hungover, but it WAS 3:30pm in the afternoon. Â And it's not like the three of us were feeling that great either...I think we'd only gotten up about an hour before that! Â We were generally pleasant...that is, until she continued to be totally uncommunicative and rude to us for the entire visit.
On top of this, she gave us menus that had conflicting prices. Â Mine showed everything as about $1.25 cheaper than the menus my friends had. Â We asked the waitress which ones were correct and she just looked at us like we were stupid and said, "Uh...it's the higher prices. Â Economy!" Â I could just hear the "DUH!" dripping from her tone. Â On top of that, the actual price for the meal we had was HIGHER on the receipt than it was on EITHER of the menus we had. Â I found this completely unacceptable.
The food was pretty terrible. Â I split the fish and chips with a friend and while the breading was pretty tasty, the pieces of fish were so greasy that I had to eat them with a fork. Â We're talking DRIPPING with grease...it was disgusting. Â The fries were nothing special, but the cole slaw was literally inedible. Â The texture, flavoring, and spiciness added up to one of the most unpleasant things I have ever tasted.
We also had to ask for water twice. Â WTF.
This place basically just left me angry. Â As we were walking out the door, we heard two guys who had also been eating there talking about how bad the service was. Â Yeah, tell me about it! Â I won't be back here.
I don't get the aquarium.
$17 LIT...YGTBFSM!
(redeemed only slightly  by the fact that simply eating the cherry increasing your risk of bursting into flames if exposed to spark)
People hating that we were having more fun than them and having waiter tell us to "keep it down". please.
Why on earth do so many reviews refer to this as a dive bar?
But man, when that "Fly drops 3 inches"... HA!
I've been here a couple times. Â The drinks are strong. Â The fries are the only thing I've eaten and they're delicious. Â If you get there before it gets too crowded you can grab a table and conversation is relatively achievable for how busy it gets.
The atmosphere is interesting and I too want to steal the huge fish tank they have there. Â It's a very good bar and I like drinking there. Â I won't bless it with 5 stars because there is a whole food menu that I have no experience with yet.
This place has great character. Â For example, I saw this graffiti on the bathroom wall: Â "I'm not an asshole, you're just someone who sees themselves in other people." Â -Marlon Brando
Still kickin' ass and takin' names from beyond the grave. Â Well played, Brando. Â I've since absorbed this insult into my repertoire.
Well, I think Rick L. can be forgiven. Â I mean, honestly - if I were young and hip, and looking for a young/hip place, Hattie's would not be my first choice. Â That being said, I am OLD and UNHIP, and I love Hattie's! Â I love it not as a bar, though, but as (creak.... creak.... yep - that's the creak of my walker as I shuffle over to whisper in your ear....)
(wait for it)
(drum roll)
a BREAKFAST joint!
Uh-huh. Â I love their hash browns, because I can get 'em with veggies - including identifiable chunks of mushrooms and actual (gasp) zucchini! Â I also love being able to get a really good Bloody Mary along with my virtuously vegan hash browns. Â And friends tell me that the other breakfast fare is good as well. Â There seems to be a nice selection of biscuits with gravy, flapjacks, toast, breakfast meats, and things of that ilk. Â Russell the Carnivore has always walked out with a taut round tummy and a smile on his face.
The new decor is lovely in front, with bigger, moderne wooden booths replacing the old school standard diner booths of yore. Â In back, the fish tank is, well... kinda hilarious! Â And definitely unexpected. Â And I'll bet it would be huge hit with kids. Â Something to watch while they gum their toast. Â
Oh. Â Right. Â That reminds me. Â If you want to eat breakfast here on weekends, please note: CHILDREN AT PLAY. Â Hattie's seems to be a favorite with young families. Â One one visit, Russell and I settled into a nice big booth up front (the waitress said it was okay!) and were greeted with pissy glares from not one, not two, but THREE separate families who thought they deserved the booth because they were toting babies and had strollers and diaper bags and whatnot.
That being said, my advice is that if you are kid-avoidant, maybe avoid late breakfast/brunch time on the weekends. Â And if there are kids, there are kids, right? Â Forewarned is forearmed. Â And hey! Â This is a low-key, laid-back, inexpensive, family-friendly place WITH A BAR. Â I mean - how can you go wrong?