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    Asadero Ballard

    4.4 (1.6k reviews)
    ModerateMexican, Steakhouses
    Closed • 11:00 am - 10:00 pm
    Updated 3 months ago

    Asadero Ballard Reservations

    Asadero Ballard Photos

    Business Info

    ASADERO BALLARD ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Trendy
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Asadero Ballard

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    Reviews With Photos

    Zabuton
    Nick E.

    This was probably our 7th or 8th visit to Asadero, and somehow it just keeps getting better. We've never had a bad meal here. We started with the bone marrow and the queso fundido. The bone marrow is an absolute must order every time. Rich, buttery, and packed with flavor, especially spread on the warm toast. I enjoyed the queso too, but if I had to choose one appetizer, the bone marrow wins every time. For dinner we shared the Zabuton and the Potato Josephine. We always order the steak rare because it finishes cooking on the hot stone, and by the time we're done slicing it, it's a perfect medium rare. The quality of the beef is outstanding, and the Potato Josephine was the perfect side to go with it. I also had the spicy Mezcalita, which paired perfectly with the meal. Smoky, spicy, refreshing, it was exactly what I wanted with a rich steak dinner. What keeps us coming back isn't just the food. The steaks are consistently top-notch, the service is always attentive without being overbearing, and the restaurant has a comfortable, upscale atmosphere that still feels welcoming. If friends or family are visiting Seattle and want a steak dinner that's a little different from your typical steakhouse, Asadero is one of the first places I'd recommend. It's become one of our favorite restaurants, and it has never let us down.

    Vacio Wagyu
    Phuong B.

    If you're willing to shell out big bucks, then this place is a treat. Everything is kind of overpriced, but it's a nice vibe and great service, and most of the food are great. Having been here several times, I would highly recommend getting the sizzling steak if you do get steak. The one on the regular plate is just not worth the price and honestly, can get elsewhere for much better. The baked potatoes are just meh in my opinion, but I do like the queso fundido a lot. Appreciated that it's softer than typical. Although I'm not a huge fan of the bone marrow, it's also a huge crowd pleaser. Overall, I enjoy this place for what it is despite high prices.

    Andy N.

    Asadero was such a fun place to celebrate our one year anniversary! The steak was delicious, and I loved being able to cook it right at the table on the hot plate, it made the meal feel interactive and unique. The prices were surprisingly reasonable, the atmosphere was amazing, and our server had the most amazing energy and was fantastic. Overall, it was such a fun experience with great food, great vibes, and wonderful service. Definitely a place I'd recommend!

    Fundido
    Leonard K.

    I've only been to maybe one or two dozen restaurants in Seattle in my life, but this is, hands down, the best one I've been to. We started out with a fundido with cheese and it was just so filling and appetizing. It came with cheese and chorizo and we were able to get toasted tortillas to place the cheese and chorizo in that went so well together. Plus, we also were given a lot of hot tortillas to use to finish off the rest. With the salsas that it came with, this was a great appetizer to start the night out with. After that, we got our baked potato with every single topping you can think of, including Wagyu carne asada. This dish is big enough to be a meal for one on its own and aside from a twice baked potato, this is probably the best type of baked potato you can get, considering how all the toppings go together. We also got a corn and pepper dish that tasted pretty good, but the star of the night was the porterhouse. For $99, the 38 or so ounce steak was the highlight of the night. It came with a chimmichuri and a salsa side and tortillas, plus the meat was cooked so perfectly. It had the right amount of fat on it and was just a really well cooked piece of quality meat. That porterhouse really ended the night and made it all worthwhile. The service here is super attentive. The ambiance is nice and seems like a great place to celebrate any type of event. Plus the food is spectacular. Will definitely come back and maybe next time try the a5 wagyu to see how that holds up. Definitely a quality place to eat with very reasonable prices.

    Vacio, American Wagyo served on a hot stone
    Victoria H.

    This is the perfect spot in Ballard for a date night. I got a wagyu steak served on a hot stone and it was one of the best steaks of my life. The chimichurri sauce paired perfectly. If you get steak served on a hot plate, I recommend you go on the rarer side as the steak will cook on the stone. I got medium rare and I normally would get medium at a steakhouse. We sat at the bar and the service was wonderful. I can't wait to come back!

    queso fundido
    Nick G.

    Overall great steakhouse find in Ballard. We arrived on a Monday evening with a reservation and service was very accommodating and felt well taken care of for a party of 4. We tried to get a spread of options from the queso, bone marrow, and el zabuton. While the steak and appetizers were quite pricey they were good quality, the steak especially being a unique dining experience through the hot stone cooking the steak on delivery. As someone who typically orders a steak medium rare, we actually opted to order the steak rare so that we could continue cooking the steak after arrival and found this strategy worked quite well. The side sauces complemented the entrees quite nicely and our only complaint was wishing for more of everything (side tortillas and salsa). Good steakhouse experience and would come back in the area with any steak lover that comes to town for a special occasion.

    Cheese fundido
    ThuyVy N.

    Overall I liked this place and the service here is really great! They even offer a tray of fruits when you sit so you can put fruits in your water and all the service we had was so nice and friendly and helpful. For me the food was pretty good, I just thought it was a little pricey and I wasn't sure if it was worth for me. The steak experience is so fun to cook it how you want and for the meat to always be warm when you eat it. I thought the cheese was cool but it got hard pretty fast for us. Bone marrow was good but there's only a little bit. And I just thought the baked potato was just alright. Overall I just thought the meal was a little heavy for me and that most of the menu items lean heavy, great place but just not my personal taste.

    David H.

    Haven't been to asadero in prob 10 years! But yoooo the experience was still the same.. a bangah! Went w a group of 5 We ordered their queso, baked potato, two variations of tacos, a ribeye, an Aussie + a Japanese cut. It was honestly the perfect amount of food for us and ooo the quality! Although the Aussie + Japanese cuts were def the most pricey, we all thought the ribeye was perhaps our favorite thing on the table. The way the meats are presented, it allows you to cook it to your liking, which is super dope esp if yall all have different preferences. We all got 1-2 drinks each. At the very end, our server gave us each some complimentary peppermint tea. The total ended up being ~530 before tip. Go chance em!

    Gina B.

    For years, I'd heard Asadero was one of the best steakhouses in Seattle. My partner loves steak, so we were quite excited to finally give it a visit. We were seated at a small table right behind the cool Catrina statue at the front entrance. I had made reservations, but it didn't seem necessary as it was lunchtime and there were a good amount of empty tables. The table we sat at had a worn out/peeled center... which I later realized was probably from the heat of the stone for the steak. We ordered the lunch special with Vacio steak, and Tacos del Patron. I forgot to take a photo of the menu, but it said that the lunch special comes with your choice of soup, salad, and side... and a steak split into two. I didn't realize until after ordering that the server did not inform us of the options for soup or salad, so we received whatever they chose for us I guess. We did choose the cauliflower as our side. The price for the lunch special is about $10 more than the Vacio steak order alone. I thought it was a nice deal. Soup and salad were alright. Cauliflower was big and flavorful on the charred outside, but the center was undercooked, bland, and unpleasant. There was a sauce provided on the side that kind of helped. Even with it being split in two, they gave us plenty of steak. The knives provided weren't the best to cut it up, but they did the job. Cooking the steak to our own liking on the hot stone was pretty fun. I'd say the steak was good, but not sure if I could tell the difference in flavor between this and ones from other steakhouses. But again, it was delicious and I was able to finish my piece. I honestly didn't need the salsas/ toppings provided on the side, but they tasted good and were nice to have. The tacos were delicious, with wonderfully tender meat and well-seasoned toppings. Service was ok, but I expected more engagement from such a pricy place. I think for people who really like steak, Asadero is a place to check out at least once for a unique dining experience in Ballard.

    I hate writing negative reviews, but our second experience here was genuinely disappointing. My partner and I first visited exactly one week ago on September 6. We sat at the bar and had an amazing experience. The bartender was wonderful, the service was great, and we ordered the Chuleta de Rib Eye, which arrived beautifully presented on a hot sizzling plate with the steak still sizzling. We enjoyed it so much that my partner chose this restaurant for his birthday dinner when his parents came to visit from Miami after nearly a year apart. We returned on September 13 and ordered three of the same $59.99 rib eye steaks. This time, all three arrived on regular ceramic plates and were cold. No sizzling presentation, and not the same setup we had received just one week earlier. What made it more confusing was watching other tables around us receive their steaks on sizzling hot plates. When I asked about it, I was first told the steak "sometimes comes that way." Later, the manager told us the sizzling plate has to be requested. That didn't make sense because we never requested it during our first visit, nothing on the menu said it had to be requested, and our server never gave us that option. The manager eventually brought one hot plate to the center of the table, but by then our three steaks had already arrived cold. The issue was never simply wanting a hot plate -- it was the inconsistency and the fact that we brought family here for a special birthday based on the experience we had only one week earlier. I've attached photos from both visits because the difference is very clear. Our first experience was genuinely great, which is why this was so disappointing. Consistency matters, especially when customers are ordering three $60 steaks for a special occasion. Unfortunately, we will not be returning.

    Lengua
    Jia W.

    This was the best steak I've ever had--juicy, perfectly seasoned, and paired with the salsa, every bite was perfection. The lengua was also amazing; it had none of that "weird" taste people sometimes expect and literally melted in my mouth. The service was exceptional. We sat at the bar and our bartender was both bartending and serving, yet still stayed incredibly attentive even though it was busy. The ambiance was great too--super relaxed with darker, cozy vibes. It does get very busy though, so I'd definitely recommend making a reservation.

    Tacos del patron are OUT OF THIS WORld. Best steak tacos we've ever had
    Cassie B.

    Tacos del patron are OUT OF THIS WORld. Best steak tacos we've ever had. Tacos del patron are OUT OF THIS WORld. Best steak tacos we've ever had.

    El Zabuton
    Rose P.

    Sam was amazing! Super friendly, attentive, and made the whole experience even better. He checked in at the perfect times and had such a great attitude. Definitely one of the best servers we've had thank you, Sam! Food amazing as always. Will be back every single time I'm back in town.

    Guacamole

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    15 days ago

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    4 days ago

    On their lunch menu, a beef wagyu burger is amazing and phenomenal. Highly recommend!!!!

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    19 days ago

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    20 days ago

    The ambiance is cozy, the service is amazing, the food and drinks are outstanding. A favorite of mine!

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    4 months ago

    We come here each time we come to Seattle. The food is amazing, friendly staff. It's a great experience and you leave ready for a nap.

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    Asadero Ballard Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Asadero Ballard

    What are the prices? They aren't listed anywhere...?

    I have pics of their updated menu. It's on my review.

    Do you do private parties? 20 to 30 People?

    The restaurant is tiny. Food is excellent but they have no large tables. This is my favorite place for steak.

    Do they do separate checks?

    I'm certain they would if you asked them.

    What is the max person limit for a reservation?

    The booths can easily sit 4 large humans, rather comfortably sit 6 average sized humans, and very uncomfortably squeeze 9 (as long as your waitress is okay with it like ours was).

    Is there outdoor seating available, and if so, is there a way to make a reservation specifically requesting that seating?

    We do have a small outdoor patio. When you were making a reservation just make a note that you would prefer outdoor seating.

    Is there an online menu with prices? The ones posted on their website do not show prices.

    Jules, we don't have a posted menu with pricing. However, our pricing for entrees ranges from $20 to $120 with periodic specials that can go above that; generally those are for larger format, luxury steaks like wagyu tomahawks.

    Where should we park?

    Hi Celena, We do not have a parking lot, so it is just street parking for the restaurant. There… 

    I would love to go here tonight on a Saturday's what time should I get there if I don't want to wait hours ?like should I get there at 8pm or early at like 5-30?

    Earlier is better

    Is this wonderfully high rated establishment kid/toddler friendly? TIA

    Yes, but not in the evening. I would suggest going when they open. Ive gone with my kids early on Sunday mornings.

    Looking to have dinner on a Wed night at Asadero. I hear the restaurant gets busy pretty quickly but on a work week night (e.g. Wed), when would you recommend getting there? I'm in my 3rd trimester so would prefer not to wait terribly long :)

    Honestly, whenever I've gone they always have like a 2,000 hour wait but I just creepily scope out the bar area, about 6 tables (which you can share with other people) and the actual bar and sit down within 10 minutes.… 

    View All 12 Questions

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    It's lively, the drinks are creative, and the food is actually really good too. Definitely feels…read morelike a place you go with friends when you want good food, fun drinks, and a little more energy.

    Overall, we had a nice experience. Our server, Jadin, was wonderful! Jadin was very kind,…read moreattentive, and especially patient with our party while we waited for one of our guests to arrive. We really appreciated the hospitality and never felt rushed. As far as the food, for the price point, I do feel we could have gone somewhere else and received better quality. The food wasn't terrible, but it didn't quite meet our expectations for what we paid. The biggest disappointment was our interaction with the bartender on 9/4 around 8:30 PM. Our group approached the bar simply trying to order a round of shots. From the beginning, her attitude came across as unnecessarily rude when she asked whether we had a table. She then looked at our group and said, "First of all, we can't have you up here." We genuinely did not know that guests seated at tables were supposed to order through their server. Had she simply explained that to us politely, we would have apologized, returned to our table, and ordered from there. The policy itself wasn't the issue. It was the way it was communicated. Aside from that interaction, we enjoyed our time and really appreciated Jadin for making our experience a positive one.

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    D' La Santa - Flan & Tiramisu

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    4.5(564 reviews)
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    So excited to see more Mexican places open in the Seattle area! Such a cute brunch spot with…read moredelicious food. Ordered the cafe de olla and absolutely loved it. It was sweet, as expected, but not overly sweet. We got pan dulce with the coffee and both the concha and puerquito were fantastic. Both of the green and red sauces for the chilaquiles were tasty, but I think I ended up liking the red just a tad bit more. They were pretty equal in taste! My absolute favorite dish from this experience were the chicharrones. They cooked the pork amazingly and it complimented the salsas perfectly. Great spot! Can definitely see the hype behind this place and am excited to come back at some point again!

    I've always wanted to check out D'la Santa. I always heard that Fri and Sats are always busy and…read morethey do not take reservations but walk-ins only. However, I just found out you can put your self on the waitlist on their website if it's busy. Sundays are the best days to go as it's not as busy and they were able to accommodate a big party. The restaurant also has a parking lot for people to park at as well, so that is a plus! The drink menu is very limited, they don't have a full bar. I ordered the skinny margarita and it was good. The food is authentic and if you are looking for authentic Mexican food, D'La Santa is the spot. We ordered the queso and the rajitas. Both appetizers are really good, came out super hot. Highly recommend. I got the carne asada plate and added an extra mini quesadilla. The carne is very seasoned so you have to eat it with the tortilla to balance out the saltiness. The service was fast and our waiter was very attentive.

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    Pancita

    4.4(98 reviews)
    4.1 mi•Ravenna

    This place isn't easy to get to. If you were to walk from the nearest light rail station, it takes…read moreabout 35 minutes - so the only other option is taking a bus from there. Despite the trek, I'm pretty happy to say that this was absolutely worth it as maybe the highest quality Mexican food in the Seattle area. The dishes here are not what you find at your typical Mexican restaurant. There's no chips and salsa, and the menu is small - only around 4 entrees and 4 small plates, along with a few appetizers. It's best to come here with someone else and find things to share - which is what I did with the small plates, since some of them come with two per order. We ended up ordering the maiz sourdough, the albacore tostadas, the brisket tacos, and tetela - finishing with the pan de elote for dessert. I'll start with what is absolutely their signature dish - the albacore tuna tostadas. I'm willing to say that this is the best dish I've ever had at a Mexican restaurant. It comes in two tostadas - each with raw albacore tuna, mayo, avocado, and fried leeks - and oh my goodness is it spectacular. Everything starts from the base of it all - the tostada itself, which is so far and away the best tostada I've ever had it's not even a debate. Years of having tostadas shatter, or even crack on each bite left me fully unprepared for what was to come; a tostada that behaves like an architecturally sound disc. Seriously, you take a bite of this and the entire rest of it remains wholly intact. It's like a miracle. The texture reminds me of a Frito, it's got those slightly raised bumps and a similar thickness. And I haven't even gotten to the toppings yet. The raw tuna on top is perfect sashimi - it's soft, just fatty enough, and absolutely slides through your mouth at the lightest chew. There's also a lot more of it on the tostada than I expected. The kewpie mayo has a surprising spice to it - like the best version of spicy mayo that you've had; except it has a bit of a smoky flavor to it as well. The avocado adds earthiness, chill-ness, and a good level of fat. Lastly, the fried leeks on top provide that extra crunchy layer just to cap it all off. It's simply one of the best constructed dishes I've seen. It took a lot of willpower not to order another set of these. The other two small plates were good, but don't quite match up. The brisket tacos are small, but filled with toppings, including a ton of the dry-aged suadero. This beef was very good, containing a lot of fat and being quite juicy in each bite. I also loved the tortillas, which were some of the best corn tortillas I've had. It's clear they nixtamalize the corn used for these in-house. Still, this didn't feel that much more than a good taco. The tetela was also fine, but nothing too special as mostly just eggplant on the inside. Something else that was amazing though, was the maiz sourdough we ordered. It's easily one of the best bread appetizers I've had. The outside is so crispy without being too chewy, while the inside is hot, fluffy, and so easy to tear apart. I simply can't get over how amazing the crust is on this bread - it wraps all the way around, and is baked to absolute perfection. The included honey butter is also really well salted and sweet, but I do wish there was more of it. For dessert, we had the pan de elote - which is a sweet corn cake with blackberry jam and a whipped cream. I found the whipped cream fascinating; rather than being too sweat, it instead had a lighter flavor that focused more on the soft and creamy texture than traditional whipped cream. The combination of the super-fresh blackberry jam and texture of the whipped cream added a ton of moisture to the corn cake - which otherwise resembled kind of a sweet cornbread. Also, the portions on the cake were crazy good. All that said, this is quite an expensive place. For what we had, per person it ended up being over $60 without any drinks. For the tostada and tacos especially, you're paying 10+ dollars/person for a single tostada or taco. I would say it's worth the price for the tostada, but not for the taco. Overall, it is certainly high-end, but the quality of food here is so high it's an absolute recommend from me. 9.25/10

    Listen, I'm vegetarian and can't enjoy all the bites on the menu -- and I can tell you right now,…read moreI'd wait outside in the rain to eat the veggie bites, drinks, and desserts they offer. Legitimately that good. I honestly came by Pancita from an Eater article and Instagram post and jokingly suggested it to my friend when we already had dinner/drink plans. We both collectively lost our minds and decided, it was DOUBLE DINNER night and made 8:15 pm resys at Pancita. I do highly recommend reservations by the way, esp on weekend nights. We thankfully found street parking just outside and were seated promptly. Truly loved how simple and charming the interior was. I'll be honest, we were dying from 1st dinner even though we only ate a few bites but being gluttons, we got the tomato salad (my favorite bite of the entire evening), my friend got the suadero tacos for herself, and I ordered the enfrijoladas (mushroom) with a side of tortillas -- I couldn't resist! Everything I tasted was delicious and I am honestly planning my next trip back ASAP. We, of course, couldn't resist dessert cause WHEN I TELL YOU THAT CORN CAKE HAS MY ENTIRE HEART. If the capslock wasn't apparent, the dessert was incredible, giantly sized, and lives rent free in my head 5ever. Do yourself a favor and go to Pancita; it is one of the rare spots that deserves every bit of the hype being sent its way.

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    I was lured in off the street by the beautiful mural and decor. I normally forget to take pictures…read moreof restaurant interiors but I liked this place enough that it was the first thing I did! The staff (owners? Not sure, I know there's another location in Pike's Place) were friendly and seemed like they wanted to be sure that we enjoyed our food. Definitely not the cheapest Mexican restaurant around, but you're paying for the attention to detail and carefully sourced ingredients. My food was really tasty. The way their ordering works for most menu items is you pick your antojito and then your guisado (the "vessel" and "filling," I guess). I went with gorditas with chicken. All the antojitos are made with hand-made masa (nixtamal corn dough) that uses carefully sourced heirloom maize (corn), and the gorditas were no exception. The masa was really tasty and the texture was perfect. The chicken guisado was good, and I think I'll try another type depending on what they have available the next time stop in during lunch. The refried beans were really tasty and might've been my favorite thing on the plate besides the masa. My tamarind agua fresca was also delicious, but it could've been less sweet. My friend ordered tamales with pork, which I'm told were also delicious and very tender. Both dishes were also plated very beautifully.

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    4.0(627 reviews)
    4.4 mi•Capitol Hill
    •$$

    I'm SO glad we stumbled into this place during our stay in Seattle. My husband and I are Mexican…read moreAmerican from SoCal right outside of LA, so when it comes to Mexican food we do have high standards to say the least I travel a lot for work and always try Mexican food wherever I go, mostly due to curiosity and adventure. Frankly, our expectations are often pretty low the further we get from the border of Mexico. But this place blew us away! So authentic and well thought out, from the salsa bar, the freshly fried tortilla chips and my posole was absolutely incredible! Felt like I was eating at a relatives home, staff was friendly enough and the place is so clean and cutely decorated. 100% will be returning the next time we make a trip out to Seattle, thank you to the team for providing such a great experience for those of us who just miss home

    First off I live in Texas so I am always a bit skeptical of Mexican Food outside of Texas, Arizona,…read moreNew Mexico and California. That being said the I had the carne asada wet burrito with both read and verde sauce on top. It had a really good flavor! The carne asada was chopped pretty small so it was not easy to get a whole bite. Overall it was delicious and hit the spot. I am not big on paying for chips and salsa which $5.00 especially when I have to get up and walk over to the salsa bar. I wish they would have labeled the salsa as well. The vibe was casual and they have outdoor covered patio. Now on to the service: first my burrito came out very quick and was hot. The big reason for two star is the lack of service by the wait staff. I ordered a soda water with Ice which I was not charged for. I hate when I have to pay for carbonated water. Sadly the your server did not pay attention to my drink or check on me for most of my meal. She finally came over and I asked for a refill she took the glass but did not return. When she walked back over I had to remind her of my soda water. When she brought the check I put my card down and again it took a while for her to return. I would be willing to extend some grace if the restaurant was packed but it was virtually empty. I base a lot of my review on service and food quality. But slow service or lack there of will generally mean I don't return even though the food was good and came out quick. Too bad because it was a good meal especially for the price $24.00 including the chips and salsa before tax. Maybe you will have a better experience.

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    La Cocina Oaxaquena
    La Cocina Oaxaquena - Carne Asada Plato

    Carne Asada Plato

    La Cocina Oaxaquena

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    Asadero Ballard - mexican - Updated October 2026

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