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    Hot Cakes - Ballard

    4.1 (1.5k reviews)
    Closed 4:00 pm - 11:00 PM
    Updated 2 months ago

    Order Hot Cakes - Ballard Takeout or Delivery

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    HOT CAKES - BALLARD ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids
    Outdoor seating

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    Melanie B.

    Some friends brought us here for the first time and it did not disappoint!! I ordered the Strawberry from the Molten Cakes menu, and omg!! I absolutely loved how gooey, warm, and chocolatey the dark chocolate cake was. It was the perfect contrast to the cool strawberry jam and vanilla ice cream At first, I was eating everything separately, but once I tried them together, I never looked back lol. The combo made it soooo much better! I was honestly sad when I reached the last bite haha

    Chocolate Dark Decadence

    Hot Cakes never disappoints. I had the dark chocolate decadence hot cake, paired with vanilla ice cream and a crunchy crumble on top. Creamy center, perfectly crisp edges, and the ice cream was rich and delicious. A fantastic way to cap off a good meal. Highly recommend if you're craving dessert.

    Sticky Toffee Rum Cake
    David H.

    Decided to go with something different this time around and went w their rum cake. It's a pleasant combo with the cake, the vanilla ice cream, nuts, and orange shavings. BUT it is sweet af yall hahaha. Maybe that's just a given seeing as this is hot cakes, but I couldn't eat more than 1/3 bc of how sweet it was. I do see how this type of dessert would appeal to a lot of people though, especially in America. Personally I just didn't think it justified the price at ~$20 after taxes/tip.

    Dark Decadence
    Kait D.

    My boyfriend and I wanted a warm dessert after grabbing dinner together and he suggested this place which I'd never been to before. When he described the rich, flavourful lava cakes and the unique flavours I was instantly sold and the experience definitely delivered. The restaurant was bustling when we got there, but we didn't have to wait in line super long. I loved the large community-style tables which allowed us to hear a lot of fun gossip from the parties around us. We were able to easily find a clean spot to sit despite how busy it was and it made it perfect for sharing our dessert. We decided to share a dark decadence hot cake and I was obsessed with the sweet crunch of toffee and the drool-wortht chocolate. It took everything in me to share and not devour the whole cake in two bites. The creamy vanilla ice cream added a soft juxtaposition to the rich chocolate cake and I loved that there was a perfect ratio of ice cream to cake. I can't wait to come back here with my boyfriend soon! But maybe next time we'll get two cakes instead of just one!

    Cookies
    Ratish K.

    Finally made it to Hot Cakes! Not sure if it was the hype from my friends that I came in very high expectations. Ordered the Dark Decadence which is Dark Chocolate with caramel toffee and Vanilla Ice cream. you can feel the difference in the richness of the dark chocolate. The vanilla ice cream was great and not super sweet! Good outdoor seating with heaters that worked well during the chilly cold evening The letdown was the ROI, the quantity and quality. I have had better chocolate cakes for the price I paid!

    Jamie K.

    To start it's a cute place. Nice seating outside. Staff was friendly. Ok, so we got the dark decadence and an affogato. Upon arrival it was so busy and disorganized. It's hard to even see the sign and pick what you want because there is no space in the tiny area to view the menu. It took about 30 mins for our food. It does say the lava cake takes time to cook, but that was while. I had to go up and ask where my cake was after about 20 minutes. She then started making my affogato and with a few minutes later our cake came out. It's was burnt and there was no lava.. so waiting that long was basically pointless. Maybe go when it isn't busy

    Anjelica C.

    Food - very rich & indulgent. we had the dark decadence & it came with caramel. we also got 2 cookies to go - choco chip & smores to go. heated them up in the microwave the next day for 8 seconds. both very good, wish i had gotten some vanilla ice cream to go with them. Service - friendly, but didn't have too much interaction. took our food to the patio to eat. Ambiance - perfect for summer nights after dinner dessert. this area of ballard is my favorite and they have a nice dog friendly patio. they have heating lamps but they were off, since its summer & my ice cream would have melted in 2 mins.

    S'mores cookie
    Sophie C.

    Came here because of all the positive reviews! Ordered their smoky s'mores molten cake and s'mores cookie. The molten cake was decadent, warm, and gooey and we could see why some people would love this place. However, for me, it was a little too rich but I would enjoy it again with some friends. The cookie had a great texture, and when warmed up, really hit the spot on a cold day with some coffee. Ambiance was chill, coffee shop vibes. Service was lovely. Would recommend if you are in the area and shopping around!

    Warm Warm Chocolate Chip Cookie & Ice Cream
    Lauren S.

    I've been here twice now. The first time, we just got the lava cakes, and honestly, I was underwhelmed--pretty pricey for such a small cake with a scoop of ice cream. Came back again with a group and we tried a few different things: some bakery items, the grilled cheese, and the tomato soup. This time I went for a slice of cake instead of the lava cake, and it was definitely a better choice. They're known for the lava cakes, but personally, I don't think they live up to the hype and aren't worth the price. The other baked goods are a bit better, and I actually enjoyed the grilled cheese and tomato soup. Just a heads up--it's all still on the pricey side.

    Spumoni - flavor of the month
    Quyen B.

    Love the idea of a molten lava cake place! Definitely don't mind ordering one if it's on the menu. First time I had lava cake and fell in love with it was at Fleming's. I can make a pretty one at home as well. My second visit here, this time I felt the lava cake was very rich and too sweet for me personally. Someone else may enjoy it this way, but I think it's not for me. I love this neighborhood, there is street parking but hit or miss, there are paid lots nearby.

    Chocolate chip cookie
    Alex R.

    Oh Hot Cakes! How I love you! This place is a 2 min walk from my favorite steak place. We came here for desert after dinner for a friend's birthday! The atmosphere, the smell everything was delicious! My only down fall is that when I think of a lava cake I think of it up side down and when you take the first bite the chocolate pours out. There lava cakes are in a dish. So you have to scoop it out. Not bad but not a traditional lava cake. Also the cookies amazing but share. It comes with two cookies so it's alot! There were 6 of us we ordered 3 cookies and two lava cakes. Too much food! But all very delicious! Would come back!

    Connie M.

    I enjoyed my time here but there were some things that were off putting? The desserts were delicious don't get me wrong but based on these observations I feel like there could be improvement 1) we were asking for advice between two options and the girl working the register seemed kind of annoyed we were taking our time 2) there were zero prices published for any dish. Why? I don't love being surprised at the register 3) the desserts itself were small. It's shareable after a meal but definitely not shareable if you haven't had anything to eat prior. We got the strawberry one and while it was delicious, the cake itself was more gooey than cakey. Everything was tiny portions compared to other places I've had. Other than that it is a cute place with outdoor seating.

    Hot chocolate which is delicious
    Anne M.

    Recently went here for a catch up with my friend, it was the perfect location! I love the cozy atmosphere especially on a chilly fall evening. We ordered hot chocolates and a slice of pumpkin bread to share. The drinks and bread were delicious. For Seattle, the prices were reasonable. I decided to take home a bunch of stuff to try at home, so after viewing the display case of amazing fresh cookies, I took home a s'mores cookie which was delicious, their take and bake hot cakes, which are also delicious even when baked at home, a jar of their decadent dark chocolate sauce... also amazing!! I would say all these items were great value as the food is high quality. Parking was a bit hard to find as the area is busy but after a drive around I got a space. The staff were fast and efficient as well as friendly.

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    9 months ago

    Had incredibly delicious apple cobbler and chai latte. Friendly service, great ambiance! Highly recommended!

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    Hot Cakes - Ballard Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Hot Cakes - Ballard

    Hi Hot Cakes! I'm trying to phone in a gf order from out of state to surprise my Son for his BDay tomorrow ~ GF cake for 2 delivered or picked up tomorrow Oct 14th? Is it possible to make this happen? Tried phone # - no go...any suggestions?…

    Hi Jane! Thank you for your inquiry! The best option would be to place an order for pickup via our website, getyourhotcakes.com. Thank you!

    Does Hot Cakes have dairy free opions?

    You betcha https://getyourhotcakes.com/pages/menu

    Is this good for a larger group? Between 5-7?

    they have a long table that can accommodate 7 people given that the table is free its like a community table. I guess as long as you are willing to wait around you can all have a seat. Its mostly a dessert place so hopefully people wont be sitting… 

    Do these guys let you take dessert to go?

    Yes for the baked goods like the merengue. You can take the molten cakes but they recommend to eat it soon after

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    Coche Valley Dessert Cafe

    4.4
    (152 reviews)
    5.0 mi

    Great spot for honey toast! They also have other brunch food options and drinks as well! Good…read moreamount of tables so you can hang out with friends. Street parking. If you look hard enough (and a bit further away), you can get free neighborhood parking. They give you a buzzer so you know when to pick up your food.

    I wanted to like this place because visually everything looks great, but the actual quality of the…read moredesserts just did not live up to the price. First, the negatives that didn't affect my rating: parking is a pain, but that's expected for this neighborhood in Seattle. Seating is also very cramped and tight during the dinner rush. Annoying, yes, but understandable. What did affect the rating was the food itself. The Oreo brownie bingsu looked beautiful, but honestly it just was not very good. I've had much better bingsu elsewhere, even at chains like Snowy Village. It felt more Instagram-worthy than actually enjoyable. The mango cheesecake crepe was even worse. My friend and I literally scraped all the filling off and just ate the crepe itself because the toppings tasted so artificial. The mangoes tasted frozen, the syrup was overly sweet and processed tasting, and the whole thing lacked freshness. For the price, it was genuinely disappointing. The final bill ended up being over $40, which would have been easier to justify if the desserts were memorable, but they really weren't. One last thing: I don't mind tipping when there's actual service involved, but this is essentially counter service where customers are also expected to clear their own trays afterward. Having the tipping screen pop up at checkout after that experience just felt excessive and awkward.

    Photos
    A cozy place to hang with games and dessert :)
    A cozy place to hang with games and dessert :)
    Strawberry Cheesecake
    Strawberry Cheesecake
    Strawberry Strawberry Nutella toast

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    Nana’s Green Tea

    Nana’s Green Tea

    4.3
    (1.7k reviews)
    4.4 mi
    $$

    Love love love!! When we arrived 30 mins before closing and…read morethere's about 40-50 ppl here with a line out the door, you know it's going to be good!!! We got a matcha float with mochi and a hojicha float with mochi. We love the hojicha better. The matcha is prob one of the better I've tasted, but not often you can find hojicha ice cream and milk tea. It was creamy and mildly sweet. So good, refreshing and satisfying! The mochi were ok. It was very bland and not sweet at all. I do prefer my mochi to have a little sweetness to them, like a sweet bite. This was like chewing a bigger non sweet boba ball. So I'd pass on the mochi here and maybe do all ice cream. If ever we're in Seattle would visit again. Update: we came here a few yrs later. The drinks were still good as ever. My husband got a frappe and loved it. We had a salmon bowl which was decent. Not something I would order again here but we were so hungry from traveling and meeting friends, we needed some food. This time no line out the door. We got a seat inside. We came in June this yr, nice weather outside but inside was super hot as they did not run the AC. They had the windows/doors open but no breeze and mosquitos were inside attacking. I can't imagine a good breeze when the cafe is wedged btw two huge buildings. It made our visit this time very stifling.

    After checking out The Spheres, we were looking for a snack, so we walked 5 blocks to Nana's Green…read moreTea. There was a line to the door, which is usually a good sign. The food: Matcha soft serve with red bean and mochi - soft serve was at the perfect temperature and good tea flavor. I think the red bean is a good addition. Really fresh cone. Black Sesame Frappe w/Mochi - Matcha frappaccino with black sesame ice cream and mochi - a flavor combination I have not tried before but it's a great combo. Plenty of indoor seating. A very clean aesthetic with white walls and wooden furniture. We got our soft serve right away and got a buzzer for the Frappe. Highly recommend! Brendan's Rating: 5.0 Charlotte's Rating: 5.0 Shanying's Rating: 5.0 Winston's Rating: 5.0

    Photos
    Bussing Station and Restroom, Complementary Water
    Bussing Station and Restroom, Complementary Water
    Black Sesame Shiratama Parfait
    Black Sesame Shiratama Parfait
    Matcha + Vanilla

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    Matcha + Vanilla
    Pie Bar

    Pie Bar

    4.2
    (1.8k reviews)
    4.5 mi
    $$

    Tldr: great late night staple. Deserted island is the best fruity pie, imho…read more Ambiance: small place in cap, with not so much seating due to the space. But they definitely maximize the space. It's cozy, a bit run down the chairs are now just covered with a seat cover. And it's only steer parking if ur driving. Ambiance: pretty chill service, we were the only ones there, gossiping late at night. He pretty much left us alone since we entertained us and gave us the check just when we were ready. Food: Im normally a chocolate dessert person, but the chocolate pie was a light chocolate. If you want a rich chocolate pie, this is not your pie. Honestly, the star of the show was deserted island. I don't normally like fruit pies but that's what I'll be ordering again. It's not too sour nor is it too sweet, everyone at the table agreed. It is the goldilocks of sweet and tartness for a fruit pie. Oh and definitely goes well with ice cream!

    Good pie place that offers both sweet pie and savory pie. I got the chicken pie and my partner got…read morethe Desserted Island Crumble which were both delicious. Only complaints were 1) upon ordering at the window we couldn't see the price of the savory pies, which also wasn't available on their website, 2) my meat savory pie was barely warm when my partner's sweet pie was warmer... this is when we immediately took out the pies and started eating at the table on the sidewalk... I found that concerning and ended up taking it home so I could microwave it first.

    Photos
    Walk-up Pie window
    Walk-up Pie window
    Pie Bar
    Apple Pie

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    Apple Pie
    Milk Drunk

    Milk Drunk

    4.0
    (498 reviews)
    7.1 mi
    $$

    Streetfront building. Public street parking only from my understanding. Indoor and outdoor seating…read more Order at the register, they give you a number, and bring it to you when ready if you're dining in. Friendly service in a casual atmosphere! We got two chicken sandwiches - original and southern bird (a bit spicy). Both delicious and generous servings, but also be warned they're messy to eat! They cut them in half for us so they were easy to share. Much appreciated. Also got strips (comes with curly fries and your choice of two sauces). And an extra order of curly fries that def wasn't necessary for our fam of 4 (2 adults, 4 yr old, and 2 yr old). I got a white peach sangria slushie, too. Not the biggest serving, but tasty! All that ran me just over $70 including tax and small tip as of July 2026. Not a bad deal, and we came home with leftovers!

    After hearing about Milk Drunk from several people in the last few weeks, we are so glad we checked…read morethis place out! It 100% lives up to the hype- amazing double fried chicken sandwiches and even more amazing ice cream! I love the different variations of chicken sandwiches they have. We tried the original which had their delicious herbaceous green sauce/aioli and the Homer which tasted so fresh with the veggies and whipped garlic sauce that accompany the fried chicken. The curly fries are a must if you're here & looking for a savory snack. The ice cream is a must, too! We particularly loved the seasonal miso caramel and wish it wasn't only seasonal. There was a line out the door when we went on a weeknight, so I imagine a line is to be expected when you come by, but it moves very quickly as you order at the counter. You'll wait for the ice cream at the counter but if dining in, they'll bring the food when it's ready. I personally didn't mind having dessert first! There's some indoor seating and some outdoor seating. Super casual vibes. Service is pretty quick overall. And we love the convenience that it's right by the light rail station.

    Photos
    Interior
    Interior
    Fries are best when theyre curly
    Fries are best when theyre curly
    Strawberry - Matcha Swirl (To-Go)

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    Strawberry - Matcha Swirl (To-Go)
    Indigo Cow

    Indigo Cow

    4.2
    (373 reviews)
    2.4 mi
    $$

    Indigo Cow is a soft serve shop that really surprised me in the best way. I'm usually a little…read moreskeptical of soft serve places since they often use nasty-looking mix, but I'd heard they use milk from Hokkaido, Japan, which is known for its dairy, so I came in expecting something rich -- and it absolutely delivered. They offer two flavors, Hokkaido Milk and Matcha, and I went with the swirl because I wanted the best of both worlds. I usually prefer my ice cream plain so I can focus on the flavor itself, but they do offer mochi and syrup toppings if you want to dress it up. I was actually a little surprised to see the strawberry syrup was sold out, which weirdly made me even more intrigued -- but in the end, I still stuck with the ice cream as is. The shop itself is a small pickup window attached to a larger Japanese restaurant, and it seems like a very cost-effective way to run the business. It also appeared to be operated by just two people, which made the whole operation even more impressive. When I went, there was a long line that stretched a good way down the street, but the wait moved quickly -- I spent about 15 minutes waiting to order and had my ice cream within minutes. The Hokkaido Milk was the standout for me: incredibly rich, creamy, and smooth. As someone who loves a good vanilla profile, I was very into it. The Matcha was also done really well, with just the right bitterness to balance the sweetness and complement the milk. I tried to isolate each flavor in every bite so I could appreciate them on their own, and I'm glad I did. By the time I finished, I was completely satisfied, but low-key wanted another round. I exercised great self-control though :D

    Line moved quick-ish. I got the crème brulee, it's good for the novelty of potato on ice cream but…read morelowkey would not get again. I really liked the Hokkaido milk soft serve but having mashed room temp sweet potato on it was an interesting texture experience. It was good enough to try once where I don't regret getting it because I was curious but would probably get something else next time! It's a fun place to take your friends to since Hokkaido milk soft serve seems pretty rare!

    Photos
    Milk and Matcha swirl with MBK topping
    Milk and Matcha swirl with MBK topping
    Small Swirl Cup with MBR topping
    Small Swirl Cup with MBR topping
    Shiratama Kuromitsu Kinako

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    Shiratama Kuromitsu Kinako

    Hot Cakes - Ballard - desserts - Updated August 2026

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