Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    The Ink Drinker

    4.4 (17 reviews)
    Closed 4:00 pm - 10:00 PM
    Updated 2 months ago

    The Ink Drinker Photos

    Business Info

    THE INK DRINKER ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?

    You might also consider

    Recommended Reviews - The Ink Drinker

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Gargi R.

    Adore this new reading bar in Ballard! I came on Thursday night and it was still pretty busy, I got a seat at the bar. They have delicious cocktails and perfect ambience for reading a music with instrumental music playing in the background. They have some food options too but I didn't try those. Can't wait to be back!

    Swindling Versailles
    Diana C.

    Had a great experience here this past week! The server was very friendly and helpful. The menu is fun and book inspired. They also sell books if you didn't bring one. This isn't like a come and eat dinner surrounded by books place but more of a come with a book and have a drink and a snack surrounded by books and other readers place. It managed to be spacious and cozy at the same time and each table has pretty good lights, but I still always recommend bringing your own in case you need more if you're reading hard copy. The drink was delicious and I'd definitely come back.

    Menu
    Stephanie C.

    A "bistro for book lovers"! Great place for anyone who loves cozy vibes, good drinks, and getting lost in a book.

    My mocktail was fantastic.
    Cece M.

    Delicious and creative mocktails. Bookish but not overly formal atmosphere. A great spot for a chat with a friend or to enjoy a book. A bit disappointed they don't offer WiFi (I'm a writer who uses Google Docs) but I made it work. Will return!

    The Hunt for Orange October. She may be small but she is fierce aka boozy
    Your M.

    I am obsessed with this place. I tend to just show up on the weekend without a reservation and saddle up to the bar. Cocktails are a bit pricy but that's to be expected at a book bar. In my various visits I have spent no less than 3 hours here reading amongst my people (other book nerds). If you love cocktails and books, this place is perfect for you

    Tomato soup

    See all

    5 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 months ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 1
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    6 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    8 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 days ago

    Nice quiet spot, great bruschetta, nice charcuterie board. Yelp wants more characters.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    7 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    8 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Your M.
    6
    75
    172

    4 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    5 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Ash N.
    0
    41
    1

    6 months ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Ask the Community - The Ink Drinker

    Review Highlights - The Ink Drinker

    We were just stopping in briefly so only sampled the crostini (simple and good!) but I am excited to come back for more.

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

    Read more highlights

    You might also consider

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Cocktail Bars 4,963 times last month within 10 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Stumbletown

    Stumbletown

    4.4
    (214 reviews)
    1.0 mi
    $$

    I went with friends on a weekend for a late lunch. It was pretty empty so we got a table right…read moreaway. After we were seated, we were told that the menu was out of date. We each ended up getting a sandwich and sharing a large fry. The fries were good especially with the aioli sauce that was included for dipping. I got a chicken parm sandwich. It wasn't mind blowing by any means but it was a good sandwich. This is also one of the sandwiches that was not listed on the old menu. I don't tend to crave sandwiches so I can't give a better review beyond it was good. I would recommend getting the fries though.

    I heard about this gin-focused bar and restaurant from a friend and had to check it out as gin is…read moremy favorite spirit. It's not a common favorite for others, and I often find most menus to be lacking in creative gin specials. Stumbletown fixed that problem for me. With a dedicated menu for gin cocktails to an extensive array of different distillers, I was amazed. We enjoyed our cocktails thoroughly and also enjoyed some light bites. The arancini was a special of the evening and came out perfectly hot and crispy. The calamari was also fried very well. I did dock a star because about 80% of the food items on the menu were unavailable even though it wasn't closing yet. We did also get a little lost and ended up at stumbletown's sandwich shop before we found our way here. Luckily they're close by each other!

    Photos
    Stumbletown
    Stumbletown
    Chilled Corn bisque with radish, Calabrian chili oil and smoked trout (trout optional but HIGHLY recommend)

    See all

    Chilled Corn bisque with radish, Calabrian chili oil and smoked trout (trout optional but HIGHLY recommend)
    Essex

    Essex

    4.0
    (84 reviews)
    0.8 mi
    $$

    i know most people come here just waiting for delancey but i might argue this is the better…read moreexperience. beautifully decorated, amazing service. and you can get delancey meatballs here which is the best thing in the menu. cocktails are a touch pricey even for seattle but i'd go back.

    A nice little bar (Essex), associated with Delancey. It's clear that the wait for a table at…read moreDelancey is frequently long, and they have wisely separated the bar area, and made it independent, so that waiting at the bar (Essex) wouldn't clog the front entrance of Delancey. We ordered munchies and drinks while we waited for our table at Delancey. The bartender / server knew we would be headed to Delancey in 40 minutes or so, and handled things well accordingly. We got a plate of olives (tasty, great finger food) and drinks. The Yonder cider was good, not too sweet. The Martini was tasty. I had two quibbles: The first was with the pricing: the martini was charged as two separate items: 1) gin (I suppose the charge varies by the kind of gin or vodka in your martini) 2) martini (which is apparently the non-vodka or or non-gin part of your drink) While I'm sure this makes it easier to track for the bartender and inventory, as well as for charging, as a customer, it's a little odd to have a mixed drink be a two-part charge. The second was the included 20% automatic gratuity. I don't object to the concept of a standard service charge, I just wish it had been more prominently displayed so that I wouldn't have added a 20% tip on top of that (and my tip was on the amount that included tax, service charge and drinks / food). So, buyer beware ... the service is good, the ambiance is nice, the food and drinks are good -- but the payment / billing is non-standard, and can cause unexpected surprises.

    Photos
    Housemade Seasonal Shrub
    Housemade Seasonal Shrub
    Essex
    Essex

    See all

    Sophon

    Sophon

    4.4
    (139 reviews)
    1.6 mi

    Everything was delicious! Lots of flavor in all dishes. We tried two small plates, the seasonal…read moregreens with salted soy beans and shallots and the tuna crudo. For our main course, we went with the pork belly and were not disappointed. Service was attentive. Food came out quickly! Lots of GF/gluten free and DF options! Loved to ambiance! Very cozy.

    Dinner from Nov 26, 2025 I have been meaning to dine at…read moreSophon in Greenwood/Phinney Ridge area ever since a Cambodian friend raved about them. I am showing my age by saying the restaurant is VERY LOUD, and our table was in a very dark spot in the restaurant. Oddly, they didn't have enough table lamps for all the dark tables. Our server said they "ran out". How does that happen? I stalked a departing table to take their rechargeable lamp. Anyway, my expectations were likely too high going in, and I was annoyed before even ordering, turning on our cellphone light to read the menu. The food is pretty good, though not mind-blowing good like the reviews suggest, and we had one bad dish. They offer varied Khmer dishes beyond noodle varieties, which is a plus. Go if you are looking for variety, skip the fish, bring ear plugs, and hope you have a brighter table than ours. Parking is street only. 3 Stars for the food, minus 1 star for the restaurant environment (unrelated to staff) The Food: k'tiss dip with crudités, $18 - 4 Stars We chose the marrow stone blue oyster mushroom option - p'set. The mushrooms are sautéed in Khmer seasonings, fermented bean curd, and coconut milk. The veggies are mildly pickled. They paired surprisingly well and a unique dish to try. kroeung kumeraage, $15 - 4 Stars This dish has an option of fried chicken or fried mushrooms. We chose the chicken since we already had mushrooms. Kroeung is the Khmer seasoning. Our server said this dish and papaya salad are amongst the most popular. Since we have a veggie dish, we chose this over the papaya salad (which looks great, too). The chicken is lightly fried, not crispy outside, super tender, and paired well with the kroeung aioli. trei chmouy tuk tei omperi, $40 - 1 Star The menu says serves 2 but not really. The is a pan seared fish, make your own fish wrap. We did not know we ordered a DIY dish, which is ok in principle, just not good to be surprised. The menu doesn't say so; the server didn't mention it. Luckily, by this time of the meal, we have acquired the little table lamp, which enabled me to see the long fish bones that had not been removed. FIVE of them. The noodles are a pathetic overcooked limp pile. The best part is the turmeric sauce. Do not order this dish. Epilogue: I happened to walk by Sophon this past weekend. I was surprised to see a sign saying they are temporarily closed to resolve internal issues. (See photo) That is never a good reflection of management. There is now a GoFundMe for the unpaid staff who had to quit their jobs.

    Photos
    Awaiting its opening back in Sept 2023 (2/2/24)
    Awaiting its opening back in Sept 2023 (2/2/24)
    Excitement galore. Lots of media buzz awaiting Sophon's opening. (2/2/24)
    Excitement galore. Lots of media buzz awaiting Sophon's opening. (2/2/24)
    Exterior back in Sept 2023 when I pulled over. Curious what was going to open in the former Hecho and Martino's spot. (2/2/24)

    See all

    Exterior back in Sept 2023 when I pulled over. Curious what was going to open in the former Hecho and Martino's spot. (2/2/24)
    Roam

    Roam

    4.4
    (16 reviews)
    0.3 mi

    Roam has become my go to neighborhood bar. We watched almost all the Mariners Playoff Games there…read more Great specials and Happy Hour. Currently they have Monday Night Football specials and the HH runs 4-7 with great deals. My go to food wise isn't on the HH menu but doesn't matter I almost always order it. Cocktails it depends what I'm in the mood for sometimes I just do NA options. What really makes Roam special is the team all three main bartenders are friendly and make everyone feel at home. Alex, Trent and Jonah are great, you can tell they care about the establishment they work for. Comfortable non stuffy space we usually sit at the bar but there is a couch and tables with stools available as well on the first floor which is where we usually hang out during the weekdays.

    Trent really knows how to create an experience. This place is seriously one-of-a-kind it's…read moreliterally the only spot I know where you can play basketball and shoot pool at the same time. But what really stands out is the mixology. These aren't your typical cocktails they're doing something really creative and unique here. I recommend trying the Hugo, Bourbon St. Fashion. Each drink had its own character and profile. The upstairs area is where it's at. The atmosphere up there just hits different, perfect energy that makes you want to stay all night. Pro tip: if you go on Sundays, up-and-coming house and EDM DJs to perform. It's a great way to discover new talent. I recommend dropping in on the weekend.

    Photos
    Roam
    Elote cup and chips from HH menu and quesadillas from MNF menu
    Elote cup and chips from HH menu and quesadillas from MNF menu
    Sapa: Empress Gin, St Germaine, egg white, Tonic, Basil and cloud

    See all

    Sapa: Empress Gin, St Germaine, egg white, Tonic, Basil and cloud

    The Ink Drinker - cocktailbars - Updated June 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...