The food is good but overpriced. Worst of all, there is a female waiter who is extremely rude and provides horrible service. Food is slow to come out with an unfriendly server, the worst combo read more

I had a great time at this restaurant. The atmosphere was good, the waitresses were nice, and the food was great. Would definitely recommend. read more

meh, it was ok, we ordered the fish and chips and it was alright, nothing spectacular. they charge .35 for extra sauce. sittings and tables are really close to the street, in a corner of the street so be careful in case you get run over by a car while you are having lunch. a convient place to get a bite to eat that is close by the Lock. read more

Have been here two times and have been impressed. The food is good and reasonably priced. The atmosphere is low-key and unpretentious. Good for kids (my 7-year-old loved the antlers on the wall). My only complaint was the slightly surly server who got irritated when we sent back the order that she got wrong. read more

Went there for breakfast. Coffee was nicely strong; eggs Benedict were poached perfectly, the serving of ham was generous and the potatoes with green peppers and onions were a great combo for the dish. However, the Hollandaise was remarkably bland to the point of being tasteless and had a texture that almost suggested it could have been made from a roux base, and the English muffins were fairly soggy. Service was friendly and quick; however, in an almost empty restaurant, seating an obnoxiously loud party with coughing children right next to me when there were plenty of other tables available didn't exactly add to my enjoyment of the experience. read more

Clams are sweet and delicious. Had the Jellyfish Planktonic Red Ale , good but a bit sour. Friendly relaxed atmosphere all about food from the sea read more

Oh yeah, we had a fab time at Lockspot. Our server, Lisa, is super hip and fun and chatted with us about shopping and drinking...two of my favorite past times. Clam and salmon chowder are both amazing. If I could crawl into the bowl and swim in this chowder, then I totally would. A little Michael Phelps action in a bowl of chowder would never hurt anyone. Gin and tonics were good and refreshing, atmosphere has a rundown dive bar/restaurant feel. I will definitely go back for more drinks and look forward to having dinner. read more

We stopped by here today to get some fish and chips. The place is very "divey" inside which I appreciate. I ordered the halibut and chips and he had the regular fish and chips. We both got cups of chowder too. The chowder was lukewarm and nothing special at all. I subbed out coleslaw for fries and it was very runny. My halibut was dry, his cod was better, but still nothing special. I would have rather saved the money and got frozen fish and chips from the grocery store. To say the least, I wasn't very happy to spend $40 (incl tip) for 2 fish and chips and 2 cups of chowder that were less than mediocre. read more

Love the Lock Spot! It's a great old Ballard spot for a beer or for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Nothing fancy, just good food and a warm atmosphere and staff. read more

If I could give negative stars, I would. I went in at 1:30pm (tail end of lunch) to see if they would take my resume. I looked around to see how busy they were and if I should come back another time. There were only two guys at the bar and one waitress cleaning up after a family that had just left. The waitress directed me to the manager who started to swear at me and told me that if I was too stupid to come into a restaurant during lunch (again, only two guys at the bar at the time) than I was too stupid for her to hire me, then she called me a stupid bitch and told me to leave. I guess that if that is how management behaves I wouldn't want to work there... I had thought about getting lunch there but after that encounter I certainly did not feel comfortable as a customer. read more

A beautiful day in Seattle, sunshine and everyone is out. This place had one waitress! Service sucked, the bartender was trying to pick-up the slack. The beer battered halibut and chips were average. I don't believe the fish was fresh. The chips were better than the fish and they had malt vinegar on the table. I had the calamari appetizer made from calamari steak sliced into strips. Very tender and flavorful with a touch of Parmesan cheese on top. The onion rings were greasy and had a bland taste. Overall a disappointment. read more

Not a bad place for a beer, but I'd pass on the food. The clam chowder was very bland at best. Even the house specialty fish-n-chips weren't anything to write home about. None of the food had any flavor... read more

The 4 piece halibut, the most expensive at $18, was a joke. They were about size you'd feed to a young child. The fries were barely cooked. Forget this place. read more

I really wish I could write a positive review. We've eaten at the Lockspot dozens of times, even back when they allowed smoking. Within the last year, we've just done take-out for dinner, which was okay, but not terrible (their funky calamari sticks were better than the fish & chips). But we hadn't been for b'fast recently, and decided to give it another try. I avoid their pancakes, since the generous plastic cup of shiny margarine just grosses me out, although the pancakes themselves were fine. They'd done unspeakable things to huevos rancheros, and it took so long for the kitchen to make something else, we blocked it out of our memory and didn't return for 2yrs. But their hash browned potatoes were usually quite dependable, and almost made up for the often-bitter coffee (more than once served in lipstick-stained mugs). But the Lockspot has discontinued their hash browns, and potatoes O'Brien are your only choice. They tasted of old grease, and there wasn't much "O'Brien" to them - we both got a single, diced pepper about the size of a pea, the remainder potatoes. I had eggs Benedict, which were topped with an edible but lackluster hollandaise, and the eggs were poached HARD. I hadn't asked for them to be poached to that extent, but luckily I don't really care for runny yolks (most eggs Benny lovers wouldn't have been pleased). And since it had taken almost 20 mins to get coffee, and 45 minutes to get the food, I wasn't about to send them back to be re-fired. The waitress was nice enough, but one lone waitress isn't enough for that entire restaurant. Please, hire sometome to bus tables and serve coffee! We don't know if the long wait was her fault or the kitchen's, but on a visit to the restroom, you could see two guys in the kitchen not doing much of anything. So, management, hire more waitstaff, or pull a cook from the kitchen if they're standing around. Do a quick plate-waste study to see what people didn't eat (or at least instruct your staff to ask if there had been anything wrong with their untouched potatoes, since it's not second nature). Sorry, Lockspot, you're off our list for awhile. I hate to do that to a neighborhood restaurant, but you don't deserve our business until you improve your food and service. The Portage Bay Cafe just opened up the street, and even though they're spendier, we'll be giving them a try before we take a chance on you again. read more

The fish and chips were good but the prices seem quite high. You would think that by serving generic "Cola" instead of name-brand they could make the price lower than is common for F&C. But they fail. read more

So you're the only one at the locks selling ice cream so you guess you'll just charge $5.50 for a cup. Unbelievable. Since the kids already had their hearts set on ice cream we did it. It has a nasty chemical-y after-taste. It's not even good! read more

The lockspot is touch and go. I usually like the french dip, and sometimes its great, and other times I can barely get through it. I have tried other stuff there and it was all just okay. It is somewhere to go that isn't too uppity like a lot of what Ballard/Sunset Hill has become. read more

I went to Lockspot for a drink and dinner while doing some work on Friday afternoon/evening. I was so impressed with the staff, especially the manager, JR. When I came in he was taking care of a group of 20 people, who all wanted their tab on a separate card. He was upbeat, gracious and patient. After they left he continued checking in with his staff to see how they were doing, greeting patrons by name and making sure everyone had what they needed. This is an excellent neighborhood spot with wonderful service, delicious food and a friendly, casual environment. I will definitely be back! read more

The Lockspot gets 4 stars for consistency. Their food is always what you remembered . The service is great! It is as divey as it was 20 years ago. If you were a tourist looking for what Seattle used to be like, the Lockspot is a good example. My friends and I go there after rock climbing next door sometimes and always the same. Sometimes "just the same" can be comforting. read more

Went there to eat - waitress walks by us 4 times and never acknowledged that we were even there. Guess that they do not need the business.

The ham and cheese omelette was skimpy and the ham grilled sandwich meat. The potatoes O'Brien were made with previously frozen deep-fried potatoes. If you like frozen potatoes, Ore-Ida are less expensive and just as good. The server was pleasant and the patio and music were fun. read more

Gross... Smelled like stale cigarettes and garbage. Bloody Mary's overpriced for fresh squeezed rotten tomatoes and bandage moonshine. Maybe I just hit it on a bad day? read more

The best fish n chips I have ever had. Service is a little slow and disorganized sometimes... the last time we went in, the place was only half full, but the other half of the tables had yet to be cleared. Still worth the wait though. read more

Eat @ Lockspot Cafe get FREE all night diarrhea and vomiting and no return calls from management to change the problem!

My boys and I needed a quick snack and shared some fish and chips and chowder. The fish was good but not great. The fries were just what you would want. The chowder was a cut above average. I would definitely go back. My only complaint would be that the cost was a bit higher then I would like. read more

best fish and chips? really? i am so shocked to see all the great reviews for the fish and chips here. i've lived in washington practially my whole life and have eaten at several different fish and chip eateries and this one would rank probably my lowest... i've had better at chain restaurants that don't even specialize in seafood... i feel bad that i dragged my boyfriend here and touted to him that this place was going to have the best fish and chips based on what i'd been reading on here. first off, the service was terrible. you seat yourself, so we walked in sat down, the waiter definately made eye contact with us sevearl times, but yet it still took him nearly 5 minutes to even come by and set menus on the table for us. there were only 4 other tables that were occupied at the time and there was another waitress as well. another nearly 10 mins to get waters and then the food took quite a while. the table right next to us ordered literally right before us and they were finishing up their meal just as we were getting ours. the servings are big - i will give them that for sure. they give you enough french fries to serve to the whole restaurant. the problem is they aren't anything special that makes me want to eat the whole damn basket. they are your basic cafeteria fries that they probably gets delivered by the america food service truck. the pieces of fish were very large as well, but i was not a fan of the breading. i ate one piece and i was done. if you want decent fish and chips i would suggest Spud's or Ballard Bros read more

We came to the Lockspot Cafe for a later lunch after seeing the Locks. It took over 20 minutes to even take our drink order. When we talked to the manager (politely), she simply said we are busy so either wait it out or find another restaurant. Looking around, they were not actually very busy. She should have come over to our table and helped her waitress out, who was clearly having trouble waiting on the tables. Not only was the service horrible, but we waited another hour for our food, and when it came out it was barely warm. It was definitely not the best tasting food either. I would not recommend this place. read more

This is in regards to the INDOOR Dining experience, not the outdoor which is markedly different. Stay outside and order your food from the window unless you are into stale dry skimpy sandwiches, coleslaw soaked in sugar and mayonnaise, horrible loud radio with commercials and then getting a tiny order of shrimp all for an exorbitant price. My seven year old was still hungry after her meal there, and it was not the kid's menu. Five small shrimp? It was like a joke. We went outside after and got an order of happy hour shrimp for her for half the price, she got more and it was better quality! The kitchen's are clearly not the same for the window and the indoor. Also indoor you are forced to listen to loud radio music full of annoying adds, LOUD may I emphasize, with some top 40 record company spin off you are only praying for it to stop because its so painful. I will NEVER go indoor here again, I don't care if its a blizzard outside. read more

I didn't go to the Lockspot for food, so I can't comment on that side of the place, but I did go for beer and trivia! Monday night trivia is great fun, pretty challenging and a great variety of questions and categories. Good times, good beers! read more

Had the worst service I've had in years at this restaurant. The waitress was incredibly rude and after already being unpleasant she had the audacity to say "you're welcome" when she put our plates down and none of us said thank you. Thank you's were out of the question since we waited for our food for over 45 minutes and she made no attempts to accommodate celiac allergy concerns. She then proceeded to let us run out of water and only came over to check on us once. She tried to be nice at the end of our meal, seemingly trying to save the encounter for the sake of a tip but we were highly unamused and truly soured by her service. We will never be coming back here again. read more

BEST fish (cod) and chips! Thick pieces, not overcooked, not overly breaded. Better than Ivars, Anthony's, and definitely Pacific Inn (which sucked). read more

Not as good as the sloop since they don't have big beers, but they make up for that with good solid stiff cocktails, good food, and the best part about this place- the table top Ms. Pacman game! read more

What I love about the Lockspot is that they carry a selection of local beers. The Ballard Burger and the Fish and Chips both hit the spot. The staff has always been quick and friendly... even when they are slammed! read more

This is a little hole in the wall cafe with seating outside next to the traffic. It's also next to the Botanical Gardens enterence. You have to pay for parking, but it's only $2.25 for an hour. There is an indoor bar, but I only ate from the cafe. The food was high in price. The Fries were okay, nothing special. The Fish was very good. Fresh fish. Fresh fish like what they sell on the Hood Canal. That makes the place worth going to. read more

Tried this place because I was peckish for some fish one summer afternoon, the wait is not too bad, and the staff seem okay, but here is my one and only gripe. If you only make two things to sell with variations on that theme, then you should be doing both very well. The day I went the chips potion of my meal absolutely sucked! They were soggy, and limp, with zero crispness to the outside and no joy to be found once you are chewing. Cooking fries is not hard, and when you are selling a $9.50 plate (true cod) you should make the chips as sexy as the fish. The breading on the fish had a nice crunch and decent spices. Get it together with the chips and I will be back. read more

It's a great low key bar that looks like a basement from the 70's and has about nine microbrews on tap. A place like this back home in Michigan would only have three beers on tap: Bud, Bud Light and PBR. The salmon chowder is really good, the only thing I don't like here is the fries which I think are terrible. However, the Greek fries are serviceable since it's smothered in feta. The reviews about rude or slow service are more than likely true but the amount of local color in the bar makes up for that in my eyes. I don't know why, but I've run into more people from Scotland here than anywhere else in Seattle. Parking bonus: after the locks close to pedestrians at 9 PM, there is unlimited free parking at the city parking lot just a couple steps from the bar. Don't get too drunk and try to drive out or you might end up getting stuck on the railroad tracks which I've seen a couple times. read more

I love this place for what it is. Seattle is overcome with pretention, so much so, that the appreciation for it's culinary roots is all but gone. The Lockspot never has presented itself as a fine dining establishment. You won't find steak tartare or caviar or a wine list which needs a menu all it's own. What you'll find here is real good FOOD, made and served by real good people. Seattle has a night life, and with that lifestyle comes nasty hangovers. This place will save your life. Picture, if you will- entering the Lockspot feeling like the bottom of someone's shoe. First you order a bloody mary then an eggs benedict, both served promply and always with a smile - the bloody mary is seasoned perfectly, even with a little more hair with the nasty dog that bit you- if ya know what I mean. The eggs benedict brings you "oohs" and "ahhh"'s as your hangover slowly begins to dissipate. You leave full, satisfied and ready to begin your day (or finish it off with a siesta) . Perhaps I'm a hopeless romantic for the ways that were, I dunno. But through all my pondering and bad decisions, there has been only one thing I can always rely on, and it's the lockspot. She's always there when I need her most. Thank you! read more

Fish and chips are not what they used to be. I can make the same at home with frozen "heat and serve". This used to be a destination for me whenever I was in the Seattle area...no longer. read more

If you've had a rough weekend and need some recovery time, this is the place to go for Sunday night dinner. And if you don't need too much recovery, have some Scotch. read more

This was a great place to fish and chips are good the charter was awesome service was super thank you