Source
r/Seattle•
rxan

Ballard Seafood Fest 2022 food experiences

Ballard Seafood Fest is coming up next weekend July 14-16! I wanted to share some experiences I had last year regarding the food stands, and perhaps I can get some tips from others as well.

There were several food stands that were serving overpriced and underwhelming food, with huge lines and bad service.

One stand was serving fries topped with lobster, and I'm pretty sure it wasn't lobster, for about $25. There was a 20 minute line to place an order, followed by another 10 minute line to get your order. We figured that because the line was long, that the food must be great. Boy were we wrong. The second line was so disorganized that they ended up having to re-ask everyone what they were waiting for. It was just a mob and a shit show.

My tips:

  1. Ask people who already received their order how it is.
  2. Figure out how the ordering system works before you order.
  3. Maybe go to food stands that aren't so busy.

I still plan on going this year, but I wish I could have been a more savvy customer.

What are your tips for the seafood fest?

Posted Jul 7, 2023, 2:13 AM UTC

1912
Unhappy-Plant-3836•

My tip: Go to the brick and mortar restaurants in Ballard. They were at their usual quality, are actual local businesses, and deserve your business way more than the food carts that come from hell and gone.

63
Andrew_Dice_QueBallard•

Warren from Ballard Oil used to put up the huge spread, and if he's still doing it, that's your best bet for decent salmon.

But in the end, Seafoodfest is just a marketing exercise designed to get you to come to Ballard.

I say this as a lifelong Ballard guy who's been to dozens of them. Just go to have fun, the food isn't really that great.

19
237throw•

Didn't Ballard Oil close as heating oil is super outdated?

Yep: https://www.king5.com/article/news/local/seattle/ballard-oil-company-closing/281-ba69d707-fcec-40e7-9c99-b24f77217800

1
Andrew_Dice_QueBallard•

True, but that doesn't mean Warren can't still be involved in the Salmon Bake.

2
Seattle0718•

Honestly it’s a fine time to hangout in Ballard but majority of the food trucks that attend these food festivals are hot garbage. The bigger the sign the worse the food 90% of the time.

No, the random “world famous” lobster truck you’ve never heard of is probably not serving the freshest fish.

16
nokeeo•

tbh I skip the food trucks and go for the salmon plate.

10
ChampagneStain•

I’m not from here originally, but I fish a bit. I would expect any “lobster” you see was bought at Costco and sourced from the east coast. Probably frozen.
It’s not something fished here. Lobsters aren’t listed in the local fishing regulations. If you find crab or salmon, they’re more likely to be from here.

6
kosha•

It was likely the langostino that they sell at Costco which is technically a type of lobster but the FDA requires that you preface it with the word "langostino" to make it clear that it's not a true lobster.

Not surprised that random food vendors at a street festival would ignore that rule

1
cdsixedBallard•

the paella was legit

5
seajsketch•

Enjoy an elephant ear while people watching, skip the rest.

5
halfeatennachos•

Oh man, last year was a shitshow. Wildly expensive for what it was as well.

4
mixed-beans•

Last year, I made the mistake of inviting people from out of town.

  • The lines were incredibly long for food. 50+ people in one line at multiple vendors with poor line management.

  • The walkways were even more crowded than the usual Sunday farmers market.

  • The main stage with music was obnoxiously loud and I felt bad for the local businesses near by needing to yell to have a conversation with a customer inside of their store.

  • They fenced of a beer/drinking area which made Ballard look tacky.

  • Some random person parked in my neighbors driveway and blocked them in. Jesus.

1