The Experience:
A French Bakery just outside the heart of Ballard. As a frequent patron of Bakery Nouveau in West Seattle, I did not have high hopes. Then I saw their sign, and had even less than high hopes. The line was my only glimmer of hope. I mean, who waits in this line if it's not for something really, really good?
The inside was better, but not cozy. Kind of cold actually. Staff was friendly, but not super swift. (When I asked for a knife to split a pastry in half, they offered me a plastic knife and said, "the only thing we have are butter knives are at the end of the counter"...and when coaxed to get the croissant because "it's warm", it wasn't--in sum, Customer service...not-so-much)... But that was a distant memory with one bite of the cheese brioche and virtually forgotten after some of the ham and cheese croissant. Worth the wait. And worth going back to see if customer service improves.
Cafe Besalu is located at 5909 24th Ave NW in Ballard....n.k.a. Seattle. (206) 789-1463. They are open Wednesday through Sunday 7am-3pm.
Tips to know: Rumor has it the brioche is not available until 9am, so plan accordingly...the early bird may not get the worm.
Nearby: If you go on a Sunday, head South a couple of blocks and enjoy one of the best farmer's markets in the city.
