Local Lunchtime Discoveries in Seattle: Two.

In continuation of my lunchtime tourism in Ballard…

Wednesday’s Find

Founded with the hidden, backstreet pastry shops of Europe in mind, family owned Cafe Besalu was the real reason I ended up on the corner of 24th Ave NW and 59th St NW yesterday. Unfortunately it’s closed Mondays and Tuesdays so I had to put it off for a day, which ended up being yesterday! I didn’t find anything special about the atmosphere, but that’s not how they earned their 5-star yelp rating and multiple “best of Seattle” awards. Rather, it’s their croissants, pastries, and coffee.

I wanted to order everything. But instead opted for one of their vegetarian quiches, goat cheese and leek, a croissant, and pain au chocolate. Since their website touts that Besalu is “possibly the best croissant bakery on the entire American continent” I felt I couldn’t leave without one (or two). The quiche was rich and flavorful, and while I still prefer the croissants of Bakery Nouveau, Besalu did not leave me disappointed. They were flaky, buttery, soft, and just-out-of-the-oven fresh (Besalu makes their goods in house) — in short, everything a croissant should be. I may have to return to sample their cardamom pretzels, however…

After Besalu, I continued to wander about the historic section of Ballard, which still carries traces of its Scandinavian-influenced past in the architecture and of course, elements of Seattle’s quirky personality. Historically, Ballard has had a large fishing, boat building, and lumber industry, and even today large ship yards still dominate the waterfront. Possibly I’ll post a photo tomorrow… but for now the camera is dead :/

Visit Cafe Besalu @ 5909 24th Avenue Northwest