The Ink Drinker

Such a wonderful new addition to ballard! The vibes are immaculate, it’s very cozy and the perfect spot for a book club evening out or just a little catch up with friends. the cocktails are very unique and tasty! the standout for me was the flatbread, truly one of the best flatbreads i’ve ever had.

Amazing experience, even on a busy opening night! The drinks were amazing and the food was delicious! But, above and beyond was the stellar service! Alex was so kind and attentive and really made our whole evening! I can’t wait to come back and to recommend this spot to every book lover I know! If you want a cozy night, a great drink; and a tasty bite, this is the spot for you!

Amazing vibes, wonderful staff, tasty drink. So many people reading and the room was filled with books. Highly recommend for book lovers. Soup was a little pricey, but expected for bar foods. Made a reservation to get a seat!

Best bar to come to ballard since at least 2020. Cozy atmosphere with good music that you can still have a conversation over without straining. That’s in part due to the very nice sound dampening tiles they installed. Nicest staff - no pressuring to order tons of drinks or food - just friendly and welcoming people. Last but not least the drinks are really freakin good. The have curated their own set of drinks - not some boring list of old fashioned and negroni. Then to top it all off - the drinks are executed very well - they taste great. Interesting and taste good - a great combo :). Flatbread I had with prosciutto and pear was lovely too. It’s hard for me to overstate how important this bar is for the future of Ballard. It reinvigorated my hope and optimism for downtown Ballard’s future as a place for good nightlife and approachable venues. I will return soon and I wish Ink Drinker a long and successful journey.

Such a cute vibe! Drinks are great and strong, service is lovely. My only recommendation so that they don’t go out of business is to ditch the retail space and put in more tables! Comfy solo person chairs, one long community table down the center. Would love to keep coming back and hope this remains a staple in Ballard.

Cool little spot, but don't be fooled by the marketing—this isn't really a sit-and-read kind of place. It's a book-themed bar. You can sit and read for a little while, but the staff is pretty pushy with getting you in and out and not lingering for too long. The food is good enough for a bar, but don't count on a substantial meal. Good drinks with lots of a non-alcoholic options!

Delicious cocktails, friendly staff, and very accommodating of our book club group. Highly recommend this lovely new spot! I especially enjoyed the Plain Bad Heroine and the Damned Dane, with its smoked rosemary flavor. Highly enjoyable, and fittingly fun drink names. I liked the thoughtfulness of the menu, in terms of including N/A and low-proof drink options. My friends had the flatbreads and really liked those as well.

I think this place has potential, however some work still is needed. The drink prices are really high, I understand how hard things are for small business owners but realistically you can get a cocktail or beer for 30% less a few steps away. The ambiance isn’t there yet, when I went the lights were so bright and the place felt empty, almost halfway done. It’s not super cozy. I love the originality of the space and hope they can figure those things out.

I felt like I had to write a review after seeing some not great ones on here. Were we even at the same place?? I went to Ink Drinker for the first time yesterday at 4:15 and it was a lovely experience. The music was set to a nice level and the service was fantastic, in fact my friend and I commented on how great our server was, even bringing us a sample of curry hummus when I asked if it was spicy. Cocktail, wine, and food prices were typical for a nicer Seattle bar. The two dishes we ordered (a cheese board with jam and crostini and cauliflower served with curry hummus) were both delicious and nicely portioned. As a big reader, I loved the book theme and the cozy atmosphere. Perhaps some of the earlier poor reviews were due to growing pains but The I.D. seem to have smoothed out whatever their wrinkles were, at least early on a Thursday evening. I don't like to go out at night in the wintertime much, but I'll be returning to the Ink Drinker soon. I have no affiliation with this place or the owner or employees.

Bad acoustics, more of a "book theme" than a place to read. It's loud. Service actually made me feel bad about myself. I was sat by a host, waited 30 minutes before service acknowledged me (then 2 people in rapid succession showed up), and then was ignored again for another half hour while plainly telegraphing I was ready to pay and leave. Had to wildly wave at a server to get them to realize I wanted out. This place has the vibe of people who like to have books, but don't read them. It's clear they set this up for instagram and little else, what with $20 cocktails and variations on flat bread for food. You can't comfortably read in here, you can't consistently get service, and you're looking at $20+ for the experience.

A lovely place! We went on a Thursday and it got pretty busy. For cocktails, I got the The Naked Professor and The Evening Redness. Both were really good. We learned that all the cocktails were each made by someone who works there. The Evening Redness is great for martini lovers - the tomato really comes through but isn't overpowering. The Naked Professor had the right amount of smokiness with the mezcal. I also got the Maison de Madeleine (Brute Rosé), which was a pretty decent wine. For food, we shared the Tomato Bruschetta. I like that they used thinner toasts so it was easy to eat. I also got the Roasted Cauliflower & Curried Hummus - this was a good share plate! I rarely see tinned fish on menus, so I got the Smoked Mussels. Highly recommend if you like tinned fish/seafood. I originally wanted the Smoked Salmon, but they ran out. The staff here are super warm and kind. I wish I lived in the area so I could come more!

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!

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

It's a reading themed bar, not a reading bar. The cocktails (~$20 p/cocktail) were great, the food (~$20 p/plate) was meh. I understand it's a business so you have to cater to a large audience, but when you're marketing yourself as a "reading bar" you'd expect to walk in and actually see people reading and maybe some /light/ conversation. But, unfortunately they only have quiet hours during certain days. 90% of the time, it will just be a regular bar. For the price and loud ambience, I'd rather just go to my neighborhood dive bar where the drinks are cheaper, the food portions are better, and the noise is actual brown noise and not just people being loud on dates on either side of you. It's still in early phases, so take my review with a grain of salt, but I'm disappointed.

I have been eagerly awaiting the opening of the Ink Drinker for months, and it did not disappoint! The space is very cozy, with a mix of tables and couches/armchairs. The book-filled shelves add nicely to the vibe (and I believe the empty area in front will soon be retail with both books and merch). I love that the music is audible but not blasting; this is a place where I feel like I could actually sit and have a conversation, which is not the case at all Ballard bars! The menu sounds great with lots of tasty bites. We were just stopping in briefly so only sampled the crostini (simple and good!) but I am excited to come back for more. I love the NA cocktail options! Service was attentive and friendly. I am excited to hear that they might have some even quieter hours sometimes, dedicated to folks who want to sit and read. Honestly, this feels like something the neighborhood has been sorely missing: a viable third space that doesn't solely revolve around alcohol and that is open past 7 PM!!

Great new place with lots of potential to be even better! I love the comfy couch seating options and hope they bring in more of the same - so much nicer than trying to enjoy reading on a metal bar stool. The fireplace is a lovely touch, and I appreciated the selection of books and games to pickup while there. The music was a little loud during quiet reading hours but it's going to be tough to create an environment perfectly suited for all readers. There's a fair amount of what appears to be unused space so I'm excited to see what they add. We loved our drinks but agree service could be quicker and prices more affordable. Overall this is an awesome spot filling a gap in the community and I so appreciate the owner's efforts to make this an inclusive space for all to enjoy. Will definitely be back

Excellent drinks and service! It was busy on a Saturday but we still felt well attended to and the staff seem to know their stuff. We will be visiting again!