Best Restaurants with a Fireplace in Ballard

We have been to Stella’s before for their holiday offerings and have not been disappointed. We decided to try their Christmas Eve dinner and we were served 4 courses of very delicious food. The prime rib dinner was particularly outstanding. What was different this time around was the service, however. They seemed to be short staffed and it took some time after we sat time for us to be acknowledged. After we received our food, no one bothered checking in with us to see whether it was to our liking. We ordered wine and it finally arrived after our dessert! My wife and I have eaten at Stella’s many times. We have always enjoyed the food and the service as being outstanding! I will just chalk this up to being a one off.

The space is very open and well arranged with a variety of seating options from sofas & chairs to tables and cozy booths. Cocktails are creative and tasty. The food is superb. It IS expensive, so be prepared for that…

This dining experience was novel and a joy. The chef combined flavors creating tastes we had never had before. Sometimes it was a bit overwhelming (like the garlic on the Chinese broccoli), but we were glad we had ordered it and after pushing the garlic aside, ate every bite. Try the octopus -- absolutely delicious and not at all like the typical calamari you get in local restaurants. Our server was very cordial, had a great sense of humor, and increased our enjoyment.

Our experience was great. Came at a quiet time (5 PM), but 3 of our party of 5 got there a bit early and 2 almost a half hour late with traffic. No problem for our waiter. Dealt with it very well. Food was excellent. 3 separate checks easily dealt with, all positive!

Love the woman chef who runs the kitchen at Conversation! We enjoyed the Bone-in Halibut very much! Good wine list too.