Another restaurant on Market Street has applied for a sidewalk seating permit. The Department of Planning and Development has received an application for sidewalk seating at Azteca (2319 NW Market St). Public comment on this application will be accepted through June 4th. Comments can be submitted via email to annualpermits@seattle.gov. Last month the new pub opening at 2401 NW Market St called The Market Arms applied for a sidewalk seating permit.
Azteca on Market St. wants sidewalk seating
![](https://www.myballard.com/wp-content/uploads/2024-My-Ballard-Tile-Ad-Troop-100.png")
Whatever happened to walking on the sidewalks?
Awesome. I love that Seattle has fully embraced outdoor seating. Great news.
Does anyone even eat there? I never see anyone go in or come out and always see the cooks outside. With all the great mexican & latin food in Ballard – not sure why anyone goes here…
exactly. pretty soon the eateries are going to want to close off market all together.
I’ts better than the newer places though still Seattle SORTA Mexican.
I thought they already had outdoor seating?
They can not even come close to filling the indoor seating. I would prefer we leave sidewalks for walking.
I don’t care for the food at Azteca but to my knowledge the sidewalk use permit isn’t based on whether or not the food is to my preferences but how it will impact traffic. If they’re meeting some peoples dining preferences, keeping a storefront open and employing people and can continue to do that without negatively impacting sidewalk safety I don’t think they should be penalized because I don’t like their food.
Nice to see the nattering neighbobs are still at it here. Yada yada yada. Blah blah blah. Against something? Don’t do it or go there or buy their stuff.
Hey, I thought the sidewalks in Ballard were intended for passing out on and defecating.
Won’t the tables get in the way of that?
“Whatever happened to walking on the sidewalks?”
You must hate Paris, Rome, Madrid…..yes, Ballard must stay sterile!
Plus a million! I’ve never eaten there, probably never will, but every near outdoor seating is a victory!
The myballard trolls can find anything to complain about. Sidewalk seating is fine for any city. Find something else to occupy your endless need to b*tch.
So many self-righteous snarks… I am not opposed to outdoor seating. I just don’t think it should come at the cost of a public thoroughfare. I don’t like being forced into a tree planting to avoid other pedestrians because an establishment has chosen to expand its seating and profit margin.
I’m done. Feel free to rage about bums, condos, Mars Hill, whatever now!
Azteca has the worst food in Ballard. Nobody even eats inside. It’s disgusting. Don’t waste the sidewalk!
All kiding aside, I think Haus Frau raises a very legitimate question.
What are sidewalks for? I think their primary function is (or was) for walking.
More to the point, is it really appropriate for a private, for-profit business to take over some of that public resource and use it exclusively for their own benefit?
Would we allow a private company to take over a portion of Green Lake and rope it off so they could make money off off swimming lessons or whatever, to the exclusion of others? If a bicycle or skateboard company wanted to take a portion of a public street to improve their profitability, would that be OK? It might generate jobs and tax revenue, just like restaurants taking over sidewalks.
Really, what’s the difference?
Is it because we have “plenty of under-utilized sidewalk space”? I can think of some parks, playfields and other public resources that are equally “under-utilized”. Can I carve out a portion of those to improve my business?
I agree, terrible food. Don’t waste the space on a crummy restaurant. Who wants to see a bunch of drunk yuppies/hipsters drinking margaritas outdoors? Not me!
Regardless of the food, is there even enough space to have sidewalk seating at that Azteca without crowding both walkers and patrons?
At least Market Arms is set further back from the street so sidewalk seating doesn’t impact people walking by.
The sidewalk is really wide in front of Azteca. Plenty space for seating.
It is? I can’t remember. (Which is sad because I walked past Azteca earlier today.)
Yeah, the sidewalks on Market are plenty wide all around for outdoor seating. I don’t see a problem here.
i don’t think that the comparison between a park and a business district is quite the same. the business district is a place to promote trade and commerce. however, parks are often open to booths in fairs and various events. so you are are welcome to participate in those activities when they come along.
CITY OF SEATTLE
…
B. Clear Path of Pedestrian Travel.
1. A minimum of 6 feet of clear path of travel is required on all sidewalks located within the
Downtown Urban Center, as depicted in Figure 2. A minimum of 5 feet of clear path of
travel is required on all other sidewalks. The clear path of travel is measured from the
outside edge of the sidewalk café fencing or fence post base to the nearest obstruction
(tree pit, parking meter, bike rack, planting strip, etc.). If no obstruction exists, the clear
path of travel is measured to the back of the curb. Sidewalk cafes may not encroach into
tree pits. A-frame, portable signs or any other encroachment is not allowed in the
pedestrian clear path of travel.
Ah, I miss the days when this was the only Azteca and the food was worth the trip to Ballard (yes, it’s the original, though the building is newer).
Doesn’t Ocho have sidewalk seating two doors down? And India Bistro in the other direction? Hasn’t been a problem there. There’s plenty of room for outdoor seating and pedestrians on this block.
I won’t be eating at Azteca either, but I think this can only help the ambiance of the neighborhood.
I took a second look this evening and I was mistaken. Visually it looks a little tight because there’s a tree planted near the vicinity of the door but yes, the sidewalk is plenty wide enough to accommodate sidewalk seating. (And yes, there are several places along that stretch that already outdoor eating space.)
This will further upset the bums. I walked by them last week upset because patrons of the restaurants on Market are allowed to drink alcohol in the fenced-off outdoor eating areas and they are not allowed to drink alcohol wherever they feel like. I had some lulz.
So it is OK for SB$G, ballard oil and other businesses to take over public land for private use but the last restaurant on market without outdoor seating should be stopped. Priceless.
Outdoor seating is a great urban design tool to get “eyes on the street”. During summer months when there are more people out and about later at night, I don’t see it as a bad thing to have more people seated outside. It should in theory make that part of Market Street safer. (If anyone actually eats at Azteca, that is…)
I don’t know how this place has managed to stay open either. This seems like a last-gasp effort to make the place more attractive to customers, although I have no idea how it’s going to help them compete with the outdoor seating appearance at Matador, or the food at La Carta and Señor Moose or La Isla. It’ll take a lot more than just outdoor seating. Maybe they have a bigger overhaul in mind?
Azteca has a huge poster outside that advertises a pretty solid happy hour. I’ve never gone inside, but if there’s an open table outside on a sunny day I’ll for sure stop in for a drink and some chips and salsa. Good for them.