Two businesses on Ballard Avenue are close to opening. The Noble Fir will celebrate its grand opening on Wednesday and D’Ambrosio Gelato is hoping to open on Friday.
Ellen Kelly and her husband Rick are owners of The Noble Fir at 5316 Ballard Ave NW. Ellen tells us that the new bar is a “neighborhood beer, wine and hard cider tavern featuring trail guides, hiking maps and atlases to plan your next wilderness adventure.” They’ll serve small plates like meats and cheeses, bread, sandwiches and chocolates. “Our idea is that the food compliments the beverage,” Ellen says, “We are really focused on the beer, wine, cider (and of course the wilderness guides) but if you get a little hungry, you can have something other than pub food and fries.” Once open, The Noble Fir will be open Monday through Thursday from 4 p.m. to midnight, Friday and Saturday from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m., “and for the thirsty Ballard Farmer’s Market goers, we’ll open at noon on Sundays,” Ellen adds.
Although the brown paper is still up on the windows of D’Ambrosio Gelato (5339 Ballard Ave NW), Marco D’Ambrosio tells that they’re hoping to open on Friday afternoon. “Things are moving fast and we are expecting several final inspections this week,” D’Ambrosio says, “Possibly we can get Health Department approval sometime on Thursday morning which could allow us to open on Friday afternoon.” When we spoke to the owner back in March, he told us that he decided to open his gelato shop on Ballard Avenue because it reminds him of a little Italian street.
New tavern & gelato shop to open on Ballard Ave
WOOT!!!! Finally the gelateria shall open! YAY!
Welcome to Ballard… the new Belletown.
Every storefront is a bar, and every sidewalk has a drunk passed out on it.
Nice!! Noble Fir looks like one cool place.
Best of luck to your new venture!
I, for one, happen to love it that all these new businesses are opening. I run a small business myself and know how horrendously difficult it is. I salute anyone willing to give it go.
Good luck to both of these new ventures!
Can’t wait to check out both of these businesses! I work on Ballard Ave and have been following the buildouts of both of these places…..best of luck to you!
What great additions!!! We’re starting to look like a thriving neighborhood again – so much better than the endless empty storefronts that dotted Market and Ballard Ave. last year. Best of luck to both businesses!
Hooray! Very excited to visit Noble Fir. Cider is my drink of choice.
Quite pleased. See you thirsty at the farmer’s market. Can I bring my dog?
We cider & gelato enthusiasts can’t wait!
Gelato? Is that yuppie for ice cream?
wow so glad that the neighborhood is filling out with new businesses. This is great for our community and the current businesses. I for one can not wait to try out both.
I happened to be walking past the Noble Fir on Sunday and the owners happened to be walking in. They stopped, chatted with us, answered our questions and seemed lovely! I wish them the best of luck! I just love all these new places popping up in Ballard.
I love that the tree in the Noble Fir logo is certainly not an actual noble fir, or probably a fir at all. Looks more like a cedar, redwood, or a douglas-fir (which isn’t actually a fir).