Nordic cafe now open inside Old Ballard Liquor Company

The Old Ballard Liquor Co. (4421 Shilshole Ave NW) team is excited to announce that they have opened a Nordic Cafe inside the popular Ballard watering hole.

As the My Ballard team reported last month, the OBLC team wanted to add some Nordic food to the menu to pair with their popular Aquavit options.

“Aquavit is a versatile, savory spirit that is often paired with food in Europe.  OBLC is bringing that experience to Seattle by opening up a small contemporary Nordic café right inside of our working distillery,” says OBLC owner, Lexi.

Lexi confirms that the cafe is a more casual version of OBLC’s popular pop-up Tumble Swede.

The cafe’s menu is focused on lesser-known traditional Scandinavian meals alongside contemporary Nordic dishes with a focus on Aquavit pairings and the use of quality, fresh, local produce.

House made pickled herring plates, charcuteries and Scandinavian cheese boards are just a few of the entrees served with a side of house-made crispbread (Knäckebröd) and our own freshly churned butter.

“A balanced variety of Swedish, Danish and Norwegian inspired plates will be available,” says Lexi.

Ballard-raised chef Justin Newstrum, who has previously worked at Portage Bay Café, Dandelion, Crave and Harvest Vine, has joined the OBLC team to serve up the Scandinavian delicacies.

In terms of the space, Lexi confirms that it is “unpretentious and industrial”, with only twelve seats and communal seating where diners have a clear view of the workings of the distillery.

The new cafe will also have  Herkimer Coffee on hand and classic Vetebröd (cardamom sweetbread) that is baked fresh every day on special contract with Bothell’s Svea bakery.

A few items will also be available for deli-style take out including herring (pickled, salted, frozen or smoked) and loaves of Vetebröd will be available on Fridays (customers must order ahead by noon on Thursdays)

Hours are from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesday through Friday, and from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekends.

The cafe will not be taking reservations.