The recently opened Jones Brothers & Co. (5449 Ballard Ave NW) restaurant is finally complete, with a fine-tuned menu and fully functioning “Kid Pit” with arcade games and kid-friendly entertainment.
The restaurant replaced the BalMar bar earlier this year, named for owner Kevin Carlson’s grandfather, Ken Jones. Jones, now 99, was one of the brothers of the original Jones Brothers Meats company, which was located just one block south of the new restaurant. The meat company operated for over 60 years.
“It was important to owner/partner Kevin Carlson to somehow use the family name as a reminder of the original Scandinavian and fishing community of Ballard that he grew up in,” Trinette Carlson tells us. “With so much change in Ballard over the last 25 years, they were happy to hold and honor something of the past, and keep it in place.”
The American-style restaurant serves daily fresh pasta with homemade meatballs, and one veggie ball. Also on the menu are three different salads; arugula with goat cheese and pancetta, a roasted beets salad with bleu cheese, and a classic caesar. The sandwich options include a Reuben, French dip, mushroom dip, Italian grinder, Jones Brothers Burger, and meatball sub. On the drinks menu are cocktails, wine and local beer on tap.
Carlson tells us they only recently were permitted by the Ballard Historic Board to post the restaurant name on the storefront, making the restaurant officially open and ready for business.
Jones Brothers & Co. is open Monday to Friday at 3pm, and at 11am on the weekends. For more info and to see their full menu, visit their website.