Ballet Vietnamese Restaurant

I went here when I worked in Capitol Hill for their Banh Mi. Such a good value for the size and price. I felt the employees were friendly and quick, and the sandwich was delicious. I did notice a bit of a difference in messiness when the woman made prepared the banh mi vs when the man made it (when she made it was significantly less messy), but the chicken was cooked perfectly nonetheless.

I’ve been on the Hill for about a year now and went into Ballet for the first time today. Not disappointed in the slightest, fantastic food (ordered the pork bahn-​mi and iced coffee), sweet service, and a relaxed atmosphere to enjoy it all.
Don’t let the dingy outside and simple décor fool you, this place makes up in every other way!

Ballet Vietnamese Restaurant’s food basically defines «bland.» I’ve had my share of Vietnamese food up and down the West Coast, and this place is definitely pulling up the rear. The vermicelli bowl and phở were both unremarkable, despite the fact that both were visually appealing.
I don’t have anything negative or positive to say about the service, and the inside of the restaurant could use a makeover.

I would give this restaurant 5 stars if the prices were a bit cheaper. I ordered the Large phở but in comparison to most other phở restaurants it felt like a medium. The broth was nice, nicer than average Seattle Phở places (which is already better because Seattle has great phở). The Crab Wontons were deeeeeeeelicious. I will definitely order again. I loved the atmosphere though. It isn’t moving, busy, or feel like it’s in the city. It’s like this remote restaurant with a cheap ambiance, great food, and quiet. When I eat there I don’t feel rushed or like I have to talk over other people. That’s hard to find in Capitol Hill. I will become a regular.

Eat at this place. Cheap. Delicious. We need more of those two words on cap hill. Staff has always been very friendly to me and are very accommodating.

Came here tonight, starving, cold and tired and loaded down with bags. Ballet is the kind of establishment that I’ve known about for almost four years now, but I’ve never thought to go in because there are closer phở places near my place. However, I’m SO happy I came in tonight on a whim. Like other reviewers have pointed out, the décor is a little spartan. With that being said, the food is top-​notch.
What I ordered:
crab/​cream cheese wontons. About $ 5. INCREDIBLY good. Came with a red dipping sauce. Perfect blend of cream cheese and crab. Not too fried. A+.
hot & sour soup. About $ 8 if I remember correctly. Perfect portion, came with lots of shrimp and chicken and green onions, with a side of white rice. I loved this touch because whenever I order hot and sour soup or tom yum (at Thai places) I always ask for a side of rice to dump in my soup. At Ballet, they’ve already included that step in the dish (and the price) which I really like.
red hook. $ 3. The beer wasn’t previously chilled so the waitress brought it to me with a glass of ice cubes. Not my favorite way to drink beer but not a big deal. What I liked was that they have local beer, always a good sign!
The service was great, and I should mention that 50 Cent (!) was playing at one point. Yesssss. How many Vietnamese places here can say that?

Well here goes another bowl of veggie phở with barely any taste. I get it. Phở is not supposed to be vegetarian traditionally, and so I am asking a lot here. But in my quest for a good vegetarian bowl of phở, I have found only one in Seattle so far. It was not here. Outside of that, the spring rolls were average. The place looked none to clean, rather sort of traditional hole in the wall dingy. I can handle that, though appreciate a hole in the wall that takes that extra step to shine with cleanliness, which Ballet doesn’t. The staff was friendly and timely, though obviously prefered to sit and talk in between customers rather than clean that floor! Those poor weird fish stared at me the whole meal, but who can blame them? All in all, if the veggie phở was great, I would overlook the weird fish and the dingy atmosphere to return again and again. But it’s not.

Me eating my way through all the Vietnamese restaurants in the neighborhood was a little like Goldilocks eating bear porridge. «This phở is a little too sour. This one’s too sweet. This one’s too salty. I don’t even remember this one???» Everyone’s got a different flavor profile and unfortunately you can’t get Unilocal to customize ratings to your taste buds… yet.
I’d always ignored Ballet because it looks so run down from outside and for some reason I thought it was cheap Chinese food? Here’s the thing: the worse a phở place looks, the better it tastes. Not so much with Chinese food. (Although you can’t have too fancy of a Chinese place either. It’s a delicate balance.)
Anyway, once I found it was phở, I decided to give it a go, it being the last phở place I hadn’t tried on this godforsaken hill and … lo and behold, it’s my favorite phở place. I’ve always liked phở, but it’s really rare for me to like it enough to drink all the soup. I do that here. Can’t resist!
Cheap, delicious, never a line, friendly service. Yes, please, and more, thank you.

Since writing this review this place has become a regular for me — I’m eating here once and sometimes twice per week. And my review stands — Get the phở. Enjoy the phở. Pass on the rest. Then get more phở.

Great value. If you go in with the expectation of merely «cheap viet food», you may be pleasantly surprised. I’ve been going here regularly for the past year and have found the food to be of consistently good quality and the staff to be unusually attentive (in a good way).
Personally, I don’t recommend straying too far from the «phở or banh mi» path — I found the alternate dishes, eg teriyaki, to be average. On the other hand, their staples have always satisfied. Ballet is far more generous with their ingredient portions than similar venues in this neighborhood, especially when it comes to vegetables.

Delicious food great presentation and during our stay the waitress was wonderful and the owner even came over to talk with us and ask us some questions. It was a treat going to this place for some much needed nourishment after the New Years partying and being treated so well with high respect. Two thumbs up for quality and service.

Good broth but even better Vietnamese sandwich. Everything was very fresh including the bread.

I get into Seattle rarely, but when I do, I try to work it so that I can hit Ballet for a big bowl of their amazing satay. If I’ve remembered to bring an ice chest, I’ll sometimes get a few orders to go — a couple for me for the next couple of days and a couple as treats for friends. It’s THAT good! (And I’ve never found anything like it closer to home — which is Gig Harbor area — or anywhere else, for that matter.)

This place was a pretty good hole in the wall. The menu was pretty simple and the food was really good (a lot of meat which I feel is rare with phở). I got the large combo phở and finished every bite!
My main complaint was that it’s been a very hot summer, and it’s soup place, but the restaurant was not at all air conditioned (and the door was wide open on a 90+ day). My back was dripping in sweat when I left and it was so uncomfortable. Part of my party constantly complained about it and it made the experience unpleasant. I’d go back maybe in the winter on a rainy day, but I’m not sure I’ll ever eat here mid summer/​late summer again.

I once naively thought a banh mi was a surefire selection. A good banh mi seems a fairly simple accomplishment. I no longer think this. The sandwich here was virtually inedible. Most troublingly, the sauce tasted like dishwater (or at least how I imagine dishwater to taste). My friend and I were extremely disappointed to have spent a meal of our Seattle trip here.

Service is fast, food is delicious and inexpensive. Love the curry and phad tai. Skip their expensive neighbors and eat at Ballet.

Food (³⁄₅), Pricing (⁴⁄₅), Service (⁵⁄₅), Atmosphere (³⁄₅)
Nice little find off of Pike Street. Cheap Phở ($ 6.95 for a small bowl) and tasty broth; mostly average phở compared to other restaurants. The egg rolls were quite tasty as well and decently priced, but again nothing special going on. All prices on the menu are great and you can get out of there splitting an appetizer with someone as well as a main dish for yourself for under $ 12 – 15 (with tip). Or, just have a large phở and you’re still under $ 10.
The service is fantastic. Both times I’ve been here the waiter is so friendly and he’s super nice. The second time I went in, I came without my friend and he remembered me, even addressing me by name as I was leaving. On top of that, the food comes out very quickly and the waiter is quick to refill your drink, etc. High five to you, Mr. phở man! ;)
Overall, if you want phở, and want it now, are around Pike, and want a happy friendly server, go! If you’re looking for something more gourmet or some elegant atmosphere, I would suggest going elsewhere.

I’ve been here twice now. Once for a lunch meeting and then again to grab a really quick dinner. The building sure if questionable from the outside, but inside you get delicious food fast and for quite cheap. The value is definitely a reason to keep coming back, but it’s also delicious. The small bowl of phở is smaller than other places (usually a small is still a vat’s worth), so just keep that in mind. It’s really good though. And the staff are very friendly and nice. They really seem to remember their customers. Definitely not a nice date night location, but if you’ve run out of food at home or just make it home from work too late to make dinner, this is an awesome choice.

Not bad!
Went here last night for dinner, and although it may look a little sketchy on the outside, the food is far from it.
I ordered chicken teriyaki, not vey exciting I know, but my date had their phở too. Everything was tasty; I have no complaints. What was unique about this place, when compared the hundreds of other Asian restaurants in Seattle, was the price. They offer a student discount, which is pretty sweet. When my meal was over, my grand total came to about $ 7.00, which isn’t bad for a fair amount of food and a soda.
I hear this place also has great sandwiches too!
Don’t forget to ask for the student discount!

I absolutely love this place. Granted, all I’ve ever gotten here is phở so I can’t speak for anything else. I came across Ballet when I was working in Capitol Hill last summer. I am so glad that I wandered in. Their phở has been consistently good; I am especially a fan of their beef/​steak and meatball combo. The food comes out quickly, regardless of whether you’re eating in or eating out. Although, I always happen to come just before the rush. Don’t let its looks fool you! Even if it looks empty, trust me when I say that it fills up quickly once people start coming.
The best thing about this place is the staff though! I can’t spell his name, but I promise I can say it! He’s consistently extremely friendly and he remembered me even after I hadn’t been back in a year! Part of me wishes that I still lived in Seattle just so I could come here regularly again. Beyond amazing.

From what I understand, Ballet is as important an institution to this part of Cap Hill as the Comet (closed then reopened) and Samadhi Yoga (closed) are/​were… and don’t you want to support a historical institution? ;) The staff here is great… such a friendly and integral part of the neighborhood — A spot where they actually remember your name. Vegetarian options here are all really great even for carnivores like me. No fuss, just good spicy food (on a scale of 1 to 5) made while you wait. I’ve done the garlic stir fry with mock chicken, the lemongrass stir fry with tofu, the banh mi, and a bunch of other savory options which I can recommend whole heartedly. In the summer time, it’s nice to grab some take out and go eat in Cal Anderson. Give it a try :)

This place is behind amazing, I have been going for more than just a couple years now. First off, the customer service is completely amazing. Despite going regularly (I went to school nearby) and then not going in for a little over a year they remembered me and asked how I had been when I started coming in again regularly! They are beyond personable.
As for the food it’s always amazing. I’m vegan and they have so many options! I’ve never been disappointed. Delish.
Don’t let the hole in the wall décor deter you, best Vietnamese food on the hill HANDS DOWN!

The customer service is great, but the food is not that great.
The phở broth was pretty bland, the meat was pretty tough… kind of disappointing.
The spring rolls had cheap lettuce… not the best but passable.
The vietnamese sandwich was catered to the non-asians…too much teriyaki sauce. Not on toasted bread… but yeah, passable.

I would be happy to eat at Ballet phở-​ever! (Groan.) Anyway, this place is really yummy and I’m glad my bf talked me into going cause it sure looks like a hole in the wall from the outside! Reasons to come in anyway:
1. Delicious spring rolls, made FRESH. I know this because I don’t eat shrimp, so I ask for mine without (pork only), which is no problem for them. Also, only $ 1.75 for a fresh spring roll longer than a normal hotdog is pretty damn good!
2. Yummmyyy Phở Tai (with rare round eye steak, or whatever it’s called). This comes with all the nom nom trimminz you can’t live without.
3. Very friendly and prompt service.
A cozy little nook for an affordable, fresh, tasty lunch. Especially good for driving away winter chills! I’ll be back soon, PHO SHO!

— quick service
— cheap eats
— ordered the phở with a side of thinly sliced raw beef, ingredients were fresh and tasty
— broth left something to be desired, was clean and clear but a touch bland
— the noodles were soggy