Brimmer & Heeltap

If I could give it 10 stars I would!
Yesterday I celebrated my birthday at B&H. I cannot say enough about the staff, food and owners Jen and Chef Mike! We were out in the gorgeous private dining area. It is an open air dining room with a covered patio and a beautiful fire pit. The dining room has a garage door that could be closed in colder times but, yesterday was warm and the door was wide open onto patio and into the fabulous courtyard.
Jen and Chef Mike worked with me to plan the perfect brunch menu with something for everyone. Chef Mike kept the food coming out all morning/​afternoon it was fresh, hot and delightful. Jen was with my party the whole time. She and our server worked the room perfectly. Never «in the way» but always right there when you needed a fresh beverage or to hand off an empty plate.
Brimmer & Heeltap is phenomenal in every way. I cannot say enough about this place. My friends who «know and love» food and restaurants were equally impressed and excited to return for «regular» service.
I have also been there late night and had the tartare it was some of the best I’ve had. The thick cut toast is FANTASTIC. Once you’ve had it you’ll dream about it and, you’ll tell all your friends about it. It’s that good.
In a nutshell… run don’t walk to Brimmer & Heeltap either for a private occasion or for regular service. It’s beyond. :)

Brunch was phenomenal. Come now before word gets out. Seriously. Easily one of the top brunch spots in Seattle. Ordered the puffed black rice with mango and hot coconut milk. Stunning in it’s flavors and simplicity. Waffle was perfectly cooked with a tinge of malty goodness and some strawberries and blueberries, one of the best waffles I’ve ever eaten. Crisp but not hard. Crumbly and crunchy. And the house made ricotta. Well. I shmeared it on toast with butter and some jam. Holy god. Perfection.

I had my first brunch at Brimmer & Heeltap a few weeks ago when they began their brunch service. I take brunch seriously, and thankfully so do they. I was delighted by the pan-​seared shrimp and poached egg, and I was extremely pleased by the giant slab of bacon, but weeks later I still long for the hot puffed black rice cereal. Time to go back and eat this totally unique breakfast marvel again!

Beautiful space, friendly and attentive staff, and the food was delicious. Lovely presentation of food and the cocktails were perfect (brunch). We will definitely be back for dinner.

Four of us had the best time last night seated out on the back patio. This restaurant knows the business and that the full experience matters; everything from the physical environment to the food, but most importantly the service.
Jen Doak and her team treated us like we were the only customers that mattered. Super attentive and knowledgable about the menu, wines, etc. High touch service at a price point well worth it. The most memorable was receiving a birthday card signed by the entire staff. Thanks for a great night and indeed we shall return.

In a nutshell, Brimmer & Heeltap is…
A neighborhood restaurant with laid-​back elegance, a constantly rotating menu with more hits than misses, and service that is both attentive and warm; a must try restaurant, even one to try again if it is not love at first bite.
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After having three great dinners with my partner this past year, mostly seated indoors for a cozy indoor dining experience at the height of the winter, I decided to take an old foodie-​friend of mine for an outdoor brunch on a warm summer-​like day. Boy was this the best brunch I have had in Seattle! Do yourself a favor, run, do not walk, before the duck-​leg waffle goes away. The meat was fall off the bone tender, with a crispy crunch at the onset. These textures combined with a waffle drizzled in syrup with an Asian-​tinge, made for a mouth-​watering taste that is making me smile as I write this review.
Just as the atmosphere indoors was very cozy, outdoors was even more ideal and much larger than expected. There was gravel, overhead bulbs hanging on strings draped between high fences overflowing with vines and a big tree with a little boardwalk and garden around the sides — all leading to a back bar with a small fire pit.
Brimmer & Heeltap’s menu is constantly changing, so it is rare to have the same item twice. Most of the dinner is tapas style, so of course there are always bound to be a few misses. However, for my taste Brimmer & Heeltap almost always delivers a hit.

We had brunch here w/​our friend Melissa, who is relatively new to the area from Tucson, where we had dinner w/​her and her husband about a year and a half ago. Alan made 11:00 reservations. The restaurant is surprisingly large, w/​several dining areas, some inside, some out, some semi. Décor is attractive and the space light and airy. The garden is lush and well maintained, decorated w/​interesting hanging pieces of art. One of the inside areas has a floor paved w/​pennies set in resin. It was lovely and elegant. We were seated in the indoor/​outdoor area which could be closed off w/​a rolldown garage door if necessary. Today was warm, so it was lovely to have the open air quality while maintaining shade. On the far wall was a collection of clear glass plates artfully arranged. Beautiful blue glass pendant lights hung in a line over the row of tables were we were seated.
We looked over the menus and all decided on the Dungeness crab salad. Melissa and I had iced tea and Alan had iced coffee, which our server made to order for him. They had no Stevia or Splenda, only simple syrup to sweeten beverages, so that’s what I had. Alan asked about the breads, the differences between the toasted to order bread and the toast. The toasted to order bread is cut very thick, like half a small round loaf. We ordered that to share, although Melissa didn’t have any. It came buttered w/​what tasted to me like garlicky butter and a knife to cut it up. Alan cut it into 4 hunks, taking the ends and leaving me the middles. It was soft on the inside, crusty on the outside and simply delicious. Melissa ordered the tapioca puff chips, which are seasoned w/​chili and lime. They looked like shrimp chips and were very crunchy and very tasty. They were too salty for Alan. We finished maybe half of them so our server offered to box them up and Melissa took them home. The crab salads were excellent, w/​halved fingerling potatoes adding a smoky taste and plenty of crab w/​butter lettuce, dressed in a lemongrass green goddess dressing. Teas and coffee were refilled as needed. We have been so impressed w/​the wealth of dining options in «our» Ballard neighborhood.

The small plates were all delicious and the service was pleasant and informative.
Excellent food and ambiance.

Adore this spot! We shared several of their little plates — all were excellent. Wonderful combination of flavors and savory ingredients. Fascinating wine list and entertaining cocktail menu. The setting is warm and cozy .The costs were striking — great value for affordable costs. And the service was excellent. We’ll definitely be back shortly.

We will be back! The food was great, the drinks were awesome and the place has a mellow cool feel. I really enjoyed having dinner here.

This is my 4^th trip to Brimmer & Heeltap but first time for brunch. They really have earned these 5 stars with fabulous food, ambience and service. Their fresh toasted bread is amazing, make sure you order it at some point.
All of the veggie dishes we’ve had have been spot on including the first time we ever came with lightly saluted fresh snap peas and spicy peppers. Their fresh made rice crisp crackers are a great starter and perfectly seasoned.
For brunch today we had the rice cakes with lemongrass curry and the crab salad. Yum!!! Both were incredibly fresh and delightful. I love how they balance spices. The rice cakes had just the right hint of heat but not so much that you couldn’t keep enjoying it. The smoked fingerlings in the crab salad added a great complexity and paired well with the green dressing. Great to have another amazing brunch place, we will be back!
BTW, don’t forget to check out the amazing floor in the back dining area!

We live right down the street and have wanted to come for over a year, and we finally were able to make it work. We really love the neighborhood and local feel. It felt like I was stepping into my best friend’s kitchen for dinner! Such a warm and welcoming environment. We had made a reservation and were seated right away. We had a few small plates and the flavors were amazing. Most restaurants you go to, you get one flavor profile. This place, you get a bouquet, which we loved! I can see why people rave about this restaurant! A lot of the flavors we had, I probably would not have thought to try them before, but the chef did an amazing job with the profiles of each. The menu really gave brief descriptions, so know that you’re getting much more than what you may think — in a good way! The skirt steak was our favorite. You guys really know how to do good food!
Only downside, service was slow. That was the only reason why I am deducting stars on my review. Customer service is huge to us and I know it was a little busy and you may have been down a server, but there were awkwardly long periods between when we were given a dish and when our server checked on us. We were there for a total of 2 hours and it felt like a long 2 hours! Not to compare to other restaurants, but since your food was so good I will — we have been to Canalis (your food is fabulous, just like theirs!) only once and were there for 2+ hours and we felt like we were on a magic carpet ride the whole time and it was amazing– you guys could easily have this same experience if there was more attention to your service experience.

Brimmer & Heeltap, whose chef had precious tenure at Joule and Revel*, focuses on a very savory flavor profile with less Asian influence than its other restaurant cousins. It definitely feels like a warm, after-​work libations spot with hearty food to match. Based on the name, I expected more typical bar food and was pleasantly surprised that the dishes here can stand on their own.
I would recommend the steak tartare, pork shoulder, and squid fried rice. Everything we ordered was very flavorful, particularly with a focus in umami (meat/​savory) taste. The small portion of the entrée dishes was more than enough for 2.
Fairly empty on a Thursday night, but I thought the ambiance was warm and welcoming. Would expect this place to be more packed on the weekend. Parking is fairly easy to find in the neighborhood off 6^th Ave.
*Correction: the previous version of this review implied that Brimmer & Heeltap is owned by the same owners as Revel and Joule; this is incorrect and has been updated. Chef Mike Whisenhunt was previously at those two restaurants, but the owners are not associated.

I have been meaning to write a review for Brimmer & Heeltap for (I’m embarassed) over a year now. I go fairly often and have been at least fifteen times since they opened, probably more. Last weekend we had yet another amazing meal there. There were many favorites, from the Saur broccoli, the special (a crab bowl — family meal– my favorite), English pea hummus (to die for), rice cakes and the amazing squid-​fried rice. We sat on the patio, which I think has to be one of the most beautiful patios in the city. After dinner we moved to the firepit area, as it was getting a bit chilly, and enjoyed dessert and tea fireside. It made for an absolutely perfect evening.
What I particularly love about Brimmer & Heeltap is that the chef isn’t afraid of bold flavors and changes the menu regularly. That keeps me coming back again and again. And although I lament the loss of favorite dishes when the menu changes, I inevitably end up falling in love with something new. Ditto the cocktails. I hope that crab bowl ends up as a regular item on the menu for awhile. If it is the special when you’re there, definitely order it. Amazing.
I have to also mention that the staff is about the friendliest and warmest in the city. It truly feels like a neighborhood restaurant.
Finally, I love the different spaces in the restaurant. The newer back (garden) room is my current favorite. The space is beautifully done and the view to the garden is amazing. Brimmer & Heeltap is one of our «go-​to» restaurants to take friends and family to when they’re visiting from out of town. I haven’t had anything less than a great meal there yet.

Having not been to Brimmer in over a year, when I came into town a few weeks ago for work, I made sure that it was on my short list. When we arrived, the room was nearly full so the hostess suggested we take up residence at the «best kept secret in the place»… the end of bar. She was spot on, there are two seats in an intimate little nook at the end of the bar. It was great and afforded us a good vantage point to see the bar man working his magic and a glimpse of many dishes having the finishing touches put on them by the chef. Take away message, try the bar sometime, I don’t think you will be disappointed.
Drink– I don’t drink cocktails so I went draft beer then to wine. But I must say, it was really cool to watch the bar man «construct» the drinks folks requested. Based on the facial expressions of the folks seated at the bar as they took their first sip, I can confidently say, if you like cocktails, don’t hesitate to go that route. The wine list was not extensive, but really felt well thought out and really covered all of the important bases when it comes to stylistic offerings. Unfortunately, I don’t remember what we ordered, but I can say, we ordered a second bottle so it clearly was damn good!
Food– Tartare starter was exactly what it should have been, simple, insanely bright and fresh, yum. Kimchi, I make my own, so I am any time I get to try an artisanal take on it, I do. This version was outstanding and way more complex than what you typically find around. The bar man suggested we try the squid fried rice, which was not on my radar. We ordered the standard portion size ($ 12) as I was a tad skeptical. UGH… note to self, trust the people who know next time… it was my favorite dish of the night and I personally could have easily eaten an entire plate of it… I intend to next time. We decided to circle back to the fennel and grain salad. Texturally it was great, flavor was really solid, it was just a very well put together dish.
OH YEAH, a tip if you come in the summer months, we walked out to see the back garden before we left, it is gorgeous and really had a great feel to it. The folks out there seemed to be kind of blissed out from the environment out there. It really was that cool/​special.
OH YEAH x2, as we were departing, the hostess told us that they were starting brunch later this spring. Based on the menu and concepts she ran off for us, that should be a must try as well. Im not sure of the specific details/​dates though.

I came to Brimmer and Heeltap for an after-​dinner conversation with a friend. The exterior is unassuming and looks like any other corner pub in Seattle. The interior was quaint, something like I’d expect from a small beachside restaurant. I really liked the floral décor.
I started off with the Jasmine tea. Unfortunately it was simply a tea bag with hot water. I guess I shouldn’t have expected loose leaf tea. For dessert, I had the pandan cheesecake. The cheesecake is covered in a chocolate ganache that made it look like a candy bar. I thought the cheesecake was too dense, and wasn’t helped by the layer of chocolate. I thought the flavor was just okay.

First off, the staff were all friendly and accommodating, although our waitress stumbled through describing the dishes. The restaurant itself has a nice feel and the outside seating was great.
That said, we ordered the rice cakes which had the strangest plastic chewy texture and weak seasoning. If it wasn’t for the little bit of mint it came with it was tasteless.
We also ordered the brisket which our waitress said had been cooked for 18 hours. The dish was slices of rare fatty meat that was impossible to eat it was so chewy. How is that possible if you cooked it that long. She probably meant to say 18 minutes. They even brought steak knives for us to use with the brisket! WTF. Our experience with brisket is it falls apart and you never would need a knife. This dish was so gross we had to spit it out and we sent it back.
We did have the wheat berry salad which was good and flavorful but the prawns with Chinese black beans, although tasty, tasted no better than a dish at the your local Chinese restaurant.
Overall, overpriced and small portions. To bad, as this is a great location and near our home. The staff was top notch, but not the food which is why we came to this restaurant.

Good place. Certainly felt more like a date /​couples place than a neighborhood pub as they bill themselves.
I live nearby and none of my neighbors seem to frequent the place.
One note if you get the Mac and cheese it comes «living» with undulating fish parts of some sort. I was told it’s just the skin or whatnot responding to the heat but I couldn’t bring myself to eat it as it looked like some creature in pain and I’m not that adventurous.
The staff was great and took it back untouched with no charge but just be aware it’s not what you would expect ordering a bowl of mac and cheese. They should mention something on the menu it’s not for the faint of heart!
Otherwise super cozy, slightly expensive but great staff and service makes up for that. Good drinks and a welcome addition to the neighborhood.

I wanted to love this place, but it just fell a little short for me.
I came in for dinner with a party of three (including myself) after making a reservation via Unilocal,and they had our table ready right on time, so that was great. We ordered the bread and pork belly to start, and lamb shoulder and pork shoulder as entrees.
The bread was delicious and probably one of the best things we ordered — our waitress joked that they refer to it as a «butter sponge», which is more or less accurate (in the best way possible). Really enjoyed this (though it came as a giant hunk of bread and we had to cut it up into three not-​quite-​equal pieces.)
The pork belly was tasty but kind of small for the price — there were 4 – 5 small pieces of pork belly atop some shiitake mushrooms and sauerkraut, and with a $ 16 price tag, the bang for your buck just isn’t there.
The lamb shoulder was a big miss for me — though to be fair, I’m not a huge lamb fan (I’m fine with rack of lamb and lamb kebabs, but it’s definitely not my favorite protein). My dining companions seemed to enjoy it well enough, but nobody raved about this dish.
The pork shoulder was pretty tasty and a decent portion for $ 16 (we ordered the ‘small’ serving size). I usually don’t like kimchi, but the kimchi pears and daikon on the side paired well with the meat.
Overall, not a bad experience, but IMO you can get better dishes at other restaurants for the same price.

No. So unoriginal. Cue drizzy. I’m leaving, I’m gone. I can’t stay here too long.
Brimmer & Heeltap is allll hype. Wtf does Brimmer & Heeltap even mean? I get that gastropubs on that new American, let’s celebrate the Pacific Northwest, local ingredients only n shit, but I didn’t even get a gastropub vibe here. It’s too straight-​laced, clean-​cut, and bland from the menu, to the drinks, to the layout. The restaurant itself is out of the way, on the outskirts of Ballard, not an ideal or convenient location. I’m all for fine dining and attempting to be bougie but there’s nothing I dislike more than food that is overpriced, sub-​par quality, and small portioned.
Ordered the beef of the day, it was some steak with eggplant. If you look at the picture I took, it looks like someone chopped up Jabba the Hut and plated him. The steak was extremely dry and tough, swear it took me eight minutes to chew one piece. The eggplant didn’t help. I can’t even describe the taste, flavorless yet slimy? *gags* Fortunately, we were not charged for that dish, so extra star for the service.
Also had the pork shoulder cause Chautime and everyone else’s pictures on Unilocal made it look legit. Where was the fat? Where was the juice?! You ain’t got the juice like that… I was pretty disappointed. Anyway pass on B&H, Ballard got a million other spots you can hit up.