Olsen’s Scandinavian Foods

I’m so sad that Olsen’s is gone! I realized months ago that I’d never written about them when they were still open.
About 15 years ago my grandfather passed away. He was an amazing cook and talented butcher. One thing he took with him to the grave was a recipe for rullepolse, a Scandinavian meat roll that was a favorite in the family. After moving to Seattle a number of years ago, I used Unilocal to find Olsen’s and low and behold, rullepolse! My Dad was recently in town visiting and asked me to take him to Olsen’s so we could buy some. Of course I had to give him the bad news.
Anyone know of another place that sells rullepolse?

Rest in peace Olsen’s. My family had shopped here for decades. As the previous review mentioned it’s being replaced by another phở place. Ann’s is right next store and has pretty decent phở, not to mention Than Bros is right up street. I guess since the new and improved Ballard already has enough influx of sushi and pizza, why not get more phở. Give me a break, Ballard what has happend to you?

No, no, no!!! It can’t be!!! I can’t believe this place shut down. First the Scandinavian gift shop and now this?! I can’t tell you how distraught I am right now. Trying to hold back the tears of utter grief. I have been coming here for like 30+ YEARS! My mom came here when I was little. They had excellent Swedish style sausages, meatballs, mustards, licorice drops, biscuits, cured fish, excellent variety of cold sausages, fish cakes, jams, jellies, candies, caviar, fish paste caviar, pickled red cabbage, and various dry mixes. Everything I like, and everything I’ll miss. You name it, they had it.
Update: It’s becoming a frickin’ PHO place. As if they need another one, there’s one right next door to it for frickin’ sake! How much frickin’ PHO does one need on one block??? And there’s two more just a block away for geesus sake!
It’s all over. This is the obvious start to the end of Humankind as we know it. I’m too pissed off to kill myself, I really hope this is all just a bad joke, and Olsen’s will pop up on some other corner or somewhere else in Ballard –or the new Interbay Mall.
Someone mentioned IKEA as an alternative?! Give me a frickin’ break you non-​Skandie newbie. That’s like saying, watching your cat lick himself is a reasonable substitute for sex. You frickin’ loser.
The only (somewhat similar, but not nearly as good or fresh) place that’s still open in Seattle, is Scandinavian Specialties:

They’ve closed. I’m only soothed by the knowledge that my parents from Wisconsin got to buy some lingonberry jam, herring and lapel pins to take home last Spring while Olsen’s was still open. Their lutefisk was disgusting. In the best possible way. If you have a time machine, check them out.

Sad, sad news. Heard they’re closing. Please, tell me it’s not true.
It’s true. Closed. The best cold-​smoked salmon in Seattle is gone. Rumor on the street is there may be a buyer. Hope so.

The best pickled herring in town — yummy!

LEFSE QUEEN~!
This place rocks if you’re Scandinavian (like me!). I do not recommend for vegetarians (I’ve lost my lunch over their deli contents), but they have tasty desserts! Just don’t walk (or look) to the right of the cash machine and you should be good.

This is a great small grocery that stocks general Scandinavian supplies. They have a few kitschy souvenirs (key chains, aprons, books, etc), kitchen supplies (cook books, lefse irons, etc.), fresh items (krumkake and lots of fish), and lots of boxed items, fish, jams, crackers, and CANDY!
I personally came for the lefse. I had to stock up for the apocolypse. I tried the semi-​fresh variety (made in MN, frozen in WA), and it was great. Totally homemade. I also picked up a couple of boxes of a dried variety they had there. The cashier was very helpful in making sure I understood how to hydrate the food and get it just right. She even suggested serving methods!
Overall, this is a very extensive Scandinavian grocery for the small space. I’d trust the cashiers to help you find just what you’re looking for! I haven’t tried the dried lefse yet, but I’ll keep you posted on that!

Love it.
This is like every small town Minnesotan Scandi supply store back home.
And that’s a good thing.
GET YOUR LEFSE ON HERE!
Make the foods that your grandma (and all her church bazaar cohorts) used to make! Have lutheran church basement flashbacks!
Cloudberry and lingonberry jam, kitsch galore (which as people might have guessed from my reviews by now– is a KEY PLAYER in my life), lefse grills and other gear should you ever want to make your own.
I’m not that brave yet but if I ever get up the nerve I know where to go.

My mother in law has to come here to get the pickled herring – it’s the best she has ever eaten – and has she eaten a lot of pickled herring!!!

Ask for a «poelse i lefse». That’s something resembling a hotdog in a tortilla, and one will do you for lunch!
Don’t forget to go all in on it, fried onions and top it with sweet, sharp mustard and ketchup. Pair it with the worst soda know to mankind, the infamous «Solo» and yer good on your scandinavian fix… for a while.
The ladies behind the counter are the nicest you’ll ever meet. Just don’t let them trick you into sampling the sheep’s eyeballs. Items are moderately pricey but worth it.

My one-​stop shop for all of my Scandinavian cuisine needs… of which there are many. Find about 15 kinds of rye crackers, fish paste, salty black licorice, rullepolse (a stuffed, rolled Danish lunch meat), sausages, herring salad, gjetost and Jarlsberg cheeses, Norwegian orange soda, and sugary confections… and so much more.
Also a great place to find Scandinavian cookbooks and specialty tools (like aebelskiver pans and lefse turners). Any other cooking/​baking tools you might need of the Nordic persuasion can be found at the end of the block at Kitchen N Things.

Massively helpful staff and well stocked in all the foods I remember my Dad buying back in the day.
I’m mostly in it for the sweets and reindeer salami.

«Serve me up another side of lutefisk, Einar. It’s ’bout to crazy in he-​ah’!»
Olsen’s Scandanavian Foods in Ballard (and yes, it is a city) has been dishin’ up some tasty (?) Norwegian fare to those crazy Danes and Swedes for over 40 years! Started in 1960 by some crazy Norwegian named Einar or Thor (I prefer Thor), they’ve been servin’ up heapin’ helpin’s of herring and mackerel salad to the folks of Ballard ever since.
I’m particularly fond of the crazy gnomes they sell in the window. What also throws me is their strange affinity for various seafood bathed in vinegar and capers. I will not dispute the fact that they might be on to something. Thems Norwegians are a fine lookin’ bunch. Puts hair on their chests is what they’d probably say.
If for nothing more, head into Olsen’s and check out their candy selection. Try the Twirly Burst’ **- it’s a hard, sucking candy made of bonefish and licorice. Delightful.
**Don’t go in and ask for one. There’s no such thing as a Twirly Burst. I made it up.
One lutefisk salad and one liver pâté choked down. barely.