Macleod’s Fish & Chips Scottish Pub

It has been ages since I’ve been in. Last time I was, food was almost non-​existent. However, the Scotch. Oh my word, the glorious Scotch. It was Serbs perfectly, including an eye dropper to experience the layers of cask strength Laphroaig. I had been planning a four l-​star review, but I see the addition of fish and chips. Guaranteed five stars. Now. If you’ll make me haggis and neeps, I’ll figure out a way to give you ten stars :).

Really like these UK style fish n chips. Instead of multiple pieces you get a large filet with a nice crispy jacket. Chips are larger style, comes with the traditional mushy peas. Douse in Malt vinager, Yummy!
Tip, you can order and eat it at the next door Whiskey bar, nicer atmosphere, no noisy kids.

Holy smokes, you’re lucky to get out of here for less than $ 25 per person! The food is better than average, and the service is sufficient, but I balk at the price.
My husband couldn’t remember why we hadn’t brought the family here since he first tried it with our young son right after it opened. After he told me about the bill, we both understood it was because of the cost. OUCH! The website does not have an updated menu, but let me tell you, the pricing was unclear for the Caesar salad. They had the listing for the salad, plain, which was around $ 10, and then underneath it, listed the types of fish you could have on top. Since a Caesar salad probably costs all of $ 2 to make a decent profit, $ 10 is already a ridiculous price for a salad. I figured when I saw «seared halibut» as an option, at $ 15, that was the price of the salad. NOPE. Turns out those mediocre salad greens and stale croutons were $ 10, and the 6 oz of halibut was an additional $ 15. That’s right, my salad was $ 25!
Why do fast food restaurants fry so many things? Because frying things is a cheap, easy way to get things cooked and in the hands of customers. Our food wasn’t fast, though everyone but me ordered the fried fish of some type or another. Potatoes are cheap, even Free Range Organic Idaho spuds.
The price says, «nice night out,» the food says, «why didn’t I go to Ivar’s Fish Bar?» In this town, fried food is NOT synonymous with inexpensive.

Fine scotch but shit beer, although I didn’t eat there, a friend did and it looked amazing

As I am a veggie head, I don’t partake of the fish and chips part of this pub, but I do enjoy the whiskey side. On Saturday night it was a madhouse, loud, raucous and not unlike a real Scottish pub, without the lovely accents. There are board games to play, whiskeys to drink and overall really good service. It’s always a good time.

Connect-​4, good deals on beer & cocktails, a goofy crowd, connect-​4, a nice and cozy environment, kind of weird shape to the whole architecture but still cool, a good place to be obnoxious and strangely appreciated for it… AND connect-​4. Muchos respect to Macleod’s and their exceptional alcohol (ic) establishment. Cheers!

Did not get ay service after self seated for 15 minutes right after we passed by a waitress at the entrance. Not a single word or smile. If there was a no star I would rate it that.

Drinks are great, atmosphere is wonderful, food is underwhelming.
I got the caeser salad with fried cod. Overall the dish was pretty bland… had to be liberal with the salt.
Will be coming back for the drinks, but not for the food.

I enjoyed this restaurant. It’s attached to the part that used to be just the whiskey bar. This is a new extension I hadn’t been to yet. It’s great because they now offer food.
The food here was really good. I had a cup of the halibut stew to start. This was similar to a cioppino with a red base. It had a lot of prices of fish in it and came with some pieces of fried bread.
For dinner I had the fish and chips. It came with one piece and it was a huge piece and was definitely filling. It was beer battered and wasn’t too heavy. The fries were obviously home made and very good. I opted to get a side of curry sauce and the aioli. The curry was perfect to dip the fries in.
Service was quick and it wasn’t overly expensive. I would definitely stop here again sometime.

Pretty fantastic fish and chips! I had the salmon and my husband had the halibut. Service is good. Full bar available. I would go again.

Came here for a Valentine’s Day Eve extravaganza. It got packed and I can see why. It’s a chill Scottish pub with a great bartenders and waiters. Despite how crazy it got, service was on point. No stress and the drinks and recommendations were delish. I’m not a hard liquor kind of gal but their whiskey, scotch, and gin cocktail selections will be glad you tried. Since I didn’t know what I’d like, I took a recommendation from Betsy. Of course there’s a more select selection of beer and wine, but why are you coming to a Scottish pub if that’s all you’re going for? :)

Macleod’s is a place I’ve met a number of friends to catch up for a pint and a dram. Its ambiance is why I keep coming back… and their amazing selection of Scotch. Did I mention they have a lot of great Scotch? The kitschy Scottish art and memorabilia is AWESOME!!! A great place to go that is often overlooked from the main drag of Ballard Ave.

Saltiest fries, ever! So bad we had to ask for an order unsalted so we could eat them. The fish was good, but overall the whole meal was pretty bland besides the overwhelming salt and the peas. Not good when peas are the highlight.
If I were just reviewing the Scotch selection this place would get a 4, amazing selection, but definitely more expensive than a lot of other bars with a wide range of choices.
As far as the food, I’d recommend checking out the other fish and chips place just down the way.

The odd shaped building was built in the early 1900s as a bar, eventually became a bank, and is now Macleods– a bar again!
If scotch is your passion, you will be hard pressed to find a more inclusive menu of single malts in the Seattle area. The extensive menu has pages of choices. Feel like some Glenfiddich? Do you want 10, 12,18 year old? You have to be more specific here than at most bars…
They also have several Scottish beers available — on tap! And we tried a couple of the cocktails, (Scottish mule, anyone?) which were very good.
They have recently started serving meals. The line caught cod fish and chips were wonderful. I had the Shepard’s pie and it was great as well.
Service was friendly, more than willing to offer an opinion on what to have and very attentive.

Our son who lives in Ballard enjoys the vibe here, and after reading reviews I had to give the fish and chips a try. They have a nice selection of house cocktails that do not include scotch, which is good because I am not a scotch fan, whereas husband and son are. There are wines on happy hour as well.
I love the dark wood bar filled with scotch bottles, and even better, the quiet upstairs had a plug in and wifi, and no distracting tv screens. We never made it to the Foosball table although I meant to go a round on it.
The fish and chips are very good, and very eco friendly. Read the menu to get all the details. Hubby liked his shepherd’s pie which he was compelled to order since one of the other patrons was raving about it. The service was great and gave us good advice on what to order. I enjoyed the vibe here also, which made me start planning a trip to Scotland.

We were trying to get a burger on Sunday afternoon, and the place we wanted to go was closed. This was close by, and the sandwich sign said «we serve food,» so we decided to give it a try.
Beautiful wood interior that is trying very hard to mimic a british pub, and succeeding well.
The fish and chips was quite good (4 stars!). Batter was yummy, and the fish was fresh and cooked nicely. The sauces that came with it were good too. We also got the burger. It was good, but not life-​altering.
We got two mixed drinks (the blood sand or something) and one beer. The draught beer selection was disappointing, and the bottled selection was marginally better. But who likes to drink bottled beer? The mixed drink was decent, but the portion was laughably small – especially for the price.
$ 60+ before tip for 2 drinks, 1 happy hour beer, fish and chips, and a burger? That was excessive, even for Ballard Ave. The food is good, but not at this price point. Great fish and chips is the only selling point. We won’t be back with so many other options in the area.

Really lively, happening place especially on a weekend night! There are 2 main sections to Macleod’s: 1) the fish and chips store section and 2) the bar section.
Not sure if it was just on the night I went, but the bar section is way more crowded than the Fish and Chips store section. You can pretty much roam around both sections (if you are 21+). The fish and chip section is relatively simple. You get in a line, order whatever you want and sit at counter front or one of the few tables next to the counter you order. For a bar section, there are plenty of standing space or seats that you can sit and mingle with people in your party. I didn’t drink there, but lots of my friends enjoyed a wide selection of drinks. and boy​.it was loud in there. There’s a hook game where you can swing a metal coil to hook it to a hook on a wall next to a bathroom to kill time or if you need a relatively simple entertainment, too.
Given that I dislike being in a loud place and prefer not having to scream into someone’s ears, the Fish and Chips section, was honestly, the section the fish and chips section is much more preferable for me. If you are a social butterfly and come with adults and want to be close to the bar scenes. Overall, one of the more happening place in Ballard to be at night. I like that there’s a more quiet section and a loud section, so you can just take your pick depending on how you feel that evening.

My husband and I were waiting for table at the Walrus and the Carpenter and decided to check out the neighborhood while waiting. We stumbled upon Macleod’s and decided to sit down and get some food.
My husband wanted to order a beer, and since I’m not a big drinker, I just asked for water. The waitress asked for our ID’s, and I realized that I didn’t bring mine. I get it. Bars should ID everyone and shouldn’t serve people without ID’s. My issue was the way it was communicated.
The waitress said «Sorry. You need to have an ID. You can go to the other room where the minors sit.» Excuse me? Did you just shame me and tell me to go to a room where «the minors sit?» Give me a freaking break.
What you COULD have said is «Unfortunately, we are not allowed to serve anyone with an ID. We do have another room available where you can sit and your husband can enjoy his drink in there.»
I hate people that don’t have tact, and I hate it even more when people are in the customer service industry and don’t have a clue on how to do their job.
Needless to say, we left and will never return.

Maccleod’s is a strong contender on the Ballard Ave bar scene (great location, scotch selection and hot older women viewing), and it just won on the fish and chips scene. WON. Did I stutter in it’s greatness? WON, guys. IT WON.
Our contenders:
Chippy’s
Ballard Oyster Annex
Market Arms
Kiwi and Kangaroo
(honorable mentions: Lockspot, Ballard Seafood Bros, RedMill. they’re a little less walkable)
I’m probably forgetting someone’s but they’re probably not very good. #justsayin
The chips (usually the boring part) where crunchy with a soft middle, not soggy. I can usually pass fries, but here I could not. This means they were handcut and properly pre-​soaked. The tartar sauce was homemade, slightly chunky and full of herbs. Chips+tartar sauce=heaven.
The halibut (partner in crime got the cod for $ 6 less, also juicy and perfectly cooked) came in one large beer-​battered piece that when the the not-​too-​greasy golden casing was cracked open, revealed juicy hunks of fresh, perfectly cooked fish. Mine was ever EVER! so slightly underdone in the very middle. I didn’t mind this (ever have sushi? hello?) because it shows thoughtful cooking. they would rather err on the side of underdone and have the rest perfectly fried than overcook it even a second longer. Purr.fect.tion.
Manny’s on tap, naturally, along with a long list of local and delish beers and juices available for kiddos too.
For dessert. Deep fried twinkies/​oreos? And they close at 2am? Note to self-​keep my sauced self far, far away from this place at that time of night.
Nice work, Bastille+Macleod’s love child!

Great Scottish pub and a super friendly barman!
Cozy décor and good areas to sit for groups. We went in on a quiet night and it was the perfect spot for some drinks and conversation.

Oh boy… I seem to be here towards the end of the night, for a night cap, or two… Let’s just say, I like Macleod’s, a lot. The ambiance of the bar is cool. The bar is lined with tons (and I mean, it’s almost too much to take in) of whiskeys, scotch, and other liquors. The bartenders are super helpful and knowledgeable when it comes to scotch and whiskey, so feel free to pick their brains, that’s what they’re there for.
We’ve had flights here, and their selection is such that each complements each other. They also have cocktails in case you want to foray into the world of whiskey and scotch, but don’t want to do a face plant as you make your way to the door. They also offer a decent selection of beer and wine. There is also food, but I can’t comment on that since I’ve never made it to that section of the menu.
So for those who are curious or want to take their whiskey and scotch knowledge up a notch, definitely come by Macleod’s, it’ll be worth your while.