Paratii Craft Bar

I hate going to a new restaurant and being so overwhelmed with delicious-​sounding options that no matter what, I feel sad for missing out. Hence, I am a huge fan of tapas and small plates. Paratii did not disappoint. It was all good, but I will definitely be coming back for the cumari pepper steak.
Another thing I am a fan of? RUM. And boy, does this place have it. They even make their own infused liquor, including a spiced banana rum (think bananas foster – NOM). Bartender and owner (co-​owners?) were very friendly and clearly take pride in what they have – as they should.

Wow, just wow.
I came here to this little eclectic gem last week for happy hour and catch up time with a dear friend, and we were definitely more than pleased with not only the peculiar delectable eats and beautiful hand crafted cocktails, but also the friendly, wise, personable staff (owner (s?) and artists Samir and Michael) These guys were so fun to talk to and hang out with and joined in always at the perfect time.
Everything was fantastic. My friend and I weren’t very hungry originally, but we tried several different items from the menu from pita pizzas to perfectly cured rare meats straight off the leg:) to brazillian pepper steak, crisp fresh yucca fries, fresh baked bread. and so on; all were more than delicious. and Sam even made up some tasty morsels for us to try that were amazing However, we were definitely thirsty (said happy hour) and tried several cocktails each, all crafted beautifully, and damn tasty from what I can remember. I really love anything floral, one have-​to-​try is ‘flowers of eden’. It’s amazing, but Michael also concocted a few bartender’s choice cocktails for me that weren’t on the menu. Oh my gosh wish i remembered what was in there. I think I left kinda drunky. oops :)
Not to mention, the décor of the place is fucking great. Lots of charm, romantic, eclectic, with some nautical edge. Money well spent. I hear they have music occassionally. I’ll be back to check that out and I’m coming with a bigger appetite next time.

One of the Unilocalers recommended I give this a try, and I finally made it in! I grabbed a couple of friends and we scheduled a HH time to gather.
One of my friends was sitting there patiently waiting for me in this large open space. It had an area up front by the window for a band, and a couch sitting off on the side for comfy seating. The bar was in the back, with a large spread of alcohol goodness arranged, backlit to show what could be. Somehow, I felt the only thing missing was a fireplace.
There were a couple of people sitting on the couch and it did look inviting, but less functional if you were going to do some eating. They had to keep scooching up to get to the table for their beverages, but they were really there to sit and catch up with each other.
When my other friend showed up, we started with some cocktails and then grabbed some eats. Adored the yucca fries and actually ordered another plate of them. We ordered some steak bites and the feijoada. I could have kept going on the feijoada! Tasty.
We signed out after another round of cocktails, opting to try something different this time. Staff was really enthusiastic about getting us to try different things and were very attentive.
I was pretty surprised at how quiet the place was. Considering that we were there several hours, we only saw a few other people venture in. So, get up and go. Keep a great, local place in the money.

I visited 17-​month old Paratii for the first time yesterday (Friday) evening, arriving for happy hour a little past 5pm. After the usual half mile walk to find an (illegal) parking space in Ballard on a weekend evening, I found the interior of this restaurant/​bar cool and inviting.
They call this a craft bar for a reason — cocktails lovingly handmade by expert mixologists. The bar is top shelf, and the drink menu is exhaustive, but really, just tell the bartender which flavors you like, and trust him — oh, and don’t ask what’s in it until AFTER you drink it. I had an amazing caipirinha, my summer go-​to drink, made with a most complex and interesting cachaça, but don’t stop here, cachaça can be used as a base spirit in nearly any cocktail. Again, just trust your bartender to lead you on a delightful taste odyssey to Brazil and beyond.
The kitchen doesn’t disappoint either. I continued my policy of trusting the staff, and asked the owner to bring out two plates of whatever he thought most typical of his best pan-​Latin cuisine. I can’t compliment the tender shrimp, the black beans, and the sauteed collard greens enough. Everything just a little beyond the common everyday.
There are very few Brazillian establishments in Seattle. Keep supporting this one!

Yeah, this was not too bad, but it was so hot inside – then again, it was particularly muggy the evening I went. The owner/​server? was nice enough to extend happy hour pricing for us (then again, we were the only peeps in the place for quite a while). I had the Bahia-​kind of like a non-​frozen piña colada, and it was good enough for this non-​drinking girl to enjoy twice! And yes, it went to me head a wee bit, but that’s another story.
Friends ordered some appys and some food. All seemed pleased enough with their choices – I ate dinner before hand as I’m trying to eat a little more healthfully lately.
All in all, it was good, but man, how about some more fans or something?

2.8 stars, rounding up for novelty.
Had been curious to check out Paratii since its opening buzz Fall 2011. Was sadly underwhelmed. Place was deserted on a weeknight, minimal ambiance. Couldn’t get over the oddness of the décor… potentially nautical theme feels more like jumbled odds/​ends.
Kitchen was nothing to rave about — yucca fries were spot-​on, shrimp was tasty but exceedingly tiny, and the kitchen may have forgotten the spiced cashews in the mango salad which was seriously bland. Tried a bar serving of the Motapá, which is essentially Vatapá topped with Moqueca — the dish is intensely flavorful and quite rich, so ½ the bar serving was plenty.
— Vatapá (bread, cashews, shrimp broth, dendé oil and coconut milk topped with sautéed shrimp and fish)
— Moqueca (bell peppers, onion, coconut milk, and palm oil served with Brazilian rice)
On the upside, the drinks were tasty and the Flowers of Eden is gorgeous.
Poor signage makes the venue hard to find.

This place is absolutely amazing. Great service, great atmosphere, and great food.
It was a Tuesday night, so that might account for the lack of other patrons. I can’t imagine any reason why this place wouldn’t be crawling with folks on the weekend. The beers are inspired and brewed locally, the cocktails are unique and delicious.
Tried the trout and several small bites. Ham and cheese bites are AMAZING. This is coming from someone who dislikes cheese. Sweet potato fries are crisp on the outside and seasoned with a kick of chili and sugar.
This place is the ultimate locally owned and operated business. I can’t wait to come back!

My boyfriend and I weren’t too enthused the first time we walked through as the place was pretty empty. We ended up trying it out a few weeks later when in Ballard again. We had some cashews that were great, not a full dinner as we were going elsewhere. The bartender was very nice and talked with us for a bit. I didn’t love my drink, but I did love the infusions.
We tried a flight of the Jupiter Blood, Hoppy Amaro, and some sour beers. They were great, and I have never had a sour beer taste so good. I would buy the Jupiter blood if I could!
The owner was so inviting and talked with us a bit.

So the waitress kind of looked like Olivia Wilde. Not a bad place to start, right???
She also did a fabulous job taking care of our group (in the beginning, when I was there, based on some other reviews from that night) and had a great beer suggestion for me after we chatted about what I enjoy. I can’t for the life of me remember what it was, but it was very enjoyable!
I’ve gotten a little particular about my food lately, and I was very pleasantly surprised by what their menu had to offer. I started with the Scheherazade Steak bites and when I found myself still hungry after, I ordered the Syrian Cheese sandwich with side salad. Delicious! I was pleased with the amount of tomato in the salad. I absolutely love tomatoes (I frequently snack on small ones!) and get a bit annoyed when restaurants have only one or two slices/​pieces in a big salad.
Nice bonus: They had a piano player performing on what I think was a Tuesday night. I’m not used to that, so it was of cool.
I need to go here again…

Can’t speak to the food (we were en route to dinner elsewhere when this gem caught our eye). But the cocktails and bartender were fantastic!
Creative, thoughtful, knowledgeable and fun. Not afraid to introduce you to something new, but not pushy either. We tried the Attention (special with gin, dry vermouth, absinthe, orange bitters, and other fun) and the happy hour Pirate Libre (a wonderfully spiced take on a traditional rum and Coke).
Will definitely back here again!

As a Brazilian (from São Paulo) who has been to Brazilian restaurants in Seattle and other cities/​states, I think the food from Paratii is exactly like what we would get in Brazil. Delicious food! I was impressed! It feels like I was in a restaurant in Brazil.
The staff and the owner are very friendly and the whole experience was amazing. I’ve been there two times and plan to return.
The feijoada was perfect, the caipirinha better than those I prepare at home, the pave reminded me of my mother’s pave and the fried «mandioca» was exactly like those we have in Brazil.
Totally recommend and I’m looking forward to returning there!

First time visit last night. This is a great restaurant! Nobody seems to know about it. My husband and I started with drinks: I had The Statesmen cocktail and my husband had the Hobgobbler beer from Belgium. He had a second. I liked my cocktail but wanted to try something new and in the spirit of Brazil (cachaca), so I had the Giselle. Also very tasty.
Our happy hour hors d’oeuvres were Scheherazade Steak (he really liked it and said there was a little spice in it), and I had a prawn and potato dish with a hint of coconut milk, also very delicious.
We split an entrée called Moquecas, which consisted of prawns, fish, coconut milk (not too much), and rice, with spices. We loved it and I will definitely be having that dish again!
The owner, Sam, from Brazil, spoke with us for quite a while. Very nice man. He is from Rio de Janeiro. He and a partner make beer with interesting, but very good, flavors. They call themselves Big Al & Sam, brew in W. Seattle, but don’t have a tasting room and don’t distribute. You have to go to Paratii to drink their beer. For instance, one beer has 20% Sangiovese. We were given an sample to try from Sam and it was different, but good. The guy next to us ordered a schooner. They don’t serve pints of that particular beer; apparently and understandably it’s of a higher alcohol content. Big Al & Sam also brew a beer with 100% cacao and something else, but I forget what. Yum! The two other beers they brew, I remember, either.
The draft beer choices are unlike any other restaurant or bar I’ve been to. Same with his hard liquor choices. He doesn’t buy what distributors suggest, he buys based on his experience in Brazil, London, now Seattle, and travels. Last night, they were hosting a rum and cachaca tasting with Ed Hamilton (ministryofrum dot com). We should have stayed for it, but went home to chill.
To summarize, this place has great food and drink! It needs more traffic. The dining tables could use an upgrade, but don’t let that turn you around and out the door.
If you’re in Ballard, try this place instead of going to your usual places (which are good, too, but this place is different).

We went here for a birthday dinner get together.
My first introduction to brazilian cuisine was not memorable.
+1 Star for the hot waitress who was on point all night. She was helpful and easy on the eyes and didn’t charge me for gratitude but still gave her a large tip.
–1 Star for the mix cocktail, it was gross… sent it back… came back gross again. I just gave my drink away because I hated it but only good thing, it was strong.
+1 Star for accommodating our last group without a reservation. They allow us to move the tables around plus a comfy sofa against the wall.
–1 Star for the owner passive aggressive comments to my friends on leaning against the piano. It rub my easy going friends the wrong way… and they are very easy going.
+1 Star for having a live band playing music and my seafood crab sammie was above average. The choice of bread is hard… it should be more of a soft roll. The marinated steak was good but came with a strange salad.
Overall, the food and cocktails was just okay for me. The prices was on the pricey side and this place didn’t wow me. Just because the location is in Ballard, doesn’t mean you can charge a lot. It was funny because I order all tapas and my seafood crab sammie & yummy sweet potatoe fries was less than my friend’s seafood crab sammie dinner. HA. If you come here… definitely order by tapas.
Tip: If you can’t find parking, parking lot next to Paratii for only a few dollars. Order the Tapas verses dinner. Skip the mix cocktails and get beer instead!

Overall, my experience at Paratii wasn’t too memorable.
The food and drinks were overpriced and nothing spectacular. The first drink I ordered was the flowers of eden, which had all sorts of flower liquors in it — I liked the flowery taste, but was disappointed by the lack of alcohol for the price, so for the rest of the night, I just drank Joker cider.
For food, I ate some sweet shrimp dish and olives and I was pretty disappointed by half of the olives — the black ones were good, but the green ones were way too bitter and I typically love all olives.
Service could have been better. Ordering drinks and food took forever and I couldn’t really tell who was working there. Some of the employees seemed to really not want to make eye contact or take an order, regardless of me staring them down and having an empty glass. Oh and at the end of the night, about ten minutes after I cashed out and signed my bill, the waitress ran up to me and told me she forgot to charge me for a drink and needed my card back, which I thought was a bit tacky since I was on my way out the door.

This review has no information about the cocktails. I didn’t try any of them, so I can’t directly comment on how they stack up compared to all the other cocktails spots in town. What I can comment on is the very serious beer bar hidden inside this cocktail lounge. For that, and the food, five stars are more than deserved.
This place has a very clean and tidy aesthetic, with low, well-​placed light and elegantly sleek furnishings. There’s the usual ziggurat of fine spirits facing the new arrivals who come through the door. There’s the classically attired barman in a vest. There’s that sanctum feel that a nice cocktail lounge gets if they spend enough on nice lighting fixtures. Sam has clearly seen to it that this place feels like the right place to have a drink. Judging by the catchy names and interesting ingredients mentioned on the cocktail sheet, he’s probably pleasing the city’s cocktail fans. Many of the spirits in his drinks are house-​infused with various ingredients, making the recipes here just that much more distinct to the house.
He’s also pleasing the city’s beer fans. He explicitly delineated his thinking that many groups who visit a cocktail lounge will include someone who would prefer a beer. With them in mind, he has immaculately edited a dozen tap handles, and thoughtfully assembled a bottle reserve of about 40 different labels. Virtually every beer on both lists is noteworthy to some degree, and every single one is worth drinking.
But most interestingly of all, he’s extended his love of infusions beyond spirits to the beers he offers. He works with Big Al Brewing on a line of custom offerings available only at Paratii. This is where this place officially blows my mind. He has a pale ale brewed with tangerine peel and sun-​dried Turkish peppers. This is a great beer. He offers a cocoa lavender porter called True Love that’s 10% and not the least bit cloying or oversweet. He’s about to debut an apple cinnamon Irish Red aged in Woodinville bourbon barrels – he says it is «as a woman should be… sweet, with a bit of spice.» It’s called Irish Lass. Best of all, he offers a sour ale brewed with sangiovese juice (just the juice, before it turns into wine) and aged in sangiovese barrels. This is called Jupiter’s Blood, and I am going to drink all of it.
He and his staff are incredibly charming hosts, and they also serve wonderful food. I had the feijoada, and I will definitely be back for more of that. And the rest of the Jupiter’s Blood.

Who doesn’t dream of sailing upside-​down on ceilings in Brazil? When there’s a dingie on the roof, you know you’re gonna have a good time here in this new Ballard addition.
You don’t know how excited I was to hear about this new Ballard addition. You see, Brazil has always been in my heart. I don’t care if I have to get a Visa to visit to Rio. I’ve already been there in my mind, with a caipirinha in hand, with bossa nova in my ears, and samba moving my feet.
Ok, ok, ok, DON’T ORDER A CAIPIRINHA HERE!
Yeah, it’s a nice, simple, and national drink, but I get the feeling that the bartender here likes to share his cachaca skills with his patrons. So, be sure to let him make you a unique cachaca libation. I promise you, you will be glad you did, obrigado.
You know I’m a fan of recycling, and when I saw the up-​cycled-​down boat on the ceiling, and the cachaca bottles used as water bottles, I was all smiles… especially after a few cachaca crafted creations.
Now we already had dinner, but we decided to order a few small plates/​apps with our drinks. We ordered the Yucca Fries and the Scheherazade Steak. When the fries were brought out, we were caught off guard because our fries looked like Sweet Potato fries, but no fret, the owner happened to come and check on us, and this is when we asked him if these were Yucca Fries.
«Oh, these fries are free,» he said. Yeah, very smoothly he took care of the misorder and hooked us up. Yup, we liked this place even more!
With the great craft cachaca cocktails, nice bites, super friendly owner, cool music, and the beautiful Brazilian atmosphere, this is a new Ballard destination.
This joint is for you, «Para Ti».

Memorable meal with pleasant brazilian music quietly playing in the background.
The food is delicious; beef appetizer, mango salad, «brazilian curry» and pave were especially enjoyable. I wouldn’t let go of the extraordinary homemade chili souse, and mr. chef was very kind to wrap it up for us to go. The beer selection is surprisingly good. They have a trappist and a sour beer on tap besides other things.
Service was friendly and knowledgeable. Charming gentlemen who owns the place came by to check on us a few times, completely captivating my mother-​in-​law.
Solid.

Press your lips to the velvet petals of a newly opened flower. inhale the fragrance of life, sip the nectar of spring and only at that moment will you know what the Flower of Eden drink tastes like.
The sincere warmth of the service and authentic Brazilian favor is a testament to how real & yummy this soon to be Ballard favorite is.
Thank you for lavishing a couple of ladies in vibrant flavors, attentive care & potent creative cocktails… I really really needed the TLC.
You may save a seat at the bar & my tushy will be there to warm it!

Great drinks, well made, and top-​notch food choices. The food is exquisite and priced accordingly, so if you’re looking to fill up on cheap food head somewhere else. The drinks also trend towards higher-​priced craft drinks, but unlike a lot of bars they are made with premium spirits and not layered with grocery store mixers.
Paratii is a craft bar, not a diner or a corner pub. It probably won’t be your Happy Hour standby, but if you love great drinks and great food made properly, give it a try.

I guess I should write a real review when I’ve tried the food too, but I thought the drinks were awesome and I’m really excited for this restaurant in general so I’m writing NOW!
I don’t quite remember the name of the drink I ordered but it conjured about thoughts about sailing away… obviously I did because I can’t quite remember all the ingredients either! Cachaca, coconut juice and some other stuff… tasted like heaven and was served in an adorable glass. My man got the Sam’s Cuba Libre and it was also gorgeous and a delicious twist on a classic. Again, nice serving glasses.
The bartender was top notch – you can tell this guy is serious about serving drinks.
We were hoping for happy hour foods, but the menu isn’t quite there yet, however the entrees were intriguing. We were thinking that it would be a great date night spot and I’m sure we’ll be back.
I’d been a regular at The Chai House which was in this location for many years so it was interesting to see what they did with the space. I had not been to the supposed Ballard’s Best BBQ joint that had opened after The Chai House vacated…
In any case, the room is much more spacious and light, the walls are already filling up with some nice artwork and I adore the maritime décor. It fits in well with Ballard and the Brazilian theme. I can’t wait to see this place hopping on a Saturday night. I think it will come in time.