Red Mill Totem House

This is a landmark hamburger joint with a simple menu, very good location, terrible parking, and great popularity. Aside from the reasonable prices, the burgers themselves are fair sized and the sauce has some tang. Service seems more personalized that similar joints. Perhaps the most noteworthy detail is a sign asking people to kill their cellphones. I wish every indoor space would do that.

I finally tried Red Mill. I’ve wanted to for ages. I actually made a special trip here since I was in Ballard.
I ordered the bacon cheese burger… and after seeing the huge onion rings I had to have some.
The onion rings were somewhat disappointing I think because they were just too thick. I’m not sure they were cooked enough.
The burger wasn’t bad (I haven’t tasted too many bad burgers) but dang… with all the condiments and sauce they put on it I felt the flavor of the meat was lost.

Excellent place for enjoying fish and chips with outdoor seating. Great batter flavor, crispy and delicious. Have tried fish and chips in many restaurants in the Puget Sound, somehow, taste at this place rises above all. There is almost something fishy about it!

***Cash or check only! (Great 7 – 11 across the street with cash back and an ATM.)
Surprisingly awesome food here. My girlfriend got the verde burger (very popular) and I got the BBQ chicken burger (awesome sauce, literally). Both good, but each of us claimed to have made the better choice after trying to other’s… a great sign. They also had a great variety of veggie burger choices which I plan to come back to try.
That said, the ambiance and service was just barely mediocre. Not bad enough to ruin anything, but certainly no bonus points there.

Slammin burgers and fries. Careful they run out of bacon!!! Make the call ahead of time for bacon confirmation. Way better than 5 Guys better than Ivars. Cashola only, ATM at 7 – 11 next door. Across from the Locks, you can eat outside on picnic tables and mock tourists as you drink a milkshake.

Fast food with love sort of place; got a good burger there to go– everything is tasty but not a place to go if you are trying to lose weight or limit grease intake. Guilty pleasure.
Also maybe there is healthy stuff? But it sort of isn’t the point at this place.

I like their burgers! Their fish and chips are just fine. (The fries are fine.)
The buttery bun, lettuce, pickle, tomato, meat, bacon proportions all work together nicely. Just the burger fills me up.
Their shakes are absolutely delicious. I got an espresso raspberry shake last time.
If you come during peak dining hours, it will be very busy. Prices are a bit high for the type of fare but not outrageous. The employees can be pleasant to downright surly. Just depends who you get.
I visit a couple times a year and find that’s enough to satisfy the craving!

Food great and they have really nice burgers. Three stars for locking the doors right at 9pm when we were sitting outside on their patio. (when we were eating and needed a drink refill (which we paid for)). A warning would have been nice but they just locked the doors.
Thank you.

It’s a Red Mill — but definitely not Totem House. I honestly think they should change their name as the fish and chips are NOT what they used to be. Being a Red Mill it’s just that — which is A-​OK in my book but I really loved the Totem Fish House. :(

I had heard mixed reviews about Red Mill burgers but my experience was pretty delicious. We came here after a Friday visit to the Ballard locks which are just across the street – a good location for a quick lunch. I got the bacon deluxe which hit the spot – the pepper bacon was amazing! However, the fries weren’t really anything to write home about. I think the key here is to get a classic burger because that’s where they really shine.
Note: they only take cash or check here.

It blows my mind how anyone could think they have good burgers. I dunno, maybe I went on a bad day? There was a line out the door when I went, so it’s not like they weren’t fresh. They were just BAD. Avoid avoid avoid.
In the interest of trying to say SOMETHING positive, the building is cute and the location is convenient to the locks.

I love the burgers here. They are surprisingly good. The staff is friendly and they are on top of things. Pick up some burgers here and take them to Golden Gardens Beach Park.
But the last time I was in I ordered a chicken sandwich and a veggie burger. They weren’t bad but I wouldn’t recommend either as they were entirely uninteresting. This was disappointing as the burger I had here was so great.
I’ll be back for a burger.

Looks may be deceiving. Fish may look small but it’s very thick. Love the buttery texture and flacky cod, very nicely deep fried. Tartar sauce was amazing too.

A buddy of mine wanted to stop by here on our trip to Seattle after he saw it on the Food Network.
We came, we saw, we conquered. It was a bit of a drive from our hotel in a taxi but well worth the experience.
I gave up red meat for lent along with sweets so that automatically eliminated me from having the Milk Shakes that are to die for along with any burgers. Sad. I know.
I ended up with the Chile Verde Chicken Burger along with some fries while my buddies dove face first into their deluxe burgers with extra cheese and bacon.
My burger wasn’t bad but it wasn’t amazing. I wont let me rating be affected by my choice not to eat a burger thus I am giving it 4 stars.
Make sure to get the fries along with the Mill-​B-​Que sauce which as amazing. Loved it. Don’t waste your time on any other sauce. This is one is money.
Overall great experience. Stop on in if you can. You won’t regret.

Their milkshake is to die for.
Disclaimer: I never actually died so my statement might be slightly inaccurate.

Having moved back to my home state after 10 years in LA — I heard a lot about Red Mill. So I had some very high expectations. Maybe too high from all the great reviews — because I thought the burger was just ok.
I got a blue and bacon burger. The meat tasted like frozen patties and was so overcooked (that seems to be an issue in Seattle — a lot of grey burgers. I need to start asking for medium rare so I can get some pink in my burger). The bacon is excellent. But the bottom bun started to disintegrate which is a big no no in a burger. And I am glad I got it a double because the patties are super thin. Which is fine but then you need a double or it would have been overwhelmed by the bun. The hubby liked his burger with the Anaheim chile.
The fries were ok. I did not care for the onion rings — but the hubby liked them. They were too thick for me (I like a thin onion ring) — but that comes down to personal preference.
But on the plus side I LOVE that they are continuing on the legacy of making Totem Fish and Chips. I got a piece of fish to see if it tasted the same and it does. I grew up eating that fish and it was always a special treat to go to Ballard to get that fish. Normally I like a beer batter on my fried fish. But the cornmeal batter on Totem fish has always been amazing. Full of flavor and spice. And the tartar sauce tastes the same — the best I have ever had. Now back to personal preference — my hubby has never liked the fish because he does not care for the coating (yet he likes cornmeal batter on fried catfish. Go figure). But I LOVE it. So it is great that we can do to Red Mill Totem and I can get the fish and chips and the hubby can get his spicy burger — and we will both be happy.
So 5 stars for the fish and tartar sauce. 3 stars for the burger and fries.

I avoid this place on weekends because I think waiting in a long line and searching for a clean table ruins the whole eating experience. So I went in on a weekday night and was pleasantly rewarded with no line, quick service, and good food.
We started coming to the Totem House when it was a fish & chips place. Later we started visiting Red Mill Burgers when it moved to Phinney Ave next to Starbucks. When the original Totem House closed it was a nice surprise to hear that Red Mill Burger decided to expand their business and takeover the old Totem House building. This building was originally constructed in 1939 as a curiosity shop for people visiting The Locks. It sure is nice to see parts of old «Historic Ballard» preserved. The totem pole that stands outside the building (with its Northcoast Indian architecture) has been resurrected with a paint job to look even prettier then before.
I started coming to this location by The Locks for my bacon cheese burgers fix (Blue Cheese & Hawaiian burgers are too). The burgers taste best when they are pipping hot. The taste seems to dissipate as the burger cools down. If you come in don’t forget to peek into the kitchen and catch a glimpse at the stack of bacon they have piled high… It’s something to see. The prices seem fair. Their Onion Rings are so good, you can eat them hot or cold. I took mine home and left them sitting out for an hour and they were still delicious.

Red Mill is one of the local establishments that usually winds up on local (and sometimes national) lists/​TV shows of «Must Try!» Their Ballard location definitely takes advantage of its local iconic status, having the well known totem art of the previous fish and chips joint. As with the other two Red Mill locations, this incarnation offers the burgers, sides, and shakes (that are excellent, BTW) that get constant attention. This location is also paying tribute to the fish and chip tradition in the area (hi, Lockspot Café!).
I came last night with the fam: Dad, one of the brothers, and my sister. Between the four of us, we got a sizeable amount of food and three shakes. Considering how busy it was, and how much food we got, we had no problem getting a table to fit everyone and didn’t have to wait more than 15 minutes for our food to come out. We also got everything at the same time, which is always appreciated.
Now, Red Mill makes a solid burger. Is it the best I’ve had? No, that award lands itself to Quinn’s. Also, I know a small business is allowed to make decisions which best benefit them, but it’s archaic to be cash only in 2014 and not have an ATM on premises. Dicks Drive In is also (in)famously cash only, but they’ve had ATM’s on their locations premises for awhile now. So, bring cash.

I love Red Mill and I always will, but the fish house is not my favorite. The burger and normal Red Mill fare are still amazing. I was not impressed with the fish. The pieces were too big. The crust was kind of mushy. I took bite and liquid leaked out from in between the crust and the fish. The fish was flavorless and chewy.
I did like the coleslaw. It was perfectly dresses and would have been great with the burger (a Slaw dog would be good).

One the 8^th Day GOD created RED MILL BURGERS!
ALL HAIL THE BURGER GOD!
Red Mill Burgers is the beluga caviar of Seattle Burgers, except their not served with Cristal Champagne but Coca Cola. Best Grease in Seattle hands down, ANYONE WANNA ARGUE ABOUT THAT?
With mountain of bacon 2 feet high sitting on the grill you feel see the juices of bacon and burger merging together like two hearts. Now the perfect fries & onion rings just are the bonus to your taste buds. RED MILL is just divine. It’s a spiritual awaking for burger & bacon enthusiasts to unite, and thank god it’s a local place…
Keep it real RED MILL!