Delicious molten cakes and great selection for chocolate drinks. Lovely place to hang out. Has indoor and outdoor seating, you also need to bus your table.

Can’t get enough of this place. I haven’t taken so many of my friends and none have been disappointed. In fact they loved it! It’s a must try for anyone who has a sweet tooth

Lovely place with very nice lava cakes and home made cookies!Great when it is rainy and gloomy outside!And for a late night sweet spiked drink!

We live close to this place and love the food and drinks here. We ordered a hot chocolate and 2 cookies here today and while my wife had her mask down standing up eating a cookie waiting for the hot chocolate, one of the servers behind the counter said “put your masks up.” My wife put hers up and while he walked by helping another table I said “how do you eat with a mask on? He proceeded to answer in a snarky tone “at a table” then walked by. This place won’t be getting my money any time soon. The funny thing is I hold the wallet here and pay your bills.

Hot Cakes is that food Ill crave when Im back home on the east coast and my sweet tooth gets a craving. Enough said. One week in Seattle and I went three times. Ive tried the dark chocolate, gooey brownie, and PB. Prefer dark chocolate - all delicious.

Got the dark decadence molten cake. I say that the portion to price ratio is a bit wack, but nonetheless, it was delicious. You have to eat it quick or the ice cream will melt and thats just not fun.There was supposedly caramel in it, but I didnt really taste it. Nice dark chocolate flavor though.

I love Hot Cakes, when I think Ballard, I think Hot Cakes. I am a regular at this place be it a cup of latte or a dark chocolate molten cake, yummy. The service is amazing and I personally love the cozy atmosphere here, little candle lights...Hot Cakes is a perfect place for a cozy hangout and a sweet craving

Delicious desserts. Get the Dark Decadent if youre not sure what to get. Thats the de facto default order. One order would serve two people unless youre too much into desserts.

Great dessert place! Been here exactly 5 years ago. Place is packed every time we visit!

Delicious chocolate molten cake, $12-14 options plus cookie options, worth a stop after dinner, charming ambiance

Delicious! Dont think about it just roll thru. U wont regret it.

Came to the spot for dessert after not trying it for about four years! I’ve always liked this place especially their hotcakes rather than their ice cream. The hotcakes was absolutely hot which was a good thing, it didn’t burn my tongue or anything but the chocolate was melting and it was basically like lava LOL which went so well with the ice cream. Super good quality. We did get a table and my only complaint was the service as we asked to dine in yet they gave us a to go order :(.

I havent been here in a while, but I just went back today and its really the absolute perfect place to go at the end of a nice Sunday walking around. The cakes are like the scientifically designed perfect portion for a little treat and you wind up savoring it and taking your time with it, and if you want to go all out and have something indulgent their big cookie with ice cream and caramel has you covered.

It was incredibly delicious!! We shared the „Dark decadence“ and the „Gooey brownie cake“ and couldn’t get enough. The combination of the hot cake and the ice cream with crunchy topping and sauce is unbeatable as a dessert to me! And it looked so cute on the little wooden board. Can’t wait to go again!!

Yummy vanilla ice cream and great vibes

If youre looking for decadent cookies and treats, you HAVE to check out Hot Cakes.Picked up the warm peanut butter cookie with candied peanuts and ice cream...TOTES delish 😍My wife got the smoky smores and I enjoyed that one more than the peanut butter.The outside seating is very inviting and relaxing.Also, BUS YOUR OWN TABLES 🙏🏽

We wanted to try this place for some time and finally got to recently and it was nice! We ordered Dark Decadence and a Cappuccino. The cake was rich and gooey, with a nice touch of crunch and caramel in the ice cream. The overall portions were quite small however. The Cappuccino was decent after some sugar, which isnt something I normally add. Together it was $17.50 - pricey for the small portion and mediocre Cappuccino with a pinch of sugar redemption. The ambience was nice, we were able to sit in the window and people (and dog) watch on Ballard Ave. The music selection was... interesting. It was some R&B mix with Marvin Gaye and Gnarls Barkley Forget You (except explicit) which kinda ruined the romantic mood. Nice spot to visit overall.

Molten cakes are really good. The chocolate they use tastes awesome. And the presentation is impeccable.

Delicious dessert spot.The molten cakes are delicious. We got the hazelnut one and the dark decadence one. Both were superb and the vanilla ice cream provided

I dont hand out 5 star reviews like hotcakes, but for Hot Cakes I think I might have to.The war homemade cookie with creamy vanilla ice cream and dark chocolate chunks with caramel drizzle was delicious. Couldnt be better.The butter beer is an interesting beverage that is definitely worth a try is you like ginger. It has a subtle (not overpowering) ginger kick, with caramel and sweet undertones. Something you dont expect to be good but it is. Also worth a try.Cozy and warm ambiance and decor.They have a unique menu with a bunch of good stuff, as well as alcohol infused snacks and beverages. Need to start trying some of the other stuff theyve got, definitely some gems on the menu.Cool area to window shop and poke around too.Prices were a little on the high end for what it is, but for a chic spot with some unique things on the menu. The price is forgivable and is a warm little place to keep the night going and grab a sweet treat.Definitely would recommend, the reviews are justified.

They charged me 12$ for a insanely tiny shake. This left me feeling... robbed. I dont understand why it was 12$. Capitalism had officially gone too far, its this point, right here. Service was good though.

Everything tasted great and they have an interesting selection of chocolates.

Overview:This dessert shop is one of my favorites! I thoroughly enjoy coming here at night after dinner. The shops are usually crowded at night so getting a seat can sometimes be tricky. The shops are clean, menus are large, and the staff has always been very friendly with me.Food:So many choices that all sound really good! One of their most popular items is the warm cookie with vanilla ice cream on top, you cant go wrong with it. I also enjoy many other items such as the brownie or even the ice cream shakes. With every dessert, I also get a mocha coffee which tastes rich compared to your average mochas at other shops. In the end, I highly recommend it!

One of the amazing molten chocolate cakes in town

HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!!support great local business!I have ordered s’mores to go, it still tastes like I used to have it in the store

Delicious and offering many GF and V options. Efficient ordering and fun outdoor seating. Glad it fit into our 96 hours in Seattle-land!

Wow 🤩 my favorite cake and ic cream ever, great service and fast, friendly 👍🏻💯

Most decadent molten chocolate cake I have ever had! I can go on n on about it. Perfect ooyi gooyi texture, not too sweet not too bitter dark chocolate, with perfect pairing of icecream and crumbles. Its hard to eat it all by yourself as it is too rich, so better to have a sharing partner. The grilled cheese with caramelized onions is also great! Crispy on outside multi grain bread and melted cheese inside, served with potato chips. I was so full that I didnt get a chance to taste their coffee, my friend did and she loved it. Will come back for that beautiful cake.

Very tasty and the staff was friendly. Note that there is not a lot of room so you have to wait outside if full

Ridiculously delicious cookies and ice cream. The pictures I posted will make your mouth water.

Delicious dessert spot. It was crowded on a Thursday night for good reason. The molten cakes are delicious. We got the hazelnut one and the dark decadence one. Both were superb and the vanilla ice cream provided s good contrast to the rich chocolate flavors. The creme brûlée was per our friend “pretty good” but was left without a remainder on the plate.

Wow! Excellent dessert and when have a GF person in your crowd, was a win! Couldn’t tell the chocolate chip gf cookie was gf. Would be on the list for a return trip.

The food and atmosphere were great, but the prices were a bit high. The molten doesnt necessarily mean hot or even warm, just as an FYI. The smores was heavenly and very rich.

Love this place. Weekends be prepared to wait in a queue. Very good Vegan option. Street parking can be a little challenge as there are lot of restaurants around and busy. Even their cake mix is available yo buy. Cool people and comfortable environment. Must try out.

Very quality dessert place, love the smores cake

Delicious desert place. They have molten chocolate cakes, ice cream, and assorted other items.i absolutely love the cookies! This place always draws a crowd so be prepared to queue but its well worth it.

Maybe just not for me but wasnt impressed by food/drinks

Lava cakes paired with ice cream and they are so good! Get the smoky smores one, its rich and delicious 😋

We ordered a few coffees and lava cakes. The cakes were very tasty. You likely dont need one to yourself. Loved the ice cream on the side.The inside of the cafe is very natural with a push to the environment. Very organized recycling.

Walked by and bumped into this place by chance. We were told by one of the guys standing in line that this was one of the best places for desserts in Seattle, at least in the area of Ballard. Hence we decided to try it coz who wouldnt want to be spoiled by lava cakes right. We tried the Milk Chocolate Hazelnut Molten Cake which was pretty good with homemade Nutella in the centre and the flavour of the month - coconut cream lava cake - which was unique and delicious too. Overall we quite liked it but the prices seem a bit over the top. For the price they charge for the portion size, I dont think Id venture there again. But yes, good to try it once for sure. Their milkshakes and coffee looked good too.

Always love Hot Cakes! Im not big on chocolate so I stick to the creme brulee and I love it!

Best dessert place hands down. Whenever anyone is in town visiting this is always where we take them.

We typically come to Hot Cakes when we have a special occasion or friends/family in town. It doesnt disappoint, I love getting the chocolate and ice cream dish, its simple but theres just something about it that makes it so amazing, perhaps its the caramel Im not sure but its so good! Portion size is great as Im able to share it with my girls. They do offer a non dairy ice cream option which we typically opt to get. The smores cookie features smoked chocolate chips, which takes some getting used to but worth a try.

Awesome desserts and super friendly staff. Really really good chocolate cake and chocolate chunk cookies!

Delicious decadent hot molten cake. Top fresh tasty ingredients, and some real thought put into the balance of flavors. I made it my birthday cake this year, and my husband and I absolutely devoured it. The sweet girl working the counter even gave me a candle to blow out. I think Ill make this a yearly tradition.

Molten chocolate cake was great. It was a bit over cooked but still so good. Ice cream was good too.

Went with a group of friends and were able to find seating for 8 around 10pm on a Saturday (not all together, but close) Everyone got sweets while I enjoyed a carmalized onion grilled cheese. Hot the spot! Washes it down with a local Fremont beer. What youd expect to pay in Ballard.

The signature chocolate cake was way too sweet. I thought it was just me, but I see that everyone who order that also have leftover chocolate lava cake, so it confirm that it is way tooo sweet.On the other hand crem brulee was way better, very balance taste.Half self serve place, so cant ask for too much in terms of service.

It was disgusting, did not taste good, it tasted smoky, too expensive for what you get. Worst lava cake I ever had. Do not recommend. Go spend your money somewhere else.

What a great place to check out, even early morning. Who says you cant have icecream in your coffee before you eat real food?! The staff was super friendly and the hot chocolate was a great way to start my day.

They have a tasty Butterbeer recipe and the molten cakes... H-holy cow theyre mouthwatering. 😍 Just go, youll be happy you did no matter what kind of dessert person you are.

YUMMMM!! Must stop here!! Hot fresh cakes with a side of ice cream! So tasty and a great treat after dinner.

We have been to hotcakes at least 20 times and it is always consistently delicious. The prices are outrageously high but thats just Seattle for you. The place can get really crowded and super noisy so its better to come early. During our international travels we used hotcakes as the gold standard of chocolate molten lava cake.

Great place. Good locally sourced products. My wife love the crème brûlée and I had to track the bourbon bread putting. Both were excellent. Things run about $10-$12 per person. Portions are very generous and can easily be shared by two people except for the crème brûlée. The chocolate bourbon bread putting could’ve easily been shared with two people and satisfy both. The dessert drinks are excellent and even the desert drinks with booze are good too.

Great cakes but don’t order delivery. They screw up the order and don’t refund it. This has happened repeatedly and I’m done.

Cozy little place. Crowded all the time their creme brulee and seasonal Pistachio cake are amazing. I found the dark decadence to be overwhelmingly sweet. Have the gingersnap milk, soothing..

Words cant explain the decadent flavors at hot cakes. The menu is simple, 6 hot chocolate cakes to choose from. The Dark Decadence and Smores was out favorite. Its crispy on the outside, soft and oozing of chocolate with each bite. Take home a Smores bar, I swear you wont ever forget this experience.

What a treat in the cold winter weather! It is a little pricy (~$15 for a cake) but all the ingredients are high quality. I don’t know if it’s just the experience of having ice cream with a molten lava cake - but their ice cream tastes delicious!It can get quite busy but the tables tend to turn over quickly and the staff do their best to wipe them down in between.

Okay so you gotta try their warm cookie with vanilla ice cream okay? The place was great even if a bit too small so it gets really warm really quickly so no need to tell you that the warm cookie didn’t help. But the food was really good even if a bit expensive

I wanted to rate this 1000 but that wasnt an option. Delicious cakes that are rich with chocolate and flavors and unicorns. I need more in my life

When I first moved to Seattle, Baskin Robbins had somewhat of a monopoly on the dessert scene. Treats were $2 and ingredient lists were unreadable. It was a simpler time.The last ten years have produced a dessert renaissance in Seattle, and nowhere is this more true than in my neighborhood of choice, the boutique-dessert capitol of Capitol Hill.There’s Molly Moon’s, Salt & Straw, Cupcake Royale, Kurt Farm Shop, Cinnaholic, Hello Robin, Sugar Plum, Menchie’s, Nouveau, R & M, Frankie & Jo’s, and Crumble & Flake. That’s more ampersands than I’m comfortable typing, and it doesn’t even include the shops that didn’t make it.Or Hot Cakes. In a crowded Seattle field, nothing screams #treatyoself like this gem. It’s molten cakes paired with ice creams, smoked chocolate and boozy shakes, homemade s’mores and cookie sundaes. It’s expensive and celebratory and it’s the best dessert around.Pro tips:- Sample the smoked chocolate chips at the retail counter before buying because the taste is unique and dividing.- Don’t miss the Butterbeer, a warm and heavenly creamy cocktail that tastes almost nothing like you’d expect.- Skip the crowds! Visit Sunday through Thursday when the lines are shorter and you don’t have to play vulture to snag a table.

Holy chocolate heaven.Slightly overpriced, but unmatched. This little cafe has a tiny menu, big prices and everything your molten, chocolate-baked, fluffy, gooey heart could ever need.And they wont hear you when you say the cake, drizzled with caramel and served with a side of vanilla ice cream is too sweet. -Theres no such thing.If you need something to cut the sweet, like I did, get an espresso. It worked wonders on the sugars after-effects too.

EVERY TIME I visit Seattle I have to make stop here..they make the best cake and ice-cream. I do visit them in the morning time, nights can have quite a wait. The molten cake can be rich if you are not used to super sweet stuff..but get one share it, you will not regret it.pair it with nice warm coffee and its a dream. also love the ambiance

Too sweat for me.

Its a small place, long lines but it was going kind of fast, crowded and noizy, we ordered 3 different desserts, I liked my creme Brule, it was good, rhubarb cake was good too, but chocolate cake was too chocolaty, overwhelming.

Vegan and loving it! Cashew milk latte, Frankie and Jos vegan Icecream, dry caramel and vegan molten hotcake. Dont even miss the dairy, just amazing.

Yummy gooey hot cakes. I got the dark chocolate cake but the hazelnut is the better option because of the balance of flavor and sweetness

A very happening place until midnight. A place where the tooth faery will not stop you from visiting to fulfill your sweets craving. The decadent chocolate hot cake with vanilla ice cream was tastefully described on their menu and presented to us to be easily consumed. It was warm, delectable, and delicious. I highly recommend at any time of the day before midnight 😉

Perfect dessert place after a lackluster experience at La Carta de Oaxaca. I had a smores cookie and split a peanut butter chocolate hot cake with my wife as well. Great COVID precautions in place as well as attentive service.

Not as good as the long lines will have you believe.

$$$Extremely busy, flooded with students. Good joint for a late-night chocolate binge.

Great desserts, pricey but makes sense for the quality and location!

We had high hopes for Hot Cakes given the high rating and yummy looking photos. However, the molten cake was under cooked. It had a very thin layer of cake (which would stick to your teeth) and the rest was liquidy chocolate. Also, overpriced given the small portion.If were ever back in this area, we might give the other baked goods a try. They looked pretty good.

Best desert stop in Seattle and Ballard area

Heaven on earth. If you love chocolate, stop here. You will come back for seconds

Super rich!!! You can easily split one of these cakes.

Good and heavy brownie cake which is still soft / uncooked inside! Love it. Ice cream is average but fits for the cake.

They charged me $10 for a fruit cup sized creme brûlée that was heated to the point it was soupy. The creme brûlée was also just not good almost pure sugar in the then soupy “custard”. Over priced and just not good.

What a phenomenal way to end a great evening in Ballard! We had their Dark Drinking Chocolate, a glass of milk, and Blood Orange & Nib Panna Cotta. Everything was perfectly prepared and exceptionally tasty. Okay, the milk was just milk, but it paired perfectly with the drinking chocolate. The panna cotta was not too sweet that made it perfect to enjoy together. After an evening at a local pub, this was a great find.

If you have a sweet tooth, youve come to the right place. I think each item can be shared between two people because it might be TOO rich for one [normal] person. I got the vegan dark chocolate (not my first choice, but it was recommended to me), and it was delicious. Very warm vibe here.

The vegan hot cake was probably the best thing I have ever eaten.

Great desserts and fun ambience, however prices are too high and queues are too long. Desserts are incredibly rich, so share between two! A glass of milk is recommended if having the molten cakes. Overall felt like it was more of a one-time-thing.

The decor is gorgeous but the food is ultimately subpar. The creme brûlée wasn’t fully set and therefore didn’t taste as good. Hot cake tasted like dark chocolate even though it was supposed to be Nutella-based.Overall I think it was overpriced sweets with a nice atmosphere.

Nice but can be very busy

Recommend the dark decadence molten lava cake. Pretty busy day place and limited seating but definitely worth the wait.

Smoky s’mores tasted like smoked ham🤮 Will not eat here again.

Underwhelming for the price. Half the ingredients listed just end up scattered around a ball of ice cream. Cake itself is indistinguishable to me from a frozen microwave pudding; dry, rubbery texture with burnt crust, and the filing cant compensate for the lack of moisture.

By far my favorite dessert place ✨🍦🍫 i love the dark decadence cake + the new outdoor set up looks amazing 🤩

Service is always great the place is cute and quaint. Who doesnt love melted chocolate with the option of boozing it up. The seating gets a little dicey on busy days so get it to go if its nice out, or use the fridge option to cook it at home and use as much ice cream as you want. We had the smoked chocolate smores lava cake. Oh man it was so good and a good enough size to share with another person, also grab a cup of joe and wait for your pretty flower on top to come out (breve art)

Hot Cakes is still as good as I remember it being several years ago, and as busy. The service was friendly even though they were swamped. The hot cake of the month (lemon verbena crème frâiche in the center, and ice cream with raspberry jam and lemon verbena meringues) was excellent for a summer variant on such a decadent treat. I hadnt realized just how many drink, snack, and non-hot cake dessert options there are here now, so Ill definitely have to stop in more often. I also love the commitment to local in the sourcing of the ingredients.

The cold-smoked chocolate is very weird. My friends and I didn’t like it but the rest of it was fantastic.

What isnt there to like about chocolate cake, ice cream and cocktails!? Wish there was more seating, but it would take away from the cozy atmosphere. They even have a great retail area with sweatshirts, take home mixes and other great gift ideas. A perfect pit stop after the beach. A true gem.

Long line and expensive for what it is, which isnt very good. Granted this was one item, one time. Maybe I got unlucky.I wouldnt suggest the smores, they make them smoky like a camp fire. Ive made my share of smores on a camp fire and they didnt taste like liquid smoke.

Didnt give me what I ordered and way overpriced.

Delicious. Ive said enough.

Yummy..... they made their own nutella very delicious and all ingredients are organic

Small and cozy space. Must try s’mores hot cocoa and peanut butter cup! My favs!

Such a awesome place to stop Loved their cakes. I will come back

Went to try it out after seeing so many good reviews. Honestly, it was meh. The Lava Cake was pretty burnt. Best to spend that $13-14 per order elsewhere.

Walking up to Hot Cakes was a rush of adrenaline! The warm welcoming aesthetic only grew greater upon opening the door to smell rich, mouthwatering chocolate! The menu selection was well placed on a wall chalkboard and described to know exactly what you are getting. It was not very busy inside, so we were greeted by friendly staff. I decided on the original Dark Decedance and my SO got a Butterbeer. It was estimated to be 10-15 minutes wait (because everything is fresh), but my hot cake came out in less than 10 and was there and ready to eat. For the richness level, I felt as if it were well portioned for 1-2 people to share between the cake and ice cream served alongside. If youre used to a lava cake with more cake then molten, this will be a different experience as Id say the ratio is 70% lava and 30% cake (which I loved). The Butterbeer is not to be missed too, served room temp with every Potterheads dreams coming true. With your choice of sparkling wine, or local favorite Rachels Ginger Beer. See you soon for late night cravings!