HOT CAKES
5427 BALLARD AVE NW, SEATTLE, WA 98107 · Restaurant (Seating 13-50)
Inspection summary
HOT CAKES has been inspected 8 times by Public Health – Seattle & King County since February 1, 2021. The most recent inspection, on May 7, 2026, found no infractions.
3 of 8 inspections on record found no infractions at all. In the past 12 months there were 2 inspections with 1 infraction recorded. The higher-risk findings here relate to: Food temperature control, Cleaning and sanitizing and Protecting food from contamination.
The number of infractions per inspection has stayed roughly the same over time.
What these findings mean
Health authorities word their violations differently, so we group them by what they mean for food safety. Higher-risk findings are the ones inspectors treat as critical, because they can directly make someone sick.
Food temperature controlHigher risk
Bacteria multiply fastest between about 4 °C and 60 °C (40 °F to 140 °F). Inspectors check that cold food stays cold, hot food stays hot, cooked food is cooled quickly, and that staff have accurate thermometers. Temperature problems are one of the most common causes of food poisoning, so these are treated as critical findings.
Recorded 3 times across 3 separate inspections, most recently on July 17, 2025. For example:
1720 - Proper hot holding temperatures; between 130 to 134 degrees Fahrenheit (F) (54 to 56 degrees Celsius (C))
Cleaning and sanitizingHigher risk
Anything that touches food, such as cutting boards, dishes and utensils, must be washed, rinsed and sanitized. Inspectors check dishwasher temperatures, sanitizer strength and how wiping cloths are stored. Poor sanitizing lets bacteria survive from one use to the next.
Recorded 2 times across 2 separate inspections, most recently on November 13, 2025. For example:
4100 - Warewashing facilities properly installed, maintained, used; sanitizer concentration; test strips available and used
Protecting food from contaminationHigher risk
This covers how food is stored, prepared and displayed: raw meat kept away from ready-to-eat food, food covered and stored off the floor, and nothing dripping or splashing into it. Cross-contamination from raw to cooked food is a direct route for salmonella and E. coli.
Recorded 2 times across 2 separate inspections, most recently on July 17, 2025. For example:
1500 - Proper preparation of raw shell eggs
Permits, records and postingLower risk
Operating permits, required signage, written procedures and logs. These findings are administrative: the documentation was missing or out of date at the time of inspection.
Recorded once on February 1, 2021. For example:
5000 - Posting of permit; mobile establishment name easily visible
About this data
These results come from Public Health – Seattle & King County, which inspects food premises and other public facilities in this area. We republish the authority's public disclosure data and refresh it regularly; the official record is the final word.
8 inspections
- Routine Inspection/Field Review
0 infractions
- Routine Inspection/Field Review
1 infraction
- 4100 - Warewashing facilities properly installed, maintained, used; sanitizer concentration; test strips available and used
- BLUE
- 4100 - Warewashing facilities properly installed, maintained, used; sanitizer concentration; test strips available and used
- Routine Inspection/Field Review
2 infractions
- 1500 - Proper preparation of raw shell eggs
- RED
- 1720 - Proper hot holding temperatures; between 130 to 134 degrees Fahrenheit (F) (54 to 56 degrees Celsius (C))
- RED
- 1500 - Proper preparation of raw shell eggs
- Routine Inspection/Field Review
0 infractions
- Routine Inspection/Field Review
0 infractions
- Routine Inspection/Field Review
2 infractions
- 4100 - Warewashing facilities properly installed, maintained, used; sanitizer concentration; test strips available and used
- BLUE
- 3300 - Potential food contamination prevented during delivery, preparation, storage, display
- BLUE
- 4100 - Warewashing facilities properly installed, maintained, used; sanitizer concentration; test strips available and used
- Routine Inspection/Field Review
1 infraction
- 2900 - Adequate equipment for temperature control
- BLUE
- 2900 - Adequate equipment for temperature control
- Routine Inspection/Field Review
2 infractions
- 5000 - Posting of permit; mobile establishment name easily visible
- BLUE
- 2900 - Adequate equipment for temperature control
- BLUE
- 5000 - Posting of permit; mobile establishment name easily visible
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