Owners Zach Harjo and girlfriend Gelsey Hanson dreamed up the idea of Ocho during a summer backpacking trip through Spain in 2003. They fell for the quick, cheap, throw-your-napkin-on-the-floor tapas joints in Madrid and San Sebastian, and envisioned a "Ballard" (read: easygoing, unstuffy, fun) version of an authentic Spanish tapas bar, which, in their minds translated to a menu of crowd-pleasing Spanish dishes served in a tiny, crowded space, where they could play the music as loud as they wanted. (Harjo, after all, is also a musician.) The idea was reawakened when the hot dog space became available; in January, just six months after taking over the lease, Ocho opened its doors, and the place has been mobbed ever since.

— Seattle Magazine