The chili dynasty that's lasted a century

Ballard is a neighborhood in transition.

There’s always a new townhouse going up, a restaurant calling it quits, a new, hyper-local apothecary moving in next door.

But, among all that change, one establishment has remained for the last century.

Mike's Chili Parlor opened in 1922.

You’ve seen the bar if you’ve been to the Ballard Blocks. Located right next to the Ballard Bridge, it sits wedged between new construction.

Now it's owned and run by Mike Semandiris — he's the fourth generation to take the reins.

But Semandiris says it was never emphasized by his family that he had to be next in line for succession. It was a decision he came to on his own, when his father was considering retiring.

"It's a great little spot, it feels like home to me," he said. "And I really feel every day that I'm here that I'm walking in the same space that my father and grandfather and great grandfather walked in. I almost kind of feel like it's their space. And I'm just sort of manning it for now."

Semandiris' great grandfather first opened the business after emigrating from Greece — a chef with a chili recipe he thought was particularly good. He built the building the parlor now sits in on what was at the time Ballard's main street.

Semandiris says he isn't sure what the future of the parlor will be — if another generation will want to run business.

"There's no pressure on anyone to do it," he explained. "We're gonna go as long as we can, and at some point, if there's not a future for it, I don't ever feel like we haven't done our best."

For now, the chili dynasty lives on.

Mike's Chili Parlor will be holding a 100-year celebration next Saturday, July 9, in the Chili Bowl — the parlor's backyard venue.