George & Dragon hoping to expand to Ballard

The owner of Fremont’s George & Dragon Pub has his eyes on Ballard.

We spoke with owner John Bayliss this morning who says that he is moving toward opening a pub in the old Mandrakes location at the corner of 24th & Market. It “won’t be a high end bar,” he says, “just a casual English pub.” Right now he’s waiting to hear how much it will cost, in total, to add a sprinkler system. If the dollar range is within his budget, he plans to sign the lease. He’s not planning to close the Fremont location. In February, Mandrakes announced it was closing after 19 years.