OUR STORY

Deming Maclise and James Weimann love café culture. They shared a vision of creating a neighborhood hangout where people could gather to eat, drink, talk and enjoy life. Inspired by their favorite places in Paris, they scoured the Marchés aux Puces, French for “flea markets,” to find the marvelous fixtures that now adorn Bastille Café & Bar.

THE SPACE: BASTILLE CAFÉ & BAR

Ballard has been called “the most soulful” neighborhood in Seattle. We think of it as the 21st arrondissement of Paris: the Farmers Market, the boutiques, the little coffee bars and boîtes. And now, Bastille—a neighborhood café that transports you to the City of Light.

A dramatic space of white tile, black ironwork, and a 45-foot zinc-topped bar; light fixtures discovered at the Clignancourt flea market; a back bar that once graced a Seattle mansion; a clock that adorned a Paris metro station; and the hood that used to vent a furnace in Obermaier Machine Works, the family-owned business that formerly occupied the space that now hosts Bastille.

Everywhere your eye falls in Bastille, there’s a visual feast: 19th century sconces from a church in the French countryside; pendants from a school in Seattle; a cozy “hearth” around which to gather on cool evenings; a host stand that once serviced a small hotel.

It’s all about reinvention, rediscovery, restoration. In fact, that’s our aim—and the source of the word “restaurant”—to restore our guests to a condition of comfort and pleasure amidst the hubbub of urban life.

BACK BAR

The words we most often hear when people walk into Back Bar are, “Wow!” “Gorgeous!” “Yummy!” Painted a rich dark chocolate, you feel as if you’ve entered a boîte à bijoux, a jewel box of delicious details: a crystal chandelier hangs from an arch salvaged from a French church; amber light glows from behind reclaimed grillwork; Art Deco sconces adorn the walls. And above it all preside two paintings recreated from the originals by French symbolist painter Pierre Puvis de Chavennes, figures representing both the terror and inspiration of the French Revolution.

Discover for yourself why people are calling Back Bar the sexiest new place in town.

ROOFTOP GARDEN

Bastille’s commitment to organic, sustainable agriculture is unstinting. We source our product from local farmers and purveyors whenever possible. Nowhere is this commitment more evident than on our own roof: we’ve installed a 4,500 square foot garden of raised-bed planter boxes where we grow our own lettuces and herbs.

Installed and maintained by Colin McCrate of Seattle Urban Farm Company, the boxes are irrigated and heated to keep us in fresh greens throughout the year.

You can find our produce in the Salade du Toit, a rooftop version of a salade verte; in the Roasted Beet & Arugula salad; in the Herb-Encrusted Pan-Seared Salmon; and in our homemade Rosemary Lemonade.