Bastille Cafe & Bar

Specialties

Bastille is a neighborhood café that transports you to Paris, 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: 19^th 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.

History

Established in 2009.

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.

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, in the Roasted Beet & Arugula salad, in the Herb-​Encrusted Pan-​Seared Salmon, and in our homemade Rosemary Lemonade.

Meet the Business Owner

Deming M. and James W.

Business Owner

Owners Deming and James are joined by Chef Shannon Galusa, a native of the Pacific Northwest who polished his culinary skills at the New England Culinary Institute. Upon graduating, he took on residency for three years at the world-​renowned French Laundry in Yountville, California.

In addition, Shannon has worked under 2-​star Michelin chef Michel Rostand and served as Executive Sous Chef at Fullers in the Seattle Sheraton, Executive Sous Chef at Campagne and Café Campagne, Executive Chef at 727 Pine, and Chef/​Partner at Veil restaurant.

Jason Stoneburner, Chef de Cuisine, has served as a pastry chef at the famed Flagstaff House Restaurant, as Chef de Cuisine under chef James Mazzio at 15°, at Stars under James Beard award-​winning chef Jeremiah Tower, and as pastry chef and Chef de Cuisine at Union under Food & Wine’s Rising Star chef Ethan Stowell.

James Lechner, Dining Room Manager & Wine Nut, has studied wine through the Court of Master Sommeliers and the Int’l Sommelier Guild.