Bastille Cafe & Bar

I walked in and the hostess was very friendly. The feel of the restaurant was elegant with quite a bit of dining space. It was more fully loaded restaurant than café in all seriousness.
First I started out with a baguette and chilled butter to get a decent start to my great dining experience.
For the prime dish I ordered the Seafood Bourride with clams and mussels. The soup was very tasty particularly when complimented with the baguette. All the clams and mussels were thoroughly prepared and delicious through and through. The occasional bites of small squid completed an enticing and satisfying dish.
For the dessert I ordered the Rhum Baba which is a cake soaked in Rhum with a tad of caramel on the plate. The cake backed a horse kick punch which was frankly too strong for the little lump of ice cream in the center. I had to scramble for caramel sauce every time I had a bite and I mean, really? A little more balance please! The stark imbalance is the reason I must dock a star.
The male waiter I had was friendly and knowledgeable. I very much enjoyed the service part of my visit.
I give Bastille Café & Bar ⁴⁄₅ stars. I definitely recommend going to Bastille Café & Bar. You will enjoy it!

Great outdoor seating area and european like ambience — hanging flower pots, string lights etc. The seating area is quite large so getting a table was quick and easy. If their main patio is full, they also have an option to sit in the outdoor bar area — which is just the same really.
We came here for dinner and there were a lot of good options on the menu. The hit of the night was the chicken ! We also tried the falafel sandwich, lamb burger and the chickpea fries. The food was good and above average for pub food. The price range is $ 12-​$ 18 for most items. Overall, its a nice outdoor experience in ballard. If it wasnt for the outdoor patio — I probably would skip it in favor of other restaurants in the area.

One of prettiest restaurants in Seattle. I came here for dinner and was pleasantly surprised with the décor. This place is huge, with three main seating areas: the front bar/​seating area, outside patio, and back bar/​seating area (you have to go down past the bar in the front through the hallway leading past the bathrooms). This place is a great place for a dinner date, or just to sit and enjoy the ambiance.
I had the steak frites and cauliflower soup which were both very enjoyable. The steak was perfectly cooked medium rare, and fries had a crunchy outside and soft pillowy inside. I’m not a big fan of cauliflower, but this cauliflower soup was very creamy, velvety, smooth and tasted very fresh-​it left me wanting more. Service was a bit slow though as they only had one server waiting the main bar/​eating area while I was there.
Overall, I left feeling satisfied and look forward to coming back and checking the brunch menu.

After a bit of disappointment at first we had an above average dinner. I love french cuisine. We were out for an early dinner (I know, not so French) and saw on Unilocal an assortment of classic French dishes. I was craving some Tartar de Boeuf and Cassole, but neither was offered on their happy hour menu. The menu did include some good meals but very little variety.
We did LOVE the chicken pâté, which was exquisite, and both our meals were good. I would not return for an early dinner again but will go back to try the dinner menu.

The ambience and setting is really cool. It is very trendy and has a good set of bartenders that make good drinks. Drink pricing was reasonable.
I had the burger and it was also pretty good. Very filling and seemed somewhat healthy actually. My girlfriend had the steak & frites and said it was just average. I thought the service was also pretty good as well. I would come back, but would probably prefer to have drinks versus dinner next time

This place has the best atmosphere. So pretty and cool. We requested to sit in the back bar because I loved the look of it. I could spend a lot of time here.
The food was pretty good, not the absolutely most delicious thing in the world, but good enough.

Great place for a ‘different’ sort of brunch. Bastille has a casual, yet elegant ambience. While bustling and obviously busy, it was not chaotic or noisy to the point of distraction… a real testament to the skill of the team today. It was definitely an enjoyable way to spend our Easter brunch.
The food… Everyone throughly enjoyed their menu selections. From the aspargus omelette and the roasted beets to the croque madame. All were happy with the deliciously pleasant fare.
And the piece de resistance. The service… our waiter was patient (we had children amongst us), skilled and engaging. He was the perfect blend of knowledge, attentiveness and timing. A true professional. Thank you to everyone at Bastille for a lovely afternoon meal. It was everything we had hoped… elegant, low-​key and a deep breath of relaxation.

I’ve stared and looked into the windows of Bastille a couple of times now, but hadn’t made my way into the café/​restaurant until earlier this afternoon. The restaurant is considerably bigger than those around it, with not only a huge bar, lots of inside dining space, and even an ‘outside’ patio (but covered and heated today, so basically inside) area where my friend and I were seated. Even though it was already 2pm when we had arrived, there was still a pretty large crowd there, likely because of the farmers market that runs right out in front of it.
I ordered the Eggs en Cocoette, while my friend ordered the Eggs Benedict. Eggs en Cocoette is basically a fancy (or rather, French) way of saying baked eggs — eggs, cheese, kale/​some greens, and some ham all thrown together in a little bowl before being tossed in the oven — I mean, you can’t really go wrong with even just the first two ingredients. I personally like my eggs a bit under cooked, so I felt like these had been cooked too long and therefore was a bit on the dry side. The kale cooked well within the little miniature pot though. Also, great presentation in the little cast iron pot instead of skillet or ramekin! I think if I went back I’d try something else though — it was good, but not quite repeat worthy.
My friend said her Eggs Benedict was very good — it seemed quite large, so definitely worth your money. Rather than an English muffin, the bottom of the Benedict was made of a thick slice of bread (possibly challah??), and instead of ham, slow roasted pork shoulder. She did find a small piece of egg shell in her dish, which took away from the experience at bit, but because she enjoyed the flavors in her dish so much, it wasn’t terrible.
Overall experience — A-​OK, just like the rating says. I’d come back again if someone asked me to brunch, but I wouldn’t call it one of my top brunch spots.

This place is adorably cute and right in front of the Ballard farmer’s market if you go on a Sunday like I did. Although parking can be gruesome in the rain and filled with pedestrians and cars coming and going from the farmer’s market, you are bound to find street parking not too far away from the restaurant with luck. My friend got a table immediately at around 12:30 and got orange mimosas started. I ordered the Croque Madame which came with a sunny-​up egg on ham and toast accompanied with a side salad. The aged Comte cheese was a bit much but overall, being heavy of a brunch, the garden greens helped balance that out. I would definitely recommend getting that choice as the waitress announced that we both picked the top favorites. My friend had the classic of all brunch meals, the eggs benedict. The hollandaise had a nice kick to it but she thought the overall brunch was a little too heavy for her liking although made very well. This place is definitely worth all the frustration finding parking on a Sunday to go to a french-​like setting to have brunch.

This is the best cassoulet in town. It’s a bold statement and I wouldn’t go to war or anything for it but I could be convinced to push somebody out of the way if I thought that they were going to get one of the limited portions that they serve (available only in Winter.)
Cassoulet is my SO’s favorite food. Once, I had to figure out how to access the Seattle City Light bill online and his security question came up asking what his favorite food was. Without hesitation, I typed in ‘cassoulet’ and was rewarded with viewing an overdue light bill (whoops.)
So what is it? It’s a classic French bean stew whose origins came about as most ‘peasant’ food does: making ingredients stretch and able to be kept over the fire for a long time. (Remember that nursery rhyme Pease Porridge Hot? That kind of thing.) Nowadays, it’s made with artisan ingredients like Toulouse sausages, pork belly, duck confit legs. There are lots of versions of it, some are dry, some are wet but to me the REAL deal is a ‘wet’ version that has a thick rich broth that pools a little bit (not a lot! It’s a stew, not a soup.)
Sacre BLEU! Some of you who know me may know that I don’t eat pork/​beef. And while I give away the pork belly chunk and sausages, I know that the flavor really does come from all the pork (and potentially beef) ingredients.
Side note: the chicken liver pâté app is good, the French Onion soup is only okay, not great, and the warm potato and mushroom salad with poached egg is a winner.
Winter is almost over, so head over and at least try the cassoulet. I would recommend immediately requesting a portion as you’re seated since they run out. It’s pricey but sometimes you just have to treat yo-​self!

Came in with a reservation of 4 for a couple of friends of mine who are visiting from out of the country. We were seated and greeted by Paul, our server. We ordered cassoulet, a winter dish, and as always it’s AWESOME! The only thing that can be improved was the service. It was a slow Wednesday night and even Paul said, this is a pretty slow night. That being said our water was always left almost empty and never asked if we needed anything like more drinks. Mind you we Asians love drinking, at a moderate level, but we ended up with just one drink each.
Don’t get me wrong the service was great, but it’s the little things that stand out to me more than the big picture. All-​in-​all it the food, ambiance, and service was great, but can use some improvements.
— Happy eating

I enjoyed the ambiance but I wasn’t particularly enthralled with the food. Everything was good but there wasn’t anything unique with the flavors. Brussel sprout salad was good as was the steak.

The cassoulet was amazingly delicious and the egg nog was superb. Had a wonderful new year’s meal here with friends and family. The service is friendly and impressive. Definitely come for an occasion of good dining experience.

Me and my partner decided to venture off to try a new venue for dinner tonight. We came across this place on Unilocal,and are extremely glad we did. We had the Mussel Frittes and the Lamb Burger. It was absolutely delicious. We caught ourselves dipping our fries in the delicious sauce from the mussels. The waiter caught us and was kind enough to bring us some extra bread. We had a very good date night. The drinks were very tasty, the service was great, and the ambiance at night was wonderful. Will definitely be coming back soon.

Situated in a beautifully restored old storefront, the Bastille exudes a hip but laidback vibe. They have an interesting menu of cocktails, and the happy hour small plates are delicious. An extensive and well thought out wine list. The dinner menu looks very interesting, as well

We hit happy hour right at opening time and had our choice of tables, but the place filled up quickly on a Saturday night. The cocktails on happy hour are a fun way to to break out of your comfort zone at $ 8 each. My sparkling wine, gin, lemon combo was a hit even though I am not a gin fan — the other flavors smoothed the flavor. My husband’s daiquiri featured absinthe, but it was not too overpowering. Several of the happy hour cocktails contained absinthe, or if you prefer you can order off their extensive specialty cocktails menu. We ordered an olives and cheese plate off the happy menu, and it was definitely a small plate. Service was okay, and they do shake up a mean cocktail.

I was here for hh and really surprised. Considering how expensive Kirkland is, this place was worth the extra few pennies. The fries with housemade aioli were fantastic. I’ll definitely be coming back to try a few more menu items. Great décor and vibe.

This is a great brunch spot in Ballard. We’ve come here a few times, and it’s generally pretty good.
The specials list is usually really tasty, although having white writing on a mirror in a brightly lit room does make it really hard to read. I got the squash and chard gratin and it was so delicious that I was scraping the bottom of the little skillet it came out in. Vegetables smothered wth cream and cheese are still healthy, right?
It was a bit disappointing when we were told that there was a «minor change» to one of the regular menu items, the lamb ragout, where they basically replaced the lamb with beef. That’s not a very minor change to me.
The French toast is amazing but if you’re not really into sweet breakfast food, it’s still good to order and split between your party for a brunch dessert.
The space is open and with so many har surfaces, it can be pretty loud.
The dinner menu is good but not as exciting as brunch. They also take reservations, which is great news if you’re looking for a brunch spot but don’t want to wait in line.
Get there early, because parking is awful in the area.

One of the most delicious dinners in Ballard so far! I can’t wait to try brunch one day. You can get a good deal with you split an entrée and a dessert between two people. The cocktails and wines can get you though.

The food at this restaurant is good. Not great, just good.
The service at this restaurant is AWFUL. Not bad, AWFUL.
Came into the front dining area of the restaurant after wrapping a shoot with my team. Took forever to get our drink order during happy hour, and once it was taken, it took just as long to get my drink– ordered the porter and it was warm. Imagine drinking a thick, warm beer after a full day of shooting. Eewwww. Food was served to the incorrect people, and some people’s orders weren’t even taken.
Our server seemed annoyed af when we would ask him for something, almost as though he was avoiding/​annoyed by us. Mind you, the restaurant was not full, and there was plenty of staff lounging around having conversations with each other. WHAT THE HELL.
The awful dining experience finally ended, and we decided to head to the bar in the back, where my team divided into 2 parties, and ordered separately. We tried to pay as one check, but the bartender wouldn’t allow it. ONCE AGAIN, another staff member who seemed annoyed as fck to be doing his job. So I pay, and we all head out. ONLY to have the back bartender tell us that one of our parties didn’t pay — there was absolutely no one else in the bar besides my team, and we spent a good 20 minutes lounging with no mention of one of our tables missing a check.
This place should close its doors and reconsider becoming a food truck instead, because clearly the staff that is employed here are not competent enough to do the basics of what their job would require of them. I feel bad for the kitchen staff who crank out the orders, only to have their hard work ruined by douches who think they’re cool because they work in Ballard.

I went with the chanterelle Omelette and my guest had the fluffy French Toast. The Cognac peach preserves really bring it to another level.
Brunch here is perfect. They really put a lot into this Café. The classic interior sets a perfect atmosphere. The staff is on-​point just like the food. Very Trendy spot but loud at times. We will be back over the weekend to try some dinner.

We greatly enjoyed Sunday Brunch at this very popular spot. (Get there before they open for Brunch or try to get a reservation.) The ambiance was quite nice and the food was great. There were three of us and we all really liked what we ordered.
We highly recommend the lamb stew, poached duck egg, salmon omelette, salmon plate and yummy scones.
This is a nice place for Sunday Brunch with family and friends.

First stop to bar hopping. THE BACK BAR. This place looked «fancy» according to a member in our group. It was nice looking and pretty dark and dim so I liked it a lot. We came here for drinks so 4 stars for now. I would like to come back sometime for HH or just for their food. Some of the drinks that our members in the group ordered were good and interesting. Service was on point. We left and wanted to come back later but the Halloween rush kicked in and we decided against it. Will probably stop by sometime in the future again!

Unprofessional and immature. My review may be biased but I will try to be honest and fair.
I came in with 9 business professonal co-​workers. The restaurant looks very pretty and nice. They have a back bar that makes you feel the place is bigger than it really is. Although, there is a specific lady there with one hell of an attitude. Very rude, loud, and completely unprofessional. I think she had blonde hair. Avoid her as all costs. I was only in there for about 10 minutes until I ran into her, which immediately gave me the decision to leave and spend my money elsewhere. I’m sure if u had anyone else but her, your experience in this lovely looking restaurant would be far better than mine.

Ballard, once a sleepy fishing port and boat maintenance spot, with working class Scandinavian neighborhood surrounds, has grown into something else. The working port is still working, but every sort of restaurant, bar, snack spot, café, and shop has filled the old buildings. The music venues haven’t been driven out «because they are too loud», yet.
Enter Bastille. It is an elegant space, with recreated historic detail in the main room, a fine large glass atrium left and a beautiful back room, with exposed lesser brick and a large crystal chandelier.
They are very busy for a reason. And on a Saturday, the crowd was better dressed than for many Seattle spots. There was a wait for a reason. They take reservations.
We arrived at opening and were seated in the atrium. The staff is excellent without extreme formality, like dressing in white.
Bastille has a happy hour menu of small plates, brunch menu, a dinner menu and daily specials.
The lamb burger is légendaire, and on the happy hour menu. It is plump and juicy, seasoned with salt and black pepper, on a brioche bun with arugula, a small schmear of aioli and pickled onions, cheese is an option. Also on the happy hour menu is a well balanced negroni — this restaurant admits dishes from its neighbors, and menu inspiration is drawn from a legion of French colonies.
Bastille embraces local sourcing, collaborates on a farm, Eastside, planning planting for the seasons’ menus, and maintains a greens garden on the roof too.
Bastille is one of the more elegant options in Ballard, without being stuffy. But the reason to visit is the quality of the food and drink. Beauty with grace.

I like Bastille. I’ve come here for HH and was a fan of their carafe of wine and the chicken liver mousse. The mussels were fresh and a friend said the salmon was cooked perfectly. I’ve also been here for lunch and this is one of the few places in Ballard where the wait wasn’t crazy on a Sunday morning. The space itself is quite large and I was lucky enough to sit in the covered side area which was perfect on a sunny day. I had the egg bake that came with ham, cheese, and kale. It was tasty, creamy, filling, and very satisfying. Simple flavors, but elevated by quality ingredients.

This review is only for the Back Bar. It’s such an hidden gem! I was introduced to the back bar by one of my partners in crime. It’s an unassuming spot with a über cool atmosphere. It’s surrounded by dark, rich wood, you almost don’t feel like you’re in Seattle. So to get here, you have to pass through the main dining area, as if you’re on your way to the bathrooms, but to the left of the men’s bathroom is the doorway into the Back Bar! When you enter the space really opens up! There’s the bar to the left. If you walk outside there’s patio seating as well.
The past few times I’ve come through I’ve noted a more mature set of customers than I’ve seen recently out on Ballard Ave, which is definitely welcome. The staff here are accommodating and friendly, I say accommodating, because my gal pal definitely knows what she wants and is very specific about it, and they understand that. We’ve only had a few items off the HH menu, most of the time we’re here just to chat. A few times they’ve hosted some musical guests and most recently a whiskey event, with $ 5 special whiskey cocktails.
Overall, I love the Back Bar at Bastille. It’s like a secret society, of course, it’s not a secret anymore…

Came here for the first time for my birthday with a large group (we made reservations in advance) and they sat us down even before our entire party was there!
Their menu isn’t very extensive but they have deep french roots as you can tell by their menu. And talk about farm fresh sourced food, they grow their own produce on their roof, can you believe that?!? The waitress even said that they have bees to make their own honey.
Drinks: Normandy Sour — I’m a huge fan of bourbon sours, and the waitress gave me two options for the liquor in my drink. I went with the apple brandy flavor and I wasn’t disappointed. It had a great flavor, rich and aromatic.
Food: Ordered the Moules Frites (suggested by my friend who’s been multiple times) and was not disappointed with the amount of mussels they give you! The broth its in is superb as well, so flavorful — I ended up drinking the whole thing! I also ordered a side of truffle aioli with my frites but was hugely disappointed in their aioli. It was TOO salty which overpowered the taste of the french fries. When I order aioli or some sort of sauce, i want it to complement whatever I’m eating, not completely substitute it. It basically tasted like I was eating a teaspoon of salt with each fry i dipped in the sauce. But the frittes themselves are delicious, so I ended up eating it all without the sauce!
Décor: Very upscale dining feel, they also have an outside sitting area and a cool looking bar in the back. It was dark and had a casual feel to it!
Overall, I’d probably come back, would definitely avoid the aioli though next time!

Why does this place not have a line out the door?!
We came for brunch and ate everything but the table! We started with scone that was fresh baked and soft (delicious) but the pomegranate butter that came with it, has to have crack in it! It was SO GOOD! The French baguettes with sea salt are delicious too! They have a fancy cutting machine for the bread (see picture) that is really neat to watch!
Onto the main course… I had the eggs en cocotte. It was really rich but the kale helped balance it out! Really interesting flavors! My husband had the croque Madame, this was amazing! The hominy bread really helped make the flavors of the dish come out! The greens served on the side seem like a waste of space in comparison to the dish, but they made for good presentation!
The service was immpeccible and it had a wonderful ambience!
Leave 15 minutes to find parking, it’s well worth it!

Had a great time here on beautiful Seattle Sunday for brunch. My girlfriends & I were seated outside where we got to people watch those who were at the Ballard Farmers Market.
I ordered the ‘Eggs en cocotte’ ($ 14– eggs baked in a cast iron w/​ham, kale and other french ingredients that I do not know how to spell) It was pretty good, and my other friend who ordered it enjoyed it as well.
All the employees we interacted with were really nice. There was one particular guy who helped us with wine who was SO funny and very nice. I forgot his name but my group of friends had a nickname for him at the time and he just played along.
I think Bastille is a cute restaurant. I’ll definitely come again sometime.
TIP– two ways to see it: COME here Sunday so you can stop by the farmers market afterwards. OR DON’T come here on Sunday bc parking will be harder. :)

Foie Gras Éclair: Ok. delicate, a lot of filling. The foie gras is very mousse and light. It plays on the palate between sweet and savory. The chocolate and pastry suggests to your palate to taste sweet. The chocolate is probably the most powerful flavor. A little too much filling so not very balanced in texture. There are funky chocolate balls on top that are crispy and almost interrupt the moment.
Socca Geante: Good! Lovely texture of the chickpea pancake — exactly like a pancake, crispy outside, soft corn dog texture on the inside. A little on the spicy side. there are grains of sea salt on top that throw off the balance.
Tuna Nicoise Croustillant: Great (w/​side aioli). Flakey light crispy crust, lots of tuna and potato. A dash of nicoise olives — they are powerful in their bites but don’t take away from the overall flavor. Alone it’s flavor is flat without the aioli, but once added it adds levels that make the bite more interest
French Philly Cheese Dip (beef tongue): Alright. I may be naïve but I wasn’t expecting the mustard. While the texture of the sandwich was perfect, the mustard took over and you couldn’t taste the wonderfully prepared beef tongue or delicate fondu cheese. There was a lovely onion jus for dipping which helped save it a bit but didn’t yield the punch of mustard midway through the bite. Perhaps less mustard would have helped round out the balance.

A HAIKU REVIEW!
Délicieux dîner
Tête de porc et steak parfait
Bonne mange, amis