Bastille Rooftop Garden Tour

Michael and I got to tour -- and taste -- the bounty of the roof top garden at Bastille, one of our favorite places to eat in Seattle. With a French inspired bistro menu that includes up to 30% of their own roof grown crop, this Ballard old restaurant reminds us of Pastis, one of our most favored NYC spots. With a similar décor and vibe, you know you aren’t in NYC when you come up to the roof to find buzzing bee hives and wading pools full of peppery arugula


Bastille offers garden tours every other Wednesday during the summer. For our spin through the garden, Chef Fletcher took a break from the kitchen to show us around while we sipped cocktails made with honey from the rooftop bees.


Installed by Colin McCrate of Seattle Urban Farm Company, several custom built irrigated and heated boxes make up the majority of the garden, providing the restaurant with organic and seasonal produce all year. We saw that last sprigs of lettuce, soon to be replaced by chard and kale. Beets are thriving in a kiddie pool, wrapped for insulation. I’m sure Nick and Linus won’t mind if I coopt their pool for vegetables.

Just as Executive Chef Shannon Galusha assures us that no one has ever been stung by their bees, I get stung. But it was a small price to pay to peek inside the hive and sip their handiwork.

Chef Fletcher sent out a treat. It always pays to chat up the people who make delicious food.

It’s all about back to the land….or in this case, back to the roof. Growing one’s own food can be done in the most unlikely of places, and as Bastille demonstrates with great success, a little dirt, water and sun can connect you directly to the food you eat in ways a grocery store simply cannot. I’m eyeing our backyard now, wondering how many boxes we could get in there and what I should plant first.