Itโs a long way from Paris, but in a sense, Seattleโs new Royal Drummer Cafe has its roots in the French capital. Taking inspiration from Au Tambour Royal (โat the royal drummerโ), a cabaret/tavern that was frequented by the likes of Marie Antoinette and King Louis XVI, Royal Drummerย is a nod to the โtasty tomfooleryโ of the 18th-century Parisian haunt, which in its day welcomed a variety of characters from all echelons of society.
On a sunny spring Saturday, I pop in to take a look at the new space. When I ask about the name, owner Jill Killen hands me a heavy book from the 1920s titled All About Coffee. Killen points me to Chapter FiveโโThe Beginnings of Coffee in Franceโโwhich has an engraving of the famed Tambour Royal, the epicenter of good times in 18th-century Paris. She leaves me to enjoy the book, my cup of coffee, and my history lesson.
Royal Drummer might be a little less boisterous than its namesakeโthere was no cabaret in sight as far as I could tellโbut it does want to play a similarย role as a social hub, even giving away free coffee in the days leading up to its official grand opening at the end of April. โWeโre trying to get people from the 10ย blocks around us,โ says Royal Drummer director of coffee Neil Oney. To some, opening a cafe in Seattle might seem almost unnecessary. Thereโs no denying that the Seattle coffee market is saturated, but Oney points out that โthis neighborhood doesnโt have a lot.โ That means that when it comes to serving coffee, this part of Ballard is full of potential.
Part of the new Ballard Public Lofts & Marketย complex,ย Royal Drummer occupies the former space ofย the now-defunct Viking Tavern, a beloved drinking hole. While Royal Drummer is far from a dive bar, itโs a welcoming space that is catering to the entire neighborhoodโs eating and drinking needs, inspired by Australian cafe culture. โBecause itโs a part of the neighborhood, we wanted to be open all day,โ says Oney. โGood food, coffee in the morning, beer and wine in the afternoon.โ Unlikeย the former bar, Royal Drummer is kid-friendly, withย Italian sodas on the menu to keep them happy.
But when it comes to coffee, the Royal Drummer team knows their stuff. Owner Killen is also the owner of Cloud City Coffee and El Diablo Coffee. This third cafeย gives her the chance to do something a little different. โIโm a total brew nerd,โ says Killen, โso weโre refracting all our brews every day.โ Shots are pulled on aย custom Synesso MVP Hydra (bend down and youโll spotย the Royal Drummer logo at the base), the team uses a Curtis Seraphim single-cup brewer, and the beans are sourced from a list of rotating roasters.
The coffee offerings aren’tย what youโll find at most Seattle spots. โWe wanted to do coffee that wasnโt available in Seattle,โ says Oney. In fact, the original intent was to feature aย roaster from each of theย four United States time zones. That got a bit complicated to execute, so Royal Drummer is sourcing from four different independent roasters they like and know are hard to find in Seattle. The house espresso blend, Antoinette Espresso (its namesake was, after all, a woman of luxurious tastes, including coffee), is sourced from Bellingham, Washingtonโs Camber Coffee, and while the sourceย will change, Oney says it will always be a roast thatโs intended to do well in milk drinks.
Rotating roasters currently on offer include Plowshares, Ceremony, and Q.E.D.ย Royal Drummer plans to switch out oneย per month in exchange for something new, to keepย the selection interesting. โWe want you to walk in and say, โThese people are making really good coffee,โ โ says Oney. For those who need a reminder of the cafeโs commitment, thereโs a card at the register with a drawing of Marie Antoinette and the phrase: โcoffee so good youโll lose your head.โ (Letโs hope weโre speaking only metaphorically.)
With a full kitchen in its big space, Royal Drummer’s idea is to do traditional cafe-style foodsโsandwiches, salads, etc.โbut all with a little more flair than usual. โWe want it to be accessible but delicious,โ says Oney. That means a spinoff of the classic BLT might involve an upgrade of pork collar and chorizo. In the kitchen, thereโs a fryer used to make fresh doughnuts every morning, and the yogurt is also made in-house. There is talk of somedayย making butter in-house too, an admirable goal.
Besides traditional coffee drinks, Royal Drummer offers wine and beer, with aย plan to offer seasonal coffee mocktails. โEveryone who works here is really into flavor pairing,โ says Oney, who points out that ultimately, be it coffee or food, Royal Drummer wants to โgive people something interesting.โ
Going aย step further, eventually there will be coffee and food pairings as well. Oney mentions the oyster/coffee pairing that Scandinavian Embassy did earlier this year as inspiring. โI would love to be able to blow someoneโs mind by putting an oyster next to coffee.โ
When that time comes, I am sure itโs something that would get Marie Antoinetteโs approval.
Anna Brones (@annabrones) is a Sprudge.com staff writer based in the American Pacific Northwest, the founder of Foodie Underground, and the co-author of Fika: The Art Of The Swedish Coffee Break. Read more Anna Brones on Sprudge.