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‘The famous eclair? That’s not us’ — The French Guys are now home on Capitol Hill

Thibault Beaugendre

With photography and reporting by Alex Garland

The French Guys are not open on Tuesdays. They’re closed on Mondays, too. But they aren’t resting.

The Seattle “mobile” French bakery has put down roots on Capitol Hill and the baking schedule at its Tukwila kitchen is as busy as ever delivering its “rustic” creations to cafes and restaurants, supplying its popular presence at Seattle farmers markets, and, now keeping the shelves full at its newly opened E Roy cafe. It is a logistical challenge.

“So, that would be the tricky part, you know,” Thibault Beaugendre tells CHS, “having enough but not too much.”

CHS reported here in November on the plans from Beaugendre and business partner and baker Renaud Lacipiere to take over the Loveless Building space formerly home to the beloved Joe Bar with an injection of cash and energy to take on the upgrades the old cafe needed. The French Guys quietly opened last week joining Bakery Nouveau in the French pastry game — its 2013 expansion to the Hill was complicated by its search for a space where it could do baking on site. Crumble and Flake, meanwhile, marked ten years on E Olive Way last year year.

The French Guys, meanwhile, are part of more recent food and drink change in the Loveless Building — neighbor Cook | Weaver is now 100% owned by chef Zac Reynolds.

Beaugendre says the new French Guys cafe space is a work in progress with many elements still to come. Eventually, the croissants just need to be taken out of the oven.

“We needed to open,” Beaugendre said of waiting for some final elements for the new cafe’s design to be delivered and installed. “Waiting and waiting is nice but when you have to wait too long — that can come later. It’s not a big deal.”

The French Guys cafe’s selections will also grow in coming weeks with lunch and sandwich offerings joining espresso and coffee and the piles of fresh baked canelé, croissants, brioches, and baguettes. Those with a more sophisticated palette will also discover creations that are “hard to find and hard to make,” Beaugendre said.

The feeling Beaugendre and Lacipiere wanted of of a tiny, busy Parisian cafe? That is staying. But, sorry, there will be no fancy sweets.

“We don’t want to be these kind of fancy bakeries,” Beaugendre said. “That’s not for us and that’s also why we don’t do desserts. You know? We don’t do that. Like, you know the famous eclair? Yeah, that’s not us.”

The French Guys is now open 7 AM to 3 PM Wednesdays through Sundays at 810 E Roy. Learn more at thefrenchguys.com.

 

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d.c.
d.c.
10 months ago

the croissant I had was great. could be butterier but that’s not for everyone. hoping for nice simple sandwiches. the french press was a nice way to get 1.5 cups of coffee (ideal) and the new corner nook is a nice addition. I miss Joe Bar every single day but it’s nice to have a sweet little cafe in the space. I think we will be keeping the tradition of spilling things outdoors because the new tables are equally unstable as the old ones…

Pete
Pete
10 months ago

Cappuccino? Non.