Beer bar in Tacoma now also a coffee shop with local pastries, lots of outlets
The sign outside 712 Court C, better known as Opera Alley, has listed “hot coffee” as one of three things you’ll find inside. But it was elusive until Thursday when The Rusty Goat Beer & Coffee officially rekindled its daytime hours with — you guessed it — coffee service.
Meggin Gardner and Sarah Pizzuto are managing the coffee shop, which opened Thursday, May 14 with Tacoma’s own Manifesto beans, Mimi’s Tea and baked treats from Maggie Magee’s in Fircrest. The cafe will operate daytime hours Monday-Saturday, opening at 8 a.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. on Saturday.
Other snacks include okazu pans from Seattle’s Umami Kushi, which the bar has offered since it opened, and soft pretzels from Maggie Magee’s. Gardner anticipates adding muffins and hopefully sandwiches in due time — the modest kitchen is outfitted with a cooler and prep table.
Diamatris Winston introduced The Rusty Goat Beer & Coffee in 2022, following more than a year of slow-but-steady rehab of this tucked-away space near downtown Tacoma. Cafe vibes were inherent to the design: wood tables salvaged from The Swiss, a long wooden counter along the wall with extra seating, lots of outlets and a multi-hinged door that leads to a small patio. Winston envisioned a beer bar by night and a coffee shop by day, but he and his wife Heidi still worked full-time jobs.
The beer bar definitely happened — drafts feature a rotating host of local breweries and seasonal pours, as well as cider. They’ve hosted events, including the after-party for a screening of a beer-focused documentary at Tacoma Film Festival. But hours were somewhat limited to just three days a week. (That will continue with the new coffee shop hours — the bar technically opens at 5 p.m. Thursday-Friday and 3 p.m. on Saturday.)
In late 2023, Tom’s Sandwich Co. served some promising handhelds for lunch, but the setup only lasted a few months. Rusty Goat kept going, if quietly, sharing the alley with the likes of Devil’s Reef and Over the Moon Cafe.
Gardner became friends with Winston through her boyfriend, she said. As regulars at the bar, she posited perhaps a year ago that maybe she could launch the coffee shop. She wasn’t necessarily in pursuit of a cafe, she explained, but she loves coffee and loves supporting local shops and restaurants.
“We want everybody to succeed,” she said in between making my cortado and pouring some more drip coffee for another customer.
Until recently, Gardner was working for Parks Tacoma after 15 stressful years as a 911 operator. Then she was laid off.
“The universe is putting this in my path,” she said.
A few times over the years, I have sauntered into The Rusty Goat as the workday waned. I knew there’d be a seat for me and it wouldn’t be weird to open my laptop. I would ponder how it would be nice if it were open during the day for coffee!
On this modestly sunny Thursday morning, about 10 people wandered in, apparently thinking the same thing. And if you need a beer, well, they’ve got that, too.
The Rusty Goat Beer & Coffee
- 712 Opera Alley, Tacoma, rustygoattacoma.com
- Coffee hours: Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-3 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
- Bar hours: Thursday-Friday 5-10:30 p.m., Saturday 3-10:30 p.m.
- Details: beer bar in Tacoma’s Opera Alley now serving coffee by day, plus locally made pastries; follow instagram.com/rustygoatcoffeeoperaalley and instagram.com/rusty_goat_opera_alley for updates