With its amended plan of operation officially approved by the City Commission, the rooftop patio above Cantina Diablo's is scheduled to open April 9, weather permitting.

Manager Matt Mullins gave Royal Oak Patch a sneak preview of the second floor, now called the Red Fox English Pub.

"The second floor is completely different from the first floor," Mullins said. Cantina Diablo's serves Tex-Mex cuisine and margaritas, while the Red Fox will serve traditional English food and handcrafted beers.

The 184 seat pub, of which 66 seats are on a rooftop patio, is still a work in progress. Boxes are waiting to be unpacked, furniture is still being assembled and art is waiting to be hung. Patio couches just arrived and surround four outdoor fire pits on the patio.

The menu

The pub has 36 beers on tap and a small wine list, but you don't have to be a "beer snob" to enjoy yourself, Mullins said. Plenty of American-made cold beers will be available to patrons.

The second floor has its own full-service kitchen. Menu items will include English favorites such as shepherd's pie, fish 'n' chips, tikka masala, salmon in potato, roast beef and Yorkshire pudding. Burgers will also be on the menu.

"We'll also have a killer snack menu," Mullins said, including custom made pretzels.

The atmosphere

There are several flat screen TVs, indoors and out. The pub hopes to be the place to go in Royal Oak to watch soccer and rugby.

Canned music will be played in the interior space Sundays through Wednesdays. The City Commission placed the pub on a six-month probationary period to give the Royal Oak police chief authority to shut down the upstairs if there are any disruptions regarding the sound from indoor speakers.

Since Cantina Diablo opened June 1, police have had only one call for service. 

"By all accounts the applicants have run their business in an exemplary manner," Royal Oak Police Lt. Tom Goad wrote in a memo to the mayor and commissioners.

The Liquor Control Committee delayed a vote on a recommendation for a rooftop addition to Cantina Diablo's in July after then-committee member Charles Semchena said there was some confusion over how much of the second floor would be outdoor or indoor space.