6 Best Restaurants in Bellingham, Washington Cascade Mountains and Valleys

With a dining room and spacious terrace overlooking the downtown's Waterfront District and Bellingham Bay, this spacious craft cider taproom is an inviting, family-friendly place to sample the rotating selection of small-batch sippers. This is a legit dining option, too, with a kitchen that turns out well-crafted contemporary Northwest fare, from pan-roasted diver scallops with gnocchi to pork tenderloin with rosemary spaetzle and a mustard cream sauce. There's also an impressive selection of beer, wine, and cocktails. 

Equal parts artisan coffee roaster and casual-chic brunch room, this airy café on a busy downtown corner stands out for both the quality and creativity of its food and drink. Highlights on the food side include the toast with balsamic rainbow beets and Humboldt Fog goat cheese; notable sippers range from a ginger-turmeric latte to local-blueberry mimosas.

Reasonably priced pastas and pizzas with local and seasonal ingredients, expertly crafted cocktails, a large covered sidewalk seating area, and a convenient downtown location are the hallmarks of this casually hip trattoria. Menu highlights include squid ink mezze maniche pasta (a ridged, tube-shape pasta) with shrimp, clams, pancetta, and chiles in white wine sauce, and the starter of house-made pork-beef meatballs with focaccia. 

It's all about the fresh and flavorful tacos at this hip little tavern with exposed brick walls, a white tile and varnished wood bar, and a light-filled upstairs seating annex—oh, and the deftly poured cocktails. The hand-pressed soft tacos are available in about 10 flavors, both meat and veggie, and are served with house-made salsas. 

It's a scenic 20-minute drive east from downtown to reach this intimate but lively contemporary bistro near the north shore of Lake Whatcom, where the chefs emphasize local, seasonal ingredients. In the evening, you might start with Cajun-style shrimp and three-cheese grits or mac and cheese with tasso ham, before moving on to Low Country–style bouillabaisse or seared duck breast with a cherry reduction. Breakfast and lunch are served on weekends—try the eggs Benedict with pork belly, accompanied by a Bellini cocktail. The owners also run a similarly good sister restaurant in La Conner, the Fork at Skagit Bay.