**Review for Ono Kitchen and Bar** Ono Kitchen and Bar is a fantastic spot that offers Latin dance lessons on Thursday nights from 7:30 to 10:30 PM--highly recommended for anyone looking to learn some new moves! The watermelon and crispy pork belly starter was to die for: juicy and perfectly fried, truly heaven in your mouth. The kalua pork tacos were decent; the bao bun was perfectly fluffy like a cloud, but they were a bit greasy, making them slightly soggy. However, the flavor was still great. Our server answered our many questions about drinks and food. Overall, I recommend Ono Kitchen and Bar, especially for the dance lessons and for grabbing a few drinks and bites afterward. read more

Culture Cafe - Hawaiian Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

I have come here many times with my friends for the trivia with Randall. Randall's trivia is good and he always makes us feel welcome. I usually get a drink and they are often fine but not great. The service is always good and the employees are usually very busy during trivia nights. I don't ever get food while there, but sometimes my friends do and they usually seem to enjoy it. This is a great time to come for trivia but I don't know that I would come if not for it. read more

Culture Cafe - Hawaiian Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

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Now calling themselves 'Ono Kitchen and Bar. With local PNW ingredients with Hawaiian style. Our joint servers Ingrid and Cameron encouraged us to try the coconut water Mai Tai and it was excellent! My partner got the Wagyu burger and fries, which came with 2 whooping patties on a delicious toasted Hawaiian bun. The meat was juicy and delicious the pickles were super tasty and the fries were both crispy and tender fluffy. I had the sesame ginger salad. The dressing was nice, not overly flavorful, I would have liked a bit more sesame or ginger flavor. I had the extra patty from my wife's burger on my salad and it was glorious. I also got the chicken wings but was so stuffed from the salad and extra patty I didn't get to them. I'm looking forward to lunch tomorrow! All in all a thoroughly enjoyable experience. We look forward to adding this to our date night repertoire read more

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Walking into the Culture Cafe is such a fun experience! Magenta mood lighting with live-edge wood tables and even live music! The servers here are kind with good food suggestions. There is something on the menu for everyone! After visiting a few times, the standout dish has been the beef short rib bowl which is so tender it falls off the bone. The only downside is the long wait time for the food, but it definitely worth it. read more

Culture Cafe - Dining Area - Hawaiian Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

My husband and I received a giftcard for here so we decided to use it for a lunch date. First impression the place looks cool. Mike was our waiter and the day's bartender. Greeted us instantly. We opted to sit at the bar because why not. When you are a parent without your kids, sitting at the bar is a special treat. They had a QR to scan for their menu. Lots of unique items to order. It was hard to decide. So this review (3.5 stars but yelp doesn't give half stars hence the 4) is based on the food item we ordered. I would give the decor and service 4 stars for sure!! Hubby order their Maui Burger -- highly recommended by Mike. My husband ate it all..but was not feeling the macaroni salad. It was his favorite he said. I order the steak noodles bowl. It lack salt for me so I asked for some soy sauce and some Chilli paste to give it some spicy. We also order some edamens and a half order of the KFC wings. Both were okay..nothing to brag about. Seasonings seems to be lacking on both, but the sauce that came with the wings was good. Highly suggest to add some of that sauce to the edamens. Service was great. Food was okay. Glad we came and would give it another try and order something else off their extended menu. read more

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I love this place with my whole heart but it's gone downhill since re-branding. I've been coming here for 4 years and the last time we came it was really rough, it was 10pm and we got our food at 11:30pm. We had wings that were straight up pink and bloody, the poke bowl had been changed from such a good portion to a very small version with rice that also wasn't cooked through. I love this place and the workers so much so hopefully it was a one-off experience we had but seems like it's not. They also changed a lot of menu items and took ingredients out of things which I understand for profit margins but I'm just sad about it. Not my go-to place anymore but will stop in for the drinks since those don't disappoint. read more

Some recent reviews were mixed on this unusual place; they've obviously undergone some staffing and (unless I miss my guess) management changes recently. But...and here's the good bit...looks like it was for the better! Like all post-Covid restaurants, they're easily overwhelmed and keep the staff at a minimum to keep the doors open. De regueur. But the service was friendly, informative, charming, timely, funny even. Really good. The drinks were unique. I do NOT use that term lightly. A charcoal-infused gimlet with grains-of-paradise gin, perfectly balanced and not over-sweet. Shoyu, akavit, cachaça based cocktails, with inspired mixes and garnishes, fresh juices, and playful garnishes. And one of the finest coffee/rum martinis I've had in ages, with rich Koloa cocoa rum, a delicate foam and deep espresso flavor. I would drive across town just to have this for dessert! Then there was the food! A cravable lomi-lomi salmon appetizer served generously with taro chips, beautiful bao bun tacos with short rib filling, tart pickles and crisp vegetables. Saimin and ramen bowls with rich broths, soft boiled eggs, crunchy pea vines and perfectly cooked pork, delicious and comforting. The pseudo-industrial atmosphere is softened by interesting decor, creative lighting and great, relaxing Hawaiian music. If you sit for a spell, eat appetizers and drink more than one, it can set you back a pretty penny. But if you go in with a plan, skip (or make a meal out of) the appetizers and keep the drinks to a one-and-done minimum, it's as affordable as any other place around here, or at least those not serving hotdogs... Highly recommended, especially for weeknight routine breaks. It's just the thing! read more

Had the tonkotsu ramen to go, everything was great, however I'm not sure I'm fan of the noodles. Ramen is already pretty rich and I think the noodles are what needs to balance that imo. Still pretty good though, as far as ramen places nearby (wish hokkai was closer) this is on par just a bit different is all. Another minor complaint is the paper container for the broth which started leaking into the plastic bag, luckily we didn't lose too much. read more

Tucked away among the busy streets of Downtown is Culture Cafe, a lively bar/ restaurant. I was impressed with the drink and menu selections as well as the creative tropical theme. While I was there I got to try their piña colada and the Huli Huli Chicken Tacos. Both were delicious and had excellent presentation. The service I received while I was there was great. Although, I loved their selection of live music performances, the music was way too loud - I was shouting to talk to my friends. I would recommend in the future that they turn the music down a little. Other than that I was impressed with the business. read more

Culture Cafe - Piña Colada - Hawaiian Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

With a daughter up @ WWU, I like to run up now and then to visit and make sure she's getting a treat meal. Culture Cafe kept popping up on yelp, so we gave it a try, and we're quite pleasantly surprised! Very friendly and attentive service, interesting apps and a great wagyu burger. Daughter got the ramen, but ate 1/2 my burger. Fried soft-shell crab buns were fantastic! Always wanted to try but never thought they would be so good! Live DJ showed up a little later. Definitely want to return! (Did try one time but they were closed for an event) read more

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It was a Saturday... 75°... happy visitors strolling through the Farmer's Market across the street. And we were enjoying our own mini island getaway at Culture Cafe ('Ono Kitchen and Bar.) Ask your delightfully pleasant server for the Pineapple Iced Tea with its hint of Mai Tai dancing on your tongue. Be sure to order the bao bun tacos! Choose between pork or fish - all are delicious! Maybe you'll be lucky enough to have the Maui transplant serenade you on the ukulele while you chill and dream of more sunny days to come. Mahalo Culture Cafe! read more

Well, this was almost going to be a one or two star review... until i got home and finally had a taste of the perfectly prepared Mahi. Presentation, caliber top notch! This meal is absolutely beautiful, even coming out of a to go box. We left the restaurant feeling ultra frustrated and disappointed because everything took WAY too long. The timing was apparent because we were on a schedule, already late to a friend's show. i was jUSt super hungry, as hubby had already eaten. We were there almost one hour before my dish was served. The waitress/bartender was super sweet and fully stunning, but they really need to have more staff to assist, especially on a Friday night. We ordered drinks, and would have ordered more, but the girl jUSt seemed to have forgotten about us. When we arrived, there were only a few tables in the restaurant, and by our time of departure, most every table was filled. So, she was busy. The chef brought out my plate, and we felt bad, but immediately had to ask for the check and the food to be wrapped up to go. He was gracious and quick. Hours later, now home. i had not eaten since this morning, so i got the food onto a plate. Look at its exquisiteness!!! [see pic] This Mahi is prepared perfectly, so completely delicious. Hands down, excellent. My response right now: Oishi desu!! Mahalo nui. Aloha. And something full of gratitude in Korean. Compliments to the chef. Please get more staff on the weekends. read more

Culture Cafe - Blackened Mahi Steak - Hawaiian Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

I visited my college student today in Bellingham and he suggested this restaurant. First, the menu is incredibly diverse. I had a hard time choosing what to order. I landed on the Yakisoba and I did not regret the decision. The flavor blew my mind. The noodles were perfect. My son ordered the ramen and devoured it so quickly, I couldn't get a good picture. Our server was clearly passionate about the restaurant and the owners/ chefs. He let us know that every dish is made from scratch. No pre-packaged noodles, no short cuts. I could taste the care and love put into the food. We'll be back! read more

Culture Cafe - Yakisoba - Hawaiian Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

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I always want to love Culture Cafe, but our experiences have been so hit or miss that it doesn't really cross my mind as an option too often. The food looks beautiful and sometimes it's really good!! Other times, items are spoiled, lukewarm, overcooked and just meh. The pork belly and watermelon dish is a great example. I had it for the first time with friends and the pork belly was hot and crispy, the watermelon was cold and refreshing and it was delicious. I came back the following week with my parents and the pork belly was dry and the watermelon was spoiled to the point where it was fuzzy on our tongues. I also really want to like the cocktails especially because they're described as really fruit forward with Asian flavors, but they're really expensive for what you get. read more

Culture Cafe - Hawaiian Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

This restaurant has an air of total new-age,college, fusion "cool". It's a little bit underground. It's got that warehouse chic vibe that makes you want to recommend it to hip youngsters. We noodled back and forth on several items on the menu- which I always take as a good sign. Tough decisions all around. It's absolutely Asian fusion and in the true sense of the word: I don't think you could pin any single specific ethnic lean on the options. The drink menus had all sort of delightful options ranging from almost tropical cocktails to co-op approved kombuchas and everything in between. I got the blueberry kombucha and we also got a ginger, lemongrass cocktail. They had several nonalcoholic options which was greatly appreciated. We started off with the pork belly and watermelon shareable dish. The pork was well cook- beautifully crispy and succulent inside. The sauce was laced with a hint of spice, but not enough to make you sweat. The watermelon was a little disappointing. Likely because watermelon is pretty far out of season, so I assume it's hard to get a great melon. My two dining partners both got the fried chicken sandwiches. I took the liberty of personally taste testing the sandwiches so I could have good data points for this review. Believe me- the sandwiches were delicious. The batter was homemade and you could tell it had been pulled right from the fried. It was light and buttery and packed with flavor. Pickles and some crunchy greens gave the sandwich dimension and texture. I ordered the rice bowl.... But without rice. So just "bowl"? It came with Asian roasted veggies, perfectly cooked chicken and a bright and zingy dressing. It was a beautifully composed dish, that did not suffer without the rice in the slightest. We are knocking a star off this review due to the insane length of time we were in the restaurant. It was about a two hour long lunch. I appreciate that everything was very obviously freshly prepared, but we had no idea that this would take the majority of our afternoon. read more

Culture Cafe - Garden Bowl - Hawaiian Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

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First time having lunch here and it was a good experience! Large portions and good flavors, the music and vibes made me want to be in Hawaii. Saimin, miso ginger salad and pork plate lunch all were good! Looking forward to going back to try other items. read more

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Enjoyed the mahi sandwich. Prices are decent but on par for what to expect. You pay for good food Staff was also friendly and accommodating. We were able to bring our pup in and sit close to the window area. read more

Yummy yummy yummy plates and serving food til late makes this gal one happy camper! My friend and I were working late one day and finally made it over for food around 9pm. I was thrilled to have a Hawaiian inspired salad/bowl after most restaurants in town are already closed. This place has good vibes (and a cool mural on the wall!) The windows were all open and a nice cool breeze was coming in while we enjoyed our meal. They mixed up my order and put pork on it by accident so my friend let me have her dish while she ate my order. They were nice and took off half for their error. Everything was super fresh and delicious! We were in and out of there in less than an hour totally satiated. I will have to return again to try out other menu items! read more

Culture Cafe - Ahi salad - Hawaiian Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

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Went here stoned with a date at 11pm on a Tuesday. The food had no business being that good considering the only other restaurant open was Horseshoe Cafe. We had salmon and the burger thing on rice, and good lord, more than I expected or needed for the level of roasted I was at the time. I will say however that our waiter was getting very friendly with me and repeatedly patting me on the back, at first I assumed it was like a "ok buddy, sit down before you fall down" but then they proceeded to tap me on the same shoulder when they showed us our seats, again for taking the order, again when the food was delivered, then taken away, then the 2 check periods. I don't know what the server expected me to do on a Tuesday night with company, my date agreed I was being hit on pretty overtly but I didn't mind, in fact I was flattered. read more

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Did not realize I'd be getting some darn good Hawaiian asian fusion cooking here. Strong and tasty drinks paired well with the seared ahi salads, and perfectly cooked octopus. read more

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Great food with a lot of gluten free options. I would highly recommend. Service was great.

The food is creative and delicious, TASTY, I'm talking BOMB. Drinks here also consistently hit! read more

We LOVED this place. It had amazing food and great drinks. The service is a little slow and impersonal but it would not stop me coming back for this bomb ass food. It has super cute ambiance and a great drink menu. I recommend the soju yogurt shots and the juice box. Everything was delicious and we will definitely be coming back! The ramen is the best in Bellingham by far and the short rib bowl is so tender and flavorful! read more

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We came here on a recommendation and found ourselves extremely let down by the experience. The service was slow, no checking in for us to put in an order or about the quality of the food or drinks. We had to walk up to the bar from our tables to order and pay when we were ready to leave. After trying the food we only ate a bit because none were seasoned and tasted very bland. The saimin broth with duck had no flavor at all and was quite oily. The yakisoba had no flavor, so much of what you could taste was the bitterness of the greens used. It was peculiar that neither the noodles or meat had any taste to them so it was just oily stir fried noodles with bitter veggies and cuts chunky unappetizing stalks. The wagyu burger was mediocre. I can't justify giving the restaurant any stars for vibes either as the view from the seats near the windows were people smoking and homeless folks in the parking lot or walking by. The place was lacking in its identity and really doesn't need to advertise itself as Hawaiian. read more

The food was bland it wasn't worth the price of each entree but the atmosphere was nice and the kombucha on tap was a plus! Would I recommend this to you? Nah try something new! Cheers Desh read more

I can't even speak on the food because I never got to that part. My partner and I arrived to this place after flying in and at first the place wasn't too busy, good amount of seats still available. When we arrived the guy at the front stated that we could sit and a server would be with us. We waited for a good 15-20 minutes and no one ever came. We then decided to just go to the the bar to order, but it was taking the bartender 15 minutes to get out an order of sprite. We were too hungry, so we just decided to leave. I completely understand being understaffed and having a sudden rush, but the guy at the front shouldn't have told us to just wait for a server to come help us when they clearly didn't have the bandwidth. read more

Interesting location in downtown Bellingham! Mid-afternoon on a Thursday just @ start of Happy Hour 3-6 with some "specials" offered. Only about 16 people there, mainly a younger crowd @ the bar as well as families in the dining area. Were welcomed by Linda; a gracious informative and attentive bartender. It's always a pleasure to be greeted by such an individual, hopefully the ownership/management is aware of her value! We sat ourselves @ one of the cut wood tables and delved into the menu. Must say we were abit taken aback @ the "prices" UNTIL we received our generous portioned choices on beautiful wooden platters, impressive as the pics illustrate. Think there could've been abit more poke in the wrap but the flavors were somewhat unique and good. The menu invites customers back to partake of other "offerings"! read more

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Gavin was a great host and answered our questions with passion and lots of knowledge. Food tasted great and we'll definitely be back here again. Family of 3 during lunch - nice and quiet. read more

Literally in love, can't believe how amazing. This place is near and dear to my heart. It has fulfilled my core chakra or whatever it's called. Bring all of your broads and bros to this temple. read more

Culture Cafe - Edamame - Hawaiian Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

Honestly probably the best burger in town. Totally not somewhere you'd expect a good burger from but gosh darn, was I surprised by it. Definitely the highest quality burger chuck Ive been able to find I n town and the bun is light, fluffy, and has excellent burger juice retention (it doesn't fall apart half way through). Drinks are high quality, the vibe is chill, they have events on most nights of the week, and the bartenders are hot. All in all, somewhere definitely worth checking out. read more

Loud, dirty, poor service, good place to get drugs or find a dealer. Lots of drugs. Everyone is high (not from weed). If that's your jam, then head here. You'll fit right in. Music is okay sometimes, but overall stopped going because the service is so bad and the ventilation so poor. The kind of poor ventilation that makes your coat, purse, hair and clothes stink for days. Overall, there are many better places I'd rather go. read more

Our first time there. We sat at a table that was next to a guy who was pretty soused. The bar staff showed a lot of patience with the guy, eventually having him leave after a couple of trips to the table, but I really appreciated the way they handled the situation, they treated the guy with respect, but made sure it didn't get too out of hand. Foodwise, we grabbed a couple of saimin noodle bowls, which were great, and some egg rolls and some shishito peppers, which were good. I had the loco moco, which was good, but I was not a fan of the duck sauce, but that's on me for not reading the menu close enough. Totally appreciated the server making sure we all got egg rolls. We'll be back. read more

This place was decent. The bartender was great- very charismatic and personable. He hand crafted the drinks menu and takes great pride in his work. I ordered the Zemega (lychee soju, watermelon shurbs and a few other ingredients that I can't recall) of which was incredibly tasty and refreshing. Our group ordered a variety of dishes: - poke bowl - tasty, plentiful amount of fresh tuna-would recommend - watermelon and crispy pork belly- watermelon was pickled, pork belly was divine. I wasn't a fan of the pickled watermelon, but to each their own - chicken garden bowl - plenty of veggies, tasted like how'd you imagine it. Filling and wholesome. - Portuguese soup - very oily but has a nice smoky taste - veggie stir fry with lettuce wrap - this isn't what it's called but my friend enjoyed it - octopus tempura - batter was mushy and not very crunchy. I would pass on this - saimin noodle - we thought this was a dry dish but it was actually a noodle soup. It was not very tasty. Soy sauce broth with pork, eggs, veggie and noods. This is a hard pass. The favor just wasn't there. You're better off eating a cup of Shin ramen Total was $168 before tip (we also ordered 4 drinks). I probably won't be back if I'm in the area as I'd want to try out other places. I'd say this is a great place for an introduction to Asian food or if you want to eat something on the healthier side. read more

The burger is really good and definitely worth the price, especially compared to McDonald's.

Love the menu, the drinks and food prep. The food is fresh and has bold tastes - a truly unique flavor profile for Bellingham and I am glad to have found the place. I go here a lot for takeout and with family, but would take out of town guests here if it tried just a little bit harder not to be a place that feels like it moved into a basement and never quite got around to remodeling. I do recommend them though. read more

Great service and good food. Mac salad was a little on the bland side for me, as well as the tempura. read more

Culture Cafe - Diet Hawaiian water - Hawaiian Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

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Wow. Do yourself a favor and order the "Watermelon & Crispy Pork Dish." Highly recommend that dish. I could have eaten 3 orders of just this; I probably would have if this wasn't the second of three lunch spots we were hitting up that day. The other dishes we ordered were not good and I would not recommend them (katsu chicken lunch plate had a weird bbq sauce and the mac salad was too sweet; saimin shouldn't be paired with bamboo shoots and needed vinegar to balance the background bitterness of the broth). read more

My bf and I went there for lunch today and it was so great! The ramen beats almost all other places in town for me. The burger was amazing (perfectly medium, soft buns, juicy). The one thing you must get is the korean fried chicken though. So crispy and coated with flavor! Would go back just for the kfc read more

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Incredible little corner of Bellingham. Love the cocktails and creative food. Very personable staff, coming here feels like coming to see friends (especially at the bar). Recently returned from Maui and having this in our home town feels like having a bit of vacation whenever we need it. 10/10 recommend!!!! read more

I'm just going to admit this right up front: I avoided this place for, like, the first month it was open. I'm not a big kombucha fan and I wrongly assumed that - due to being part of a newly expanded Kombucha Town - a trip here would involve kombucha-flavored everything. Well, peeps, I was wrong. Yes, the CC has kombucha, but they are so so SO much more than that. Located in an artfully remodeled space in the sub-basement of that Bellingham landmark, the Herald building, the Culture Cafe is accessed from the alley rather than from the State Street side of the structure. The decor features exposed brick walls and local art. The tables and the bar are made of beautiful carved wood, and there's plenty of seating whether you're solo or with a big group. But the real reason I come here is the food. My favorite is the tomato bruschetta, which at just $4 gets my vote for best appy in town. Its sister, the salmon bruschetta, is also very good. For lunch recently I ordered the poke salad, which was basically heaven on a plate...fresh, perfectly dressed poke with veggies and avocado slices. So good! And on another recent visit I had their yam tacos ($3 happy hour) and enjoyed them very much. I don't know who started the Yam Taco Revolution here in the Ham, but I'm enjoying it immensely! The CC also has a full bar, as well as a decent tap list, cider, wine and (of course) kombucha! Check them out during happy hour for great discounts. Oh and how could I forget to mention their awesome, friendly, attentive staff - they're great! read more

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