This was the single most mixed experience breakfast I've had in Bellingham. And the most promising one. Let me explain. I used to be a regular patron at Diamond Jim's. It was my favorite breakfast place in Bellingham. Then... they changed the menu... and eliminated my beloved Greek omelette. After this blasphemy,I never forgave them and stopped going. Last night while perusing breakfast eateries for my Saturday morning ritual, I came across Grouchy's. The review said it was Diamond Jim's, but revamped with better food. And in perusing the menu online, no Greek omelette.... a mistake they should rectify, but I decided to give it a try. This must be a very recent rebranding because the outside of the building still says Diamond Jim's...inside looks pretty much the same. I went in later on a Saturday morning to avoid the inevitable, huge rush, and was promptly seated by a nice waitress. Coffee was ordered and sampled... Meh, utility coffee is what I would call it, it functioned as reasonably serviceable but forgettable caffeine delivery. Water was also provided without request, a nice touch. I ordered the chicken fried steak, two eggs over easy, English muffins...which are the superior form of two dimensional like carb delivery. We'll start with the eggs over easy. They were perfectly done, not runny, not crunchy just as eggs over easy should be. However, included with the eggs was some of the gravy that had been liberally applied to nearly everything. And I'm 61 not four, it doesn't bug me that my food has been mixed together a little bit and is "touching" After my first bite, whoa... what's this? A bit spicy. I hadn't put any hot sauce on, but there was a nice little kick to the eggs... which turned out to be the sausage gravy. Yes, the gravy. Simply put this is the best white sausage gravy I've ever had in Bellingham. Period. It had this really nice background spice to it that wasn't overwhelming, was not hot enough to ruin the rest of the meal or to make my coffee taste too hot, which is what spicy food can sometimes do. It had nice big chunks of sausage in it. It was delicious! Unfortunately... it went over two chicken fried steak patties... and the first one was tough and overcooked... The second one was a little bit less so. Had the chicken fried steak been well cooked then this would be God tier for Bellingham. Instead, it fell under the category of pretty damn good...because of the gravy. The English muffins... they were tasty as English muffins tend to be, but for future reference, please put them on a separate plate because as much as I don't mind most of my food covered with gravy, I do make an exception for my muffins. And maybe be consider adding in some jelly or better yet, preserves as an option on the table. There was none of that provided. There was honey so I use that, but I'd prefer some nice berry preserves. The muffins were good but a little bit soggy because they had been drowned in butter. I'd like them crispy and I'll put my own butter on. Thank you very much. And then we have the hash browns. Frankly, most places in Bellingham get hashbrowns completely wrong. It's obvious they are from a bag and tend to be overly crispy and dried out. Not these. Simply put, these are the best hashbrowns in Bellingham, I'd say approaching God tier. The perfect combination of a little bit crispy and soft, and instead of tasting like a ketchup and hot sauce delivery device, these actually had flavor to them.... damn good flavor. Somebody is doing these right. Conclusion: just a couple of little tweaks and this will be the best chicken fried steak breakfast in Bellingham. Just a couple of small little tweaks and touches and this place is going to be absolutely jam packed... especially if jam is included. The bill, nearly $30. Is that expensive? For Bellingham, unfortunately, not anymore. Will I go back? There's so much promise here that yes I will definitely be back to try something else. . read more

The place was packed with several groups waiting out front to be seated, 25 minute wait. When we were seated, we were immediately served water but no menus. 10 minutes later the menus arrived. We had our order taken after another 15 minutes. After another 30 minutes the food arrived. The salmon eggs Benedict I ordered look and smelled good. It did not taste so good. There was plenty of hollandaise sauce but it tasted like it needed salt and more eggs, disappointing. The salmon was tasted fine but that was pretty much it. The rest of the benedict was as bad as the sauce. Overall, lots of waiting and disappointments. Not coming back. read more

The service was terrible - arrived, told to wait. Waited about 5 min while the servers chatted, unloaded dishes, and then came over and told us to pick a table ourselves (could have started with that instead of having us wait). It just wasn't a welcoming vibe. I wanted to love the food. I LOVED DIAMOND JIM'S. This was pitiful and pricey. Ordered an English muffin and it was warm enough to melt the 4 tablespoons of butter but not actually toasted. The hashbrowns with pork verde topping had nice flavor but the hashbrowns were almost non existent. The potatoes on the Hubs Manslide plate were good, but he didn't love the gravy. Service took a while to come by and we ended up getting our own condiments from another table rather than wait. Server looked like she threw on a T-shirt from her laundry hamper and she had the same energy. Arrived happy and left Grouchy- if that is the reason for the name - then for $56 for a cup of coffee and a couple crappy breakfast plates you can be Grouchy, too. Good read more

See all

We usually do not eat out for breakfast but since it's a new business and we wanted to support local, found it to be to our personal liking! Not greasy, not overly fried or salty but just so spot on for our taste.. thoughtful and a home taste! Thus, we will be back! read more

Grouchy's is a big upgrade from Diamond Jim's. The interior of the restaurant has changed a bit, but nothing substantial. Service is great, just like it was before. The biggest change is the food. Wow! The food is great now. Diamond Jim's lacked in flavor, but Grouchy's really delivers. I'm a sucker for a Chicken Fried Steak. Most places use a premade, frozen CFS that they drop in the deep fryer. Grouchy's actually uses a real piece of meat and breads it in-house. The sausage gravy was fantastic. Add some of their homemade hot sauce and enjoy! The hashbrowns were a nice surprise. Most restaurants use frozen hashbrowns from a box, but Grouchy's actually slices and seasons their hashbrown potatoes in-house. Delicious. The quality and flavor are fantastic and we'll definitely be back again. read more

See all

Had to go back and take hubby. I tried the brisket hash which was a hit. It's definitely large enough to share. It was a busy day (Sunday) and the wait staff could have used some help. Def would return to try more deliciousness :) read more

Grouchy's - Brisket hash with egg added on top and huge biscuit!! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

The food was good but the coffee and the service were not. Ordered breakfast with my friend. My plate was delivered to the table but my friend's order was lost. So by the time his order was delivered mine was cold. Three different people apologized and one of them said, "this happens all the time". I guess that was to make us feel better. Perhaps they should work on this if it happens all the time. Also I noticed that the hostess never smiled even when speaking to customers. Not a friendly, welcoming atmosphere. The food is too expensive to not serve it with hospitality. read more

Delicious food and the latte was incredible. I got the chicken fried steak and my husband got the eggs Benedict. Gravy was delish the environment was electric. Everyone was mingling and having a good time. The local art on the walls for sale is a neat touch. We will be back! read more

Grouchy's - Lavender Latte - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

BIG CHANGE. - Same owners - New name (Formerly Diamond Jim's) - Completely new menu - Much better tasting food - Great hash browns cooked perfectly Give 'em a try! read more

The gravy here tastes like mold. Any other decent food on the plate it touches becomes inedible. I don't know if it's spoiled ingredients or dirty cookware, but I got a second opinion confirming it was definitely foul. I was sure they must be using a mushroom-heavy recipe (maybe undercooked) to produce such a pungent, acrid flavor. To my surprise, the server said the gravy recipe contains no mushrooms. That kind of scares me. I have had the gravy prior to the rebrand, and their spicy style wasn't my favorite, but it was completely different to what we had today and totally edible. I was excited to try the new menu, but I'm not sure what's new about it. I don't like to send food back, so I tried to dilute the gravy with jam and hot sauce, but the mold flavor was too strong, so I didn't finish it. I'm a fat guy who cleans their plate, so I was pretty bummed. I've been to the owners' other restaurants and have had no issues doing so. I was very discreet and polite about the complaint, and an apology or maybe some further investigation would have heled, but we didn't get either. So we paid our bill and probably won't come back. read more

Easily the best breakfast spot in bellingham!!!! The rancheros are to die for!! All servers are super sweet too. Beautiful plating on everything as well! read more

Favorite breakfast spot in Bellingham! The mystery burrito is a MUST. Goos prices, great food, pleasant staff. Bright and welcoming atmosphere. read more

Grouchy's, aka, Diamond Jim's, should have been renamed Cubic Zirconia Jim's. Same place, good people but a menu made pedestrian and non- customer friendly, removing things regulars loved and replacing them with boredom. The ambience of the place and servers remain great and welcoming but we've given up going there as the things we like to eat are gone and lost. read more