Another fabulous brunch at the Lighthouse Bar & Grill. Met friends there at 10 am. The eggs Benedict was the order for three of us. I had the Norhwest omelet with Crab. The service was wonderful and the view, wow! read more

Worst experience I've ever had. The servers were great but the chef should change careers. Everything I had, I couldn't finish. Skip this place read more

THANKSGIVING BUFFET: 11/23/23. My husband, myself, our daughter and father in law had our Thanksgiving dinner at Lighthouse Bar and Grill. It was very expensive, $75 a person not including tax. However, we decided to splurge for this special holiday since no one wanted to cook. FOOD: We were all very disappointed for different reasons. 1. Many of their dishes had nuts added to it. My daughter is allergic to nuts and I being elderly have a condition that requires me not to eat nuts or seeds. (Sweet potatoes had nuts, stuffing had nuts, some deserts had nuts and many of their salads had nuts) 2. The roast beef was fatty and had a weird seasoning on it. 3. The salmon was overcooked with a tough skin. 4. Green Beans were way under cooked and crispy. I ate mine with my fingers and not a fork since they were that tough. 5. Not a very good selection of deserts, mostly finger food and not any chocolate choices, again some with nuts. 6. Rolls were a spongy square and had no taste. 7. Only pie choice was an over cooked pumpkin pie pieces that had sat too long under the warming light. TWO GOOD POINTS: The Turkey and Ice Tea was VERY GOOD! SERVICE: FAIR, They didn't have to do much but fill up your drink cups since it was a buffet. Our first server didn't even fill our tea up all the way, 2/3 of the way and a smaller size drink cup. He also didn't come around much. Our second server was better. Also, they required a 20% tip if you used a card to pay and add a tip. We used our card but left cash for the tip. AMBIANCE: This was fine. The restaurant is located at the Marine with large glass windows. Our table was not at the windows but by the fireplace where it was way too warm. Perhaps, if you sat somewhere else that would have been solved as well. Next year we will be going somewhere else. The price charged was way over what one would expect for an expensive Thanksgiving dinner. read more

Something fishy is going on! Wife and I ordered halibut and lingcod and neither received what we ordered. Something else was being palmed off on us. My lingcod was so mushy that I could chew it with my tongue. Probably tilapia! Wife's fish was unidentifiable. She complained and the brought her a piece of halibut and discounted the bill, otherwise no star at all. Not the servers' fault, just the management trying to cut costs. read more

Overall (weighted*) Rating (4.3 Stars) Menu Variety: (4 Stars) Food Quality/Taste: (4 Stars) Presentation: (4 Stars) Service: (3.5 Stars) Ambience: (5 Stars) Prices: ($$$$) Summer Sunday Afternoon Value: (4 Stars) -- Worth the Splurge ------ I confess that I define a perfect summer Sunday afternoon as listening to great jazz over drinks and hors d'oeuvres overlooking Bellingham Bay. Even so, when for of us were thinking about getting together for drinks yesterday (Sunday) afternoon, The Lighthouse Bar & Grill didn't even occur to me. Fortunately, one of my companions was better prepared, suggesting we meet there 5-ish for Happy Hour! As it turned out, the Lighthouse does not offer special Happy Hour pricing on Sundays, but we didn't let that stand in our way (and you shouldn't, either). Located at the Bellwether Hotel, The Lighthouse Bar & Grill might seem overpriced if one only considers the menu, food quality, presentation and service, but on a lazy summer afternoon, ambience counts! Offering comfortable patio seating overlooking the bay, some of the northwest's best jazz musicians and perfect summer weather, The Lighthouse Bar & Grill is, "hands-down," one of Bellingham's best dining/entertainment values. Simply set aside any guilt you might have about this particular summer splurge and, as they say in Niketown, "Just Do It!" And, since Sunday Jazz on the patio at the Lighthouse Bar & Grill is one of Bellingham's summer highlights, I encourage everyone to do it slightly more often than they think they can afford. We started out with a round of drinks. The guys ordered local $6 microbrews from a modest selection of draft beer on tap. One of our companions ordered an $8 glass of wine while the other embraced the spirit of the place and ordered a Cosmopolitan ($13). Ordering off the Happy Hour Menu (sans HH pricing), we supplemented our intake of fresh air, alcohol and jazz with a half-dozen oysters on the half-shell, a house salad, an order of fried calamari, an ahi tuna dish and two orders of fish tacos (3 street tacos on each plate). Our waiter readily honored our request to serve the hors d'oeuvres "family-style" as food arrived from the kitchen, better enabling us to share. Naturally, the Oysters ($18) Ahi ($16) and house salad ($9) arrived first, rapidly followed by the Calamari ($12) and Fish Tacos ($16/order). The local Oysters, served with a selection of mild, raw horseradish, traditional cocktail sauce and soy sauce, were small, but tasty. I'm not sure I would order them again at $3/oyster, but they were fresh and nicely presented. Both the House Salad and fish tacos were tasty enough and nicely presented. Each fish taco (3/order) featured a relatively large piece of pan-fried fish -- tasty, nicely presented -- but nothing special. The Ahi and Calamari, however, were noteworthy. The Ahi was fresh and attractively served sashimi-style with thin slices of mild peppers on a bed of guacamole. The Fried Calamari was perfectly prepared without a hint of greasiness and served in a large bowl with a mix of sliced peppers served al dente and enhanced with a variety of mild, flavorful spices. The key to great calamari is to start with fresh, quality ingredients -- serving it hot without overcooking it. Consistently serving perfect fried calamari is a testament to both the kitchen and waitstaff's ability to deliver the dish to the table without delay. At only $12, this is the best value on the menu. We topped-off our afternoon with a couple of shared $8 desserts: an excellent Panna Cotta and one of the best Rice Puddings I've ever experienced. Not counting a tip for the musicians, but providing a generous, but we'll-earned tip for the waitstaff, our tab approached $50 per seat alcohol accounted for only 15 percent of the total), so The Lighthouse Bar & Grill ain't cheap, but it's worth every penny if you can afford the splurge. Like life, summer is all too short. I don't know if I recommend eating dessert first, but be sure to spend as many summer Sunday afternoons on The Lighthouse patio as you can! ------ *Weighted Overall Rating (35% Taste; 35% Service; 10% each for Menu Variety, Presentation and Ambience). Feel free to adjust the importance of each category to fit your own values. ************************** If you found something useful in my review, please rate my review as 'useful,' (and/or, 'funny,' or 'cool' if appropriate). If you love food and traveling, follow me, or better yet, let's become friends on Yelp! SYOY (See You on Yelp!). found something useful in my review, please rate my review as 'useful,' (and/or, 'funny,' or 'cool' if appropriate). If you love food and traveling, follow me, or better yet, let's become friends on Yelp! SYOY (See You on Yelp!). read more

Lighthouse Bar & Grill - New American Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

Beautiful view of the bay on a sunny day in a wonderful spot. Dusted calamari with red peppers and rocket--fabulous! Small Caesar salad--very, very nice. Classic Old Fashioned and Oaxaca Old Fashioned--both delicious and fun to compare. Andrea and several others served us so we were never without attention and help. All fabulous! read more

Wanted to try out someplace new so we stopped in at The Lighthouse Bar & Grill. The atmosphere in the lounge was like a warm inviting english library or den, with lots of dark wood and dark furnishings. Big bay windows let in lots of light as well as some spectacular ocean views. They have indoor and outdoor seating, but I did not see any heaters outside. It was 60 degrees and cloudy when we dropped in so we chose to sit inside. Inside the air conditioner was blasting and my husband was freezing the entire meal. I happen to notice all the guests in the restaurant were in long sleeves, jackets, and full coats. So bring a lightweight jacket if you dont want to freeze. We were promptly seated and the staff was friendly and attentive during our meal. We arrived during happy hour so we took advantage of the happy hour menu. Now when I say "happy hour" I use this term very loosely. The happy hour menu is still very expensive. Prices are only about $2 less than normal dinner pricing. We each started with a glass of red wine. Please note glass by the wine here is very expensive. I asked the waitress if they had a house red and was told "We do not have house wines, only featured wines" and was shown the featured wine, at $20 a glass. I chose one of the more reasonably priced red wines at $17 a glass, my husband chose an $18 red. The pours were good sized on both. * I Later I found on their own website they clearly show 3 house Washington wines, at $6 a glass!! I really felt mislead on the wine pricing! We are Charcuterie board connoisseurs so to eat we chose the West Coast Board, $15, cured meats, local cheeses, honeycomb and fresh fruit. This was a disappointing let down. Boring, small and disportionet. Only 6 crackers for 2 of us with this cheese plate. Our bill for happy hour: 2 red wines most reasonably priced on the menu 1 West Coast Board Before tip, $49. I might try this place again because the staff was pleasant, the ambiance nice and the view spectacular. My husband on the other hand said he would not come back. ************************************************* If you like this review, please give it a thumbs up. comment and follow me for more epic reviews. Happy Adventuring ; ) read more

Lighthouse Bar & Grill - West Coast Cheese Board - New American Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

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Went for lunch, honestly have to say it was nothing special. Fish and chips 32 dollars Canadian, fries were burned. Bf had oysters, no sauce presentation was nothing to brag about. Final bill 147 US, converted 175 Canadian. We also had a few drinks, and salads. Never again. Service was also very slow. read more

Went here for a Sunday Jazz on the Bay event. We got there late and had to sit outside the event room but got in there later. Nice setup for music and good ambiance. Reasonable selection of wine, wife had a nice split of champagne and I had the Joel Gott Cabernet Sauvignon. Music was from the Sonia Lee band, very good voice and nice sound. First time visit here but a very classy place, will come back to try Happy Hour at a minimum. read more

Bellingham, what is wrong with you? My wife and I had lunch here - IMHO arguably the best restaurant in town, and NOT chain food, with a fabulous view - and there were plenty of tables where you could have been seated. I don't get it. Anyhow, I had the Rachael Sandwich, basically a Rueben with turkey instead of corned beef. Really good, and I got to substitute a great house salad for the fries. Very tasty, and perfect for lunch. My wife had the Chicken Quinoa Bowl, with grilled chicken breast, quinoa, baby kale, dried cherries, avocado, feta, toasted almonds, cucumbers, olive oil and balsamic. She left off a couple of items, but it was sooo good she wants to try and duplicate the recipe for her lunches. Service is always friendly, and they are super accommodating when it comes to specific requests to accommodate food concerns. We love this place, have always had great food, enjoyed the views of Bellingham Bay and the San Juan Islands in a quiet, upscale setting. Hope to see more of you there soon. read more

Great food, beautiful setting, and wonderful, attentive service! The staff is friendly and professional. read more

Lighthouse Bar & Grill - Outdoor ding - New American Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

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Our second visit to the Lighthouse this month. Last time, we loved the halibut so much that we had to come back tonight. Unlike last time, we ordered the mussels for an appetizer - so glad we did!! I used to think the best mussels in the region were at Toby's in Coupevilke, until tonight. These mussels are so big, juicy, and ever so slightly sweet. Served in a creamy white wine sauce with some bacon and onions with a hint of garlic. The halibut.... If you've been to Anthony's for their halibut, you'll never go back. Here it's seared properly, flaky and very juicy. Not dry. Served over a bed of sliced asparagus with pistachios and fingerling potatoes in a beurre blanc sauce with a drizzle of chive oil. Perfect portion size, sooooo delicious. Sorry for the lack of photos - the food disappeared too fast! Of all the Puget Sound restaurants that we've frequented, The Lighthouse is one of the very few where we have always had a great meal. Not one bad dish, ever! (Damn few places I can say that about!!) read more

Omg what happened? Is it post pandemic restaurant recovery? In any case, please go support another wonderful local restaurant instead of dining here. We stopped for breakfast today and were severely disappointed. From the moment we arrived to the restaurant it was obvious things had changed since our last visit five years ago when we stayed at the hotel. The Hotel Bellwether and Lighthouse Bar and Grill had a sentimental place in our hearts until today. The host was friendly and engaging but that demeanor deteriorated when he realized the table he chose for us was in need of cleaning. He snapped his fingers at staff and they came over to wipe down the table and chairs. I was mortified that someone in management would treat employees as rudely. Terrible. Strike one. The wait staff was overwhelmed and when our waitress did appear, she seemed flustered. Friendly and kind, but definitely flustered. Our breakfasts were cold, the eggs rubbery and the toast unbuttered and dry. We needed to ask for condiments and refills on coffee. Portions are small and the prices are high. Strike two and three, respectively. Bellingham has plenty of other great options for dining out. We will gladly spend our money elsewhere. Such a disappointment. read more

Not only was the food here amazing and unique- the service was excellent! My party sampled many items on the menu- some of the best were the calamari, the salmon, and the duck was "ducklicious." The staff and kitchen were very accommodating to food allergies, thanks to Adam for going above and beyond. Highly recommend!! read more

Lighthouse Bar & Grill - Salmon - New American Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

Ordered chicken Cobb and got uncooked chicken. Ruined my appetite for the night. They offered to re do and/or make me something else. No offer to refund and would not make anything from the lunch menu. Disappointed because the Bellwether is such a lovely place otherwise. read more

Lighthouse Bar & Grill - Uncooked chicken on cobb salad. - New American Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

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Having used to work at the attached Hotel years ago, I will always have a soft spot in my heart for this restaurant, but I promise this will be an honest review as I was truly impressed with my visit back here last night. With a friend staying at the hotel, we decided to meet here, and I am so glad we did. We had Cailin as the bartender and server, and she followed perfect COVID protocols and even had a face-shield over her mask for safety. The cosmos she made us were strong and tasty and her level of attentiveness, even with a "full" bar was off the charts. I highly recommend the cheese plate as an appetizer, the goat cheese they had was excellent paired with the pureed blackberries it came with. We also had a hello from the manager Cory who was friendly as ever. As dining restrictions are being lifted, this spot is a go-to for a happy hour cocktail on the water! read more

Ok. This is probably my most favorite waterfront restaurant that I've EVER been to and I previously lived on an island in the Gulf of Mexico!! Our table had the following and I'd give each an every item 5 stars: - oysters (Kusshi And miyagi) - clam chowder - charcuterie plate - seafood risotto - fish and chips - salmon - a burger The drinks are stiff, but tasty! We didn't attend Happy Hour, but the menu was great. Service was above average and authentic. This place is lovely for a romantic evening or a family dinner. I honestly cannot wait to go back. read more

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We went to brunch today and I can honestly say that nothing about the meal was exceptional...just the opposite. Although the service was good and the view was great, the food was just north of awful. Greasy and prepared with no imagination or flavor. The menu looks good but the food, yuch. And it cost $100.00 plus tip. Never again read more

Service was great. Beautiful setting. But...potato chips with a filet mignon. Ummmm, no. But that is precisely what you get when you order the $45 filet. That and no vegetable, unless you count the shredded cabbage that the steak was resting on. Sadly, I can't recommend this place. To be worthy of the beautiful setting they can and should do much better. read more

$21 for a beet salad that is typically $16, but since it was Christmas Eve?!?!? Oh and that salad included 4 VERY thin slices of beet. As much as I dislike Idaho, you can get a large bowl of DELICIOUS beet salad with a lot of beets (and arugula and goat cheese and....) for $9.There's something wrong with this picture..... read more

What could be better on a warm, sunny afternoon? A walk around the water, a stop for a drink and some snacks with a view of the boats and the clear sky and in the distance the San Juan Islands? Seagulls screaming overhead and a couple of Old Fashioneds, one made with bourbon, sugar and bitters with a twist of orange, another made with tequila, mezcal, a cherry and bitters? A small Caesar salad accompanied by some Dusted Calamari with red pepper and some rocket rounded out our perfect afternoon. Gotta do this again and soon. Now, if the chilly breeze and drops of rain would cooperate and once more allow us some small pleasures, that would be real nice! read more

Very delicious food, nice environment with beautiful view of the water. Friendly and non-intruding service. read more

Lighthouse Bar & Grill - Lunch Dungeness Crab Cake - New American Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

Right off the water sits and unusually placed Hotel. I wish we had been in town later that day, we would have really enjoyed the dinner menu. Thethe French menu was like Lester, by 130 2 o'clock they already had a number of items that were no longer available off menu. The service was intentive, and disappointing for how many people seem to be on staff. The link card was mushy it did not appear to be very crispy. The coleslaw was in a tiny condiment cup I don't even understand to see why they put it on the plate. The french fries were OK they were the first thing I ate so that they were edible before cooling off. As an appetizer we ordered the biscuits and jam which didn't come until after we were served our food, I also ordered a Cobb salad I believe. The dressing was minimal in flavor, you really had to break up the bacon to apply any sort of taste to the rest of the dish thankfully the blue cheese also saved the salad. My friend had the raspberry chocolate moose cake for dessert, and I had the panic at we also ordered one of each to go for a respective partners. The pen cutter needed some thing to balance out the sweetness and the sour tightness on the mouth. It was good but it was very small and it needed some sort of cream to balance it. read more

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Thanksgiving at the Bellwether Unfortunately the chef did not give a good meal. The Roast not done, the green bean casserole not done, the sweet potatoes not done. All in all the staff was great the Chef umm don't go expecting too much. Unfortunately a low class of food presentation. I am sure the staff are or should be aware that all chefs should always be fully prepared as far as experience. The chef was amateurish at best if not just a line cook. read more

So, originally had dinner planned for Thanksgiving here but, due to Governor Impslee no dine in. Decided to do take out for 3 adults instead. Didn't offer single meals had to buy 2 meals at a time so 4 meals sold in pairs of 2 @ $100 each or, $50/meal. Traditional Turkey dinner. After 10% gratuity and tax $237.40 for 4 meals of, get this: Turkey sliced Almost all bread stuffing Spot of canned cranberry Brussels sprouts leafs, no whole Brussels Sprouts the only veggie. Minimal mashed potatoes Gravy 4 small dinner rolls, like came in a package of 16. A nothing special pumpkin pie Maybe if we ate inside or stayed there it would have been better but, we will never do that again! read more

Our waitress was very sweet but the menu was misleading.For 42 dollars u can have a very small slab of salmon with decorative sauce and burnt potato tips I'm sorry but I've never experienced Salomon good enough to present so bare from California to Florida read more

This is an unfortunate interview. 2 weeks ago a friend an I had a wonderdul, not inexpensive lunch on the patio outside, food and service was great. Today, stopped in for only coffee, take in a nice day, I sat in the lounge, did some texting, o line banking, put down my card to pay and was comped my coffee. I was in casual shorts, a hat, and all staff was wonderdul. I highly.recommend Lighthouse for a special meal and experience here.in beautiful Bellingham. read more

Very nice just for the experience and environment I'm guessing. I was expecting salmon and I got a bunch of filler fries and piece of bread ? The thick piece of bread was topped with the tiny piece of salmon. Overpriced with many bready CARbie options read more

Seemed like a peaceful place for my friend and I to enjoy Happy Hour - very cozy welcoming bar with a lovely sunset outside the windows. We inquired about Happy Hour pricing and were told that starters/shares/salads and soups were all $2 off. So, we started with a $12 dish called a 'beet salad'. We each received a plate that was approximately 9" long and arranged lengthwise were 5 small cubes of beet (probably the equivalent of 1/2 a beet.) Sticking out of the top of each were sprigs of oregano, rosemary and pea shoots. So, on to crab cakes - $20 for 2 that were 2" in diameter. Getting the picture? Enough food for Barbie and priced to empty Ken's wallet. I'd like to tell you that the beets were perfectly roasted and rich with flavor, that the "Guiness Stout infused almond soil" they rested on was savory and complex (rather than tasting like crushed waffle cones), that the crabcakes sang with flavor and simplicity and were filled with lump crab. I'd like to tell you that we didn't giggle over how mediocre our tiny meal was. I'd like to tell you that we didn't go to the Chuckanut Brewery for damned tasty spicy chicken chili to fill up afterwards. . . but all of that is exactly what happened. We've both eaten at fine restaurants and agree: if you are going to present the food as tiny, beautiful jewels, then it should taste as enticing as it looks. read more

So much potential, yet so disappointing. Brunch on a beautiful Sunday was sadly interrupted by what appeared to be frightened staff, you could hear staff complaining about customers. Honestly felt bad for the staff as clearly people were not happy and I've never seen patrons be yelled at by waitstaff. Yikes read more

The service was outstanding. The food was just OK. The calamari was nicely complemented with spicy red peppers, but it was overly breaded and not crispy (like mushy). My beet salad was great. The steamed clams were good. My wild salmon dinner was definitely over cooked. The crab cakes dinner had a nice crab flavor, but no chunks and they were too crispy on the outside... they tasted more fried than cooked. read more

We had dinner here for the first time this evening and had such a great experience! Our waiter Adam was top notch and had amazing recommendations. The atmosphere and view were stunning on a sunny spring night. I absolutely recommend this place and will be going back! read more

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Cancelled my reservation the day before. When you're on vacation it's nice to get a warning.

How does one completely screw up a 3 ounce piece of halibut? I ordered it by saying "There's a very fine line of raw and too well done with fish. Please side on the line of error of being raw versus well done. Meaning, please serve the halibut translucent through the middle". I was served my meal...... halibut WAY over done, two "fingerling" potatoes cut in half, and two sprigs of asparagus cut in half. I sent the halibut back, again, with directions of bringing it back translucent. My dinner came back, still dry and well done. And I'm pretty sure the dish was $45. Hubs ordered a burger and was done with his meal before I received my second plate that was still way over done. Needless to say, I did not eat it. The fish was literally 3 ounces at best. We still have close to $100 on a gift card and I seriously dont even want to go back. What a waste of money. We talked about spending the rest of the gift card on Happy Hour. Unfortunately, happy hour is only Tues-Friday from 3:00 - 6:00 pm. We work during those hours. Super lame. I would NOT recommend this place, even though it's gorgeous inside with incredible views. read more

A lovely, sweeping view from every window! I've been to Lighthouse for multiple occasions- from happy hour or business dates to Thanksgiving and Mother's Day. What impressed me: Happy Hour- both food and prices. Service- the folks serving were prompt, wine smart and kind. Location- Wow. Gorgeous and worthy of multiple returns. What was fine, but wouldn't quite touch the 5th star: Buffet Days- often I'd wait for the food I could eat as a gluten/dairy free vegetarian and kept left wanting. Whyyyy cover the salmon in sauce? Put it on the side, please? For the price and what I eat, it isn't a good deal. But for a steak lover- go nuts! You'll have a great time!! Main Dining- it was nice, but you could easily miss the view if seated somewhere in between windows. If I'm paying good money for excellent food, I want the view with it, please. Loved the bar, and will absolutely return. They also host spectacular dinner and wine events, which will blow you away. Get on the mailing list! read more

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First time at the Lighthouse Bar & Grill in Bellingham WA. My meal was awesome. The service was GREAT!!! Sitting outside - it was a beautiful evening topped off a great first experience - I'll be back. read more

The fried calamari was goos but the crab melt was awful. Unseasoned, didn't taste any crab whatsoever.

love eating here with the views , ambiance, wonderful. But....new chef. Same menu as before xmas but cooked differently. Hamburger, my wife liked, fish and chips I generally love but instead of 3-4 pieces of golden crispy fish, I received one slab of a little gold but mostly brown overcooked fish. Fries were not bad. The Cesar salad we ordered for two came with long pieces of salad on one large plate tossed with a dressing which was tasteless and the two pieces of tiny lemon wedges were tossed as well so they were mucky to squeeze on the salad. Looks like they need a new chef again. Last one was great! I was also amazed they allowed a dog into the Dinning room and it certainly was not a service dog. The matre'd seemed not even to care. I hope they get their act together or we'll be finding a new dinning place. read more

We enjoyed a great dinner and service tonight in The Lighthouse bar. We took advantage of the happy hour menu. Smitty was our server, she was friendly, efficient and a delight. We look forward to going back! read more

The view along the bay, harbor and all the islands around you is just breathtaking. The clam chowder is one of the best I have ever had and I have eaten clam chowder from San Francisco pier 39 and all along California to the east coast in New England. I highly recommend their chowder.... read more