It's not quite the new year yet, but I decided to hit the first spot on my "26 in 26" list of local restaurants I've either never visited, or am returning to after a long absence. The Loft is a happy hour favorite from yesteryear. And I'm pretty sure I haven't visited in at least 5 or 6 years. It used to be an after work happy hour staple for me and my Bham friends. With great drink prices and delicious appies, it was always a win. Yesterday, The Dude and I hit them up for happy hour and I was excited to see some of their old staples still on the menu - including reasonably priced beer and their famous dry ribs! We also grabbed a caesar salad and a side of garlic rosemary mashed potatoes to share. The dry ribs were all that I remembered. They're tender yet crispy, and perfectly seasoned. The potatoes were tasty, too. The salad was a disappointment, unfortunately. We also enjoyed a couple of beers, which are only $5.50 on the HH menu. Our server, who was also the bartender, was incredible! And of course, you can't beat the beautiful harborside setting here. read more

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Everything was bad. The chairs, the service, and the drinks and the food. The food was inedible and came out 30 seconds after putting in our order, before our drinks. The waitress was awful, she kind of wandered back and forth because she couldn't multi task. She forgot various things we requested. Some guy came out (bartender maybe) and asked us how things were, but he answered his own question with 'good' and walked off. If he would have allowed me to answer I would have told him. Came here years ago now I remember why this place isn't a regular happy hour location for us. Just all around gross. Will never be back. read more

Just spent some time reading some articles on Reddit about how horrific the owner of this place is as well as the working conditions and cleanliness. Please read the reviews of this place before considering eating here and supporting the ownership. I will never eat here again and will tell everyone I know not to as well. read more

Spent Valentine's Day here with my wife and was very happy we chose this place. Had the Cajun Mac and Cheese and was delicious. Started with a small plate of queso dip and salsa chips followed with a pink lemonade vodka drink. Very nice atmosphere with a new view of the Bay. We will be coming back. read more

The Loft Restaurant - Pink Lemonade and some veedka. - Seafood Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

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I had the cod fish and chips. The fries were not my favorite, but I enjoyed the tartar sauce and ranch ! So good . The regular burger was tasty . I had the hazelnut MartinI Tolberone martini was better . I wish I would have gotten that. Lalo was are server . She was friendly and welcoming. The decor was dated . I loved the view of the boats on the water as it was raining. . read more

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Food does not live up to expectations. The steak was horrible and tough. I asked for medium it came out half well done, half rare. The beer was flat. Baja tacos were not good. Would never recommend. read more

It pains me to have to leave a negative review on a place I love. But two of us went there for lunch specifically for fish and chips/ with a beer. The fish was ok, but I ordered the wild burger. When it arrived after 45 min it was an overcooked, dry patty, the bun hid the little lettuce with a tiny smear of advertised sauce. I literally opened the bun to see if anything was on it. When I bit in, it was dry as hell. You almost have to try to mess up a burger, so son of a gun, what are you doing? I ate about little over half of the $22 burger with the soggy fries, because at that point I was pretty hungry.but thought, man, 5 guys or Burger King is much better. And I do not like fast food. Either someone in the kitchen doesn't care or has given up. Fish and chips, really bad burger, $100 tab... not coming back. The server was wonderful, but the kitchen shelled out some genuine garbage. Unless they think $100 for lunch necessitates lunch lady 3rd grade square pizza. We ordered what should be safe items hard to mess up. But man, ya sure did, soggy limp fries and a sawdust burger. read more

So yummy and a perfect meal!!! Chowder was excellent, both of our entries were delicious. I love that I can substitute the fries to grilled asparagus!! We will be back! Our server Jude was great!! read more

The Loft Restaurant - Clam Linguini - Seafood Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

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The food was cold when we finally received it, service was awful and the wait time for any thing was extremely slow! The waitress walked around glum and unhappy. One person in our party ordered a salad without nuts, the waitress disregarded the request, and there were nuts in her salad. Luckily she was not allergic to nuts! Do not recommend this restaurant and will not return. read more

We decided to give ourselves a treat and go to what we thought would be a higher end experience; great food, service and ambiance. We were disappointed. It started with a wait to be seated. Then we were seated next to POS stand where servers came to figure out the bill and discuss things with each other. Oh, well, it was relatively quiet...until two large, loud parties were seated by us. We enjoyed the clams, but the rest of our food was ok. Our server wasn't very cheerful. But I'll take some responsibility for that because I asked a lot of questions. We won't be back. Luckily for us there are other restaurants in the area with better service, food and ambiance. Date of Service 7/8/2025 Total bill with 20% tip = $145.84 read more

For an appetizer we ordered their avocado fries. I'm not sure who came up with breading and frying strips of avocado but they were really surprisingly good and quite unique. For our entree we shared steak tacos, which were very yummy! I asked for pico de gio and they brought us a huge cup of it. When we were seated the hostess asked if we had any food allergies that they needed to be aware of. It was a nice extra step to show concern for the patrons food sensitivities. Our server, Matti , yes she actually introduced herself ( a rarity nowadays!) was friendly and attentive. The restaurant is situated directly on the water down on the harbor. The dining room is long with lots of wood acsents and huge windows looking over the boats. We sat on the patio for an even better view and fresh evening air. read more

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Ambiance and location were great. Servers were amazing. Food was pretty good but wasn't completely thrilled. Would definitely go again if someone invited me read more

The Loft Restaurant - Bacon wrapped Shrimp appetizer - Seafood Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

Completely marginal--and we just had tepid fries and bacon wrapped prawns. The drink were fine and the ambiance and service are great. read more

Best service, food quality, cleanliness and ambience on Bellingham Harbour. Best view in the yacht basin with indoor, outdoor and in between options. We'll be back! read more

My favorite spot when I visit from Seattle. Ahi tacos were perfectly cooked. My New Yorker MIL loved the clam linguine. I love taking guests here. They are always impressed. Wonder service. Beautiful view and ambience. House made bean patties were delicious. Also we really like the fries here. read more

The Loft Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

Disappointing meal for 7. Appetizers (ribs, salmon cakes, crab queso, and bacon wrapped prawns) were okay, but very mediocre. Requested a second order of prawns when they were brought out since serving size was only 5 pieces - request was completely forgotten by server. Drinks - no major issues here except we ordered an Italian soda. This isn't suppose d to be complicated, by 5 questions later, finally got the drink Entrees: two of the special halibut dishes ordered. Nice presentation, but for a restaurant on the water, fish was way overcooked. Halibut fish & chips had no batter and resembled more halibut jerky. Ribeye steak served was nearly as much fat as meat. Overall, not a really great experience and won't likely return. They were far from busy that evening with at least 3 different people serving us. Disappointing. read more

We were seated very quickly but it took 30 minutes to even get our waters. The atmosphere and location were great but the food was below average and my husband felt sick after eating the Philly dip. I got the Baja tacos, which were disappointing for a seafood restaurant. We had to go up to the host stand to ask for our check because our server was so inattentive. You're better off going to Anthony's or the waterfront in Vancouver. read more

Disappointingly over seasoned food, to the point where the main part of the dish could not be tasted. I had the salmon cakes - an overcooked coating with a brown mush on the inside - too many capers and celery with scarcely a hint of the salmon I wanted. Sweet potato fries so covered in seasoning I couldn't taste the sweet potato. My husband had the halibut tacos - tons of onion which overwhelmed the halibut. We would not go back again. Anthony's in Anacortes is so much better! read more

Food was very good. Service was excellent \ Ambiance is adjustable depending on the seating one chooses (great choice of seating) read more

Went for dinner today and and ordered halibut tacos. They sucked . Halibut should not have a heavy seafood taste if the fish is fresh and cooked right. Strong taste and I only actually saw 3 pieces of fish. Service and the view was great. A draft beer was 7.50.we will not be back. read more

We had a great time at the Loft! We had a nice dinner, and it was a great, enjoyable space.

It's a wonderful place. Right on the bay drinks are good. We didn't eat. We would've had breakfast there but unfortunately outside on the patio it's very hot and they don't have umbrellas. The roof is right next to you and the birds sit on the roof and take crabs near your table. You're lucky you don't get hit in the head. Don't bring your dog there because they won't let you sit outside unless it's a service dog or an emotional support dog To get out there so if you handicap forget about it read more

No.problems with service but food very overcooked. Bacon wrapped prawns very overcooked, followed by fish and fries. Fries just short of burnt and smaller were burnt, fish were over cooked too, fish tacos forgot to put the fish in. Very small pieces of fish less than three tiny bites. 30$ for halibut fish and chips, about 25$ for Cod n chips. I complain Ed and they said fish was served like that but when remade was much better. Have eaten here multiple times and never had such poorly prepared food. I might come back due to apologies and remade food. As I said I have always had great service and food here. read more

Worst experience I've had in a long time. Took 45 mins to take my order and hour and a half to get my food. Food was cold. Staff seemed to not care. read more

food was horrible! we waited over an hour and a half for my group to get our food. the food was cold when it came out, fries are burnt to a crisp and taste like charcoal. kids portions were so small it was about four bites to finish it. read more

The Loft Restaurant - the burnt fries - Seafood Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

We came here for a work meal, and I enjoyed an exceptionally delicious steelhead trout. It was presented beautifully, with whipped parsnips and asparagus to accompany the well-cooked trout. I also got the blackberry mocktail, which was not too sweet, and the chocolate cake, which had a fudge-like texture. In terms of scenery, this place can't be beat - ample parking with a gorgeous, picturesque view of the dock. While the meal was delicious and I appreciated both the drink and food menu variety (not many places offer mocktails specifically nowadays), the price was quite steep, around $30 for the fish entree for a smaller portion, so I would save this spot for a special occasion. read more

Had dinner here on Christmas Eve and had an enjoyable experience. I gave it three stars, but it is more like a 3.5. We ordered the clam linguine and halibut fish and chips. Of the two, definitely recommend the fish and chips over the linguine. In full disclosure, we make clam linguine at home and have gotten a bit spoiled with the amount of clams we put in ours! The halibut was fresh and nicely prepared and the fries were tasty. Overall, I felt this would be more of a lunch spot, especially given the waterfront location that would offer beautiful views during the day. read more

The food was just...meh. We ordered Halibut Taco's; Salmon Cakes, and some Garlic Mashed potatoes. Which came out to close to $70.00 (plus 20% tip) and it definitely wasn't worth anywhere close to $70.00 The halibut was nicely cooked but the "Baja mayo" and pico de gallo were rather soupy and didn't add much to the tacos. The Salmon Cakes were..."good" but hardly tasted like salmon. It was like a savory version of an "everything" cookie with some capers on top. And the mashed potatoes were mashed potatoes. (As advertised) They were good enough. I wouldn't have a problem chalking this restaurant up to average as not every restaurant has to be the French Laundry. However, the outrageous prices did leave me feeling very underwhelmed and wishing I spent my money somewhere else. The service was great though. Their FOH staff is rather quick and attentive and the ambiance/view is probably the best around of all the restaurants near the marina. Just wasn't crazy about the food or prices. read more

What a fantastic place. The setting is awesome, sitting right on the harbor. Finally, you get to go to a place where the staff like their job and it is obvious! Happy hour has fantastic values... A great place to go. I like it because a lot of the dishes have a spicy option. read more

The Loft Restaurant - Crab queso dip - Seafood Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

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A couple friends and I dropped in for a Saturday lunch and were seated right away. Not too busy, though over the course of our meal there was a consistent rotation of customers (including folks who came in without masks despite the signage and were not asked to put them on when moving around the restaurant - dropped a star alone for this, FYI). Our server was friendly, but the food took quite a while to come out despite there being quite a number of empty tables. Even our appetizer (deviled eggs) took a long time. They were tasty, though - never would have expected tuna poke to pair with deviled eggs. I ordered the diablo burger, and was asked if I wanted the sauce on the side because of how spicy it was. I declined, as I have never met a sauce that was too spicy for me. It was enjoyable! The burger was presented well and the sauce was nice - don't let the nuclear red coloring fool you, it's not any spicier than sriracha, so you can probably handle it on the burger. One special shoutout to the pickles on top of the burger. Not sure if they're made in-house, but they were delicious. read more

The Loft Restaurant - Diablo Burger. Tasty! - Seafood Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

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The Loft offers beautiful views on the water and a fun kid's experience, but the food leaves you wanting more. Here's our experience: 1) Food: The menu focuses on seafood with a few items for non-seafood lovers like two different burgers. Our table ordered the fish and chips, Diablo burger and mussels. Each dish lacked flavor and quality. When the server doesn't ask you how you want your burger prepared, you know it will come out overcooked. On top of it, the prices were expensive. $20 on average per item and it was sub par. 2) Service: Our actual server was friendly and quick, but our food took a long time to get to us. The entire restaurant had three other tables so we were confused why it took so long. 3) Kid Experience: Kids get a coloring page, crayons and a toy from a treasure chest on their way out. The kids menu items come out on a pirate ship with veggies and a fruit snack onboard. Mondays they eat free! Overall, I wouldn't recommend The Loft. read more

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Absolutely love the location, right on the marina. I really enjoy having lunch on the deck during the warmer season. The food and drinks do not disappoint and I love the happy hour menu options as well. The staff is great and the restaurant is family friendly with separate bar seating. I really enjoy the atmosphere and the great water views. read more

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I've been here a few times for happy hour. It's great enjoying your drinks and food with a view of the water. I had the steak tacos and they were delicious! I recommend them! The staff were all friendly and they checked in with us so we didn't feel forgotten but also didn't pressure us to get more. I'm sure I'll be back for another happy hour soon! read more

The Loft Restaurant - The Loft Burger with Moscow mule in the back left and white won in the back right. - Seafood Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

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Worst Fish&Chips in Bellingham. Service was okay. Seating doesn't take advantage of the view or Sunset. read more

Terrible. I will not go back. ordered the steak salad with nuts, raisins and of course steak. Received 4 small slices of shoe leather beef, I walnut, 6 raisins and a handful, of lettuce. also ordered the dry rubbed ribs. it was indeed dry and bony and tasteless. The wait staff are not permitted to write down your order so they struggle to remember 4 persons orders. There is a lot of back and forth repeating your order until maybe they got it right. What the hey! Just write it down. How silly. read more

Food was amazing. Defiantly will go back for the food. BUT, service was horrible. First was kept waiting for almost 10 min at hostess station, with the hostess yelling across the restaurant about 5 min in that she would be right with us. Bar staff and waitress looked at us multiple times but made no attempt to help. After we were seated, water was placed on the table and we waited another 20 min for anyone to take a drink order. By then, the water was mostly gone and there was no attempt the remaining part of our stay to refill them. 5 min after the drink order was taken, waitress came back and asked is for it again because she forgot was we ordered. We ordered appetizers and four main courses. 30 min later main courses arrived. No appetizers. At this point all our drinks (water, soda and alcohol) were empty with empty glasses sitting on the end of the table. A bunch of apologies about the appetizers with a "we'll get them right out". We were 75% done with our main course when the appetizers showed up. Still no refills of water, soda or a alcohol. At one point, one of our guests went out to his car and brought back a big red thermos of water so we would have something to drink. We finished the wonderful food and then sat there. I had to flag down a waitress to get a to-go box and the check. Overall the food is absolutely awesome, good value of price, but this place will not stay in business long if they don't get a good manager and waitstaff. This was to be a special birthday dinner for our guests, so I didn't raise an issue at the time. I will give this place one more opportunity because of the food, but it will not be for something special or with guests. read more

Went there for Happy Hour. The place was hoppin'! The jalapeño pepper dip was delish. (5 star) It was just spicy enough for me. My husband added the fresh jalapeño slices to his portion to kick it up a notch. The fries, although hot and fresh, had a lot of short (1") pieces, so I can't honestly rate them as a "5". Service was great! read more

The Loft Restaurant - Seafood Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

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I'd have to agree with the 3 star reviews. What The Loft really has going for it is the location and the view. Ample parking. Unobstructed views of the marina and all of the boats. Nice indoor and outdoor spaces. The menu isn't huge but there should be something for everyone. The Diablo burger was probably the favorite item of the table, but be warned, if you don't like spice, it's not for you. The Steak Salad had a nice combination of ingredients, but the serving of meat was scant, and both my husband's and mine were way over cooked and so tough, it was hard to even cut with a knife. We ordered medium and medium rare, but both were well done with no trace of pink, and with five very small slices of meat. I'd estimate the amount to be 3 ounces at best. My husband called it "embarrassing". Oddly, despite ordering the same entree, my dish came with a MUCH bigger serving of salad than my husband's. We ended up trading since the difference was so noticeable. Service was friendly but very spotty. Water glasses ran dry on several occasions and stayed dry, and we asked for a few items several times before getting them. The kids meals were a big hit, served in a paper pirate ship, with fruit gummies added as a special treat. They were out out a few things we asked for, and the only desserts were a chocolate torte or a cheesecake, so we passed. My dad liked his bloody Mary', and the total bill for 4 adults and 2 kids was $104, so it didn't break the bank. That made me a little less upset to have such a average experience over a special occasion. I'd go back for drinks on a sunny day, but I won't return for anything else. read more

Nice place on the water. Plenty of parking and plenty of options for a larger party. Very nice variety of food to choose from. We had the avocado fry's and everything else from tacos to steak. Everything was excellent. My son's steak was undercooked (for him) but I think he didn't really understand what medium rare means. Regardless, they added some heat and he enjoyed it. They included a birthday treat for free. We will be back. read more

The staff did a fantastic job of supporting our party of 24 for a graduation dinner. I asked them to change the layout of the tables and they did so graciously, working with us to find the best layout. We used a rotating seating approach which presented challenges to our server when the meals came out and nobody was in the same place, but she was flexible and at ease with the unpredictability of our party and it made all the difference. Wonderful service, lovely setting. Food was fine- pleasant but not fantastic, but I would host a large party or a group that needs special care there anytime. Again, amazing service from the manager who got the table rearranged, the server who rolled through the unexpected, and the support staff. read more