I booked a reservation and still we had to wait. The 2 big things frogs legs, gator boudin balls were out. That was a little disappointing, but the menu was plentiful of Louisiana foods! The food was tasty and I ate almost everything! Loved the po boy and tasted the étouffée was yummy!!! I'll be back!!! The space is like old timey bar with lots of artsy type of employees. They were all mild and pleasant. The restrooms were filthy! Like ewww! But that's because they're so busy. There's lots of street parking. read more

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Bayou is a favorite of mine for so many reasons. I've been coming here for YEARS! St Patty's day, Mardi Gras, & downtown sounds. Today I had a new experience and it has to be shared ! Have you had their Shrimp and Grits? If not, do not delay, go now and order it! Omg, the flavors !! It's an orgasm in your mouth! Our bartender, Dan V was fantastic, attentive, funny and full of recommendations. Simply, if you haven't been to Bayou on the Bay, make it your next dining experience! A few other favorites over the years: great spot for summer outdoor patio dining, they have a family dining side and and upstairs area as well . All great choices ! read more

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Service was quick and attentive. We got sat, water, and orders pretty quickly. The gumbo was alright, traditionally, the rice would cooked in the gumbo itself with more spices. The roux was pretty dark, but I guess it was a dark roux. But overall, it was a good dish. The cornbread though, it was pretty dense, I think they used too much egg. It wasn't crumbly, I was able to use my spoon and get a solid slice off without a single crumble falling off. The fried okra was really good and authentic! read more

Bayou on Bay - Fried okra - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

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My daughter introduced me to this restaurant. She had mentioned she wanted to go here after a weight lifting competition. Bayou on The Bay is at an unassuming location next to the Pickford Film Center in the older part of Bellingham, Washington. As suggested by the name of the restaurant the food Cajun. I've been to several Cajun want a be restaurants but this one is no imposter and no joke. I personally grew up in the Pacific Northwest but half of my roots are from Louisiana. I know good Cajun food when I see it as it's part of my heritage. I was pleasantly surprised by the menu in all its goodness. I kid you not, the food is absolutely amazing. Personally I had the jambalaya. It of course was made with rice, shrimp, pulled pork and a locally sourced Andouille sausage. While it was spicy it wasn't overly spicy. It was perfect. My husband had the special which was a Rueben Benedict. All the fixings of a Rueben sandwich, however, instead of Rye Bread and thousand Island dressing, it was made wuth an English muffin, a poached egg and hollandaise sauce. My daughter had the Shrimp and cheesy Grits. Last but not least my daughter's friend had cat fish and chips. Not included in the photos was the honey butter cornbread, hush puppies and the fried green tomatoes. They just didn't make the photo. The server was Dan. Nicest guy ever and an amazing server. He has worked there for 13 years. So with that I wish I would had known about this place 13 years ago. The food was amazing, the sever was amazing. I would have given them a 5 out of 5 but they ran out of biscuits and beignets. I was so bummed about that. Next time I will go earlier and order those first. lol! read more

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So glad someone stepped up to the plate to save this beloved Bellingham institution. They have their kitchen completely dialed in and the food is much improved. Came in for brunch and everything was on point. Great service and delicious food . Well done Bayou! read more

Bayou on Bay - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

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I just LOVE this place. So. Very. Much! And it was a fantastic spot for Halloween, attracting people dressed up in delightful costumes--our wonderful staff included and even our Cowgirl barkeep! We were seated by Nicole who was channeling a Saloon Girl (and, as she was later to learn, Frida Kahlo AND the 19th century woman whose portrait flanked our table!) We loved the ambiance of the small enclosed area behind the bar, which had a lovely old-timey feel, sweetly suited to the occasion. A charming and delightful Wednesday (Maya) was our server, who made great recommendations for us, and the cheerful Andreas, who brought us many of our plates. Our meal was utterly fabulous. The frog legs were fat and juicy--the best I've ever had. (Who needs chicken??!) The fried green tomatoes were delicious. We couldn't get enough of the remoulade sauce, which was served with both. The gumbo was hardly a stew--it was a fantastic mélange of seafood, okra and other tasty bits. The only couple of notes that weren't beyond perfection were the jambalaya (too shy of goodies in a ton of rice) and the oyster shooters. I love Bayou's oyster shooter options (plain, pepper, ginger, citrus and jalepeno)--but I need to train myself to ask about the oysters of the day before ordering. These might have been loved by many, but I like a smaller brinier version. That said, the Happy Hour price can't be believed it is such a bargain. I should mention, too, that the cornbread that came with the jambalaya and the gumbo was out of this world! It was served with a small tin with a large dollop of whipped butter and filled to the top with a honey that was thick and so very delicious. The combination was amazing--so much so that we had no option but to forego an order of dessert. I just love this place through and through. read more

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A great taste of Louisiana in Bellingham. They offer a lively bar/restaurant atmosphere with a couple of TVs for sports at the bar. The menu features classic Cajun/Creole dishes - both the jambalaya and gumbo are delicious. They also include some classic New Orleans cocktails like the Vieux Carré. Service was friendly. read more

Bayou on Bay - Gumbo - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

First off, I heard that Bellingham has really been giving the new owner flack and trying to chase him out of town by not supporting him....... We went here to support him! Food was great, the service was awesome, drinks were great. The owner came out to talk to our group before we left, thanking us for coming in. All the "hamsters" are caught up in personal issues, nothing to do with the restaurant or the food or the service! read more

My favorite downtown Bellingham restaurant. Great food, great staff! My favorite dish is the Cajun Pumpkin French Toast but they also make a delicious catfish breaky. read more

Stopped by for lunch and wound up ordering breakfast. I love Cajun, so was attracted to the menu. I had the Cajun Benedict. The hollandaise was slightly too lemony for my palate, but the andoule sausage totally made up for it. The ambiance is nice, but a bit loud. The staff was very attentive. I will absolutely be going back to sample more of the menu! read more

We stopped by for a bite to eat while in town around lunchtime on a Saturday. There was plenty of outdoor seating (not too crammed together) and the patio is dog-friendly. They bring out water for your dog without asking. :) Great quick and friendly service. We ordered the fried oysters, Mac n cheese, and Caesar salad, and OJ. It didn't take long between ordering and being served. Everything was very flavorful and comes in generous portion sizes. Love the larger shells served with the creamy Mac n cheese, the oysters had a nice light coating, and the Caesar dressing has a kick to it. We were very satisfied with all our food overall and would definitely go back. read more

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If you're looking to be transported back to the South with your mouth, look no further! We received a warm welcome and were promptly seated, during what appeared to busy Saturday morning. Our server Kate was genuinely friendly and happy to share some of her favorite dishes. The meals we shared were absolutely delicious, prepared thoughtfully, with many locally sourced ingredients. The ambience was warm and inviting, definitely felt like "old town" Bellingham. If you're looking for a well crafted cocktail before an evening out, or you're celebrating with friends and family and want a delicious meal, Bayou on the Bay's southern hospitality will not disappoint! read more

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Dined here on a Saturday afternoon, when only brunch menu was offered. The hotness needs training. When we have initially check in to be on the waitlist, we already told them that we have minors in our party so we cannot dine in their bar section, she said nothing. The other dinning room section, away from their bar, was empty. After 30 mins wait, we inquired with another waitstaff again and we were told just walk in to the other side. The wait for their food was long but we expected it since it was a busy afternoon. The quality was mediocre and the foods did not hit the spot. The dishes were chipped and did not look appealing. read more

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Well, I wanted to my last visit to Bayou to end on a good note, before they closed for good. Yet alas, not so much. The food was good. Let's get that right. Chicken tenders tasted like they got pulled out of a dirty fryer but our Gumbo and Blackened Chicken Pasta were delicious. Smoky; spicy, well seasoned and cooked, etc. The cook sure knows what the hell he's doing back in the kitchen. But I can't say as much for the FOH service. We received our food promptly but the WAIT that it took to LEAVE the damn place was insane. On top of that, not a single refill or anybody to check on how we were doing. We actually waited 3 times longer to receive a check and pay it than we did to receive the food. It was a little busy around the restaurant but we felt straight up ignored and forgotten. I set our dirty dishes to the side and put my wallet on the table thinking somebody would get the hint but weirdly enough, staff kept just looking at us dead in the face and walking off. Serving new tables; ringing up new orders, taking care of other people who got there way after us, etc. And not even apologizing when finally coming around to pick up my card. All in all, I will miss Bayou. It's a Bellingham staple. But at least for us (my husband and I) we definitely got the short end of the stick on one of their last hoorah's. Which was a shame but oh well. Don't let my review discourage you from going to Bayou. Just make sure you cancel any plans you have later on that night because it's a good possibility you'll be there for quite some time. read more

Absolutely delicious food and really chill ambiance. The servers were also super friendly and I heard one of them giving in-depth and detailed recommendations in the city to another table. Definitely going to be coming back!! read more

Bayou on Bay - Jambalaya - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

Happy we took a chance on this place. There were lots of people in for a Sunday lunch and the service was speedy and friendly. They have fried okra which is hard to find, and I appreciated starting out with it. My husband's catfish was over-fried so hid a lot of the catfish flavor he was looking for. Sundays had brunch options, and the fried egg was perfectly over easy. The best part of this meal was the collard greens. They were so silky and tangy and I could not believe they were vegan. I wish I knew their secret to getting collard greens this good! read more

Cajun food, so amazingly good. I had jambalaya, Hubs had blackened catfish, college daughter settled on a burger. Appetizers: We shared fried green tomatoes and spinach artichoke dip. Lively music, fun decor, super friendly and attentive staff. We found easy paid parking downtown next to Spark Electricity museum. read more

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Location is pretty amazing right in the center of the art district in Bellingham. My parents lived in the south for a decade so it was nice to find a spot that served Southern food. Service was hit and miss to be honest. The guy who showed us to our table was much more casual, while the hostess who served us through out the night was amazing. Portion sizes are huge, true to the southern hospitality. Everybody ordered their own entree, which was already too much food to begin with. From the Gumbo, Jambalaya, Oyster and Chicken Po Boys. On top of that we ordered fried Okra and Popcorn Shrimp. Everything was good. The sweet potato fries are THICK, the chicken had a crisp fry, and the Jambalaya had way more protein than I was initially expecting. read more

I was in Bellingham on business and decided to get dinner before I left. After looking through my options, I decided on Bayou on Bay because I love Cajun food. I looked over the menu and decided on Jambalaya, and I'm very happy I did! The menu describes the Jambalaya as containing smoked chicken, tasso pork, local andouille sausage, and Bay shrimp. To me, that is an impressive amount of meat. When I actually ate it, I found that EVERY bite was mostly meat of one or more types with very little rice! Not only that, but I really liked the flavor of the dish. The Jambalaya also included a square of cornbread. It wasn't gargantuan, just a normal piece of cornbread that was a good compliment to the meal. If you decide to visit Bayou on Bay I would recommend the Jambalaya. Also, if you're vegan, they offer a vegan Jambalaya. read more

2 stars (meteors in my ranking) for the ambivalence of this place ... just wow. There is good sitting, tablets, and so much MORE. couldnt finid my order, it was cold and runny. Maybe that's why i got the runs later that night! great servers with a passion for cash .... lol read more

First time visiting Bayou on Bay and couldn't have been more impressed. The staff was friendly, from the host, server, and runner. Everything came exactly as ordered as there were a couple of modifications which they did with no issues. The menu was impressive. While they were out of a couple of items that I was interested in, there were plenty of alternatives to make me happy. We started with fried okra, fried oysters, and hush puppies as appetizers. While I prefer the okra a little saltier, it was very good. I even liked the oysters which I normally would not. I had two which is saying something. The hush puppies were a little over done for my normal taste but still delicious. For the main course I had the gumbo. It had all the goodness of shrimp, sausage, chicken, and veggies in a rich brown grave with rice on the side and a yummy piece of cornbread. Plenty to take home after sampling half the menu. I can't wait to go back to try the crab cakes and alligator skewers. They were out this time. read more

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DAN is the man. From the south it's hard to find flavor like home. This is the spot Food was very good and Dan knows how to make an excellent drink. read more

The food was very good! I had a broad sampler with hush puppies, red beans and rice, and fried shrimp. Everything on the menu looked good, and I'm looking forward to trying more things the next time I come. read more

Bayou on Bay - Small cup of red beans and rice. - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

We were excited to have some Cajun food but disappointed in the limited Sunday brunch menu. Growing up in New Orleans, I know how Cajun food should taste. The small fried oyster plate was good and the chicken poboy was fair except for the burnt bun that fell apart. It really was a chicken sandwich! The six beignets were great and worth the price! Our server was average, but we always tip well as we know this can be a thankless job. You may have better selections during dinner hours. read more

The food was really good. We loved the fried oysters and the gumbo. The gumbo had a nice, dark roux. The jambalaya is ok. Mac and cheese were meh. Beignets were ok. Next time I'd have honey butter with the beignets. The service was great. The portions are HUGE. Not quite NOLA but decent considering this is the PNW. Bayou on Bay certainly hit the crave spot and we will return. read more

Bayou on Bay - Delicious gumbo and cornbread. - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

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I used to come here solely for HH drinks and fries when I went to WWU so I had zero expectations of this restaurant when it came to brunch. From what I hear, it's very casual & relaxed service so expect to wait on the weekends. The seating in there seems pretty tight to me but that could just be me. We went with a group of 11 - so we knew we'd have to wait and the wait time was adequate. We got sat and ordered micheladas and bloody mary's. Just as I remembered them, love the cajun rim on them! I ordered the shrimp and bacon scramble with potatoes - it was good. Not sure if it's because I mixed it with the potatoes underneath but the shrimp were kind of scrawny like the small cocktail type. Womp. My husband ordered a burger w fries. The sauce that comes w the fries - I could've eaten alone, it was so damn good. The biggest highlight was the service. With a large party & my kid had an accident at the table, the servers were very attentive and helpful cleaning up a mess my kid made. I would come back and brunch here :P read more

Bayou on Bay - Shrimp & Bacon Scramble - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

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Terrible service. Took 10 minutes to get silverware after having to ask for it. Food is disgusting now. Jambalaya was flavorless mush. Crawfish was hard to peel and flavorless. Cornbread was dry and crumbled to dust. Only thing that was good was Bloody Mary. There were 4 customers in total though and the server was acting like she was swamped. read more

New owners have taken a restaurant with mediocre food and made it worse. Expensive, too.

Literally have never been dissatisfied with this place. The food is chef's kiss, super flavorful and BIG portions. The jambalaya is my go to dish and I'm never disappointed. We tried the chicken tenders and popcorn shrimp as an appetizer (and let me tell you!) Whatever they use to season them, phenomenal!!! Chicken strips had the BEST crunch and still was juicy. Also, we split those between 6 people and still had leftovers. The staff are always super nice and a vibe to be around. Always, top notch with service! Love it here! read more

Bayou on Bay - Jambalaya - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

Food is amazing, their chicken tenders with honey mustard is so delicious!! Portions are pretty decent for main dishes. Went on a Friday night and it was very busy, they said I would be about a 30 minute wait but we were seated quicker than that. Server was very kind and accommodating. The atmosphere was loud but pleasant. Was wanting to order take out for lunch but they don't open until 3pm on weekdays. Highly recommend both food and drinks! read more

Bayou on Bay - Blackened chicken Caesar salad - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

This place is one of my favorites in town! Highly recommend! I usually get the crispy chicken sandwich, sweet potato fries or the Mac and cheese. The food is great here and the customer service has been professional & fun! The food portions are great and the menu has so many different options. The food has flavor and def hits the spot! If you are looking for a fun place to eat and try something different I would come here. Never had a problem with wait time or finding a seat. read more

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Absolutely delicious, scrumptious and every adjective I could think of.::: I had the Shrimp & Grits and my son had the Seafood Pasta...

Our friends love this place for brunch so the four of us came here My wife wanted decaf, THEY DONT HAVE DECAF Three of us were pleased with our meal My wife received three pieces of french toast, nothing else For $14 we expect a lot more, the other three dishes were generous portions My wife was not happy at all at here with her meal, no decaf and just 3 pieces of bread read more

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Their house salad is mouth watering with homemade dressing and candied pecans. The lemon pepper garlic wings with their remoulade, addicting. Sweet potato fries, hush puppies and chicken tenders are one of a kind! The shrimp and grits are out of this world tasty! read more

Bayou on Bay - Simply the best Cajun/Creole Southern food in Bellingham. - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

We were visiting my daughter who is going to school in Bellingham and we decided to go to Bayou on the Bay. Great decision! My daughter ordered the seafood pasta and it was next level good!!! I had the jambalaya it was good but I probably would order the pasta next time. My husband had the chicken po' boy and he said it was fantastic. My other daughter had the shrimp e'touffee and she loved it, big juicy shrimp! We will definitely go back. Fun vib and the wait staff was friendly! Thanks for a great evening. read more

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Did was second only to the best service from Dan. Definitely will be back . Biggest oysters I have ever had.

I never discovered Bayou when I was living in Bellingham while attending WWU. Now however, I tend to stop in for a visit every time i'm in town. Bayou on the bay is a Cajun/Creole restaurant that is family owned and has an incredibly friendly staff. As with any place that has great food and good service, you can expect a wait, especially for breakfast/brunch on the weekends. Bellingham has certainly gotten busier, so parking may be a bit tricky during the weekend rush, but I haven't had an issue finding a spot on the street with a block or two. Maybe you can let someone out to put a name down on the list while you circle the block? Given the Covid climate of things, you can expect to show proof of vaccination and ID- and i'm pleased to see they are taking this precaution very seriously. The food and drinks are excellent, and I've enjoyed the happy hour as well. Don't skip on this place for a nice Sunday brunch.. Cheers! read more

Bayou on Bay - a plate of food on a table - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

My husband and I came here the night before our anniversary, the evening of 10/10. I am a HUGE fan of Cajun food and spent a lot of time in the south when I was a child. It's been hard to find anything that compares. Bayou on Bay totally hit the mark. The hush puppies were absolutely perfect. My husband, who doesn't really like alligator, ate the gator skewer so fast and wished he'd had more. The gumbo I ordered was the perfect blend of spices and really hit the spot. Comfort food is putting it lightly: this place had food and atmosphere that made me feel like I was in my grandma's kitchen in the south. And as if I wasn't already completely full from the southern-sized portions, we also had the amazing banana pudding for dessert. The staff was also so incredible. I had a tough phone call while I was at dinner, and the staff really went above and beyond to give me some kindness. Thank you so much for this amazing experience! As a side note, I sent pics to my grandparents in the south and they approved. read more

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That was my first time at the bayou . Serves delicious creole / New Orleans style food with its own twist . Food tasted great , we ordered smoked fish and jambalaya, paired well with their perfectly mixed hurricane . A refreshing corner in Bellingham, with great atmosphere. read more

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I do wish that Bayou was open for brunch more than just weekends! I love the menu, day or night, and there are items hard to find elsewhere - like grits! I really enjoy the grits and eggs, especially the cheesy kind. Ambiance and service are excellent, the cocktails (yes, it's tru that I'm a day drinker for brunch!), and the delightful Bloody Mary bar is a fave. read more

Bayou on Bay - I dove into the wings before remembering to take a picture! - Cajun/Creole Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

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