Came across this place unexpectedly. The daily special of Crab and Avacado Benedict was Delicious with capital D! The side of patoto with onion was too burnt and lukewarm but I can't wait to try a different variety next time. Ditto on the small space, but no one mentioned how colorful it is! The atmosphere reminds me of Belltown in Seattle, vibrant! The staff were most friendly and welcoming. I say go again to get a second review....but don't leave home without cash (currently not accepting cards). read more

What amazing, kind staff!! I took my sister here when she was visiting me and we were blown away by how nice (and fashionable haha) everyone was! My sister and I aren't huge sweet breakfast people so this menu definitely got a thumbs up from us! Absolutely visit if you're ever downtown, especially with it having such a great location! read more

I'm pretty upset at the fact that this platform makes me give this restaurant a star. If it were up to me they would have NO stars! Every single time I've ever attempted to eat there, they refuse to serve me. They've made me stand outside and wait for 30 minutes when there was multiple tables inside and out on three separate occasions. The staff was so rude to the point where I just walked off every time. The one time I actually did get a table after waiting outside and watching people walk up after me and be seated. The staff approached our table, asked us if we wanted beverages. I noticed they had bloody Mary's on the menu so I asked them if they had Clamato? They waitress said yes, and so I ordered a Caesar. She then tells me she's new and doesn't know what a Caesar is. I calmly and Nicely explained to the server that it's the exact same thing as a Bloody Mary, just instead of tomato it's with Clamato. The manager came back with my drink a few minutes later and told me "here's your Cesar sir, just next time don't be a fucking prick to our servers" yes they used this language with me. Myself and our whole table were completely surprised by how management handled this. I tried to explain what had happened from my point of view and the manger said "sir I don't give a shit what you have to say, just don't be a piece of shit to our staff, she's new". So I did what any respectable person would do. I dumped the Cesar on the table and walked out. For a restaurant called "the little cheerful" I've only ever experienced the exact opposite of cheerful, though it comes highly recommended around town, I wouldn't know because it's been impossible to get service and not for the lack of trying. I think they should change the name to little cunty, because that's what I get from you people. And as a blue collar person who also works service industry I quickly tell people who come to my establishment to NOT go to the little cheerful, and I recommend them elsewhere for breakfast. You have forever lost my business and respect. read more

Little Cheerful Cafe is one of the first places that went to when I first visited Bellingham. I was really impressed with the quality of the food. Yet as time moved on I found myself coming to eat at Little Cheerful less and less often until ten years had past. Yesterday I was in the downtown area and had a craving for Eggs Benedict. So I walked in an everything was like I had remembered it. The service was friendly and the food was perfect. I had the special which was bacon and prawn eggs benedict. The prawns were not over cooked like most shrimp are, they were well seasoned and juicy. The eggs were perfect as well. Not raw and yet the yolks still flowed out when I cut into the eggs. It is ashame that they only have 3 1/2 stars. Trash heaps like Cascade Pizza have 3 1/2 stars. I'm giving Little Cheerful 5 stars to help get them to the 4, 4 1/2 stars they deserve. read more

This place deserves such a better review than it has, amazing crab Benedict and kind service. 10/10 !

Little cheerful café is nothing short of amazing, between their amazing hashbrowns (which you should ALWAYS get with grilled onions) and their delicious scrambled, they do every breakfast food super well. This little brunch spot makes you feel super at home with Mis-matched mugs, cute decor, and friendly staff. If you get the chance to go for breakfast, definitely go, and don't forget to bring some extra cash for your server! read more

We loved this little cafe! I ordered the mystery breakfast burrito and asked them to make it vegan. It was the best breakfast burrito I've ever had. So delicious and so many fillings. The service is also great here. I would definitely recommend this place!! We will be back! read more

Ordered takeout from this cafe on a Saturday morning in late January on a spontaneous weekend getaway to Bellingham. I called twice to ask about if they had outdoor seating and if they accepted credit cards, and Cole or Carl was very kind on the phone and texted me a photo of the menu without my even asking. Delightful! The person who took my order via phone was also very kind and direct. I ordered the mystery burrito without dairy and a side of hashies and my partner ordered the stack of cakes with blueberries inside. We rolled up and parking nearby was free on the weekends (may be a winter thing? I dunno, it was confusing but not the cafe's prerogative). We picked up our order easily and got ketchup on the side for our hashies. I was very hungry and as I snarfled up the food, I was struck by how delicious it was! The mystery burrito featured ham, bacon, red bell pepper, mushroom, and eggs, with avocado on top and salsa nearby. I appreciated how the chef had griddled the burrito so it was crisp rather than soggy. The hashies were generous and crispy, really good. My partner's pancakes were delicious and light with a nice sour tang from the berries. We ate everything immediately. If you're quite hungry, it's plenty of food and I might suggest splitting something else on the side. I'm already daydreaming about going back for breakfast tomorrow before we depart the town...the surprise of the mystery burrito is so fun! read more

The carnitas skillet was the breakfast of my dreams! Great service, and fun environment.

They serve a mystery burrito and it was okay. However, the cashier charged top dollar ($14.95) -- the same sscrab benedict. I won't be taken advantage of by them again. The chef should also price it. read more

Food was amazing. Wait to get food seemed a little longer than it should have been. But still worth it. And bob my server was awesome.

First time here today, and it was so delicious! I got the Biscuits and gravy and "pimped out" hashbrowns. That was the best gravy I've ever had. My husband was debating between the pulled pork Benedict and a brisket hash, so the waiter recommended getting the pulled pork Benedict and to "pimp out" the hashbrowns with brisket. It was delicious and was exactly what he wanted. It was a nice environment and "Hot Karl" was a great server. The team was really helpful to each other and seemed to work well and get along. I would recommend it. read more

This is an awesome place! Every time we are in Bellingham, my wife and I would try to have breakfast here. I know it can be a long wait sometimes, to get a table and your order, but it's all good. Their food is pretty good, especially the pancakes! And if you're lucky, you might get Chloe to wait on your table. She's not just a little cheerful, but A LOT CHEERFUL!!! read more

I work next door to this place. It's always busy and I find myself asking wtf are they serving in there. Well I found out, it's the Farmers Skillet. OMG it's so good and Paige my regular server is the bomb. My Mimosa's are always on point and the food quality and wait time is fair for how busy they get. Will definitely be back with friends read more

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This place is great. Hip atmosphere with actually good food and they serve a mean whiskey coffee. The waitress is always friendly and she can handle the whole floor herself. Never felt neglected and my food was hot. Couldn't even take a picture my food was so good. read more

We were in Bellingham just for a weekend getaway and this place was recommended to us by a former resident. I looked up some reviews to see if there was any mention of biscuits and gravy and there was a funny one that decided it for us. We had to know. Well the delightful people at Little Cheerful Cafe not only served us a great breakfast of biscuits and gravy with crispy hashbrowns--yes we WOULD like onions with those thank you! --they demonstrated such warm hospitality, it made us forget how mean the world can seem these days. And my life feels...just a little more together. read more

Little Cheerful Cafe - Biscuits and gravy, heavy on the delish. - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

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Incredible place! Eclectic atmosphere with incredible food. Don't miss out or pass it by. read more

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Ham Eggs Benedict was a delicious! It was cooked to perfection! The potatoes/hash with onions were sooo good. The potatoes had lots of pepper on them (like over kill) but that's how I like it. Someone who doesn't enjoy loads of pepper probably would complain. It had really think slices of ham for every bite. My toddler got the kids cake. It's a Mickey shaped pancake with lots of fresh fruit. Grapes were cut in half already sliced strawberries, pears and a raspberry. She loved it! I also enjoyed the old school classy music. The staff was so nice too! Very accommodating and ontop of water/coffee refills. For covid safety all the tables were set at least 6ft apart and all the staff checks their temps before starting work. They didn't have kids cups or anything for a lid..(we brought a tippy cup). read more

I hardly ever write a bad review unless truly deserving! I been to Little Cheerful a few times before and the breakfast is fine, but you have to wait and the service is lacking. Today was the straw that Broke the camel's back. I will never attempt to dine with them again. I waited this morning for over an hour and was next on the list to be seated, when one of the staff seated a friend as and the hostess was getting ready to take us to our seat. He stated rudely and loudly that they were "VIP's" The young inexperienced staff care more about making an impression on friends rather then good customer service. In the end we left and will never go back!! read more

If YELP had negative points this cafe would get it. Had a really unpleasent experinece here due to a incredibly rude server (thin, blonde, bitchy). This was my first trip to Bellingham with my boyfriend and a couple we are friends with and had been so taken by how friendly everyone in Bellingham was! Until we got to this sorry place. This waitress made me feel like every question I asked about the menu was stupid and she even rolled her eyes when I asked if I could have new bread beacuse the one they served was dripping in butter! The food was just as poor as the service. You can tell the food is poor quality. To top it off when the bill came my meal was 4 bucks extra because I subsituted bacon for hashbrowns. I wouldn't have a had an issue with it if a) her attitude wouldn't have been so shitty b) i had actually liked the bacon. Oh the irony! Honey if you are gonna work at "the little cheerful cafe", it would be fitting if you could at least smile, or not roll your eyes at a customer. But hey, if I were 4 years out of college and still stuck in this college town serving every day of my life I might be a little bitter too. read more

Not good! I've tried this place a few times and it is never good. The hash browns are always ice cold as soon as they are put on your table, the rest of the food is mediocre at best. The restaurant interior needs remodeling it's very small and cramped and a good scrubbing wouldn't hurt either. The 2 stars are for the service which is friendly. read more

Last time I ate there, I didn't have enough cash to pay for my meal because a) it's 2013 and I hardly ever have cash, and b) they are not a cheap breakfast and I don't carry enough cash ever to pay for myself and family for breakfast. Why not pay with a credit card you ask? Because they don't take plastic. They kindly told me to go to a cash machine around the corner which I did...and paid. That was the last time I've walked out of their store. There are many other wonderful breakfast places in town that will gladly accept my credit card and put their customers first. Cheerful, take my credit card, and you can have my business. Until then, I'll walk by your shop with a stomach full of someone else's breakfast in my tummy. read more

Ok. So my sister and I went in for brunch, great service, super sweet staff the food was dank and made just perfect. I'm on a diet and I had some restrictions, anyways we were coming to our end and we got the bill, I realized I had left my wallet sitting at the coffee shop down the road on the outdoor seating table! I was panicking(figured it was gone) my sister went and luckily someone had turned it in! Meanwhile our $55 bill was comped by our amazing server, like how sweet and caring. But we of course ended up paying for it! I mean I'm so blown away by the kindness that Carl showed us. Plus the food was very tasty! Thanks again to the staff at Little Cheerful y'all the real MVPS shout out to the whole staff for giving F&$k read more

We were visiting briefly from Tucson AZ and looking for good breakfasts near our hotel. This place looked like a good mix of menu items, so we headed there. When we arrived, we discovered we had choices of The Bagelry, a crepe shop, a bakery and others in this quaint downtown location. This place looks like any old-fashioned-comfort-food diner but with a quirky, eclectic flair. I liked that the mugs don't match, there are twinkly holiday lights strung end to end, the kitchen is open and all young people work here and run this place. Service was great! We had a California omelet stuffed with fresh veggies and a stack of hotcakes with real maple syrup. A specialty item they serve is house-made fresh hash browns doctored how you want. They are good! Breakfast is easily ruined with bad coffee but this place did not disappoint! Their drip coffee is perfect and a real bargain. Overall, it was exactly the breakfast experience we wanted! read more

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My friends and I stopped off here today around noon for a bit since ABCrepes was closed (why are so many things in Bellingham closed on Mondays)? We all had coffee and I ordered a breakfast plate with french toast, bacon, and a sausage patty. The food was great, the coffee was strong and came in a variety of kitsch mugs you would find in anyone's kitchen or at a thrift store. our server was friendly and all around we all enjoyed our meals. it was was exactly the kind of small town diner experience one would want to have. The biggest thing that put me off from visiting this place in the future is that when you open the menu, there is a red stop sign picture that says "RULES" and lists that they do not accept debit/credit and that they also do not split anyone's bills. so for the three of us, we had to have one person write a check and figure the rest out ourselves. the no debit/credit I can understand as this is of course a local mom & pop type of cafe, but to not take the extra moment to just split your customer's bill I find ridiculous. what's more is that on the "RULES" stop sign on the menu, the tid-bit about them not splitting checks is followed by "we have a calculator for your friends if they can't do simple math". I didn't find this funny or cute or clever - I found it extremely rude. You shouldn't inconvenience your customers.. how hard is it to simply ring up 3 separate meals? Why don't they do this? and if that is your policy for whatever reason, fine.. but don't be rude and sarcastic in your menu. it comes off pretentious and snotty. read more

I was fond of the decor and the service here, but the breakfast was just okay. I do like that they used a lot of local ingredients. read more

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When you read an omelette to be filled with apples pesto prosciutto red onion spinach and sun dried tomatoes don't you imagine a vibrant and delicious plate? Well you'd be wrong if you were ordering it here at little cheerful. The name is suiting though you're only in store for a little cheer. Beyond the waitress being nice we waited for 50 minutes after ordering only to receive burnt and unrecognizable food. I would never recommend this place to anyone. Don't be fooled by the amount of people waiting its just because they have been tricked to wait for their food for so long! read more

Little Cheerful Cafe - Description - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

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We usually love little cheerful!! We went today Saturday Oct 24th. We were told there was going to be a wait. No big deal!! We waited our 15 minutes like we were told. Go into the restaurant they ask our name and tell us it'll be another 20 minutes!!! I understand waiting and covid but this girl was so rude about it!!! Not the normal little cheerful employee I'm used to!! DO BETTER! read more

Looking for a great breakfast joint in Bellingham, we were led to Little Cheerful by Yelp. Hooray for Yelp!!!! Hip, hip... ok, you get the point. Seriously though, Little Cheerful has some great dishes. Mainly, I was impressed with LC because of the freshness of their ingredients. Now, I'm not a huge honeydew fan, but this cafe made me a believer. We were offered a free fruit plate because the kitchen was backed up (our 3 person order took well over a half hour), and it was, by far, the best, freshest fruit that I have EVER received at a restaurant. I swear, they must taste test the stuff in the back just to make sure. It was positively amazing. We shared the crab cake omelet and were not disappointed. The eggs were fluffy, cooked to the perfect consistency, and the crab cake remained moist, while delightfully crispy. Still, the whole dish lacked the kick I was looking for, I guess I like things a little spicier than most. Enter service!!! The waitress immediately offered hot sauce, to which I had to imbibe. Oh no, not one hot sauce, not two, but five!!! What an awesome arrangement! The only part of the meal that I was disappointed with was the hash browns. Kinda cold, really bland, not crisp like a good brown should be even in the least bit. The rest of the meal made up for it though. My buddy tried the berry cobbler for breakfast thingy, and it was thoroughly amazing. Not breakfast food in my opinion, but hey, who asked for my opinion (wait, you're reading this, aren't you???). I would totally go back to Little Cheerful for breakfast again, although it was crowded, too a long time to bring the food, cramped, the food made up for it. Period. When in Bellingham.... Thanks for listening. read more

My wife and I ate breakfast here. They are clearly popular as the wait was 30 minutes. For two people the tab including tip was $35. Neither of us felt the food was anything special and we felt we did not get our monies worth. No plans to go back read more

Fun atmosphere and a comical menu but the food isn't that great. The first time I ate here we had to deal with finding a parking spot downtown (which is always fun). After waiting for a table and navigating through the tight seating arrangements we managed to sit down and started to browse the menu. At this point I realized that this place doesn't accept plastic. They do accept cash, chew, and bling. Unfortunately I was fresh out of chew and I traded my bling in for drugs the night before. I'm not perfect. At this point it had started raining and I had to run a block away to get cash from my bank. Awesome. Food was decent. Could've been better had I not had a hipster hair in my hashbrowns. :( read more

Probably not a place I would come back to. That being said, the food tasted great. The environment, staffs lack of awareness and seating arrangements are set up pretty terribly. For being such a small restaurant with three chefs, it took an hour for us to get three meals to our table. I also have to agree with another persons comment regarding the amount of facial hair that is over your food while it's being cooked. Again, the food tasted great just not a place I would come back to. read more

Just had breakfast here on the way to Vancouver. Took 20 mins to get seated and from the time I ordered I walked to two different Bank of America locations for cash. I needed to see a teller since I didn't have a debit card with me, but both locations were closed on Saturdays. Grrr. Please remember to take cash when you go! Ordered the crabcake eggs Benedict with California hash browns. The browns came with onions, mushrooms, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes and cheese. I was excited to be able to swap out my regular browns for the California browns, which you could order separately on the menu. Food only took 10 minutes, given how busy it was! Food came with three kinds of hot sauce which was awesome! The Benedict was excellent but the second Benedict lacked hollandaise sauce. The crabcakes were homemade and fried to a nice crunch on the outside. The egg was poached to perfection and the English muffin was lightly toasted and very good! My experience would've been better if cash was accepted but overall it was a fun atmosphere, good food and priced just right for breakfast. read more

I have been going to the Little Cheerful forever and have always liked it. I've been here twice in the last month around noon for some brunch on Fridays and both times the service was seriously lacking. We needed to flag down the waitress for both coffee and water refills. The last time I ended going and getting the water pitcher from the servers station myself while our server sat at the bar watching, playing with her phone and eating. Our food was also something unimpressive. I had the eggs benedict but my eggs were overcooked and there wasn't enough hollandaise so it was just dry. I would have asked for more if our server would get up from her spot at the bar. Ordering scrambles is probably the safest bet as it is hard to mess those up. Probably won't be going back any time soon. read more

Go to this breakfast spot to 1) people watch and 2) enjoy a handmade meal almost from scratch. The people are always fun, real and entertaining, the employees are overseen by a manager with a great smile weather it's a blue or green hair day. If you want more from a meal, look hard! read more

What to do when you search "Best breakfast in town" and every restaurant claims the prize. Go to Little Cheerful! Everything was phenomenal! The coffee, the food, the service. it is a small place with just a few staff and good food and good people are their priority. Shout out to Rachel for being so nice and caring with my mom on her birthday and for taking exceptional care of us! Shout out to the chefs who created incredible creative food in a tiny kitchen. Highly recommend! Enjoy Little Cheerful! read more

Little Cheerful is my happy place. I have been known to travel an hour and a half to the cute little brunch spot just for their biscuits and gravy. Can we talk about their biscuits and gravy for a second? You can eat this gravy with a FORK it's so thick. I was told once that there was bacon and sausage in it and oh my - it's good. Everything else I've had has been good too - I very rarely like shredded hash browns (I'm a chunky home fries lover), but somehow Little Cheerful does it just right. Also - their selection of hot sauces is pretty damn impressive, as is the variety of mugs. Servers are all fun, relaxed and a bit quirky - my favourite has worn a Taylor Lautner cut-up tshirt one time and a Star Trek necklace another. And she loves leg warmers. Only downside is they are cash only and sometimes I forget about that, but that's my fault. read more

Diverse menu. Unique combinations. Friendly and bright atmosphere. Anywhere that you can go and say the words, "Please pimp my browns", is worth at shot. Only cash accepted. read more

Today was the first time I've ever been to Little Cheerful after many people had recommended it to me. The food was great, and the service was too until it was time to pay. I have never had a cashier hand me a calculator and tell me to split the bill myself. Apparently you "need to vocalize that you want the check split" and if not, you have to do the math on your own because it "makes it hard" for the cashier. Which is fine, but not exactly what I want to do, especially when you're crowded between other customers basically sitting at the cash register. And they only take cash. But there's an ATM in a little corner where people are waiting to be seated or other customers are trying to enjoy their meal. It was overwhelming and I was very surprised at the cashier's attitude toward my friends and I. It completely ruined my experience, and for that reason I'm giving this cafe 2 stars and will probably not eat there again. But if anyone wants to eat there with a group of people and want to pay separately, make sure to bring your own calculator to make it easier for the cashier who just has to take your money and puts it in a register. It's a hard job to do. read more

Buddy raved about their blueberry pancakes. I was starving and tired of getting McD's #1 breakfast combo, so the Little Cheerful it was. Menu was somewhat comical with some random photos and dish nicknames. We both 'pimped' our 3 pancakes with blueberries, which came with two eggs and a sausage link. Unfortunately the pancakes were just well pancakes and nothing special. I think I've become a waffle person. Those pancakes just make you feel like a sack of flour after eating. On the positive the service was good as was the coffee. Cash only. read more