Fully impressed with the balance of this place. Recently moved from Seattle, and have looked at the array of "best of Bellingham" restaurants. This place would beat: best price wise, best health conscious menu, best tasting beverages, best happy hour, best service (thanks Kristina)! Best. Of Bellingham. read more

Northwater - Roasted cauliflower to share! - American Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

Well, with all the great reviews we had really high hopes. We got there on Friday evening and the place was packed (a good sign). Well maybe the place ended up a little too packed for them and they didn't know how to handle things. The waiter did a good job of coming around and apologizing for the wait though. So we started off with the Seafood Corn Dogs. Yeah it sounded weird to me too, what was I thinking? I would have to say they definitely have potential. They are almost like a crab cakes except that they have no crab, and well, really they have no seafood in them either. Seemed like it was nothing more then fried up batter. The blueberry mustard was good though. The wife went with a hamburger and I had the Drunken Green Curry Noodles. A hamburger is a pretty good check of a restaurant. My wife cut the hamburger in half and grease just oozed out all over the plate. I said, that is just juice, that is not grease. She only ate half of it, and I have to give her credit that she was such a trooper. The burger really should have gone back to the kitchen. When I tried the other half, it brought back memories of my youth. I had a flash back to the time my mom cooked some burgers up in the frying pan and forgot about them. Yes one side of the burger was that black, crispy, cooked in grease taste. Oh how I remember those days. I didn't think it was possible to recreate such a memory. The fries were okay. We didn't have any drinks at all, just soda and tea, so I am beginning to think that is a factor in how the reviews on this place are so good. They give you enough time to make sure you get a drink or two in you before your order shows up. In fact I totally missed the clue when ordering the Drunken noodle. You have to be drunk to be able to eat the stuff. (give me On-Rice any day). The meal was like a bowl of liquid spices that over powered things so much that you couldn't make out what was going on. I know somewhere, someone must have been enjoying a good side of asparagus, but the drunken noodle had the cut off ends in it, you know the ones that you usually throw in the garbage when you serve the good stuff. In fact I have made better left over meals myself where you thow it all into a pot and add some spice to confuse the kids. I ate it though, but I was hungry and the damn thing was $18 bucks. If your stuck in an airport hotel in bellingham with no other place to eat, then this place will probably do. After all you would be there for the drinks. read more

My wife and I came here for our 4-year anniversary. We had the rotisserie chicken which was amazing! We also had some cocktails, including a whiskey sour which comes with a smoked ice cube. Super good. Staff made us feel like celebrities the entire time. If they keep it up they will be a top restaurant in Whatcom County. Great job. read more

I've visited Northwater twice. Once for dinner, and once for happy hour. Beautiful decor, warm and friendly staff who were so very enthusiastic about the new restaurant and its superb ingredients. The bar staff was fun, knowledgeable, and crafted beautiful cocktails. I wasn't sure about the first one I ordered, and they insisted on making me one I would love. The food was plated beautifully, and each item I had was a treat for the eyes and the tastebuds! The roasted cauliflower and the house salad I think were my favorite small bites. Much love for the farm to table efforts, and the inventive creations! read more

Northwater - Aside from the artful plate - the flavors were fantastic - cilantro mint sauce & harissa aioli were a great combination - American Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

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This is a very... adequate restaurant in a nice, newer setting. Great if you're on your way for a flight and have a little extra time to spare. However I wouldn't go out of the way for it. I wouldn't avoid it either. Breakfast was decent, well portioned. And the staff was very nice and attentive. read more

What a great experience at Northwater! Food was excellent! We had the Beet salad, whiskey bacon mac n cheese, and the pork chop. The staff was so friendly and wonderful. Love the decor as well. Cant wait to try more items off the menu. Everything sounds so good! read more

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I recently went to Northwater with a friend. The food was ok. Not great not bad. I'll go back and try it again. Our waitress was wonderful and I asked to see the manager so I could tell her how great she was. The reason my review is a 3 star is because I felt like the atmosphere was like a hospital or a nurson home. No warm and fuzzies anywhere. read more

My four star review is based on the evening wait staff! My goodness, they bent over backwards to take care of us! Loved the outdoor dining area. The food was nice for a hotel restaurant, but would not make a special trip here. We had the bison burger, enjoyed it. The fries were great! Also tried the Lentil Fries, which would actually make an awesome entree for a vegan. They were delicious, but very filling. We also had breakfast here. Pretty standard breakfast fare, but I was disappointed in the fresh "seasonal" fruit, which TBH was not seasonal, other than the few beautiful local strawberries. The blueberries were actually either canned or frozen, which is a crime in this area at this time of the year!! read more

A comfortable clean welcoming establishment. The BEST was Natalie, our server! She met & exceeded expectations for our group of 10; not an easy chore. It was a Bday celebration so RANDOM requests, to say the least, were met quickly & completely. The menu is enticing & well formulated to meet all "tastes", one of the reasons we came here! Quality of ingredients is good but must say the "flavors" need to be expanded on, more "intensity & depth" of those flavors is needed. Will definitely return to try more of the "offerings"... Keep up the good work! read more

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I have to admit, I don't get the rave reviews. I'd like to give 3 1/2 stars here, but no option for partial credit. My wife and I went to Northwater for dinner last night. The atmosphere was very "hotel", a little sterile, innocuous. Service was attentive and classically "professional ", formal and non casual. We ordered an app that never came (no problem, misses happen). Our entrees were 2 of the nightly specials, duck and salmon risotto. The duck came our far rarer than recommended by our server. The risotto was oniony and herbal, overwhelming the flavor of the nicely prepared salmon. Our wines, Malbec and Cabernet were both very good and well aerated, ready for consumption. This isn't a Bad restaurant, but it also won't be a featured choice to show off Bellingham's fine cuisines when friends come to town. read more

Food is 5 stars! Those deviled eggs are divine. We love to bring our friends and family here and know they'll always be able to take this. Haven't had a meal that hasn't been amazing here. Their brunch, holy cow. Now for the bad, I hate to write something negative but I'm only bringing it up with hopes it'll change before we fizzle out and stop coming. The drinks have gone downhill fast. They used to be amazing and I would recommend people just for the cocktails. Now they are terrible. I got the patio nectar last visit and it tasted like club soda. Secondly, the service has been slow. I mean SLOWWW every visit. Sometimes we don't care because we're visiting with friends but it's like a 2 hour experience here sometimes. It took the bartender 30 mins to get our cocktails and we were told there was a rush (we peeked, there were 4 people over there) there really shouldn't be any reason our food should take so long when we're the only people in the restaurant. The waiters are all very sweet and personable. Sorry guys, we love you and love to send you business but can't recommend you any longer until something changes. But for those reading this, the food is so great. Like we'll keep trying this place even with the slow service because the food is some of the best in town. Come for the food, plan on staying awhile. read more

Phenomenal restaurant attached to an airport Holiday Inn. Definitely worth a try. Wide variety of options on the menu, great decor, cool vibe. Was surprised to find such an amazing restaurant attached to an airport hotel. A great surprise! Hopefully has a good local following too!!! I absolutely loved it. read more

Northwater - Try the Rosemary Sea Salt Fries! - American Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

Brand new "shinny" restaurant in a new hotel right across from the airport. If you like new and no character, its fine. The food was fair. I don't need to go back for anything they had, but it was OK. It was the (lack of) service that drove us nuts. (There were 3 in the party). The host was very pleasant and we were seated promptly. The server was also pleasant. Just inept. It took 1 1/2 hours from the time we ordered to get our meal. AND all our meals were pasta! Should have been quick. At the end of this experience I asked for coffee. When I saw him pass about 10 minutes later, he apologized for forgetting my coffee and asked if I still wanted it. I saw my chance and asked for the check ASAP. All told, this was 2 1/2 hours I'll never get back and the reason I'll never return. read more

I've said it once and I'll say it again, Northwater is amazing. Go at least a couple of times for lunch a month since I work down the street and each time Diane is there with her bright smile and greets me with a warm greeting and my coke! Today she got swamped and she kicked into high gear and took care of everyone and I still got in and out within 35 minutes. Way to go Diane and way to go Northwater! You know I'll be back! read more

Service is pretty poor. One waitress told my sister in law that "maybe she should drink less" Won't be returning

Driving thru and searched Yelp for good restaurant close to i5. Great location @ newer Holiday Inn airport. Enjoyed welcoming service and an intriguing menu. Salmon entree with olive tapanade was nicely done. Northwater fit the need and we were back on the road again. Thanks Yelpers for another great recommendation. read more

Northwater - Salmon entree with olive tapanade, chef's selection - American Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

Came here with my family for dinner friday night for cinco de mayo.. the staff was very friendly it was very clean and modern...we ordered they're cinco de mayo drink special it was amazing im not even really big on tequila but this was delicious i had two we ordered the Poke, ceasar salad and a burger. The kids had the grilled chicken and parm noodles with fries and fruit (we actually asked for the grilled cheese not chicken but we were ok with the chicken). The poke was in the most perfect square cuts and very delicious i wished it had more onion and less cabbage, the ceasar salad was the one thing i didnt like i even tried to get my husband to eat it and he didnt like it. We are huge ceasar salad fans but this one was overly fishy! Now the burger was quite frankly one of the best in town the blueberry jam was just perfect on it! It sounds weird but its amazing definetly get it! The chef came out and talked to a table next to us and we realized she was the owner she sounded like shes been working really hard at turning her dream into a reality! We were talking amunst each other and was wondering what was up with our table we have 2 year old twins pretty much the same height and one child was really low and the other just right a few min later the manager im guessing was apologizeing for the table and that they were fgoing to have it fixed so it doesnt happen again i was quite amazed when our bill came i was surprised our ceasar salad was on it after our waitress said she would take it off ot sounded like we wernt the first ppl to say it was fishy, but we didnt say anything and paid for it anyways...we would go back the staff was really attentive and the food was good i would like to try more things next time although i think my husband will always get that burger so good! read more

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Wow, delicious meal after a late flight. Great service! Meals were fresh with quality ingredients. Blueberry mustard on an angus burger with rosemary fries? Forget about it Banana cream pie to top it off read more

The best salmon I have ever had. My daughter who is five was kind of antsy so one of the staff got her an etch a sketch. Very friendly staff and just a great place to be. Really glad we picked this place for my birthday dinner. read more

Northwater - American Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

I made a reservation for the three of us for breakfast after spending the night for a soccer tournament. We checked in with the hostess and she seemed a little lost. We sat on the sunny patio, which was awesome! The waiter finally came and took our order. It took forever to get half our drinks, and longer to get sugar for my coffee. The French press coffee was good though, and he brought a huge carafe of orange juice for the one glass my daughter ordered. The waiter brought part of our food: eggs and bacon with potatoes and toast for my boyfriend. His over easy eggs were way over cooked and the potatoes were inedible. And, he couldn't start eating without going inside and stealing settings from an empty table himself. My daughter's lox and bagel had an enormous amount of capers on it, but she scraped some off. I ordered the green smoothie, and it was the worst smoothie I have ever had. I understand the trend of putting tumeric in a smoothie, but the curry aftertaste following the sour drink was totally unappealing. I also ordered toast which was served dry but with apple butter. The menu said it came with a choice of spreads and they only brought the one and it wasn't good. Waited and waited for the check. Ended up going inside and just putting it on my room. The hotel itself is nice and new, but skip the restaurant. I'm sure there are better places to go in town. read more

I know they were busy but we waited a very long time for our food to come after we ordered (about an hour). My salmon special had great flavors but the salmon was way over cooked, to the point of tough. The dessert was good. read more

Northwater had been recommended to me, as a nice spot for lunch. My friend and I are in Bellingham on a fairly regular basis for appts. We will be back, I had the turkey bacon sandwich, with a side Caesar salad. Both were great, the sandwich itself worth coming back for. My friend enjoyed her sandwich too, forgot which one she had. Seats are comfortable, the wait staff very friendly, helpful and responsive. We will be back. May be our new go to spot. That being said, my friend said the coffee must have been left over from breakfast, we didn't say anything, our bad. read more

I've eaten here a few times. My go to when flying out of Bellingham. Great location across the airport with good drinks and delicious food. Nice to have quality food nearby when waiting for my flight. Looks like their happy hour menu is worth trying. read more

Northwater - Pulled port tacos...yummm. - American Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

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Enjoyed their Wings & Wine Wednesday deal - 1lb wings for $10 with half bottle wines. Service was pretty good. I also had the clams and salmon plate and it was pretty tasty! read more

The atmosphere is classy, yet not dark or stuffy. There's a bar-seating area (where my party of 4 sat), a formal dining area, and an intimate seating lounge that I can't wait to try soon. The service is very friendly but professional. Our server, Tilley, joked around with us but also took efforts to make sure we were cared for. When the meal I ordered turned out to not be available (which can happen with dinner specials at good restaurants), she and the Chef arranged a meal very close to the special. It was SO GOOD! Not only did they go the extra mile to make us feel cared for, but they also compensated us a drink for my "trouble" (which was NO trouble at all) and gave my mother her birthday dessert for free. For that, we ordered two more desserts! Definitely going back! read more

Bellingham is pretty terrible for service already but wow, just wow. They didn't even care. Brunch is gross, over priced hotel food. Worst chicken and waffles I ever had. Was embarrassed I suggested this place to me friends Sunday morning. Never will I come back. read more

I've only sat and ate at the bar here. Great staff, super friendly and the bartender was hilarious! I suggest the pork chop! Just a laid back place to enjoy a beer and some good food! The chef here is great and keeps the menu simple, but delicious! read more

We were here for the first time, and the the water theme environment was nice. It was dimly lit and warm. I liked that the bar was large with a comfortable seating booth area and barstool area. There was much thought to the design and the art of this place. Veeeery vegan friendly. We had the beet pokè (vegan version of a tuna pokè). The cauliflower appetizer was great on it's own, but my friend liked the spicy sauce that was on the side (too spicy for me). The main entree was the coconut tofu with quinoa. Overall, a great place to meet your friends, or a date with a unique style of food on the menu. read more

Northwater - Coconut Tofu - American Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

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Settled between the freeway and the Bellingham Airport in the Holiday Inn, this was a little jewel of a find. We decided to stop for happy hour and will be back again. I'd highly recommend the rosemary fries and any drink in the menu. I have a new favorite martini, The Silver Moon. Next time I'm back, I'm going to try the Bartender's choice and a dinner. Oh, and make sure you have Ryan serving you. Witty, wise about the menu, and super helpful. I recommended this place to a friend earlier today and will most definitely be back! read more

The cauliflower appetizer was excellent. The mains were over seasoned. My pork chop temp was a challenge for the BOH. The highlight was our server, Heather. She was genuine and gracious. Truly a stellar service experience with her and the chef's determination for execution. read more

We dined here again while staying in the hotel....our 8th visit. Although we would just drive there it is so good! Consisitenly perfect! Loved my bloody mary and fish tacos. We also shared roasted cauliflower which was wonderful and I don't even like cauliflower usually! My husband had the bacon wrapped meatloaf which was beautifully presented on mashed potatoes with asparagus! James was an attentive waiter! read more

After reading all the positive feedback on Yelp regarding this restaurant we decided to give it a try for breakfast. We weren't disappointed. Service was fast and friendly. Breakfast's were reasonably priced. We had the Egg White Wraps which came combined with spinach, mushrooms, and red pepper all blended in a white mozzarella cheese. The wrap was slightly toasted which gave it a crunchy effect. My wife had the Innjoyable which consisted of two over easy non GMO eggs perfectly cooked for their runniness to dip in the side of potatoes. The dish also came with 2 pieces of thick sliced bacon which had a nice maplely flavor. To top it off the coffee is from the local Fidalgo Coffee Roasters and was plenty strong. This place is probably the best kept secret breakfast place in Bellingham. We'll be back. read more

Not what I expected from a restaurant inside an airport hotel. Surprisingly, I thought the food was excellent. I had the Caesar salad and the meatloaf. The portions are huge and the taste was delicious. I had enough left over for a big second meal. Service was attentive and pleasant. read more

The Northwater restaurant is a very welcome addition to Bellingham's culinary scene. The food is creative and approachable, fresh and spectacular, the ambience is 50 Shades of Grey. I absolutely love this restaurant and hotel. The staff couldn't be warmer and more knowledgeable. Their server Ryan has a natural ability to make people feel at home and suggests fantastic menu items. I am a repeat customer due to Ryan's service. ORDER THE PORK MOLE TACOS. Le Mura Masa is the best drink I've ever had, which is no lie. Amazing! read more

I have been to this restaurant twice, now. Once to celebrate my sister graduating from Western and most recently for Mother's day. The food is delicious here and a lot of it locally sourced, for a fair price. The only downside is they seem to have a hard time getting the orders right, or, running out of food after it's been ordered. This happened both times. They corrected it as much as they could, both times and the server was more than accomadating and apologetic. The servings are also on the small side, which is fine for me, but dont expect to bring home leftovers. read more

Thoughtful, fresh take on American cuisine. One of Bellingham's best kept secrets. Don't take your business guest to the waterfront where its noisy and you can't hear them. Northwater is perfect for a lunch meeting or a date night. I had the bison burger and it was outstanding. What really appealed to me however was the wait staff. They were attentive, enjoyable and had perfect timing during a busy lunch time. My business guest was impressed that I chose Northwater as he really enjoyed his meal too. My new favorite place to eat. read more

A 5-Star chef seems to have planned the menu with surprisingly fresh and original choices. The quality of the food And the execution leaves much to be desired. Pretty good for hotel food but definitely NOT 5 ***** Star like some other reviews suggested. read more

Deon provided extremely good service. He was personable and answered all the questions we had about items on the menu. He knew the menu well and was able to provide suggestions. The food excellent! Fine dining meets affordability. I had the bacon wrapped meat loaf with horseradish mashed potatoes. The horseradish didn't over power the flavor of the potatoes. Highly recommend the Northwater for a highly enjoyable dining experience. read more

For the apps we shared the chicken and waffle - small waffle but SO GOOD. The best carpaccio was amazing as well. Would have been totally satisfied with just those two for dinner. All day HH on Sunday in the bar. The drinks were good too - some sort of Moscow mule drink. We all got the watermelon gazpacho which was great. They let us try it before! For the food my MIL had the chicken pasta which she really enjoyed - a little spendy but looked good. Caesar salad with Parmesan crust looked good with seared ahi (a little bland for the one tiny bite I had but probably paired well with the salty salad. My grilled cheese was decedent and the fries were super yummy. My husband got the chicken curry sandwich and the lentil fries - sandwich was good (he said the other half was actually better the next day) but the lentil fries were not out thing. Too intense and kinda soggy - two big bricks don't really classify as "fries" but the waitress did explain them when I asked about them before ordering. AMAZING DESSERTS and I'm not a sweets person. Fresh vibrant strawberry shortcake special (my husband and MILs fav), banana cream pie (my favorite) and toffee chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches ("moo-wich"). The server Stephanie was very friendly and spent a lot of time talking to us about other restaurants, their own chef and was very personable. I also called ahead and made a reservation for my MIL's birthday. We were originally seated in the restaurant side but the waiter was so kind that we told us about the all day HH on the bar side (same full menu plus HH one). It was very considerate of him to tell and and was willing to move us and lose a table for our own happiness! My MIL also got a free dessert for her birthday. I will definitely come back especially for HH, drinks and the desserts. read more

Northwater - Fresh and vibrant strawberry shortcake special, banana cream pie w/gingersnap crust, and chocolate chip toffee cookie ice cream sandwiches. - American Near Me - Bellingham, Washington

John Smith is amazing... Super service....great food...great drinks....good times......