Jalapeno’s

I went here last night with a friend while we were visiting Bellingham. When we arrived the hostess tried to convincing us to go upstairs in the bar but we asked for a table in the dining area as the bar looked very loud. She then walked away and took a phone call. A busser told us to sit down at a dirty table and said someone would be around to clean it. The table was wiped down eventually but we never got menus. A good 10min later someone came around and asked for our order. We explained we didn’t have menus. She grabbed two and returned to ask «you just want waters right?» Ummm no? Can we have drinks? I got a vegetarian taco salad and my friend got a burrito. The food arrived quickly but was pretty bland. No one we asked us how the food was or if we wanted refills. We were not impressed and will not be back.

Great food, shitty service. Been there 4 times now. Always about the same. Drinks not filled promptly, no one checked on us after the food was brought to see if we needed anything else for our meal (and we did), and we waited for almost 15 minutes before having to shout to get the waiter’s attention to get our bill.

This review is in regards to Happy Hour especially. Jalapeños is the definite best option for Mexican food in Fairhaven. You must try the big mama margarita– especially great in value during happy hour. Incredible deals on food (giant order of nachos for a few dollars) with a drink purchase from 2 – 5:30pm and again after 9pm. Amazing. Interior and exterior year round seating options (there are heaters outside, though still bring a jacket). A great place to meet a larger group too– downstairs table has easily fit 13 people in our group. Service can be kinda slow, and I believe they actually charge more for chips after your first round, which is blah. But servings are generous and always hot. Their guacamole is dairy free and insanely good– I tend to usually get an extra big serving of that and chips or vegetarian fajitas, which are totally rad. Tons of vegetarian options, and they will always hold the cheese or sour cream if you ask for dairy free. As most Mexican food is– the restaurant is very gluten free friendly. Worth a bite!

Our family decided to stop by about 6pm on a Friday night. We were greeted right away and seated in a matter of minutes. We loved the hopping atmosphere; plenty busy, fun music outdoor fireplace and an AWESOME staff. My wife and I got $ 6 Big Mamas and the dinner specials were a great value ($ 17 chicken fajitas for two). The kids loved their food and that it came with ice cream. Not soft serve, but real tasty ice cream. To top it all off, our server Mayela was fantastic. Here’s to our new fav Mexican place in Bellingham.

I was visiting my family and we stumbled upon this place. It was around 2 pm so it was exactly when their happy hour started. Perfect! We got seated very fast which was good because it was freezing outside so I was thankful for that, however as we were seated it took our waiter around 10 minutes to greet us! Although it seemed busy, 10 minutes is far too long to be greeted. By the time our waiter greeted us we knew what we wanted to drink and eat. However the staff was sweet and kind.
Pros: happy hour is every day. It starts at 2 pm. And happy hour is all day Sunday
Cons: food wasn’t great, took our waiter awhile to greet us
Tip: happy hour specials are only valid with purchase of alcoholic drink.
Would I go back again? Probably not

Jalapeño’s in Fairhaven needs to take a few lessons from the one on Holly St. The service is lacking, The Arroz Con Pollo was dry and didn’t have bell peppers in it. There were barely any mushrooms in it and what was there were slivers. Mistakes were made and things were forgotten. Instead of walking around to each person to put meals, drinks, etc. down they would pass the items across the table which put the server’s arm in your face. I hope they get it together in Fairhaven because they’re giving Jalapeño’s a bad name.

Considering Bellingham has little to brag about when it comes to Mexican food, Jalapeño’s was as much as could be expected. We had out-​of-​town guests and Fairhaven was a nice, touristy stop for the four of us. The location is convenient, the prices are reasonable, and you can get a decent margarita here. If you want something more authentic Mexican, you are looking in the wrong city.

My party of three was welcomed into the restaurant and sat quickly. We were ready to eat after being on the water for most of the day. When I asked for an arnold palmer, I recieved iced tea. Then when our server Erika went to refill my water glass she completely missed my glass and I had to ask for a towel which she brought to me along with a stack of napkins. Erika didn’t really come to the table except to drop off our food and our tabs which we split 3 ways. When we went to pay for our food we put two credit cards and cash. Erika ran our cards and brought the reciepts to the table. We thought that was the end like it is in every reataurant. ERIKA ended up charging the CREDIT CARD TWICE AND KEEPING THE CASH AS A TIP!!! We will NEVER recommend this shady business to anyone!

I live in town and have been here many times, the food is always good.
Tonight was the worst service I’ve ever had at a restaurant! It took an hour to get food for a table of 4 and when it finally came out they forgot one persons food. When we raised issue with the service, they challenged us and argued rather than apologizing and trying to do something to make it right. Very sad and disappointed for this restaurant that I used to love. Won’t be coming back.

I’ve been kind of excited to try Jalapeño’s for quite some time now. I’ve only been up to Bellingham twice, and I’ve heard about it probably 50 times. So, I was excited when we decided this as our dinner for Saturday night!
We walked in, and we had a part of 6. One of my friends told the hostess, who replied, «I’ll be with you in just a minute.» I don’t know if she didn’t realize I was with them (even though I was in the middle of the group) she looked at me after like a minute and goes, «Uh, I’ll be right with you, okay?» … I didn’t even say anything so I was really confused lol. We were taken upstairs after about another minute of waiting, so I’d say the wait was definitely under five minutes (which is awesome, because it was a busy weekend night).
Almost immediately after being seated we were provided with chips, salsa, and water. Their salsa is the BOMB. I couldn’t stop… They may or may not lace it with crack.
We’re all college students, so we’re on that «try and get the cheapest item on the menu» life. Ya feel? We ended up ordering two BBB’s. The Biggest Burrito in Bellingham — they can feed up to four people. It’s THAT big. I also ordered a Big Mama (a five shot margarita). The Big Papa is like the size of a fish bowl and apparently comes with 7 – 9 shots of tequila. Hardddd pass on that.
It didn’t take long for me to get my drink — it was pretty tasty! Then again, all margaritas are.
The burritos definitely live up to their name — they’re huge. Are they the BEST burritos in Bellingham though? No. They’re actually pretty bland. They come with your basic choice of meat, cheese, beans, and rice, but somehow, it managed to be the most bland burrito I’ve ever had in my life.
I’d be interested in coming back in the future, but not for the BBB.

Just passing through town and we found this little jem! The staff was wonderful and the food was great. We had the carnitas and they were fantastic! The portions are big! Even my daughter who is so picky enjoyed the tacos. Thanks for a great meal.

I’m surprised by some of the poor or mediocre reviews of this place. Our experience here was excellent. Either they are inconsistent here or we were extremely lucky (and usually we are not that lucky… lol!).
Hubby was «starving» so we stopped in here and, despite it being busy, at lunch-​time, we got a seat at the bar area. The server was super-​attentive and we enjoyed a quesadilla that was really good. Was it Mexican «authentic»? I seriously doubt it. But it was really good and fit the bill, and we enjoyed it, and thought the price was really reasonable. Hubby had a few beers and was really impressed with how cold they were: not only was the beer cold, but they were served in iced-​over glasses that you could even write your name in the ice with your finger. I’m not a beer drinker, but he said this really enhanced the coldness of the beer and he really liked this feature.
Unexpectedly, our kid entered the restaurant to join us. Immediately, our server saw that she was underage, and with the help of another server, she found us a table outside the bar area, in the main dining area (at such a busy time, when it was nearly full), and they carried our plates and beverages for us, to a new table that accommodated our family. Very nice!
We had a lovely lunch here and would definitely return.

This review is for takeout only.
I ordered the camarones al Diablo and I was very happy with my selection. First off, the portion is very generous! Secondly, they nailed the Diablo sauce. My mouth was on fire after every bite (just the way I like it!). I loved the giant prawns, flavorful rice and lots of peppers and onions that were cooked so they had that nice crunch. There was also a small pile of shredded lettuce with sour cream on top to neutralize the strong flavors. Accompanying my dish was a large container of salsa that had chunks of tomato, onion and salsa and great seasonings — loved it. Also included a stack of corn tortillas that I used to make a prawn taco.
For $ 15, an extremely satisfying and well-​constructed meal that is absolutely would like to have again. Salud!

Came to Bellingham on a business trip and was looking for a place for dinner. The hotel recommended the restaurant, so I decided to review its Unilocal.It only received three stars, but the hotel said Unilocal got this one wrong. Unilocal is never wrong.
I tried the Carnitas at the recommendation of the waiter. It was dry and mostly inedible. The service was good, but don’t go here for the food. Sorry.

Awesome all around. Great food, happy and helpful staff. This place is a must if you’re stopping in and around the Fairhaven neighborhood of Bellingham.

We came here after a long day of exploring local trails. My friend had been wishing for Mexican food and we happened to stumble on this restaurant. We were seated quickly and our server attended to us pretty fast to. They had a special on tequila shots, we thought why not? I never really liked tequila but after trying the tequila our waiter suggested I am now on board. Ha, but our food was good and we got pretty big portions. I wouldn’t come here if you’re looking to just get cheap Mexican, look for a taco truck. I still enjoyed it.

The Big Momma was out of this world. A lot of places skimp on happy hour margaritas, but that was not the case at all. You won’t be disappointed.
The staff was really nice, and put up with a lot of drunk people at the bar, so my hat’s off to them. Plus the chips were authentic and paired with a nice salsa.

This version of Jalapeños is fine, but there are times when I prefer the Barkley location. The server tonight seemed overwhelmed by patio /​inside duties. Her flat tone did not encourage us as we waited more than 30 minutes for the food. The table next to us wanted a refill on their adult beverages, but were ignored. The patron finally went to another server to ask for assistance. When this server started assisting her, we felt more recognized. Choosing servers for their looks only works when they know how to manage tables.
Good shrimp fajitas, great Big Mamas!

Well duh… This is the place for happy hour big mamas and sangria and nachos… Skip most of the rest
Pros?
Happy hour all day Sunday, and starts at 2:30 weekdays ending at 5:30
Friendly service
Cheap drinks
Ok happy hour food
Good views
Outdoor seating

Well, at least the salsa was good. We ordered the chicken and the beef fajitas thinking this would be their specialty. One bite and we knew we were in trouble. So, I decided to try the beans and rice next, and again we were let down. Man! I really thought this place was really gonna rock. The other two places I’ve been to really had and impact on me. Do yourself a favor and go eat at Lorenzo’s or Taco Lobo. These guys know what real Mex. food should taste like. I Should Know being from Texas !
The positive side was their friendly greeting once you enter the building as well as the kind service we received. So, until next time, Cheers!