Waterfront Tavern

Came to try the fish and chips. The cook stumbled into this job less than a decade ago when the van he bought from a church in Illinois broke down in Bellingham. He married the bar owners daughter and had 3 kids. Luckily, he can cook. For about ten bucks serves a moderate amount of fish accompanied by a ton of fries. The cod is frozen. It tastes as good as any code that you think you are eating fresh. It is firm and has no lingering odors. The in-​house made panko batter is great. I could have used some more coleslaw with a little more acid to cut the fried fried fried fare. This is the quintessential dive bar and I love it. The bartender has been there over 2 years and she knows her stuff. There are definitely a large number of local clientele who are repeat offenders. The football special of a beer and cheese burger for $ 5 sounds like a deal. There is a large selection of beer. This is definitely the town’s dive bar in the fish and chips are great. The ratio of fish to chips is definitely too many chips and too little fish. Next time I’m trying the fried oysters. They are very friendly and very competent.

Other than the nostalgic ambiance and I’m sure the staff and patrons are quite friendly, I would never go there again, not for food anyway. The seafood mix, captains plate or whatever was called, I got to go, was the most God awful plate of STUFF I’ve had in recent or distance memory.
The the once frozen selection was unevenly cooked and some was either raw, rotten, and/​or freezer burnt. It would also be difficult to say how long the product may have been in the freezer or the grease in the frier.
I ate what I could, but the rest went out the window. It didn’t set well on the stomach during my evening class. The building interior smelled like a hundred years of spilled stale beer and cigarettes. I would hope that the taps get a good cleaning occasionally.
It would be a cozy little place once a fresher fare was served, and the carpets and walls got a good washing.

Beat fish and chips in Bellingham. We walk down and get them to go every once in awhile when we have the salt, grease, seafood & French fry craving. I like the captains plate — plenty of food for two adults and I get the oysters which my wife doesn’t eat… No kids indoors — but you can order at the to go window and eat across the street at the park.

Your average neighborhood dive I would say. Smells like a toilet, but service was good. We stopped in while driving through DT Bellingham to grab a drink. We got a pitcher of Angry Orchard and a bowl of chowder. It was more like potato soup with clam flavoring, but it was okay with a dash of tabasco.
Darts and pool. A view of dilapidated bulidings, a train track and water. What appears to be a bar full of regulars. If you’re a local, this might be your spot. :)

Make no mistake, the Waterfront is a dive bar in all the classic ways, but this is what makes it so wonderful. If you’re looking for fancy, this ain’t it. But if you want a decent beer (or even a non-​decent beer), a strong drink, and some damn good deep-​fried bar food you’ve come to the right place. Add in the ambiance (dart boards, pulltabs, etc.) and you’ve found yourself at a place where you don’t have to be anyone but yourself. Plus name just one other establishment in Bellingham that’s actually built *over* the water! And don’t forget that whole rumor about the serial killers preferring this place; I hear it’s not quite accurate. But it makes for good conversation with the bartender!

So a bar with a restaurant, or a restaurant with a bar? Local fisherman, yep, tourist’s yep. Great fish and chips ok give them that, waterfront view yeah no question. Funny and great wait staff of course. So what’s wrong? Not a darn thing, don’t go with your nose in the air and you’ll enjoy your self. It’s one of those places that is simple beer and good food, you want fancy go to Anthony s they will give you the snob appeal. Here go to relax and enjoy the company of down to earth people

New York Times called them the Most Dangerous Bar in America. Food is also surprisingly good. We love the Waterfront!

This is a nice little dive right off the water.
It’s like walking into your local vfw with a mix of casino folks, professional electronic dart patrons, cheap beer, pull tabs and the kind of ‘I Feel At Home’ décor you want in a dive.
The locals are the majority and they’re nice and easy… Not a college bar, which is great in a college town filled with young drunks every other bar.
It’s also a nice little bar to watch the games, as there are plenty of tv’s in the joint.
Great place to come and listen to your elders talk about the ‘Good Ol’ Days’… Very warm little spot!

Hands down the best damn place in Bellingham for Fish and Chips NEVER GREASY and yes I eat there everytime someone mentions were going to the Front wanna come. The beer is cold whiskey is strong and the regulars well just good old people enjoying themselves

i was skateboarding in bellingham last tuesday and as i was riding, all of a sudden, i roll over a little pebble with my wheel and it completely stops my skateboard. i launch forward and scrape my knee. i brush myself off and look at the pebble i hit and yell at it for being an ass. as i was yelling at the ass pebble i notice it’s lying right next to a pull tab… like the ones you see in bars sometimes that can win you small prizes. at that moment, out of nowhere, a beautiful woman that happened to be there, goes to pick up the pull tab. as she reaches for it i notice that she’s missing a finger. but she was still very pretty. she looks at my knee and sees that it is slightly bleeding. she feels bad, so she hands me the pull tab. the pull tab was already used, and it’s a loser, but it was a nice gesture. i tell her thanks, and that i’m sorry that she had lost a finger. she says that it’s ok and then points across the street to the waterfront tavern. she says the loser pull tab is from there. she invites me into the waterfront tavern to play some more pull tabs. i accept, and i’m glad i did.

First bar that is open in bellingham, great for graveyard shift people wanting an after work beer. Their breakfast is super good and super cheap. The steak they use for steak and eggs is actually a pretty decent cut for 8 bucks. Better than 15 dollars at sherrys or dennys that only give you a thin peice of crap. And the drinks, as you can guess are stiff. Which is great.

If you want a stiff drink and great fish and chips, here’s the place! Nuff said.

If you are anything like me, you enjoy ending your day with a $ 1.50 glass of Bud Light, a crazy pull-​tab sesh, and a round or two of Big Buck Hunter Pro. All of this can be yours by patronizing Bellingham’s glorious Waterfront Tavern at 521 West Holly Street. Located just outside of downtown, on a dark road near the water, beside the city’s crisis homeless shelter, where many of your fears and nightmares reside, the Waterfront Tavern has been a popular spot for decades because of the cheap drinks and seedy hospitality. Having served such prominent social figures as Ted Bundy and the Hillside Strangler, the Waterfront possesses a disturbing je né sais quoi that attracts locals and visitors alike.
I actually do enjoy beginning or ending the night at the Waterfront because it is a no-​nonsense watering hole that serves its drinks just-​chilled and its grub greasy. Do not, however, spend an extended period of time here or you will likely end up depressed, or maybe dead. Seriously though… I do try to drink at the Waterfront every time I visit Bellingham. As a Vancouverite, I appreciate any establishment that allows — nay, encourages — its customers to drink without ordering food. There are bylaws in British Columbia that tie alcohol sales to food orders, thus restricting the amount of alcohol businesses can serve. Canada lacks taverns, and I find the expectations of food orders very annoying in this country.
If you are wanting to order food at the Waterfront, or if someone (literally) holds a gun to your head and makes you select an item off the menu to consume, just avoid all seafood. While this is likely a no-​brainer for most, one really shouldn’t taunt the Salmonella gods by taking a flier on the fried oysters. You are pretty safe with the burgers and fries, but why would you ever subject yourself to this mediocrity when considering the plethora of solid restaurants in the city? It is worth noting that the Waterfront is close to Chuckanut Brewery, which serves decent pub food and is also the city’s best microbrewery.

God’s gift to bellingham.

Your basic waterfront dive-​tavern, with mostly industrial beer, its own unique clientele, location and history. Folks are friendly enough. There are pull-​tabs, and dart competitions. Food has at times been good (fried fish, oysters, chips and slaw), and at other times barely worth eating – (probably depends on the cook?).

Home to bikers and about 300 neon beer signs, The Waterfront is lit to the point of being obnoxious… but then again, so are the patrons. (see, I just made a pun on the word «lit»…I know… clever) No live music, but they’ve got pool, pull tabs, and Rainier on tap. If you like to drink during the day, you can get a nice view of Bellingham Bay, upon which the Waterfront sits, hence the name. Located next door to the Chuckanut Brewery.

Wow what can I saw about the waterfront… It has to be my favorit bar in town. They have great bar food and the owners are the most down to earth nice people you will ever meet! Their drinks are strong and cheap, so no complaints from this college students wallet.
They also hold card games… You must check out this bar!

I went here for the first time last weekend. The bartender was awesome, the beers were cheap, and the whiskeys were nice, big pours. There was a birthday happening and they had balloons shaped like breasts. I chewed some rubber nipples, ate greasy delicious oysters, and hobnobbed with the regulars. Apparently DC sniper John Allen Muhammad, Ted Bundy, and the Hillside Strangler all bellied up to this bar. I didn’t ask about because I thought it would be uncouth. This is now my new favorite watering hole while visiting Bellingham.

As long as you know that this isn’t a dance club and you just want to have a beer with friends and chat with regulars this is a great stop. When I was there last we ended up talking to these two guys about deep sea fishing and marriage. It was a lot of fun. They have regular card games which is pretty neat and dart boards as well.

The place is a dive. The food is good but very greasy. The regulars are a tough crowd so don’t go if your looking to pick up a date… The draw here is that 3 different serial killers have drank at this bar. The locals aren’t usually too happy to talk about it, but just google «waterfront Tavern, Bellingham Washington» and you will get all the details…