This downtown Bellingham restaurant is ready to reopen with a new name, menu
A downtown restaurant is nearly ready to open with a new name and look.
Banter After Hours is planning to open in the second week of March at the former Saltine space at 114 Prospect St. near the Whatcom Museum. It will start off as a place for dinner and drinks, but will add a lunch menu as well as a possible brunch menu once it gets established, said owner Emile Diffley in an email.
Diffley also operates ANMLY near the Mount Baker Theatre as well as Fairhaven Pizza. ANMLY is changing its name to Banter as part of a major rebranding for the company, Diffley said. So Banter on Commercial Street won’t have the “After Hours” tagline as it remains a breakfast/lunch cafe.
Diffley said the reason for the name change is that rebranding felt necessary to keep up with the evolution and growth of the business.
“When we decided to open a new location, it was the perfect opportunity. We have ambitious goals to take the Banter brand beyond just the walls of the restaurant spaces,” Diffley said.
In the Banter After Hours space, Diffley described the menu as “fresh, bright, zesty and plant-forward.” It won’t be a strictly vegan restaurant, but will have plenty of herbs, citrus and spices from all over the world. Diffley purchased the Saltine restaurant in August with plans to introduce this concept to customers.
The bar remains in place at Banter After Hours, so they will be offering cocktails, natural wine, craft beer and non-alcoholic beverages.
Along with the name change, the Banter cafe on Commercial Street will add a sidewalk seating area that is expected to be ready this spring, as well as some interior changes.
For further details about the restaurants, visit the Banter website.
This story was originally published February 20, 2022 at 5:00 AM.
