This new downtown Bellingham restaurant nearly ready to open
Helen Neville is bringing something new to the downtown Bellingham restaurant scene.
In the coming weeks Neville is planning to open 7 Spice Cafe on the corner of Railroad Avenue and Magnolia Street. It is a shawarma-style cafe, serving falafel and dishes that include fresh pita bread for lunch and dinner. Shawarma meals include lamb and chicken.
Like many Bellingham business owners, the pandemic has been challenging with many difficult decisions. She decided to permanently close her Barkley restaurant Mix so she could concentrate on opening 7 Spice. She also recently reopened 542, the bar/restaurant on Holly Street.
“Closing Mix was the hardest thing to do in my career,” Neville said, noting that she had to decide which of the three was most viable. Mix needed a robust worker population, something that is difficult to achieve right now during this COVID-19 outbreak. “It was the right thing to do.”
7 Spice is a concept that came about partly because Neville wanted to offer dishes not usually seen in Bellingham. It has a vertical broiler to cook meat and chicken. Neville also installed a pita oven to make fresh bread. The restaurant will have some cocktails as well.
Neville has also made some adjustments to 7 Spice as a result of a pandemic. She recently installed an outdoor seating area, which she believes most customers will use, but also has socially-distanced tables inside. The menu also has a lot of to-go items on it.
The restaurant is in the process of getting its social media and website presence established, so check those areas for details on an official opening date.
