Seven restaurants opened in Whatcom County in June, as two closed their doors
Looking for a new restaurant to try out? Whatcom County had seven new eateries open in June, as two restaurants closed.
Bellingham’s newest restaurants:
Doc Swinson’s distillery tasting room
Doc Swinson’s, a Whatcom County-based distillery known for its award-winning whiskey, opened a tasting room called “The Barrel Lab” in Ferndale on June 5.
Guests can enjoy tastings, tour the distillery, meet the team, purchase exclusive merchandise and alcohol, and try exclusive cocktails, surrounded by whiskey and other spirits aging in barrels. The Barrel Lab will also have food trucks, blending classes, bourbon groups and other special events on certain days.
The tasting room will be open from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, and noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, beginning Thursday, June 5, at 1370 Commerce Place in Ferndale.
Stemma Brewing West
Stemma Brewing Co., a family-owned brewery, opened its second brewery and taproom in Bellingham on Friday, June 6.
The company purchased the previous location of Twin Sister’s Brewery back in January, and has updated the space, including adding The Riviera Club to operate out of the in-house kitchen.
The new brewery is open regularly from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily at 508 Carolina St. in Bellingham.
Alba’s Cocina
New Mexican restaurant Alba’s Cocina opened on June 11 in the previous location of Gandolfo’s New York Deli at 107 E Stuart Road near Walmart.
The new restaurant with a Latin twist serves burritos, tacos, birria, fresh juices, enchiladas and more from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
D’oldhams Epic Cafe
A new “epic” breakfast restaurant opened in Birch Bay on Saturday, June 14.
D’oldhams Epic Café, a classic breakfast restaurant, serves eggs Benedict with house crumpets, biscuits and gravy, omelettes, waffles and more.
The new restaurant is open from 6 a.m. to noon Wednesday through Sunday at 4580 Legion Dr. in Blaine.
Next Chapter Cafe
Next Chapter Cafe, a new restaurant created by a husband and wife duo who also own their own local restaurants, opened inside Bellingham’s Village Books on June 17.
The new cafe was first announced back in April, when Jennifer Worthley, owner of It’s the Sweet Things, and Bryan John Matamorosa, owner of Bry’s Filipino Cuisine, signed the lease for the previous location of Evolve Chocolate + Cafe.
The cafe is located on the second floor of Village Books at 1200 11th St Suite 201 and is open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.
Both It’s the Sweet Things and Bry’s Filipino Cuisine restaurants will remain open at their current locations.
The Way Cafe
The Way Cafe, a coffee shop serving a variety of drinks and pastries, had a grand opening ribbon-cutting event on Saturday, June 28, in Birch Bay.
The new coffee shop donates proceeds from every purchase to Bridge Community Hope Center, a food bank and clothing boutique.
The Way Cafe is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday at 4323 Alderson Road, Unit 108.
Ttowa Sushi
Blaine has welcomed a new restaurant downtown, Ttowa Sushi. The new restaurant has a large menu which includes various sushi rolls, pho, gyoza, yakisoba, fried rice, bento boxes, nigiri and fried rolls.
Ttowa Sushi is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily at 658 Peace Portal Dr. in Blaine.
Two Bellingham restaurants closed in June:
Avellino Bakery
Avellino Gluten Free Bakery, known for its gluten-free pies, pastries, breads, cream puffs, cookies and more, closed permanently on June 14.
The sudden closure did not include the bakery’s sister business, Avellino Coffee House at 1329 Railroad Ave. in downtown Bellingham.
“Please note this closure does NOT affect Avellino Coffeehouse, and we have no plans to stop serving the community any time soon,” a Facebook post stated.
Avellino Gluten Free Bakery was located at 2500 Cornwall Ave. in Bellingham.
Ramble Tamble
Ramble Tamble, a downtown 21+ bar known for cocktails, live music and grilled cheese, closed permanently on June 28.
“There have been numerous obstacles that have prevented us from executing on our original vision for the space, and the reality is that we no longer have the energy to keep pursuing it,” an Instagram post stated.
The bar was located at 1313 N State St. in Bellingham.
This story was originally published July 1, 2025 at 11:58 AM.
