3 Whatcom County eateries had health code violations. What did inspectors find?

When deciding where to eat in Whatcom County, you’d likely want to pick a place that’s affordable, convenient and most important, clean and safe.

Whatcom County Health and Community Services inspects 850 restaurants and other food-serving facilities each year, holding every eatery to the same high standards.

While most eateries pass their inspections with few issues, a few have health code violations that require a follow-up, re-inspection or, occasionally, permit suspension.

Here’s how it works:

What do Whatcom County restaurant inspectors look for?

Whatcom County Health and Community Services said it regularly inspects “restaurants, food trucks, coffee shops, bars, grocery stores and more to make sure that food is handled properly so it is safe to eat.”

The Washington State Retail Food Code outlines the rules for safely handling food that’s served to the public.

Examples of high-risk violations, which can contribute directly to foodborne illness, include:

• Cooking meats to the incorrect temperature.
• Not keeping cold food cold enough.
• Food contamination.
• Handwashing.
• Serving food that is not from an approved source.
• Worker health and hygiene.

Low-risk violations related to maintenance and sanitation are “less likely to cause illness,” Whatcom County health officials said, but must also be corrected.

What happens after Whatcom County restaurants are inspected?

According to Whatcom County health officials, inspections of restaurants and other eateries fall into the following categories:

• Approved: The eatery had zero or very few safety violations, and there is no need for follow-up.
• Follow-up required: The eatery had some violations but doesn’t need to be re-inspected. Any high-risk violations are corrected right away, and inspectors usually check in with the establishment again within 60 days.
• Re-inspection required: The eatery had many high risk or repeat violations. All high-risk violations are corrected immediately. Inspectors increase the frequency of their inspections, and the establishment is re-inspected again within 60 days.
• Permit suspension: The eatery was ordered to close immediately on a temporary basis because there was a severe health hazard such an outbreak of illness, sewage backup or lack of water. When a permit is suspended, the person who operates the establishment must attend a hearing and correct all violations, and the establishment must be re-inspected before the permit is reinstated.

You can find the results of Whatcom County restaurant inspections online on the Food Safety Inspections page.

Search by the food establishment’s name, street name or city.

See health code violations at Bellingham, Lynden eateries

Whatcom County restaurant inspectors recently flagged three local eateries as being in need of re-inspection.

This means they must correct those issues and they will be re-inspected within 60 days.

The Newsroom Pub, 608 Front St. in Lynden, had three health code violations on Jan. 5, according to Whatcom County health officials.

The Lynden pub violated the following health codes:

• Item 11: Proper disposition of returned, unsafe or contaminated food; proper date marking procedures for food at high risk for listeria.
• Item 13: Workers must wash their hands, utensils and work area properly after contact with raw meat, seafood, eggs, unwashed produce and other spoiled items. Workers must also store foods ready for consumption above or away any raw food products.
• Item 34: Surfaces that come into contact with any food must be sanitized after cleaning. Cloths used for this must be stored in a sanitizing solution when not in use.

As of Wednesday, Jan. 21, The Newsroom Pub had not been reinspected by Whatcom County inspectors.

Syros Greek & Italian Restaurant, 311 Front St. in Lynden, had eight violations on Jan. 5.

According to Whatcom County, the Lynden Mediterranean restaurant violated the following health codes:

• Item 4: Workers must wash their hands by wetting their hands, lathering soap for at least 10 seconds, rinsing and dry using a single use towel. This must be done before work, before putting clean gloves on, handling raw meat or fish, using the restroom, handling unclean items, before and after eating and anytime hands are contaminated.
• Item 17: Food establishments must use equipment that is capable of maintaining food at a safe temperature.
• Item 21: Food establishments must operate equipment that can hold cold food at 41 degrees or below.
• Item 26: Permit holders must submit floor plans, menus and food preparation when applying for a food permit.
• Item 33: Food workers must ensure food is protected by storing food in a dry location, safe from splash, dust and drips. All food must be 6 inches off the floor.
• Item 34: Surfaces that come into contact with any food must be sanitized after cleaning. Cloths used for this must be stored in a sanitizing solution when not in use.
• Item 36: Workers may not eat, drink or use tobacco in the kitchen or where food is prepared
• Item 42: Surfaces that come in contact with food must be cleaned and sanitized on a regular basis.

As of Wednesday, Syros Greek & Italian Restaurant had yet to be reinspected, according to Whatcom County.

As of Friday, all errors and violations have been corrected, and the restaurant is awaiting re-inspection, restaurant owner Cody Barry wrote in an email to The Bellingham Herald.

Archer Ale House & Sports Bar, 1212 10th St. in Bellingham, had two violations on Jan. 9.

The Bellingham sports bar violated the following health codes, according to Whatcom County:

• Item 14: Any raw meat, seafood or fish may not be stored on the same shelves as any ready-to-eat food.
• Item 16: Any amount of cooked meat or any potentially hazardous food must be cooled to 41 degrees in the fridge.

As of Wednesday, Archer Ale House & Sports Bar had not been reinspected by Whatcom County restaurant inspectors.

All re-inspections for local eateries with health code violations will occur by mid-March, according to Whatcom County health officials.

This story was originally published January 22, 2026 at 5:00 AM.