Banter

Rachel Jones

2024-03

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A J

2023-12

Loved the clean, contemporary, yet cozy vibe inside at Banter. It's not huge inside but we were lucky to get a spot to sit. The food was delicious and filling! The beet shrub was so inventive with a well balanced tang.

Missy Leone

2024-04

I’m going to preface this review with two points. I’m from out of town (Seattle area) and this review is not just about the food.Point 1: The food was freaking amazing. I got what I think is the only gluten free option in the menu, an eggs and bacon and potato entree. It had a glorious, herby sauce that had cilantro and dill, and probably something else. There was a nicely ripe avocado with black sesame seeds. The bacon was nothing like what I’ve had before at a breakfast place; it was very thick (1/4” at least) and cooked well (as in good, not overdone). The potatoes were creamy smashed fingerlings. I opted for no tomato but I’m sure it would have been great if I liked them. The eggs were cooked well and probably had some cream or something because they were a little brown on bottom but didn’t taste dried out. The hot sauce was great, not hot really (not sure about the reviews that said it was really hot…), but very good flavor. My meal was phenomenal in that regard.Point 2. The coffee was not my favorite. If you like classic, diner style drip coffee, you will be disappointed. It tasted like some sort of very light roast (read, very acidic), and kind of had a sour note to it. I know there are two coffee camps, one dark roast with full oils and caramel sweetness, the other sour/acidic/washed. This was the latter and I hated it.Point 3. The utensil, condiment, water bar area was a confusing disaster. I got my drip and then looked for something to stir some cream into it. The area where this stuff was located wasn’t labeled in a way I could tell which spoons were clean and which was dirty. Based on that confusion, I figured most people didn’t know either and what I thought was clean probably wasn’t. So I went to grab a fork from the bar which was very obviously wide open, but someone told me “we’ll bring your silverware out”. The cream for the drip was at that bar area was a tiny little carafe that was empty. I took it up to the bar to get more and she only put maybe 3/4 cup in. I use half of that for a normal cup of coffee, especially the bitter stuff they serve here. 😝 There were no salt/pepper shakers at the table. Instead they were these complicated grinder things at said bar. I tried grinding what I thought was the pepper side and it turned out to be the salt side and it took forever to figure it out. And the water cups at the water bar were insanely tiny. Like not even an 8 oz cup.Point 4. Parking around this area is abysmal. It’s all street parking and if there is free parking for the restaurant I have no idea where.Point 5. Everyone was very nice but because the space is so small, it constantly felt like they were trying to usher me out. “Do you need a to go box?” No, I literally just got up to refill my tiny water cup and have only taken a couple of bites.Point 6. You have to tip up front. While the service is decent, I’d prefer to tip at the end. Maybe bring cash for that so you can leave it on the table if need be.Point 7. The bathroom is very dark. There’s only one. Considering how tiny the space is, I’m not surprised but maybe put in better light. Could barely see my hands to wash them. Very clean, but bad ventilation, so there was a box of matches. But the soap was delightful and lots of towels.Summary: Food was amazing, everything else was fussy.Dietary restrictions: I’m gluten free and they had one option.

Emily Goodin

2023-11

Woah!! Impressive vegetarian options and a worthwhile happy hour. We had tickets for a show at Mount Baker Theatre and I was looking for walkable options. We decided to try Banter because in spite of the somewhat limited menu, they had several vegetarian items on offer. Our party of 3 were all vegetarian (not vegan FYI). We lucked out, arriving just before the end of happy hour. The menu has changed since we were there, but we had the spiced cauliflower, shishito peppers, the Impossible Burger happy hour special, Hiyashi Soba Bowl, Market Bowl salad, tofu bites, date cake for dessert, and two beers from Structures (our favorite brewery). The only disappointment was the cauliflower, which was cooked well but it needed a lot more of the seasoning. Everything else was excellent. I recommend saving room for the date cake, it was spectacular! We like our beer cold and it was notably well chilled. Service was friendly and attentive (but not overly so), and we made it to our show with plenty of time to spare. Banter is now on the shortlist of favorites on our regular rotation!

Silver Charm

2024-04

Highly recommend for breakfast, brunch or lunch . The presentation of the food was superb and beautiful. The flavours of the food matched the presentation as well. In fact the “chefs breakfast” with 2 eggs, roasted tomato, extra thick bacon, special fingerling potatoes and much more, was so scrumptious I am still savouring that meal several days later . We also enjoyed the avocado smash. I thought their unique house made cardamom and brown sugar latte was amongst the best espresso beverages I have ever had and I look forward to experimenting with making my own syrup. They’ve done a great job of decorating the space and creating a bright welcoming space and I only wish I lived closer to this amazing cafe.

Emma Fredere

2024-02

Such a cute place! Great coffee, delicious food, and friendly service. A must!Vegetarian options: Lots of vegan/vegetarian optionsDietary restrictions: Alternative milk available

Stephanie O'Callaghan

2023-05

Beautiful spot! Love the light coming through and the decor. Came for dinner. Grabbed a seat at the bar (was the only one available at the time!) enjoyed my cocktail (birthday suit - love bozal mezcal!!) order the miso soba noodles with pork belly as my dinner. Great flavor, enjoyed the noodles and perfectly cooked egg. The pork belly left a little to be desired, was hard to cut through, just over cooked which was unfortunate but enjoyed the rest of the dish and was a good sized portion. Wish I could’ve tried more on the menu-was a fun menu with interesting options but not too big.

Leayh Abel

2023-05

Absolutely amazing are the only words I can come up with to describe Banter. The team at Banter catered my intimate wedding, and were able to cook up some truly magical dishes for us (using only a grill at the site no less!). The food was described my more than one guest as one of their top meals of all time. And coming from a group that had two culinary professionals in attendance, that is pretty big praise! Banter knocked it out of the park and I could not recommend them highly enough. Thank you to the whole team at Banter!!Photo credit to Zoe with The Foxes Photography.

Kellin Bonilla

2023-05

Best food in Bellingham, y’all!The pork belly is WOW. Available in a rice bowl with veggies or on a bao bun. Soba Bowl is the best noodle dish you’ll find in town. Not kidding. And Chef’s take on Pierogies is kiss worthy for sure. You should probably add a soft egg to evening btw…Oh and breakfast! Avo Smash!! Add a side of smash potatoes and you won’t regret it. Or you can just get the burrito like everyone else… :p (it’s delicious, too)Yummy coffee and chai in the morning and cocktails in the evening. I like the Spanish latte & Chai me a river. I’m a cinnamon fiend though!Cool vibe in a really bright inviting space that makes ya feel like you’re on vacation.

Ava Sakowski

2024-04

I think it’s a very unique atmosphere and overall they’re going for healthy and catering to dietary restrictions which I love however, at least today someone forgot to hear me say gluten-free and I felt like I wasn’t really listened to on my order but server went over the top to make it right. I will go again. I think it’s important to mention that you do not get table service here so whenever you want to order something or talk about your order, you have to go to the counter in some cases that’s OK sometimes you might not want to do that.

Floyd Jones

2024-03

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Douglas Edwin Greene

2024-02

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Leo Cohen

2023-05

We went with our 5 month old baby and some friends. Super polite staff and very quick and efficient. We will definitely be back for another delicious meal and drinks. :) I had the chupacabra drink and the peanut lemongrass bowl, definitely will order again.

Katrina S

2023-05

The flavors, nuanced spice, and textures of the food are spectacular! The atmosphere is light, stylish and comfortable. You could work work from here during the day, or have a special night out.Vegetarian options: Almost every dish can be veg, with protein options on most

Sarah

2023-05

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reva

2023-05

i’m on a mission to eat at every café/diner in town before i graduate & i loved banter! i’m a matcha fiend and they have AMAZING matcha - maybe my favorite in town. it’s super smooth and neither too bitter nor too sweet. i order mine with their lavender syrup and it’s incredible. the food is great too, my pictured plate was an assortment of things à la carte for about $14. going here is also extra convenient because they have their own parking spaces for customers. u need to check this place out! 😎

Ana Ruth Diffley

2019-05

This place is hard to beat! Yummy drinks, fabulous breakfast/lunch, and great vibes all around (plus fun music). The staff are very dedicated and fun. I have been in a few times already in their first few weeks of being open and have found the dishes very flavorful and colorful! The breakfast wrap is awesome- unique and filling! The drink menu is just as solid- like the wellness shot and Spanish Latte. It’s obvious management has payed close attention to detail and is working to be a zero-waste space! Wish more places in town would work on a to-go cup system like ANMLY has created. Can’t wait to go back!

Josh Howard

2023-06

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Ali Eskridge

2023-05

The avo smash is THE MOST DELICIOUS!!! So much flavor and texture, it was just as good rating as it was to look at. Also, everyone who was working here today were so incredibly friendly and lovely, it was such an awesome experience. I'm so sad I live far, but I will definitely be back ❤️❤️❤️

Dani Halfin

2023-05

Both the service and the food here is just next level.Really unexpectedly good, super balanced and interesting bites and the service just makes it a fun place to be at.My guess is that everything on the breakfast menu is awesome and would urge you to try it.We wish that we could try everything but we were in a hurry. Definitely coming back next time we're in town to try some more.

Melody Pan

2022-05

We found this place in Bellingham downtown and went there on Sunday morning. We ordered one coffee and one cookie to share and ordered acai bowl and breakfast burrito.All the food here was super delicious and fresh. Coffee was smooth and we'll brewed. We had about half of the breakfast burrito left and had it later the day heading back to Seattle in traffic.

Cesilia Nambo

2023-07

I got the lil burro and an iced lavender matcha latte w/ oatmilk. I was fixin to get a regular matcha, but the man taking my order brought up lavender and how could I say no to that? It was so creamy and delicious. The lil burro was absolutely delicious. It was a girthy one full of flavor and the sauce that was on there 15/10. I’m a sauce gal so while they didn’t have hot sauce they did have a verde salsa that paired so very well with the burrito. I think I’m going back again tomorrow!

Mike Edel

2023-11

Banter is great. I usually am going for breakfast but it definitely seems like it would be great all hours of the day. I think the kitchen closes at 3pm for an hour or two.I actually really appreciate the quality for the price you pay. Banter has done this well! An $8 breakfast sandwich is awesome also.Love it. Keep it up!

Steven Oscar

2023-12

Nice atmosphere, good drip coffee. Their breakfast burrito is expensive and is 50% rice. I added bacon and could only detect slight traces of bacon. I wish they’d stop cutting corners at this price point.

Melissa Evans

2023-06

I thought the bibimbap dish was delicious! Small space that was cute, unique, and had a nice atmosphere. Service was good. We stopped in for dinner after a long day of driving.

RY Martin

2023-05

Was Hard to enjoy my dinner and drinks with all the attitude 😔 it’s Bellingham - calm down. Even Seattle has to be nicer now because their “freeze” Rep is so notorious, but somehow Bellingham gets to keep this very dated & emotionally immature/LAZY ‘tude - Ya no thanks. It started with Banter but felt it all through to Mt Baker ski area 🤮& just all around. A total turn-off ❌..But all ⭐️⭐️⭐️stars go to the Veg food Options 👏🏼👏🏼 Wines were awful 👎🏼Mocktails were bomb 🍹💫

Carrie Wagler

2023-05

Great environment and branding, staff is always really friendly, and the breakfast burrito is one of the best I’ve ever had! I love the crunch of the tortilla and the light zesty-ness of the aioli!! I never want a breakfast burrito without tater tots again. You do have to add eggs if you want them, and I always add bacon (their bacon is quality and delicious). Love the iced latte as well!

BeardedCryptologist

2023-08

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Paul P

2024-02

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Becky R

2024-04

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