The Birch Door

We absolutely loved this place. We were on our way up to Vancouver, BC for a day trip and starving! When we asked for a "table for 2", the hostess made us aware that the wait time would be about 60 - 75 min. No problem. We waited for about 35 min until they called us. My wife and I had a wonderful and belly-busting breakfast. The best in town. Thank you for putting a HUGE smile on our faces! Here's a secret to the short wait time... make sure you're there when they call your name!

We have been to this place a couple of times and the first time we came to Birch Door I said that it might be the best breakfast I’ve had in Bellingham. We came again this morning and I think it solidified that. This really IS the best breakfast place. The ambiance, the food, the coffee, and especially the service is impeccable. Bianca was out latest server and she was absolutely wonderful and gave great recommendations. The standouts here, and what my boyfriend and I come for, are the Viennese coffees and sides of blueberry pancakes. They truly are the best. All the omelettes are great though, and I highly recommend the Mexican omelette or the birch door breakfast. You cannot miss here though.

Our first stop on our day trip from Vancouver to Bellingham. Lovely ambiance and service. The wait time was over 40min at 9am on a Saturday, the place was super busy but tables were assigned as they were ready. The food portion size is so huge and the food was just delicious. There was free parking at the back which was full by 8:30am. Definitely would recommend this place and going back when in the area.

Mixed feelings about my experience here. The menu is very extensive so it feels impossible to rate the food on just one visit. For our experience, we really enjoyed the apple pancake (huge) experience. The waiter was very friendly and attentive until maybe half-way thru the dining experience just couldn’t get his attention to get us the bill. How long is an acceptable wait to get a waiter’s attention? 5 minutes? 10 minutes? How about 25 minutes? We were high on sugar and feeling very neglected. The restaurant is very popular, and understaffed. We visited on a Tuesday.

Wonderful food and shorter wait time than we expected. Rustic and artistic decor. We went on a Saturday afternoon at about 1:30pm. They don't take reservations and the lobby was crowded, but our wait time was only 15 minutes, shorter than they had guessed. Apparently you can order and be served drinks while you wait; some people got mimosas. The menu is large with a lot of variety, so we took advantage of our wait time and studied the menu and planned our attack: We would order a sweet item and a savory item and share. We ordered the Blueberry Lemon Cobbler French Toast which was delicious and surprisingly not too sweet, and was served with an additional dish of pureed blueberry compote. Lemon curd, caramelized brown sugar, and oats were used to create a wonderful complexity. The scoop of whipped cream seen in the review photos had little if any sugar so it did not feel as if we were eating a kid's meal, or simply eating a dessert. We also shared an order of traditional Eggs Benedict which the staff was kind enough to split for us on separate plates for a beautiful and way less messy presentation. We couldn't help adding a side of bacon which was thick cut, generous, and tasty. The fresh squeezed orange juice was excellent. I always forget just how good it can be, even better than the "not from concentrate" stuff I always buy. The staff and our server were smiling, helpful, friendly, and efficient. I highly recommend this place and can't wait to return.

Parking 4/5 Food 5/5 Staff 5/5 Price 4/5 Wait 2/5 We went against our better judgment and decided to try a new place rather than go back to our many favorites in Bellingham and didn’t regret it in the slightest. The food was phenomenal and even though my wife was full, I got two dishes because everything looked great! We ended up getting the seasonal French toast and the biscuit with mushroom gravy. Both were great but my personal favorite was the French toast. It had a wonderful fruity sauce that rounded it out really well. The nuts and granola added a nice texture and the fresh ingredients made every part of the dish tasting and interesting. The mushroom gravy was also a great addition to the biscuit and if you are in the mood for something more savory it is great. Finally the spiced apple cider is exactly what I look for in cider- packed with a rich flavor that warms your throat all the way down. The service was wonderful as well even with a packed restaurant (which it always is). The parking is pretty packed but there are options nearby and there is usually a spot even if it is a bit of a squeeze. The only thing I would say is not great is the wait. Like many places that are popular for breakfast it has a wait that can be up to two hour and is usually at least an hour. The catch is they ask you not to leave in case your seat comes up even if it is two hours to wait. They could do with a text system to let you know it is coming up and that would work well. Overall though it is well worth the wait!