Bantam

“Best place for fried chicken in town. Period. I know the chicken is the star BUT PLEASEEE, PLEASEEE DO NOT SKIP THE ROASTED CAULIFLOWER. It has a unique seasoning with a little spice and it has me in a chokehold. Single best cauliflower I have ever had at a restaurant. WOW. House mule was okay too. I got the garlic chicken and it was 10/10 but THE FREAKIG CAULIFLOWER ugh. Divine. Kudos to the chef.”

“We had dinner Thursday night 4/9 and received wonderful service from all employees: Blair was incredibly pleasant to speak with on the phone about a late arrival to our reservation, the hostess that sat us was lovely, and our bartenders/servers we interacted with were attentive and knowledgeable. We shared the beet appetizer, the hot chicken, and the mac and cheese. I felt that the mac and cheese could benefit from just a bump more salt and a touch of hot sauce to give some depth to the super creamy sauce. The chicken was hot and crispy and the pickles were so good. Thank you Bantam, our new favorite spot in Bellingham 🩷”

“My daughter, who lives in Bellingham and goes to Washington State University, has been raving about Bantam for a while—so we finally had the chance to check it out together. She had especially talked about the beet salad appetizer, and wow, it did not disappoint! The flavors were incredible—the feta cheese took it to the next level. We also had the chicken, and it was delicious. What made the experience even better was the amazing service. Our server was incredibly sweet and made sure we got to try all the sauces. She was attentive without being overbearing, making sure we had everything we needed. The atmosphere is cozy and thoughtfully decorated. I loved that there were books to browse and that the upstairs seating offered a peaceful escape from the hustle and bustle. While there is seating downstairs, I’d definitely recommend the second floor for a more relaxed dining experience. We came on a Saturday night and, thankfully, there was no wait. Street parking was easy to find, which made everything even smoother. Thank you for a great meal and a lovely evening with my daughter—this is one spot we’ll definitely be coming back to!”

“My wife found this spot for fried chicken on maps and we decided to come here for dinner. The staff were attentive all through out our visit and were very helpful. We got peach sparkling lemonade, special astoria waldorf salad with rotisserie chicken and spicy fried jerk chicken with pineapple habanero sauce. The lemonade was delightful and punchy. The salad was delicious and crunchy. The rotisserie chicken went perfectly with it. The fried chicken with the jerk seasoning was amazing, although the habanero sauce was bone hit-tingly tart which I had trouble finishing. The cole slaw was great too. Contrary to other entrees, I felt the portion size was small for the price as I was still hungry after my meal. A decent place though.”

“IMPORTANT MAKE RESERVATIONS. Ok, I came back to enjoy the beet appetizer. Well, it was Friday night at 5:13 pm . Didn't realize we would need reservations. Well, we asked about sitting at the bar. This time, I had a friend come up from Stanwood. We were offered to sit outside in the patio, which is not a place. I would want to have dinner when this evening it was raining. We were persistent, and we did get allowed to go sit at the bar. We were told that all the empty tables had reservations. Yes, while eating our meal, a few of the tables were filled. However, not all the tables. The food was very tasty. The bartender was very charming. I'm just disappointed regarding their table management. Looking for Fried Chicken, located this restaurant. Was amazed by the atmosphere on the main floor. Was very impressed when arriving up on the second floor. The book bar. Loved the different colored stairs and the non-skid flooring. Not to bad of a climb up the stairs for this 63 year old . The most surprising item was the beet appetizer. It was very tasty and also impressed in the amount of beets. Also enjoyed that each table number was stenciled on the table. Then you can get 20 percent off Mallard Ice Cream. What a nice treat for later. Our chicken was moist and tender. Also enjoyed my drink, the test pilot so much that I had two.”