Coachmen's Lodge — Restaurant in Bellingham

This place sure isn't what it used to be. Had a funeral reception there. Were told rooms we requested weren't available, yet they sat empty the whole time we were there and were still empty when we left. Fine, not the end of the world. But we had elderly and disabled people in our party. We were told to "Go around back" and directed outside around the building to access the rear room. It's down a VERY steep sloped parking lot and quite a trek (with brickwork, steps, and other obstacles once you hit the bottom). Is this handicap accessible? Some people in our party were in their 80s and 90s! 😑 Hard to believe there isn't an accommodation in place for this...if there is, we weren't offered any.

Family style chicken as far as I've ever known is chicken, pasta/shells, potatoes, salad, rolls, and often a scoop of ice cream to finish. No pasta today...we were given green beans instead (???). This didn't seem like a very good substitute. The food was okay but certainly nothing special ($27 a person not including bar fee, gratuity, etc). Ice cream apparently isn't a thing now either. The servers didn't say 2 words to us the entire time, which seemed strange. Typically when it's family style chicken they keep offering more/for things to be refilled. We were never asked if we wanted more of anything even when things were empty. They were grabbing plates away while people were still eating. We were charged $75 to have the bar open (that's required, we told them initially we didn't even want it but they said we had to have it) yet no1 was stationed at it and we found ourselves standing there waiting anytime someone wanted a drink just trying to get someone to come. We paid for 60 people yet only 33 came so it should've been ideal for them considering they were being paid and tipped for 60 meals, yet only had to deal with half as many people.

Overall not a great experience and not worth the $ it cost. Our party cost around $2000...disappointing. This place was much better years ago. The only thing they really have going for them now is the atmosphere, it's a pretty nice place but that's about it. In the future I'd opt...

The grounds for the restaurant were absolutely stunning. However, I wish they took the same care with the landscaping and the presentation of the food, that they did in the taste of each bite. The food was certainly presented beautifully, complete with an orchid, but often lacked a balance of flavor.

I ordered a dirty martini that lacked olives and although we ordered the same drink twice, the Irishman Cocktail, the drinks came out entirely different - the first cocktail was delicious and balanced. However, the second cocktail was sickeningly sweet and almost tasted like they forgot to add the whiskey.

The Baked Papadella Bolognese was under salted and tasted bland. However, was fine when salt was added.

The Japanese Seared Tuna with Seaweed salad was an entire miss for the meal. Dressed on the plate with spicy mayonnaise and sriracha sauce, each bite tasted overwhelmingly like sriracha and ruin the meal. Look closely at the photo and you can see a gigantic glob of sriracha sauce under the tuna. Also, the seared tuna was served cold which was odd. It almost tasted like they cooked it earlier in the day, put in the refrigerator, and then served it at dinner to save time. Also, look at the globs of fish roe on the top of the tuna. No significant side and the seaweed salad looked like someone just placed a bowl upside down on the plate.

The true wins were the focaccia bread and the short ribs. Not great considering the $300 price tag for a midweek dinner for four. It is sad because it looked like a beautiful venue, but the food was a miss.

The outdoor atmosphere was redeeming. We will give them another shot and hope for the best. While we were eating our meals we saw other meals pass by that looked delicious. The brick chicken and grilled salmon dishes...

One of the most hilariously HORRIBLE dining experiences ever! Don't waste your money on the Coachman's Lodge in Bellingham (unless you're a glutton for terrible service and mediocre food). I can't imagine having a wedding/event there! We went with the family last night, to celebrate my little brother's graduation from high school. I actually had to make a list of all the ways in which this experience was so horribly memorable:

-we had reservations for 8:30, but had to wait until 9:05 to be seated -we were welcomed with packaged crackers and processed pub cheese, instead of rolls (“fine dining”?) -the waitress was overtly frustrated, frazzled, confused and ornery. -she had to go around the table twice to get the order “right” -they were out of baked potatoes, which somehow caused our whole order to be delayed -we didn't get served until 10:20 (thats more than an hour after being seated) -the chicken Parmesan didn't have ANY Parmesan on it (she had asked for no sauce... not no cheese) -the salad lettuce was limp -the fish & chips came with sour cream instead of tartar sauce, and there was no coleslaw -the water had a strong chlorine smell (straight from the sink), we had to ask specifically for filtered water from the bar -the table was wobbly, and track lighting pointed right in our eyes -the waitress opened the wine without removing the foil, and poured it like a total amateur! -by the time we were eating, the music playlist had already repeated, ha! -when we complained about the service/overall experience to the waitress, she said that the manager wasn't available, and instead took down our contact information -24 hours later and still no phone call from a manager/proprietor

Epic “fine-dining” FAIL. At least we have...