Five Columns Greek Restaurant — Restaurant in Bellingham

For those of you who had the pleasure of dining at Mykonos before they decided to close their doors, dining at Five Columns will be somewhat of a disappointment should you have a hankering for some Greek food.

Some negative feedback: The environment is drab and dark and does not seem to have much of a theme at all - It could be the inside of a Dennys restaurant. Given how expensive it is to dineout these days, part of the experience should be cultural ambiance related to the cuisine you are eating. In other words, i want to feel temporaily transformed, where the senses, tastes, smells, and atmosphere of a restaurant strongly evoke memories of being in that country or culture. Lots of room for improvement at this place.

The pictures on the menu are not at all appetizing and make the dishes look like something you would get on your tray at a prison or junior high cafeteria. Those should be changed immediately. Pro tip - use some proper lighting.

Not enough pita bread accompanies dishes that require it - Hummus, Tsatziki, Saganaki, etc...you will get about 1/2 way through that appetizer and have to ask for more which you will have to pay for. IMO, pita bread at a Greek restaurant is akin to chips and salsa at a Mexican restaurant. It should be plentiful and just keep coming...

They do not seem to offer roasted Greek lemon potatoes with any dish. I loved this option at Mykonos. I stead they offer what alpaear to be just large cut fries.

Portion sizes are small for what you are paying. $8 for hummus that looks like a dollop from a single ladle spoon and the 2 pieces of pita you receive is not enough for 4 people. You will probably need to order 2 unless u want to fight iver it. Would be better if 5 columns just increased the cost a little and served a larger portion with more bread. This dish should also come with some vegetables like cucumbers or carrots and not just be about the bread - a hummus appetizer should be about the hummous.

I ordered the chicken souvlakia with rice. The chicken was very dry, over seasoned, and was not served with any tsatziki sauce which this dish desperately needs since the chicken is so dry. Therr was so much seasoning on my checken, I could not even tell it was chicken without a closer look. The rice that came with the dish was good, but was a lot closer to Italian risotto than any Greek rice I have had before. Where is the lemon flavor????

Some Positive: The Greek salad option was delicious. The dressing was very flavorful and tangy. While I was expecting something different (green pepper, cucumber, tomatoes, etc..), the salad was

Likewise, the Moussaka was spot on and would probabaly be what I order there if we decide to revisit.

The Saganaki was also good and I was pleased to see that on the appetizer menu - just did not come with enough bread. So if you are unwilling to pay for more bread, you will probably be eating much of that with a fork and knife.

The retaurant has a strange mix of food. There are some signature Greek dishes, but there are also so many non-greek options that it felt somewhat like a generic american diner. 5 cloumns should just focus on one cuisine/culture - Greek. I am willing to give this place another try in the future but it likely wont make my short list of options for dining out. It will take a strong desire for Greek flavors to get...

Five columns is my go-to neighborhood restaurant when I want to relax. They have such a relaxed vibe and it really feels like a family run restaurant (because it is)! I think that's another thing that I love about it. Soula knows exactly who we are and it's only one of two restaurants in town where you feel welcomed into their space because they remember and know you. I love the ambiance, the color they use in their décor, the giant tree in the middle of the restaurant, and my favorite aspect is how CLEAN it is there. You cannot say that about many places these days. I'm not exaggerating when I say you could probably eat off the floor there. The floor never has any leftover food under the table from the last guests, everything is wiped clean, and you can tell there is a sense of pride in their ownership there. I feel strongly that that feeling transfers into the food a person cooks and that is also apparent at Five Columns.

I will add more photos over time, but most recently we went back for breakfast after our dinner there the evening before. I love eggs benedict and theirs has a delightfully fresh hint of lemon in their homemade hollandaise sauce. The hashbrowns are cooked perfectly and portions are generous with all of their meals. My partner had the salmon eggs benedict & loved his as well.

For dinner, you can't beat the Greek salad here and the saganaki (flaming cheese) dish that they light at the table. The humous is creamy in texture and not dried and pasty like other places. For entrees, we usually order from a few things we love, but I really like their pasta dishes.

Don't forget to leave room for Greek desert though because their bogatsa is amazing. It's a cinnamon vanilla custard inside a phyllo dough pocket and a perfectly sized desert to end with.

I have to give one last shoutout to the owners at Five Columns because they went above and beyond with a request of mine in the past where they specially-made my favorite Greek dish for me - pastitsio. It's usually only offered once a year with a special and they made it on a special order for me.

Five Columns has very friendly service, good food, relaxing atmosphere, and I highly recommend frequenting their establishment. If you go around Christmas time, they give these little cards inviting you back in January. You open the card in January at your table and there is a fun surprise inside. This year we won $50 off our meal- the grand prize! There were 4 of them out there & it was so cool to win. What a fun way to bring us...

I have always appreciated this restaurant, although my visits have been infrequent. I returned last week and, despite my concerns about the elevated prices, I found the food to be an excellent value. The $26 vegetarian plate is pricier than its meat counterpart, yet the generous portions of potatoes, spanakopita, and the substantial salad that accompanies the meal justify the cost.

The primary drawback is the restaurant's outdated appearance, which desperately requires renovation. Many aspects, including the bathroom facilities, seating, and tables, are of poor quality and lack proper maintenance. However, given the current struggles of Bellingham's restaurant industry, it seems unlikely that they will have the resources for improvements. I am thankful that Five Columns remains in operation, especially since my favorite Greek restaurant, Mykonos, faced significant challenges and ultimately closed. I sincerely hope for the continued success of Five Columns.

A recommendation I would propose is to implement a Student Special for individuals possessing a student ID, whether from high school or college. This initiative could feature smaller portion sizes accompanied by lower prices, thereby attracting more patrons who may hesitate due to concerns about value for money. Additionally, this approach could appeal to a demographic that requires more affordable dining options, potentially leading to an increase in overall customer attendance. A student menu or a value menu or a similar concept could effectively serve...