Penny Farthing Bar & Restaurant — Restaurant in Bellingham

My wife and I, with two friends, dined at Penny Farthing for the first time Friday evening. Prime time dining can be tough in our town, but we were fortunate enough to be seated quickly. The service (by Alli) was very timely, very comfortable and friendly despite the frenetic pace at the restaurant. She is a pro, perfect for this spot.

Our party selected 5 items to share, Filet Migon Medallions, Sweet Potatoes Au Gratin, Dungeness Crabcake Quartet, Classic Filet Sliders, and Tuscan Ribs a la Rosticerria, and shared the lot so we could all sample. While one in our party found the ribs not to her taste, this was the only critical input for everything, and this lone critique was more personal preference than product. We all left the restaurant musing about the newest top tier restaurant in town. For a relatively small town, Bellingham offers great dining choices, with many good and several great places. Penny Farthing registers squarely in the Great category.

The following day, a Facebook user asked for recommendations for dining after a long covid hiatus. Without reservation, my comment (liked by many - apparently we are not alone) was "Penny Farthing is stellar". Shine on, folks, you are offering us all a great...

I was desperate for an event space and saw Penny Farthing mentioned in CDN. The minute I walked in, I knew that this was the space I wanted. (As a side note, this restaurant is conveniently walking distance from A New Leaf floral and Pure Bliss Desserts.)

Hannah is an excellent Event Coordinator, and Dan and Olivia were very helpful in setting up before the event and were supportive throughout the evening. They were patient and very accommodating when I needed them to be.

Chef Erik is a brilliant talent that we are lucky to have in Bellingham. The buffet set up for the event was eye candy.

I had not had a bite of food nor a beverage from Penny Farthing prior to the evening of our celebration. I was highly impressed as well as the guests.

You will not go wrong stopping by for lunch, having friends or family meet for dinner or contract for an event. It was the best 80th birthday celebration I could have asked for thanks to ALL of the staff that helped make...

Really disappointing experience. First the food was overpriced. The Mac and cheese was the exception, it was good and a nice size portion. The rest was just underwhelming. $26 for 6 flavorless ribs with a tiny cup of beans and chopped radicchio. $15 for roughly 6 ounces of crab bisque with half a teaspoon of crab in it (though there was good flavor, see blurry photo). My dining partner laughed when he saw how few shrimp in the miniature cast iron of Catalan Shrimp, it could fit in the palm of your hand. The drinks were all good though.

The space was fine but not comfortable plus it was pretty cold.

Lastly it’s 20% automatic gratuity on party’s 6 or more. Service was good and friendly. But it was pour your own water and our bottles were empty most of the dinner. It’s fairly absurd and I try to tip generously.

Maybe it was an off night, but based on the prices and experience I wouldn’t give it another shot for food but...