Woods Coffee — Restaurant in Bellingham

I was a regular of Woods' locations for a good couple years, but, honestly, the only explanation is their locations are wonderful. The Boulevard Park location is the best of them, and probably the most touristy-yet-hidden spot to relax with a coffee in the city, sporting a beautiful view of the bay. Their shop designs are comfortable and inviting, with rustic, comfortable wood furniture, warming fires in the winter, and free wi-fi.

But good lord, the coffee is not coffee. It's the worst dreck I've ever tasted in my life. Starbucks, a company known for standardizing the process of burning all their beans to hell and back in order to maintain consistency across a global operation, somehow beats Woods out for tastiness. The roasts Woods offers at all of their locations taste far and away worse than anything you get at Starbucks, and yet somehow they push for local pride up here around Bellingham even though their goal is to be the next Starbucks -- just local. (A really confusing goal, I think.)

Obviously, though, if you're at Woods, you're not here for drip coffee or americanos or shots of espresso -- all of which taste like the dirtiest of bottoms. You're here for the same reason you go to Starbucks: To ingest five times the daily recommendation of sugar in one 16-ounce cup, coat it in layers of fudge, caramel, and whipped cream. Underneath all that sweet goodness -- just maybe -- you'll taste the faintest hint of over-extracted, burned-tasting espresso shots: A signal to your brain that, along with the Good Sugar (praise be!), there's definitely some caffeine here somewhere.

Which is fine. It's fine to crave a totally sweet treat like that, and I often do. But it's not good coffee. It doesn't make sense to pretend it's coffee at all.

My problems would end there and things would be hunky-dory, but I absolutely loathe the customer service, too. I dread having to make orders here, because I feel like I'm being manhandled by fake smiles and pleas for tips by every employee at every Woods location I've ever been to. The pressure they put on their employees to be 'nice' just leads to being excruciatingly gross and fake, all the more that they only seem to hire high school kids -- 90% girls, of course -- who care nothing about coffee or you, adding to the 'fake' feeling they exude. I think my worst experience at the Boulevard location was being kicked out 20 minutes early so the employees could throw a party in the kiln room with their high-school friends. That felt good.

Yeah, it's not a good sign for the coffee if I'd rather have Starbucks.

I'll add that the foods are consistently mediocre; easily comparable to Starbucks, which is exactly what they're trying to replicate. They're all grossly unhealthy and mask mediocrity under the weight of insane amounts of sugar. Which, again, is totally fine, but that's all it is: Fine. The few savory treats they have are overpriced by a few bucks and taste like microwaveable sandwiches, which they are.

Boulevard gets one extra star for me solely based on the great location. The options themselves are consistently terrible -- consistently 1-star -- regardless of which Woods location you choose. The location itself really is 5 stars, but that shouldn't excuse horrible service and horrible products that perpetually exist as an insult to their...

This is a wonderful spot to gather with friends or to simply enjoy a contemplative cup of coffee solo.

Nestled near the beach, at the other end of the boardwalk from the Taylor Dock, Woods Coffee provides an excellent year-round meeting place at Boulevard Park. Order a Cup of Joe and something to nosh from the takeout window and continue on your journey to (or through) the park or come inside and settle by the fireplace, but do it! You'll be glad you did.

Whether you're on your own, with others or meeting someone, Woods offers a delightful respite from the day-to-day matters that plague our daily lives. Here, you can enjoy a coffee, tea or alternative beverage of your choice (with or without something to nosh) inside, upstairs, by the fireplace or on the patio overlooking Bellingham Bay.

Although parking can be challenging at sunset, on summer mornings or during weekend events, typically there is ample parking available for those who can't spare the time to visit on foot or on their bike.

Sit by the fireplace in the winter or on the patio overlooking Bellingham Bay in the summer, but there's no better place to enjoy both the view and a cup of Joe than Woods at Boulevard Park. Bellingham sports plenty of equally great spots to enjoy sunset, none provide a better view than Boulevard Park, the patio behind Woods, the Taylor Dock or the boardwalk that runs...

Woods Coffee in Bellingham is the definition of aggressively average. It’s the kind of place that looks great on your Instagram story but tastes like someone described coffee over a Zoom call and hoped for the best. The drinks aren’t bad, they’re just… there. The latte has all the excitement of warm milk that once met a coffee bean in passing.

They’ve clearly invested in aesthetics the rustic wood walls, fireplace coziness, and faint scent of ambition. It’s the visual “Boom-Clap-Hey!” vibe of that terrible millennial folk music trend. But behind the charming log cabin vibes, you’re still paying $6 for something that tastes like it came out of a hotel lobby Keurig.

It’s loud, too. Between the clatter of mugs and everyone yelling over their MacBooks, don’t expect to get any work done unless your job is eavesdropping. And good luck finding a seat unless you’re there right when they open or you’re comfortable hover-lurking like a caffeine-deprived vulture.

Woods Coffee is basically the Pacific Northwest’s idea of a safe bet: inoffensive, overhyped, and wrapped in a flannel shirt. If you want something that looks like a coffee shop and vaguely resembles coffee, this is your spot. But if you’re looking for flavor or soul? You might want to...