Boundary Bay Brewery & Bistro

This place feels like a classic brewpub, offering up a traditional American food menu, along with quality, no BS beer. Interior is a mix of spaces, most likely expanding throughout the years to occupy adjacent interior and exterior space as demand rose. All interior spaces are more traditional Americana brew pub, with hardwood floors, and open, neutral-colored walls adorned with beer memorabilia. A back patio offerings seating under an enclosed awning, and steps down to a gravel-lot with picnic benches for completely open air beer consumption. Staff are all kind, building on the homey, small town setting. Beer selection spans an array of clean styles, that is to say, not many flavor additives, if any. Just good, sessionable beer.

No comment on food.

Cool spot with a good vibe at least during covid. The issue I had was with the staff asking what "we" wanted. Pretty sure "we" didn't eat together and damn sure "we" didn't pay together. Scrap we and go back to what would you like.

The food is good not great but the "we" stuff drove me crazy.

 

 

 

 

 

I've actually been here many times, but never reviewed it until today, apparently. My wife, kids, mother, and I went there for lunch yesterday.

They're kid friendly, open and friendly vibe. Bistro isn't the nicest in the world, but it's not bad. I like going there.

They generally make good but not special beer. They have a decent selection of beer, maybe 8-10 taps, only their own beers. Yesterday, they had their 2014 Old Bounder on tap, and it was extremely good (I had a second glass of it and bought a bottle to take home).

Their food is good -- much better than standard pub grub. I haven't been disappointed by anything I've had there, and their menu seems to change somewhat, with a few dishes that seem to be on the menu all the time.

Visited on an afternoon Saturday, December 26, 2015
Bartender was very attentive even with a full restaurant
Limited choice coming from brewery
location and place is very good but parking is a challenge

 

 

I visited Boundary Bay on a recent trip to Bellingham and it was my favorite of the breweries I visited. It has a very lived-in brewpub feel, with a warm, welcoming atmosphere and a population of regulars in addition to the autumn-weekend tourists.

There were about a dozen beers on tap during my visit, and the ones I had were decent if not mind-blowing. Everything seems well-crafted, even if the individual beers weren't all exactly to my taste. The food is good; I opted for the reuben (my go-to brewery choice) and it was quite tasty. The staff are friendly and I felt like I was treated as a regular despite it having been my first visit. I will definitely try to return here the next time I'm in town.

 

 

 

Vibe — A bustling and busy space with nice tall ceilings and a small main bar area that peers into the brewing space. Nice and warm, always packed. Nice outdoor seating in the warmer months.

Quality — Always high quality, though the beers may not be earth shattering, they are always well made and tasty.

Service — Usually quite good, sometimes not so much, a bit inconsistent, but overall it is good, quick and attentive.

Selection — Limited taps and often times there is something on Randal and something on Cask, can usually find something new, but can always find an old favorite.

Food — Pretty limited menu, but I have never had a dish I didn't like, the Turkey Dip is a go to, and the salads are always great.

Overall — A great place for an original craft beer and good food. We go multiple times a month.

 

Boundary Bay has long been a staple in the NW craft beer community and even after all these years they're still on their game. Most of their offerings are very good, and the food is consistently good as well. Plus, there's usually a few offerings on cask. All of this coupled with great service make this a must visit when in Bellingham.

 

I like the vibe of this brewpub. Lots of energy, friendly servers, great menu and food, and a good beer selection.

 

 

 

 

 

First the good: love the room, the beer garden, the whole ambiance. It's great! The service was just as great. It was busy and our server was doing a fantastic job of being personable and making sure everyone was happy. Amazing! The menu has a good selection that is sure to please a wide variety of people. Speaking of which, it's a good mix of patrons from sporty-bikesters to hipsters to everyday working people. I wish patrons were allowed to choose the 6 beers in the sampler but it covers nearly all their regular offerings ... and when I asked about the two keg beers the great server happily brought me mini tasters in addition to the 6 on my tray.
Now for the bad: I really didn't like any of their beers. They were totally disjointed, tasting like they were just thrown together without any sense of balance. The listed alcohol levels were reasonable but the lack of a balanced accentuated the alcohol which made the beers taste even worse. I didn't finish any of the eight I tried. I thought I had hit the beers on an off day but a local beside me was raving about their big and bold taste.
So I'm torn about recommending BBB to friends. How about: it's a fantastic beer destination but just don't drink the beers.
Maybe it's just me so I'll give the beers another chance another time ...

 

This local Bellingham pub epitomizes the Bellingham culture. Down to Earth, natural, somewhat artsy, and laid back. They serve a solid IPA. For me, it is especially tasty on cask. This is one of our favorite places to go in the summer for afternoon beers, plus it is very much, kid friendly. The outdoor seating/beer garden is nice, the events they have here are always fun, and it is centrally located in downtown Bellingham. Their beers are solid, the food is good, and the people are nice.

They have a great brewpub. The beer isn't the best I've had, but I've been spoiled over the years. Overall, its great quality, the Cascadian Dark is one of my favorites. The food is the best I've had at a brewpub, try the yam enchiladas, I thought it sounded crazy at first, but they are amazing. The staff is incredibly helpful and fun to be around, especially after a few pints. Very much recommended if you find yourself in Bellingham.

 

 

Great Beer! Fish Tacos are a great choice to pair with their excellent IPA. The Barleywineish is a great choice. Also they were pouring a single-hop Amarillo that was out of this world. I have been enjoying this brewery for years and will continue to frequent Bb when I make it to a Bellingham. Great location.

Loved it here. My first time was today. Service was great, although there wasn't as many beers to choose from than I thought. The tap house section of the brewery looked neat too with the option for the love music. I enjoyed the platter I had and I'm not much of an IPA guy but none of them weren't too bad. I was happy to see the hockey game on at the bar. I live up north, I want to watch hockey not football. Ill definitely be coming back after my deployment. I'm moving to fairhaven so ill be enjoying this place for years to come.

 

 

 

Always visit Boundary Bay when we go to Bellingham. Great atmosphere but gave it an OK only because it was always too crowded when I went there. They need to expand. Otherwise I could rate it higher. The servers busted their tails to get the beer out so I say great service! My favorite beer is the Imperial IPA. Be ready for it! IBU's are up there! Great place!

It definitely helps that it's a beautiful day, but walking up to the brewery with the view of the bay is stunning on a day like this.
Greeted by hop vines growing just inside a fenced off area next to the entrance, the seating is open and airy. It probably could get kind of stuffy during the winter when it's socked in, but on a bright sunny day like this it's airy and open.
Really friendly staff everytime I've come in, whether just to pick up some bottles or to eat. Even when it's super busy they are good about communicating that fact and keeping things moving.
Delicious food, handmade using local ingedients for the most part... priced about on par with standard stuff of the type.

Wholeheartedly recommend stopping in anytime you're in Bellingham, or northewest washington in general for that matter

Oh Boundary Bay Brewery, you are a staple in the Bellingham community. When I was first introduced to craft beer you were my love. Your scotch ale was delicious, but soon things started changing.

Your service was sub-par. I would sit waiting to be served for 5-10 minutes without even being so much as talked to. Your servers were curt and not very friendly.

We started growing apart as I found better and better craft beers and bars/eateries that had better beer on tap. I began to notice that pretty much all your beers tasted the same, hoppy and sweet. My massive headaches after just two of your beers were attributed not long enough fermentation times.

You're getting better though and i hope our relationship can be mended in the coming years.