By Alexandria Baker
Bellingham is often considered a “foodie” town. Bursting with specialty restaurants, from vegan and gluten-free menus to some of the best offerings of international cuisine, there is no shortage of options when it comes to dining out in town. But sometimes, a surplus of choice becomes the cousin to indecision. After all, how can you be sure you’re getting the best boom for your buck?
That’s what brings me to offer my humble services as a writer to you. Rather than try to rank the top ten best restaurants of all time in Bellingham, I have elected to offer my personal opinion of but a few of the Mexican selections in town.
Casa Que Pasa
This popular joint downtown recently had a moment of celebrity, as TV personality Alton Brown stopped in to try the world- (or maybe Bellingham-only) famous potato burrito. Brown seemed to enjoy his behemoth burrito, citing that a single order could easily feed four people. He’s not wrong. Casa proudly asks customers who order the jumbo-sized version to submit their pictures with the meal and show the world their “burrito face.”
While the potato burrito is a delicious vegetarian option, and certainly worth the $7.69 for the regular-sized version, Casa has some other delicious options that are often overlooked.
Their quesadillas in particular are notable. Now, we’re not talking about a few flimsy tortillas glued together with a thin layer of cheese. No, Casa takes just as much pride in their quesadillas as they do their burritos. The quesadillas are loaded with fresh ingredients, including lettuce and tomato. They serve a chicken, beef or vegetarian option, often served with sour cream and guacamole. The loaded quesadillas are fantastic if eating a brick-sized potato burrito isn’t up your alley.
Either way, you’re sure to walk away feeling full and planning your next visit.
Rating: 8/10
Jalapeños
This local chain has three locations, including one on W Holly St, a location in Barkley Village, and a Fairhaven store. The variety is great for ease of access, and also the mood shifts greatly between the locations.
The downtown Jalapeños is excellent for grabbing a king-sized plate of nachos with friends before going out on the town. I cannot express this enough–if you order the jumbo-sized nachos, you will be served enough chips and cheese to feed a small city. This location seems to pride itself on shocking its customers with the sheer amount of food they are willing to put on the plate. Additionally, this location tends to pour their “Big Mama” margaritas with a heavy hand. If you want a lot of drink for not a lot of price, this place is a must.
Meanwhile, the Fairhaven location tends to be a bit tamer. Located on Harris Ave, it’s a cute location with upstairs seating. I would recommend this location if you’re after Mexican food while your parents are in town. The atmosphere is quainter, after the manner of Fairhaven in general. Either way, if you want more than enough food to share, Jalapeños might just be the place to go.
Rating: 6/10
Burrito King
Easy to pick out due to their iconic donkey mascot, Burrito King can be found on campus most days. This local restaurant has a permanent spot on Vendor’s Row, and it’s easy to see why. At peak times, it’s not uncommon to find more than a dozen people in line for this particular vendor.
However, despite the name, I’m not sure I would classify Burrito King as the best burrito in town. While their burritos are lighter and fresher when compared with Casa Que Pasa’s hefty potato burrito, it still leaves something to be desired. Perhaps the outer tortilla isn’t toasted enough; leaving it cold and just a little too chewy, or maybe it’s hard to fish out $5 in cash whenever the craving for a burrito on campus hits.
Even if the burritos leave something to be desired, Burrito King delivers on a delicious taco salad. Housed in a toasted tortilla shell, their salad starts with a filling layer of rice and beans. Then, (if you so choose) they add in chicken or beef, and finally the whole thing is topped off with a layer of shredded lettuce, tomato, sour cream, guacamole and for good measure, a fresh lime. The whole flavor is balanced with a red (spicy) and green (mild) salsa as well.
Burrito King sweetens the deal on their food by offering daily specials, depending on the day of the week. This makes it easy to wait to try something new until it’s offered as a special.
Rating: 7/10
As you can see, Bellingham has plenty of great Mexican restaurants to enjoy. The only way to see how they stack up for yourself is to try them all, one delicious bite at a time.