Ah Narrative. I’m so glad I visited the shop while I was Bellingham. One thing that’s really big for me when visiting a local shop is feeling the sense of community, and this one did not disappoint. I loved that I felt like a Bellinghamster even though I was just visiting. Thanks for the awesome service and welcome Sergei and Micah!Now let’s talk product, and I have one word: fantastic. The food was incredible! I highly, HIGHLY recommend the French toast. It was crispy and soft while dressed with fresh strawberries and whip adding a refreshing taste to the warm bread. The coffee is also so smooth. I typically dress up my lattes, and this time I didn’t feel like I needed to do much at all.Good coffee, good food, good service, good community equals an excellent local shop to support and make a staple in your day-to-day eats as well as your next visit to Bellingham!
This place is the best place to have breakfast or lunch in all of Bellingham. The quality of -everything- is just amazing. I was like, “Omg finally!” The mushroom hero tea with milk and honey is the best drink I’ve ever ordered anywhere in my whole life.
Stopped in this morning while bumbling about Bellingham for the first time, and wow! I went simple with "just" the biscuit (stunning!) and a lavender mocha, and it was all utterly delicious. Great, friendly staff and a really fun location too. Go soon!
This place was incredible! The pour-over I got from Justin was the best I've had in a while! So glad narrative opened in Bellingham, much needed!
Really inviting atmosphere! The coffee drinks are amazing and the food is excellent. The staff are all really personable and attentive. Bellingham is lucky to have them!
The interior design and "hip" factor of this place is hard to beat. Clean lines, modern vibe, and a staff was busily disinfecting tables as I walked in. Feels like a great place to pop open your laptop and hang out. Unfortunately, I got a bad cappuccino (12 ounce, $6) to-go during my first brief visit. Heavy on the milk, and the taste was off. For $6, I need a perfect coffee. I'll give Narrative another shot next time I'm within a few blocks and in the mood for caffeine.
What a wonderful addition to the neighborhood! Sergei and the rest of the team at Narrative have quickly made this our new favorite spot. Wonderful coffee, delicious food, and the kindest team of folks working there. My one year old is constantly trying to wander into the employees only area, so she clearly agrees that they are the best. So glad to have Narrative in Bellingham!
Lovely location in the Columbia neighborhood. Small and crowded inside, but has a large, covered outdoor space with benches and tables.The best thing about Narrative is the coffee, which is as it should be. Our espressos were smooth, rich, creamy and the coffee itself seemed to be really high quality. Really nice too that they are clearly LGBTQ friendly and show their support on their website and in the cafe.What would raise my rating:Presentation: while glass tumblers are an interesting and unique choice, they are not conducive to carrying, holding nor drinking hot espresso.Seating: the limited indoor seating consists of very tall chairs with a small surface area. The outdoor seating is hard, narrow, wooden benches. Neither choice was comfortable for me or my companions.Cost: Penalizing the dairy-intolerant and plant-based customer with an upcharge is unfair and shows a lack of commitment to being a green business.Options: While there was a vegan sandwich, there were no baked goods or treats that were vegan Those if us in need of a new cafe to replace Black Drop will be disappointed. Hopefully, this relatively new addition to the Bellingham coffee scene is still working on improvements. I look forward to being able to update this review!
Excellent coffee, great atmosphere, superb service! Definitely recommend.
It’s been a long lonely meandering journey for me full of much pain, many trials, some few small victories but so many more defeats. Through the myriad of my life’s storms, in the darkest corners of the coldest places I have turned to one often faint light of hope time and again; that light is caffeine. Now I…I wipe tears from my face as I type I…today I had the greatest cappuccino of my life. Every one before was coffee with milk this was toasty espresso bold flavorful alive with 3/8 of an inch of dense cream; all that with a heart - a heart truly and in spirit, yes, all heart as well. This cappuccino - this tiny cup of loving resilience…turns out this was what it was all about all along. Marriages, children, money, victories no - none were really the thing - it was all a prelude to this cup so warm in it’s matte ceramic mug. My journey is over now. I need not wake tomorrow, no reason to, I have nothing more to achieve or seek, but if I do my coming days are forever defined: to take yet another and another and another cup of Narrative cappuccino. Preferably with the Benny - perfectly cooked eggs on large homemade biscuits with a lava flow of vinegary cream hollandaise sauce.