Bellinghamburgers in the City of Subdued Excitement
An unofficial catalogue
Story and Photos by Austin Wright
The cheeseburger as we know it today — a warm blanket of a gooey sharp cheddar melt or creamy American cheese atop a well-done beef patty, between two soft yet sturdy sesame seed buns — is typically associated with the foremost corporate fast food giants like McDonald’s or Wendy’s. As multinational monoliths of meat patties expand their reach even further, it’s often easy to forget what we have down the street.
CABIN TAVERN
A gooey smashburger and basket of french fries from Cabin Tavern basks in red light from above. Still hot from the grill, a strand of melted cheese clings to the paper wrapping.
I can taste the grill in my burger, and there are so many dioramas of animals on the walls, pictured in artful scenes. I could not love this more. Cabin Tavern plays no games on cheap, quality burgers — a man sitting at the bar immediately recommended the deluxe cheeseburger before I had even spent a minute in the cozy bar hall.
Here among the rustic wood and brick interior, it feels like a distant relative’s lakeside property — which also happens to be Washington’s top-seller of Rainier Beer, and second in the United States. The lively space, cast in a dim, warm light, is proudly decorated with Rainier memorabilia.
Smashburgers here are more like ultra-smashed burgers, making the whole creation look like a greasy U.F.O. The grilled undertones in the hamburger meat are one of its defining characteristics. Deeply savory, charred and put together with American cheese that sits in your mouth for every bite — simply delicious.
FIAMMA BURGER
Next to a pint of Kulshan Sunnyland IPA and a heap of french fries, glistening grease reflects off of a bacon cheeseburger in the dining room at Fiamma Burger.
Not to be confused with its pizza counterpart in the downtown district, Fiamma Burger serves up patties in the true smashburger style. The sleek interior of sloped walls and upscale beer served from the tap is a stark contrast to the greasy burgers on the menu.
Albeit somewhat pricey, Fiamma Burger absolutely kills it on the cheese, where its golden viscosity blends smoothly into the browned beef patty for every bite. With a Kulshan Sunnyland IPA as my drink of choice, the crisp carbonation cuts through the heavy and savory grease.
The food portions at Fiamma Burger are appropriately large and so filling you don’t necessarily need a whole combo. The restaurant strikes a successful balance that is neither too dry nor too greasy. Fiamma undoubtedly costs a pretty penny as one of the more expensive spots for a cheeseburger, but you truly get what you pay for. The quality simply speaks for itself.
BOOMER’S DRIVE IN
A classic cheeseburger from inside Boomer’s Drive-In.
Boomer’s is a classic of its type, serving up typical American diner fare with a 1950s retro charm. “I Want to Walk You Home” by Fats Domino croons amid the patrons excitedly chatting. The menu is as straightforward as it is affordable — especially during its yearly anniversary sale, known as “Boomuary,” from Jan. 7 to Feb. 28, when all burgers are $3.66.
I do not envy the rookie Boomer’s employee during “Boomuary,” hurrying from waiting cars to the kitchen and back again. Inside the restaurant, walk-in customers feel less like people and more like herded cattle in two separate lines: one for ordering and one for pickup. There’s barely any room to move.
On weekend nights in food service industry hell, I’ve waited over an hour to receive my order.
The toppings are rarely skimped or dumped, though quality can definitely swing one way or the other at Boomer’s. My burgers on admittedly rare occasions were mistreated, with a presumably hasty employee one day inadvertently tossing a few pinches of nonconsensual lettuce in my burger build. The restaurant suffers from how dry the buns and patties can get, and yes, the service can leave customers feeling slightly discouraged during a big dinner rush.
The cheeseburgers themselves are quite densely layered and stacked. For a burger under six dollars, Boomer’s is far from a disappointment and largely lives up to the hype — my complaints are few and far between when I’m paying under $10 for a burger anywhere.
ACCOMPLICE
A cheeseburger, complete with a charred bun filled with lettuce from Accomplice.
Somewhere between the main setting of your last fever dream and a hidden gem of an establishment lies Accomplice, Bellingham’s most vividly unique burger joint.
One of the only outward-facing signage on this minimal white storefront in downtown Bellingham is an image of a neon-yellow ski mask, with no accompanying words. This would make almost anyone’s first pilgrimage to this high temple of carbs and calories an initially confusing journey. Though in this eclectic and colorful spot, it’s the absurdity of seeing a pair of dummy legs affixed to the ceiling that makes you appreciate the love put into cultivating such a spot devoted to good food.
The main attraction is a plenty smash of salty, crusty beef tucked into a pillowy soft bun. The slight crunch of the patty in tandem with the crispy lettuce is enough to complement the individual qualities of the greasy patty, which is grilled to perfection. Unlike other restaurants that may overcompensate by providing a towering edifice of a bun to make up for any dryness, Accomplice’s buns are relatively short in stature yet never steal the flavor from the grill.