Bellingham: Jalapenos (August 2014)

My spouse and I dined at Jalapenos for dinner on a Wednesday night in late July 2014. This restaurant was previously called Milagro. We stayed at the Fairhaven Village Inn, which was less than a 3-minute walk from Jalapenos. The Downtown Fairhaven location of Jalapenos is located near the corner of Eleventh Street and Harris Avenue, right off the Village Green. Jalapenos has three locations: Fairhaven, Downtown Bellingham, and Barkley. Although Jalapenos does not have its own parking lot, street parking is available throughout Fairhaven. Jalapenos is open daily for lunch and dinner. We did not have a reservation, but the host seated us quickly on the outdoor deck, even though the restaurant was busy.

The restaurant has two floors of seating. We did not notice an elevator between the two floors, although two different sets of stairs exist. The bar is located on the second level of the restaurant, and the kitchen is located on the street level. The restaurant has an outdoor deck on the second floor, some of whose tables offer a peek at the Village Green. Below the deck is a semi-outdoor area with additional table seating.

Shortly after the host seated us, our server delivered a basket of warm tortilla chips and home-made salsa. We shared the black bean and five cheese quesadillas to start, followed by entrees of la crema enchiladas and puerco (pork) al huerno. The pork dish was memorable because it contained several small pork shanks (bone included) brushed with a sauce. We shared flan for dessert. Portions were large, with most main courses served alongside Mexican rice and refried beans. We had plenty of leftovers to take home. The restaurant and food seems authentic because it was staffed by employees who might actually be Mexican (or Spanish).

The Fairhaven location of Jalapenos offers good Mexican food, good service, and a pleasant atmosphere.