Restaurant Adds Flavor to Samish Urban Village

BELLINGHAM -- Nestled in the convergence of Samish Way and I-5, newly opened Mexican restaurant El Albañil is ready and open for business, adding another family owned restaurant on Samish Way.

El Albañil replaces an IHOP that had previously occupied the building on Byron Street until its closure in December of 2010. 

Last Monday, January 16th, Owner Rafael Alvarado held a grand opening to kick off what he hopes will be a successful business.  Unfortunately, Mother Nature’s frosty greeting stalled the celebration.

            “Not many people want to go out on days like this,” said Alvarado in reference to the snow accumulation.  “It was very bad.”

As the snow melted away, so did Alvarado’s worries about slow business.  He is confident that within the next week, customer traffic will increase.    

            “I opened without a liquor license and I lost a few customers because of that,” said Alvarado, who indicated that his license should be arriving within the next week, bringing with it plenty of new patrons.

Alvarado needs only to look at his restaurant’s name to remind him that times will get better.  The literal translation of “El Albañil” is “the brick layer.”  The significance to the name stems from Alvarado’s humble beginning as a farmer in Guadalajara, Mexico.

            “I’m going layer by layer,” he said.  “I’m still trying to succeed, to grow a little bit, step by step like a brick layer laying on brick one at a time, looking to build a foundation.” 

He operates El Albañil with his wife Rosario and employs his son as a server.  He hopes that El Albañil takes on a family atmosphere.

            “We try to be friendly with the people and adjust to the customers,” he said. “We do our best to give [the customers] good service and a nice smile,” he said, flashing a huge grin in the process.

Restaurant goers Marvin Riggs and his girlfriend Anneke Palmerton stopped by El Albañil for the first time since its opening and were impressed by feel of the restaurant.

            “They’ve seemed very sweet coming up and saying ‘Hi,” said Palmerton.  “I’m very impressed with the kids menu,” she added.

Riggs works as a membership sales representative for the Chamber of Commerce and sees El Albañil as a great addition to a rebuilding area.

            “We support the local economy,” he said.

His girlfriend shares the sentiment.

            “I like to support the local and family restaurants,” she said.  She is excited but is skeptical of how the restaurant will do.

            “It has a lot of potential, but there is a lot of drug use on the other side of the street,” she said.  “They need to clean up the hotel scene.”

The area that she is referring to is the commercial strip on Samish Way just north of El Albañil where motels line the street for blocks.

By moving in, El Albañil becomes part of a transition started in 2009 that called for the development of the Samish Urban Village.  The Sehome Neighborhood Association submitted the Samish Way Urban Village Subarea Plan in an effort to revitalize the area.  The plan, approved by the City of Bellingham, looks to “create a vibrant mixed-use urban village that will enhance a sense of community by supporting the neighborhood’s walkability / bikeability and sustainability of local businesses.” 

Not all were happy to see the IHOP leave.  For students, the IHOP was a steady presence on at the base of Bill McDonald parkway and always guaranteed a late night meal.

            “It was one of the only places open at 2a.m.,” noted Western Junior Steve Graf.

He dined at the IHOP a few times late at night, but noted that that atmosphere wasn’t exactly the friendliest.

            “It was kind of sketchy . . . there were a lot of drunk people coming in,” he said.

Riggs himself was saddened by the departure of the IHOP.  A regular, he said that it was a “sad moment for Bellingham” when the pancake giant closed its doors in Sehome. 

Alvarado, however, has a plan up his sleeve for attracting the students looking to fill in the void left by IHOP.  His specialty is his enchilada sauce, a concoction of his own making and one he claims is different than everybody else. 

            “I have a secret ingredient,” he said with a sly look.  “I’ve tried [other enchilada sauce] and it’s not the same as mine.”

Once he gets his liquor license, Alvarado has a treat for the over 21 crowd as well; a margarita that he says is “the best money can buy.”

El Albañil is located at 3619 Byron St., Bellingham, Wa, 98665