Carnal
Restaurant · Bellingham
1234 N State St, Bellingham, WA 98225
Highlights
Wood-fired, seasonal PNW produce, slow-cooked meats, craft cocktails
Wood-fired, seasonal PNW produce, slow-cooked meats, craft cocktails
"Carnal is cheaper than other brunch spots that fill you up on benedicts and booze, but we'd argue a Oaxacan meal here is a much more luxurious experience. Wednesday through Sunday, this casual spot in Highland Park serves an interesting daytime menu of Mexican spins on diner classics, like lobster toasts drenched in chipotle crema, huitlacoche-stuffed omelets, and waffles topped with chilaquiles verdes. Most dishes float around $20, and while there’s no alcohol on Carnal’s menu, there is some very good cafe de olla." - brant cox, sylvio martins, cathy park
"Carnal serves food on the level of fine dining: fatty tuna tlayudas sprinkled with chile-dusted grasshoppers, vegan mushroom ceviche negro that jolts your mouth, and pink-in-the-middle duck breast that a server douses in smoky mole negro. But your meal at this small Highland Park restaurant from the chef behind Simón still feels casual, like an easy brunch or dinner with friends. Most people sit at a communal table, underneath about 500 dangling dried corn cobs. And by the time the bill comes, the chef’s cousin might offer you a humble café de olla in a ceramic mug because it’s good for digestion. Take them up on it." - sylvio martins
"Carnal is sneakily a fine dining experience, even if it brands itself as a casual spot. This small Oaxacan restaurant from the Simón chef is somewhere you go for run-of-the-mill plans like hangover brunch with your friends, but the food looks (and tastes) worthy of a special occasion. Familiar Mexican ingredients are spliced together in ways that get your feet tapping under Carnal’s long communal table: fatty tuna tlayudas sprinkled with chile-dusted grasshoppers, a vegan mushroom ceviche negro that jolts your mouth, and a pink-in-the-middle duck breast that your server dowses in smoky mole negro. And just when you start to question if Carnal is all that “casual” after all, the chef’s cousin offers you a humble café de olla in a ceramic mug because it’s good for digestion. Take them up on it." - brant cox, sylvio martins, andrew ryce, cathy park
"Carnal is sneakily a fine dining experience, even if it brands itself as a casual spot. This small Oaxacan restaurant in Highland Park from the Simón chef is somewhere you go for run-of-the-mill plans like hangover brunch with your friends, but the food looks (and tastes) worthy of a special occasion. Familiar Mexican ingredients are spliced together in ways that get your feet tapping under Carnal’s long communal table: fatty tuna tlayudas sprinkled with chile-dusted grasshoppers, a vegan mushroom ceviche negro that jolts your mouth, and a pink-in-the-middle duck breast that your server dowses in smoky mole negro. And just when you start to question if Carnal is all that “casual” after all, the chef’s cousin offers you a humble café de olla in a ceramic mug because it’s good for digestion. Take them up on it." - sylvio martins, brant cox, garrett snyder
"This elegant yet extremely carnivorous restaurant (the art on the walls is made with blood and bones) has become a favorite destination in downtown Bellingham. Their beef short rib (slow-cooked, finished on a wood fire, and brushed with bone marrow fat) is legendary, but don’t sleep on the black cod or the wings. Preparations change with the seasons and the chef’s whim, including the cocktail list. The owners of Carnal also run Accomplice, a burger shop next door, as well as Estelle, a charming bistro in the Fairhaven neighborhood." - Jessamyn Tuttle
